Chapter 64: Reallocation Engineer (Two-in-One)

After swapping three batches of people, Jiang Jinshi finally found his target.

It must be said that Tang Lin's painting skill is somewhat vivid; the woman before him matches the portrait exactly.

The old woman, seeing Jiang Jinshi finally choose a lady he liked, immediately introduced enthusiastically: "Young master, you have good eyes; this is our Smoke Willow Pavilion's Xiao Yu, today she is still a newcomer to Zhangtai Hall; if she does a poor job, please be tolerant."

Jiang Jinshi smiled outwardly, but inwardly he let out a contemptuous snort.

He thought, if I just pick anyone, this old woman would still say such words; newcomer to Zhangtai? If I believed that I'd be a fool!

After the old woman left, Xiao Yu gracefully walked to Jiang Jinshi's side, her voice as soft as a thread.

"Young…young master, I will pour you wine."

The gentle voice also carried a perfectly timed tremor, and the slightly trembling hand while pouring wine truly looked like a novice's manner.

But could any of this escape Jiang Jinshi's keen eyes?

He thought Tang Lin wasn't stupid; if this woman's acting weren't so realistic, Tang Lin wouldn't have ended up in such a predicament!

Today during the day Jiang Jinshi carefully observed that the Smoke Willow Pavilion is not far from a gambling den; if a murder occurs and one jumps out of the private room now, it would only take a few breaths to reach that gambling street.

That street is a chaotic mix of fish and dragons, and its far end is right next to a block of civilian houses; the routes there are tangled, making it the optimal choice to lose pursuers.

Moreover, it might not even be exposed!

Now the private room's door is tightly shut; as long as Xiao Yu makes no sound, perhaps even if he leaves the city, no one will notice what's happening here.

All preparations are ready, just waiting for a good moment.

So Jiang Jinshi looked at the Xiao Yu who was a short distance away, displaying a dissatisfied expression.

"What's wrong with you? I spent money just to keep you this far from me?"

Xiao Yu lowered her head and said nothing, gently shifting a little toward Jiang Jinshi.

Jiang Jinshi pretended to be a starving ghost in a play, grabbed Xiao Yu's waist with his left hand and pulled her into his arms.

"Ah!"

Xiao Yu was startled by Jiang Jinshi's sudden move, then quickly closed her mouth, refusing to make any sound.

With a beauty in his arms, Jiang Jinshi could feel the softness and warmth from her, but at this moment he had no intention of admiring her; his right hand silently produced a blade only three fingers wide.

It was forged by Wang Hou from a broken sword, taken by Jiang Jinshi as a toy and kept hidden on his person.

Looking at the shrimp‑like Xiao Yu curled in his embrace, Jiang Jinshi lowered his head toward her cheek.

Tang Xiao Yu resignedly closed her eyes, but her constantly trembling eyelashes showed she was not as calm as she seemed.

After a while the imagined scene did not occur; instead a cold metallic sensation touched her neck.

She opened her eyes in confusion, only to see Jiang Jinshi looking at her with a half‑smile.

"Someone wants your life; do you know who it is?"

Jiang Jinshi now had the upper hand and planned to toy with her, even if she tried to open her mouth for help, he could stop her instantly.

Moreover, what place is this? This is a brothel; isn't a bit of shouting normal?

Once he returns to Yangguangzhai, he can tell Tang Lin how this deceitful woman begged for mercy before dying.

Tang Xiao Yu couldn't understand why anyone would want to kill her; now she is alone, already reduced to a tool for the brothel's earnings, and today is her first time serving customers.

Yet the answer seemed irrelevant to her; having long harbored a death wish, she simply lacked the courage to take that step, and now someone could fulfill her, which was also a good thing.

"You go ahead and act!"

Watching the desperate Tang Xiao Yu close her eyes, Jiang Jinshi couldn't help praising.

Even at this moment she's still acting; using attack as retreat is a decent method, but unfortunately she met me, the old ghost of Yangguangzhai.

"Then I'll fulfill you; remember, I'm here to avenge Tang Lin."

After speaking, Jiang Jinshi prepared to slash the blade across her swan‑neck, but at that instant Tang Xiao Yu suddenly opened her eyes.

"Just now you said who?"

Jiang Jinshi snorted coldly, it seemed the other side was still afraid of death!

"Tang Lin!"

Tang Xiao Yu's eyes turned red, and with a sobbing voice she asked, "Is my brother okay?"

"Thanks to me, he still can't die; isn't that disappointing? I'll tell you… you… brother… brother?"

Jiang Jinshi was a bit bewildered; is this person Tang Lin's sister?

No, perhaps it's this person's tactic; you must know the prettier a woman is, the more she deceives, and he cannot be easily fooled.

Upon hearing that Tang Lin was not dead, Tang Xiao Yu's tears could no longer be held back, streaming down in large drops, though a trace of joy lingered on her face.

Upon hearing that Tang Lin was still alive, Tang Xiao Yu could no longer hold back her tears, which fell in large drops, though her face showed a hint of joy.

Jiang Jinshi kept the blade pressed against Xiao Yu's neck: "Do you know who's in control of the situation now? You're asking me? From now on I ask, you answer!"

Realizing she had come because of her brother, Tang Xiao Yu immediately seemed less frightened!

"Fine! I'll answer you, then you tell me my brother's current condition!"

Ignoring this bargaining woman, Jiang Jinshi asked, "Why were Tang Lin's limbs broken and his tongue cut off?"

Talking about it, Tang Xiao Yu began to sob again: "It's all my fault; if it weren't for me, my family wouldn't have fallen to this."

"Yes, yes, yes, it's your fault; quickly tell me what happened."

Then Tang Xiao Yu spoke haltingly about the events; whenever something was unclear, Jiang Jinshi would probe, but Tang Xiao Yu answered fluently, showing she was far from a fabricated story.

A few days before Jiang Jinshi met Tang Lin, Tang Lin's family still lived a happy, blissful life; that day Tang Xiao Yu went out shopping and was spotted by the manager of Smoke Willow Pavilion, whose pure and beautiful appearance sparked some thoughts in him.

He had been fretting about County Magistrate Liu's birthday in half a month, and now this gift arrived at his doorstep automatically.

It should be known that the owner behind Smoke Willow Pavilion is actually County Magistrate Liu, who happens to favor such demure, jade‑like virtuous women.

Some people inside Smoke Willow Pavilion were sent there to earn money only after being favored by County Magistrate Liu, so the pavilion's manager Wu immediately began investigating Tang Xiao Yu's background.

After discovering Tang Xiao Yu was just an ordinary farmer's daughter, Manager Wu did not hesitate at all and promptly arranged personnel to forcibly seize the civilian girl.

After discovering that Tang Xiao Yu was just an ordinary peasant girl, Steward Wu did not hesitate, immediately arranging men to prepare to forcibly seize the peasant girl.

This wasn't his first time doing such a thing; in this tiny speck of Beijiang, County Magistrate Liu is the absolute authority, so the deed was carried out with no risk at all.

When the bandits broke into the house, Tang Xiao Yu didn't yet understand what was happening; aside from herself, her parents had been killed by the sword, and it happened that Tang Lin was at the school consulting a teacher and escaped the disaster.

Later, Tang Lin returned home and, naturally devastated, hurriedly searched everywhere for his sister Tang Xiao Yu's whereabouts.

In the end, Tang Lin discovered that all these deeds were done by the Smoke Willow Pavilion, so, his anger flaring, he prepared to go and demand an explanation.

Tang Lin's plan was simple: go when the most Smoke Willow Pavilion members were present, and in front of all those people, how dare the Pavilion treat the law as nothing?

The facts proved that the Smoke Willow Pavilion indeed dared!

If there hadn't been so many people, the murder would have hurt the Smoke Willow Pavilion's business, and Tang Lin's fate wouldn't have been so simple.

To prevent Tang Lin from speaking recklessly, the Smoke Willow Pavilion even cut off his tongue; knowing he was a scholar, they also broke his limbs, to see how he could write.

Thus they even tried to make use of waste, throwing the severely injured Tang Lin to the tooth shop to be sold.

When all this happened, Tang Xiao Yu was tied to the top floor of the Smoke Willow Pavilion, watching everything clearly.

Later, Steward Wu told her that her brother was already dead, and now she was the only one left in the family.

Overcome with grief, Tang Xiao Yu prepared to kill herself, but when actually faced with it, she lacked the courage.

Steward Wu sent an old maid to teach Tang Xiao Yu ways to please men; if Xiao Yu didn't learn, she was pricked with needles, and if she made a mistake she was also stabbed.

Gradually, Tang Xiao Yu didn't know how to resist, left only with fear of this place, obeying orders like a walking corpse.

Everything had been prepared, but Steward Wu suddenly found a more suitable choice: a pair of twin sisters!

Thus Steward Wu repeatedly applied his tricks, and Tang Xiao Yu instead fell into becoming a money‑making tool for the Smoke Willow Pavilion.

Jiang Jinshi listened to everything, then asked several details about Tang Lin; Tang Xiao Yu answered fluently, and only then did Jiang Jinshi believe the person before him was Tang Lin's sister.

The scene became awkward for a moment, and Jiang Jinshi silently sheathed the blade in his hand.

Imagine you are a notorious mountain bandit; one day your close brother comes to you with a portrait, eyes full of tears, and his injuries were all caused by the Smoke Willow Pavilion—would you think the person in the portrait is his sister?

Jiang Jinshi silently comforted himself in his heart.

Fortunately he didn't act, but if he had been decisive in killing, how could he face Tang Lin upon returning?

So Jiang Jinshi also told Tang Xiao Yu some of Tang Lin's current situation, deliberately concealing the matter of Yangguangzhai; although they could no longer speak thereafter, at least their lives remained, and their limbs had been healed.

Tang Xiao Yu fell to her knees with a thud, repeatedly kowtowing to Jiang Jinshi, grateful for his kindness.

Jiang Jinshi suggested taking Tang Xiao Yu away from here, but unexpectedly Tang Xiao Yu shook her head and refused.

"All the people downstairs are from the Smoke Willow Pavilion, and moreover the Pavilion's owner is County Magistrate Liu; you can't take my benefactor away!"

Tang Xiao Yu's words weren't wrong; Jiang Jinshi hadn't known earlier that the Pavilion's owner was County Magistrate Liu, but a solution was always found.

"How much silver do you need to redeem me?"

Tang Xiao Yu was grateful for Jiang Jinshi's concern, but she didn't think he had the silver to redeem her.

This time Jiang Jinshi took two hundred taels of silver from the mountain stronghold; one hundred taels were used for recruitment, leaving him with another hundred taels, which should be enough for redemption.

But he didn't intend to use that method; the opportunity allowed him to get close to County Magistrate Liu.

Among the five forces, the only ones without a mountain gang are County Magistrate Liu and the Tang family; the force behind Poison Snake Stronghold was also County Magistrate Liu.

The relationship between the Tang family and him was far from harmonious, and after this incident, Jiang Jinshi's impression of County Magistrate Liu was not good.

But County Magistrate Liu didn't know any of this!

Thus cooperation between the two could be forged; whether that cooperation is sincere or feigned perhaps only Jiang Jinshi knows.

So Jiang Jinshi summoned the old maid, who mistakenly thought Xiao Yu had served Jiang Jinshi poorly, and upon entering kept apologizing repeatedly.

"Young master, if Xiao Yu's service was inadequate, please forgive us!"

Jiang Jinshiyi pressed Tang Xiao Yu's head into his chest, showing a satisfied smile: "Not at all, I'm very satisfied, I also like Xiao Yu a lot, so may I ask, how much silver is needed to redeem Xiao Yu?"

When the old maid heard it, her smile became even more genuine; seeing Xiao Yu's flushed face, she immediately assumed something had happened between them.

The old maid didn't doubt what Jiang Jinshi said; after all, such matters are common in this line of work—when a girl serves a client comfortably, the client offers to pay for redemption, giving the girl room to raise the price.

Thus the old maid extended two slender fingers toward Jiang Jinshi, smiling: "Young master, you know Xiao Yu is newly entered Zhangtai; she can still earn a lot of money for our Smoke Willow Pavilion in the future!"

"If you help redeem her at a lower price, I can't bear to lose my Xiao Yu."

"Twenty taels? Deal." Jiang Jinshi said, then reached into his pocket for the silver.

The old maid waved her hands repeatedly: "Young master, are you joking? Not only Xiao Yu, even the girl who has stayed the longest in our Smoke Willow Pavilion is worth more than that!"

"Two hundred taels? That's impossible; with two hundred taels I could buy a lot at the tooth shop!" Jiang Jinshi said irritably, his face full of impatience: "If you can't decide, call the steward out!"

The old maid's smile froze: "Young master, I should be able to make the decision on this matter!"

"Call your steward out; your sky‑high price, I don't want to talk with you!" Jiang Jinshi acted like a mischievous brat.

"Then… then, young master, please wait!" the old maid bowed, stepped back, and a smile returned to her face.

Soon the private room's door was pushed open, and a man with a neatly trimmed eight‑character moustache entered, his tone extremely impatient.

"I heard the young master wants to redeem a girl from our Smoke Willow Pavilion? The price can't be reduced; if you're sincere, you won't mind this amount of silver."

"I do intend to redeem Xiao Yu, but I have no intention of paying!" Jiang Jinshi spread his hands, his expression still somewhat innocent.

Being in Steward Wu's position, few have dared to treat him this way over the years, and immediately Steward Wu prepared to clap and call for someone.

But unexpectedly, Jiang Jinshi uttered a reckless remark the next moment.

"Want to call someone? You've ruined your master's great affair; I'm afraid you, that dog, will be chopped up into dumplings!"

Steward Wu, being looked down upon like that, turned a deep iron‑blue with anger.

"You'd better speak clearly, otherwise you won't get out of my Smoke Willow Pavilion today!"

Jiang Jinshi also thought teasing the dog was pointless, so he got straight to the point: "Tell your owner that Lianhuan Shan's Yangguangzhai is coming to visit, with important matters to discuss!"

Hearing this, Steward Wu was greatly startled; after the Poison Snake Stronghold was destroyed, County Magistrate Liu had been pondering a response. Last night Liu sent people to the newly emerged Yangguangzhai to seek cooperation, but the envoys didn't even get past the mountain stronghold's gate.

And today this person claimed to be from Yangguangzhai, leaving Steward Wu baffled for a moment.

Seeing Steward Wu remain silent, Jiang Jinshi lifted his cup and took a small sip.

"You'd better hurry, before I go to the Tang family."

Now Administrator Wu dared not linger any longer and hurried out to send a message.

Before leaving, Administrator Wu instructed Lao Bo to attend to the person in the room and to be sure to keep them until he returns.

They also aren't worried that the other party might lie, since lying does carry a price!

"Benefactor, what kind of place is Yangguangzhai?" Tang Xiao Yu asked, looking up in confusion.

"Um… it's a place of work."

"What work? Does my brother also work there?"

"I call that job a wealth‑redistribution engineer; your brother holds a key position!"