Xuanqing Guard

Inside the Jingxi Town Governor’s Office, anyone in the tea room who was even slightly informed would recognize Lord Shen, the Hundred Households Officer of the Black Banner Battalion in Fengri City’s Xuanqing Guard. They knew quite a few stories about Lord Shen—he was not to be trifled with, and what’s more, he was Jiang Cheng’s disciple, deeply valued by Jiang Cheng; some even said Lord Shen had now caught the eye of Commander Pang, and his future prospects were limitless.

Moreover, within the Jingxi Town Governor’s Office, Lord Shen never needed to queue and wait to be called. Whenever Lord Governor arrived, Shen could go straight in to report, a privilege that everyone else could only envy.

Watching as Shen Hao, led by the Government Office’s Small Banner Officer, left the tea room, the remaining people all whispered among themselves, uncertain how long it would be before it was their turn to speak their cases.

Jiang Cheng had just arrived, and the tea in his cup was freshly brewed. He lifted the lid, blew gently, and took a sip, his tone slightly surprised, "Why are you here again?"

"Your subordinate has urgent news to report, so I had no choice but to disturb your lordship."

"Speak, is it more trouble from the south?"

"Related, yes. Ma San has reappeared." Shen Hao didn’t keep him guessing and laid out the matter directly. No sooner had he finished than he saw Jiang Cheng, lounging in his chair, set down his teacup, his previously relaxed expression vanishing in an instant.

"Where is he? Is he under control?"

Jiang Cheng knew well Ma San’s importance—otherwise, he wouldn’t have named this far-reaching case the "Ma San Case." Seize this man, and at least half the case would be clear.

"He’s still in Guangshun City—someone is watching him."

"Watching? Why not take him down directly? What if he escapes again?" Jiang Cheng’s brows nearly stood upright; his first thought was that Shen Hao was being reckless.

Shen Hao hurried to explain, "My lord, Ma San is a vital lead. Now he’s in Guangshun City, trying to contact Feilong again to send another batch into Barbarian Territory. Clearly, he was satisfied with how things went last time and has no suspicion of Feilong. This time, our people are already in place in the Southern Border Army; your subordinate believes it’s an excellent chance to probe the enemy’s depths."

"A probe? How do you plan to do that?"

"My lord, my thought is to prepare another batch of goods for Ma San, let him transport them along his previous route, and have our people track them the whole way, collecting evidence. Then, as they cross the border, we take them down. The pretext can be attributed to Your Majesty’s order for the Military Inspector’s operation."

"Aren’t you worried he’ll slip through your fingers again?" Jiang Cheng understood Shen Hao’s intentions and silently marveled at the young man’s boldness. At the same time, he had to admit—it truly was a fine opportunity, with greater gains and far less fallout than simply snatching the man. Still, Jiang Cheng’s habit was to test Shen Hao out loud.

"I’m not worried. Last time I was wholly unprepared and let Ma San exploit a gap. Now we’ve basically mapped his trafficking route; what we lack is solid proof. There’s no way he’ll get away again. Please rest assured, my lord."

Jiang Cheng did not dodge the real issue and said directly, "What do you need this time? But let’s be clear: don’t even think of asking for General Spirit Stones or Magical Artifacts. At best, you can select something from food supplies or other daily necessities."

Jiang Cheng was savvy—he set his boundaries before Shen Hao could even ask, but by doing so, he also tacitly agreed to the plan.

"Heh—your lordship is wise! Last time, Ma San stole the food right under my nose and I’ve been brooding over it ever since. This time, I’ll give him more grain and see if he can stir up any more trouble."

"How much do you want?"

"A little more or a little less than last time is fine. That way, if the amount changes when they pull it out of the Storage Bag, it’ll be easier to compare with the previous batch for cross-verification."

Jiang Cheng nodded to indicate his approval. The matter was thus settled. After that, Shen Hao hurried back to Fengri City.

Still in the Public Office, he wolfed down some meat cakes for lunch. Afterwards, Wang Jian came by with a draft of the operational plan in hand.

Another afternoon passed; after painstaking discussion between Shen Hao and Wang Jian, the approach was basically finalized. That very day, the message was sent to Feilong, along with detailed instructions for the action. From then, the stage passed—temporarily—to Feilong.

Feilong received the order while at home, drinking with several of his men. The Thousand-Mile Sound in his breast vibrated, immediately sobering him up.

"You guys keep drinking, I’ll be back in a bit."

Feilong gave his confidant a signal, rose from the table, and a few trusted subordinates followed him out.

After Feilong emerged from the study, he instantly dismissed the banquet, leaving only the most trusted men in the courtyard to brew hangover soup, and at the same time dispatched someone to fetch Zhang Lie.

At the mention of Zhang Lie, the underlings immediately drank a few more bowls of sober-up soup. Boss Zhang couldn’t stand the sight of drunken men; Brother Feilong didn’t care, but they had no desire to get disciplined by Boss Zhang.

Half an hour later, Zhang Lie arrived with two men and entered Feilong’s courtyard.

Unlike Feilong, Zhang Lie’s men no longer bore the air of the military, but old habits died hard—while he didn’t mind them drinking, drunkenness was his greatest taboo. For a warrior who must be ready to fight at any time, being muddled and sluggish was inexcusable.

Feilong’s special status meant Zhang Lie couldn’t manage him, nor could he show a sour face, but the guys hanging around with Feilong were subjected to his sharp-eyed scrutiny.

"Looking for me?"

"Brother Zhang Lie, you’re here? Come, inside, let’s talk."

Feilong tried to throw his arm around Zhang Lie’s shoulders, but stopped awkwardly halfway. He led Zhang Lie into a secret chamber in the inner rooms. Outside, Feilong’s men automatically took up sentry duty, while the two who’d come with Zhang Lie also stationed themselves by the chamber door.

Once the door was closed, Feilong activated all five Concealing Arrays in the chamber, ensuring their conversation was completely secure from eavesdroppers.

"Lord Shen has sent his orders; take a look."

Feilong took a Thousand-Mile Sound out of his inner pocket, erased its Restriction, and handed it to Zhang Lie. Truth be told, Feilong had grown numb to the matters relayed in these messages—he felt little anymore. Sometimes, though, he’d still catch himself thinking: at this point, was he an official, or a bandit?

"So you want me to act for Ma San again?" Zhang Lie frowned after reading the message. He disliked "dancing around in circles"—direct, straight-up combat was more his style. Still, an order was an order: he had no room to refuse.

"Heh, Brother Zhang, you’ll just have to work a bit harder. Lord Shen will surely give you a hefty commendation for this! Tsk, I’m envious! With the merit, the credit will go to your family’s youngsters, and with Shen Hao’s support, maybe they’ll even land an official post one day. That’s worth a lot more than money."

"Very well. You secure the goods on your end. I’ll go see Ma San tomorrow?"

"That’s for the best."