Chapter 4: Capturing a Hair Thief Named Zhou Cang

  "This mountain was opened by me, this tree was planted by me. If you want to pass from here, leave the toll!" A thick and powerful voice sounded on the road in front of the merchant team, even Zhao Xing, who was following behind the team, could hear it from afar.

  "Oh no, we've encountered highway robbers! I wonder if the little bit of gunplay I learned in the past few days will be enough to keep Mother safe?" Zhao Xing's heart skipped a beat. "It's probably useless now, but let me go up and meet him!"

  They arrived in front of the merchant group, but didn't see any sword or knife. About a dozen strong and sturdy men hired by the merchant group were lazily holding large knives, watching with a mixture of pity and ridicule the two men standing in the middle of the road, whose faces couldn't be seen clearly.

  Why is it said that their faces are not clear? Because these two people have dusty heads and faces, tattered clothes, the first person has a full beard, a pair of eyes as big as bronze bells, but they can't hide their embarrassed and disheveled appearance.

  Liu Jili, who followed closely behind, was also puzzled by this scene. He had traveled extensively throughout the south and north, but he had never seen two men who looked so hungry they could barely hold their whips, yet still dared to intercept a merchant caravan of over a hundred people. Strange as it was, Liu didn't show any mercy, saying to the leader of the caravan guards: "Let these two pass, or I'll send them on their way!"

  "Listen up, good fellow on the opposite side! We are a merchant group from Ji State's Yangping County. We have killed bandits at Taihang Mountain and fought against Xianbei beyond the pass. If you know what's good for you, clear the road immediately and spare your life. Otherwise, don't blame me for my blade not recognizing anyone!" The leader of the merchant group shouted angrily.

  The big-bearded man opposite heard this without changing color, but his attendant was tugging at his sleeve, whispering: "Big brother, why don't we just forget about robbing and go back to Taihang Mountain to be a bandit? At least we'll have food to eat, rather than being hacked to death by these people!"

  "You scoundrel, how timid you are! Since I, Zhou Cang, am unwilling to join forces with the bandits of Taihang Mountain, would I go back on my word and bring shame upon myself? Just wait and see me get the silver coins as travel expenses, and we'll return to Zhending." The big-bearded man said in a loud and coarse tone, fearing that the person opposite wouldn't know they weren't in cahoots with the bandits on Taihang Mountain.

  There is a saying: the speaker has no intention, but the listener has a mind. When Zhao Xing heard that the big bearded man opposite him claimed to be Zhou Cang, his heart was stirred up. Less than a month after arriving in this chaotic world, the first person he met who had some fame in the Three Kingdoms era turned out to be the guy who held the big knife for Guan Yu. However, this black guy really did have some resemblance to Zhou Cang, the one standing next to Guan Yu's statue in the temple, a perfect "Black Whirlwind" type.

  "Now that I've managed to catch up, it's just in time to collect this goods. Firstly, it saves the trouble of this guy being killed by the merchant group's chaotic knives, and in the future, Guan Er Ye will have one less follower; secondly, it's also an additional free bodyguard." A certain ruthless young man thought this through in the blink of an eye.

  "Take action!" Liu Jili gave the order to kill.

  "Brother Liu, hold on a minute, let me go forward and say something. I guarantee that I can persuade the thief to leave, avoid a bloody fight, and also reduce some bad luck!" Zhao Xing hurriedly rushed forward to block him. Just kidding, it's too wasteful of talent to let you guys slaughter the followers who are sworn to follow Guan Er Yei!

  "Ah, good fellow from across the way, I, Zhao Xing, pay my respects!" Walking forward with a clasped fist in greeting, "Just now, I heard that you two brave warriors were unwilling to join forces with the evil bandits on Mount Taihang. Why then do you block the road in this peaceful and prosperous land? Is there some hidden circumstance that is inconvenient to speak of?"

  "Alas, it's really because we two have no money and are starving, if we don't do this, we'll starve to death." Zhou Cang's attendant hastily replied, afraid that his boss would lose his temper and take action. He hadn't seen the young man opposite them with a gun and bow, clearly not someone to be trifled with!

  "It's humiliating to mention this, but we were originally from Hebei province, and now there are no relatives left in our family. A few days ago, we sold our property and land, gathered some money, and wanted to go to Hexi to make a living by selling horses. However, when we passed through the Taihang Mountains, we were blocked by hundreds of mountain bandits who took away our money and goods, and forced us to join them. We refused, so they locked us up and starved us for three days. Taking advantage of their carelessness, we escaped and came here. Now we are starving, our eyes are blurry, and we have no energy left. We were forced to consider robbing people on the road." Zhou Cang said with his head hung low in shame.

  "It's actually their first time being bandits, no wonder they're so inexperienced." Zhao Xing thought to himself, but in reality, the two brothers who blocked his way had a natural talent for being mountain bandits. In "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", those who started as mountain bandits and eventually made a name for themselves included not only Zhao Zilong, but also Zhou Cang.

  "Indeed, a single penny can be the downfall of heroes! Zhao Xing struck the snake with his stick, his face filled with understanding and regret. Then, with a sincere tone and pitiful eyes, he gazed at the two men opposite him and asked: "Since you two heroes are now homeless and your circumstances are similar to mine, why must we have met before? We're all just drifters in this world! Why not follow me and head north to rely on my mother's family in Li Jia Zhuang, Pingzhou Prefecture, rather than wandering around, licking blood from the knife's edge, and living in uncertainty?"

  Zhou Cang, who was being stared at by Zhao Xing, heard this and felt a thrill of excitement, his goosebumps rising. Despite his usual carefree nature, he could tell that the white-eyed wolf opposite him "didn't have good intentions", and was trying to persuade him and his brother to follow him in the future.

  "Big brother, the situation is forcing us to be strong, let's surrender, no need to be a mountain bandit, in the future we'll have food to eat and a place to settle down." The brother beside him was tearfully and emotionally persuading Zhou Cang.

  "Don't you two worry, Zhao Xing guarantees that from now on, as long as I have food to eat, your bowls will never be empty. Follow me and you won't need to bully the villagers, commit crimes or be treated like household slaves!" The scoundrel continued to tempt the innocent and naive Zhou Cang and his brother, who were as pure as a blank sheet of paper.

  It wasn't bad when they didn't mention food, but as soon as Zhao Xing heard words like "bowl" and other "sensitive terms", he found that the two people in front of him had expressions on their faces like hungry beasts discovering prey, and some tense emotions were completely relaxed. It seemed that his first successful "human trafficking" operation since coming to the late Eastern Han dynasty was about to take place.

  "Are you sure what you're saying is true? My two brothers have followed you, and if we find out later that your words are false, don't blame us for turning against you ruthlessly!" Zhou Cang said without hesitation.

  "Deal!" Zhao Xing's face lit up like a peach blossom, his eyes shining with delight.

  When Zhao Xing started talking, he immediately deceived two followers. The merchants, except for regretting their late action, became more and more respectful of Zhao Xing. Especially the leader Liu Jili, who didn't take his eyes off the scene just now, and in his heart, he was even more convinced that his judgment that Zhao Xing was not an ordinary person was correct.

  But Zhao Xing had taken in two followers, and everyone thought he should be happy about it. However, they saw him with a gloomy face, looking like he was in pain. Why was that? It was because the two starving ghosts who had been reborn into this world had eaten all of Zhao Xing's and his mother's dry rations in the blink of an eye, leaving not even a crumb behind. And to make matters worse, they were now looking at Zhao Xing with expectant eyes.

  At this time, Liu Jili, who was accompanying Zhao Xing, saw through the situation and pulled Zhao Xing's sleeve to a quiet place, asking: "Brother, are you worried that after adding more troops, there is not enough food for them?"

  Seeing no disdain or ridicule in Liu Jili's eyes, but rather a hint of concern, Zhao Xing nodded and replied "yes".

  "I observe that my brother's appearance is dignified, his demeanor is calm and composed, and his eyes are sharp. He must be a man who will not long remain in a subordinate position. I am sure he will make a name for himself someday. I wonder if he would accept the assistance of Mr. Liu? The future is long, and it would also be good to maintain our friendship and meet again someday!"

  "It's very good, in the future if I can become successful, I will definitely not forget today's favor of Brother Liu lending a helping hand!" Zhao Xing replied calmly.

  Having solved the problem of provisions, Zhao Xing was in a great mood, humming a strange tune "I'm smiling with pride, I'm smiling with pride, laughing at the mortal world not growing old..." He patted Zhou Cang's attendant on the back and asked: "Don't know the good fellow's surname and name?"

  "Little Pei Yuanshao" was eating with his head down when he suddenly spat out a sentence that almost made Zhao Xing laugh to death!