Chapter Sixty-Two: An Opportunity to Choose Again

The very first thing Jiang Chen did upon arriving in Ziyang was to find Lin Rou and retrieve the money from selling the medicinal wine.

It amounted to one hundred thirty-five thousand three hundred taels of silver. Jiang Chen divided the sum into three parts, keeping one for himself and entrusting the remaining two to Old Wu and Wu Yue for safekeeping.

“Qingshan, you’re too careless. You shouldn’t keep the money on you, lest you lose it!” After learning just how much money the medicinal wine had fetched, the Wu family was utterly astounded by Jiang Chen’s sharp business acumen.

Wu Qingshan said, “It’s the same whether it’s with Father and Sister. Don’t worry, brother-in-law, I’ll keep them safe.”

“Jiang Chen, you must hurry to meet us. My daughter’s happiness for the rest of her life is in your hands now. Don’t you die out there!” Although Old Wu’s words were rather blunt, this was his own way of expressing concern for Jiang Chen. A son-in-law who could make so much money—how could he not be secretly delighted?

Thinking that his daughter would never have to worry about food or clothing in the future, Old Wu felt greatly comforted.

After parting with the Wu family, Jiang Chen led the Lin household’s servants out of the city, driving carts and carriages filled with grain and clothing in search of those desperate refugees.

His plan was to bring the refugees to Tiger Head Mountain. Though he had once burned it to ruins, if rebuilt, it would make an excellent place to settle.

With the supplies donated by the Lin family, these refugees finally saw a glimmer of hope in their despair.

Tiger Head Mountain remained as it was, but its masters were no longer bloodthirsty bandits—they were now poor souls seeking a sliver of survival amid the chaos of the world.

Suddenly, cries for help rang out from a shadowy corner ahead—several voices crying out, both sides wearing expressions of abject terror, so much so that it was unclear who was threatening whom.

Startled, the Lin household steward hurried to report to Jiang Chen that they had found dozens of figures, blackened and huddled beneath the ruins.

Upon inquiry, Jiang Chen learned these were the former bandits who once dwelled here. Unlike the others who had fled, they had remained, having nowhere else to go and fearing capture by the authorities.

“If that’s the case, are you willing to turn over a new leaf and never again commit robbery and murder?”

“Mercy, great hero! We only wish to survive now. We swear never to do anything evil again. Please spare us!”

Among the bandits, some had only fallen into their ways out of desperation, perhaps never truly guilty of heinous deeds. Jiang Chen chose to show leniency to these, allowing them to stay, but only if they helped the refugees rebuild Tiger Head Mountain.

There was one condition, however—this place must never again become a bandit stronghold.

Once the refugees were settled, the steward voiced the question that had been troubling him.

“Master Jiang, why do you go to such lengths to help these refugees? The world is in chaos, and there will only be more displaced people in the future. Can you help them all?”

Jiang Chen replied calmly, “I am no saint. I do this because our Yue’er has a kind heart. She wishes for me to act, and I only want to make her happy.”

On the way back to Ziyang city from Tiger Head Mountain, Jiang Chen inquired about those who had been forcibly conscripted in recent days, seeking to learn where they were now being kept.

The steward told him that these people would be sent today to a military camp stationed to the west, to be assigned to frontline combat units, and so would not linger long in the city.

This was Jiang Chen’s second task: to rescue all of them, including Li Yuanpei.

“By the way, Master Jiang, my young lady has asked me to remind you—once the refugees are settled, she wishes to host a banquet in your honor. You must not forget!”

With this message delivered, the steward led his people back to the Lin estate.

Jiang Chen did not know exactly where Li Yuanpei and the others were being held, but since they were being sent out of the city today, he could wait by the west gate. There was no way he would miss such a conspicuous group.

As for Lin Rou’s invitation, Jiang Chen gave it little thought. He only wanted to finish his business swiftly and hurry to Longjiang to rejoin Wu Yue and the others.

He had a bad feeling that Old Wu’s insistence on going to Longjiang meant some unforeseen trouble was looming.

Before sunset that day, Jiang Chen saw the group escorting Li Yuanpei and the others leave through the west gate, heading toward the military encampment stationed in the region.

All the way, Jiang Chen made no move. Over forty strong men were being guarded by ten escorts, their hands and feet shackled with iron chains, allowing only minimal movement. Any attempt at rescue might endanger their lives.

He followed quietly at a distance as dusk fell.

“Rest here—everyone stop,” ordered the escort leader, choosing a spot beneath the trees to light a fire and eat dry rations. This gave Jiang Chen a chance to move closer, and he spotted Li Yuanpei among the prisoners.

As he pondered how best to act, a sudden twang of bowstrings sounded nearby. Arrows flew from the forest on the other side, striking several of the escorts dead on the spot.

The attack was so sudden that Jiang Chen had no time to prepare, and panic swiftly broke out among Li Yuanpei and the others.

“Help! Don’t kill us! I don’t want to die!” cries of terror rang out.

Another unknown group emerged, moving with ruthless efficiency. After killing all the escorts, they left the terrified prisoners untouched.

“Just look at yourselves—what have you become? Who doesn’t want to stay home and live in peace with their family?”

A middle-aged man in black walked past the prisoners, his words tinged with pity. But given the cold decisiveness of their assault, these newcomers were certainly not good men.

Jiang Chen calmed himself and observed carefully. There were thirteen of them, stationed in a disciplined formation at key vantage points, preventing any escape or surprise attack.

Such tactics convinced Jiang Chen they were likely former soldiers, though their true origins were uncertain.

What the black-clad man said next, however, shook Jiang Chen to his core.

“Today, I give you a chance to choose anew: will you die for a country that does not care whether you live or die, or will you join us and use your blood and flesh to carve out a brighter world?”