Chapter 2804: The Stand-in Was Seized and Plundered by the Bandit's Wife 10

Jin Chen didn't care at all, took another bite of the pastry, and handed the remaining half in his hand to Gu Fanghe's mouth.

Gu Fanghe's eyebrows twitched slightly. "How?"

Jin Chen raised his eyes to look at him. "I just had breakfast, I can't eat any more."

A smile flickered in Gu Fanghe's eyes, and he took a bite beside the tooth mark using Jin Chen's hand.

【Detected Villain Heartthrob Value +2, total 22!】

【Detected Villain Blackening Value -4, total 86!】

The surrounding bandits silently watching: "……"

They clearly hadn't eaten the pastry, yet inexplicably felt a bit full.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.

Gao Qiao, who was in charge of going down the mountain to gather news, hurried back, stepped forward quickly, and knelt on one knee with a clasped-fist salute.

"Chief! You ordered us to investigate Master Ruan's whereabouts, and we have news!"

As his words fell, the surroundings suddenly fell silent.

Everyone instinctively looked toward Jin Chen.

Chen Xiaoshan also looked over, saying nothing.

Gao Qiao sensed the atmosphere was off, looked up, and realized that the impostor…… no, the young master was also present.

Gao Qiao took a deep breath and quickly lowered his head.

Gu Fanghe's eyes darkened, his voice devoid of emotion, "Go down."

"Yes!" Gao Qiao felt as if granted a great pardon.

Jin Chen seemed unaware of the strange atmosphere, took a clean handkerchief from A Yan's hand, wiped the pastry crumbs and oil off his fingertips, but the corner of his mouth curled as a mischievous amusement welled up in his heart.

"Master Ruan? The people the Chief favors…… really aren't few, huh."

He lifted his eyes to look at Gu Fanghe, his gaze clear and falling on Gu Fanghe's face, "Jin Chen, I suppose I'm…… one of them?"

Gu Fanghe frowned slightly, feeling that this was wrong.

"Just an insignificant acquaintance." Gu Fanghe said, "What are you comparing yourself to others for?"

Jin Chen remained silent for a few breaths, then let out a soft "oh," dragging the tone, its meaning unclear.

He didn't continue the topic, turned around and handed the used handkerchief to A Yan, his tone returning to its usual laziness, "Let's go back, it's scorching."

"Hmph, an old acquaintance."

——

Punishment chamber.

The light was dim, only a few torches lit, the firelight cast distorted shadows on the stone walls, adding to the gloom.

The two people brought back by Shi Meng were scared out of their wits, tied to a wooden frame and trembling like chaff in a sieve.

Gu Fanghe sat down, legs crossed, posture relaxed, "You're dressed as barbarians—where are you headed? What are you delivering?"

Shi Meng stood beside them, threatening, "Come clean! Otherwise, I have plenty of ways to make you talk!"

"I'll talk! I'll talk! We were ordered…… ordered to go to the capital to deliver a letter!"

"What letter?" Gu Fanghe asked.

"It's a secret letter from the Nan Zhou governor to a noble in the palace……" one of them trembled, "We don't know the exact content; we only take it to the palace gate, where someone will receive it……"

Gu Fanghe narrowed his eyes, "Taking this route, are you trying to avoid the Black Mountain Stronghold's eyes?"

The two dared not answer, only shivering.

Suddenly, one of them seemed to recall something, "Don't get too pleased—within a few days, Imperial Censor Song will pass through here, and then…… then you'll face retribution!"

"Oh?" Gu Fanghe stopped tapping the armrest, his eyebrows slightly raised.

He leaned forward slightly, the firelight casting deep and shallow shadows on his face, making the dark red scar under his eyes stand out, exuding a chilling pressure, "Lord Song? Which Lord Song?"

That person went weak at the knees from his gaze, yet still forced out a shout, "Naturally it's Song Jian'an, Lord Song!"

"Song, Jian, An."

Gu Fanghe slowly uttered those three characters.

In an instant, a faint burning pain rose in the scar under Gu Fanghe's eyes.

Back then, when the border was in crisis, he led his troops in a bloody battle, and victory reports came frequently.

Yet at court, the officials led by Song Jian'an repeatedly impeached him for holding onto his military power, being arrogant and overbearing, fearing that a martial artist might interfere in politics.

Every word struck straight at the emperor's defenses.

If not for these impeachments, the emperor's suspicion of him might not have swollen so quickly, and his younger brother perhaps……

In the firelight, Gu Fanghe's eyes were sinister, killing intent pervasive, pressing the two captives so they dared not breathe.

Gu Fanghe suddenly rose and strode out of the punishment chamber.

Shi Meng asked from behind, "Big brother, these two……"

"Locked up." Gu Fanghe threw down those two words and walked away without looking back.

Outside, the sunshine was fine, but Gu Fanghe only felt his chest choked with hostility, burning his five viscera and six bowels with pain, yet also chilling to the bone; wherever he passed, even the birds fell silent.

According to his usual habit, at this moment Gu Fanghe should go to the training ground, practice a set of sword techniques to vent his hostility on the wooden post. But today, his steps paused, and he walked toward another direction instead.

Gu Fanghe walked to the outside of Jin Chen's courtyard and pushed the door open.

In the courtyard, under the old locust tree stood a stone table; Jin Chen had changed into casual clothes, his hair unbound, only loosely tied with a jade hairpin, sitting at the table, playing with that set of white jade chessboard, playing against himself.

Hearing the movement, Jin Chen lifted his gaze.

Seeing Gu Fanghe's expression off, Jin Chen set down the chess piece and asked, "Chief, can you play chess?"

Gu Fanghe sat down on the other side of the stone table, nodded slightly, his voice still somewhat low.

"Naturally."

Jin Chen pushed the chess box containing the black stones toward him.

Gu Fanghe took the black stones and moved first.

His chess style was fierce and overbearing, like a battlefield clash, his attacks ferocious, a resolve that left no retreat.

Jin Chen took the white stones to respond, his posture far more relaxed; he played not like a serious match but more like a pastime, placing his pieces casually yet always defusing Gu Fanghe's offense, occasionally glancing up at Gu Fanghe with a faint smile in his eyes.

On the board, black and white intertwined.

Gradually, Gu Fanghe actually calmed down.

He focused his gaze on the board; the turbulent hatred and violence in his chest slowly settled, his touch on the pieces grew lighter, and his breathing eased.

Gu Fanghe poured a cup of tea, then filled another cup for Jin Chen.

"The young master is quite interested."

Jin Chen picked up a white stone, considering where to place it; hearing the words, he glanced at Gu Fanghe, his tone hinting at a mix of genuine and feigned interest.

"Speaking of which, the Big Chief is probably not old, yet he always keeps a stern face, full of killing intent, rather frightening."

Gu Fanghe chuckled softly, his gaze falling on his face, "When have I ever...?"

He reckoned that, in facing this young master, he had already scraped together the little patience left in his life.

Jin Chen placed the white stone from his fingertip somewhere on the board, propping his chin, "And what about Young Master Ruan?"

Gu Fanghe's hand, about to place a stone, hovered in midair.

He lifted his eyes, looked at the person opposite, and his heart inexplicably tightened.

Gu Fanghe placed the black stone, "You... really don't know him?"

How could there be someone in this world with such a similar appearance?

Jin Chen let out a soft hum, "I don't know; who exactly is he?"

Gu Fanghe did not want to bring up others at this moment, especially that person.

"Your turn."

Jin Chen looked at the board, and they played a few more rounds like that.

In the end, the white stones won by a half-point margin.

"I concede."

Jin Chen returned the pieces to the box, smiling at Gu Fanghe: "Big Chief, your mind is not at peace."

Indeed not at peace, but even this is rare.

Gu Fanghe looked at the person before him, the more he looked, the more he felt everything was to his liking.