Chapter Thirty-Four: A Chance Encounter, A Duty to Care

“Brother Jiang Chen, you’ve explained everything well enough, but there’s one thing I still can’t figure out—why were you dressed in a soldier’s uniform at the time?” Huang Sicai drew a dagger from his belt and, with affected nonchalance, picked up an apple to peel it. He deliberately wandered past Jiang Chen, swaying as he moved, the hand holding the dagger seeming particularly restless.

Without hesitation, Jiang Chen replied, “I just needed some ingredients for brewing. Civilians aren’t allowed to go in and out of Ziyang City freely these days, so I had to find a way to get a soldier’s uniform to sneak in. Without those materials, my wine would be far less tasty. If it doesn’t fetch a good price, won’t our lord blame me again?”

Huang Sicai stared at Jiang Chen’s face before bursting into laughter. “Brother Jiang Chen, you’re both brave and clever—I truly admire you! Well then, let’s not waste any time. You two should hurry down the mountain and continue selling that valuable wine. Remember to send a few more jars up here. We brothers finished the last batch long ago,” he added unabashedly.

As they descended the mountain, Gu Jun fumed, “We can’t keep doing business with those bandits! They’re simply bullying us too much!”

“Brother Gu, don’t worry,” Jiang Chen reassured him. “Once I’ve dealt with another person, we’ll settle accounts with those bandits.”

“Another person? Who could be worse than those bandits?”

Jiang Chen answered, “Naturally, it’s Zhao He, the richest merchant in the city. He’s been suppressing me all along, and even used underhanded tricks to get Drunken Immortal Tavern closed. If I don’t show him what I can do, how will Lin Qingxuan ever listen to me in the future?”

“But Zhao He’s got money and influence. How do you plan to deal with him?”

Jiang Chen instructed, “Tonight, sneak over to the Zhao family’s winery and see what they’ve been up to lately. Check if they’ve got a large batch of freshly brewed wine ready for sale. If so, come back and tell me.”

Gu Jun didn’t quite understand Jiang Chen’s intentions, but he had long grown accustomed to following Jiang Chen’s lead; it always brought unexpected rewards.

Upon returning home, Jiang Chen found the table already set with steaming dishes, prepared by Wu Yue. He glanced around but didn’t see her—she must have gone to arrange dinner for the rest of the family after setting out his meal. Delighted, Jiang Chen sat down, ready to enjoy his food.

But then he noticed subtle changes in the arrangement of the room—details that would escape an ordinary person’s notice. His keen perception told him someone had been rummaging through his things, and he was certain Wu Yue would never behave like that.

There could be only one conclusion: while he was out, a thief had broken in and taken something.

Alert at once, Jiang Chen stood up. Instead of rushing to check his wooden chest where he kept his silver, he quietly made his way to the rear of the courtyard. He suspected the intruder hadn’t left yet, and with his extraordinary instincts and agility, he slipped around to a spot where the thief would have to pass to escape.

Sure enough, before long a shadowy figure appeared in his line of sight. The man was nimble and tried to duck into a bamboo grove, hoping to hide his tracks. He was experienced—this maneuver made the pursuit a real challenge.

Jiang Chen followed him into the grove, taking a shortcut. The thief, sensing his approach, swiftly changed direction. That alone proved this was no ordinary thief—Jiang Chen had been careful to make no noise, yet the man still detected him.

With a snap, the thief, desperate to get away, bent a bamboo stalk and let it whip back toward Jiang Chen as he closed in. The bamboo lashed through the air, but Jiang Chen dodged with precise, fluid movement, never slowing his pursuit.

The chase seemed destined to continue for some time, when suddenly Jiang Chen called out, “Stop running, my friend! I never properly thanked you for last time—why not stay and hear me out?”

The man indeed stopped and turned to face Jiang Chen without a trace of fear.

“So it’s you,” Jiang Chen said, just as he had suspected. The thief was the same man who once shielded him from a blade and carried the imperial command token of Great Qian.

“Though I owe you thanks for saving me, I must still ask—what did you take from my house? If you need help, just ask me directly.”

Jiang Chen’s tone was sincere. The man replied, “I borrowed ten taels of silver for traveling expenses. If fate allows, I’ll return it someday.”

“Ten taels is nothing,” Jiang Chen replied, “but where are you headed?”

“Through Ziyang, then on to Longjiang,” the man answered.

He was forthright, even telling Jiang Chen his route, a sign of trust—or perhaps supreme confidence in his own skills, fearing nothing from Jiang Chen.

After a moment’s thought, Jiang Chen tossed fifty taels of silver to the man.

The man caught it, puzzled. “What’s this for?”

“Though Ziyang is close, it’s still seven or eight hundred miles to Longjiang. Ten taels won’t be nearly enough.”

The man hesitated, a hint of doubt on his otherwise calm face. “Why are you helping me?”

“Because you once helped me,” Jiang Chen replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

But the man scoffed. “You’re joking, aren’t you? With your skills, those petty thieves that day were nothing to you. You purposely hid your martial abilities—you never needed my help at all.”

Jiang Chen smiled. “Be that as it may, we met by chance, and besides, you have a special connection with my father-in-law. Of course I should help you.”

“Father-in-law?” The man was taken aback, but then remembered old Wu mentioning his family, and quickly understood.

“Ziyang City is tightly guarded by that fool Di Hong, and with your identity, you’ll have trouble getting in. Go to Shuima Postal Station and find a young man named Luo Tiancheng. Mention my name and he’ll help you.”

Hearing this, the man grew even more suspicious. “That’s all? Aren’t you going to ask who I am or why I’m going to Longjiang?”

Jiang Chen answered boldly, “If you don’t wish to say, I won’t ask. There’s nothing worth asking. We meet by chance in this vast world—shouldn’t we look out for one another?”