At his words, Wei Huai'an fell silent for a moment. He had grown deeply wary of Zhao Chongfeng's Illusion Arts. The Imperial Guards had tried to capture him several times, but every time, he had managed to escape. Wei Huai'an wasn't confident they could catch him.
A trace of hesitation crossed his face. He lowered his voice. "Jiang Yun, this Rebel is full of tricks. How about you come with us?"
"Of course." Jiang Yun's eyes lit up, and his smile widened. "But the fee for finding someone is one thousand taels of silver."
"To help you catch someone."
"Costs extra."
Wei Huai'an took a deep breath. "Jiang Yun, Brother Jiang, this is all the money I have on me. I can add two hundred taels at most. Not a copper more."
With that, he turned to Xu Suwen for help. She shrugged, indicating there was nothing she could do.
Jiang Yun remained expressionless and impassive. Wei Huai'an drew another deep breath. "Five hundred taels!"
"Deal."
Jiang Yun understood that Wei Huai'an probably couldn't offer any more than that.
Wei Huai'an felt as if his heart were bleeding, but as long as they caught Zhao Chongfeng, it would all be worth it.
The cellar of a residence near the City Wall in northern Nanzhou Prefecture.
Zhao Chongfeng was recuperating there. An old man was also in the cellar, changing his bandages.
"Brother Zhao, I warned you long ago that an uprising like this wouldn't work, but you wouldn't listen. You insisted on acting recklessly, and the Cult Leader is furious about it."
The old man was Xu Huanchun, a famous merchant in Nanzhou Prefecture. He was over fifty and known for his generosity. The people nearby couldn't praise the benevolent Mr. Xu enough.
Zhao Chongfeng lay on a bed in