My Promotion Story Through Time Travel

Chapter 119 Cooperation Intent

Lin Ziping and Jiang Dangjia and the others reached a temporary cooperation agreement and were settled in the mountain stronghold. Two people were even sent to take care of them. Although it was called taking care of them, those in the know understood that it was actually a way to monitor them under the guise of care.

The stronghold covers a large area. In front of the council hall is a training ground, which is where Lin Ziping saw people practicing when he first arrived. Next to the training ground are wooden houses, which are where these people live, eat, and stay.

Behind the conference hall were several rows of houses divided into individual rooms, and Lin Ziping was currently living in one of them.

There was a small path next to the mountain stronghold, which was said to lead to the livestock farm. There were patrols all around the stronghold. In the past few days, apart from having himself pass on some unimportant information down the mountain at regular intervals, Lin Ziping had no clues and had not even seen Gao Chi and the other two.

Lin Ziping occasionally watched people practice at the training ground and found that there were about a hundred people practicing, aged around 15 to 20, who were in the prime of their youth.

I heard from them that some of their family members had died in the epidemic, and they already harbored resentment towards the government. After being brainwashed every day, their resentment turned into hatred, and they became knives in the hands of others.

Some of them, like Lin Ziping, were passersby who were arrested and taken up the mountain.

Many people use revenge as a pretext, but in reality, they just want to make a living, and if they're lucky, they might even be able to secure a future.

During the short three days that Lin Ziping was there, the instructors changed every day.

The group of ragged, emaciated old people they encountered at the mountain stronghold were villagers from near Maomao Mountain. Their homes had been looted by the stronghold's inhabitants, and those who resisted were killed. Other people were put to use: the able-bodied young men joined the rebel ranks, while the elderly, children, and women were captured and brought up the mountain to do hard labor.

After reviewing what he had seen and heard over the past few days, Lin Ziping roughly guessed that the organizational structure of this mountain stronghold was a triangle. At the top were Boss Jiang and the old man, followed by the other people who attended the meeting that day. A-Da and the instructors represented the middle-level leaders of the stronghold, the young and middle-aged were the main fighting force, the children were the labor reserve for later stages, and the bottom level should be the elderly and women.

After several days of continuous rain, the sun finally came out today. There were even babbling brooks in the mountains and forests. The clouds and mist in the mountains gradually dissipated, revealing patches of green. One can't help but marvel at the power of life. Just a few rain showers have brought life back to the land where there was withered grass everywhere.

Letters from the county government would occasionally arrive from the foot of the mountain, all inquiring about the progress. These letters were sent by people from Chief Jiang. Lin Ziping pretended not to know, sending both the incoming and outgoing letters to Chief Jiang and his men. In the early stages of this strategic cooperation, basic respect was necessary.

Of course, this also has its advantages; the quality of life is significantly better than on the first day.

"Er Mao, can these watchtowers really see what's going on around here?" Lin Ziping asked curiously, pointing to the two watchtowers at the entrance of the mountain stronghold.

Da Mao and Er Mao were the people that Jiang Dangjia arranged to take care of Lin Ziping. Da Mao was not as strong as Er Mao and usually had a quiet and reserved demeanor.

When Lin Ziping first learned their names, he was delighted and even asked if they had a younger brother named Sanmao.

However, they don't have a younger brother named Sanmao, but they do have a younger sister named Sancao, who is also living in the mountain village.

"Young master, this watchtower can only see the situation in this training ground. If you want to see the entire stronghold, you still have to go to that mountain."

Following Er Mao's hand, not far away there was a towering mountain, which had been shrouded in mist for the past few days, no wonder it hadn't been noticed.

Lin Ziping squinted and looked up. There seemed to be houses built there, and people could be seen moving around from time to time.

So he asked, "Can we go up?"

After saying that, he made a gesture and walked in that direction.

Er Mao hurriedly said, "Young master, you mustn't, that's young..."

"Cough-cough-"

Da Mao coughed and said, "Young master, it looks like it's going to rain soon. Let's go back!"

Lin Ziping glanced at Da Mao, stopped in his tracks, and smiled, "Alright, let's go back."

Pretending to be casual, Lin Ziping looked back at the mountain. It did indeed appear to be the tallest mountain in the vicinity. Standing on the summit, one could surely have a panoramic view of the surrounding mountains and the surrounding landscape.

Two more days passed, and Jiang Dangjia still hadn't come to find Lin Ziping, and his area of ​​activity had shrunk.

Lin Ziping felt a little anxious and eager to find Gao Chi. After all, his staying in Maomao Mountain was just the beginning; the more important thing was to see how Gao Chi and the others would perform!

Although he was anxious, Lin Ziping knew he was walking a tightrope and could die if he wasn't careful. So he didn't show it on his face and remained calm and composed. To distract himself, he even practiced with the hundreds of young men.

Because I've practiced martial arts since I was a child, my physical fitness is much better than these people. Also, boys of this age tend to admire strength. When I was with them, I inadvertently showed off a couple of skills and gained some little admirers.

Lin Ziping also discovered that, apart from A Da and the others who covered their heads when they came down the mountain, the rest of the people in the mountain village gathered together and practically ate and lived together, yet no one had contracted the disease.

Considering that the epidemic originated in Maomao Village, Lin Ziping boldly guessed that it might not be a natural disaster, but a man-made one, and the instigator was most likely Jiang Dangjia and others.

It's the tenth day since I came to the mountain stronghold. It's the same council hall as last time, with the same group of people.

"Young Master Lin, how have you been staying at the stronghold these past few days? Have the others been negligent in any way?" Chief Jiang asked with a smile.

“Very good.” Lin Ziping replied with a smile, “The scenery of the mountain village is beautiful and unique.”

"I've heard that Young Master Lin is quite skilled in martial arts, and my eighth brother is also a martial arts enthusiast. I see that you are about the same age, so you can spar more often," said Master Jiang.

The young man from last time stood up, clasped his hands in a salute to Lin Ziping, and said, "Please enlighten me, Young Master Lin."

Lin Ziping waved his hand and said, "I'm just a fancy footworker, how dare I teach you? I'm nowhere near as good as Eighth Master. Besides, important matters are more pressing now. What do you think, Uncle?"

"Please enlighten me?!" Having already achieved his goal of demonstrating his martial prowess, Lin Ziping was unwilling to be made a fool of.

"I am but a commoner, how can I be worthy of being called Uncle by Young Master Lin? I am truly humbled." The old man looked reluctant, but if the corners of his mouth hadn't turned up, he would have been even more convincing.

Lin Ziping also feigned a respectful demeanor: "We're all family, and besides, you're an elder, so you're more than qualified to be called 'Grand Uncle'."

The group remained silent. Seeing their varied expressions, Lin Ziping was secretly delighted. After becoming shameless, he had indeed displayed his invincible nature.

He then said, "Everyone here is probably a bit older than me. We're all family, so let's become sworn brothers."

“This…this is not necessary. You are an official, we…” Chief Jiang declined repeatedly.

"Yes, yes..."

"That won't do..."

The others chimed in.

"Sigh, well then, maybe I'm just not meant to be with Boss Jiang." Lin Ziping's expression resembled a fan, with 40% regret, 30% resentment, and 30% compromise.

Before the others could continue speaking, his expression turned serious, and he changed the subject: "So, you all called me here today to confirm what I said a few days ago? And to agree with my solution?"

The group exchanged glances, and Jiang's great-uncle asked, "How confident is Young Master Lin?"

Lin Ziping shook his head: "Grand Uncle, you know much more about the dangers of wealth than I do."

After saying that, he calmly sat down with his arms crossed.

Seeing that Lin Ziping was unyielding, Jiang said, "We'll do it your way, but we'll have to bring Xiao Ba along."

Lin Ziping sneered: "It wouldn't have been impossible if you had agreed at the beginning, but a few days ago, Chief Jiang should have tried to send someone to approach the Sixth Prince, right?"

The people in the meeting room remained silent, and even the burly second son of the Jiang family blushed.

"We've already alerted them, so only I can go!" Lin Ziping said heavily.

After a long pause, Uncle Jiang said, "The idea came from Young Master Lin, so let him go."

Lin Ziping gave him a flattering smile: "Uncle, you really have guts."