Chapter 24: The King of Hell Enemies Little Mengde

The business has not yet been successful, you still need to work hard!
These days, Cao Jie worked very hard. Although it consumed a lot of energy, he was able to improve his realm a little because of the talent of the [Cao Zei] soul.

Unfortunately, the one-on-one experience points given were too little, and Xiao Jinlian was so exhausted that she couldn't even get out of bed, and she only got a 69.

Moreover, the relationship between the brothers was slightly neglected.

Wu Song's righteous words today immediately made Cao Jie cautious.

Brothers are the foundation and siblings, and they need communication and companionship more than women.

How can one have the best of both worlds, not disappointing his brothers and not disappointing the beauty?

"Ugh!"

As planned, Cao Jie gathered the three Ruan brothers, Wu Song, Wu Da, and some of the followers sent by Song Wan, a total of twenty-four people.

Go straight to Yuncheng.

Yuncheng County is located to the west of Liangshan Lake and is the birthplace of the Water Margin stories. There is a saying that "of the 108 Liangshan heroes, 72 are from Yuncheng", and it is also known as the "Hometown of Chinese Heroes".

However, the number of seventy-two people in Yuncheng is an exaggeration, which only means that there are a lot of them and they are very important, or they have been active in Yuncheng before going up the mountain.

The second leader of Liangshan was Chao Gai, who was from Dongxi Village, Yuncheng County.

The third leader of the camp, Song Jiang, is now working as a bailiff in Yuncheng.

Military strategist Wu Yong used to be a scholar in Shijie Village and is now a private school teacher in Dongxi Village.

There is no need to mention the three heroes of the Ruan family.

Then there were Zhu Tong and Lei Heng, both of whom were the chiefs of Yuncheng County and were locals. Zhu Tong was originally a wealthy family, and Lei Heng was originally a blacksmith in the county.

It is also because of this that Zhu Tong, Lei Heng, Chao Gai and Song Jiang have a close relationship.

These people were intertwined and formed the largest underworld group in Yuncheng. With Song Jiang's collusion in the county government, they were able to get their hands on both the black and white worlds.

If Cao Jie wants to break the deadlock in Yuncheng, paying homage to Song Jiang's wharf can be said to be twice the result with half the effort.

But he was not willing to take the initiative to make friends with these people, nor did he need to make friends with them.

With [medicine] paving the way, local wealthy merchants, county magistrates, county chancellors, and county lieutenants can all come and go and chat happily. Why bother about these local tyrants with complicated connections and intricate relationships?

Especially Song Jiang, who is a competitor in Cao Jie's mind.

If I become famous through him, wouldn't it be a waste for him to gain a great advantage and enhance the prestige of others!
What's more, Cao Jie has already made a name for himself in Qinghe County.

Once a person becomes famous, he will be respected as a guest of honor.

If this reputation is related to medical skills, then it would be terrible. Everyone has broken bones, suffered from headaches and fevers.

Those scholars who only focus on conceiving a god are physically weak and have greater needs in this regard.

At first, the local wealthy merchants and rich people said that Cao Jie's medicine was good after using it, but it cost a little too much money.

After all, it was Cao Jie who was using hunger marketing!
In just two days, before Song Jiang and other local bosses could react, the news reached the ears of the county magistrate Shi Wenbin.

Shi Wenbin, the newly appointed magistrate of Yuncheng, is considered a rare honest official in "Water Margin".

He was "an honest official and did things with integrity... He was nominally the county magistrate, but in reality he was the parent of the people."

He was neither as focused on making money as the magistrate of Yanggu County, who "earned a lot of gold and silver" within two and a half years in office and used the money to seek promotion; nor was he like his successor magistrate, who had an immoral private life and openly supported the 18th-tier artist Bai Xiuying.

Therefore, in terms of personal integrity and private life, Shi Zhixian was considered a clean official in the officialdom.

As soon as this person took office, he did two things.

One is to strictly prevent banditry and protect the country and the people.

In order to prevent rampant thieves in various villages, the two chiefs Zhu Tong and Lei Heng were specially dispatched to lead their troops to strengthen patrols, and public security was greatly improved.

The second is to vigorously strengthen the construction of spiritual civilization, rectify social customs, strictly manage places of entertainment, and build Yuncheng County into a pure land where officials and citizens "do not like debauchery and feasting."

In fact, County Magistrate Shi also had a lot of grievances that he couldn’t express.

If you are not living a happy life, how can others expect to be happy?

How could I, the county magistrate of Bailihou, feel comfortable when I see others happy?

There is a poem that goes: When people reach middle age, they have no choice but to soak wolfberries in a thermos cup. Wolfberries cannot stop the urge of time, so add some angelica to the cup. Angelica cannot make up for the body's deficiency, so adding cordyceps is not expensive. Although cordyceps is very good, deer antler kidney treasure is a perfect match. Deer antler kidney treasure is difficult to make up, so brown sugar ginseng shows its power...

Traditional Chinese medicine treats the root cause, while Western medicine treats the symptoms.

When Viagra was first introduced, it was a revolutionary drug. All those who used it praised its effectiveness.

After the county magistrate Shi Wenbin had dealt with the problem, he used some cheap and easy-to-use antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and painkillers to show their effectiveness on the lower class people. With the help of his followers, he completely established his reputation.

In just over a month, the news that a miracle doctor named "Yanwang Die" Cao Jie had appeared in Yuncheng County of Jizhou Prefecture had spread throughout Shandong and Hebei.

Rumor has it that this King of Hell not only has superb medical skills and can bring the dead back to life, but what is even more rare is that he is generous and righteous, and has saved countless heroes.

Moreover, he was proficient in poetry and songs, and had extraordinary martial arts. In addition, his surname was Cao, and he wanted to make friends with heroes all over the world, so he soon got a nickname: Xiao Mengde.

Xiao means similar to or like that in Chinese.

It’s just that most people in the underworld are illiterate, and as the story spread, it became “small”.

You must know that there are only names that parents give wrongly, but no nicknames that outsiders call wrongly.

A nickname is very important for people in the underworld. It is not only a code name, but also serves as an instruction manual and a slogan. A good code name can greatly enhance a person's reputation in the underworld and social prestige.

In the underworld, it is not easy to have a nickname. Many people give themselves nicknames which are not well-known. Every time they have to introduce themselves in a humble manner, saying, "I am so-and-so, and people in the underworld call me this and that."

A true hero wouldn't be so embarrassed.

For example, Song Jiang always modestly introduced himself by saying, "My name is Song Jiang."

When the other party heard this, it was like thunder in his ears. He immediately jumped three feet high and cried out: "Oh my, is it Brother Song Gongming who is called Baoyi and Timely Rain?"

This is the job of a gangster.

Song Jiang is the ceiling of reputation for the gangsters in Shandong and Hebei, so he has multiple code names.

Hu Baoyi, the timely rain, and there is also the filial and righteous Heisanlang.

Now Cao Jie also has two nicknames, Yan Wang Di and Xiao Meng De, which shows his prestige in the world.

But as his fame grew, Cao Jie also discovered some troubles.

It is said that "a great reputation is not worthy of the reputation", and this is also the case for half-baked people like Cao Jie.

"My medical skills are fake after all. The few medicines transformed from my innate talents are useful, but if I really encounter a difficult problem, I might be exposed."

"We must find an opportunity to invite An Daoquan from Jiankang Prefecture over."

"My medicine combined with his medical skills will be infallible..."

A few more items were added to the business plan.

At this time, there was a knock on the door. Wu Song walked in. The eight-foot-tall man stood there and said in a deep voice, "Brother, you called me."

"Brother, sit down. Jinlian, serve the tea!"

The two of them sat on the armchairs. Xiao Jinlian handed over the tea, left the room and closed the door.

"Brother, the thing I told you last time has come to fruition."

"So soon?" Wu Song said in embarrassment: "If I leave my brother, who will protect him?"

"I have made some progress in refining my essence, which is enough to protect myself."

"I'm still a little worried. I have to talk to Brother Seven and ask him to come over."

"Alright, although Seventh Brother likes Xiaoyao, if I sing a few songs, he will stay by my side. Brother, I have already made arrangements with County Magistrate Shi. Tomorrow the County Magistrate will hold a banquet and invite the captains Zhu Tong, Lei Heng, and Song Yasi and others. Can you take the position of captain? You must show your true ability and fight with those captains."

When it comes to martial arts, Wu Song is not afraid.

However, the officials in Yuncheng County were deeply intertwined, and it was extremely difficult for a foreigner like him to secure the position of the head of the county.

After expressing his concerns, Cao Jie said with a smile:
"Brother, if you catch the eye of the county magistrate, he will back you up, and I will help you. The head of the city is just the starting point of your career..."

The rank of a county magistrate was not high, the highest being only the seventh rank, but he was in charge of a region and had the power over the life and death of the local people, so he had considerable power.

As the saying goes, "It is no honor to get an official position, and it is no disgrace to lose it. Don't say an official is useless, because the local area depends on one official." There is also a saying, "A county magistrate ruins a family, and a prefect exterminates a clan."

Shi Wenbin is the god of Yuncheng County.

He is just a small clerk, but he can make a decision with just a word.

When the time came, Wu Song's character and personality revealed his outstanding side. He nodded with a firm expression and said, "Brother, Zhu Tong and Lei Heng can do it, so can I, Wu Song. Just wait and see how I perform tomorrow! I will not let you down!"

(End of this chapter)