Chapter 906: Giving You a Favor
Editor: Henyee Translations

“Three hundred acres?” Tang Jinghong’s eyes flickered coldly as he contemplated silencing everyone involved, “Has the land been cleared yet?”

“I don’t know,” Wen Juncheng replied, “Yang City is quite far from Linzhang City, it wasn’t my concern, so I didn’t pay attention.”

“There’s another thing. There are many warehouses in Linzhang City storing those items, but I don’t know their exact locations. You’ll have to send someone to find them.”

The Magistrate sternly advised, “You must say everything you know. Only by purging the eastern border can we finally have peace.”

Wen Juncheng nodded, “I understand, but that’s all I know.”

Tang Jinghong left the tent and returned to the main tent, where he relayed the information to Chu Qingzhi. He then sent Meng Shengdong and five highly skilled guards to assist Chu Qingzhi.

Meanwhile, Chu Qingzhi had just returned to the city…

Zeng He, rapidly leaping across rooftops, arrived at a roof near Lou Ze, calling out, “Lou Ze, over here.”

Lou Ze looked up and then leapt onto the roof, following Zeng He to a civilian house.

Inside, about a dozen black-clad figures emerged from the house to greet them with a bow, “Chief!”

Zeng He felt somewhat uneasy, but his face remained stern and cold as the leader of the assassins, “Hand me the papers that record what the Magistrate has done.”

A subordinate promptly presented the documents.

Zeng He ordered, “Stand by for now. After I read these, I will write a letter to our lord.”

“Yes.”

Zeng He, taking Lou Ze with him, entered the house. He didn’t look at the content of the papers but handed them directly to Lou Ze, “You read it.”

Lou Ze sat down and quickly skimmed the documents.

The fake Magistrate was a subordinate of Wen Changyuan from the Yun organization, responsible for finding lands to cultivate poppies. Wen Changyuan was the main person in charge.

Another of his responsibilities was the transportation of goods; the previous batch of goods was also handled by him, but it is still unknown who stole it.

He managed warehouses at the following three locations: Baihua Street in the south of the city, Junyi Bridge Street in the west, and Yang Tower Street in the north.

That was all.

After reading, Lou Ze tossed the paper lightly, and it turned to ash, “Let’s go, let’s deal with this Magistrate.”

“Yes.” Zeng He got up and walked out.

Outside, Zeng He clapped several times, and the black-clad figures who had been waiting in the room swiftly came out, surrounding the area, “Move out!”

Silently, the group ascended the rooftops and headed toward the government office.

Lou Ze followed from a distance. With so many people, he didn’t need to get involved personally; watching would suffice.

…

At the yamen.

A subordinate arrived in the room, reporting to the fake Magistrate, “Big brother, our plot has been exposed. The boss wants you dead. We should flee.”

The fake Magistrate hadn’t expected his boss to be so ruthless. He had only made one mistake, and now he faced death, “Where are the assassins?”

The subordinate said, “They will reach the government office shortly.”

The fake Magistrate made a decisive decision, “Let’s leave here. He shows no loyalty, so neither will I. Let’s defect to Tang Jinghong for protection.”

The subordinate hesitated, “What do you mean, big brother?”

The fake Magistrate glanced at his subordinates, then started packing, “Exactly as you understood.”

The subordinate helped with the packing.

Once ready, the fake Magistrate mounted a horse and left the yamen through the back door.

He left just in time, and the assassins found the government office empty, except for the family members. There was no trace of the fake Magistrate.

“Chief, what should we do now?”

“Expand the search area, we must catch him!”

The assassins dispersed quickly to search the vicinity, but by then, the fake Magistrate had already been intercepted by Lou Ze, “It’s late, where does the Magistrate plan to go?”

The fake Magistrate, seeing the figure blocking his path, panicked, “Who are you? Get out of the way!”

Lou Ze crossed his arms, smiling slightly at the fake Magistrate, “If you answer my question, I might consider letting you go.”

A murderous glint flashed in the fake Magistrate’s eyes, “What do you want to ask?”

Lou Ze said, “Tell me where you’re headed, and perhaps I’ll give you a head start.”

Driven to desperation, the fake Magistrate blurted out, “The organization wants to kill me, and I’m furious. I plan to defect to Tang Jinghong for protection. I’ve told you, now can you let me go?”

If not, he was ready to fight to the death.

Defecting to Jinghong? Lou Ze smiled slightly, “No wonder you’ve had a change of heart. I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll let you go.”

With that, Lou Ze leapt to the rooftop, stepping aside to allow passage.

The fake Magistrate was taken aback by how easily Lou Ze had let him go. He glanced back several times but couldn’t discern anything from Lou Ze’s expression, so he spurred his horse and rode away.

Watching the fake Magistrate disappear into the distance, Lou Ze turned and flew back towards the government office.

Zeng He, seeing Lou Ze approaching, watched him for a moment before joining him, “Did you see the Magistrate?”

Lou Ze shook his head, “No.”

Zeng He inwardly doubted, feeling somewhat skeptical. There was no way Chu Qingzhi would help the Magistrate, but something felt off, “If we don’t eliminate the Magistrate, the organization will hold us accountable.”

Lou Ze’s lips curled into a smile, “I’m looking forward to meeting this Hong Feiyun.”

“You’re not planning to…” Zeng He’s sense of foreboding grew stronger, pitying the Yun organization’s people.

Lou Ze countered, “Why not?”

“Sure, sure, whatever pleases you,” Zeng He quickly adapted, playing the part of a loyal follower, feeling a thrill in the intrigue.

Lou Ze declared, “I’ll find an inn to rest. If Hong Feiyun calls, come and find me.”

“Understood,” Zeng He responded promptly.

With a flicker, Lou Ze disappeared from sight.

…

In the inn.

Chu Qingzhi entered a room where Meng Shengdong and the others were waiting. They immediately bowed upon seeing her, “Miss Chu!”

Chu Qingzhi nodded to them and then wrote down the names of the three warehouses, “These are the three warehouses the fake Magistrate built in Linzhang City. Quietly gather some people and evacuate the residents around these locations. Once the evacuation is complete, come back here and wait for me.”

“Understood.”

Chu Qingzhi cautioned, “Don’t act rashly. There are many from the Yun organization in Linzhang City. These people are ruthless. If they catch you, they won’t show any mercy. Be careful.”

“Yes.”

Chu Qingzhi instructed, “Go and handle it.”

Meng Shengdong led the others out of the inn. The eastern border now seemed like a dying elder, vulnerable to collapsing at the slightest mishap, so no one dared to relax.

Chu Qingzhi switched rooms, opened a window, and three parrots—numbered Three, Four, and Five—flew in.

She took some small green worms from her bag to feed them, then poured a glass of water, “Any news of Jiang Zhaozong?”

Three replied, “No, we’ve flown over the eastern border and haven’t seen him.”

Chu Qingzhi harbored a grim suspicion—could Jiang Zhaozong have been killed? If so, how would she explain this to her fourth sister?

“Did you hear anyone mention Jiang Zhaozong’s name?”

Four answered, “Yes, in Shu City, we heard his name mentioned once. After that, we flew away and didn’t hear anything more.”