Fellow Transmigrators Meet: First, Try to Fool... No Fooling Him

The young woman was bright-looking and capable. She wore a blue dress with a cross-collar, a black belt wrapped around her waist several times, narrow sleeves with thin ropes around her wrists, and trousers and boots slightly dusty.

"Baiyu, a fellow traveler, has come to pay his respects to the senior."

Han Baiyu smiled gracefully, clasped her hands in a respectful greeting, and said, "I've heard that you, senior, have distributed porridge and clothing, dispatched troops to the government office, and taken control of Hang Prefecture."

"Such benevolence and kindness are truly a blessing to the people. However, there are many wicked people in the court and many bandits in the mountains and fields. If they hear of the turmoil in Hang Prefecture, they may harbor ill intentions."

Her eyes were like a deer's, her gaze sincere, and her voice pleasant and gentle, giving the impression of a junior member of the family offering casual advice.

"Senior's martial arts are unparalleled, so you have nothing to fear. However, it would be beneath your dignity to personally handle everything, and there is also the risk of being overwhelmed. Therefore, I have come to offer my advice."

Chu Tianshu chuckled upon hearing this, pinching a strand of white hair from his shoulder.

Now, he felt warm and extremely comfortable. He could smell a fragrance in his mouth and nose, and a refreshing air that flowed from his internal organs directly into his brain, and then back to his limbs and bones.

Having cultivated to the state of Double Leakless, his lifespan greatly increased.

If left unchecked, his white hair will soon turn completely black again.

"Since you address me as a senior, with my experience, how could I not know the advantages and disadvantages?"

Chu Tianshu did not invite her into the mansion. Instead, he stepped out of the threshold and gestured for her to come along.

Han Baiyu followed with a faint smile.

The two walked quickly, and before they knew it, they had reached the Hang Prefectural City and climbed the steps.

Only a few soldiers guarded the top of the wall, and they didn't bother to stop people from visiting the city wall.

They were surrendered soldiers from the city, and had only seen a portion of Yu Danxia; they did not know Chu Tianshu.

But judging from the sword at Chu Tianshu's waist, one could tell he was a martial artist. These plain-clad soldiers with spears, who didn't even have leather armor, would never ask them any questions.

Looking out from the top of the wall, one can see a military camp in the distance. Although it is not as large as the prefectural city, it also has city walls.

The barracks in the city were neatly arranged, with banners fluttering in the wind, and soldiers could be seen practicing in formation.

Suzhou and Hangzhou were important locations during the Southern Song Dynasty. When the Yuan Dynasty destroyed the Song Dynasty at the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, it sent a lot of troops and conscripted laborers to build a military camp here.

This is a precaution; if a large-scale peasant uprising occurs in the prefectural city, even if the prefectural city is occupied, it will not affect the military camp in a hasty manner.

The people in the camp could either send troops to quell the rebellion, or at least hold their ground and wait for reinforcements, serving as a thorn in the side of the rebel army's heart.

While the Yuan emperors and their ministers had shown foresight in this move, the management of the city had always been chaotic.

Originally, each barracks had a numbered plaque outside, and only soldiers were allowed to stay there, making it easy to see how many troops there were. Later, Xu Family to stay there, but they were not allowed to move out.

A few years later, soldiers' families were allowed to move out, creating chaos and providing officials with a perfect opportunity to manipulate the situation.

Merit and Virtue Sage discovered that three-quarters of the soldiers were missing, while the rest were often setting up illegal checkpoints and extorting money from passersby.

In other words, that camp has been almost a ghost town in recent years.

The entire city of Suzhou and Hangzhou and Hangzhou turned a blind eye to this, a terrifyingly tacit understanding that reveals the extent to which the Great Yuan's bureaucracy and military system had deteriorated.

"If we want to reorganize the people, secure the region, and even support the righteous army to wipe out the bandits, we need plenty of soldiers. My troops are mostly displaced people, surrendered generals and soldiers, and we are severely understaffed."

Chu Tianshu pointed to the camp, "Most of those training in that city now are former refugees. Their spirit is commendable, far surpassing that of the soldiers of the past."

"But there is absolutely no way to replenish the lack of soldiers, armor, and weapons in such a short time."

"Your so-called strategy is to point out where there are sufficient weapons in the neighboring provinces?"

Chu Tianshu had already anticipated that the rebel army would send someone to make contact after hearing the news from Suzhou and Hangzhou.

It was nothing more than asking him for help to jointly attack certain Yuan Dynasty passes, with an agreement to divide the spoils.

In matters like this, one must take the initiative and demonstrate one's insight; otherwise, one might be mistaken for a reckless brute and tempted to scheme against him. While he is not afraid, he finds it troublesome.

The most convenient approach is to nip any potential ally in the bud.

When Han Baiyu saw that he had taken the initiative to point out the problem and clarified the situation in a few words, he showed neither the arrogance of someone who had suddenly achieved great things in the martial arts world, nor the slightest bit of unease.

Indeed, the young girl couldn't help but feel admiration for him.

Fortunately, she had come prepared and did not dare to underestimate this senior.

"Trying to win over seniors to the cause with empty words? How can a junior demonstrate sincerity by doing things this way?"

Han Baiyu smiled and said, "This junior is not talented, but the rebel army behind me has considerable wealth and far-sightedness. Back then, I managed a secret vault nearby."

"This junior has come to offer the secret treasury to the senior in exchange for a small favor from you."

Chu Tianshu looked slightly surprised. "Oh?!"

He really hadn't expected that.

Could such a good thing really be true? Could it be that this girl isn't a member of the rebel army at all, but rather someone sent by the enemy to set a trap and lure me into an ambush?

"Senior, please come with me to take a look."

Han Baiyu extended an invitation, then gracefully moved, standing atop the city wall's crenellations, and with a flick of his hand, led the way outside the city.

Chu Tianshu agreed to go and take a look, but he remained vigilant.

With Han Baiyu leading the way, Chu Tianshu could always keep up steadily, no matter how fast Han Baiyu went.

In just about fifteen minutes, the scenery along the way flew by.

The two had arrived around Lingyin Temple. The mountains were covered with vegetation, the temple was dilapidated, and the eaves and hanging bells were covered with patina.

Han Baiyu led him into an abandoned hall, and behind the Buddha statue, they fumbled for a mechanism and opened the entrance to a cellar.

Call!!

Han Baiyu blew on a tinderbox, stepped onto the old wooden stairs, and entered the cellar.

As soon as Chu Tianshu entered the main hall, he sensed a sizable underground cellar beneath his feet. He calmly followed...

"There were some bad monks here back then."

Han Baiyu said with a hint of emotion, "This cellar was originally a place where those monks committed illegal acts. It's quite spacious, and we even found several skeletons here."

"After a thorough cleaning, it was used as a secret vault, but it still couldn't escape a somewhat stale and decaying smell."

The cellar was filled with hundreds of large boxes, and there were even more supplies that weren't packed in boxes.

Armor, spearheads, arrowheads, powerful bows, horses, swords and shields, and even Heaven-Shaking Thunder and oil.

Han Baiyu shielded the tinderbox with his hand, and under the pretext of moving away from the dangerous items, he took a step back, positioning himself to Chu Tianshu's right rear, making it easier to observe him.

Chu Tianshu's face showed joy upon seeing the supplies.

But after looking around, he seemed to be thinking more deeply. He squatted down and tapped the stone bricks on the ground.

Han Baiyu, somewhat puzzled, "Senior, what are you doing?"

Whether this deal goes through is also related to whether she can save the Dharma Protector, so she can't help but feel nervous.

The flame of the tinderbox flickered slightly.

Chu Tianshu looked up at that moment, startling her.

"Ha ha."

Chu Tianshu laughed, "Very good, I'm very satisfied. Let's go out first."

Han Baiyu composed herself and followed him out of the cellar.

But then Chu Tianshu was seen pacing back and forth in the abandoned hall.

He patiently walked around once, seemingly tapping the floor tiles with his toes, lost in thought and silent.

Han Baiyu understood his thoughts even less.

Chu Tianshu said casually, "What's the little favor you need me to do, young lady?"

Han Baiyu hesitated briefly before saying, "I have a close friend who is seriously injured. Although he possesses extraordinary skills that allow him to heal himself, he needs sufficiently profound and sustained internal energy to assist him."

Chu Tianshu laughed and said, "Okay, where is he?"

Han Baiyu felt a slight suspicion, but remained calm and smiled, "He is still recuperating in the sect. If you agree, senior, I will bring him here in a couple of days."

Chu Tianshu gazed at her.

She looked back calmly.

"Miss Baiyu seems to suspect me, but do you know, you're even more suspicious?"

Chu Tianshu looked down at the floor tiles and said softly, "Any object will deform under pressure, even something as hard as Shitou."

"The stone slabs in the cellar weren't deformed from prolonged pressure; they were subjected to sudden, recent pressure. In other words, all those supplies were brought in recently, possibly even today."

Han Baiyu was greatly shocked. Before he could speak, Chu Tianshu continued.

"But what's even more interesting is..."

He changed his accent and chuckled, "The floor tiles in this main hall haven't been subjected to any heavy loads recently, so they haven't deformed like that. A true expert can tell the difference."

"In other words, those supplies never passed through here or were transported; they simply appeared out of thin air in the cellar!"

Han Baiyu's expression froze, and the candlelight in his hand flickered again.

Wow!

Are there any experts out there who can tell whether a heavy object passed by here just by looking at a single paving stone?

Moreover, to assert that the supplies appeared out of thin air based on just these few conditions is incredibly presumptuous of you ancient people.

And wouldn't you know it, they guessed right.

Han Baiyu's heart was in his throat, completely unable to guess what the person in front of him would do next.

Just looking at the deformation of the stone bricks—wait, did ancient people use terms like "deformation"?

Wait, wait, wait, did this person change their accent at the end? It was Mandarin!

Han Baiyu was stunned for a long time, her mouth slightly agape, and she exclaimed in shock, "You—odd changes to even?"

Chu Tianshu smiled and said, "I'm not good at math."

Han Baiyu: "Then, 'Heavenly King covers the Earth Tiger'?"

"Hahaha."

Chu Tianshu laughed and said, "Your joke is too old. Why don't you ask about the Imperial Jade Liquor and how many dozen yuan a hammer costs too?"

"Sis, what year did you time travel to?"

Han Baiyu felt as if a thousand words were surging within him, his expression complex.

"I've been in this world for eighteen years, and I still manage to meet people from my hometown. The odds are just...!"

Even if people from the same hometown meet, they may not necessarily trust each other.

But she was probably a naturally emotional person. After experiencing so much, she couldn't suppress her emotions when she saw people from her hometown.

Moreover, the person in front of him is not only strong, but also has an exceptionally keen eye; he doesn't seem like someone who would need to resort to underhanded tactics or malicious schemes.

"This may not be a probability problem."

Chu Tianshu said seriously, "Perhaps, I came here specifically for you."

He stretched out one hand.

"Let's get to know each other again. I'm from Jianghuai, a law-abiding doctor, owner of Calming Spirit Pharmacy, strategic advisor to the Special Investigation Bureau, and also a United Nations special investigation advisor. Other titles will be omitted for now. My last identity—"

"Martial Display Token Master Youdu Martial Arts Competition, Chu Tianshu."