Chapter 51 - 50: Willing to Fight to the Death for Ultimate Victory!

Chapter 51: Chapter 50: Willing to Fight to the Death for Ultimate Victory!

After taking a few quick bites of the roast duck, Zheng Jun ignored his image and directly tore off a duck leg. He then stood up, intending to follow the Scribe to the Military Department for inspection.

"We probably won’t be back for lunch, so you can finish it all yourself, Zhou Pu."

Leaving these words behind, Zheng Jun and Xu Heng headed in the direction of the Military Department.

This summons was undoubtedly about the rewards for their merits. The bounty for the important Court criminals he had Slashed earlier hadn’t been issued yet. Coupled with the reward for suppressing the rebellion, it should amount to around three or four hundred silver taels this time. Adding his previous silver taels, Zheng Jun realized that he could now be considered part of the wealthy class in Black Mountain County. "Next time, I can buy a more spacious manor outside the county town," he thought.

Meanwhile, Xu Heng felt a mix of complex emotions, wondering what the true purpose of this summons was.

Before long, the two arrived at the Military Department. They entered together and paid their respects to the County Captain. "Greetings, Lord County Captain."

"No need for the Rituals."

Cai Xun was sitting in the main seat, holding a faded classic scroll in his hand. Seeing Zheng Jun and Xu Heng arrive, he immediately stood up with a look of extreme delight. "Zheng San has arrived! Quickly, take a seat!"

"Thank you, My Lord." Zheng Jun cupped his hands in greeting and took a seat to the side.

Seeing this, Xu Heng looked at Cai Xun with deep anticipation, as if waiting for something.

Unexpectedly, Cai Xun acted as if he hadn’t seen Xu Heng at all. Just as he was about to say something to Zheng Jun, he suddenly noticed Xu Heng standing to the side and asked in surprise, "Historian Xu is here too?"

"Didn’t you ask me to come?" Xu Heng thought. He felt a sense of sorrow, his face burning as if scorched by fire.

"Oh, right. Historian Xu, you have done well in exposing the culprits. In a few days, take a trip to the Commandery to meet the Prefect, and you will be able to fill the vacancy of the County Magistrate," Cai Xun said casually. "You should prepare well these next few days. If there is nothing else, you are dismissed."

"Yes, My Lord." Although Xu Heng felt slightly aggrieved, he was inexplicably overjoyed upon hearing Cai Xun’s words. He cupped his hands and complied. This was the position of a County Magistrate! His eyes burned with passion. After cupping his hands in agreement, he quickly retreated from the Military Department.

After Xu Heng left, Cai Xun turned his attention back to Zheng Jun. He spoke very gently, "I heard that Sanlang had stepped into Qi Storage. I didn’t believe it at first, but seeing you now, I truly witness the demeanor of a prodigy!"

"It was merely a stroke of luck," Zheng Jun repeatedly declined the praise, unsure of what Cai Xun was trying to do.

"Previously, when Sanlang was only at Blood Refining, I still had some concerns. Now that you have reached Qi Storage, I have no more worries. Would Sanlang prefer to take the Martial Arts examinations, or stay and take a post in the county?" Cai Xun asked.

Zheng Jun immediately replied, "I am willing to stay in the county and await the County Captain’s orders."

"Excellent!" Hearing this, Cai Xun was overjoyed. He then smiled and said, "If Sanlang has no plans to enter the Garrison Command Government Office, I will submit a memorial to the Court to have you enter the Black Mountain Guard as the acting Captain, commanding all the troops of the Black Mountain Guard. What do you think of this, Sanlang?"

"I am willing," Zheng Jun said in a deep voice. This was exactly what he wanted to achieve, and he hadn’t expected it to actually come to fruition. Serving in the military was naturally something Zheng Jun looked forward to.

Seeing Zheng Jun accept, Cai Xun nodded. He then suddenly lowered his voice and asked, "Zheng San, if circumstances change in the future, can you offer your services?"

Zheng Jun was instantly shocked upon hearing Cai Xun’s words. "What does he mean, if circumstances change in the future? What is he planning to do?" he wondered. The ’change’ mentioned could absolutely not be an ordinary one. Given the way he phrased it, Zheng Jun felt that Cai Xun’s schemes were incredibly vast. "Could it be rebellion too?" he pondered. "Is the Cai Family behind him the faction that colluded with the Qingshui Gang? Did he sell out the Qingshui Gang just to accumulate merits for himself? No, that doesn’t make sense."

Zheng Jun couldn’t figure out what major event Cai Xun was talking about, but he still immediately declared in a deep voice, "I am willing to fight to the death to achieve complete success!" He couldn’t exactly say ’no’ at a time like this.

"Good!" Cai Xun nodded in satisfaction and continued, "If you ever lack silver in the future, just tell me. The Black Mountain Guard currently has two hundred and twenty-seven infantrymen and eleven cavalrymen. You can recruit the rest to fill the quota yourself. You must ensure the loyalty of the Black Mountain Guard so that if something major happens, they are willing to fight to the death!"

"I understand," Zheng Jun nodded.

"Do not misunderstand," Cai Xun added, his tone filled with profound meaning. "When I say fight to the death, I mean out of concern that the soldiers might lack morale and be unfit for heavy responsibility when we enter the mountains to eradicate the bandits."

"Why would you say that, My Lord? There’s naturally no issue with my understanding. It is, of course, to offer our services for eradicating the bandits," Zheng Jun replied sonorously.

Though he said this out loud, Zheng Jun knew that his life belonged to himself. Under circumstances where Cai Xun was merely paying lip service, there was naturally no way Zheng Jun would fully commit his life to him. If there were benefits, he would step forward; if not, he would hide.

Cai Xun felt physically and mentally pleased. He then pulled out five silver notes from his sleeve and said to Zheng Jun, "The Court’s reward silver, along with the previous amount, totals five hundred taels. Take it all with you."

"Thank you, My Lord." Zheng Jun nodded. After accepting the silver notes, he cupped his hands and said, "I will come to the Military Department to take up my post tomorrow."

Cai Xun gave a slight nod, and Zheng Jun then took his leave.

After exiting the Military Department, the sky was already growing dark. Zheng Jun took a deep breath and strode briskly toward the Tian Residence. The main gate of the Tian Residence had long been sealed. The inside had already been raided several times by the County Government Office, leaving practically no property behind.

Zheng Jun very skillfully vaulted over the wall and entered. He found the hidden compartment Tian Zhenyuan had mentioned and retrieved a small box from beneath a grey brick. This immediately made Zheng Jun feel disappointed in the confiscation constables from the County Government Office. "They raid a house but don’t even know to lift the floorboards? The constables of Black Mountain County really are incompetent," he thought.

Shaking his head, Zheng Jun took out all the Pills from the small box. He then immediately restored everything to its original state, vaulted back over the wall to exit, and returned home.

Upon returning, Zheng Jun went straight to Zhou Pu’s house without a second thought.

"Junzi is back?" Zheng Ping was thrilled to see Zheng Jun come over. She said to him, "Stay for dinner tonight. Zhou Pu brought a duck back. I’ll go heat it up."

Zheng Jun took a glance and realized it was the other duck from noon that they hadn’t gotten around to eating. "Zhou Pu, you’re quite frugal," he said, looking at him.

Although Zhou Pu was usually carefree, seeing Zheng Jun’s look made him feel a bit embarrassed. He rubbed the back of his head. "It would have been a waste if you guys didn’t eat it, so I brought it back... Let’s not talk about this."

Zheng Jun gave a slight nod. Seeing that his sister had already gone to busy herself with dinner, he immediately pulled out a one hundred taels silver note from his sleeve and said, "Zhou Pu, here is one hundred taels. Later, help me look for a manor. Preferably a larger one."

"Hmm?" Hearing this, Zhou Pu couldn’t help but be slightly taken aback. "What are you buying a manor for?"

Zheng Jun casually replied, "Buying a residence in the county town is too small. There’s not enough room to stretch out." The recent sense of an approaching storm made Zheng Jun increasingly feel that something was amiss. If a major incident occurred within the county town, it would be instantly blocked off, making escape completely impossible. A larger house would also be more convenient for hiding and plotting. For instance, secretly raising Death Warriors...

Although he felt there was something odd about Zheng Jun’s request, Zhou Pu still accepted the silver note. "Large compounds outside are cheap. If you want to buy a big one, it will cost at most sixty or seventy taels. The remaining..."

"It’s best to buy one near Changse Town, and you can handle the remaining silver yourself, Zhou Pu," Zheng Jun spoke very resolutely. "The recent situation has been a bit bizarre. You should pick up your Martial Arts training again, Zhou Pu."

"Martial Arts?" Hearing this, Zhou Pu couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh. "Forget it! I don’t possess exceptional talent like you do. I’ve trained for seven or eight years and only just managed to start Blood Refining. After all this time, I haven’t succeeded a single time." Born into this kind of world, who wouldn’t want to reach the pinnacle of Martial Arts? It was simply because of a lack of talent. Hindered by the daily necessities of life, one could only slowly give up.

Hearing Zhou Pu’s words, Zheng Jun straightforwardly took a porcelain bottle from his sleeve, which contained three brownish-red Pills.

"This is..." Zhou Pu was startled by the sight and muttered to himself, "Blood Nourishing Pills? The Blood Nourishing Pills that cost ten taels of silver each?"

"So expensive?" Zheng Jun thought. Hearing this price, he instantly felt that Cai Xun was indeed incredibly wealthy, but he said calmly, "It’s good that you recognize them. There are three Pills here, enough to support your Blood Refining. Later, I will recommend you to the County Captain and the County Magistrate to be the Squad Leader of the Strong Shift. If circumstances change in the future, it’s best to be prepared!"

Hearing Zheng Jun’s words, Zhou Pu was greatly shaken internally. He then said, "Rest assured, Sanlang. If circumstances change in the future, we are one family. I am naturally willing to fight to the death to achieve complete success!"

This phrase sounded somewhat familiar. Zheng Jun suddenly remembered the exact words he had spoken in front of Cai Xun earlier. However, Zhou Pu’s words, compared to his own, were much more sincere.

After finishing, Zhou Pu asked again, "But if you’re going to recommend me to be the Squad Leader of the Strong Shift, then Junzi, you... could it be that you’re going to become the Historian?"

"No." Zheng Jun shook his head, his eyes deep. He then said, "Starting tomorrow, I will be the Captain of the Black Mountain Guard, the Commander of these three hundred capable soldiers!"

As long as Zhou Pu became the Squad Leader of the Strong Shift, at least the five hundred Civilian Soldiers could be organized as well. In this Black Mountain County, they would impressively control the vast majority of the military forces. No matter what happened in the future, they would have a solid foundation of confidence!