Chapter 57

Mífèi’s joining indeed caused quite a stir among the accompanying soldiers. Especially those few soldiers whom he had beaten to the ground earlier, their gazes towards Mífèi were very complicated, filled with both fear and resentment.

Although Wang Lun had already informed the soldiers that he intended to hire this large, dark man to guard his home, the journey was still long, and he knew that if things continued like this, there would eventually be trouble.

There was no time to waste!

That night, Wang Lun called over the deputy commander leading the troops and asked him to summon the few soldiers who had been beaten. He first comforted them with kind words, and then launched a silver bullet offensive.

What could these people do when they saw Wang Lun’s amiable expression? The weight of the silver ingots in their hands had long replaced the pain in their bodies, and most of them had to endure the pain and take the money to settle the matter. Of course, there were one or two stubborn ones who still thought about reporting to the local authorities along the way, but when they saw their immediate superior standing beside this wealthy man with a flattering smile, their hearts turned cold, and they immediately abandoned this idea.

“Military Advisor, why did you give money to those fellows that night? Wouldn’t it have been better if I had just beaten them up?” After several days, Mífèi still had lingering doubts about Wang Lun’s actions.

Wang Lun smiled but did not explain, only saying, “Earlier, you mentioned going to the capital to seek a patron. Who did you originally plan to seek?”

Mífèi, a simple man, did not realize that Wang Lun had deflected the topic. He said, “Although I grew up in the mountains, I know the principle that ‘a man of talent should serve the imperial court.’ This time, I went to the capital to serve the court!” At this point, he sighed deeply, his emotions suddenly becoming very agitated: “I had hoped that with my skills, I could have a better life. But in the capital, I wandered around, barely eating, and no official recognized me. Thinking about it, I found it meaningless. Since I had no prospects in the capital, I decided to join Wang Qing. If I hadn’t met you, Military Advisor, I would have already headed south!”

Wang Lun nodded and said, “Brother, you are new to the world and don’t know that the court is filled with treacherous officials who block the path of the virtuous! Remember the Lin Instructor I told you about? He was the head instructor of the 800,000 imperial guards in the capital, with unparalleled martial arts skills. But in the end, he was forced to leave his country and family. And the Xu Instructor you fought that night, you know his skills. He was originally a personal guard to the emperor, a man of noble status compared to you and me. But because a precious armor in his home was coveted by a high official, he was framed and imprisoned! Think about it, if even the heroes of the imperial guards can’t stay, how can a hero from the wilderness like you?”

Mífèi nodded, seemingly understanding, and said, “Thank you, Military Advisor, for explaining it to me. Otherwise, I would still be harboring those thoughts and feeling bitter!”

After saying this, he leaned over affectionately and said to Wang Lun, “Military Advisor, to be honest, there are three people who have been as kind as mountains to me since I was born! The first is my mother. You don’t know, I lost my father when I was young, and my mother raised me alone. Now that she is old and in poor health, I can’t stay in the mountains with her anymore. So I came out to find a decent job to make her life better and to have money to treat her when she is sick!”

Wang Lun, seeing his sincere filial piety, nodded repeatedly. Mífèi, encouraged by this, continued, “The second is my unusual master. When I was thirteen, I met him while hunting in the mountains. He stayed in the mountains and taught me axe techniques for three to five months, then left without a trace, making me miss him all the time!” His face showed a hint of longing, and Wang Lun, seeing this, could only offer some comforting words.

Mífèi nodded and continued, “The third is my brother, whom I also met in the mountains. He saw my martial arts skills and often came to practice with me, and also helped my mother and me. This time, I left my mother in his care. These few days, I have been with you, and you have treated me as sincerely as he did, making me think of him even in my dreams!”

Wang Lun smiled at this and, seeing Mífèi’s enthusiasm, did not interrupt him. He was mindful that this brother of Mífèi’s was probably not an ordinary person.

Sure enough, Mífèi continued, “Military Advisor, although I am a hunter and haven’t seen much of the world, I know the principle that one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers! I see that you are wise and kind, and you might be envied by the narrow-minded Wang Lun! I don’t have much skill, just this brute strength, and I am willing to stay by your side to protect you. Even if Wang Lun can’t tolerate me, I will endure it and won’t let him drive me away and harm you!”

Mífèi’s words deeply moved Wang Lun, and he listened to more heartfelt words from the straightforward man, nodding repeatedly and gently patting his rough, bark-like hands.

After Mífèi finished speaking and fell asleep in the carriage, Wang Lun shook his head and smiled, looking out the window. The scenery along the road was constantly receding, and he thought that he was getting closer to home.

Apart from the encounter with Mífèi’s robbery that night, there were no major incidents on the journey. They also encountered several checkpoints set up by the local authorities to capture wanted criminals. However, the convoy, from the drivers to the soldiers, were all genuine soldiers of the Imperial Arsenal, and with the official document issued by the eunuch, they were not subjected to any inspections, not even needing to bribe the officials, and were allowed to pass directly several times.

Wang Lun was somewhat worried about Lu Zhishen and his group. Although Lu Zhishen was not present at the castration of Gao Qian, he had offended Gao Qiu by escorting Lin Chong. Although Zhang San said that there were no wanted notices for the Flower Monk in the capital, Wang Lun was still somewhat concerned. He kept a close eye on the situation and asked Zhang San to gather information, but found no abnormalities, and thus put his mind at ease.

Thus, they traveled day and night, and the convoy finally reached the territory of Yuncheng County. The deputy commander came to ask whether they should enter the city or go elsewhere. Wang Lun got off the carriage and saw a large inn not far ahead, situated on a major road. He went up to investigate and suddenly noticed a small “Wang Family Fine Wine” sign under the square “Wine” sign. Wang Lun immediately understood and turned to the deputy commander, saying, “I feel at home in Yuncheng County. I don’t want to trouble you all anymore. Let’s move the things to the inn, and you can consider your mission complete. Everyone has worked hard for half a month, so let’s have a good meal at this inn to celebrate!”

The deputy commander was delighted but said, “How can we leave the gentleman in the wilderness? It’s not proper!”

Wang Lun laughed and said, “No problem, I have my own people to meet me. Please rest for the night, and you can return to the capital tomorrow!”

The deputy commander then said, “We don’t want to trouble the gentleman. We will leave after lunch to find a place to stay before sunset!”

Wang Lun smiled and did not detain him, only inviting everyone into the inn. The innkeeper, seeing so many guests, hurried out to greet them. When he saw that the leader was none other than the chief, Wang Lun, who had returned from the capital, he was overjoyed. However, seeing the chief’s many belongings and the soldiers, he was tactful and said, “Welcome, welcome, please come in!” and called out, “Waiters, everyone come out! Help the guests with their belongings!”

Wang Lun invited the deputy commander to go in first and then informed everyone on the carriages that this was his own inn. Everyone was delighted, thinking that after the hard journey, they were finally home.

Wang Lun first arranged for the family members to go upstairs to wash up and then instructed the waiters to bring the food to their rooms. He then invited Zhang Instructor, Wen Huanzhang, Xu Ning, Mífèi, Jiaotong, and Zhang San to sit down. He also went to the soldiers to offer a toast, and then returned to sit down. At this moment, the innkeeper took the opportunity to whisper to Wang Lun, “Brother, should we arm ourselves and take care of these fellows now?”

Wang Lun shook his head and said, “Just treat them well, don’t cause any trouble!” These people had been serving them diligently, and although they did it for the money, they had saved him a lot of trouble. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be sitting here drinking peacefully.

After more than an hour, the soldiers were all drunk and full. Wang Lun invited them to rest before leaving. The deputy commander said, “We have been treated well by the gentleman, and now that we have delivered you to your destination, we shouldn’t stay too long. We will leave now that we are full and can travel.”

Wang Lun saw them off to the door, watching them leave. Just as he was about to turn back, he saw a group of people walking by the roadside. He heard them say, “A new official starts with three fires. His Excellency’s one word has us running our legs off. Hey! When did this large inn open here? Let’s go in for a drink and then leave!”

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