From a tuberculosis patient to a martial arts master

Zhu Hong asked no further questions and bowed to take his leave.

Upon returning to his quarters, he frowned deeply, sitting down and rising several times. His fingertips gripped the scabbard at his waist as he murmured, "Time is of the essence, and manpower is limited. The Jiang family still has two great martial artists at the third realm to oversee things."

"This game is going to be tough..."

now.

The Jiang family is willing to offer a thousand Yang stones and ten thousand taels of silver to exchange for Jiang Feng. This "apology gift" must be accepted no matter what.

But Jiang Feng had to be persuaded to stay and observe how things would unfold.

Given Jiang's vengeful nature, how could she willingly be manipulated by a mere constable who had only recently joined the yamen? Zhu Hong sneered inwardly. As long as Jiang Feng was kept in check, the schemes hidden behind him would ferment even faster, regardless of whether it was a delaying tactic or a sinister plot.

All you need to do is prepare.

Just as he was pondering this, a familiar, gruff voice came from outside the barracks, tinged with urgency: "Boss! Is the boss inside?"

Zhu Hongwei was startled for a moment, then turned around.

A tall figure staggered in; it was none other than Cao Wanhai, whom they hadn't seen for many days.

"Hey, kid Hong!"

Why aren't you on duty today?

He caught his breath and glanced around the office. When he spotted Zhu Hong, he was quite surprised. He strode forward and patted Zhu Hong's shoulder with his large, fan-like hand: "It's been a while since we last met. How have things been going at the yamen?" He grinned, his tone laced with sarcasm.

"Lin Jizhi, that rascal."

"Did I lead you astray? He's always been cunning and scheming; don't let him trick you."

Zhu Hong felt a slight numbness on his shoulder from the pat, but he just smiled and shook his head.

"It's alright, Ji Zhi is fine."

As he spoke, his gaze slowly fell on Cao Wanhai.

His clothes were tattered, his cuffs were covered with grass clippings and mud, and his face showed signs of weariness, making him look quite disheveled.

"Brother Cao."

Zhu Hong gently pressed his hand and asked, "Why are you in such a state? And why are you in such a hurry? Is something important happening?"

Cao Wanhai chuckled, about to scratch his head and reply.

Wang Zhenshan, who was standing to the side, slowly spoke, his voice deep and serious: "Wan Hai, is there some big commotion in the Jingu Garden area?"

Cao Wanhai's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a solemn expression.

He glanced at Zhu Hong subconsciously, a hint of hesitation in his eyes, as if he was wary of Zhu Hong's presence and couldn't speak directly about certain things. Of course, it wasn't that he suspected Zhu Hong, but rather that the matter was confidential and of great importance, and he dared not leak it without authorization.

Seeing his reaction, Wang Zhenshan said calmly:

"Speak freely, we are all brothers-in-arms, there is nothing to avoid, no need to hide anything."

"Yes, boss."

Cao Wanhai bowed in response, then lowered his voice, his expression grave: "The recent activity at Jingu Garden has been unusual. While I was scouting in the Western Wilderness Corner, I noticed that the number of bandits coming and going in the stronghold has increased several times compared to usual." He paused briefly, then continued:

"And we have learned that among the three leaders..."

"Yellow Tooth" followed "White Claw" and seemed to be heading towards Jinyang City. At this point, his expression grew even more serious: "There's something else going on. Suddenly, a strange face appeared in the stronghold. Judging from his demeanor, he didn't resemble the bandits of Jingu Garden. Although I didn't get a clear look at the person's face..."

"But he saw that the people of Jingu Garden treated him with great respect, as if he were an honored guest."

In my humble opinion.

He is suspected to be a member of the Taiqing Xuanmen sect.

Zhu Hong heard this and his eyes suddenly narrowed.

"What a coincidence?"

Jingu Garden has long been located outside the city and has never dared to easily enter the city to cause trouble. This time, even the leader has taken action personally and launched a major operation, which happened at this critical juncture. This is by no means a coincidence.

Could it be...

They came for me?

At this moment, Wang Zhenshan pondered and asked, "Have you verified with the brothers in his unit who were investigating whether this matter is truly true?"

"I've already asked them, boss."

Cao Wanhai nodded repeatedly, his tone certain: "I checked with Da Li, Ma Zhang and the others one by one, and the situation they found is exactly the same, so there can be no mistake."

"You didn't even get a good look at that unfamiliar face?"

Wang Zhenshan asked again.

"I didn't see clearly." Cao Wanhai shook his head and explained in detail, "The person was wrapped up very tightly, wearing a veiled hat and a light veil over their face." He paused, a hint of doubt on his face, and cautiously asked:

"Boss, what about the Prefectural Governor..."

Did they really communicate with the Taiqing Xuanmen? Otherwise, how dare they be so bold as to openly charge into Jinyang City?

Zhu Hong suddenly spoke:

"This matter is probably not related to the Taiqing Xuanmen."

When Cao Wanhai told him that the person was being secretive and not revealing his true appearance, making it difficult to discern who the visitor was, he began to wonder: "Given the prestigious position of the Taiqing Xuanmen in Jinyang, what dignity they hold, why would they need to hide like this? Their behavior is completely out of character."

"Furthermore, the official in charge has already admitted that the Prefect has had dealings with the Xuanmen sect."

"Then why would the Taiqing Xuanmen insist on protecting Golden Valley Garden? A mere bandit's den is not worthy of such trouble. Unless," Zhu Hong turned to Wang Zhenshan and slowly said,

"In my opinion."

"It's most likely that the older generation of the Jiang family are secretly colluding with Jingu Garden behind the scenes, intending to..." The words stopped abruptly, the unfinished meaning left in the eyes.

"Those old bastards."

Wang Zhenshan raised an eyebrow, already understanding, and sighed softly: "In the end, they are unwilling to sit idly by and wait for their doom."

"You two are going around in circles with your words."

What are you saying?

Cao Wanhai listened for a while, feeling completely bewildered and confused. He immediately asked, "How did the banditry in Jingu Garden suddenly get dragged into the Jiang family?"

"Now that you're back, there's no need to return to the Rift Valley outpost."

Wang Zhenshan glanced at him but didn't answer directly, as this matter couldn't be explained in just a few words: "Jinyang City has seen many changes recently, and danger lurks everywhere." He paused, his tone calm but unquestionable, "From today onwards, all officers of the Second Rank will be under Zhu Hong's command. Remember this well."

"What?!"

Cao Wanhai's eyes widened, his short, thick fingers pointing directly at Zhu Hong. He stammered, "Listen to...listen to this kid's orders?" He instinctively covered his head, unable to believe it: "Good heavens! I was only out scouting for a few days, and the city has turned upside down?"

He grabbed Zhu Hong's arm and said urgently:

"Young man Hong, explain yourself to me now."

During the time I was away, what terrible thing happened in Jinyang that allowed you to rise to such a high position?

Zhu Hong chuckled.

"Brother Cao, it's a long story."

……

Meanwhile, inside the Jiang family mansion.

A group of people were restless and anxious.

Jiang Cong, leading a large group of servants and guards, escorted a thousand yang stones and 100,000 taels of silver, leaving the mansion in a grand procession. They had been waiting anxiously for a response from the government for many days without any word, so they could no longer contain themselves and decided to personally deliver the apology to the government in order to seek leniency for Jiang Feng.

For this reason, even storage devices were deliberately not used.

With over 130 silver chests and a dozen mules and horses, they escorted them all the way to Jinyang in full view of the crowd.