Rat Lord

Inside the room, sunlight came to a halt, and an inexplicable chill hung in the air.

Looking at the composed Jiang Chen, Wang Yuan knew he had to tell the truth. Though this was only his first meeting with Jiang Chen, after coming into contact with him in person, he felt more and more that Jiang Chen was no ordinary man.

"Though this matter is somewhat shameful, there is nothing to hide."

His face frosty, Wang Yuan laid out the hidden details one by one.

A hint of interest appeared on Jiang Chen's face. Stone, who was pouring tea beside them, quietly pricked up his ears as well. Judging by Wang Yuan's manner, there had to be quite a story hidden within.

"Qian Wen is a beast in human skin, a fucking bastard. Once, after getting drunk, he raped my wife. Unable to bear the humiliation, she threw herself into a well and died. Though he covered it up afterward and made it seem like my wife had accidentally fallen into the water, after investigating carefully, I still found some traces."

"But by then, he had gained the Third Master's favor. On top of that, he had cultivated the Five Poisons Palm, and his martial arts had already entered the third-rate. I had no chance whatsoever to take revenge, so I could only wait in silence."

In a low voice, Wang Yuan spoke the secret he had buried in his heart for so long.

Hearing this, even the usually dull Stone could not help showing a trace of anger. In his eyes, Wang Yuan and Qian Wen were sworn brothers of different surnames, and Wang Yuan had even saved Qian Wen's life. Yet Qian Wen had done such a thing—he was worse than a beast.

Jiang Chen, however, showed no reaction. During those years in the apocalypse, he had witnessed too much of humanity's darkness. To him, this was merely a tired old story. In the apocalypse, matters far darker than this emerged one after another. That had been a true black forest.

Still, though it did not stir his heart much, Jiang Chen accepted the reason. He extended his hand and took the ledger from Wang Yuan.

The moment Jiang Chen accepted the ledger, a flicker of excitement rose in Wang Yuan's deadened heart. While recounting the secrets of the past, though hatred had continued to churn within him, he had been carefully watching Jiang Chen's expression. Seeing Jiang Chen remain unmoved throughout, his heart had sunk lower and lower.

Fortunately, Jiang Chen had ultimately accepted the ledger. This meant he was not on the same path as the Third Master and intended to clear out the old forces within Golden Sand Valley.

"They have skimmed off quite a bit. What a voracious appetite."

After casually flipping through the ledger, Jiang Chen let out a cold laugh. At least half the gold sand mined in Golden Sand Valley had fallen into the hands of Zhao Meng's faction. Zhao Meng took half, and his underlings followed along to drink a mouthful of soup. Wouldn't the remainder just be scraps from the table?

"Is Zhao Meng really so afraid Ironman Tu will fail to notice, or has he already figured out how to clean up afterward?"

Shaking his head, Jiang Chen set down the ledger.

"Do you know where Qian Wen hides the gold sand?"

Turning his gaze toward Wang Yuan, Jiang Chen asked casually.

Hearing this, Wang Yuan's expression immediately turned solemn.

"Reporting to the Chief, I only know where Qian Wen temporarily stores gold sand within Golden Sand Valley. However, every so often, he transports the accumulated gold sand out. As for where it goes, I do not know. Qian Wen has kept this matter extremely secret. I fear he is the only one who truly knows."

Without concealing anything further, Wang Yuan laid out everything he knew. Since he had decided to gamble on this, he might as well push all his chips onto the table. There was no need to keep cowering and hesitating.

Jiang Chen nodded as he looked at Wang Yuan.

"The information you provided is valuable. Accordingly, I can give you a certain reward. What do you want from me?"

Knowing Wang Yuan must be seeking something, Jiang Chen gave his promise. He had never been stingy toward those who helped him and drew closer to him. Nor had he ever expected others to seek nothing and devote themselves wholeheartedly to serving him. He did not possess that kind of personal charisma.

Hearing this, Wang Yuan, who had kept his eyes lowered, hurriedly raised his head.

"I only want to ask him why he did it!"

Enunciating every word, Wang Yuan stated his request.

"That request is not difficult. I agree."

With a slight lift of his brow, Jiang Chen agreed to Wang Yuan's request. Though Wang Yuan's demand seemed childish to him—what had already happened had happened, and why no longer mattered—since Wang Yuan was obsessed with it, Jiang Chen did not mind granting his wish.

Upon receiving Jiang Chen's answer, the heart Wang Yuan had held suspended finally settled.

"Chief, though the mine in Golden Sand Valley has not been built for long, Qian Wen has always had people secretly mining it. By now, the amount should be no small sum. I believe this batch of gold sand has most likely not been transported back to Wooden Fish Island and must be hidden somewhere. After all, though the Third Master holds the third seat among the River-Sweeping Bandits, he is only third."

"However, to learn where this batch of gold sand is hidden, we may have to pry open Qian Wen's mouth. But from what I know of him, he likely will not speak easily. And he may not truly know, either, since this batch of gold sand is what the Third Master wants..."

Automatically placing himself on Jiang Chen's side, Wang Yuan began wholeheartedly planning for Jiang Chen. Deep down, he was also faintly worried that Jiang Chen might reach an agreement with Qian Wen over this batch of gold sand and let Qian Wen go.

Jiang Chen remained unmoved by this.

"Rest assured, Qian Wen will tell me everything. Even if he does not know, it does not matter. Someone will know eventually."

Neither pleased nor troubled, Jiang Chen's words were calm to the extreme, as if everything lay within his grasp.

Hearing this and looking at Jiang Chen, Wang Yuan felt an inexplicable chill rise in his heart.

"Alright, withdraw for now. Do not reveal any traces for the time being. Dealing with Qian Wen and the others has never been the problem. The real trouble is how to get Golden Sand Valley running again as quickly as possible after dealing with them. All of this still needs some time."

His voice low, Jiang Chen lifted his teacup once more.

Seeing this, Wang Yuan hurriedly withdrew.

Just as he was about to leave the courtyard gate, a rat the size of a fat cat pushed open the gate and swaggered inside.

Seeing such a massive rat, Wang Yuan could not help but be startled.

Is this rat about to become a spirit?

For no reason at all, this thought surfaced in Wang Yuan's mind.

At the same time, Rat Prodigy, who had just entered the courtyard, shot Wang Yuan a sidelong glance.

"Average vitality and blood, no spiritual aura around him. Useless trash."

His nose twitching, Rat Prodigy made a rough assessment in his heart, then passed Wang Yuan and headed straight for the main hall.

Wang Yuan instinctively wanted to stop him, but in the end, he did nothing, having recalled Jiang Chen's earlier order for everyone to catch rats.

At the same time, Stone's voice quietly sounded beside his ear.

"This is the Chief's pet, Rat Lord."

With a trace of reverence in his voice, Stone revealed Rat Prodigy's identity to Wang Yuan.

Hearing this, Wang Yuan's mind shook, and his gaze toward Rat Prodigy gained another trace of disbelief.

As though sensing Wang Yuan's gaze, Rat Prodigy raised his head completely, his walking posture bursting with swagger.