Chapter 50

The preparations for the move were not too many. Apart from the personal items of the time travelers, the most important thing was the gold and silver worth several hundred thousand strings of cash. According to the agreement between Wang Xiaojun and Zhong Yuwai, on the first day of the twelfth month, Zhong Shiwén brought five carts and six or seven horses to Yuxu Palace. After some pleasantries, they began to allocate the vehicles. They decided which items should go on which cart, and which person should sit in which cart or ride which horse, making detailed arrangements. After a morning of hard work, they confirmed that nothing was left behind and then went to have lunch with peace of mind.

On the second day of the twelfth month, although the sky was somewhat overcast, everyone at Yuxu Palace got up early and began the final preparations for the move in an orderly manner. You Yuan and the four committee members opened the temporary warehouse, and the time travelers, following the arrangements made the previous day, began to load the gold and silver, as well as the modern equipment sealed inside, onto the carts. To maintain secrecy, all the items were loaded by the time travelers themselves. During the loading process, the Zhong family's cart drivers and the young Taoist boys from Yuxu Palace were arranged to rest or do their homework to ensure they were not present.

Yuxuzi, Zhong Shiwén, and Qingchen, who were fortunate enough to stay on the scene, had no interest in the gold and silver. What they were interested in were the strange items they could not name or understand the purpose of. These items, which they had never heard of or seen before, captivated them so much that they did not even notice the snowflakes falling.

Yuxuzi and the time travelers did not notice the snow at first. It was only when the small snowflakes turned into large snowflakes that they paid attention. Yuxuzi looked up at the sky, which had become even more overcast since they got up, and the falling snowflakes, and said to Wang Xiaojun with some concern, "Brother, looking at the sky, this snow doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. It might affect your journey today."

Wang Xiaojun, hearing this, also stopped his work, looked up, and replied with worry, "Brother, you are right. The snow from the other day hasn't melted yet, and now we have another heavy snowfall. The road to the city might be impassable. If the snow doesn't stop in the afternoon, we might have to postpone our move."

Zhang Weixin, standing nearby, comforted him, "This might be the will of heaven, as if the sky wants us to stay a few more days because of our deep bond with Brother. It doesn't really matter whether we move a few days earlier or later. We can send a skilled rider to the two houses to inform them not to worry once the snow lessens."

Given the situation, they could only leave it to fate, as there was no weather forecast in this era. Seeing the snow getting heavier, everyone stopped their work and went back to their rooms to avoid the snow. The items already loaded onto the carts were left there temporarily, and if the snow continued in the afternoon, they would unload them later.

To the disappointment of the time travelers, the snow not only showed no signs of stopping but got even heavier after lunch, truly becoming a heavy snowfall. At this rate, they wouldn't be able to move today, and there was little hope for the next three or four days. Given this, everyone stopped worrying. Considering that most of their riding skills were poor (except for the Mongolian Mutuer, who was an excellent rider but didn't know the way since he hadn't left Yuxu Palace since the time travel), Qingchen eventually set out in the snow to inform the two houses about the change in the moving date. The others started to unload the luggage they had laboriously loaded onto the carts in the morning.

Loading the items onto the carts was easy, but unloading them was difficult. The snow on the ground was already quite thick, and everyone was prone to slipping while moving the items, especially those who did not practice martial arts, who often lost their balance and fell. Each time someone fell, it would trigger a burst of laughter, which made the atmosphere cheerful and warm.

Among them, Song Feiyang had the worst fall. He was carrying a wooden box containing 500 taels of silver, and was walking fine until he saw Fan Wucheng and Zhao Dawei fall while moving an item due to poor coordination. He laughed heartily at their misfortune, but then he himself slipped and fell flat on his back. The box on his shoulder also fell and broke, scattering the silver ingots all over the ground. Seeing him lying on the ground, grimacing in pain, everyone burst into laughter, and Zhao Dawei even shouted, "You laughed at others, and now you've received your punishment!"

However, it seemed that Song Feiyang was seriously injured, as he lay on the ground for a long time without getting up. Everyone stopped laughing and rushed to ask if he was really hurt. Lin Xiaoyu massaged him a few times and, seeing that he was in a lot of pain, suggested taking him to Yuxuzi, who she believed had more experience with such injuries. In the end, Fan Wucheng and Zhao Dawei went over to help him up and supported him, limping, to Yuxuzi for treatment.

After a while, Fan Wucheng and Zhao Dawei returned and told everyone that Song Feiyang was fine, but the fall was quite severe, and he had injured his waist. Yuxuzi was massaging and treating him, and he would be fine soon. Knowing that Song Feiyang was not seriously hurt, everyone felt relieved and continued their work. The scattered silver ingots were collected and put back into a box.

After a lot of hard work, they finally moved everything back into the warehouse. The vehicles and horses were also settled, and everyone went to check on Song Feiyang's condition at Yuxuzi's place. Seeing that he was almost fine after Yuxuzi's treatment, they had Fan and Zhao support him back to his room to rest. The others returned to their rooms to rest and chat, hoping the snow would stop soon so they could complete the move.

It seemed that the sky was deliberately against the time travelers. The heavy snow continued all night and stopped only the next morning. After getting up, the time travelers looked at the thick snow on the roof and the ground and realized they couldn't move in the short term. Fortunately, they were not in a hurry, as the two houses would not run away, and it didn't matter whether they moved earlier or later. Moreover, the snow sparked their childlike joy, and they all ran to the courtyard to build snowmen and have snowball fights, enjoying themselves immensely.

While the time travelers were having a good time at Yuxu Palace, about twenty miles away, in the Xayun Ridge Five Tigers Fort's Gathering Hall, the leader of the Five Tigers Fort, Wei Caisi, was sitting in a large tiger-skin chair, listening carefully to his subordinate's report on the situation he had spied on the previous day. On his left and right were two more chairs, occupied by his sworn brothers, Liu Wanbao and Wu Xingji, who were also listening intently to the spy's every word.

In front of the three, a thin and slightly wet spy stood formally in the hall, reporting in a slightly hoarse voice. He said, "Great Leader, I saw it clearly. The Taoists were moving many wooden boxes, all of which were quite heavy. One of the Taoists accidentally fell while moving a box, and the box broke, revealing large silver ingots. I estimate that one box contained at least 500 taels of silver. There were at least a hundred such boxes, totaling about 50,000 to 60,000 taels of silver."

Upon hearing this, the other leaders in the hall immediately perked up, some whispering to each other, and others showing a ready-to-act attitude. Although Wei Caisi did not speak or show any expression, his second-in-command, Liu Wanbao, saw a greedy glint in his eyes. He felt a sinking heart, knowing that his brother was really interested in this deal, and his previous efforts to dissuade him might have been in vain.

Liu Wanbao's opposition to this deal was not out of a sudden sense of morality or a desire to stop doing evil deeds. He had also participated in many raids on villages and attacks on merchants. His strong opposition this time stemmed from his fear of the Taoists' strength.

When Shi Feilei, the brother of "Liangxiang Tiger" Shi Feihu, and the newly joined Ding Yuchang came to report this opportunity, he had advised his brother to think carefully. First, those Taoists were not ordinary people; Shi Feihu had been defeated by them, and he never believed that Shi Feihu was killed by the county constables. Second, although Shi Feilei never mentioned it, Liu Wanbao had heard from other sources that Shi Feihu was killed by the Taoists using Daoist magical weapons. According to rumors, these weapons were extremely powerful, capable of killing from a distance of over a hundred steps, with no way to avoid them. Even the most skilled martial artists would be doomed. Although the rumors might be exaggerated, they were not baseless. Because of these concerns, he had expressed his opposition when Shi Feilei first suggested the plan, arguing that most of Shi and Ding's claims were speculative and not credible. He advised his brother to act cautiously and not to easily provoke Yuxu Palace. His brother had nodded in agreement, promising to think carefully.

What Liu Wanbao did not expect was that his brother had not truly given up on the idea. He had not accepted Shi and Ding's immediate suggestion to attack, but secretly sent the "Grass on the Fly" to investigate Yuxu Palace. The information brought back by "Grass on the Fly" was like a royal decree for his brother, and the temptation of tens of thousands of taels of gold and silver might outweigh the fear of the Taoists' strength. Liu Wanbao knew that it would be very difficult to persuade his brother to change his mind now.

Thinking about this, he decided to try to gather more information to find new reasons to dissuade his brother. He asked "Grass on the Fly," "Are you sure you saw it clearly, and it was indeed 50,000 to 60,000 taels?"

"Grass on the Fly" bowed to Liu Wanbao and replied, "Second Leader, I saw it clearly. I can guarantee it with my life. It's more than that number, not less."

Liu Wanbao nodded and asked, "Did you find out how many Taoists are in Yuxu Palace? How many of them do you think are skilled in martial arts?"

"Grass on the Fly" thought for a moment and said, "Second Leader, I counted roughly, and there should be more than fifty Taoists in Yuxu Palace. I estimate that most of them, about eighty to ninety percent, are skilled in martial arts, and their skills are quite high."

Hearing this, Liu Wanbao frowned, thinking: Over fifty people, with more than forty skilled in martial arts and of high caliber, this is a tough opponent. We have over five hundred men, but few of them are truly skilled, and we usually rely on numbers to win. This time, they will be facing highly skilled opponents, and I'm not sure if our men will be willing to risk their lives. If they hesitate in battle, it won't just be a matter of failing to get rich; we might lose everything.

Thinking about these possible consequences, Liu Wanbao gritted his teeth and, despite his reluctance, bowed to his brother and said, "Brother, I think..."

But Wei Caisi, who clearly knew what he was going to say, stopped him with a hand and said, "Now that we have the real information, we can't let this fat target slip away. Those Taoists might have some skills, but they are not to be feared. We have a significant numerical advantage, and we will attack them by surprise, taking them off guard. I have thought this through, and I have made my decision. We will definitely go after the deal at Yuxu Palace."

He paused, seeing that Liu Wanbao did not persist, and then instructed, "The heavy snow yesterday means the Taoists won't leave Yuxu Palace until the snow melts. This is our chance. Rest well today and get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow afternoon, except for two hundred men to guard the fort, the rest will follow me to Yuxu Palace. We will attack after dark, catching them off guard."

He scanned the heads of the subordinates and continued, "If we succeed in this deal, I, Wei Caisi, will not let you down. We will reward everyone according to their contributions. With these tens of thousands of taels of gold and silver, we can spend a comfortable winter in the fort without having to brave the cold and snow for low-yield deals."

Upon hearing this, the subordinates were all delighted, showing their loyalty and determination, competing to be the best. The instigators, Shi Feilei and Ding Yuchang, were even more overjoyed, hoping Wei Caisi would launch the attack immediately.

At this moment, a subordinate, in his excitement, asked, "Great Leader, since these Taoists will leave Yuxu Palace in a few days, why don't we wait until they are on the road and attack them then? Without the protection of the temple, wouldn't it be easier for us to succeed?"

Wei Caisi waved his hand and said, "That's not a good idea. Although their defenses will be weaker after they leave the temple, they will be more cautious because they are carrying a large amount of money, making it harder for us to launch a surprise attack. Moreover, our fort is far from Yuxu Palace and the road to the city. If we want to ambush them on the road, we need to set up in advance. With the heavy snow, they will delay their move, and we won't know exactly when they will leave. We can't just wait in the snow, as we would freeze to death before the Taoists even arrive. So, it's better to attack them while they are still in the temple."

The subordinate, realizing his oversight, did not say anything more.

Wu Xingji, who had been silent, now spoke lazily, "Brother, who do you plan to leave to guard the fort?"

Wei Caisi, understanding his meaning, knew he was afraid of the Taoists' martial skills and wanted to stay in the fort. Seeing his youngest brother's lack of enthusiasm, he felt somewhat annoyed but, as a sworn brother, he had promised to take care of him and did not want to lose face in front of the subordinates. Suppressing his annoyance, he replied, "Your fourth brother will lead the men to guard the fort. There will be no problem."

Wu Xingji, not noticing his brother's displeasure, said indifferently, "Brother, that's strange. Fourth Brother is bedridden, how can he guard the fort?"

Hearing this, Wei Caisi's annoyance turned to anger, thinking, If it weren't for your cowardice and fleeing without a fight, Fourth Brother wouldn't have been seriously injured by our enemies and still be bedridden. However, now was not the time to vent his anger, so he suppressed it and said, "What do you think, Fifth Brother? Who should we leave to protect the fort?"

Wu Xingji, waiting for this question, quickly replied, "The fort is a key location. I should stay to guard it. Brother and Second Brother can go down the mountain to make a fortune, and I will ensure the fort is secure."

Wei Caisi, seeing his plan, was almost ready to explode. Liu Wanbao, seeing his brother about to lose his temper, quickly intervened, "Brother, the big picture is important. I think we should let Fifth Brother guard the fort. I will also leave Erxing and Xiao Liu to assist him. What do you think, Brother?"

Although Wei Caisi wanted to teach his fifth brother a lesson, he ultimately accepted Liu Wanbao's suggestion, knowing that a quarrel among brothers would greatly damage the morale of the subordinates. Wu Xingji, not realizing that his second brother was helping him, was unhappy with the two trusted men left behind, thinking it was a sign of distrust. He wanted to argue but was cut off by Wei Caisi's "It's decided." He was unhappy but did not dare to openly challenge his brother and had to reluctantly accept it.