186: Black Hand

Wang Ye leaned against the wall, took two deep breaths, and slowly said, “Recently, there have been too many refugees, and all the fields are full.

So I took out the silver I had saved to buy rice, intending to get through this period first.

Yuan Qi said that we had already given them land to Cultivate, and those who died were unlucky; it wasn't anyone's fault... Later, I found the tea house owner, and he told me to wait in the courtyard and someone would come to save me.”

As Wang Ye recounted the truth, Jiang Hanwen held a charcoal pencil and drew on paper.

When Wang Ye finished speaking, the rustling sound on the paper abruptly stopped.

“Wang Ye, everything you said before Dan Master Feng Xibing was true.

But after that, you didn't say a single true word.

With that injury of yours, let alone avoiding the Yeming Division, even walking would be difficult.”

Wang Ye dared not meet Jiang Hanwen’s eyes and lowered his head: “Senior, I... I’m sorry, someone did save me, but I cannot say who.

Other than this matter, whatever you want to know, I will tell you everything!”

“Alright, then let’s talk about the master from your Commerce Guild before. Who was she, what were her habits, and when did she leave?”

“What that Senior was like, I actually don’t know.

She only made a move to repel the Black Tiger Gang leader; everything else I made up myself to protect the Commerce Guild.

That Senior always lived in the building across from the Commerce Guild, occasionally basking in the sun upstairs.

I went to request an audience twice, but that Senior didn’t see me. I lied to them, saying that the Senior told us to be law-abiding, and naturally, no one dared to be an enemy of the Commerce Guild.”

Jiang Hanwen was momentarily lost in thought; Xia Zhijie had also used this trick!

“Anything else?” he asked.

“No more,” Xia Zhijie shook his head: “Benefactor, I am a worthless life, there’s nothing I can do to thank you.

I know a place where silver is hidden, six hundred taels, and I can write down the location for you now.”

Jiang Hanwen shook his head, placed the drawing board he was holding on the table between them, and slowly said, “I have a friend who came here with me many years ago.

Back then, this place wasn’t called Heng’an; it was called Great Stronghold.

I opened a bookstore at the time, but he was different; he said he wanted to save some people, but due to his identity, he couldn’t stay here for too long.

He said he found a few reliable scholars and had them responsible for keeping daily accounts, giving each person who worked in the fields a token, up to twenty tokens.

He checked the accounts once and then left, even tricking those few people into believing they had been poisoned and had to obey—”

Jiang Hanwen hadn't finished speaking.

“Thud~”

Wang Ye slammed his hands heavily on the bed frame, making a dull sound, and he leaped up like a leopard, snatching the drawing board from between them.

On the drawing board, although the brushstrokes were stiff, the Young Master's Face was unmistakable; it was him!

The pent-up grievances in his heart could no longer be contained, gushing out like a flood.

Wang Ye clutched the drawing board to his chest, holding it tightly, and tilted his head back, allowing tears to stream down the corners of his eyes.

This journey had been too difficult, too difficult!

Those former elders, some died, some left.

Only he and Yuan Qi remained until the end, and now, even he was only half-dead.

After a long period of choking back sobs, Wang Ye wiped away his tears and said in a low voice: “That Senior liked to wear white clothes and a white veiled bamboo hat; she must have been a female Senior.

She seemed to be looking for something and disappeared for a while.

The last time I saw her was three months ago, on the main street in front of the Bai family.

After that, I never saw her again.”

A white bamboo hat, female, near the Bai family, three months – the timing also matched.

It seemed this mysterious master was Bai Youlan's master.

“Senior, is the Young Master still well?” Wang Ye gazed intently at Jiang Hanwen.

“Yes, he’s doing very well, it’s just that he can’t come for now.

What about you, what are your plans for the future?”

“I want revenge!” Wang Ye’s eyes were bloodshot: “Two hundred forty-six people from the Commerce Guild, two thousand nine hundred twelve refugees, all sold by Yuan Qi.

If I don’t kill him, I swear I’m not human!”

“Hmm, a good idea. And after you get your revenge?”

“I want to restore the Commerce Guild so that when the Young Master returns, I won’t have disappointed him.” As he said this, a rare tenderness flickered in Wang Ye’s eyes; those were his proudest and happiest times.

“What about you then? Haven't you thought about what you want to do for yourself?

My friend would surely want you to live for yourself.

To be honest, after all these years, saving so many people, you don't owe him.”

“I want the Commerce Guild to last forever; that’s the one thing I want to do most.” Wang Ye’s eyes were bright and fervent like flames, as he answered decisively.

“Then I wish you good luck. If I can contact that friend, I will tell him.

One last question.

Can you tell me about the person who saved you from the fire?” Jiang Hanwen eventually circled back to this question; he was very curious who this person was who connected Xia Zhijie and Wang Ye.

“Senior, I’m sorry, I cannot say. Even if the Young Master were here, I would rather die than break my word. Please, do what you must.”

Having said that, Wang Ye closed his eyes, quietly awaiting his death.

To see the Young Master one last time before he died, he was already content.

As for whether this meeting was a twist of fate or a trap set by that traitor, it no longer mattered.

Jiang Hanwen pointed to the drawing board in Wang Ye’s arms, which he had excitedly broken, and said: “I hope you keep today’s events a secret.”

Opening his eyes in disbelief, Wang Ye’s eyes widened in surprise: “You—”

“What, did you think I was sent by Yuan Qi?” Jiang Hanwen smiled faintly, pushed open the door, and walked out of the room.

Wang Ye’s injury was not ordinary and had been prolonged for a long time. To avoid leaving any lasting problems, relying solely on the Gathering Life Technique was not enough; he also needed to take some medicine. He would go get some medicine and return tomorrow.

Just ten breaths after Jiang Hanwen left the tea house, a pair of eyes appeared in the window of the adjacent inn, watching him leave.

The night was silent, pedestrians on the road were sparse, and only the Xunwu Guard and the Yeming Division were still patrolling.

As soon as Jiang Hanwen pushed open his own door, urgent shouts immediately echoed in his ears.

“Quick, quick, there’s another big fire in the east of the city!”

“Thump-thump-thump~”

The iron hooves of scaled horses shattered the night’s dreams, and the two Guards, dispersed throughout Heng’an City, galloped with all their might towards the east of the city.

“What’s going on, is there a war outside?”

“Quick, quick, pack up your clothes.”

“My heavens, our family just got enough to eat!”

...One by one, extinguished lamps rekindled, casting faint glows as people peered out onto the street.

Jiang Hanwen leaped onto the rooftop. To his left, the clouds in the sky were low and red, like a setting sun.

This fire was massive, not even less than the scale of the Zongheng Chamber of Commerce fire back then.

Once was one thing, catching them off guard.

Now, a second time, it was clearly a blatant provocation.

Jiang Hanwen frowned. A Black Wind Martial Hall, with only three Qi Induction cultivators.

Where did they get the courage to repeatedly provoke the yamen?

Unless, the evil cultivators behind the Black Wind Martial Hall had made a move.

It was a troubled autumn. Just when he could finally Cultivate in peace, dirty things appeared again. Turning back to the underground, Jiang Hanwen began to pack his belongings.

He wasn't sure what the future held, so he had to be prepared to leave Heng’an at any time, just in case.

bitter apricot fruit, money, a Pill Furnace, a third-grade spirit gathering grass... five storage rings, all full.

Jiang Hanwen returned to the ground and sat in the courtyard.

On the nearby pond, jagged lotus leaves floated and swayed across the water’s surface.

Four lotus flowers, gray on the outside and white on the inside, bloomed, elegant and pure, casting a hazy glow under the faint moonlight.

“Little one, if something happens, I might have to leave. Do you want to come with me?”

Jiang Hanwen spoke to the lotus flowers, and abundant rain surged from his hand, falling into the water.

In less than ten breaths, visibly, the four lotus flowers withered, and four black and white lotus seeds squeezed out from the center of the lotus pods.

A faint smile hung on Jiang Hanwen’s lips; it seemed he still had some Face.

Just as Jiang Hanwen grasped the lotus seeds, a violent tremor erupted.

A colossal roar, as if the earth was splitting, echoed throughout the entire Heng’an sky, like a Dragon turning over.

Jiang Hanwen’s eyes narrowed; the direction of the tremor was very close to him, less than three hundred meters!

This direction was the Li family!

Combining it with the earlier fire, a thought suddenly surged into his mind.

The previous two fires were feints; the opponent’s true target was the Li family!

Wood chips flew, and a shadow leaped from the top floor of the adjacent building, rushing towards the direction of the tremor; it was Li Minzhong.

“Bang!”

In the direction of the Li family, fire erupted again.

The fire meant the opponent had already finished their move.

Jiang Hanwen sighed. Most of the two Guards had been drawn to the east of the city; it was too late to return to defend.

The sound of the explosion traveled far, audible even to the City Lord’s mansion several miles away.

City Lord Guo Huaian was not asleep; instead, he was dressed in formal attire, sitting in the main hall.

The light in the room was soft, flowing like a golden ocean.

Before him sat a middle-aged man who, though showing signs of age, had a fierce expression.

An abrupt shadow was cast in front of the man, a treacherous undercurrent surging beneath the golden ocean.

“City Lord, our family will give you a proper explanation for this matter.

What do you think?”