Chapter 99

Wang Yue held his sword and bowed.

"Lord Lu can leave now."

"Huh?" Lu Mingzhong was greatly surprised. "Don't you need a ransom from this old man?"

"Lord Lu's promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold! Why would a ransom be necessary?"

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Good!" Lu Mingzhong's face cleared up a bit. "Lord Wang, the grudge between us is now settled."

He casually threw a small object, which flew toward Tan Yu.

Tan Yu was taken aback as he caught it. It was a small, heavy red jade seal.

The seal was only about two fingers wide but felt quite heavy, weighing about half a catty. It was unclear what kind of jade it was made of.

"This is my Dan Yang Seal, and it is also a promise from me."

"Lord Lu, why... why are you giving it to me?" Tan Yu was puzzled.

"I like the look of you!" Lu Mingzhong grunted, glanced at Huang Zhong and Shi Huang, and with a flick of his left hand, his figure soared away in a flash of firelight.

He likes the look of me?

Tan Yu was utterly baffled.

Shi Huang said, "Don't overthink it. That's his ransom! Lord Wang didn't want it, so he gave it to you."

Tan Yu suddenly remembered, "Old Wang, did you advance in rank?"

Wang Yue replied, "After receiving Lai De's palm strike last time, I gained some insight. This time, by chance, I didn't expect to encounter Lord Lu."

It was clear that he still held a considerable respect for Lu Mingzhong, even using an honorific when speaking of him.

Huang Zhong's eyes sparkled, "Brother Wang, when can we spar?"

Wang Yue glanced at him and laughed, "Han Sheng, you're too polite!"

Tan Yu said, "Big Brother Huang, if you go after Lai De, I think it might be more useful."

"Oh, why is that?" Huang Zhong asked, puzzled.

Tan Yu smiled but said nothing.

Wang Yue nodded, clearly agreeing with Tan Yu.

Seeing Huang Zhong still deep in thought, Tan Yu thought, "Old Wang's two duels with the Transcendent Realm were life-and-death struggles. That kind of mental state can't be replicated in ordinary sparring sessions."

Just then, a commotion broke out nearby. Xu Qian shouted, "Men, cut them down!"

Tan Yu turned to see seven or eight lake bandits surrounding a Zhong army officer, each wielding a weapon, ready to hack him to pieces.

"Stop!" Shi Huang suddenly shouted sternly.

As the governor of the county, Shi Huang could not tolerate bandits committing atrocities. Although the Zhong army was now a rebel force, the officer was still an official of the Great Zhong court, and might have been an officer of the Great Han before. He couldn't let a few bandits humiliate and kill him.

Xu Qian hurriedly shouted, "Stop! Everyone, stop! Didn't you hear? Stop it, damn it!" He kicked the bandits in front of him.

Among the three bandit leaders, he was the most afraid of Shi Huang and reflexively followed his orders strictly.

Huang Zhong and Shi Huang walked over, parted the crowd, and asked, "What's going on?"

"This fellow is the commander of the Zhong army. The one on the ground is the Strongbow General Ji Hu. These two have been obstructing our Five Gang Alliance's operations," Xu Qian pointed to the high-ranking officer in the center.

Shi Huang looked at the officer, who appeared to be in his early twenties, already wounded in several places, but still holding a ring-headed saber to protect the unconscious Ji Hu behind him.

"Killing a brave and loyal man is inauspicious!" Shi Huang sighed.

"Old man, why don't you take them to the county office? They could be good helpers," Tan Yu suggested with a smile.

"They... might not be willing, right?" Shi Huang was somewhat moved. Cangwu County was in a remote area, and talented people were scarce. High-quality military officers were even rarer. Tan Yu's suggestion made him quite interested.

These two were top-notch generals.

"Hey, Commander, what's your name?"

The young officer glanced at Tan Yu and replied, "I am a Zhong army officer, the Rapid Shooter Commander, Chen Lei."

"Commander Chen, hello!" Tan Yu bowed, and Chen Lei hurriedly returned the gesture. "Let me tell you, you definitely can't return to Shouchun now. Even if you do, the crime of losing ten thousand pieces of gold will lead to your death. This Governor Shi, who saved your life, is the governor of Cangwu County. He thinks you're talented and values you highly. Cangwu County needs people like you! Why not join his ranks, free yourself from the rebels, and serve the Great Han again? Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"This..." Chen Lei hesitated slightly.

After some thought, he realized that Tan Yu's words made a lot of sense. Yuan Shu's temperament was straightforward and impulsive, lacking rationality and a sense of valuing talent. In a fit of anger, he might not just cut off Chen Lei's head but also order the arrest and execution of his entire family.

"You can make any requests to Governor Shi. He is always kind and easy to talk to."

Xu Qian glanced at Tan Yu, thinking that this guy could flatter without even a draft, truly a master of flattery, far better than himself.

"I dare not! I think... General Ji might not be willing to stay. Can we send him back to Shouchun?"

"About that..." Tan Yu knew Shi Huang would have no problem, so he looked at Wang Yue.

Wang Yue nodded, "No problem, I'll take care of it. I can also arrange for his family to be brought out."

"Then... I will see Governor Shi!" Chen Lei's mind was set, and he rushed over, bowing to the ground.

"Please rise, please rise!" Shi Huang was delighted. "From now on, you will be the city guard commander of Cangwu County, reporting directly to me. The military secretary, Wu Ju, is also my disciple. You two will get along well."

"Thank you, Governor!" Chen Lei bowed again and stood up.

Being a city guard commander in a county was no less powerful than a military commander, and it was easier to rise in rank.

Shi Huang stroked his small mustache, quite pleased. With the addition of these two elite officers, one a formidable fighter and the other a strategic planner, Cangwu County now had two much-needed high-ranking generals.

He hadn't thought about bringing Ji Hu back as well. Ji Hu's background was too strong, and it would be impossible to persuade him to defect.

Tan Yu was also happy for Shi Huang, though he felt a bit regretful that he couldn't use them himself. However, his own forces were still in the early stages, and he couldn't offer a grand vision to attract talent yet.

No rush, talent will come, bread will come, and gold... isn't it already here?

Wang Yue squatted down and checked Ji Hu's pulse, secretly channeling a bit of internal energy to protect his heart.

"He's just been hit by a palm strike and has a bit of internal injury, but it's not serious. Take this jade token and go to Shenmu Town to find a doctor named Zhang Ji. He can treat your comrade in time."

This Transcendent Realm's palm strike was truly formidable. Wang Yue thought that even a powerful Transcendent Realm master like Lu Mingzhong might not match this person in terms of palm power.

"Who could that masked Transcendent Realm be?"

Though the world was vast, true Transcendent Realm masters were very limited. Excluding special cases like Lai De, who suddenly became a Transcendent Realm master after a dream, there were only about ten who frequently appeared in the secular world. Including the occasional successful advancement from the half-step Transcendent Realm, like Wang Yue, there wouldn't be more than fifteen, and their backgrounds were generally known.

Wang Yue wasn't concerned about what the masked Transcendent Realm had done to the treasure convoy or whether he coveted it. However, having just advanced to the Transcendent Realm, he had a desire to discuss the Way with a sword and was eager to meet this formidable master.

Huang Zhong, standing idle, heard Zhang Duo quietly approach and whisper, "Big Brother Huang, we've counted all the treasure. There are three hundred one-pound gold ingots, eight hundred half-pound gold ingots, three thousand strings of copper coins, and fourteen other valuable items. The total value is estimated to be about five thousand gold pieces."

"So much?" Huang Zhong did a quick calculation. The group had already privately divided five thousand gold pieces of treasure earlier, and this time it was another five thousand. Even though it was to be divided among five groups, the harvest was still quite impressive, no wonder the lake bandits were both delighted and fearful.

"What are your plans?" Huang Zhong casually asked the bandit leaders, including Zheng Bao, "Do you want to continue being bandits?"

Zheng Bao sighed. He envied Chen Lei, who had transformed into a high-ranking military officer of a county. However, it was clear that the old governor didn't find them worthy.

Zhang Duo, who had dealt with Huang Zhong before, boldly asked, "Big Brother Huang, can we follow you?"

"You want to follow me?" Huang Zhong was surprised. "I'm just a guest in Jiangling and can't make you city guard commanders or military secretaries."

"No, no, no, we don't have such high expectations," Zhang Duo hurriedly waved his hands. "After robbing the Great Zhong's treasure, we can't return to Yangzhou. We just need a place to stay. We've discussed it, and each of the three groups will offer five hundred gold pieces, a total of one thousand five hundred gold pieces, to the three leaders."

Zheng Bao and Xu Qian looked at Huang Zhong hopefully.

Huang Zhong looked at Tan Yu.

Tan Yu smiled and shook his head, indicating he couldn't help. He understood the bandit leaders' thoughts. If they each contributed a thousand gold pieces, they would likely be killed within ten miles of leaving these powerful leaders, with no one surviving.

They needed to find a strong patron to survive and enjoy their gains.

"Alright, you can follow me, but you must disband your followers and reform. My disciple Liu Pan's unit is short of a few skilled watermen."

Tan Yu smiled, "Liu Pan is Liu Mu's nephew and a beloved general of the family. His future is limitless. If you serve him well, becoming a company commander, a battalion commander, or even a military secretary or a commander in a year or two is not impossible!"

The three bandit leaders' eyes lit up, and they nodded vigorously.

"We all wish to follow Big Brother Huang!"

"That's good, but I don't need the gold."

"It's our voluntary offering. Please, leaders, accept it!" Xu Qian was desperate. Was Big Brother Huang dissatisfied with their offering?

"Alright! Lord Wang, Lord Shi, Tan Yu, you three can divide it among yourselves." Huang Zhong understood the bandits' thoughts and didn't want to refuse.

Wang Yue, who had just stood up, waved his hand, "My share goes to Little Yu."

Shi Huang said, "Little Zhang has also done a lot. My share goes to him."

Tan Yu hurriedly said, "No, no, this is a tribute from the three leaders to you three!"

Shi Huang glanced at the bandits, "With Han Sheng's protection, no one will dare to challenge them. It's settled."

With an additional one thousand five hundred gold pieces, Zhang Ren's eyes narrowed into slits, and he said, "If Sister Xiao Lan were here, she would be so happy!"

Tan Yu's face darkened, and his mood sank.

Yes, this girl hasn't returned to her brother's side. Where has she gone?

——PS: Returning with the treasure, and thinking of the little sweetheart! Next, we enter the climax of this volume: the Shennong Auction. Treasures are coming, brothers and sisters, don't miss out on voting, collecting, and clicking!

——PS2: I made a mistake earlier, writing a battalion instead of a company. In Han military terms, a company is fifty men, and two companies make a battalion of one hundred men. Apologies to all.

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