Chapter 9: The Legendary Gun of a Lifetime
In the afternoon, Yang Heng and Yang Yunxue returned home with five kilograms of beef and some cotton fabric.
The next morning, Yang Zhengshan went to the county town alone. Since Old Yang and Old Liu needed a cow cart to transport firewood, Yang Zhengshan had to walk.
In the county town, there were only two doctor’s offices. Yang Zhengshan arrived at the best one. Given the season, the doctor’s office was very busy, and a long queue had formed.
Yang Zhengshan wasn’t there to see a doctor, so he didn’t need to queue. He walked directly into the office.
“What brings you here, sir?”
A man in his thirties standing behind the counter asked Yang Zhengshan.
Next to him, an old man was examining a patient’s pulse.
Yang Zhengshan recognized the old man. Song Yuanbo was the best doctor in Anning County, and the thirty-something man was his son, Song Ningfeng. There were also three apprentices in the office, all of whom were Song Yuanbo’s grandsons.
Yang Zhengshan had previously visited Song Yuanbo to treat his internal injuries, but he hadn’t continued the treatment due to the high cost. It wasn’t that Song Yuanbo only cared about money, but rather that treating Yang Zhengshan’s internal injuries required many rare and expensive medicines, which Song Yuanbo couldn’t afford to provide at a loss.
“I have an old ginseng root here!” Yang Zhengshan said, taking out a wooden box and placing it on the counter.
Song Ningfeng opened the box, and his eyes lit up. “This is a 35-year-old ginseng root? Not bad, not bad, it’s a good medicinal herb!”
“Do you want to sell it?” he asked.
Yang Zhengshan nodded.
Song Ningfeng smiled and said, “Please wait a moment!”
He then took the wooden box to show Song Yuanbo.
Song Yuanbo looked at Yang Zhengshan, his face revealing a shocked expression.
“Has your injury healed?”
Yang Zhengshan was also surprised, not expecting Song Yuanbo to still remember him.
“Yes, it has,” Yang Zhengshan replied.
Song Yuanbo beckoned him over, saying, “Come, let me examine your pulse!”
Yang Zhengshan didn’t decline and walked over to sit down, extending his wrist.
Song Yuanbo examined his pulse, occasionally looking at Yang Zhengshan with a surprised gaze.
“How did you heal?” he asked.
Song Yuanbo had a deep impression of Yang Zhengshan. After all, there weren’t many martial artists in Anning County, and Yang Zhengshan’s internal injuries had been particularly unusual. Even if he wanted to forget, it was difficult to do so.
After examining Yang Zhengshan, Song Yuanbo had been regretful for a long time.
Now, seeing Yang Zhengshan again after so many years, he was still deeply impressed.
“A wandering Taoist priest healed me,” Yang Zhengshan replied casually.
Song Yuanbo didn’t ask further, only smiling and saying, “Your pulse is strong and steady, and your breath is smooth and long. Not only has your injury healed, but your martial arts abilities have also improved significantly.”
As an old man, he had seen many strange and wonderful things.
Hearing that a wandering Taoist priest had healed Yang Zhengshan’s internal injuries might sound unbelievable, but it wasn’t impossible.
Yang Zhengshan smiled, having now lived in this world for nearly a month. Every day, he drank Spirit Spring water, which, although it couldn’t directly enhance his martial arts abilities, could nourish his body. Additionally, his daily training was helping him to break through to the next level.
“Thank you for your concern, Doctor,” Yang Zhengshan said.
Song Yuanbo waved his hand, took the wooden box, and said, “This old ginseng root is good. I’ll give you 180 taels of silver for it. Are you willing to sell?”
Yang Zhengshan’s mouth almost dropped open. He had thought he could sell it for around 120-130 taels, but didn’t expect to get 180 taels.
Song Yuanbo nodded slightly and said, “I’m busy, so I won’t chat with you much.”
Yang Zhengshan thanked him and followed Song Ningfeng to collect the silver.
The 180 taels consisted of three 50-tael silver notes and three 10-tael silver ingots. The silver notes were from the Da Tong Money House, which had a branch in Anning County, making it convenient to exchange them.
After receiving the silver, Yang Zhengshan happily left the doctor’s office.
As the saying goes, “A horse without a sickle of grass is not fat, and a person without wealth is not rich.” Today, he had finally experienced the joy of getting rich quick.
As he left the county town, Yang Zhengshan saw a notice at the city gate.
The notice was about the bandit situation, with several wanted posters for mountain bandit leaders.
Anning County was far from peaceful, with many bandit lairs in the mountains, especially on Longqing Mountain, where many ruthless villains had made their dens.
However, Yangjia Village had never been attacked, thanks to the presence of martial artists and the guard who kept the village safe. Those mountain bandits were cowards who only preyed on the weak.
Yang Zhengshan glanced at the notice and left, not paying much attention to it.
On his way back home, Yang Zhengshan thought about the future of the Yang family.
Now that he had over 200 taels of silver, the family’s food and clothing were taken care of, but it still wasn’t enough to satisfy his ambitions.
He didn’t want to abandon the Yang family and live in seclusion.
As a social creature, Yang Zhengshan felt extremely bored and lonely in this world without the internet, phones, or entertainment. If he were to leave society and live in the mountains, he would probably go crazy.
Although he still felt uncomfortable with the idea of having children and grandchildren, he had accepted the Yang family as his own.
He didn’t see himself as a father or grandfather, but rather as a company owner.
The Yang family was his company, and his children and grandchildren were his employees. He needed to lead them to develop and make them more capable.
With this in mind, Yang Zhengshan felt a great sense of responsibility.
Next, he would focus on expanding the company’s business, increasing revenue, and ensuring sustainable development.
As he thought about this, Yang Zhengshan returned home at noon, just as Old Yang and Old Liu were bringing back a cartload of firewood.
Looking at the pile of firewood in the courtyard, Yang Zhengshan nodded in satisfaction.
Yang Mingcheng and Yang Mingzhi were diligent and hardworking, and their efforts would soon pay off.
“From tomorrow, you should focus on practicing your martial arts. We won’t be needing the cow cart anymore,” Yang Zhengshan said.
Yang Mingcheng looked puzzled and asked, “Dad, are we not going to transport people anymore?”
Previously, during the farming season, Yang Mingcheng would drive the cow cart between Yangjia Village and the county town, earning some money.
This was a significant income for the Yang family.
“No need, from now on, you’ll focus on practicing your martial arts. Don’t slack off!” Yang Zhengshan said firmly.
With over 200 taels of silver, he didn’t need to worry about the little money they earned from transporting people.
Instead, he would have Yang Mingcheng and Yang Mingzhi focus on their martial arts, aiming to become skilled martial artists soon.
Yang Mingcheng was only 20 years old, and Yang Mingzhi was just 17. It was still early for them to start their martial arts training.
Moreover, Yang Zhengshan had the Spirit Spring water, which could help them become martial artists quickly.
The most significant effect of the Spirit Spring water wasn’t healing injuries, but rather nourishing the body and enhancing physical potential.
The effects weren’t immediate, but rather gradual and cumulative.
Drinking a bowl of Spirit Spring water might not show any results, but if consumed regularly, its benefits would be limitless.
Yang Zhengshan was willing to give the Spirit Spring water to Yang Mingcheng and Yang Mingzhi because he had discovered that the spring’s water output had increased.
At first, he hadn’t noticed, but the previous two days, he had seen that the daily output had exceeded one bowl. The same bowl, which was now overflowing.
In the future, he would have more Spirit Spring water, and sharing some with his children and grandchildren wouldn’t be a problem.
The next morning, the sound of guns firing echoed in the Yang family courtyard.
Yang Mingcheng and Yang Mingzhi had joined Yang Yunxue in practicing their gunplay.
Together, the three of them were practicing their firearms in the courtyard, looking quite impressive.
Yang Zhengshan walked out of the house, glanced at them, and didn’t disturb them. Instead, he took his iron gun and went to the mountain behind the village.
Yang Mingcheng and Yang Mingzhi needed to practice their martial arts, and so did Yang Zhengshan.
One had to keep practicing to improve. As a martial artist, Yang Zhengshan’s gunplay was quite destructive, which wasn’t suitable for practicing at home.
Moreover, he needed to practice his short gun throwing technique, which required an open space.
Therefore, the mountain behind Yangjia Village was his best training ground.
After practicing for half an hour, Yang Zhengshan returned home, feeling the sun was already high in the sky.
Many villagers were going up the mountain to gather firewood or pick wild vegetables, and whenever they met Yang Zhengshan, they would greet him enthusiastically.
Facing their greetings, Yang Zhengshan would smile and nod in response.
In recent times, he had been adjusting his persona, changing from a cold and stern face to a warm and benevolent one.
The change was significant, but no one doubted he had changed people, thinking that it was due to his improved physical and mental state.
After returning home, Wang and Li had already prepared lunch.
There were four dishes and a soup, with rice and a side of pickled vegetables made by Wang.
Although Wang’s cooking skills were average, Yang Zhengshan was still satisfied with the meal.
After eating lunch, Yang Mingcheng and Yang Mingzhi worked on repairing the family’s house, which was over ten years old and had many broken parts, especially the roof, which needed to be reinforced.
Wang and Li took care of the children while doing some needlework, even Yang Yunxue helped with the sewing.
Yang Zhengshan suddenly realized that he was the most idle person in the family.
(End of chapter)
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