What love potion did you give him?

Qian Bochou's face stiffened. He twitched the corner of his mouth and cursed inwardly, This kid is even greedier than I imagined.

But he liked it!

People who liked money were the easiest to deal with. You paid a certain amount, and they did a certain amount of work. It was clear and straightforward.

Conversely, those who talked about family and country all the time, but still wouldn't do things without money when it mattered, were the ones Qian Bochou hated the most.

"Alright!" Qian Bochou didn't think much about it.

"Constable Qian, when are you planning to set off?" Jiang Yun glanced at the time. It was still early morning.

"Of course, the sooner the better."

Jiang Yun paused for a moment, then said, "I need to go to Nanmanju Inn first to ask for a helper."

"Lord Xu?"

Jiang Yun smiled faintly. He actually had a better candidate in mind, and said, "No."

Qian Bochou's fast horse was tied at the entrance of the courtyard. "Let's go. I'll give Brother Jiang a ride to Nanmanju Inn. I'll also send some constables to your house to help fill in these holes."

Jiang Yun said goodbye to Jiang Qiaoqiao, claiming he was going out.

Then he followed Qian Bochou onto the horse.

"Can you ride a bit slower? I'm not in a hurry."

"Don't worry, Brother. My horse is famously slow."

"Giddy up!"

A bumpy ride ensued.

This further solidified Jiang Yun's determination to learn how to ride a horse.

In the Heaven-ranked room at Nanmanju Inn, Xu Suwen sat by the window, polishing her saber and watching the bustling street below.

Xu Xiaogang sat by the table, a calligraphy brush in his mouth, with a piece of Xuan paper in front of him, on which his poem was written.

At this moment, he was pondering how to revise it to make the entire poem seem more elegant.

Xu Suwen, who was cleaning her saber, suddenly asked, "You know, Jiang Yun, a fifth-rank Shouyi realm expert, why is he in Nanzhou Prefecture? And why isn't there any record of him in the Capital City?"

Xu Xiaogang, who was studying poetry, looked up and grinned, "Sister, I rarely see you ponder over someone like this."

Xu Suwen ignored his words and turned back to the topic. "Fifth-rank Shouyi realm, and so young. If he came from one of the three great Daoist Temples in the Capital City, he wouldn't be an unknown figure."

"Unless... he learned his Daoist Arts elsewhere."

As she spoke, Xu Suwen's voice lowered slightly, not daring to think further.

The Daoist Temples outside the Capital City were all listed as rebels. If Jiang Yun came from one of these temples, he would likely be a follower of rebels.

If this were reported, and someone with ulterior motives seized upon it, Jiang Yun would be a walking contribution in their eyes.

Xu Xiaogang couldn't help but remind her, "Sister, if that's really the case, you should stay away from him. You know our family's situation."

"Getting involved with heretical Daoists outside the Capital City would be very troublesome."

"Am I getting close to him?" Xu Suwen glared at him.

Xu Xiaogang lowered his head and continued to study the poem, saying casually, "You can fool your younger brother, but don't fool yourself."

Just then, the sound of galloping horses could be heard from the distant street.

"Jiang Yun is here." Xu Suwen saw Jiang Yun on the horse, his eyes rolling back from the bumpy ride, his hands clutching Qian Bochou's arm tightly. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Xu Xiaogang also hurried to the window and reminded her with a frown, "Sister, don't forget what you just said. We, brother and sister, need to keep our distance from him."

"I know what I'm doing."

Bang bang bang.

There was a knock on the door. Xu Xiaogang lazily walked over and opened it. Jiang Yun leaned against the doorframe, looking a bit unsteady.

"Why are you here?" Xu Suwen's eyebrows furrowed slightly, then she said, "I..."

Jiang Yun waved his hand, pointing at Xu Xiaogang at the door. "I'm not here for you. I'm here for him."

Xu Suwen was stunned.

"Huh? Why are you looking for me?" Xu Xiaogang put on an air of superiority, lightly flicked his sleeve, and sat back down at the table, saying faintly, "Are we that familiar?"

Jiang Yun sat down at the table and smiled. "I'd like to ask for your help. There's a Yao causing trouble in Beihu County, and I want to investigate it with Constable Qian. Having an expert accompany me would put my mind at ease."

Xu Suwen, standing nearby, couldn't help but interject, "Am I not an expert?"

"Of course you are, but I've troubled Miss Xu too many times already, and I feel too embarrassed to ask for your help again."

Jiang Yun then looked at Xu Xiaogang and said, "Besides, I have something that Brother Xu wants."

Jiang Yun had interacted with Xu Suwen many times and knew she was someone who liked to bargain. To ask for her help, one would definitely have to pay a price, an equivalent exchange.

After much thought, Xu Xiaogang was also quite capable, and he could give him what he wanted.

Xu Xiaogang crossed his arms, glanced at Jiang Yun, and slowly said, "You talk big. You only know a little bit of Daoist incantations. What could you possibly have that I want?"

"Don't you remember? I'm still a scholar?" Jiang Yun looked down at the Xuan paper on the table, picked it up, and began to write with a brush.

"How dare you scribble on my poem?"

"What you're doing is like drawing a snake and adding feet!"

It was clear that Jiang Yun had no interest in revising his poem. Instead, he wrote a new passage on the Xuan paper.

He then handed it to Xu Xiaogang and said, "Brother Xu, take a look. I understand you like to recite a few lines to elevate your status when you make an entrance. Is this passage grand enough for you?"

Taking the Xuan paper, Xu Xiaogang looked at the passage written on it.

Gradually, Xu Xiaogang's breathing quickened. He stared at Jiang Yun with wide eyes and asked, "Did you write this?"

"Don't worry about whether I wrote it or not. Just tell me if the 'coolness' factor is high enough."

"You're helping me out this time, so you can use this passage however you like."

"Is this a good deal or not?"

Xu Xiaogang's gaze towards Jiang Yun was filled with warmth. He quickly grabbed Jiang Yun's wrist and said, "When do we leave?"

Inside the room, Xu Suwen couldn't help but cough, reminding Xu Xiaogang, "Have you forgotten what we just said?"

This scoundrel! Before Jiang Yun arrived, he had warned her to stay away from Jiang Yun, but now he was sticking to him like glue.

She couldn't help but look at the Xuan paper with curiosity, wondering what Jiang Yun had written.

Just a single passage had caused Xu Xiaogang's attitude to change 180 degrees.

Xu Xiaogang carefully put the Xuan paper away, tucking it into his chest, and said, "Sister, I always say that helping others brings its own joy..."

Jiang Yun looked at Xu Suwen and smiled, "Miss Xu, I'm afraid I need to trouble you again."

Hearing that Jiang Yun needed her help, Xu Suwen actually felt a little better.

Ever since he entered the room, he had ignored her. Had he finally remembered she was still here?

She put on a show of being reserved, looked out the window, and said in a deep voice, "Are we that familiar that you need my help?"

Xu Xiaogang: "Sister, Jiang Yun isn't an outsider. Why are you being so stingy?"

Xu Suwen clenched her fist and glared back at Xu Xiaogang. That bastard!

What kind of magic potion had Jiang Yun given him?

Jiang Yun chuckled awkwardly and said, "I need to leave Prefecture City for a while. I'm worried about leaving Jiang Qiaoqiao home alone, so I wanted to ask her to stay here with you for a few days."

Xu Suwen's heart stirred slightly, but she still spoke stubbornly, "Hmph, I'm not helping you."

"However, Qiaoqiao and I get along quite well. Even if you hadn't asked, I would have wanted to invite her over to stay with me for a few days."

Jiang Yun's face lit up. "Really? If that's the case, then I don't owe you a favor, okay?"

Xu Xiaogang chimed in to help, "Nope, no favor owed!"

Xu Suwen drew her steel knife. "Both of you, get out!!!"