Chapter 15

Qin Feng had come through a time穿越, and apart from the clothes on his body, the most valuable thing he had was a pair of sunglasses.

However, this thing couldn't be used for food or drink.

Therefore, Qin Feng had no money, and Xu Chu, the hunter, also had no money. What about Dian Wei? He was a man who could feed his whole family with just one person, but he had no money either.

In his previous life, Qin Feng had the temperament of the seventh master in a large household, not even knowing how much money he had. In this life, it was quite the opposite; he had not a single coin, and he was all too aware of how much money he had.

The contrast was huge, and Qin Feng was extremely depressed.

One day, under the blazing sun, news came that the government forces were fiercely battling the Yellow Turbans in important areas such as Zhuo Commandery, Guangzong, Linzi, and Changshe.

At Xu Family Village, a large banner was flying, inscribed with the words "Righteous Army." Many strong men who had been displaced came to inquire, but Qin Feng had no money to provide for their food and drink, so he couldn't retain them.

Now, under this large banner, there were only 20 able-bodied men from Xu Family Village, practicing with grunts and shouts. The only thing that comforted Qin Feng was that these men were all from hunting families, skilled and elite. With Dian Wei and Xu Chu, the two Dragon Guards, there were a total of 22 people, which was Qin Feng's entire armed force.

Originally, he could have recruited many more, but without money, he couldn't provide for their meals.

On this day, Qin Feng squatted under a big tree at the village entrance, pondering. Dian Wei was on his left, and Xu Chu on his right, the two Dragon Guards squatting with him.

Qin Feng looked up and sighed deeply, thinking that at this time, people like Cao Cao and Yuan Shao must be desperately seeking merit, while he was just squatting here in the sun. Forget about becoming a general; at this rate, he wouldn't even become a village head after the Yellow Turban Rebellion ended.

"If we don't recruit more troops soon, we'll miss the opportunity!" Qin Feng gazed at the Righteous Army banner at the village entrance, sighing deeply.

Suddenly, Dian Wei became agitated, crushing a clod of earth in his hand and raising his arm to shout, "Lord, why don't we just rob them, damn it!"

Qin Feng covered his face, thinking that the only profound thing in Dian Wei's words was the exclamation "damn it."

Xu Chu, hearing this, became furious and said, "You old Dian, if the lord robs like the Yellow Turban bandits, how can we fight the Yellow Turbans!"

"What should we do then!" Dian Wei pouted, and then said, "Since we can't rob, let's borrow! How about that? I've heard that there are many wealthy families in Qiao County. We can go door to door to borrow. If they don't lend, we'll use my sandpot-sized fist to talk to their families."

Qin Feng clutched his chest and exclaimed, "That's just becoming a thief! Turning into a bandit!"

Dian Wei's face turned red, and he shouted, "We can't rob, we can't borrow, how do we get money?"

Suddenly, an idea struck Qin Feng, and he jumped up, slapping his thigh, "I've got it!"

The two Dragon Guards were overjoyed and asked together, "Lord, what's the plan?"

"Borrow!" Qin Feng smiled.

"Good plan!" Xu Chu instinctively said.

Dian Wei grinned and muttered, "You old Xu, you didn't support me when I came up with the idea, but it was still my idea!"

Qin Feng smiled and said, "Not exactly, Dian Wei. What you suggested isn't borrowing. We don't know these people; who would lend to us? It would still be robbing in the end."

Xu Chu hurriedly asked, "Lord, where will you borrow from?"

Qin Feng snapped his fingers and, with a thoughtful look, said, "To Ye City, the Zhen family."

Xu Chu scratched his head, "The Zhen family?" He didn't understand, but Dian Wei, who had wandered across the country, knew and clapped his hands, "The Zhen family is no ordinary family. They are one of the top two wealthy families in Ye City, with countless riches. Oh, does the lord have a connection with the Zhen family?"

Qin Feng not only had a connection with the Zhen family; in his previous life, he had married two of their daughters, making the connection very strong. Just as he was about to speak, he frowned, thinking that in this life, no one knew him, so he shook his head.

Xu Chu was stunned and quickly said to Dian Wei, "There must be some old connection." Dian Wei nodded in agreement.

However, Qin Feng shook his head again.

Dian Wei and Xu Chu were confused. Xu Chu scratched his head and said, "Without any connection, will they help us?"

Dian Wei stroked his beard, looking as if he knew something, and said, "The lord is afraid that robbing several families in Qiao County wouldn't be enough, so he's going to Ye City to rob just one family, right!"

Smack! Dian Wei was slapped to the ground by Qin Feng.

Thus, on that afternoon, Qin Feng led his 22 brave warriors, bid farewell to the villagers of Xu Family Village, and set out on their journey. The warriors vowed to their families that they would assist the lord and achieve their own glory, ensuring a better future for their families.

Five days later, in Ji Province, Wei Commandery, Ye City.

This city covered over 20 li, with walls over 10 zhang high, making it the largest and most magnificent city in the north, and one of the top cities in the world, second only to the eastern and western capitals. With a population of 300,000, the city was bustling with activity. The streets were crowded with people.

After the Yellow Turban Rebellion began, tens of thousands of refugees flooded in, making the city even more crowded. However, the prosperity was overshadowed by a pervasive sense of fear and panic.

On this day, on the Zhuque Street in Ye City, this wide "eight-lane" street was lined with mansions. The so-called villa districts of the future were nothing compared to these mansions, each as large as a future estate. If your mansion only had a dozen courtyards, you wouldn't even mention it on this street.

Each family here had at least 50 courtyards, meaning 50 quadrangle courtyards in one household.

Due to the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the government couldn't push the refugees to the Yellow Turban bandits, so the city was flooded with refugees. The front gates of these wealthy families became gathering places. Many people held broken bowls, waiting for alms from the wealthy. However, while begging was allowed, causing disturbances was not. If it affected public order, the government would intervene, and the servants of the wealthy families were not idle either.

On this day, 23 men arrived on Zhuque Street, all in tattered clothes, but not at all emaciated. Their exposed arms and chests were muscular and robust.

This group of men came to the south wall of the Zhen family's courtyard, where a group of refugees had already occupied this sunny spot. Seeing another group of refugees arrive, led by a particularly robust man, the leader of the refugees immediately stood up, waving his hand, and led his 30 followers to confront them.

As the two groups faced off, the new group parted, and a man stepped forward.

This man wore sunglasses, while the others had disheveled hair. He, however, had a short haircut. His clothes were torn in many places, with no patches, and some were even in strips. This made him look like a future warrior who had been beaten up but was still fine.

The refugee leader was shocked by this man's appearance. The future warrior snapped his fingers, and two towering giants stepped out, one with a waist as wide as ten men, and the other with a fierce appearance and a beard that could stab someone.

The future warrior lifted his sunglasses, his eyes devoid of emotion, and said calmly, "What, do you need to practice?"

The refugee leader, who had wandered for thousands of miles, was a seasoned survivor. Although he was intimidated by Dian Wei and Xu Chu's imposing presence, he still had the heart to fight for the best begging spot. However, the future warrior's appearance was too terrifying, and he had never seen anyone like this in his life.

The refugee leader's eyes met the sunglasses, and he could see his own reflection, breaking out in a cold sweat. He thought, "This must not be an ordinary person. I'd better leave quickly." He bowed and waved his hands, smiling obsequiously, "No, no, no need to practice, no need to practice. This place is yours from now on, brother."

The refugees, already intimidated by the future warrior's might, quickly scattered when the leader said to leave.

Thus, the future warrior, leading 22 men, arrived in Ye City and secured a spot, occupying the entire south wall of the Zhen family's courtyard. Other refugees were terrified of them, more so by the future warrior's sunglasses and short haircut than by their numbers. Indeed, the future warrior, Uncle Singh, was imposing and intimidating.

The future warrior was none other than Qin Feng. After securing the spot, he learned that the head of the Zhen family was not at home, apparently out collecting rent from his estates.

So, they waited.

They waited until the afternoon.

Qin Feng and his men squatted by the wall, with Qin Feng in the center, his elbows on his knees, swaying. Dian Wei and Xu Chu found this posture comfortable and imitated it. Thus, 23 men lined up, all squatting, creating a痞气 (rude and tough) atmosphere that scared passersby into taking detours.

Suddenly, Qin Feng had a sense of déjà vu, like when he used to gather people at the school gate to confront others. This time, however, he was not confronting classmates but his future father-in-law. And this time, it wouldn't be a few hundred coins to settle things; it would be at least a thousand taels of gold.

Shortly, they heard someone shouting, "Lord Zhen is returning to the manor, all idle people, move aside..." The sound of whips followed, and the crowd scattered.

Qin Feng was overjoyed, stood up, and lifted his sunglasses, smiling, "Ah, my father-in-law is back!"

A moment later, Qin Feng's heart was filled with joy as he saw two beautiful girls approaching, exclaiming, "My wife is here too!"

Thud, thud, thud, Dian Wei, Xu Chu, and the others were stunned to the ground. They knew Qin Feng didn't know the Zhen family and couldn't help but think that their lord had gone mad with thoughts of money and a wife!

(Note: The last part of the original text includes a website link and some additional content that is not part of the story. It has been omitted in the translation.)