Heart Blood Secured

Xu San'er immediately understood, his face grave as he nodded.

"Indeed."

Then, with a gesture, several soldiers stepped forward with cold expressions and forced Wang Chengen's mouth open.

"Jiang Jiang... muffled... wouldn't even let a ghost off the hook..."

Wang Chengen struggled, staring at Jiang Che with hatred and terror in his eyes, his voice unintelligible.

Jiang Che picked at his ear and turned away.

He couldn't stand such bloody scenes.

"Brother Chen, I'm so sorry."

Jiang Che looked at Captain Chen with a troubled expression, wanting to say more but hesitating.

"Brother Jiang, just say what you need to say."

Captain Chen's heart sank with a bad premonition as he looked at Jiang Che's face.

Jiang Che sighed softly and whispered, "Just now, I intended to have them release Wang Chengen directly, but when I went in, I discovered that the fellow, fearing my punishment, had secretly bitten his tongue and committed suicide."

"What?"

Captain Chen's face changed drastically. He had taken the money.

"This is my fault. I have also severely punished the two soldiers who were guarding Wang Chengen. What do you want to do with him? If you want him, take him. If not, I will give him a proper burial."

"You..."

Captain Chen stared at Jiang Che, his expression turning ugly.

He wasn't stupid; how could he easily believe Jiang Che's story?

But now that things had come to this, he was helpless.

As for getting back those Inner Breath Realm prisoners, it was probably impossible. No wonder Jiang Che had them escorted away as soon as they met; he must have been afraid he'd change his mind.

This brat really knew how to play dirty!

"Brother Chen, don't be anxious. It's true that I didn't keep a good eye on Wang Chengen this time. Sigh... it's all my fault for my momentary carelessness." Jiang Che shook his head, displaying the height of false benevolence.

"Brother Jiang, if you handle things this way, I won't be able to explain myself to Yu Zongping."

"It's alright. Brother Chen, just push all the blame onto me. We've already become enemies, so I don't mind making it worse. I definitely won't make things difficult for you."

"Sigh, forget it, forget it. I'll take the body back first."

At this point, Captain Chen had no choice but to accept it, even if he wanted to get angry. After all, if this matter were to be investigated, he had also pocketed a considerable sum of money.

He could only do as Jiang Che said and shift all the blame onto him.

Watching Captain Chen and his group gradually disappear into the distance, the smile on Jiang Che's face slowly faded. He casually asked, "Have the buyers for that batch of goods been found?"

"We're still looking. Several forces in the county know we've just seized the Cao Gang's goods, and few dare to accept them for fear of offending the Cao Gang. My subordinate is currently contacting merchants in other counties."

Xu San'er bowed slightly.

"Do it as soon as possible."

Jiang Che nodded.

"Captain Chen, you're giving me a corpse for two hundred taels of silver?"

Looking at the body covered by a white cloth, Yu Zongping's face was extremely unpleasant. His tone was no longer polite, carrying a hint of accusation.

"I didn't expect Jiang Che to be so ruthless. I took the money but couldn't keep Brother Wang, leading him to bite his tongue and commit suicide," Captain Chen said with a guilty expression.

But asking him to return the money was impossible.

Don't ask why; just know that the money had already been given to Jiang Che.

He was purely helping out of obligation.

"Suicide?" Yu Zongping sneered, gritting his teeth and saying in a deep voice, "If I don't avenge this, I, Yu Zongping, swear I am no man!"

"Cheng En!!!"

Madam Wang stumbled, almost falling to the ground. When she looked, tears immediately welled up uncontrollably. She collapsed onto Wang Chengen's body and began to wail.

He was her only younger brother.

No matter how he behaved towards outsiders, he always listened to her, his sister.

They had a very good relationship.

He was her only family, her future support. Now that he was dead, she felt as if the sky had collapsed.

"Stop crying. I will get revenge on Jiang Che for Cheng En."

Yu Zongping's head was buzzing from the crying.

For years, no one had dared to toy with him like this.

Humiliation!

Jiang Che, Jiang Che, Jiang Che.

The name echoed in Madam Wang's ears. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her, and she recalled a past memory.

This person... could it be the Jiang Che that the sect leader's wife had instructed her brother to deal with over a month ago?

Although there was no concrete evidence, she had this gut feeling.

She looked up at Yu Zongping, about to speak. But remembering the sect leader's wife's admonition to her and her brother not to reveal anything to anyone, she swallowed the words that had reached her lips.

She had come to understand something: if Yu Zongping had the ability to kill Jiang Che, her own brother wouldn't be a corpse.

She could only go to the sect leader's wife, she had to go to her!

Martial Camp, prison.

Three Inner Breath Realm martial artists were tied to crosses one by one. Jiang Che waved, signaling everyone to leave, then slowly approached them.

"My lord, spare me."

"I'm willing to serve you, my lord."

"Hmph."

All three were awake, their attitudes varied. However, they shared one commonality: they vaguely guessed Jiang Che's purpose in bringing them from the prison to the West City Martial Camp.

To recruit them, to make them serve him!

Examples like this were common. Any martial artist with some strength, as long as they hadn't offended any major figures, would have people arrange for their fake deaths and then serve under a new identity.

The only difference was that two of them were eager to leave immediately, while the last one, confident in his strength over the other two, intended to raise his own value.

He wanted Jiang Che to treat him with respect and offer him satisfactory terms.

But...

Clearly, they had all guessed wrong.

Jiang Che wanted them merely as sacrifices.

Without even acknowledging their words, he first tied their mouths shut with strips of cloth, then took out a small knife from his sleeve and cut open one of their chests.

His gaze calmly slid downwards.

Drip, Drip, Drip, The first person had fainted. The second and third people's eyes quickly turned to terror.

The other party wasn't trying to recruit them.

He was going to kill them!!!

The first sacrifice was ready. Jiang Che placed the small bowl containing the martial artist's heart blood into the Heavenly Stele Space. Then, with an equally calm gaze, he helped them fasten their clothes.

This was the first time Jiang Che had personally killed someone since coming into this world.

There was no fear or excitement as he had imagined.

Only calm.

Even the deaths of the three did not cause much of a stir.

Perhaps, from the moment he first saw them, Jiang Che had not regarded them as people, but purely as sacrifices.

Leaving the prison, Jiang Che specifically watched Geng Dabiao and the others clean up the bodies before he felt at ease.

If his methods were to get out, He would almost certainly be branded as a demonic heretic.

This would be very disadvantageous to him.

He wanted to be a righteous and honorable man, not some heretic that everyone wanted to beat.