Commander Jiang, Truly Brave!

As the two exchanged blows, Wang Chengen, not foolish, quickly rolled to Yu Zongping's side before slowly getting up. He wiped the shoe print from his face with his sleeve, glaring at Jiang Che with gritted teeth and a contorted expression.

Being trampled underfoot was the greatest humiliation of his life.

Especially being stepped on by someone who had bullied him before, his composure immediately faltered.

"Such audacity, to dare launch a sneak attack on an Imperial Official and obstruct the government's pursuit of a criminal," Jiang Che scoffed. Though it was only a brief exchange, both could gauge each other's strength.

The opponent's strength was clearly inferior to his.

"Deputy Commander Jiang, your words are biased. You clearly intended to kill without reason, and I intervened to save someone. Now you're twisting the story."

Yu Zongping stood his ground, hands behind his back.

While Jiang Che's strength was considerable, on par with his own, it was far from enough to make him back down.

"Brother Jiang, Brother Jiang..." Captain Chen quickly stepped forward to intervene, pulling Jiang Che aside and urging him to de-escalate. Otherwise, if a real fight broke out, the outcome was uncertain.

Regardless of who died here, the consequences would be severe.

"Fine, then today I'll give Captain Chen face and not press charges. However, I will take all the cargo, and Wang Chengen, who is guilty, must also be taken away."

Jiang Che surveyed the surroundings before stating calmly.

"Heh, arrogant. Today, you won't take anyone away."

Yu Zongping sneered and directly blocked Jiang Che's path.

Seeing that the two sides were about to truly clash, Captain Chen gritted his teeth, bowed, and whispered into Yu Zongping's ear:

"Brother Yu, for today, let Jiang Che have his way for now. He's acting under Captain Zhu's orders. If you don't let him, even Gang Leader Kou arriving might not be able to control the situation."

"What?!"

Yu Zongping's pupils contracted slightly, and his expression immediately changed drastically.

At the same time, he quickly understood why Jiang Che, a deputy commander, was targeting Cao Gang. He had initially thought Jiang Che was foolish, but now he realized he might have been the one who was foolish.

On the other side, hearing his brother-in-law, Yu Zongping, speak so forcefully, declaring that Jiang Che would take nothing away today, and feeling he had a backer, he finally felt at ease. He pointed at Jiang Che and said word by word:

"Jiang Che, don't think you're a somebody just because you're wearing a dog's skin! I'm telling you, you're just a stinking fisherman, and you'll be one forever!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Yu Zongping, who had just learned that Jiang Che was acting on Zhu Sheng's orders, looked even more displeased. However, his displeasure stemmed from how incredibly foolish Wang Chengen was.

Meanwhile, Captain Chen closed his eyes and sighed.

Just as they expected, the moment Wang Chengen finished speaking, before Yu Zongping could even stop him, a flash of white light appeared, and an arm was severed on the spot.

Wang Chengen was then kicked several meters away by Jiang Che, crashing heavily onto the ground.

Under the immense pain, Wang Chengen actually fainted.

Xu Chenghu and a few others immediately drew their knives and restrained Wang Chengen.

Jiang Che's expression was calm, showing no emotion, as he simply commented softly:

"Noisy!"

"You..."

Yu Zongping gripped the hilt of his saber, his veins bulging.

Jiang Che slowly walked up to him, met his gaze for three breaths, and then shoved him aside:

"If you don't dare draw your sword, why make such a fuss!"

Yu Zongping stared intently at Jiang Che. Captain Chen quickly restrained him, saying:

"Old Yu, don't be impulsive. This isn't something you can get involved in."

Yu Zongping remained silent, took a deep breath, and slowly released his grip on the saber hilt.

A slight smile touched Jiang Che's lips. He pointed at the cargo on the boats by the shore and said sternly:

"Seal all the cargo and take it back to the Martial Camp."

Yu Zongping backed down, and the Cao Gang members no longer dared to block. Jin Dayya and Hu An exchanged glances, their eyes filled with admiration.

Commander Jiang is truly brave!

With Jiang Che's orders, all the soldiers from the Martial Camp immediately sprang into action. Under Hu An's arrangement, they quickly mobilized the onlookers and laborers to start loading the cargo onto carts.

"Captain Chen, help me figure out a way to get Cheng En out, and... that cargo." Watching the convoy gradually disappear, Yu Zongping, with a grim expression, turned to Captain Chen.

He didn't particularly care about Wang Chengen's life or death. After all, his sister was just a second wife; once she grew old and her beauty faded, he would naturally find another.

But today was different.

Wang Chengen had only lost an arm, but he had lost face.

After today, everyone in Yanggu County would know that he had been intimidated by a young brat like Jiang Che into not daring to utter a word. The feud was established, and Wang Chengen had to be rescued.

Furthermore, if the cargo was lost, it would be difficult for him to explain to the Gang Leader.

"Brother Yu, rest assured, I will definitely help with this. I believe Jiang Che will still give me some face. Alas, your brother-in-law is truly troublesome. Who else could he provoke but Jiang Che?

In that situation, if he hadn't pointed at Jiang Che and cursed him, it might not have escalated to this extent."

Captain Chen shook his head and sighed.

"Please, Brother Chen."

"Also, Brother Yu, you must report today's events to Gang Leader Kou. Zhu Sheng's intentions are unclear, and it's likely dangerous for Cao Gang."

Yu Zongping gazed at the Qinglin River and said gravely:

"With such a big commotion today, do you think the Gang Leader won't get the news? It's just that it's not convenient for him to appear."

"That's true."

"Commander, how should we handle this cargo?"

Geng Dabiao, Xu San'er, and a few others gathered around Jiang Che, discussing how to arrange these items.

"Of course, we find a way to sell it off cheap," Jiang Che said casually.

Xu San'er and the other man exchanged a glance and hesitated, "Wouldn't that be a bit… improper?"

"What's improper about it? I said before we started, this trip is about making money. If we don't sell the goods, how will the brothers get cotton clothes? How will Chenghu get resources to cultivate martial arts? How will I buy my mansion?" Jiang Che retorted.

"What my subordinate means is, if Cao Gang comes asking for the goods, what explanation will we give?" Xu San'er quickly clarified.

"What explanation? The weather is dry, and these goods unfortunately caught fire. We have no obligation to guard them for them," Jiang Che said with a smile.

"My subordinate understands."

The two men nodded, marveling at Jiang Che's way of handling things.

"What about Commander Liu's side?"

"I'll go explain to him. Also, this matter of reselling the goods needs to be handled discreetly. At least, no rumors should leak out in the short term. Don't let those people from the Martial Camp get involved either; use our own men."

"My subordinate understands."

Xu San'er nodded heavily, clearly understanding Jiang Che's concerns.

"Alright, go get busy. I should go catch up with Protector Wang."

Martial Camp, prison cell.

"Bang!"

A bucket of cold water was directly splashed onto Wang Chengen, who was tied to a rack. The corners of his eyes twitched, and his blurry gaze shifted, quickly turning from blankness to horror.