Chapter 422

After the meeting ended, Chen Wuji kept Yang Tiejiang and Xu Zengyi behind, planning to chat about the Snake Staff Elder and Zhang Lao; these two have been rooted in Yunan City for many years and know far more information than Chen Bushi does.

Under the tree shade, the three sat at a wooden table in a triangular arrangement, while a small stove on the side gurgle-gurgled as it boiled tea.

Xu Zengyi spoke up, bringing the discussion back to the issue of spies.

"This isn't Gu Wenjie's spur-of-the-moment idea; cultivating spies isn't something achieved overnight. He must have long intended to undermine us this way. Or perhaps this is a tactic they've always been using."

Yang Tiejiang glared, glanced at the teapot still held by Xu Zengyi, his face displeased: "It's pretty obvious it's the latter; the Gu family secured Hezhou by such means—what's there to guess?"

"The Hezhou matter cannot be simply defined by that one sentence." Xu Zengyi shook his head.

"Bribing the Hezhou military officers on the spot is also doable; however, what you say also makes some sense, we can tentatively think so."

Yang Tiejiang angrily said: "Can't you stop playing with that broken teapot? What's up? Are you planning to switch careers and become a kiln worker?"

Xu Zengyi smiled faintly: "Lately my mind's been unsettled; I fiddle with this to cultivate my temperament. You do your thing, and my playing with this doesn't interfere with my speaking or acting."

"I find it an eyesore." Yang Tiejiang muttered.

Xu Zengyi paid no heed: "Someone like you, a coarse oaf, wouldn't understand."

"You damn it!" Yang Tiejiang angrily cursed: "If it weren't for me, this coarse oaf, you'd be dead and buried long ago."

"Yes, yes, yes." Xu Zengyi gave a perfunctory assent, then said to Chen Wuji: "My lord, there's the saying that one can be a thief for a thousand days but cannot guard against a thief for a thousand days. If Gu Wenjie is not eliminated, he will surely keep using these despicable tactics to disgust us repeatedly."

"Mr. Xu, do you have any opinion?" Chen Wuji asked.

This sickly military advisor of his seems to have come up with another good idea.

Yang Tiejiang glanced at Xu Zengyi with some surprise, raised his hand, and said: "Let me interrupt first."

"Old Xu, when did you directly take this kid as your lord?"

"When I promised to help the lord. When making a decision, one should be decisive; holding onto what's in the bowl while eyeing the pot, being hesitant, only brings annoyance with no benefit—what great undertaking are you aiming for?" Xu Zengyi said calmly.

Yang Tiejiang stared blankly: "What about me?"

"I'm talking about myself; that's what you asked."

I'm old.

There are plenty of old generals in history; what's one more?

Yang Tiejiang: ……

Seeing the opportunity, Chen Wuji immediately poured a cup of hot tea and held it out to Yang Tiejiang.

Unexpectedly, there was also a pleasant surprise.

Although Yang Tiejiang had already agreed to help him and was doing things very conscientiously.

But whether or not he says 'my lord' makes a big difference.

Yang Tiejiang stared blankly.

He looked at the steaming tea, then slapped himself, saying, 'This rotten mouth of mine—what's the point of running it off when there's nothing to do? How did that saying go? I'm now in a bind, riding a tiger I can't dismount.'

'You can get down; if you're unwilling, can my lord still forcibly stop you?' Xu Zengyi laughed.

'I just said a bit more; since you've taken up your old trade again, you should let go of those worries. You said you're old, and I agree—you never used to be so hesitant before.'

Yang Tiejiang was a little dazed, muttering, 'It was hard enough crawling out of a pile of corpses; worrying about the past and future is human nature. After so many years as a blacksmith, my bones and heart are covered in dust—how could I compare to who I once was?'

Chen Wuji did not urge him.

From Yang Tiejiang's perspective, he could fully understand these matters.

He too is someone who has died once.

The only difference is that he died young, and now he's even younger; his heart has never lost its ambition and resolve.

Yang Tiejiang fell silent for a moment, then rose and took the cup of tea from Chen Wuji's hands with both hands, saying, 'My lord, I'll drink this tea; I'm old, but I'll give it one more go—I should be able to live another ten years or so without problem.'

Chen Wuji laughed and firmly gripped Yang Tiejiang's arm.

Xu Zengyi's assist was practically perfect.

With Yang Tiejiang's 'my lord,' his forces now truly have a battle-hardened veteran.

In any army, such a presence is like a divine needle that stabilizes the sea.

Yang Tiejiang drank the still-hot tea as if it were alcohol, sat down, glanced at Xu Zengyi, and said, 'Go on with the nonsense you didn't finish just now—what other dark ideas do you have?'

'Can't you say a couple of good things about me?' Xu Zengyi's expression was displeased.

'My idea really isn't underhanded at all; the methods are quite upright. But before I make this suggestion, I want to ask my lord: exactly where does my relationship with Zhang Lao of Ciji Zhai stand?'

'What a coincidence—I kept you here just to ask this!' Chen Wuji laughed, not expecting that they'd actually agree without prior consultation.

'Is the method Mr. Xu wants to talk about related to Zhang Lao?' Chen Wuji asked.

Xu Zengyi gave a slight nod.

'Zhang Lao has always wanted me to take over Ciji Zhai, but as you can see, given the current situation, I can't just comfortably stay as the shopkeeper of a pharmacy. Later Zhang Lao stepped back, no longer insisting I take over Ciji Zhai, merely fulfilling the teacher-disciple nominality,' Chen Wuji said.

Xu Zengyi silently rubbed his forehead, 'My lord, you're clueless.'

'My lord, have you ever considered that Ciji Zhai might not be just a pharmacy?'

Chen Wuji had never even thought about this question before, but now he's given it a bit more thought.

'I'd like to hear about Ciji Zhai first,' Chen Wuji said.

'The female spy we captured is a subordinate of the Snake Staff Old Man; he seems to have trained many such death soldiers, extending his reach into many parts of Nan Jun.'

'During interrogation, that female spy said something that surprised me greatly: she claimed the Snake Staff Old Man fears certain individuals in Yunan City; that remark suddenly reminded me of how Lao Yang earlier mentioned Zhang Lao in a similar tone.'

'Just what is Zhang Lao's identity? What secrets does Ciji Zhai hide? You two surely know something—I want to get to the bottom of it.'

Xu Zengyi shook his head, 'My lord, you'd better just ask Zhang Lao directly about this.'

'If we two were to speak, I fear you'd lose both a veteran general and an inadequate strategist at the same time. That old man's temper is rather volatile, hard to fathom, and changeable.'

The words 'volatile' and 'changeable' left Chen Wuji feeling a bit dazed.

He really found it hard to associate those terms with Zhang Lao.

Given his long acquaintance with Zhang Lao, that old man is simply a good doctor who would rather let his medicines gather dust than wish for any illness in the world, and he treats people with extreme kindness.

"Is it that exaggerated? If you say it, you'll die?" Chen Wuji asked in astonishment.

"It's possible that you could die." Xu Zengyi corrected him.