"The matter of establishing a sect can be discussed later. For now, not a single word should be leaked."
As Zhou Fugui led Ge Rufeng, Bu San, and Bu Si close to his rented room, he cautioned the three.
"Why is that?" Ge Rufeng asked in surprise.
"A tall tree in the forest is prone to be felled by the wind. Spreading such unsubstantiated rumors will only draw unwanted attention," Zhou Fugui replied.
The events in Guangling Commandery were still fresh in Zhou Fugui's mind; spreading false rumors could lead to arrest and punishment by the Yan army.
Bu San and Bu Si nodded, but Ge Rufeng grumbled, "He agrees to it, then goes back on his word?"
"Just listen to me and stop with the nonsense!" Zhou Fugui, too tired to explain in detail, shot Ge Rufeng a stern look and added, "We can proceed with this matter discreetly after some time."
"Oh..." Ge Rufeng nodded.
"And another thing..." Zhou Fugui said as he pushed open the door. "Whether to be proper or not depends on the situation. When dealing with cunning rascals, what's wrong with being a little unconventional?"
"Oh..." The three, unsure of Zhou Fugui's meaning, casually responded and followed him into the rented room.
"Oh my!"
As Bu San and Bu Si entered, they were startled by a majestic, massive white bear. Though confined within an iron cage, it sent them into a panic. They let out a yelp and stumbled backward, falling out of the doorway.
"Great Emperor Lao Zi, hasten as the imperial decree!" Ge Rufeng, also taken aback, raised his left finger, formed a hand seal with his right, and began to perform a ritual.
"What are you doing? That's Chi You," Zhou Fugui said, grabbing Ge Rufeng's arm.
Zhou Fugui then walked to the iron cage and released Chi You. The bear, seemingly still wary of Ge Rufeng, hid behind Zhou Fugui, head lowered, whimpering softly.
"Ah? This beast has grown so big?" Ge Rufeng exclaimed, finally seeing clearly.
"You think it's like you? Eating for months and not growing an inch," Zhou Fugui retorted, giving Ge Rufeng a pointed look.
"Big... Big... General..." Bu San and Bu Si ventured back into the room. Bu San asked tremblingly, "This... is...?"
"A spirit beast of heaven and earth, just like my child," Zhou Fugui said with a smile, hugging Chi You.
"Wow, Great General is truly amazing! Is such a divine beast your mount?" Bu Si praised, giving a thumbs-up.
"Can you even birth such a creature?" Ge Rufeng countered, rolling his eyes.
"Liu Xia and Fei Yun pay their respects to Master!" At that moment, Liu Xia and Fei Yun emerged from the room, having heard the commotion, and greeted Zhou Fugui.
"I've told you not to be so formal. Relax," Zhou Fugui nodded and asked, "Are you two getting used to staying here? Are you afraid of it?"
Chi You the great white bear was growing increasingly massive. It couldn't be kept around forever; it needed to be released back into the wild. Zhou Fugui mused to himself that the wilderness was its true domain, not to be raised as a pet.
"We're getting used to it. Chi You is very well-behaved; we're not afraid anymore," Liu Xia replied with a smile.
"Time to eat, little bear," Fei Yun said, holding a basin of lamb towards the "little bear" with a smile.
Chi You sat on the ground, holding the meat and devouring it heartily while casting sidelong glances at Ge Rufeng.
"Zhou Fugui, you... No wonder, no wonder!"
The presence of two ravishingly beautiful Western Region maidens in the rented room astonished Ge Rufeng, Bu San, and Bu Si, leaving them speechless. Ge Rufeng exclaimed in disbelief.
"No wonder what?" Zhou Fugui asked, glaring at Ge Rufeng.
"No wonder you've been out of sight for months! So you've been keeping mistresses, enjoying yourself and forgetting your friends! And you've hidden two? Zhou Fugui, you're truly a man who values lust over friendship!" Ge Rufeng shouted, "How could you betray Jin Feiyan on Flying Dragon Mountain?"
"You little Taoist, what nonsense are you spouting?" Zhou Fugui's face flushed with anger. "What the hell is 'keeping mistresses'? They are... Ah, Zhou Fugui was forced into this! If I didn't keep them, I would surely die! Do you believe me?"
Jin Feiyan? Judging by the name, she must be a woman. Liu Xia and Fei Yun exchanged glances, both thinking, "Could she be the young madam?"
"We don't believe you!" Ge Rufeng, Bu San, and Bu Si all shook their heads in unison.
"Believe it or not, it's up to you!" Zhou Fugui glared at the three and then instructed Liu Xia and Fei Yun, "Liu Xia, Fei Yun, prepare some wine and dishes. We'll have a small drink with our three brothers today."
"Yes, Master!" Liu Xia and Fei Yun responded in unison.
"Hey, what are we drinking for? The recipe, the recipe! Are you going back on your word again?" Ge Rufeng grabbed Zhou Fugui's sleeve and shouted, afraid he would renege.
"Back on my word about what? I'll write it for you right now. Happy now? Follow me," Zhou Fugui said, giving Ge Rufeng a sidelong glance.
"That's more like it..." Ge Rufeng shouted joyfully, "Liu Xia, Fei Yun, quickly get the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone."
Ge Rufeng didn't seem to consider himself an outsider...
.........
"Take it back and study it. If you don't understand anything, I'll explain it to you when I have time," Zhou Fugui said, handing three pieces of cowhide to Ge Rufeng.
The three cowhide scrolls were densely covered with writing, containing the recipe and annotations. Zhou Fugui knew such recipes by heart.
"This... This... Is it really as you said?" Ge Rufeng had studied for quite some time, but for the ingredients in this recipe, he only knew a small portion. Most were materials he had never seen, let alone heard of.
"If you don't believe me, then give it back," Zhou Fugui said, reaching out to snatch the recipe.
"Of course, I believe! Why wouldn't I?" Ge Rufeng quickly withdrew his hand, carefully placed the recipe in his embrace, and said with a smile.
"For me, such a recipe is nothing difficult," Zhou Fugui said, giving Ge Rufeng a look. "It's just that the materials are not easy to come by."
"Great General, as long as we have money, what can't we get?" Bu San interjected. "I just don't know what these things are."
"You wouldn't understand even if I told you," Ge Rufeng retorted, glaring at Bu San, then asked Zhou Fugui, "Brother Zhou, shall we get the money?"
"Do I look like a rich man?" Zhou Fugui spread his hands and said with a wry smile.
"Yes!" Ge Rufeng, Bu San, and Bu Si all nodded.
Keeping mistresses, and two of them! They wouldn't believe he was poor. The three thought to themselves.
"Yes, your grandma! I'm telling you the truth, I'm broke right now!" Zhou Fugui said, playfully scolding them.
Emperor Murong Xi of the Great Yan had rewarded Zhou Fugui with a considerable amount of gold and silver, but Zhou Fugui had left most of it at home before being exiled to Lin Dong City for border duty. The rest had been spent.
Now, with Chi You the glutton to feed, renting a house, and keeping two mistresses, Zhou Fugui's finances were tight. Furthermore, his guards' stipends were not substantial, making it imperative to acquire some money quickly.
Truly, poverty could humble even a hero, Zhou Fugui sighed inwardly.
"You're really out of money?" Ge Rufeng looked at Zhou Fugui with a hint of disbelief and said, "What are we going to do? Oh, right, Bu San, Bu Si, you two take out some money."
" I don't have a single coin in my pocket," Bu San said, shaking his tattered coarse cloth padded jacket.
*We followed you to make a living,* Bu San thought to himself.
"How about we go rob someone?" Bu Si suggested.
"I say, old fourth, in this freezing weather, where are we going to rob?" Bu San glared at Bu Si and said, "Why doesn't Master Ge go to the street and perform some Taoist magic? Perhaps some unsuspecting fool might be tricked."
"Slap!" Ge Rufeng slapped Bu San and angrily retorted, "Are my spells meant for tricking people?"
"Stop with the useless talk," Zhou Fugui said, a mixture of amusement and exasperation in his voice. "Don't worry about the money; I'll figure something out. You just need to make some preparations. Also, when I'm not here, please look after Liu Xia and Fei Yun, and, um, Chi You."
"Rest assured, Great General..." Bu Si nodded. "My brother and Master Ge will look after the two young madams. But Great General, what method do you have for getting money? Why don't you lead some soldiers out to rob? It would be a piece of cake!"
Bu Si's mind was still preoccupied with his grand robbery plans.
"Nonsense!" Zhou Fugui reprimanded him. "This is outrageous!"
Not to mention that Zhou Fugui currently had no soldiers, but even if he did, openly leading them to rob and plunder would be utterly ridiculous.
*These two rascals, they claim to be upright people? I think they're quite the opposite,* Zhou Fugui thought to himself.
In fact, Hu soldiers robbing and plundering was not uncommon; it happened frequently. However, Zhou Fugui had an extreme aversion to such actions.
Bu Si meekly retreated, not daring to speak further.
"Master Ge..." Zhou Fugui then looked at Ge Rufeng and said, "This matter can be done slowly. Use only a little each time."
"Oh? Why is that?" Ge Rufeng nodded and asked.
"Do you truly not know, or are you pretending not to know?" Zhou Fugui glared at Ge Rufeng and said, "Such a ferocious item! If there's an accident, I'm afraid you'll ascend to immortality like your father and grandfather..."
"Haha!" Bu San and Bu Si couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Oh, I'll be careful then," Ge Rufeng said, glaring at Bu San and Bu Si before nodding.
"To make these items, a suitable place is needed," Zhou Fugui nodded, glanced around the courtyard, and continued, "There's a small hut over there. We can use that for now. We can find a better place later. You must be careful not to injure anyone."
"Don't worry, I won't harm your two lovely little beauties..." Ge Rufeng said with a smile.
"You little brat, still wet behind the ears, what goes on in your head all day?" Zhou Fugui said, tapping Ge Rufeng on the head with a smile.