Chapter 65: Cooperating with County Magistrate Liu (Two‑in‑One)

Administrator Wu didn't keep Jiang Jinshi waiting long; he quickly pushed the door open again.

"You… uh… brave man! Sir, you are welcome, please step forward!"

Jiang Jinshi was not surprised; after all, County Magistrate Liu was an official, how could he possibly meet him in this misty willow place!

Besides, his own identity was that of a mountain bandit!

"Xiao Yu, wait here for me." After saying this, Jiang Jinshi followed Administrator Wu out.

Leaving through the back door of the Misty Willow Pavilion, they wound around the alley several times and finally arrived at a simple courtyard.

Administrator Wu pushed the door open, gesturing Jiang Jinshi to enter, while he himself stood outside waiting.

Jiang Jinshi entered the main hall directly, where a broad‑shouldered, stout man in a gray, dark‑patterned long robe sat at the head, drinking tea.

"What kind of person are you from Yangguangzhai?"

Putting down his teacup, County Magistrate Liu was the first to ask.

Jiang Jinshi wore a friendly expression but inwardly muttered; the other had asked before he even sat down, clearly eager yet trying to make a show—this County Magistrate Liu seemed easy to handle.

"Chief of Yangguangzhai!"

Hearing this, County Magistrate Liu sat upright, "Oh! I didn't expect the chief to be so young; it does surprise me a bit."

Having said that, County Magistrate Liu raised his hand, indicating Jiang Jinshi to take a seat.

After sitting down, Jiang Jinshi didn't rush to the main matter; now whoever brings it up first gains the upper hand.

"Liu, this tea is good!"

The two exchanged pleasantries for a moment, and County Magistrate Liu finally could not hold back.

"Brother Jiang, what do you think of the cooperation?"

"Liu, I came of my own accord with sincerity; I just don't know if Liu has sincerity!" Jiang Jinshi said with a calm smile.

County Magistrate Liu was delighted; as long as they were willing to cooperate, he was sure it would be a sure profit.

"Previously my cooperation with Poison Snake Village followed what standard? Now if Yangguangzhai follows that, how about it?"

"Liu, are you joking?" Jiang Jinshi's smile faded, his expression rather displeased.

County Magistrate Liu truly hadn't expected Jiang Jinshi to raise the price; in his view, giving the same treatment as he had given Poison Snake Village was already a gift, and he couldn't imagine the other side still being dissatisfied.

"Then Brother Jiang, how much do you want?"

Jiang Jinshi extended one hand toward County Magistrate Liu, calmly lifted his right leg and rested it on his left!

"Five hundred taels a month? That's impossible!" County Magistrate Liu replied with a darkened face, clearly not expecting Jiang Jinshi to make such a lion‑like opening.

"Hmph! It's not five hundred taels per month!"

County Magistrate Liu exhaled in relief at those words, but Jiang Jinshi's next sentence nearly made him fall off his chair.

"What I want is five times what Poison Snake Village gets!"

"If you're trying to mock me, you should consider whether you can bear the consequences!" This sentence practically sprang from County Magistrate Liu's teeth, showing how furious he was!

What he's demanding isn't silver; it's his lifeblood!

Jiang Jinshiyi replied solemnly: "Liu, you're joking; I wouldn't dare mock you. Not even in Jiangcheng, let alone up on Lianhuan Shan, I wouldn't have that courage!"

With that, County Magistrate Liu's anger eased a bit, but his gaze remained unfriendly, clearly demanding an explanation for the earlier words.

"I dare to demand five times Poison Snake Village's share, so I have some confidence, but I wonder whether Liu has that nerve!"

Jiang Jinshi lowered his voice, his hands unintentionally clasped together.

"Speak, and let me hear!" County Magistrate Liu, temporarily suppressing his anger, intended to listen to what this chief of Yangguangzhai could say.

"Liu, don't you think… there are too many forces in Jiangcheng?"

County Magistrate Liu slightly furrowed his brows, "You mean the other four families?"

Jiang Jinshi nodded affirmatively, "Of course! As County Magistrate Liu of Jiangcheng, you are constantly constrained by others and even have to scramble for the food in the pot; are you willing to accept that?"

County Magistrate Liu was certainly unwilling; he dreamed of driving the other four families out of Jiangcheng, but he could not, nor could he do so.

To put it simply, the grain prices in the city are controlled by several powers; a single hair's movement affects the whole body. If you oppose the others, an economic war could crush you!

Now, Jiang Jinshi's words not only failed to attract County Magistrate Liu's attention, but Liu's eyes showed contempt.

"If you think so simply, then I can only say I overestimated you!"

Jiang Jinshi, neither arrogant nor impatient, continued, "Of course it's not that simple; if you offend all four at once, surely Liu's position wouldn't last long!"

County Magistrate Liu let out a cold snort from his nose, said nothing, and waited for Jiang Jinshi's next words.

"But… if it's only against one family, the other three would be glad to see this scene!"

"You mean the Tang family?" County Magistrate Liu instantly understood Jiang Jinshi's implication.

"Exactly, the Tang family currently has no allied stronghold on Lianhuan Shan, which means those ultra‑profitable gambling dens, brothels, pawnshops and the like will gradually exclude them."

Even so, the Tang family can still conduct legitimate business; it's merely a matter of earning more or less!

But they are still within Jiangcheng; once an opportunity arises, they will still intervene in these trades—it's only a matter of time.

"If we drive the Tang family out directly, wouldn't Liu earn even more?"

After saying all that in one breath, Jiang Jinshi felt a bit thirsty and lifted the teacup on the table to drain it in one gulp.

County Magistrate Liu was pondering Jiang Jinshi's words, but clearly still hesitated: "Doing so, aren't you afraid of driving the Tang family into desperation?"

"I of course understand the principle that a cornered dog will jump the wall, but we are not wiping out the Tang family; we are merely expelling them from Jiangcheng. Their main base is outside the city, and they remain a prominent great family. Would they turn against us?"

Jiang Jinshi answered himself: "No, as long as there are choices, no one would wish for mutual annihilation!"

It must be said that Jiang Jinshi's words moved County Magistrate Liu, but merely expelling the Tang family from Jiangcheng…

…still wasn't enough to make him grant a five‑fold increase to Yangguangzhai!

"Of course, this is far from over. With my method of driving the Tang family away, none of their assets in Jiangcheng can be taken away, be it people… or silver!"

This move would enlarge my power, giving me greater influence on Lianhuan Shan, and you, Liu, could also earn more silver; it's a win‑win cooperation.

"If I enlarge my power, doesn't that mean you, Liu, also enlarge yours?"

Moreover, the silver you give me is all from the Tang family; Lord Liu need not feel distressed—using others' silver to expand one's own power, then using that power to swallow the remaining forces—wouldn't that be a natural progression?

Jiang Jinshi's words were like a demonic melody winding around the County Magistrate's ears; as the saying goes, wealth moves hearts, and at this moment the County Magistrate is exactly in that state.

Whether the County Magistrate will listen to me mainly depends on how greedy he is for wealth.

Although this is their first meeting, Jiang Jinshi knows the County Magistrate must be a lover of wealth; otherwise, how could he even be doing the business of selling firewood on the mountain!

It's not that this business lacks profit; on the contrary, its profit is shockingly high, after all it's a capital‑free trade, but this affair ruins his reputation!

It is said that scholars value integrity above all, yet the County Magistrate clearly has sold his reputation for money.

Jiang Jinshi believes such a person is definitely greedy for wealth, and to extract money from him he must promise greater benefits.

Obviously, the County Magistrate's heart was moved!

Afterward, the two discussed the details in depth and finally reached an agreement: the County Magistrate would provide necessary living supplies and grain each month, plus an additional one thousand taels of silver for Jiang Jinshi to recruit personnel.

Jiang Jinshi, meanwhile, must drive the Tang family out of Jiangcheng within one and a half months, then gradually swallow the remaining forces.

On the surface these things don't seem to reach the fivefold amount Jiang Jinshi wanted, but in fact he has secretly burst out laughing inside!

Although I don't know how many taels of silver the County Magistrate previously cooperated with the Venom Snake Stronghold for, I imagine it couldn't be less than three hundred taels; gaining such a harvest already satisfies Jiang Jinshi.

After finishing the main topic, Jiang Jinshi casually brought up Xiao Yu's matter; the County Magistrate was very generous, waving his hand and letting Jiang Jinshi take her away directly, saying there was no need for such formality between them.

After Jiang Jinshi left, the County Magistrate shook his somewhat stiff neck, the joy on his face impossible to suppress.

Yangguangzhai is far better than Venom Snake Stronghold; that dead snake lacks such brains and fighting spirit—no wonder it died in someone else's hands.

As for whether Jiang Jinshi will toy with him, that is entirely outside the County Magistrate's considerations.

Even if Yangguangzhai is incredibly strong, it is ultimately a bandit stronghold, whereas I… am an official!

Jiang Jinshi also didn't expect this trip to go so smoothly; he not only safely rescued Tang Xiao Yu but also pulled some silver from the County Magistrate's pocket for use.

Returning to Yanliuge, Xiao Yu remained anxiously waiting in the elegant room for Jiang Jinshi's return, and only upon seeing him did the heavy stone in her heart finally fall completely.

Steward Wu saw Jiang Jinshi and Tang Xiao Yu out with a smiling face; his excellent attitude let Tang Xiao Yu discover that this person actually has two faces.

Now it is late, and Jiang Jinshi is not in a hurry to send Tang Xiao Yu up the mountain; he can only find an inn in the city to stay temporarily.

Jiang Jinshi lay on the bed, silently chanting to open the system.

【Mission: A weak‑ling youth with some strength has already begun to gather his own followers, yet he doesn't even have a stronghold—what kind of bandit are you?】

【Bandit count: 128/50 (completed)】

【Raids: 2/5 (not completed)】

【Stronghold: 1/1 (completed)】

【Mission completion reward: Surprise Gift Pack *1】

The two hardest mission conditions are now completed; only the simplest one remains, and he also eagerly awaits to see what goodies lie inside the Surprise Gift Pack the system mentioned!

The reason he didn't let the brothers go out to rob roads when descending the mountain was entirely because Yangguangzhai had not yet reached cooperation with the County Magistrate; he feared that reckless actions would provoke retaliation for breaking Lianhuan Shan's rules.

Now he can let himself go free; everything is developing toward a better direction.

Opening the personal information in the system, it is obvious that the panel data has also been updated considerably.

Host: Jiang Jinshi (timid and shrinking bandit chief)

Territory: Lianhuan Shan—Yangguangzhai

Points: 0

Combat Power: 23

Population: 128

Looking at the suffix in parentheses after his name, Jiang Jinshi really wants to complain to the system—he's not timid and shrinking; this is called being steady, right!

Unfortunately, the system can't hear him and won't respond.

This system has this flaw: it is completely unlike what Jiang Jinshi read in novels before, and it is not intelligent at all.

Many things he has to figure out himself—for example, this combat power value; aside from a brief period of training when he first started, he later gave up and completely forgot about it, yet his combat power continues to rise steadily.

This shows that the Warrior Soul gradually and cyclically enhances one's physique and combat power; it's just that the upper limit is currently unclear.

Suddenly it occurred to him: he wonders how Luo Feng feels after fusing with Luo Cheng's soul; when he returns to the stronghold next time, perhaps he can spar a few moves with him for practice.

This time, with the silver sponsored by the County Magistrate, he can assign the Warrior Soul to all the squad leaders—this would be a huge boost for Yangguangzhai.

Thinking thus, Jiang Jinshi was thus drawn away by the Duke of Zhou to play chess, while meanwhile Tang Xiao Yu next door tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.

The next morning, Jiang Jinshi instructed Tang Xiao Yu to stay at the inn, while he himself went out of the city to return home for a trip.

He planned to go back to the village to bring Huasheng to his stronghold, since frequent fighting inevitably leads to injuries, and without a medic in the stronghold he feels uneasy—after all, he cannot choose the system's rewards, and he doesn't know when the next Hundred Diseases Removing Pill will drop.

What little he has left must be used sparingly, as it could save his life at a critical moment.

As for why he seeks Huasheng, first, he knows Huasheng's background well and also knows his character is indeed good.

Second, Huasheng's medical skill in this era is not bad at all; it could even be said to contain some talent. Without anyone teaching him, merely relying on helping to grab herbs in a pharmacy and picking up subtle cues, he has already reached this level—which is nothing short of genius.

Third, Huasheng is short of money, his family can barely keep the pot boiling. Although he received that one tael of silver for medicine, most villagers won't spend money to see a doctor, so he will eventually starve to death in the village.

In sum, if he goes to invite him, Huasheng should not refuse.

Thinking of this, Jiang Jinshi suddenly thought of Jiang Daya, and he has no idea where she is now!

Originally he had planned to summon Jiang Daya to Yangguangzhai, but after consideration he discarded the idea.

If she went to Yangguangzhai, she would merely help cook and wash clothes, and then Jiang Jinshi would provide her food and drink—nothing more!

But is that really what she wants?

She rose up in rebellion against her own family, even doing things that others see as grossly immoral, all for the sake not of a mere meal, but of freedom and respect.

Letting her go to Yangguangzhai would merely be exchanging one cage for a better‑conditioned one!

Some like peace and stability, others like poetry and distant horizons; as for why Jiang Jinshi understands so well, it's simply because he saw his former self in her eyes.

Walking along the road, Jiang Jinshi was idly thinking like that when he bumped head‑on into Huasheng, who was just about to enter the city.

"Think of something and it comes—did I just open it? Or was it never closed at all!"

Jiang Jinshi muttered to himself, then hastily waved his hand and stepped forward to greet: "Huasheng Uncle, are you going into the city?"

"It's Xiao Shi! I'm going into the city to buy some grain, my kids at home are starving." Huasheng also didn't expect to meet Jiang Jinshi here, "You've been staying in the city overnight and just came out?"

"Yeah! I met up with a few old friends from the school!"

Huasheng suddenly noticed a faint lipstick mark on Jiang Jinshi's neck, and immediately understood where Jiang Jinshi had gone last night!

Thus Huasheng kindly reminded: "Xiao Shi, you have something on your neck."