"What does Captain Zhu want?"
Kou Yuansheng was half-convinced and half-doubtful of Jiang Che's words. He always felt the other man might take the chance to extort another sum from him. In short, after the lesson from before, he would never fully trust Jiang Che.
But did that matter?
Of course not. As long as he could achieve his aim, that was enough.
"Captain Zhu is urgently in need of a fine-quality Corpse Blood Mushroom and an excellent Yin Sha Land. So long as Gang Leader Kou can produce these things, I believe any minor misunderstandings can certainly be resolved."
Jiang Che looked utterly sincere, without the slightest trace of pretense.
"Corpse Blood Mushroom... Yin Sha Land..." Kou Yuansheng muttered the words a few times before staring at Jiang Che. "Those things are good for demonic heretics, but they should be useless to Captain Zhu, shouldn't they?"
"This one does not know. I only know that Captain Zhu is in urgent need of them and specifically sent me to seek them out." The more he said, the more mistakes he could make. Jiang Che had no intention of explaining too much.
"I'll go back and think of a solution. I'll notify you if there's any news."
Kou Yuansheng rose to his feet, his expression returning to calm indifference. It was impossible to tell whether he believed Jiang Che's nonsense.
"Take care, Gang Leader Kou."
Jiang Che clasped his hands slightly. Only after the other man left did the smile on his face gradually fade away.
His strength was still far too weak. Faced with Kou Yuansheng's sudden intrusion, he could only use such a method to defuse the situation for now.
The sacrifice to Three Absolute Shocking Fiends could not be delayed another moment!
After returning to the Cao Gang's main hall, Kou Yuansheng's suspicions had not lessened in the slightest. Frowning, he pushed open his door. He could not shake the feeling that the things Jiang Che had demanded from him were not the sort Zhu Sheng would like.
Could it be that Zhu Sheng secretly cultivated demonic arts?
That shouldn't be the case.
Based on the conclusions he had drawn after gathering intelligence from many sources, Zhu Sheng ought to be the sort of man who was prudent and preferred to plan before acting.
"Gang Leader... you're back?"
On the bed, a mature and alluring woman in a light red dress sat up, revealing a pair of legs like white jade. Her face was oval, and her peach-blossom eyes seemed brimming with water. Though she was already past thirty, her charm had not diminished in the slightest.
"Why hasn't Madam rested yet?"
The worry on Kou Yuansheng's face gradually turned into a smile. With great consideration, he poured his wife a cup of tea and brought it to her bedside. She was the wife he had doted on most over all these years.
"I can't sleep when you aren't here. I saw the worry on your face just now. Did something happen?" Madam Yu asked softly.
Kou Yuansheng nodded. He and his wife had supported one another for many years, and there were few secrets between them. He immediately told her everything concerning Jiang Che and Zhu Sheng.
After hearing this, Madam Yu let out a soft sigh, shame appearing on her face.
"Gang Leader, this matter... is actually because of me."
"Because of you?"
Kou Yuansheng was somewhat unable to make heads or tails of it. How had this become connected to his wife again?
"Everything Jiang Che has done was aimed at me." Madam Yu raised her head, tears glimmering in her eyes.
Today, Wang Xiuqing, Yu Zongping's wife, had come to find her. She had told her everything about Wang Chengen's death and Jiang Che, then begged her to help avenge her younger brother's blood-deep grudge.
Madam Yu had been utterly horrified at the time, her face losing all color on the spot.
She had never imagined that Jiang Che, who had already fallen into the Auxiliary Barracks, had not only survived but had transformed himself into the Deputy Commander of the West City—and had even gone straight after Wang Chengen.
Then sooner or later, he would trace the matter back to her.
After turning it over in her mind, Madam Yu understood that if she wanted to get rid of Jiang Che, she could only rely on Kou Yuansheng. She absolutely could not let Jiang Che once again follow in his forefathers' footsteps, walking step by step toward death.
To raise a tiger was to invite calamity.
Jiang Che had already grown into a force to be reckoned with. It would not be easy for her to deal with him using her own methods. She could only tell Kou Yuansheng the truth, so that no unforeseen development beyond her control would arise.
"What happened?"
Kou Yuansheng's expression darkened.
"Twenty years ago..."
Madam Yu told him all the grudges between herself and Jiang Che. Back then, both the Jiang family and the Yu family had been wealthy households in Yanggu County. They might not have ranked first or second, but they were still quite renowned.
Later, the two families became enemies over a business deal.
In the end, the Yu family was brought down by the Jiang family, leaving them with their household destroyed and their family dead. She had no choice but to hide under an assumed name and sell herself to a brothel, while her elders were sent into the Auxiliary Barracks by Jiang Che's grandfather, who had used his connections within the county.
After that, they had died at the border and never been heard from again.
Bearing this hatred in her heart, she had endured in silence, dreaming of the day she could avenge her blood-deep grudge. Yet when she finally followed Kou Yuansheng and gained the power to take revenge, the Jiang family had already fallen into decline.
Of the entire household, only Jiang Che remained, a young man making his living by fishing.
She had placed her resentment upon Jiang Che and made the past repeat itself. Through Wang Chengen's arrangements, Jiang Che had taken someone else's place for military service and been sent to the Auxiliary Barracks. But she had also feared that Jiang Che might not die at the border.
Afterward, she had used connections through others, intending to ensure that Jiang Che would not live to see the day the camp moved out.
Yet in merely a few short weeks, the situation had undergone a tremendous reversal.
"So that was it."
Only then did Kou Yuansheng finally come to a sudden realization. Jiang Che's target had always been the Cao Gang. The things he had given Jiang Che had been of no use whatsoever.
Jiang Che had taken his things, yet still wanted to kill him!
Even if he found a way to give Jiang Che the Corpse Blood Mushroom and a Yin Sha Land, they probably would never reach Zhu Sheng's hands.
Dog bastard!
Kou Yuansheng cursed inwardly.
Jiang Che had been treating him like a fool.
"Rest assured, Madam. Since Jiang Che bears a blood feud with the Yu family, I will certainly find a way to avenge you." Kou Yuansheng dearly wished to kill Jiang Che right now, but the timing was wrong.
Jiang Che was a favorite before Zhu Sheng. If he killed Jiang Che just after Zhu Sheng took office, it would be no different from slapping Zhu Sheng in the face. The consequences would not be small.
Jiang Che had likely known precisely this, which was why he had acted so recklessly.
"I understand your concerns, Gang Leader. But Jiang Che is not the only person through whom we can approach Zhu Sheng." Seeing that her purpose had been achieved, Madam Yu immediately began to "help" Kou Yuansheng devise a plan.
"Madam means Liu Zhi and Gou Buren?"
"Liu Zhi cannot be approached for the time being, but Gou Buren may be different. He has followed Zhu Sheng for many years, and Zhu Sheng's trust in him far exceeds his trust in Jiang Che. Moreover, he bears a blood feud with Jiang Che. We can use his hand to steady Zhu Sheng."
Madam Yu's gaze narrowed slightly.
"Good. I'll send someone to make contact with that Gou fellow." Kou Yuansheng had naturally investigated the grudges between Jiang Che and the Gou brothers. But at the time, he had considered it easier to win Jiang Che over, which was why he had given him things as bribes.
"That won't be necessary. The Gou family and my Yu family had some ties in our earlier years. I am confident I can win him over," Madam Yu said in a low voice.
It was precisely because of those ties that she had used silver to renew her connection with Gou Buren back then. Unfortunately, Gou Buyi had intercepted it midway, and the attempt had failed.
Today, she had already met Gou Buren in secret, and their conversation had gone quite pleasantly.
"Is that true?"
Delight appeared on Kou Yuansheng's face. Gou Buren held even greater authority than Liu Zhi. Not only was he the commander of a city, he also controlled the county's Military Supplies Camp. His power ranked among the top five in the county.
"However, he has one condition."
"What condition?"
"He wants Jiang Che's death to be used as an offering to his younger brother's spirit in heaven!"