Chapter 154 - 93: Cai Xun: I Haven’t Even Delivered the Medicine Yet, How Did We Already Win?

Chapter 154: Chapter 93: Cai Xun: I Haven’t Even Delivered the Medicine Yet, How Did We Already Win?

He had outright altered a famous poem!

Hearing Zheng Jun’s words, the ferryman felt a wave of speechlessness. The verses sounded quite extraordinary, but what was this "loyal subject’s heart" at the end? He must have copied it from somewhere. Although he didn’t know where Zheng Jun had plagiarized the poem from, the ferryman’s sharp instincts told him that the original line was definitely not that.

However, he wasn’t going to nitpick over such a trivial matter. Instead, he took a deep breath and, following the Regent’s instructions, continued speaking to Zheng Jun. "In the Black Mountain Thieves’ Luhao Stronghold, the sixth leader is named Huang Fengchu. He is Great Chu’s mole hidden among the Black Mountain Thieves. Besides him, the One-Heart Thieves are also part of Great Chu’s forces.

"Wang Heng was recently sent to Jinzhou by the Fake Zhou, and the Garrison Command has undergone massive personnel shifts. Therefore, during this period, I will be the one contacting you. My name is Chen Jingzhong, and I run the Jingzhong Escort Agency in the Commandery city. My public identity is a Qi Storage Martial Artist. If you have urgent matters, you can come directly to the Jingzhong Escort Agency to find me."

Zheng Jun wondered, "Who was Wang Heng again?" He was momentarily stunned but quickly remembered. It was his in-name-only senior brother who usually presented himself as Bo Zhangjiu. They had introduced themselves during their first meeting, but since the name was rarely used afterward, Zheng Jun hadn’t recognized it immediately.

However, had Senior Brother Wang gone to Jinzhou for a mission? Was something major happening in Jinzhou? Zheng Jun’s mind raced with possibilities, but he soon tossed the matter to the back of his mind. Instead, he looked at Chen Jingzhong with an expectant gaze.

Next, they should be talking about investments, right? Could they provide a hundred packets of Condensing Gang Powder to help him break through to the Outer Gang?

Meeting Zheng Jun’s burning gaze, Chen Jingzhong coughed lightly and said, "Your Tongzhou Association is doing quite well. If you need anything, you can collaborate with the Jingzhong Escort Agency. We can help you expand your routes in the Commandery city.

"Also... when you go up the mountain to suppress the bandits in the future, our insiders can provide some assistance. You just need to inform us in advance; don’t charge up the mountain recklessly.

"Recently, the whereabouts of the Great Righteous King, Zhang Bengong, have been confirmed. His target is Yanting Commandery in Bozhou. Bozhou has ten commanderies in total. Once Zhang Bengong launches his assault, the commanderies neighboring Yanting Commandery will also be affected, and Pingzhang Commandery will most likely dispatch troops," Chen Jingzhong explained. "When that time comes, our people will help you secure some merits during the rebel suppression to assist in your promotion."

Zheng Jun nodded in agreement. However, he waited for a long time without any follow-up.

"That’s it?"

"That’s it."

Silence stretched between them.

"Sanlang, you have to understand Great Chu’s difficulties. We truly have no extra cultivation resources to spare for you." Taking a deep breath, Chen Jingzhong elaborated, "Right now, the only thing Great Chu can offer you is merit... Through this, you can use the Fake Zhou regime to extract their resources. Loosely speaking, that counts as Great Chu providing you with resources."

Zheng Jun was left completely speechless. They really knew how to fucking twist logic.

But it didn’t matter. He hadn’t expected this group of rebels to provide him with much anyway. Just as Chen Jingzhong had said, Great Chu had its own difficulties. However, since they weren’t offering money, his future priority regarding Great Chu would naturally fall behind the Cai Family, Jishi Hall, and the Shattered Jade Sect.

Zheng Jun nodded, expressing his understanding. Since that was the case, he mentally tallied his backers. The Cai Family provided public protection, while Jishi Hall offered channels to purchase Pills. The Shattered Jade Sect could supply some Martial Arts—though minimal and replaceable, it was the thought that counted. As for Great Chu, they could only provide avenues to manufacture merit. Looking at it this way, it wasn’t actually a bad setup.

"The Court’s people will be arriving soon, so I won’t stay any longer." Chen Jingzhong took a deep breath and added, "True Man Yuan Yi’s head is still in the water. I suggest you fish it out and claim the bounty. The head of an Outer Gang wanted criminal is worth five thousand taels."

With that, Chen Jingzhong rowed the boat toward the far end of the Shengdong River.

Seeing this, Zheng Jun nodded without further comment and immediately dove into the river to retrieve the head. If Chen Jingzhong hadn’t mentioned it, he would have forgotten that Old Thief Yuan Yi’s head was worth a pretty penny. Five thousand taels would be enough to support his cultivation for quite some time. It was a long and arduous journey ahead.

Just then, Chen Jingzhong’s voice drifted into Zheng Jun’s ears. "Captain Zheng, this boat is rented! Since I’m rowing it away, I’ll have to trouble you to pay the rental fee!"

Zheng Jun stood dumbfounded.

"Fuck!" he couldn’t help but curse out loud.

Damn it, was Great Chu really this stingy? Once news of today’s battle results spread, Jishi Hall would surely reward him with several bottles of Earth Evil Qi, and the Cai Family would probably try to marry off two more daughters to him. Yet Great Chu not only refused to pay him, but they also wanted him to foot the bill for their boat? He came all this way without fleecing Great Chu out of a single tael of silver, only to be fleeced for several taels himself?

A sense of powerlessness washed over Zheng Jun. However, he had gathered plenty of clear intelligence on this trip and secured quite a few promises, so it wasn’t a total loss.

With this thought in mind, Zheng Jun grabbed True Man Yuan Yi’s head. Looking at the commoners lining both sides of the river, he took a deep breath and slowly swam toward the shore. The Shengdong River had been completely transformed by the clash between Zheng Jun and True Man Yuan Yi. Although the riverbed remained the same, the surrounding environment had suffered significantly. Large amounts of silt had been churned up, completely muddying the water, and most of the fishing boats docked nearby had been destroyed.