Chapter 115 - 82: Growing Reputation, Protecting the Gentry!

Chapter 115: Chapter 82: Growing Reputation, Protecting the Gentry!

Therefore, Sun Qiwei naturally knew that Jishi Hall had been funding several "Hidden Dragons" in recent years. Although she didn’t know why, she felt that Zheng Jun’s potential was far more useful than those people Jishi Hall had found! He was a True Dragon in the flesh! Perhaps she also had a chance... After all, a beauty pledging her life to the hero who saved her was a tale as old as time.

Thinking of this, Sun Qiwei’s cheeks flushed slightly. Just as she was about to put her thoughts into action, a voice rang out from outside the door. "May I ask if you are Young Master Sun and Miss Sun, the nephew and niece of Chief Shopkeeper Shang from Bozhou’s Jishi Hall? I am Cai Liu, a servant of the Bozhou Cai Clan."

Upon hearing the words "Bozhou Cai Clan," Sun Qiwei’s heart instantly ran cold, but she still replied, "We are."

The Bozhou Cai Clan? That was a towering colossus. Since someone from the Bozhou Cai Clan was here, Captain Zheng was not someone she could covet. Thinking of this, Sun Qiwei could not help but sigh. She tossed her previous thoughts to the back of her mind, letting them dissipate completely. If she could not be his legal wife, she had no desire to be anyone’s concubine.

Hearing Sun Qiwei’s reply, Cai Liu continued, "I heard Captain Zheng mention that you two were stranded here, so my young master specially sent this old servant to escort you down the mountain."

"Many thanks to you, Mr. Cai, and to Young Master Cai as well," she said.

Going up the mountain to eradicate the bandits was merely a trivial matter for Zheng Jun. However, after the news spread, the surrounding villagers beat gongs and drums, praising him everywhere they went. This was especially true for the commoners of Nansha Town. In the past, the bandits would come to pillage every three or four years, causing the people to suffer greatly. Now, the bandits were eliminated. The local tyrants of the town, the Yan Family, had also been completely uprooted.

Not only that, but Captain Zheng proved to be a good official who cherished the people and served the country. He didn’t seize the Yan Family’s fields or take over their usurious loan operations. Instead, he burned all the debt notes to ashes in a single fire and had his soldiers distribute the land. The Tenants, who had poured out their blood and sweat year-round only to see the grain they harvested belong to someone else, finally owned their own land. This greatly inspired the villagers, who naturally felt extremely grateful to Zheng Jun. As a result, the Tongzhou Association’s expansion in the villages and towns proceeded exceptionally smoothly. In Nansha Town especially, under the leadership of Village Chief Yan Ying, nearly every Household wanted to join and become a member.

Zheng Jun, however, didn’t feel much about all of this. He simply sent people to conduct surveys and sample the data while he practiced his martial arts as usual. Cherishing the people and serving the country? Even as thick-skinned as he was, Zheng Jun wouldn’t dare claim those phrases. He was merely acting like a decent human being within a completely rotten bureaucratic system. There were good officials out there, but he definitely wasn’t one of them. After all, did he truly investigate and punish the Yan Family for the sake of the people? No, he merely wanted the Yan Family’s money and sought to win over the people’s hearts to earn a good reputation.

If anything went wrong in the future, he could bide his time until the world plunged into chaos, then raise a rallying cry and have the entire county rally behind him. Who knows, he might even be able to emulate Grand Ancestor Han, becoming the master of Black Mountain County and snowballing his power step by step.

Just like that, time flew by. Seven days had passed since the bandit extermination.

Cai Xun’s proposal had already been submitted to the Commandery, but the Commandery delayed in giving a response. Zheng Jun didn’t show any signs of impatience. After all, expanding the military and merging with the County Soldiers was indeed a major affair. There was a high probability that this matter would be reported upwards level by level, ultimately reaching the Capital Court. It was even highly possible that this would reach the Emperor’s ears. Therefore, waiting was only normal.

On this day, Zheng Jun was practicing his saber at the Military Department as usual, working hard to pay off his debts. His Saber Technique was so exceptionally exquisite that it elicited constant sighs of admiration from the surrounding soldiers.

Just then, Du Ding walked over quickly and saluted him. "Captain."

"Ah, Du is here." Hearing this, Zheng Jun smiled faintly. He turned to look at Du Ding and asked, "How is your practice with the Wave-Treading Saber going?"

"Thanks to your guidance, Captain, this humble subordinate has made some slight progress, but I still have a few points of confusion..." Du Ding answered with cupped fists.

Zheng Jun listened quietly to Du Ding’s questions and immediately began to explain. Having achieved Perfection in the Wave-Treading Blade Technique, Zheng Jun naturally found it effortless to answer a beginner like Du Ding. As for Du Ding, the difficult problems that had seemed like insurmountable chasms to him were instantly resolved with Zheng Jun’s pointers, making him even more grateful.

After the explanation, Zheng Jun added with a smile, "In the future, when we meet in private, there’s no need to use official titles like Captain."

"Yes, Master Zheng!" Unable to contain his excitement, Du Ding cupped his hands to Zheng Jun once more.

Since returning from the bandit extermination, Zheng Jun had been promoting the Wave-Treading Blade Technique within his Personal Soldier Squad. Since it was the Vast Sea Sect’s Saber Technique—his enemy’s martial art—Zheng Jun felt no psychological burden at all and taught it on a massive scale. The Wave-Treading Blade Technique had originally been invented by a fierce general in the military, so promoting it among the troops was also a way to enhance their combat strength. Conveniently, he could also test whether instructing others could increase his own debt repayment progress.

The final result was that it could increase it, but in a slightly different manner. The repayment progress came from gaining new insights through reviewing the old, not purely from the act of teaching. Therefore, only when he gained new enlightenment while instructing could he advance the repayment progress; otherwise, it was just ordinary teaching.

Zheng Jun was extremely gentle as he asked Du Ding, "By the way, what was the matter you came to find me about earlier?"

Hearing Zheng Jun’s inquiry, Du Ding finally snapped back to his senses and hurriedly reported, "Master Zheng, we have thoroughly investigated the matter you assigned us previously. The Lu Family in Lotus Water Township has been oppressing the locals and running roughshod over the streets. Twenty years ago, Master Lu got drunk in the county seat and got into an altercation with someone. He beat a waiter and two innocent bystanders to death. Afterward, he spent money to bribe Xu Heng, who was the Squad Leader of the Fast Shift at the time, framing the murders on an innocent butcher. He was then released and allowed to return home."