Madam Li asked cautiously, "Lord Lin, what other accounts do we still have to settle?"
Judging by Lin Lang's demeanor, he certainly wasn't going to pay for his food and wine over the past few days.
"Playing dumb?" Lin Lang looked furious. "My brothers from the Jinyiwei and I drank at the Jade Green Pavilion, only for your people to drug our wine. That's an attempt on the lives of imperial officials. Come spend some time in the Jinyiwei prison."
Madam Li badly wanted to say, Wasn't Xiao He the one who drugged it? Didn't you say she was one of your Jinyiwei people?
How had Xiao He suddenly become one of the Jade Green Pavilion's people again?
If she entered the Jinyiwei prison, would she ever come out alive?
Madam Li asked, trembling, "Lord Lin, could I perhaps not go?"
"Of course," Lin Lang said readily. "Just compensate my brothers for their losses."
"How much compensation would you consider appropriate, Lord Lin? Five hundred taels?" Madam Li ventured.
"Five hundred taels each? Fine, I'll do you that favor, Madam Li. Hand over the money." Lin Lang looked as though he had suffered a terrible loss.
Madam Li was dumbfounded. She had meant five hundred taels in total! Five hundred each would mean six thousand taels!
But seeing how Lin Lang looked ready to draw his saber at the slightest disagreement, she dared not object.
Just you wait! The Jade Green Pavilion couldn't have opened without powerful backers!
A quarter of an hour later, the stack of banknotes inside Lin Lang's robe had grown much thicker. Only then did he happily take Xiao He home.
Xiao He carried a treasure box containing her few remaining pieces of jewelry, some loose silver, and an indenture contract torn in half.
For her, escaping that sort of place and no longer having to greet every man with flattering smiles and songs was happiness enough.
And she could even go home with Lord Lin. Who would dare bully her now?
Even Madam Li, who never backed down before the county magistrate, could only obediently hand over money before Lord Lin.
Once they reached home, Lin Lang sat straight down in a chair. "Go brew a pot of tea, then wash all the clothes and clean the house."
Xiao He stared blankly at Lin Lang. He really was treating her like a servant girl!
Lin Lang took the banknotes from his robe, pulled out one worth a thousand taels, and slapped it onto the table. "Don't forget your place. Is there a problem with me putting you to work?"
Xiao He immediately broke into a smile. "One moment, my lord. I'll brew the tea right away."
She knew she had chosen the right man to follow. A thousand taels in one casual gesture-weren't the good days already here?
Returning with a cup of tea, Xiao He set it on the table beside Lin Lang, then knelt on one knee and gently massaged his legs with light taps.
Lin Lang took a slurp of tea. "Go wash the clothes."
Xiao He stood and reached for the thousand-tael banknote, only to see Lin Lang snatch it back as swiftly as lightning.
"It's not safe for you to carry a banknote of such a large denomination. I'll keep it for you for now. Don't you still have some loose silver? Ask me for more when you've spent it."
"I'm going to the Hundred-household Office. Work hard while you're home."
The feeling of throwing money at someone was simply wonderful. Better still, he had enjoyed Xiao He's service, and the money was still inside his own robe.
Humming a little tune, he strolled toward the Hundred-household Office and pondered his plans.
He couldn't rely solely on the Reverse Golden Body Child Skill. Strong as it was, it had a ceiling. He would be lucky if it made him a Martial Arts Master.
He needed a stronger internal cultivation method and stronger martial techniques, preferably ones he could master quickly.
Such martial arts generally had obvious flaws. Unless driven into a corner, no one would willingly practice them.
But Lin Lang didn't care about that. He positively yearned for flaws. Once those flaws were reversed, the martial art would become even stronger!
The martial art I can think of that's quick to master and has an obvious flaw is the Sun Moon Holy Cult's Sunflower Manual, but I can't get my hands on that. Dongfang Bubai is supposedly a Great Grandmaster, Great Ming's Number One Demon Path Expert. I probably couldn't even block a single embroidery needle from him.
No, besides that, there's another martial art that's a shade less effective but still immensely powerful. And getting my hands on it wouldn't be nearly as dangerous.
But that martial art is in Great Song, to the south. I've only just become a Probationary Hundred-household. How can I leave for an extended period and make a circuit of Great Song Jianghu?
Inside the Hundred-household Office, Hundred-household Li wore a gloomy expression.
He had visited Liu Wu's home in the latter half of the previous night. Liu Wu was severely injured and about to be sent to Great Song, where his chances of survival were one in ten. Li had intended to seize the opportunity to demand another few thousand taels and arrange for another Jinyiwei officer to go die in Great Song instead.
But he discovered he had arrived too late.
Someone had reached Liu Wu's home first, killed him, and taken all the money in his house.
A Chief Banner Officer of the Hundred-household Office had died. As its Hundred-household, he could hardly escape responsibility.
Besides, who in this county would dare attack a Jinyiwei Chief Banner Officer? Lin Lang seemed to be the only person with a mortal grudge against Liu Wu!
Lin Lang had stayed overnight at the Jade Green Pavilion again. That was plainly an attempt to hide something that only made it more obvious.
As someone who practiced the Golden Body Child Skill, what sleep could he possibly get there? Wouldn't listening to everyone else's activities set his blood boiling?
And after becoming a Probationary Hundred-household, Lin Lang hadn't even brought him a gift. Did he have any regard for his superior at all?
Liu Wu had pocketed plenty of money over the years. Lin Lang wasn't going to swallow it all himself!
When Lin Lang arrived at his office with a frown, Wang Wu hurried over. "My lord, Lord Li would like you to see him. He doesn't look very pleased."
Lin Lang turned toward Hundred-household Li's office. Once inside, he found Li staring fixedly at him.
"Brother Lin, villains broke into Banner Commander Liu's home last night. He's dead."
Lin Lang looked excited. "What? That's truly... truly regrettable."
Hundred-household Li paused. Had he guessed wrong? Had Lin Lang not killed Liu Wu? Otherwise, why would Lin Lang look so pleasantly surprised?
Had Lin Lang stayed at the Jade Green Pavilion last night for some other reason?
Surely he hadn't really gone there for that songstress Xiao He? Was he abandoning his Golden Body Child Skill?
But even if Lin Lang hadn't taken Liu Wu's money, Li had heard that he had won a fortune betting at the Silver Hook Gambling House. Li himself had lost over a thousand taels. He had to make Lin Lang cover that loss.
"Brother Lin, you and Banner Commander Liu fought in the ring, with the loser to go to Great Song to gather intelligence on its martial world."
"But now Banner Commander Liu is dead. Who should our Hundred-household Office send?"
If you don't pay up, brat, I'll send you!
Lin Lang might have become a First-Rate Expert, but he only counted as an expert within their Hundred-household Office. In Great Song Jianghu as a whole, he wouldn't even place in the rankings.
Great Song had hundreds of Martial Arts Masters, as well as even stronger Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters. Someone like Lin Lang would certainly die if his identity was exposed!
Lin Lang felt happiness had arrived too suddenly. He had just been worrying about finding an excuse to leave the Hundred-household Office and go to Great Song, and now an opportunity had delivered itself to his doorstep!
Hundred-household Li was so considerate, as though he were a worm inside Lin Lang's belly that knew his every thought.
Lin Lang straightened in a flash. "Lord Li, since Banner Commander Liu is dead and everyone else in the Hundred-household Office is too weak, who else but me should take this mission?"
Hundred-household Li froze. Was Lin Lang retreating to advance, all to avoid giving him money?
This brat actually loved money even more than he did.
Was he choosing money over his life?
Outrageous!
"Very well. Since you've volunteered, Brother Lin, I'll grant your request!"
Hundred-household Li stared at Lin Lang. Hurry up and give in. Offer me silver to assign someone else.
Huh? Why had Lin Lang turned and left? Was he really not afraid of dying?!
Before you continue