Chapter 419: The Yuli Alliance

With Zhang Xiaohua’s verdict, Yuan Guoliang finally let out a breath of relief. After all, he was the renowned Young Master Raging Waves, and although he had received the old gang leader’s favor, the Zhou Tai before him was none other than the Young Sect Leader of the Flying Fish Gang—a status quite different from his own. If this had been a normal duel, and Zhou Tai, uninjured, had lost to him, then taking the spoils would have been justified, leaving no handle for anyone to grasp.

However, Zhou Tai had forcibly used the Reversed Blood Essence Draining Technique, resulting in serious injury. Though this was Zhou Tai’s own doing, Yuan Guoliang could not be entirely absolved of responsibility. In such circumstances, if he were to take Zhou Tai’s possessions, he feared it would incur the Flying Fish Gang’s resentment. Should conflict break out between the two factions, even with his father’s protection, it would be difficult to resolve.

Zhou Tai, too, let out a sigh of relief. He had received the sect leader’s orders to handle affairs in Mochou City, but before even arriving, he had nearly handed over all his possessions and suffered severe injuries. If word of this reached others in the gang, where would he put his face? Just now, he had only been forcing himself to hold on. Now, seeing Zhang Xiaohua offering him a way out, he quickly seized the opportunity, clasped his hands, and said: “Since Brother Ren has spoken thus, I shall not insist further. Brother Yuan, my body is weak, so I shall take my leave for now. As for the matters in Mochou City, I will no longer participate. I wish you swift success.”

Yuan Guoliang smiled and said: “Mochou City is just ahead. Why not come along with me, Brother Zhou? Even if it’s just to watch the excitement, it would be worthwhile. Why rush back?”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Tai was delighted and replied: “I am injured and was just worrying about the dangers on the road. Brother Yuan, your suggestion is exactly what I wished for. I’ll entrust my safety on this journey to you.”

Yuan Guoliang said: “Brother Zhou, you are too modest. Who doesn’t know of the Flying Fish Gang disciples’ prowess? Who would dare harbor ill intentions? Besides, if our two sects join forces, we’ll be even stronger. Rest assured, Brother Zhou.”

Zhang Xiaohua, standing to the side, secretly chuckled: “Well, just now they were fighting tooth and nail, and now they’re getting along so well. This jianghu really is unpredictable.”

Zhou Tai nodded and said: “Our two sects have always been friendly. From now on, we should foster even closer ties. Once this matter is settled, I will report to the sect leader and strongly advocate for an alliance between our two factions.”

Yuan Guoliang was overjoyed at this and said: “Indeed, I share the same intention.”

After the two had finished their exchange, they stepped forward to Zhang Xiaohua and saluted once more, saying: “Brother Ren, your life-saving grace is unforgettable. I should have shown my gratitude to Brother Zhou as well.”

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaohua secretly curled his lip: “Well, ‘should have’—which means there’s nothing coming. Sigh, actually, this great hero doesn’t ask for much; just leave me one cart of the wealth Zhou Tai lost, that’s enough. My ruling of a draw just now was for this very reason.”

But the two had already been won over by Zhang Xiaohua’s noble character. Would they think of such things openly? All they said was, “It’s just that what little we carry with us is hardly worth mentioning.”

After speaking, each of them removed a bronze token from their waist and respectfully presented it, saying: “This is our sect’s sect leader command token. We ask our benefactor to accept it. In the future, should you need anything, just hold this token and all disciples of our sect will obey your command.”

Zhang Xiaohua repeatedly declined, saying: “How could I possibly accept this?”

But in his heart, he thought, “What use is this token? It’s not as good as some hard currency in gold or silver.”

Seeing this, the two hurriedly said: “If our benefactor does not accept, wouldn’t people in the Jianghu say that we do not know how to repay kindness? How could we ever show our faces in the Jianghu again?”

Seeing the two of them bring up their very livelihoods, Zhang Xiaohua had no choice but to accept. He examined the tokens, each engraved with a flying fish and waves, respectively, before casually tucking them into his robe.

This “casualness,” in the eyes of the two, only made Zhang Xiaohua’s character seem even more noble, and they couldn’t help but hold him in even higher regard.

Yuan Guoliang said, “We still have urgent matters to attend to in Mochou City, so we won’t disturb our benefactor any longer. We hope you will visit the Raging Waves Gang when you have the time.”

Zhou Tai also said, “I too will be waiting for our benefactor’s arrival at the Flying Fish Gang.”

Zhang Xiaohua smiled at the two and said: “Of course, of course. When I have some leisure, I will certainly come and bother you both.”

The two were overjoyed to hear this. After bidding farewell to Zhang Xiaohua, they led their people out of the Peach Grove and departed in high spirits.

Once both groups had gone far, Zhang Xiaohua strolled back to the carriage. Nie Qianyu and Little Orange, who were on the carriage, looked at him with admiration, just about to speak when they heard Zhang Xiaohua mutter: “If I’d known these fellows wouldn’t give me any treasure, I should have judged him the loser. Maybe Yuan Guoliang would have been so happy, he’d have given me a whole cartload.”

The two immediately “thumped” and fell over in the carriage, both speechless: “This guy…”

After a while, Nie Qianyu finally said: “Brother Ren, Hero Ren, you didn’t even have to say a word—just standing by and watching, and you earned twenty taels of gold. Opportunities like this are truly rare in this world!”

Zhang Xiaohua didn’t think much of it, waving his hand and saying: “You don’t know the cost of running a household until you manage one yourself. Twenty taels of gold may seem like a lot, but it’ll be spent sooner or later. The more the better, that’s the right way.”

“You—” Nie Qianyu almost cried out: “When did you ever manage a household? Even if you did, you’d be spending our money!”

But before she could finish, she heard Zhang Xiaohua ask: “Just now, I heard that Yuan Guo… liang took some miraculous elixir from the Spring Rebirth Valley. Is your Spring Rebirth Valley really that famous? And what exactly is that miraculous elixir?”

Nie Qianyu, hearing this, replied with a hint of annoyance: “Now Hero Ren wants to ask about Spring Rebirth Valley? I thought the three words ‘Spring Rebirth Valley’ were beneath your notice.”

“Heh heh,” Zhang Xiaohua said sheepishly, “I saw you never mentioned it, so I thought Spring Rebirth Valley was just the name of a small manor. To spare your pride, I thought it best not to ask. But now it seems that’s not the case. It seems to be a rather famous place—oh, maybe even a powerful force—so I got curious and wanted to ask.”

Nie Qianyu, still not in a good mood, asked: “Then which big sects and great powers do you know of?”

Zhang Xiaohua rubbed his nose and said, “The Piaomiao Sect, the Heaven’s Way Alliance, Dalin Temple? Oh, and the Incense Spreading Cult. Could it be your Spring Rebirth Valley is on par with them?”

“You—!” Nie Qianyu’s eyes widened, thinking Zhang Xiaohua was teasing her, and she said angrily: “If you put it that way, of course our Spring Rebirth Valley can’t compare to them. Spring Rebirth Valley is just a small manor. But if you compare them, then all the sects in the Jianghu would be considered minor sects. I wonder, how large is Hero Ren’s own sect?”

Seeing Nie Qianyu angry, Zhang Xiaohua was not in a hurry and said: “Little Fish, don’t be anxious, don’t be upset. I really only know the names of those few sects. There’s also another one called the Evil Tiger Gang.”

“Evil Tiger Gang?” Nie Qianyu frowned and said, “Never heard of it.” But then she asked, not quite reassured: “Brother Ren, do you really only know those few? You’re not lying to me?”

Zhang Xiaohua shrugged and said: “Little Fish, do you think Ren Xiaoyao is that kind of person?” The name “Ren Xiaoyao” rolled off his tongue quite naturally.

Little Orange, seeing Zhang Xiaohua even mention the name “Ren Xiaoyao,” thought he must be angry, and quickly tried to smooth things over: “Brother Ren, please don’t be upset. My young lady doesn’t mean she doesn’t trust you, it’s just that she thought you’d surely know about these things.”

Nie Qianyu gave Little Orange an approving glance and said, “Little Orange is right. Brother Ren, I really thought you were just joking.”

Seeing that Zhang Xiaohua wasn’t bothered, she continued to explain: “Of the sects you mentioned, aside from the Piaomiao Sect, which has already been wiped out, the others are all top-tier factions in the martial world. Their strength is simply unmatched by ordinary sects. But aside from these top sects, there are still many others vying for dominance in the Jianghu.”

“Raging Waves Gang? Flying Fish Gang?” Zhang Xiaohua asked.

“These are just minor sects, not worthy of Hero Ren’s attention.” Nie Qianyu smiled and said, “There are also some mid-tier forces in the martial world, like the Falling Star Alliance, Sky Vault Stronghold, and Moon Sea Sect. All are well-known in the Jianghu.”

“Oh, right, Brother Ren, some of these aren’t single sects, but alliances formed by several smaller factions. As for which ones are united together, I’m not sure. What I know is just what disciples in the valley have told me—there are many sects I don’t know about either.”

“Then, what about your Spring Rebirth Valley?” Zhang Xiaohua asked curiously.

Nie Qianyu thought for a moment and said: “Spring Rebirth  Valley is a bit different from other sects. Our valley, along with the Refining Sect, Forging Sect, Qionghua Horse Ranch of Luoxue Mountain, Fuhu Horse Ranch of Tenglong Mountain, and Zhuying Horse Ranch of Yanwei Mountain, together form the Yuli Alliance. It’s known as ‘one valley, two sects, three horse ranches.’”

At this, Zhang Xiaohua’s eyes lit up and he smiled: “The three horse ranches produce horses, the two sects forge weapons, and your valley makes pills? No wonder it’s called Spring Rebirth Valley—like hands that bring spring back to life.”

Nie Qianyu clapped her hands and said: “Brother Ren, you really are clever. You saw through it at once! Our Spring Rebirth Valley specializes in making the common healing medicines and curative pills used in the martial world. The pill Zhou Tai took earlier was our ‘Blood Replenishing Pill’, meant for excessive blood loss from injuries. Zhou Tai actually used it after performing the Reversed Blood Essence Draining Technique, and it worked quite well.”

At this, Zhang Xiaohua was already certain in his heart: a few years ago, when Ou Yan went south, she must have been heading for Spring Rebirth Valley. Only a place capable of producing such miraculous medicines could help her find out why her herbs wouldn’t sprout.

Thinking of this, Zhang Xiaohua suddenly asked: “Little Fish Nie, does your Spring Rebirth Valley grow a lot of medicinal herbs?”

Nie Qianyu smiled and said: “Of course. Without herbs, how could we make pills? Another meaning of Spring Rebirth Valley is that our valley is like spring all year round, perfect for growing medicinal plants.”

Zhang Xiaohua was delighted and asked: “Then can I go take a look?”