Chapter 02: The Righteous Bandit Feiyun, at the Crossroads of Poverty and Misery

If one only considers his attire, one would undoubtedly think that this young man is just an ordinary poor fellow; however, if someone has witnessed the demeanor of that young gentleman in white from the Abyss of Secrets, upon seeing the appearance and stature of this young poor man, they would be greatly astonished and exclaim: "Did you not plunge into the abyss? How is it that you have come to Donghua City at this time?"

All of this, he did solely to find a way to make a fortune in this most developed city under difficult circumstances, in order to support the group of people at Feiyun Mountain

Originally serving as the capital of the Eastern Hua Kingdom, Donghua City imposed numerous restrictions during the war with the Demon Kingdom, prohibiting both military personnel and civilians from casually venturing out to enjoy leisure activities.

Soon, he was crowded by the people and brought to the front of a three-story pavilion

In the midst of the throngs of people, once it becomes crowded, even a formidable mountain king with skills as impressive as turning clouds and parting seas is utterly unable to act independently

What? Yun Fan Hai had barely heard what those people were shouting when suddenly a surge of crowd came, pushing him in one direction without any explanation

Of course, although there is sorrow and much resentment in the heart, Yun Fan Hai feels a deep familial bond with the more than four hundred elderly, weak, women, and children in the mountain strongholds.

If it were not for this, he would not have dared to venture alone into the heart of the Eastern Hua Kingdom while still being pursued by the government.

However, Yun Fan Hai is not without competitiveness when it comes to such tasks

The pavilion features intricately carved beams and painted rafters, adorned throughout with bright vermilion lacquer, which indeed gives it an exquisite and festive appearance

After wandering around for an entire day, he happened to come across a wealthy family at the east street corner, who were willing to hire him with a "huge" salary of ten wen per day

As a result, the number of people making a living in Donghua City has surged dramatically, with many outsiders entering the city, leading to a sharp decrease in job positions, intense competition for employment, and salaries being driven down to extremely low levels

Upon closer inspection, one will notice that this handsome young man possesses a distinctly different temperament compared to that gentleman in white attire

Alas, if you truly have spirits in the heavens, please open your eyes and bless me. Your precious grandson and son are now trying to seize the opportunity of the capital's lifting of restrictions to make a name for themselves and earn more money to support the bandit group. But why is it so difficult to make money?

It is one thing to rob the rich to help the poor, and it is another to distribute the wealth obtained from the rich to the impoverished citizens. However, why must there also be a family instruction stating that upon seeing truly destitute and sick individuals who cannot survive, they must be brought to the stronghold?

Of course, this is merely a first impression

However, it is somewhat strange that such a decree of lifting restrictions is only implemented in Donghua City

It is true that there are many people in this world who bear a resemblance to one another; however, if one were to be serious about it, only true identical twins could possibly look exactly alike. It is absolutely impossible for two individuals without any blood relation to look as if they were cast from the same mold

Thus, he resolutely departed amidst the fiery gaze of the mistress and the action of her tongue licking her lips, feeling a sense of melancholy...

So what if I am a freak? What can be done about it? After all, the ancestral teachings of the Yun family dictate that we should be righteous bandits

Standing at the crossroads, observing the ebb and flow of people, the sounds of laughter and joy, yet feeling a sense of gloom, with a heart full of mixed emotions

A mere patch may conceal some flaws, but the pair of straw sandals he wore unmistakably revealed the true state of his finances

The righteous thief Kou Yunfan from Feiyun Mountain Village was sighing and lamenting in the bustling streets of Donghua, overwhelmed by an inexplicable sorrow

As a result, people from all directions of the Donghua Kingdom flocked to the capital, making the already bustling Donghua capital even more lively, by at least tenfold

His martial skills may involve engaging in life-and-death struggles with the encircling soldiers using real weapons; or, in the dense forests and mountain ravines, he may fight against tigers and leopards, hunting for meat

Just at that moment, Yun Fan Hai suddenly saw a commotion in a distant crowd, followed by many people shouting in succession: "The embroidered ball is being thrown for courtship! The embroidered ball is being thrown for courtship! Go and see!"

It must be said that Yun Fan Hai, who bears a striking resemblance to coincidence, indeed has quite a remarkable background

Yun Fan Hai originally relied on his martial skills, intending to showcase his talents in Donghua City. However, he soon realized that his competitiveness in Donghua City was surprisingly inferior to that of those performing street tricks and selling their art.

Although Yun Fan Hai felt very grateful to the mistress for having the discerning eye to recognize such talent in him, after hesitating for a moment, he still believed that while the bottom line of being a person can be infinitely low, there must still be at least some standard to uphold

Who knows, the wages for security guards in Donghua City have also plummeted, being reduced to merely five wen a day. Not to mention, even such positions that hardly make any profit have about ten people competing for each spot!

But in the end, this task of turning clouds into seas was not undertaken

On this day, a young man in his early twenties also flowed with the crowd into the West City Gate of Donghua City

However, Yun Fan Hai also harbored a clear conscience. Since this approach was not feasible, he steeled himself and decided to fabricate a false identity to seek employment as a caretaker in the grand residences of wealthy families.

Alas, you have indeed acted as a good person, but as a result, the originally capable team of over ten individuals has now inexplicably expanded to around five hundred people, of which almost more than ninety percent are the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled. Not only has this turned Feiyun Mountain Village into a laughingstock in the bandit community, but how can these more than four hundred elderly, weak, sick, and disabled individuals sustain themselves solely by digging and planting vegetables in the mountains

As the chief of a stronghold, Yun Fanhai naturally felt quite high-spirited; upon entering Donghua City, he adjusted his tattered collar and thought with great ambition: "As for me, Yun Fanhai, after all, I am the chief of Feiyun Mountain, commanding over five hundred capable men. To come to this open Donghua City and make a name for myself is surely an easy task"

Do not be misled by the fact that he has inherited the family business and become the leader of Feiyun Mountain Village; most of those he takes care of are his elders, who have watched him grow up

When he entered, his face was filled with sorrow, but by the time he emerged from the palace, he had become quite relaxed

Because he saw that the one advocating for him to have this job was the wife of a wealthy family, a plump and unattractive woman in her fifties

On the garment, there are several patches, but fortunately, most of them are sewn on the inside, remaining unnoticed. Moreover, when the young man moves, he intentionally uses the position of his arms to effectively conceal the stitches of the patches, thus avoiding embarrassment in front of the people of the capital.

In his every gesture and movement, he appears remarkably bold and unrestrained, entirely unlike the elegant and refined gentleman in white. This contrast is akin to saying that if the gentleman in white is fire, then he is ice; if the gentleman in white is a graceful and unique phoenix, he is a galloping tiger or leopard across the mountains and fields; if the gentleman in white is a naturally handsome figure, then he resembles the earthly fireworks.

Alas! Upon thinking of this, Yun Fan Hai let out a heartfelt sigh, lamenting, "All of this is my grandfather's fault. Why did you, in your youth, act so impulsively and stand up for others, only to end up killing a thug and being wanted by the authorities, ultimately becoming an outlaw?"

This young man has a tall and slender figure, yet his attire is rather shabby

Yun Fan Hai, the leader of Feiyun Mountain, commands a group of five hundred individuals and is a well-known bandit in the region.

He was unaware that while he was looking around, behind the pink and green gauze curtains of the red building, a pair of eyes was observing the crowded people below.

But now it is so strange, a poor man who cannot even afford cloth shoes looks almost exactly like that extraordinarily noble and aristocratic young man in white

Moreover, the current year is truly difficult; in the past, there would be several opportunities throughout the year for acts of robbing the rich to help the poor. However, now with the invasion of the demon country, even the wealthy are struggling, and the tyrants who used to act with impunity are now afraid of becoming targets for the righteous heroes. The number of villains is indeed decreasing. Oh, grandfather, oh, father, from your spirits in heaven, please tell me how the Feiyun Mountain stronghold, which robs the rich to support the poor, should be maintained

I am famous for Feiyun Mountain, but the fame I have is merely a joke; do not think that I am unaware, for all the small villages within a radius of five hundred miles believe that my Feiyun Mountain Village has turned into a charitable hall, it is simply a freak.

Such a low price, with the same enthusiasm as when he first came to Yunfan Hai, he was absolutely unwilling to accept; however, after encountering setbacks for a day or two, his psychological bottom line had dropped to an extremely low level, and such a salary had already made him overjoyed.

He is wearing a short-sleeved cloth shirt, which was originally supposed to be dark blue, but after countless washes, it has now faded to a light blue, with some areas almost turning grayish-white

In a state of melancholy, I dared not act on my own accord, and promptly took advantage of the special privileges of the Divine Hero Guard to urgently seek an audience with the Emperor in the palace

He had quite an idealistic view, but unfortunately, he soon realized that "aspirations are higher than the sky, yet life is as fragile as paper," which likely described his journey to Donghua City this time.

At most, he looked at the setting sun that had already descended upon the city tower in the west, and softly said to himself: "Hmm, I need to find a substitute quickly"

Where is this? As an outsider, I am completely unfamiliar with the sights of the capital, and upon arriving at this red mansion, I gaze up at the building in confusion.

Heavens! Grandfather, Emperor Donghua, and all the celestial deities, please open your eyes and bless your pitiful descendants and followers! You would not just stand by and watch as I, the 'Cloud-Dispersing Dragon', turn the seas upside down, only to find no decent work in the capital, would you

Do not be deceived by his youth; he is, in fact, the leader of a well-known stronghold located over 300 miles northwest of Donghua City—indeed, this young man, dressed in tattered clothes, is a mountain bandit chief

Moreover, what exacerbates the situation is that, according to market regulations, Donghua City has imposed restrictions, and the fact that a local tyrant like him can infiltrate signifies that all kinds of people from various backgrounds and professions can also gain entry.

At first, there was nothing much, but when behind the gauze curtain, that pair of gazes caught sight of the indifferent clouds rolling in the crowd, their eyes suddenly brightened!

The heavy stone on my heart has been lifted, and while others would be dancing with joy and showing their delight, I remain troubled and my expression is still gloomy. With light steps, I walk out of the palace slowly, maintaining the same demeanor as usual.

One can only temporarily set aside the feelings of job hunting and drift along with the current.

Isn't it said that Donghua City is blessed by the Great Emperor Donghua, and that it is a land of fortune in the capital, abundant with gold? Why is it that the best job I have found so far pays only 10 wen a day, barely enough to cover my meals, and on top of that, I have to sacrifice my appearance!

If you are to become a bandit, then so be it. In this chaotic era, being a diligent and responsible mountain king is also quite promising. Yet, why do you insist on being a righteous robber who robs the rich to help the poor?

Given his current state, he certainly lacks the mood for such a matchmaking event; however, after encountering numerous setbacks, his mindset has somewhat shifted to a "broken pot shattering" mentality, telling himself to first go and enjoy the spectacle, and have some fun before deciding what to do next

Due to his awkward identity, he initially only wanted to find a secluded corner to perform and make a living, but he did not expect that not only was it difficult to find a quiet place, but his performances were also far inferior to those of the wandering performers.

Indeed, almost no one knows that from the moment these distant visitors entered the city gates, there were many pairs of eyes secretly observing them with meticulous and swift attention

It turns out that this young poor man, who entered the city with the crowd, bears an almost identical resemblance to that charming young gentleman in white attire

Once the long-repressed ban is lifted, the festivities in Donghua City can be easily imagined. Flower floats, dragon dances, lantern festivals, temple fairs, acrobatics, and various forms of entertainment will be in full swing from morning till night.

Yun Fan Hai quickly gained a profound understanding of the harshness of market rules

As a result, he discovered that when he arrived at Donghua Street, his true skills could not impress the audience at all; if one were to judge by the skill of killing, he was far superior to those street performers by countless times; however, when it came to stage presence and expressiveness, he was outclassed by those street performers by an immeasurable margin.

Sigh, thinking of my Feiyun Mountain stronghold, there are about 500 people there, he thought gloomily, but among these 500, there are 470 elderly, weak, sick, and disabled individuals, each of whom is waiting for me to support them

However, on that day in early March, specifically the day after the melancholy return to the palace to seek an imperial decree, the court unexpectedly issued an unprecedented order to lift the restrictions on Donghua City, allowing the military and civilians to celebrate for half a month

After being jostled for a while, he finally heard clearly what the bystanders were shouting.

For those individuals, Yun Fan Hai is akin to their younger relatives. Similarly, for Yun Fan Hai, those burdensome complaints just expressed are, in his heart, like elders and family, almost like his own spiritual home, which he can never part with or disdain.

After all, he is just a young man. After several setbacks, he feels extremely frustrated; if it were not for standing on the bustling streets of the capital, he would almost want to, as in the past, stand proudly against the Cangshan Mountains, look up to the sky, and release the pent-up emotions in his heart.

From this day forth, in Donghua City, with the exception of the areas near the military camp and the imperial palace, almost every street and alley was filled with the sounds of bustling crowds and joyous laughter

This handsome young man, akin to the smoke and fire of the world and the tigers and leopards of the mountains and forests, is named "Yun Fan Hai"