Fortune Favors the Bold

"Can you help me get out of military service?" Geng Dabiao's expression shifted repeatedly, finally settling on suspicion.

If Jiang Che were a general with real authority, he wouldn't doubt him in the slightest. But Jiang Che was just an ordinary auxiliary soldier. Even though he had distinguished himself in the previous skirmish, he was still just an auxiliary.

If he had such capabilities, how could Geng Dabiao himself have ended up in the auxiliary barracks?

What gave him the confidence?

"I can't guarantee it completely, but I'm about seventy to eighty percent sure. Don't disbelieve me. You must have heard that Deputy Commander Liu Zhi specifically invited me to his tent for drinks, right?

I won't hide it from you; Deputy Commander Liu thinks highly of me and plans to transfer me to be one of his confidantes within these few days. And your performance in yesterday's battle was passable.

With that, plus me helping to mediate, the chances are very high."

Jiang Che shamelessly borrowed some prestige.

Since no one would dare question Liu Zhi directly, he might as well use this opportunity to intimidate Geng Dabiao.

"What do you want me to do for you?"

After a moment of silence, Geng Dabiao was finally swayed. Although he still harbored doubts, this was his only chance.

Once he was sent to the border, surviving to return would be almost a fantasy.

And he would never be able to get his revenge.

"I need two liang of bull tendon, ten jin of bull bone, twenty jin of bull blood, and thirty jin of beef..."

"Are you taking me for a fool? Getting these things would cost at least thirty taels of silver. You expect me to pay such a price for your vague promise? Absolutely not."

Upon hearing the conditions, Geng Dabiao immediately refused.

"I haven't finished speaking, why are you rushing? I only need the channels; I have the money."

"If it's just about the channels, then it's not impossible." Geng Dabiao's heart eased, and he nodded.

"So, you have a way to get them?"

"I have a way, but it's difficult to get them into the military camp. I can't do that."

"I'll handle that."

Jiang Che narrowed his eyes as he looked at the other man.

"Alright, then I'll go send a message first to inquire about the price..."

Saying that, Geng Dabiao prepared to leave.

"Wait."

Jiang Che called out to him again.

"Something else?"

Jiang Che smiled faintly, leaned closer to Geng Dabiao, and lowered his voice to ask:

"Do you want to learn martial arts?"

"You... you have a way?"

Geng Dabiao's eyes lit up. Before being conscripted, he had intended to learn martial arts, but because of the Young Master of the Geng family, some martial arts schools in Tai'an Prefecture wouldn't accept him.

He had only learned some basic boxing and kicking, but he yearned to learn martial arts.

"Not only do I have a way, but I also have a secret manual."

Jiang Che nodded.

"What secret manual?"

Geng Dabiao asked excitedly.

"The military body-tempering technique, Savage Bull Strength!"

Yes, Jiang Che was prepared to pass on Savage Bull Strength.

Because it was the only valuable thing he possessed.

Furthermore, Liu Zhi had not warned him against sharing it, so strictly speaking, it wasn't a violation of discipline. Besides, as long as he could obtain the offerings and cultivate Savage Bull Strength, he believed Liu Zhi wouldn't be angered by it.

Fortune favors the bold.

To fulfill the seven-day pact, he had to take a gamble.

This was the method he had come up with after much deliberation last night.

"Teach me."

Geng Dabiao excitedly grabbed Jiang Che's palm. Although Savage Bull Strength was only one of the basic cultivation methods in the army, it was still something he couldn't obtain. If he had the chance, he wouldn't let it go.

Jiang Che subtly withdrew his palm and smiled, "If you want to learn, you can. However, I spent quite a bit of silver to obtain this method... Brother Dabiao is a kind person, you wouldn't want me to lose money, would you?"

"How much do you want?"

Geng Dabiao calmed down and understood that there was no such thing as a free lunch. He had to pay something.

Jiang Che held up five fingers.

"Fifty taels, have you lost your mind thinking about money?" Geng Dabiao couldn't help but raise his voice.

What did fifty taels of silver even mean?

In these times, a poor family couldn't spend two taels of silver in a year, and even for soldiers on pay, taking the Tai'an Prefecture soldiers as an example, a common soldier only earned five hundred wen a month.

He couldn't get that much money even if he killed him.

Actually, Jiang Che wanted five taels of silver, but since Geng Dabiao had misunderstood, he decided to go along with it. After a moment of thought, he said:

"We seem to get along well. How about this? Twenty taels of silver, and we'll be friends."

"I don't have that much money."

"Fifteen taels."

"Even if I borrowed everything I have, I could only come up with seven taels," Geng Dabiao stated his limit.

Jiang Che put on a troubled expression.

The atmosphere became tense for a moment. Geng Dabiao couldn't stand the thought of learning martial arts any longer, and gritted his teeth:

"Those things you want won't be available for less than thirty taels. Give me another twenty taels, and I'll find a way to help you get them, alright?"

"Deal!"

Jiang Che suppressed the emotions in his heart, his expression calm as he nodded slightly.

In fact, before looking for Geng Dabiao, he had already prepared to offer Savage Bull Strength as a reward for the other party's help, but the man was too honest and agreed to his request with just a promise.

So, he had no choice but to take some money while he was at it.

After lunch, Jiang Che and Xu San'er were squatting together, chatting and inquiring about the Auxiliary Barracks. The Savage Bull Strength he possessed was quite valuable, but it wasn't easy to sell.

This was because most of the auxiliary soldiers were farmers and didn't have any money on hand. He also couldn't sell the cultivation technique cheaply, as doing so would reveal that he was privately spreading it.

Therefore, his targets had to be those who could afford to pay.

As for abandoning the auxiliary soldiers and trading with the regular army soldiers, that was preposterous. While this basic body-tempering technique wasn't common, anyone with some merit could practice it.

Why would they risk trading with him, an auxiliary soldier?

He didn't want to attract people like Gou Buyi again.

"Among our Auxiliary Barracks, there aren't many who are actually capable. It's just Geng Dabiao, Wu Changfeng, Li Erxian, and the like. The rest... are mostly honest, poor folk."

Xu San'er tirelessly introduced the situation of the Auxiliary Barracks to Jiang Che, not only wanting to do Jiang Che a favor but also feeling comfortable with Jiang Che's earnest requests for guidance.

"What outsiders say is indeed true. Brother Xu, you are well-informed." Jiang Che praised him generously.

"Brother Che, forgive me for prying, but do you have something going on with them?" Xu San'er not only loved spreading gossip but also enjoyed hearing it, and couldn't help but ask.

Jiang Che lowered his gaze, about to come up with an excuse, when he looked up and saw Gou Buyi watching him from a distance. Seeing him look up and meet his gaze, Gou Buyi grinned at him.

At the same time, he subtly gestured to his neck with his hand.

Jiang Che remained unfazed. Gou Buyi chuckled lightly, turned around, and walked towards Commander Liu's tent.