Guild Quests
The next morning, Lao Lin was awakened by a commotion.
Pushing open the door, one sees Chen Ze and Zui Qingfeng sparring in the courtyard, their swords flashing like snow, each move sharp and fierce.
Pan-fried Fish squatted under the eaves, watching intently, still clutching the box of paint in his hand, clearly looking for an opportunity to play a prank.
"Old Lin!"
The eldest brother poked his head out of the kitchen, his face covered in flour.
Come and try my steamed buns!
Old Lin walked over and saw several oddly shaped "steamed buns" lying in the steamer.
Some were exposed as fake, while others were not cooked at all.
The eldest brother, however, looked expectant: "How was it?"
Old Lin forced himself to take a bite; it was so salty it tasted bitter, but he still nodded.
"good."
Haha! I knew I had a talent for cooking!
The eldest brother clapped his hands triumphantly, "Go and call Shiyun and Xijiang to come and try it too!"
As they were talking, Shiyun and Xijiang appeared at the courtyard gate.
Shiyun was holding a guqin (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument), while Xijiang was carrying a cloth bag.
Upon seeing the group, Shiyun smiled slightly and said, "Good morning."
The eldest brother greeted them warmly.
"Perfect! Try my cooking!"
Xi Jiang took the buns, ate them without changing her expression, and then took out several oil paper packets from the cloth bag.
"We brought breakfast."
Upon opening it, I found fragrant meat buns and soy milk.
Pan-fried Fish cheered and pounced on it.
After the meal, the eldest brother summoned everyone to the main hall for a meeting.
He stood on the steps, his colorful clothes standing out brightly in the morning light.
"Everyone! Our gang is currently facing a small... financial problem."
Chen Ze snorted coldly.
"Xiaoxiao? There are only forty-seven taels of silver left in the account, and next month's rent is two hundred taels."
Drunk Breeze exhaled a smoke ring.
"Donations can be raised."
"No way!" the eldest brother said firmly.
"I will never use my brothers' personal savings to subsidize the gang."
Shiyun gently stroked the strings of the zither, producing a clear and melodious sound.
"Xi Jiang and I discussed last night that perhaps we could open a qin (a seven-stringed zither) class and recruit some apprentices."
Xi Jiang nodded in agreement.
"Many people in the martial arts world are dabbling in refined pursuits; charging them some money should be enough to solve their immediate problems."
The eldest brother's eyes lit up, and he excitedly waved his colorful sleeves.
"Great idea! Let's do it!"
Suddenly, Zui Qingfeng stubbed out his cigarette and squinted.
"Chief, the peach orchard behind our base produces some truly rare fruit."
He slowly pulled a crumpled wanted poster from his pocket.
"Medicine King Valley is currently purchasing Drunken Immortal Peaches at high prices."
Chen Ze raised an eyebrow slightly: "Why didn't you say so sooner?"
"I only saw it this morning too."
Zui Qingfeng shrugged, lit another cigarette, and said, "But that peach grove..."
"There's a pack of wolves guarding it."
The eldest brother chimed in, his face showing no fear, but rather eagerness, "Perfect for stretching my muscles!"
The fried fish suddenly poked its head out from behind the pillar.
"Me too! Me too!"
A moment of silence fell over everyone.
The final division of labor was quickly determined.
Shiyun and Xijiang were in charge of preparing for the qin (a seven-stringed zither) class; Zuiqingfeng and Chenze went to Yaowang Valley to negotiate prices; and the eldest brother took me and Jianyu to the peach orchard to pick fruit.
Before I left, Xi Jiang quietly slipped me a small bag.
"Sprinkle the wolf-repelling powder around the area."
She paused, then lowered her voice, "Don't let the gang leader know; he likes to show off."
Old Lin nodded and accepted it.
The peach orchard is located deep in the mountains behind the camp. The morning mist has not yet dissipated, and the air is filled with the sweet fragrance of fruit.
The eldest brother took the lead, not caring at all that his colorful clothes were scratched by the thorns.
"careful!"
Old Lin suddenly grabbed him, and in the pile of dead leaves ahead, gray-black wolf fur was vaguely visible.
The eldest brother laughed three times and pulled something out of his pocket—it was a meat bone!
"I was prepared!"
He triumphantly tossed the bone far away. The wolves, as expected, were drawn to it and swarmed after it.
Pan-fried Fish stared in disbelief: "Boss, when did you...?"
"He stole from the kitchen last night."
The eldest brother winked at us, "Hurry up and pick the peaches!"
The three of them quickly began picking.
The Drunken Immortal Peach is small in size, pink all over, and covered with a layer of fine fuzz.
Just as we were busy with our work, a mournful wolf howl suddenly came from afar.
The eldest brother's expression changed drastically.
"It's the alpha wolf! It didn't fall for the trick!"
Before the words were finished, a gray shadow pounced in front of them.
Old Lin instinctively shielded the fried fish behind him, then flung out the medicinal powder.
But then the leader did a somersault, and his colorful sleeves unfurled with a "whoosh," precisely covering the wolf's head!
The giant wolf, its head wrapped up, struggled frantically, while the leader clung tightly to the other end of the sleeve, dragging itself along the muddy ground.
"Old Lin! Sword!" he shouted.
Old Lin drew his sword and was about to step forward when Jianyu suddenly rushed out and smashed the paint box in his hand onto the wolf's nose!
The colorful paint exploded, and the giant wolf, in pain, whimpered and broke free of its restraints to escape.
The eldest brother slumped to the ground, half his clothes covered in mud, but he laughed heartily: "Well done, fried fish!"
On the way back, the eldest brother carried a full basket of Drunken Immortal Peaches, humming a little tune.
The setting sun cast a long shadow of him, and his colorful tattered clothes fluttered in the wind like a battle-damaged flag.
While frying the fish, he quietly tugged at Lao Lin's sleeve.
"Brother Lin, actually, the idea that wolves are afraid of paint was just something I made up..."
Old Lin watched the bouncing figure in front of him and said softly.
"It's alright, he didn't know that the bone had been rotten for a long time."
A celebratory banquet was held in the courtyard.
Xi Jiang cooked herself, and the pear blossom wine that the eldest brother had secretly hidden was also brought out.
After several rounds of drinks, Zui Qingfeng suddenly tapped his pipe.
"Boss, tell us how you founded the Hundred Birds Gang."
Under the moonlight, the eldest brother's colorful clothes were stained with wine, but his eyes were exceptionally clear.
"That year, when I first entered the world of martial arts, I saw a flock of sparrows fighting..."
“I went up there and knocked them all away, and they recognized me as their leader.”
"You guys didn't see how cool I looked back then! I threw a left hook and sent one bird flying and another bird flying."
"Colorful feathers flew everywhere, and I've kept them all this time!"
He pointed to the colorful feathers on his headgear as he spoke.
He gestured wildly, almost knocking over the wine jar when he got excited.
It was obviously improvised on the spot, but it was still very interesting.
The laughter startled the sparrows roosting under the eaves, and the flock of birds fluttering in the moonlight seemed like the never-ending youth in his stories.
Shiyun's zither music joined in at some point, and Xijiang responded softly in response:
Youthful spirit, old age in the martial world
The moon that shone then still shines today.
Don't ask how many miles the future holds.
Behold, a hundred birds flock to the phoenix in the sky...
Zui Qingfeng suddenly raised his wine bowl: "A toast to the Chief."
Amidst the crisp sound of porcelain bowls clashing, I saw the eldest brother secretly wipe his eyes.
The little turtle that had been newly drawn on his collar while frying fish looked adorable in the moonlight.
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