"When Gou Buyi was executed, I specifically ordered that he be given a quick death. Hadn't he already thanked me in advance?" The two sides had long since stood opposed to one another, and Jiang Che had no interest in exchanging hollow pleasantries with him here.
Gou Buren did not grow angry because of Jiang Che's words. He merely said blandly,
"Young man, don't be too presumptuous. It won't do you any good."
Young men only sought a good time.
Gou Buren stared at him with a smile, then turned and left.
Watching Gou Buren's retreating figure gradually disappear, the smile on Jiang Che's face slowly faded as well, and a trace of gravity seeped into his gaze.
He had always been suspicious by nature. Gou Buren's arrival this time had been far too convenient. Had he come earlier, there would not have been any casualties at all; had he come later, the Zhu family's dependents would certainly have met their deaths.
Coupled with his explanation just now, it was truly impossible not to suspect him.
Unfortunately, Jiang Che had no evidence whatsoever.
Under Jiang Che's arrangements, all the soldiers and Zhu family guards were buried where they had fallen. After resting and reorganizing, the group continued onward at a slow pace, though compared to before—
Their protective force was now much stronger.
"Commander Jiang, thank you so much for this time."
Madam Zhu personally expressed her gratitude to Jiang Che. Clearly, Zhu Qingqing had already told her about how Jiang Che had saved her before.
Jiang Che modestly declined, saying he did not deserve such thanks.
Madam Zhu, however, said that once they returned, she would certainly tell Zhu Sheng about what had happened today and let him offer his thanks. This was precisely why Jiang Che had risked taking Song Ji's strike earlier.
After experiencing an assassination attempt, the entire convoy became much more cautious. Most of the defensive duties were handed over to Gou Buren, and apart from those few words at the beginning, he did not speak to Jiang Che again.
The journey remained peaceful, but Jiang Che kept pondering the ambush at Crouching Tiger Mountain. He always felt there was a major problem hidden within it.
As the commanding lieutenant of Wind Camp and a man who had just been promoted to county commandant, Zhu Sheng's reputation carried weight throughout the surrounding counties. Yet Crouching Tiger Mountain had shown him no respect at all and had openly staged an ambush.
Were they not afraid that Zhu Sheng would suppress the bandits after taking office?
Even if they were not afraid, why provoke him?
And then there was this—
This time, Jiang Che had escorted Zhu Sheng's family to Yanggu County. Throughout the journey, he had kept a tight watch over them. Other than the scouts sent out ahead, no one had ever left his sight.
So how had the other side managed to lay an ambush at such a perfectly timed and located spot?
One had to know that Jiang Che himself had been the one to inform Madam Zhu that the Zhu family was moving.
Naturally, this gave him much to ponder.
To Jiang Che, Yanggu County was both familiar and unfamiliar. It was unfamiliar because ever since he had transmigrated, he had been in the Auxiliary Barracks and had never once gone to Yanggu County.
Yet after inheriting the original owner's memories, it felt so familiar.
When he saw the two large characters, "Yanggu," above the city gate, those memories surged into his mind once more.
Jiang Che had been born in Yanggu and raised in Yanggu. In his ancestors' time, his family had even counted as a major household in Yanggu County, with wealth enough to rival ten thousand fortunes. Unfortunately, his father's generation had been worthless and squandered the entire family fortune.
In the end, all that had been left to him were a few dilapidated houses and a fishing boat.
When he had been inexplicably drafted into military service, he had also tried to pull strings. Unfortunately, it had been utterly useless, and he had even been placed under strict surveillance. At the time, the only money he had left was a dozen or so taels of silver, which he had spent on Gou Buyi.
Had Jiang Che not been reborn here, one could imagine just how difficult the original owner's fate would have been.
Cao Gang.
This tyrant of Yanggu County was the main culprit that had reduced him to this state.
Yet even now, he did not understand which person it was who wanted him dead badly enough to gnash their teeth.
Zhu Sheng had purchased a residence in Yanggu County in advance. It was located in the east of the city, close to the county yamen, and had three courtyards in front and three behind. Since news of Zhu Sheng's transfer had already spread, no one dared to seek trouble.
Thus, another two days passed. Zhu Sheng finally officially took office and entered Yanggu County with several dozen attendants. That day, Jiang Che, Madam Zhu, and the others all waited at the city gate to receive him.
Besides them, the Yanggu County magistrate, county deputy, and all the county's officials and dignitaries, great and small, openly gave Zhu Sheng considerable courtesy. This was also Jiang Che's first time seeing Yanggu County's upper class.
"This time, you noticed the danger in advance and defended them to the death. Tell me, what reward do you want?" Not long after returning to the Zhu residence, Jiang Che was summoned by Zhu Sheng to the study.
It was clear that Zhu Sheng's expression was very grim, completely different from the beaming smile he had worn at noon while meeting Yanggu County's officials and dignitaries.
Of course, that was only natural.
If Jiang Che's own family had been ambushed and nearly killed, he would likely have been even more furious.
Though many calculations ran through his heart, Jiang Che appeared unmoved by worldly rewards and said directly,
"My lord entrusted such an important duty to this subordinate. It was simply this subordinate's duty."
"Don't be so distant before me. You rose too quickly, and without seniority or merit, the position of commander is impossible for now. But I can reward you with some worldly wealth. You are not allowed to refuse."
After the ambush, Zhu Sheng and Jiang Che had grown much closer, and Zhu Sheng clearly valued him greatly.
After considering for a moment, Jiang Che said quietly, "This subordinate has an elder who treated me very well when I was young, but her body is depleted. I asked a physician, and he said she needs some Deer Blood Grass and Bone Strengthening Flowers. It is only that this subordinate's purse is rather empty..."
Whether there were dates on the tree or not, he would first strike it with a few poles.
During these two days in Yanggu County, he had not truly been idle. He had practically visited every pharmacy in the county to ask about Deer Blood Grass and Bone Strengthening Flowers. The answer he received was that Deer Blood Grass was exceptionally precious, with a market price of ten taels of silver per plant.
As for Bone Strengthening Flowers, being a precious medicinal herb for cultivation, they had a price but no market.
The moment one appeared, it was often bought at a high price. It would not be easy for him to obtain one.
"Deer Blood Grass... Bone Strengthening Flowers..." Zhu Sheng looked at Jiang Che with a meaningful smile. Deer Blood Grass was indeed a top-grade blood tonic, but Bone Strengthening Flowers were different. They were something only martial artists could use.
However, he did not expose him and merely said,
"You are thoughtful indeed. Go to the storeroom tomorrow and collect them."
Those items were worth a great deal, but that depended on who one was. At the very least, they meant nothing much to him.
"Thank you, my lord."
Jiang Che was delighted inwardly. His escort along the way had not been in vain; the most difficult things had been resolved just like that.
"What do you think about that ambush?"
After giving the reward, Zhu Sheng began speaking of proper business.
Jiang Che raised his head and said solemnly,
"This subordinate believes that this was a show of force from those people in Yanggu County." He then laid out all the speculations he had formed along the journey.
However, he did not direct suspicion toward Gou Buren. As a deputy commander, he had to speak cautiously without evidence.
He had been able to get Gou Buyi killed last time, but he could not use the same method against Gou Buren this time.
Zhu Sheng tapped his fingers against the table. His face looked somewhat gloomy in the candlelight, and only after a long while did he speak.
"Then how do you think this official should respond?"
"Without destruction, there can be no construction. Now that my lord has ascended to the honored position of county commandant, if you wish to take what belongs to you, you must snatch food from their mouths. Why not use this ambush as an excuse to make trouble and light the first fire?"
Without chaos, how could he profit from chaos?
"Tonight's banquet—you will attend with me."
Zhu Sheng neither opposed nor agreed. Instead, he changed the subject.
"Yes!"