Chapter 601: These People Redeemed by the Deity |
Old Nan Feng, dressed in plain clothes, led over six hundred of his veteran subordinates through the bustling streets of Puzhou City.
Having over six hundred men marching down the street was quite a sight. Dressed casually without military uniforms, they looked downright intimidating.
Ordinary folk who saw this might have mistaken them for rogue fighters from the Hongxing Society out for a stroll, quickly scurrying out of their way.
But they were overthinking it!
These six hundred men had just completed years of labor reform. What mattered most in prison? Discipline, obedience, and staying quiet and trouble-free.
So, while they looked fierce, they were actually more law-abiding than regular people, passing through streets and alleys without causing the slightest disturbance.
Moreover, they’d developed a habit of reporting every single thing.
“Brother Nan Feng! Requesting permission to urinate.” A soldier raised his hand.
Old Nan Feng snapped irritably, “Dammit! Why in the blazes are you asking permission to piss? Just duck into a public latrine by the road and catch up!”
As that guy ran to the latrine, another soldier raised his hand. “Brother Nan Feng, I saw some fried dough twists at a roadside stall. Can I buy two?”
Old Nan Feng fumed, “It’s your own bloody money! Buy them if you want! Why ask me?”
The soldier shrugged, “Well… force of habit.”
Old Nan Feng managed a mix of amusement and exasperation. “Fine, fine. This’ll get better in a few days.”
Captain Chen sidled up to Old Nan Feng and whispered, “Brother Nan Feng, didn’t you say you’d arranged some concert talkin’ about excitement and all? Hurry up and take the brothers to see what it’s about!”
Old Nan Feng chuckled, “Absolutely. Follow your captain!”
The large group, all chuckling merrily, soon arrived in front of a brothel.
The expressions of the over six hundred men instantly became complicated at the sight of the pleasure house. Many slipped hands into their pockets, rubbing the forty taels of silver stashed within…
It was a special allowance granted by the Deity’s mercy, their full back pay for three years. If they splurged it all, they might just come away embracing a fair maiden.
Just as these thoughts crossed their minds, Old Nan Feng laughed and scolded, “I know what you’re all thinking. But every last one of you, keep that money tucked away! Don’t get any foolish ideas! The Deity forbids us soldiers from dirty deeds like that. That silver’s your hard-earned pay for the past three years. Don’t blow it all on women in one go.”
The soldiers groaned, “But… it’s been so many years since we touched a woman.”
“Our wives and kids back in Guyuan army settlement… they must have…”
“Don’t hold out hope. Either remarried or dead.”
At those words, a dark gloom settled over the men.
In their early days of rebellion, they’d known the crime was punishable by death—an almost impossible fight with high risk of exterminating their families. So, they’d given all their possessions to their wives and children and “driven them away.”
So many years had slipped by, lost amidst the vast sea of people and the chaos of war. Guyuan border towns and the Northern Shaanxi region were hotbeds of bandit conflict; finding their families again was impossible.
Old Nan Feng clapped a few shoulders. “Pull yourselves together, dammit! A new life is waiting. Look! Right up ahead’s where my concert is happening—it’s gonna blow your minds!”
Up ahead stood a beautiful large venue. The stage, roughly the size of a basketball court, was covered by an overhead canopy. Surrounding it were tiers of seats: luxurious chairs for VIPs up front, ordinary stools for general admission in the middle, and special discount rows at the back filled with long benches.
Captain Chen piped up, “Hey, isn’t this just a big opera theater?”
“Opera theater my foot!” Old Nan Feng retorted. “This here’s the ‘Puzhou Grand Theater.’”
Captain Chen scratched his head. “That name… sounds kinda weird though?”
Old Nan Feng kicked Captain Chen to the ground with one foot. “Damn it, the name Great Theater is a place where fairies in the immortal realm dance. I brought the name from the immortal realm down to the mortal world—so lofty and grand—and you dare say it’s weird? Are you looking to die?”
Captain Chen got a fright and quickly backed down. “Brother Nan Feng, don’t hit me, I was wrong.”
Old Nan Feng chuckled. “The Great Theater only starts performances at night, but during the day, it’s rehearsal time for the girls. I’ll tell you this, if you’re not an insider, you’re not qualified to watch rehearsals. Thanks to me, you all get to see it.”
The crowd quickly flattered him. “Brother Nan Feng always takes care of his brothers.”
The group sat down in the audience seats. Although there were over six hundred people, after sitting down, they became quiet and orderly, showing great discipline.
After a short while, several girls came onto the stage.
They hadn’t applied stage makeup or worn costumes, but dressed in ordinary clothes, ready to rehearse a bit. Unexpectedly, as soon as they stepped onto the stage, they found over six hundred burly men sitting quietly in the stands.
This scared them so much they screamed “Ah!”, their beautiful faces pale with fear, and turned to run away.
Old Nan Feng quickly stood up. “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. I’m here.”
The girls heard Old Nan Feng’s voice and turned their heads. “Ah? Dong Weng, so you are here.”
Old Nan Feng smiled. “These are all my brothers from the battlefield. I brought them to watch the rehearsal. Don’t be afraid; just practice as you usually do.”
Only then did the girls feel a bit reassured.
As long as these people weren’t bad men, they weren’t nervous about the stage anymore.
They stood in the middle of the stage, cleared their throats, and began to practice, both singing and dancing.
With this singing and dancing, the over six hundred border army men below instantly exclaimed, “Wow!” They were enchanted! Enchanted!
After border guarding for ten years, and then being locked in labor camps for several years, it had been many, many years since they had seen such singing and dancing.
Moreover, the girls on stage weren’t at the level of ordinary rural performers, but of courtesans from a pleasure house.
Their looks, figures, singing skills, and dancing movements were all top-tier. No ordinary women could match this.
The soldiers were immediately mesmerized…
Someone reached into his pocket and pulled out the military pay he had recovered, wanting to throw it onto the stage.
Old Nan Feng saw this and quickly stopped him. “Don’t mess around; keep your money safe. If you throw that money up there, it’ll land in my pocket in no time. Can I damn well accept it?”
The soldiers then recalled that this was Brother Nan Feng’s establishment.
Embarrassedly, they put the money away.
Captain Chen leaned over to Old Nan Feng’s ear and whispered, “Brother Nan Feng, your taste is really excellent. These beauties, they’re all your women, right?”
Old Nan Feng scolded with a laugh. “What are you thinking? They’re not mine; they’re just disengaged courtesans I ransomed from the pleasure house.”
Captain Chen chuckled. “Since you redeemed them, they belong to you; don’t say they don’t.”
Old Nan Feng shook his head. “In name, I redeemed them, but actually, the silver came from the Deity. After freeing them, the first thing the Deity told me to do was tear up their deeds of sale in front of them. Then I signed ’employment contracts’ with them. They’re like workers in our factory, getting wages and working.”
Captain Chen said, “Ah?”