The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 82- 84

Chapter 82: Spotting and Stalking the Target

Beads of scalding sweat were streaming down his cheeks. Ling Zhang was sweating buckets from somewhat hot medicated bathwater and scorching steam. Though this was the second time that he had taken a medicated bath, he still found the numbness, itch and pain exceptionally unbearable, as if numerous ants were gnawing at his heart. He clenched his fists. His fingertips had deeply sunk into his palm. Fortunately he had no sharp nails. Otherwise his palms would have been mangled and bloody by now.

This was such a miserable experience.

Ling Zhang gritted his teeth to prevent any groan from escaping his lips, as if that would be a signal that would throw him into a breakdown.

Yuwen Tong, whose palms were pressed against Ling Zhang’s back, was continuously injecting warm energy into his body, expanding his meridians bit by bit. He was also sweating profusely.

“Hang in there.”

Seeing that Ling Zhang was suffering from the process, Yuwen Tong couldn’t help encouraging him.

The first time was the most painful, but the second time was the most intolerable.

Only by enduring the first two times accustoming himself to the effects of the medicine would Ling Zhang feel less miserable.

Finally, it was over. Not surprisingly, Ling Zhang passed out again when he abruptly relaxed his concentration.

Like the last time, Yuwen Tong carried him out of the bathing pool, helped him change his clothes and then left.

Since Xia Feng had already seen this kind of thing happen once, he had been quiet from start to finish. After Yuwen Tong left, he stayed in the ante-room.

When Ling Zhang was asleep, something unusual happened outside the Prefecture Encampment as well.

“Elder Brother Wang, we got company.”

Liu Yi hiding outside the Prefecture Encampment pushed Wang Dashan who was sleeping soundly beside him. Though Wang Dashan seemed to be in a deep sleep, he woke up immediately after Liu Yi touched him, and his eyes lit up. “They arrived?”

“Yeah.” Liu Yi pointed in a direction. “There.”

Wang Dashan craned out of the cover and, as expected, saw half a dozen tough hombres, who were dressed like common residents but walking very like bandits, go to the entrance of the encampment, show the guards something like an ID plate and then enter the encampment swaggeringly.

“Young Master was right. These guys indeed come here tonight!”

Wang Dashan stared at the Prefecture Encampment with piercing eyes, trying to figure out what those people did in there. Pity his eyesight was not that good, so he angrily gave up.

“There’s no need to be anxious, Elder Brother Wang. Don’t let fretfulness cloud your judgement. Since young master only bade us stalk those bandits, all we need to do is follow them closely after they come out. The Prefecture Encampment is heavily guarded. Even if we manage to sneak in, we won’t be able to eavesdrop on them.”

“I know. I’m angry because as the commander of the Prefecture Guards, Zhang Chong is so unruly as to let those bandits into the encampment with no misgivings whatsoever. He’s in thorough collusion with bandits!”

“Haven’t I informed you of this long ago? Why are you still so indignant?”

“Because now I saw it with my own eyes.”

Speechless with resignation, Liu Yi ignored him and re-concentrated his attention on the front gate of the Prefecture Encampment, waiting for those bandits to come out.

On a branch of a tree in the distance sat a man in black against the trunk, leisurely chewing a cracker half of which was between his lips. Compared with vigilant Wang Dashan, he literally seemed to be on an outing.

“Those two morons,” after hearing the conversation between Liu Yi and Wang Dashan, the man in black sneered. “They had the nerve to say that they were here to spy on people. I’ve been spying on you for several days, yet you didn’t spot me even once. If it weren’t for that I have orders from Marshal not to let Childe Ling know about this, I would have taught you a lesson long ago.” Neither Liu Yi nor Wang Dashan was aware that there was someone else who was staking out the Prefecture Encampment like they were. Finally, after about two hours, those bandits went out of the encampment, every one of whom was walking with a rolling gait. Manifestly they had drunk a lot of wine!

“Zhang Chong entertained these bandits at a banquet. As the Commander of the Prefecture Guards, he brought such a shame on the Great Yue.”

“Stop cursing and follow them.”

Liu Yi gave Wang Dashan a pull and followed those bandits. Gradually, they walked further away from the front gate of the Prefecture Encampment into a pitch-dark wood, where they saw that those bandits found their horses and were about to ride away.

“Hurry. Hurry. Pursue them,” Liu Yi anxiously urged.

“How the fuck are we supposed to do that? They got horses. You are going to run after them?” Wang Dashan cursed in an undertone, running rapidly.

Running side by side with him, Liu Yi said, “They’ve just drunk wine, so they can’t ride fast.”

“Well, lucky for us, they’ve just drunk wine.” Wang Dashan broke out in a cold sweat. ‘If these bandits had not drunk wine, would we be able to catch them up with our average lightness skills?’ he wondered.

“We’ve got to prepare horses next time.” Wang Dashan made a belated suggestion which was clearly a pointless afterthought.

Liu Yi speechlessly flicked a glance at him.

Like Liu Yi said, these bandits, having drunk much wine, didn’t dare to ride fast. They progressed slowly, talking dirty and laughing along the way.

After an hour.

“This direction… ” By moonlight, Wang Dashan looked around. “They’re heading for Qi County?”

“Is there anything special about Qi County?” Liu Yi asked him.

“The largest den of bandits is in Qi County. They hide in the Grand Mang Mountain. Since this mountain is too vast and there is also miasma in it, bandits hiding there are the most difficult to eliminate. Every year, the Prefecture Guards…”

“Never mind. Now I even have my doubts about whether they have ever put any real efforts into suppressing bandits. Anyway, the bandit gang in the Grand Mang Mountain is the most powerful one. It is rumored that they relocate their stronghold all the time. Though numerous bandit-suppressing operations have been carried out, never once has the den of those bandits been found, and the total number of them remains unknown as well.”

“The Grand Mang Mountain…” Liu Yi mumbled, as if something had just occurred to him. “It seems to extend into Yanzhou. The Yellow Sand River flows past a canyon in the Grand Mang Mountain.”

“Yeah. That’s the Grand Mang Mountain I’m talking about.”

“Judging by your description, this Grand Mang Mountain is really huge. Those bandits are good at hiding, so it’s indeed not easy to handle them.”

“Tell me about it. Bandits in the Grand Mang Mountain were also the first to pop out. Though they didn’t control the main road built by the local government, they were responsible for all slaughter and raids in nearby villages. They are a bunch of cold-blooded and vicious outlaws. During the past few years, some Jianghu scum have gone to the Grand Mang Mountain and joined the gang after hearing its reputation, which made those bandits an even more powerful force.”

“Does young master really want to mess with those bandits regardless of the current situation?”

Liu Yi asked in deep concern, hesitatingly slowing down his steps.

Wang Dashan gave him a pull and said, “Don’t stop. No matter whether young master decides to fight them or not, we have to finish our job first. Besides, if we go there and do some scouting first, we will be able to get some first-hand information about the real strength of those bandits, which will make our words more convincing when we try to persuade young master to give up the thought of messing with these people.”

On hearing this, Liu Yi speeded up. “You’re right.”

The man in black, who had been following them and eavesdropping on them, seemed to have thought of something. ‘It seems that the place Marshal had been investigating into during the couple of days was probably this Grand Mang Mountain. Are there by any chance really some secrets in the Grand Mang Mountain? Tsk. Never mind. Currently, I should keep an eye on these two people lest they get killed during this task.”

In Tanyang.

After falling into a coma, Ling Zhang had been sleeping all along until daybreak, totally unaware of what had happened. This time he didn’t suffer any convulsions late at night and had a sound sleep. When he woke up, he had a feeling, which was even stronger than the one he had two days ago, that he had become more robust and also more energetic, that even his eyesight and hearing had improved somewhat. When he looked into the distance, he found that his range of vision was wider and he could also see distant things more distinctly. Thanks to the improvement of his hearing, he was now able to faintly distinguish sounds from the front gate of the courtyard.

“There have been such remarkable benefits after merely unblocking meridians. If I begin to cultivate internal energy, how many more amazing changes does the future hold?”

With subdued excitement, Ling Zhang got out of bed and started washing his face and combing his hair. Suddenly, footsteps came from the doorway. He stood up in confusion, wondering, ‘Dawn has just broken. Who came here at such an early hour?”

“Young Master, Captain Wang and Guard Liu arrived,” Xia Feng walked inside and said.

‘It’s them? Does this mean that…’

“Let them in!”

“Young Master, we have something urgent to report to you,” said Wang Dashan and Liu Yi the moment they entered the room, looking travel-stained, their clothes dew-soaked and covered in dust, their faces full of fatigue, as if they had been through a torturous long journey.

“Xia Feng, go get some hot washing water, towels and some food,” Ling Zhang said to Xia Feng.

Xia Feng nodded and left the room.

Liu Yi and Wang Dashan walked up to the chairs and sat down.

“Young Master, we found out which gang those bandits belong to.”

“There’s no hurry. Have a rest and drink some warm water.”

On the sight of the two people, Ling Zhang knew they must have been laboriously running around for a whole night and were definitely exhausted.

Xia Feng did things very quick. Soon he returned with a couple of servants carrying hot washing water, towels, newly-made tea and food.

“You may go wash your faces to ease the fatigue first.”

Liu Yi and Wang Dashan exchanged glances and then, without any pretence at politeness, washed their faces and wiped their necks clean with the hot water brought by servants. After that, they sat down, drank some hot tea and each ate half a dozen steaming steamed stuffed buns. It was not until then that they perked up.

Ling Zhang patiently waited until they ate and drank enough. Then he asked, “Which gang do they belong to?”

Wang Dashan put the teacup down and answered, “The gang in the Grand Mang Mountain, Young master.”

“The Grand Mang Mountain?” Ling Zhang knitted his eyebrows, immediately realizing that this was a tricky issue. “Are you sure about it?”

“Positive. Liu Yi and I stalked them and saw them ride onto the mountain. They kept riding deeper into it. Originally, we planned to continue to follow them, but afterwards…”

“What happened afterwards?” Seeing that Wang Dashan was a little hesitant, Ling Zhang asked.

“A bodyguard of Lord Yuwen who lives next door suddenly showed up and stopped us from continuing to follow those bandits, saying that there were traps everywhere on the mountain, which we might stamp on even during daytime, that we would surely end up dead if we followed them at night. He told us to come back,” Liu Yi answered the question for Wang Dashan.

A bodyguard of Yuwen Tong? It occurred to Ling Zhang that on that day, he told Yuwen Tong that some men, presumably some bandits, entered the Prefecture Encampment. He believed that Yuwen Tong probably had also sent someone to stake out that place.

“I see. I’ll talk to him about this matter later. Tell me your other findings, if there are any.”

“I’m afraid that’s all we’ve got for the moment, but I want to say those ferocious bandits in the Grand Mang Mountain are far more dangerous than those of any other gang. You really want to mess with them, young master?” Wang Dashan asked worriedly.

Chapter 83: A Secret Route

“Captain Wang, you still don’t understand? Even if I stand by and leave them alone, they will no doubt come here and make trouble for me. Moreover, we’re on Zhang Chong’s opposing side, which means that this is inevitable. I value my own life. I value my family’s lives. And I also value your lives. I won’t take any rash action, which is a promise I’m making to you. Like I once said, it’s not too late for you to absent yourselves from this matter.”

“Don’t take me wrong, young master. It’s not that we’re mortally afraid of death. Since the determination of Young master is still grim, we promise we’ll stand by your side and see this through,” Wang Dashan hurriedly said after hearing Ling Zhang’s words.

“Good. Be it so, I hope you’ll never mention what you’ve just said ever again. Meanwhile, I’ve already given you two chances to choose, so I hope you’ll hang in there. Don’t let me down.”

“We understand.”

Seeing that Wang Dashan and Liu Yi had understood his words, Ling Zhang said, “Last night has been tough for both of you. Have a break this morning. Tell all our bros to have half a day off. We’ll resume the training in the afternoon.”

“Yes. Thank you for your kindness, Young master.”

After Wang Dashan and Liu Yi left, Ling Zhang went to the Green Bamboo Mansion to meet Yuwen Tong.

“Did you send someone to stalk Wang Dashan and Liu Yi last night?”

“My men have been staking out the Prefecture Encampment with them all along for the past few days. It’s just that they failed to spot my men.”

This was exactly what Ling Zhang had speculated. He didn’t feel ashamed that his guards failed to find that Yuwen Tong’s men had been stalking them all along. After all, there was such a wide gap between the strength of the two sides.

“How do you know that there are traps in the Grand Mang Mountain?” This was what confused Ling Zhang.

“All my subordinates are highly experienced veterans who have been through a lot of battles, so it’s very normal that they can detect the danger in the Grand Mang Mountain before your men do.”

“Is that so? Are you sure it was not because you scouted out that place before?” asked Ling Zhang.

Yuwen Tong looked at him. “You think I went there and scouted that place out previously?”

Ling Zhang nodded. “Not long ago, you went missing for a couple of days. And when you returned, you began to study maps and records of counties near Tanyang. You also circled Qi County in red ink on that map on the wall in your room.”

All these things were traces that Yuwen Tong had not intentionally tried to conceal. Naturally, Ling Zhang could notice them as long as he observed carefully enough, which was why Yuwen Tong was not surprised at all. He said, “That’s right. I did go to scout out the Grand Mang Mountain. And I also located their den and have a general knowledge of which area they might be hiding, but I didn’t tell them these things.”

“You know where their den is?” asked Ling Zhang, a mixture of surprise and delight on his face.

“Yeah. You want to know it?” Yuwen Tong deliberately tried to whet his appetite.

Ling Zhang nodded unhesitatingly. Of course he wanted to know it!

“It’s not that I cannot tell you, but you have to promise me that you won’t do anything rash. You must consult with me before you make any decisions.” Grabbing this opportunity, Yuwen Tong requested him to make a promise.

Ling Zhang was briefly stunned. He was somewhat unwilling to agree to this, but then he recalled that during the past few days, though not deliberately, he had scarcely made any decision without prior consultation with Yuwen Tong, so it wouldn’t really make any difference whether he agreed to this or not.

“Okay. I promise.”

Yuwen Tong gave a smile. “The den of those bandits is located in the depths of the Grand Mang Mountain. That mountain separates Tanyang and Yan Zhou. The den of those bandits is on the border between the two districts. Given the traveling speed of common Yamen runners, finding the den of those bandits alone will take them a day and a night.”

“A day and a night? How come they hide themselves so deep in the mountain?”

“Did those guys in the Grand Mang Mountain do anything else apart from raiding villages and slaughtering villagers in the past few years?” Yuwen Tong asked him instead of answering the question.

Ling Zhang did some recollecting and answered, “Very few, as far as I can recall. They do rob traders of their goods and money, but there have been very few occasions that they did that. Firstly, the Grand Mang Mountain is not close to the main road leading to Tanyang. Secondly, every time they raid somewhere, they take back huge amounts of money which is enough for them to squander for a long time.”

“The two reasons you just mentioned do sound plausible, but the most important reason is that what they really want is neither money nor killing. It is something else that they are after.”

They were after something else? Ling Zhang had an intuition that this had something to do with Zhang Chong. “What do you think it is?”

“They want to build a passage connecting Tanyang and the Yellow Sand River in Yan Zhou with their den as a hub. When it’s done, it will only take a day and a night to travel from here to Yan Zhou.”

Ling Zhang was astounded and also somewhat puzzled by the undertone contained in Yuwen Tong’s words. “Didn’t you just say that finding their den alone would take a day and a night?”

“If they take the normal route to search the mountain, yes. Outsiders have no idea that those bandits have already unblocked a secret route which allows an army to pass.”

“So those bandits in the Grand Mang Mountain have unblocked the shortest route connecting Tanyang and Yan Zhou, but for what?”

Ling Zhang was perplexed. They were just bandits. Why did they laboriously build a road? It didn’t make any sense.

Though a flash of inspiration seemed to have just crossed his mind, it was too fast and he failed to grab it.

Yuwen Tong continued, “The Yellow Sand River which flows through Yan Zhou also flows past the capital city. It’s only a four-hour journey from the capital city to the nearest crossing point on the bank of Yellow Sand River. And the Yellow Sand River flows downstream almost all the way from Yan Zhou to the capital city, and it takes only a day and a night, if the water speed is fast, to get to the capital city. In other words, it takes seven full days to travel from Tanyang to the capital city by the original route even if the horse is fast, but by this elaborately designed route, armies in Tanyang can get to the capital city in two days and nights.”

Ling Zhang gasped in shock. Now he thoroughly understood!

“Zhang Chong has indeed been conspiring for a long time! No wonder bandits in the Grand Mang Mountain are the most difficult to deal with. Zhang Chong launches an attack on them each and every year but has never shaken the foundations of that gang.”

“Year. All other bandit gangs are nothing but guises. The one in the Grand Mang Mountain is what really matters.”

Ling Zhang couldn’t help wondering, ‘In my last life, after both my family and Lu family were eliminated by Zhang Chong, Tao Feng was single-handed and helpless, and the whole Tanyang fell into Zhang Chong’s hands. At that time Yuwen Tong never came to Tanyang, and nobody knew about Zhang Chong’s intrigues. Did Zhang Chong really mount a military coup in the end?’

“If the existence of this route comes to the knowledge of the emperor, even beheading Zhang Chong ten times won’t be enough to atone for his crime.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Will everything not be over if we go straight to the capital city and expose him?”

Ling Zhang couldn’t understand how Yuwen Tong managed to stay here and forbear to do this. As long as he went to the emperor and made an accusation, wouldn’t Zhang Chong be beheaded right away?

“The emperor has a very suspicious mind. He won’t entirely believe it if there’s nothing else apart from my words. He will merely send someone here to verify my story. And once he sends people to Tanyang to investigate, Imperial Concubine Shu and the Sixth Prince will surely be alerted. In that case, all they need to do is destroy that route or covertly adopt some other countermeasures, and then I’ll be the one who suffer losses in the end. Many things are not as simple as you think they are. Therefore, apart from this route, we need more proof that Zhang Chong is planning a revolt to alarm the emperor who will then order Zhang Chong’s immediate execution.”

“This matter concerns a revolt and a prince’s personal ambition of usurping the throne. Even I have to wait until the time is a-hundred-percent ripe to deal the enemy a lethal blow. Otherwise there’s a high risk of failing on the eve of complete success.”

After hearing Yuwen Tong’s remarks, Ling Zhang gradually regained his composure. Now he understood why Yuwen Tong had just now asked him to promise that he would consult with him before taking any action.

“I get it.”

“Rest assured. I said half a month. It will be no longer than that. As long as you do it my way standing by for the next half a month, everything will turn out as you hope.”

Yuwen Tong’s words oozing with confidence and composure affected Ling Zhang, who began to calm down pondering over what else he could do.

“About that person you mentioned who’s good at forging account books, when will he arrive?” Ling Zhang asked him.

“If his horse is fast, he should arrive in the afternoon.”

“One of my uncle’s subordinates has already gained trust of the director of Jia family who’s responsible for keeping the account book. That person has access to the account book. If necessary, I can mention this to my uncle and have that person cooperate with you.”

Yuwen Tong lifted his eyebrows. “Good.”

That director had been under surveillance of his men all along, so naturally he was well informed of what that director did every day, but his men really didn’t find out which person was planted there by Ling Zhaowen.

While Ling Zhang was elaborately preparing lunch for him in the kitchen, Yuwen Tong summoned Yao Yi.

“Do you know whom that director of Jia family relatively trusts more?”

“That director is also a very discreet man. Speaking of people he trusts, there’s a servant of his who once saved his life. Apart from that man, there’s nobody that he places relatively more trust in, none that I could tell.”

Yuwen Tong gave an inexplicable smile. “Either Ling Zhaowen was so visionary that he planted that servant around the director long ago, or you and your men omitted to notice.”

Yao Yi was taken aback by this remark. “That servant has been working for the director since childhood. As regards other people… I’ll go and have some men investigate into this again right now!”

Yuwen Tong flicked an apathetic glance at him. “You have only half a day.”

“I take my leave.” Yao Yi immediately turned around and left in such haste that his figure disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Yuwen Tong’s face darkened. He felt that ever since they came to Tanyang, in the absence of the serious atmosphere of the army, Yao Yi had become a little slack, that it was time to remind him of the discipline.

Yao Yi, who had quickly started to recheck the director’s interpersonal relationship, abruptly gave a violent sneeze which caused a shiver of his whole body.

Ling Zhang had solicitously prepared lunch for Yuwen Tong two days in a row. Naturally, news of this matter soon spread to Ling Xingzhong and others. Even Ling Maomao got wind of it. He unhappily pouted his mouth and said, “My elder brother has never done that even for me.”

Fu Caiwei poked him in the forehead with her forefinger. “What are you talking about? Your elder brother has always favored you the most.”

“But there are many dishes that I like as well, and elder brother never prepared any of them for me. I’d like to have them, too,” said Ling Maomao.

“You’re still young. You can’t have all those dishes all at once. Otherwise you’ll end up suffering from over-nutrition. Your elder brother has prepared a lot of other dishes for you before,” said Fu Caiwei.

Ling Maomao snorted and unhappily ran outside. “No. I want to go and see!”

“Stop, Maomao! Don’t disturb your elder brother and Lord Yuwen. You hear me? Come back!” Fu Caiwei hurriedly called.

But Ling Maomao rapidly ran away, having no intention whatsoever to obediently stay.

Chapter 84: A Woman

“This brat runs so fast,” sighed Fu Caiwei.

Ling Xingzhong, however, didn’t lose his temper. He was very glad to hear the news. Stroking his beard, he said, “It seems that there’s still hope.”

‘My eldest grandson has already begun to proactively court Yuwen Tong’s favor. Would it be long before he agrees to the marriage?’ he whispered to himself in delight.

“But we still have to remind Zhang’er that he must not be excessively solicitous. He must adopt a moderate finesse.”

Fu Caiwei pulled a wry face when she heard his words. It was this man who had wanted Ling Zhang to establish a close relationship with Yuwen Tong, but now he wanted Ling Zhang to keep a moderate distance from him.

‘Alas. This old man’s thoughts are so unpredictable.’

Meanwhile, Ling Maomao rapidly ran to the Green Bamboo Mansion. The moment he entered the courtyard, he was greeted by tempting aromas. Instantly, a wave of pique flooded him and he yelled, “Elder brother!”

On hearing Ling Maomao’s silvery voice, Ling Zhang, who had prepared some novel dishes to entertain Yuwen Tong, did a double take. “Maomao?”

‘He should be having lunch at this hour. Why did he come here?’ he wondered.

Yuwen Tong also put down his chopsticks, watching Ling Maomao running into the room. The first thing Ling Maomao did after entering was glance at those dishes on the dining table, and then he flicked a rather aggrieved glimpse at Yuwen Tong.

Yuwen Tong was confused at first. And then, as he saw Ling Maomao ran to Ling Zhang with a faintly sulky pout, he had a general idea of what was going on, but he kept his countenance in silence, waiting to hear what Ling Maomao was going to say to Ling Zhang.

“Elder brother, I haven’t seen you for days. Are you very busy?” Ling Maomao complained in an aggrieved tone of voice.

Yuwen Tong’s eyebrows lifted. ‘This kid’s not bad. He adopted a roundabout method in pursuit of his ends.’

But Ling Zhang didn’t have a clue what kind of grievance Ling Maomao had been nursing, so naturally his heart was softened as he heard his aggrieved voice. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have neglected you. I apologize to you. Please forgive me.”

“Then… Then can I sleep with you tonight?” Ling Maomao raised his head and pitifully looked at him.

Ling Zhang recalled that he didn’t have to take a medicated bath on this day, so he nodded. “By all means. You’re always welcome at elder brother’s house.”

On hearing this, Ling Maomao gave a smile. “And you’re also telling me stories about Marshal Yuwen.”

Ling Zhang was speechless with embarrassment.

He gave a soft cough and glimpsed at Yuwen Tong who was watching him.

“Okay.”

He didn’t care whether he would lose face. His younger brother being happy was the most important to him.

Ling Maomao cheered and held his belly. “I hurried here to meet you and I haven’t had lunch yet.”

“Then have it here. Come on. Take a seat.” Without any suspicions, Ling Zhang drew Ling Maomao to the dining table and settled him on a chair.

Xia Feng, who had carried these dishes to the Green Bamboo Mansion with Ling Zhang previously, was an observant man. He gave the boy a spare bowl and a pair of spare chopsticks and said, “Enjoy your meal, Second Young Master.”

Ling Maomao happily took the bowl and chopsticks and cast a smile at his elder brother. “Let’s eat, elder brother.”

“Okay,” Ling Zhang replied and sat down on a chair beside him.

Yuwen Tong gazed at the two brothers, the responsive little one of whom was smugly watching him while his elder brother wasn’t paying attention, and the other one of whom seemed to be completely oblivious of what was going on, which Yuwen Tong found a pretty amusing sight.

“Err, let me continue offering you some information about these dishes. So this one…” Ling Zhang resumed providing Yuwen Tong with information on the next course.

And then the look in Ling Maomao’s eyes turned from smugness into envy. Beneath his gaze, Yuwen Tong picked the best and also most delicious part of that dish for himself.

Ling Maomao went speechless.

He abruptly took a mouthful of rice in a fit of anger.

Yuwen Tong deliberately picked the best part of every other dish, which Ling Maomao desired the most. The little boy could barely forbear to throw a tantrum.

Finally, Ling Zhang also sensed that something was not right. In perplexity, he looked at Yuwen Tong and then moved his eyes onto Ling Maomao. “What’s going on?”

As eager as Ling Maomao was to tell on Yuwen Tong, when he saw the look on Yuwen Tong’s face, an inexplicable unwillingness to admit defeat clutched at his heart. His cheeks bulging, he said, “Nothing.”

Of course Ling Zhang didn’t believe him. He looked at Yuwen Tong. Naturally, which parts of those dishes this marshal had just picked didn’t escape his notice. ‘Surely it was not by sheer coincidence that this guy took away the part Maomao liked the most every time he used his chopsticks?’ he wondered.

“This is the first time that I’ve heard of these dishes. After having a taste of each of them, I found that they’re pretty appetizing. Very good.”

After hearing Yuwen Tong’s words, Ling Zhang thought, ‘This is the first time that this guy has tasted these dishes, so he shouldn’t have known what Maomao liked the most. It must be a coincidence. But the resemblance between their preferences is so uncanny.”

“Then I’ll have them serve these dishes again in a couple of days.”

“Okay.”

Ling Maomao cast a glance at his elder brother, wondering, ‘These dishes will be served again in a couple of days? Will I be allowed to come here to freeload one more time?’

Though Ling Zhang believed that it was a mere coincidence that Yuwen Tong behaved this way, he was well aware of what Ling Maomao was thinking about as well as which dishes he liked the most, so he said, “You’ll get a serving of this menu as well. I promise all courses will be your favorite.”

Ling Maomao’s eyes lit up. It was not until this moment that he felt happy again. “Thank you, elder brother.”

Yuwen Tong had merely been teasing Ling Maomao on a whim. It was not that he really wanted to cross him, so during the rest of the lunch time, he no longer gave Ling Maomao tit for tat, and Ling Maomao secretly sighed with relief.

After lunch, Ling Maomao, who had run out of good reason for staying in the Green Bamboo Mansion, reluctantly left the mansion, frequently looking back at his elder brother on his way out.

“The brotherly affection between you two is unduly saccharine. It’s not that you won’t be able to see each other again,” said Yuwen Tong.

“Maomao is still a little boy,” Ling Zhang explained.

It was mainly because he always had an urge to make up for Ling Maomao and make Maomao happy, which was what he had failed to do in his last life as well as his greatest regret.

“He’s already seven, an age at which I’ve already had my experience of the cruelty of war,” said Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang flicked a resigned glance at him. “How could Maomao compare to you? I only hope he spends his life in peace and happiness.”

But Yuwen Tong gave a chuckle. “If you keep doing this, he will only end up being spoiled. You should find the guts to subject him to discipline and toughen him up if you really want the best for him. Only by becoming strong enough can he protect himself and ensure his safety and happiness.”

Ling Zhang seemed to be absorbed in thought. After a while he said with a wry smile, “I know what you’re saying, but in any case, I have to resolve the present crisis first.”

Seeing that he had understood, Yuwen Tong made no further remarks.

Meanwhile, Ling Maomao, who had returned to the ante-room of his home, was summoned by Ling Xingzhong. “Maomao, how are your elder brother and Lord Yuwen getting along?”

On hearing Yuwen Tong’s name, Ling Maomao pouted, “As usual.”

“Be more specific. Tell me,” Ling Xingzhong urged.

Ling Maomao looked at his grandfather in perplexity, wondering, ‘Even grandfather regards Elder Brother Yuwen as such an important person. Why?’

“Maomao, why are you keeping silent?” Ling Xingzhong watched him.

“Elder brother prepared a tableful of delicious food for Elder Brother Yuwen and also offered detailed information about them. Elder Brother Yuwen said that those dishes were pretty good, and then elder brother said that he would prepare them again for Elder Brother Yuwen a couple of days later.” Though Ling Maomao was unwilling to do so, he still told Ling Xingzhong what had happened during lunch.

“Oh? He’ll cook meals for him again? Good. That’s good.” Ling Xingzhong burst into laughter.

“Grandpa, why do you like Elder Brother Yuwen so much?” Ling Maomao couldn’t understand.

“Um? You like him, too, do you not? You don’t want him to tell you stories about Marshal Yuwen any longer?” Ling Xingzhong looked at him.

Ling Maomao briefly froze. “We – Well, I do. Elder Brother Yuwen is a pretty good storyteller.”

“You like his stories, so does grandpa,” Ling Xingzhong told him.

Ling Maomao thought for a while. “Fine.”

He decided to let go of what had happened during lunch, considering it as a payment for all those stories Elder Brother Yuwen had told him.

In the afternoon, Ling Zhang went to the guards’ yard. Wang Dashan and Liu Yi had also got up after catching up on their sleep for half a day. All the twelve security guards had basically mastered what Ling Zhang had taught them, which greatly relieved Ling Zhang who had been worrying that these guys might not be able to acquire these skills after ten days even half a month.

“Tomorrow, we’ll officially start formation training. This afternoon I’ll introduce you to the first formation of this tactical deployment as well as your respective position in it.”

It would take a long time to elaborate on the principles of Trap-and-Kill Formation. Ling Zhang expounded it carefully, telling those guards their positions according to Yuwen Tong’s suggestions.

They found that their current positions were different from those designated to them on the first day. Wang Dashan asked in uncertainty, “Young Master, our positions have been changed?”

“That’s right. I have made some adjustment to your positions. Have a try. See if you can cooperate with one another more effectively.”

After hearing his words, Wang Dashan and others made a few moves and, as expected, found that they could now play their parts better in the formation. Wang Dashan said delightedly, “This is amazing.”

“I think the teamwork of you is now good enough. All you need to do is firmly memorize your respective positions and familiarize yourselves with the way you’re supposed to cooperate with people around you. And our final goal is the twelve of you working as one. I want all of you to show diligence in your training. We’ve been working so hard for quite a few days. And this moment is all we’ve been waiting for.”

“Rest assured, Young Master. We’ll do our level best!”

It would take more than a day and a night for these twelve people to work as one in the formation. First they had to force themselves to memorize the details, and then after some training, they would be able to utilize the formation proficiently and then flexibly.

Ling Zhang spent the whole afternoon teaching in the guards’ yard, while Yuwen Tong received a letter which said that Little Liu, a member of the guard team that he had ordered Yue Qi to dispatch to Tanyang from the capital city, had arrived waiting for Yuwen Tong’s instructions.

“Tell him to enter the city after dark. Remind him to stay out of people’s sight.”

“Yes, marshal.”

“Did Yao Yi come back?”

“The captain is back, marshal.”

“Let him in.”

Yao Yi, who had been waiting outside for some time, hurried inside on hearing that the marshal finally summoned him. “Marshal!”

“Um. So how’s it going?”

“The result of the investigation suggests that the mine director of Jia family has been visiting a private brothel named Pear Blossom Garden more and more often recently. We’d actually investigated the owner of the Pear Blossom Garden, who’s called Lady Jingwu. Originally, we thought that the mine director was merely a regular customer of hers. Unexpectedly, the mine director cared about her more than we’d imagined. It was just that he didn’t intervene personally but secretly sent a couple of intermediaries providing shelter for the Pear Blossom Garden.”

“Then I found that sometimes, when the mine director went to the Pear Blossom Garden, he even carried the account book on him, as if he didn’t mind the owner reading it. So the owner of the Pear Blossom Garden is another person who has access to the account book apart from that servant of the mine director of Jia family.”

“Oh? A woman.”