"What? We still have to wait seven days?"
Scarface was startled and found it hard to believe Gou Buyi's words. Although he had previously reminded Liu Zhi to treat Jiang Che differently, he had never expected Liu Zhi to truly protect Jiang Che.
Especially under Gou Buren's pressure.
That was somewhat difficult for him to accept.
"Liu Zhi's stance is very firm. He must have guessed my intentions, and he subtly reminded me that Jiang Che is a promising talent personally named by Captain Zhu." Gou Buyi said with a grim expression.
"Then what does Commander Gou mean?"
Scarface was unwilling to let Jiang Che off so easily. Over the past few days, he had clearly felt the change in the attitudes of those around him. They mocked him for being beaten so badly by an auxiliary soldier that he could not get out of bed.
His heart had long been filled with pent-up rage.
"My brother told me to let the matter rest. It is not worth making an enemy of Liu Zhi over such a trivial matter." Gou Buyi shook his head.
"How... how could that be? Liu Zhi is only a deputy commander, while Brother Gou is the proper commander!" Scarface's expression shifted rapidly upon hearing this.
"Do not underestimate Liu Zhi. Though he is only a deputy commander, Captain Zhu intends to promote him. Otherwise, he would not have been entrusted with the Auxiliary Barracks this time.
"Besides, my brother said there will be some changes in the camp soon. It is not suitable to make a big fuss."
"Ah... then are we just letting this go?"
Scarface frowned deeply.
"Of course we are not letting it go. Liu Zhi is protecting him for seven days, not for the rest of his life. I reckon Jiang Che gave him a gift, but Liu Zhi does not dare openly clash with my brother, so he set a time limit. There is still quite some time before the Auxiliary Barracks pulls out. That is more than enough time to deal with him."
Gou Buyi's face darkened somewhat.
Under normal circumstances, he would have let the matter rest as well. No, he would not even have targeted Jiang Che in the first place. After all, the business he did required integrity.
But someone had stuffed him silver long ago and told him to press Jiang Che to death in the Auxiliary Barracks.
That was why he had kept his eyes on Jiang Che all this time.
His only miscalculation was that this kid had turned out to be somewhat different, with quite a few tricks up his sleeve.
"So be it. Let this kid live a few more days." Scarface nodded helplessly.
Gou Buyi snorted coldly.
"I will give the one surnamed Liu face for these seven days, but making me stop is impossible. I refuse to believe Jiang Che can remain so well-behaved in the Auxiliary Barracks. I have already arranged for someone to watch him.
"As long as he slips up, the moment those seven days are over, I will have him killed immediately!"
With Geng Dabiao having already greased the wheels, the first thing Jiang Che needed to do was gather the remaining ten taels of silver. To that end, Jiang Che did not hesitate to lower the price again.
At the price of three taels of silver, he found several more people to read it and finally scraped together enough silver.
Yet precisely because the martial art had been passed to too many people, even though he had warned them in advance, some unusual circumstances still aroused others' suspicions. Jiang Che remained unaware of this.
Of course, even if he had known, he would still have had to do it. When he made this decision, he had already considered the risks hidden within it and prepared himself to bear them.
Or rather, as long as he could successfully cultivate Savage Bull Strength before the matter came to light—
Then, to Liu Zhi, it would not count as too grave a mistake.
That was his judgment.
Fortune was sought amid danger!
Thus, several more days passed in the blink of an eye. Only one day remained before the seven-day deadline. At last, Geng Dabiao came to find him again and told him that the things he wanted had been placed beneath a crooked locust tree near the camp gate.
However, because several dozen jin of goods were too bulky, they could not be brought inside without orders from above. Jiang Che would have to figure out a way himself.
"Alright, I understand."
Jiang Che nodded and took Savage Bull Strength from his robes, handing it to Geng Dabiao.
By now, Geng Dabiao was no longer particularly worried about how Jiang Che would retrieve the meat. In his heart, he had already assumed there was some connection between Jiang Che and Liu Zhi. With a single order, bringing something into camp would not be a problem at all.
His attention had long since turned to Savage Bull Strength.
"Once I get the goods, I'll give you the remaining silver."
"Fine."
The sky gradually darkened. Jiang Che greeted the soldiers on guard, and since they knew he had recently been close to Liu Zhi, they did not make things difficult for him and allowed him to leave the Auxiliary Barracks.
However, that was merely the first hurdle.
To leave the camp, he still had to pass through the camp gate.
"What are you doing?"
Sure enough, the instant he approached the gate, the soldiers on guard immediately leveled their spearheads at him. Under the firelight, the sharp tips seemed to give off a faint chill.
"Sir... I... I need to go outside to relieve myself."
"Do you have a permit?"
The leading old soldier stepped forward and inspected Jiang Che's coarse auxiliary-soldier garb, his tone extremely stiff.
"No."
"No? Then get lost. Do you not know auxiliary soldiers are forbidden from leaving camp without permission? Was that fellow who hanged himself some time ago not enough to teach you a lesson?" The old soldier immediately drove him away.
"Sir, could we speak somewhere else?"
Jiang Che lowered his head and spoke softly. At the same time, he subtly weighed the pouch in his pocket, producing a faint clinking sound.
The old soldier stared at him for a few moments, then stepped closer.
"Speak."
"Sir, today is my father's death anniversary. I want to go to the crooked tree outside and kowtow a few times. It is the custom where I come from. When away from home, we must make offerings beneath a locust tree. I fear that once the camp pulls out in a few days, I will no longer have the chance. Please, sir, show me some convenience."
"Isn't kowtowing the same wherever you do it? This matter is not... not impossible to discuss." The old soldier's words abruptly changed because Jiang Che had slipped a large handful of copper coins into his sleeve.
There were at least several dozen coins.
"Please, sir, grant me this favor for the sake of my filial devotion."
Jiang Che took out another small cloth pouch and stuffed it to him.
The old soldier weighed it, then glanced around. Without changing expression, he tucked it into his clothes and lowered his voice.
"Very well. For the sake of your filial devotion, you may go out and kowtow. But I will follow behind and watch you. Once you are done, return immediately."
"Thank you, sir."
Jiang Che cupped his hands.
He had no connections at all, but he still had some copper coins on hand.
Besides, with the Sacrifice Heavenly Stele in his possession, he did not need to carry a huge bundle around, so he would not attract anyone's attention.
"Let's go."
After saying a few words to the soldiers at the gate, the old soldier led Jiang Che out of the camp and to the crooked locust tree. He stood several zhang away, keeping his eyes fixed on Jiang Che.
The moment Jiang Che showed any sign of trying to flee, the spear in his hand would be hurled at once.
A sorrowful look appeared on Jiang Che's face as he circled the old locust tree several times. Sure enough, he found a black cloth bundle in the grass beneath it. He covered it with his palm, and with a thought, the bundle vanished instantly.
It was stored within the Heavenly Stele Space.
Yet he continued acting, bowing and knocking his head solidly against the ground three times toward the locust tree.
He truly was mourning his parents, but not the parents from this other world—rather, the parents from another world.