Chapter 9: The Buddha of the Yang Family - Yang Shi Qin

  "Tell me about your old man at home!"

  This newborn is perfect in every way, except that it has an extra father, which makes Yang Meng feel a bit uncomfortable.

  "Old Master? Let's talk about it, our old master is quite famous, his name is well-known in Yunnan, Kunming's Wan Jia Fo Yang Shi Qin, who doesn't know him?"

  As for his own elder brother, Ding Baojun became even more enthusiastic, and with a shout of "Kunming Wan Jia Fo", many knife-wielding horsemen puffed out their chests.

  "Is Wan Jia Fo a nickname?"

  Yang Meng didn't believe in ghosts and gods in his past life, but rather was a figure from the Taoist world of Myanmar and Thailand, often using this Buddha or that Buddha to make a name for himself. Now that he can be reborn once more, he also has some reverence for gods and Buddhas in his heart. Man proposes, Heaven disposes, all things must have cause and effect.

  "What's in a nickname? You underestimate the old master. This is what the people of Yunnan, young and old, have given him. Every year, our family's old master spends tens of thousands of taels to relieve disaster victims, and even more in years of great disasters. In these ten or so years, countless people from all ethnic groups who survived the famine thanks to the old master's kindness are too numerous to count. Not to mention the old master's bridge-building, road-repairing, and temple-donating, this nickname 'Wanjiafo' is paved with gold mountains and silver seas."

  Ding Baojun spoke excitedly, but Yang Meng sighed secretly at the tactics of Old Master Yang. Without mentioning others, just talking about himself, why did he donate to build a school in his hometown back then?

  It's not just about killing a lot to seek peace of mind, this thing Yang Meng understands the deepest. The name of Yang's old man, Wan Jia Fo, is built on top of gold and silver, but beneath that, it's likely that there are still mountains of corpses and seas of blood as its foundation!

  But no matter what, this is still the old master of one's own family. These things that happen behind his back cannot be said in front of outsiders. Donating gold and silver mountains is fine to talk about, but other things will have to wait until one slowly investigates them oneself!

  "Is our family's property passed down from ancestors or was it built up by the old man himself?"

  Yang Meng's question has a way out. If it's passed down from ancestors, that's easy to say, but if he's playing with something so big on his own, the one at home will be fierce.

  "Struggle! Good! This word is well used, our old master is indeed self-made. When we brothers followed our elder brother to Yunnan, we only had a knife and a horse. Our elder brother married the daughter of a tea merchant in Yunnan, and we brothers struggled for over 20 years, finally establishing the renowned Yang family of Kunming that shakes the heavens!"

  Alright! This is both a sword and a horse, definitely not a decent background. Marrying the daughter of a tea merchant and becoming rich in over 20 years, isn't this what they call whitening?

  Let's get in touch with the Yang family again. A good family can't take out 300 knives at once. Look at these men riding on short horses, their every move is extremely swift and precise, they must have practiced before.

  Their attire is also suitable for fighting, with a waist knife at their waist and a long-handled beheading sword or some other object in their hand. Yang Meng is not clear, but this team of knife hands should all be people who have been licking blood on the knife head for many years, which can be felt by Yang Meng.

  In the past, when he didn't make it, wasn't he a mercenary in Southeast Asia for several years, mixed up in the mountains and seas of corpses and blood, and then brought a group of brothers to stand firm in the Golden Triangle, and then developed from there.

  The old man of his own family is definitely not from a good background, and the business he operates is probably not just doing business!

  "Master Ding, so this set of fists and feet is also a family heirloom?"

  Yang Miao combed through his memories, Yang Zong Nei Jia and Yang Zong Wai Men were the boxing techniques he learned.

  "That's the real deal from Yang Zu's lineage, Yang Zu's internal school is the orthodox Wudang internal fist, while Yang Zu's external school comes from the same origin as the Baguaquan of Hebei Province. This Yang Zu external school was exchanged with a master in Hebei by our ancestor Yang You Come when he came down from the mountain to spread his teachings."

  As soon as he heard this, Yang Meng's head got big, and it was the Sheep Ancestor and the transmission of the law. Wasn't this Yang family the White Lotus Sect? This Yang Meng knew that TV shows and movies had all talked about it - the Qing Dynasty and the White Lotus Sect. Now things were going to get lively.

  "Is our family still in education?"

  Yang Meng asked nervously, having been reborn once more, he didn't want to play at rebellion again. Besides, after the Qing dynasty came the Republic of China, this Yang Meng knew that the White Lotus Sect was no longer viable!

  "In the teachings? Oh...... In the teachings, we are in Li Jiao, also called Li Jiao. Quit smoking and drinking, help those in trouble, this is a good teaching. Our old master went to Guangzhou five or six years ago and cooperated with Lin Lao Hu. It's just that the Qing army was too weak, and was beaten by the British until they couldn't find their way north. The old master saw that there was no chance of winning, so he brought his men back. At that time, we were banning opium in Guangdong, but it was a futile effort. The imperial court and the Qing army were equally weak, and they signed some kind of agreement with the British, allowing them to do business in the Great Qing Empire. These British are not good people, they are the ones who sell opium."

  Lin Lao Hu? Ban Yan? Ying Ge Li Shi? What are these things? Yang Meng was completely confused by Old Ding, but from his words, it can be heard that opium has only risen in the past five or six years.

  Wait, isn't Lin Zexu the one who banned opium and was nicknamed "Lin the Tiger"? Yang Meng knew this, and he didn't smuggle goods into the country also because he had heard this story when he was young. It's just that as time passed, some things were slowly forgotten in the long river of time.

  "Who is Lin Lao Hu? What's Ying Ge Li Shi?"

  The topic is getting further and further away, Yang Meng doesn't care anymore, go ahead and ask! Anyway, we'll all have to ask later.

  "Lin Lao Hu is Lin Zexu, and he's also the master of your second brother Yang Yi. Back then, Old Master took the first and second brothers to Guangzhou, coincidentally bumping into Lin Lao Hu's anti-opium campaign. Old Master brought along the Ma Bang brothers to help out, that's how they got acquainted. Lin Lao Hu even called Old Master a righteous man, and Old Master respected Lin Lao Hu, sending the second brother to study under him. But let me tell you, it's all nonsense! The British army of thousands was beaten by countless Qing soldiers who couldn't find their way north, what use is studying?"

  Ding Baojun was also getting angrier as he spoke, it seemed that he had personally participated in the destruction of opium at Humen back then. This so-called "foreigner" was actually a British person, and Yang Meng was also taken to the ditch by old Ding.

  Lao Ding said that there was still a hint of the Yang family's patriarchal atmosphere here, and it was clear that he was a bandit. As for his own origins, Yang Meng had also guessed roughly that his background was not good, and going to Guangdong to ban smoking was probably just Old Master taking advantage of the opportunity.

  As for whether there are any benefits to be gained from this, it is unknown. Sending the second son of the family to Lin Zexu as a student, isn't this just an example of collusion between officials and merchants? If the second son can become an official, then the Yang family will have completely whitewashed their reputation, the old master's methods are really clever!

  Ding Baojun is telling a story, while Yang Meng is figuring out the hidden truth behind it. This thing sounds fair and square when said out loud, but it's not necessarily so when done in reality.

  "Fourth Uncle, let's talk about Old Master instead! How did he end up in Yunnan?"

  It's useless to hear these things many times, it's not too late to study them later. Now the most important thing is to feel the pulse of the old master at home. As for the matter of pouring on the top, Lao Ding believes that it won't work, and only when the old master believes it will be considered a success.

  "Alas... when the old master took a wrong turn, I won't say any more. We got to know the old master at that time. Some people are too ambitious, wanting to reach the sky in one step. Some things can't be done just by thinking about it. Because of disagreements, we disbanded and the old master brought us brothers to Yunnan, then we struggled to make a living."

  When he said this, Old Ding's voice was very low, as if he was afraid that others would hear.

  "White Lotus Society?"

  Yang Meng also asked in a low voice.

  "It's all over, Tianli Sect! Those people aren't capable of accomplishing anything, they're all dead in the capital. Don't spread this around."

  Lao Ding spoke in a low voice while glancing around, afraid of being overheard by outsiders.

  "Is the founder of Falun Gong for real?"

  "This is true, our old family is from Shandong, a direct descendant of Yang Zu's lineage, not some disciple who claims to be the eighth generation of Yang Zu's teachings, but a blood relative. The old master joined the Tian Li sect back then because of this, but it turned out to be completely different, so they disbanded. Just listen to this and don't spread it outside, or else you'll get into trouble!"

  Lao Ding finished speaking and went to inspect the cavalry, leaving Yang Meng alone, sitting on the cart in thought.

  This cheap old man is also a character, first entered the cult and then entered Yunnan, and after starting his business, he spent a lot of money to get a good reputation, how does this sound like there's still a twist?

  Yang Meng was thinking about things, and the horse team was slowly moving forward. The road on this route was not easy to walk, and due to the drag of the horse cart, it was already dark in the second half of the night before they reached the suburbs of Kunming City.

  "Third Master, it's too late now. Entering the city will cause a big commotion. Let's rest at the Wu Manor for the night instead!"

  It's getting late after dawdling around, it seems that Old Master won't be able to meet Third Master tonight, let's talk about it tomorrow!

  "Alright! Once we arrive in Kunming, let's listen to Uncle Ding."

  Yang Meng didn't care either, he still had a lot of things that weren't clear in his mind, and it was all the same wherever he rested.

  A group of people did not enter the city, but instead headed straight to the Yang family's martial arts hall. Only after arriving did they learn that Old Master Yang Shiqin was also present and had already mobilized over a thousand knife-wielding men, preparing to head to Yiliang!

  "Big brother! What great news! Third Master has come around!"

  Lao Ding galloped his horse and rushed to the Wu Manor to report the good news, leaving Yang Meng and others standing stupidly outside the manor.

  In a short while, an old handsome man with a beard ran out, just arriving at the door, he got excited and stepped on the hem of his horse jacket, almost tripping over. This guy's skills were not bad, losing balance for an instant, he let out a loud roar and forcibly steadied himself.

  "Starry sky!"

  He steadied his figure and then stretched out a trembling hand towards Yang Meng, his cautious appearance completely at odds with the imposing aura he had just established.

  Yang Meng was confused, wasn't his name Yang Meng? Why was he also called Shang Xingdou? Was it a nickname?

  "Alas... I'm also confused. You've been muddled for 16 years and don't even know your own name. Let's go, Old Three!"

  This old handsome man, looking very pleasing to the eye, plus his performance just now, made Yang Meng feel that he was not bad. This father must be recognized, occupying someone else's son's body, calling him "father" is not excessive, but he has been holding back his breath for several times, this one word, as if it weighs a million pounds, can't spit it out no matter what.

  "Dad..."

  The mosquito buzzed weakly, with a trailing sound, and Yang Meng finally squeezed out with great effort, "It's too tiring, recognizing my dad will only happen this once."

  "Ah..."

  Yang Shi-qin responded with a sound, then sat down on the stone steps in front of the door with a plop, his mouth pursed and his long beard trembling as he burst out crying like a child. Sixteen years! A full sixteen years, every day teaching boxing, every day wiping his little son's butt, waiting for sixteen years, today finally achieved the desired result.

  "Quickly tell me what this master is like, I'll send someone to find him right away. We'll search all over Yunnan until we find him. I'll spend money to build a temple and make sure to treat this master well."

  Under Lao Ding's persuasion, Yang Shiqin stopped crying and grabbed Yang Meng's hand, asking about his master's origin with great urgency.

  "Let go! Let go! Release quickly!"

  Now it's Yang Meng's turn to be unlucky, this Wan Jia Fo's hand strength is too great, and he almost pinched his own hand off in excitement. The hand strength that could crush beans on the cart just now was no match for him at all.