Chapter 909

Xiaoyao Mountain, in the bamboo forest.

A leisurely Zhang Cheng was humming a little tune, counting banknotes in his hands.

Ever since he gave away money and grain at the Gu residence, his silver had been cut in half.

Now, having obtained a "windfall" from Ji Wuli, Zhang Cheng was truly very happy.

After all, Ji Wuli was truly worthy of being called "Money-Obsessed," as the wealth on his person was quite substantial!

"What are you doing?"

Appearing from a corner, Zhu Yanzhi looked at Zhang Cheng with curiosity.

Tilting his head, Zhang Cheng looked at Zhu Yanzhi, then said with a look of bad luck: "Are you blind? Can't you see I'm counting money!"

Saying this, Zhang Cheng continued counting the banknotes: "One hundred taels, two hundred taels, three hundred taels..."

"Zhang Xinzhi, can I ask you something?"

Looking at Zhang Cheng, Zhu Yanzhi couldn't help but hesitate.

"Asking a question is one hundred, killing someone is five hundred! A master is one thousand."

Looking at Zhu Yanzhi indifferently, Zhang Cheng couldn't help but become serious.

"No, I'm just asking you one thing, do you have to charge me money?"

Looking at Zhang Cheng in shock, Zhu Yanzhi hadn't expected his answer to be like this.

"I don't want your money? What do I want from you? What do you have?"

Looking at Zhu Yanzhi suspiciously, a look of disdain appeared in Zhang Cheng's eyes.

However, in the next second, Zhang Cheng put away the banknotes and said: "Speak, then? Let me hear it!"

"I think I might like the Senior Brother a little, what should I do?"

Looking at Zhang Cheng, Zhu Yanzhi's words left Ma Chengen, who had just walked over, stunned in his tracks.

Seeming to have sensed something, Zhang Cheng tilted his head and said: "You like Liang Zhongshan? Then what about Ma Chengen?"

"I have always treated Brother Ma as my own elder brother, I..."

Just as Zhu Yanzhi was explaining, Zhang Cheng raised his hand and said: "Hey, you don't need to tell me this, you should tell your parents. After all, without that Brother Ma of yours, your Zhu family would have already gathered at the vegetable market execution grounds!"

"Gathered at the vegetable market? What does that mean?"

Looking at Zhang Cheng in confusion, Zhu Yanzhi was dumbfounded.

"What does it mean? Of course, it means a collective execution of the nine clans, getting your heads chopped off, what else? Did you think it meant going to buy vegetables!"

Explaining to Zhu Yanzhi, Zhang Cheng said with a smile: "You don't think your parents sent you to Xiaoyao Mountain to learn martial arts, do you? Then you are too naive. It was just to find a Jianghu sect to protect you for fear that your entire Zhu family would be executed. But you don't really think Xiaoyao Mountain can stand against the imperial court, do you? Surely not, surely not..."

Looking at Zhang Cheng in shock, Zhu Yanzhi was completely stunned.

Watching Zhu Yanzhi's expression, Zhang Cheng couldn't help but tease: "I came here to gild my resume, you came here to save your life. We are not the same. On the mountain, you can call me Zhang Xinzhi, but once off the mountain, you must call me Lord Zhang, because I am a man of the Hua residence, and behind me stands the Grand Tutor!"

Looking at Zhu Yanzhi, who still hadn't reacted, Zhang Cheng stood up, rolled his sleeves, and said: "Think about it carefully, is your romance more important, or are your parents more important? After all, without that Brother Ma of yours acting subservient, your Zhu family would have long been raided and exterminated!"

Outside the bamboo forest, Ma Chengen looked at Zhang Cheng, and the two fell into silence.

Amidst the mountains and flowing water, it was a long time before Ma Chengen cupped his hands and said: "Thank you, Brother Zhang!"

"No need to thank me. Helping you was merely for certain purposes."

Speaking indifferently, Zhang Cheng couldn't help but smile.

After all, in a Wu Xia world, must one necessarily mix in the Jianghu?

Once he steps into the imperial court, who in this world would dare claim to be number one!

"Brother Zhang, dare I ask, if I want to deal with someone, how should I go about it?"

Looking at Zhang Cheng before him, Ma Chengen couldn't help but inquire.

"That depends on how you want to deal with them. After all, in the imperial court, there are no mortal enemies, only differing interests!"

Looking at Ma Chengen with a face full of smiles, Zhang Cheng then said: "The head of Yagyu Jubei should have been enough to get you promoted to Vice General, right?"

Looking at Zhang Cheng in shock, Ma Chengen couldn't help but be stunned.

"That day in Jiangnan, in Hangzhou City, I was there too!"

Looking at Ma Chengen beside him, Zhang Cheng couldn't help but smile.

Hearing Zhang Cheng's words, Ma Chengen said in astonishment: "Then the Luoshan Temple?"

"You mean those monks? I killed them! Because they were too much of a nuisance, I slaughtered them all, just like butchering dogs, I slaughtered them all one by one!"

Revealing a smile, Zhang Cheng looked at Ma Chengen and narrowed his eyes.

Seeing Zhang Cheng's expression, Ma Chengen was frightened to the point of being at a loss, cold sweat pouring down his entire body.

Because all two hundred people in the Luoshan Temple had been killed, with almost no survivors!

And the temple was filled with countless masters, yet they had been "easily" wiped out by Zhang Cheng just like that.

Looking at Ma Chengen's gaze, Zhang Cheng couldn't help but smile: "You don't believe me?"

"No, Brother Zhang, I just didn't expect that you..."

Looking at the refined Zhang Cheng before him, Ma Chengen never dreamed that he could speak of this matter so lightly.

"I need to stay at Xiaoyao Mountain for three years. During these three years, I don't want any trouble to appear, so, you understand!"

Looking at Ma Chengen with a smile, Zhang Cheng patted his shoulder and turned away, saying: "The man surnamed Tie wants Minister Wen's life, and Minister Wen surely wants his life too. After all, you must know that civil officials kill without seeing blood. This includes Qian Rongwei as well. If you don't know how to operate, why not tell Minister Wen that Qian Rongwei is a man of the Prince of Ning! He will naturally handle it for you!"

Looking at Zhang Cheng in shock, Ma Chengen was completely stunned.

Because how could Zhang Cheng know about the various factions in the imperial court?

However, while Ma Chengen was still in a daze, Zhang Cheng had already disappeared!

He was not Ma Chengen, nor was this his first day mixing in the imperial court.

Back then, the matter at the Hua residence had led Zhang Cheng to guess that it was Zhu Wushi who sent Guihai Yidao to exterminate them.

After all, as a sycophant, Guihai Yidao only acted like a human being in front of Shangguan Haitang; at other times, he was just a cold blade!

He wanted to push the blame for the Hua residence matter onto the Prince of Ning; after all, anyone with eyes in the world knew the Prince of Ning was about to rebel.

As for whose man Minister Wen was, Zhang Cheng didn't even need to use his brain; he knew with his knees that he must be the Emperor's man, or at the very least, a loyalist.

After all, although the civil officials of the Ming Dynasty had no brains, they still valued orthodoxy highly, at least until the Donglin faction came to power.

If this still couldn't handle Qian Rongwei, Zhang Cheng could only give Ma Chengen one last method: defect to Cao Zhengchun.

Because Commander Cao really took action when there was trouble. Just when everyone thought he was the villain, who would have thought that Commander Cao was the most loyal royalist!

After all, for a eunuch like him, seizing the throne was unrealistic. Moreover, Commander Cao's view on "useless people" was the same as Zhang's; they were both skilled at "dealing with people"!

Cao Zhengchun: The Eastern Depot needs talent like you!

Yu Huatian: The Western Depot also needs talent like you!

Cao Renchao: The Inner Depot also needs talent like you!

Zhang Cheng:...

Humming a little tune, he returned to his room.

Zhang Cheng looked at Uncle Caotou, who had walked in, and immediately asked curiously: "What's in your arms?"

"Oh, it's that elixir I developed last time. I think it's very explosive, so I replicated it again. Look, it's about to be refined, and when that time comes..."

Just as Uncle Caotou was explaining, Zhang Cheng said in shock: "The elixir from last time? You mean the Tsar Bomba!"

"Yes, that's right..."

Before Uncle Caotou could finish speaking, Zhang Cheng raised his foot and kicked him, sending him flying away.

"You're at it again? If you want to die, don't drag me with you, you bastard!"

Roaring in anger, Zhang Cheng almost killed him with a sword, because that thing, let alone eating it, would kill you on the spot just by getting close to it.

"Boom!"

A violent explosion sounded, and the entire Xiaoyao Mountain shook.

(End of chapter)