Insatiable Greed

Hearing this, a thin layer of sweat broke out on Wei Laosan's back. He quickly bowed and replied, “You are right to lecture me, Second Brother.”

“Rest assured, I will keep a close eye on these people. I won't let any of the Divine Lady's spies slip in.”

Zhang Xun did not look at him again. Instead, he slowly swept his slanted eyes across the thirty newcomers, his gaze cold and calculating.

Someone in the crowd met his gaze and immediately went weak in the knees, only staying upright because the person next to them held them up.

Wang Meng picked up a piece of meat from the pot, took a bite, and immediately spat it out with a series of disgusted noises, cursing loudly.

“This meat is so tough, I can't even chew it!”

He angrily threw down his chopsticks.

“We're making so much money now, yet we still have to hide away in this godforsaken wilderness every single day without even a decent meal. It's fucking frustrating!”

Standing a few paces away, Zhang Xun watched Wang Meng's vulgar display with cold eyes, barely able to suppress the disgust in his heart.

If not for his dire circumstances, he would never have stooped to calling these bandits his brothers. It was utterly repulsive.

Back in the day, as the confidant of State Preceptor Luo Daoqing, he associated only with the nobles of the capital, dined on delicacies from land and sea, and spent his days admiring ancient paintings and rare antiques. It had been a grand life.

Unfortunately, the good times did not last. The State Preceptor was defeated.

Overnight, Zhang Xun became a target for everyone.

A wise man adapts to the times; his alignment with Luo Daoqing had merely been a practical move. Yet, those hypocritical old fools in the imperial court called him the State Preceptor's lapdog.

He remembered every single one of their faces.

Hehe, there was no rush.

He looked up at the distant flower field blanketed by the twilight, where the Soul-Enthralling Flowers shimmered softly in the evening breeze.

Once he used these Soul-Enthralling Flowers to completely control those in the capital who were addicted to the powder, who would dare oppose him? To get their hands on Five Minerals Powder, they would probably crawl to lick his boots.

Besides, during his year by Luo Daoqing's side, he had learned far more than just how to manufacture Five Minerals Powder.

If Luo Daoqing could use those cheap tricks to ascend to the position of State Preceptor, why couldn't he?

Once the time was ripe, he would not only become the State Preceptor but also the ruler of the world. He would ascend to the highest seat of power, looking down upon all, and make the entire world live at his mercy!

Wei Laosan had no idea what grand ambitions were churning in Zhang Xun's mind. His own thoughts were entirely consumed with making amends for his mistake.

Rolling his eyes, he leaned closer to Wang Meng and offered a fawning smile. “Chief, this guy's tongue is gone and his legs are ruined. Keeping him alive is just a waste of food. Why don't we throw him into the flower field as fertilizer? That way, he can still be of some use.”

Wang Meng snorted coldly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Seeing that Wang Meng did not object, Wei Laosan grew bolder. He turned and strode toward the trembling crowd.

His sinister eyes swept back and forth across the group before he suddenly reached out, grabbed a small figure by the back of the collar, and violently dragged them out.

It was Qiao Yue.

The young girl stumbled a few steps from Wei Laosan's rough pull, nearly falling to the ground. Her hand instinctively reached into her sleeve, fingers brushing against the hilt of her hidden knife.

However, remembering that the time was not yet right, she forced herself to let go. Instead, a look of panic and terror appeared on her mud-smeared face.

Wei Laosan did not notice anything amiss.

Gripping Qiao Yue's arm, he dragged her before Wang Meng like a helpless chick, a sycophantic grin plastered on his face.

“Chief, look at this one. I just tricked this girl into coming up the mountain today. She's young, and though her face is a bit dirty, she should still be clean.” He pushed her closer to Wang Meng. “Just the thing to help you unwind.”

Wang Meng narrowed his eyes, sizing Qiao Yue up from head to toe.

With most of his face obscured by a thick beard, his expression was hard to read, but a clear glimmer of interest flared in his eyes as he stared at her.

While Qiao Yue put on a terrified front, she desperately urged herself to stay calm. They had already come this far; she could not let all their efforts go to waste. Just endure it a little longer, just a little longer...

In the crowd, Shen Yu's fists clenched involuntarily.

Beside the iron pot, the suspended man had gone completely quiet, his chest rising and falling only weakly.

Now that Qiao Yue had caught the eye of these bandits, she was in grave danger. It wouldn't be long before her identity was exposed.

Fortunately, there was still hope.

Calculating the time, the Zhenbei Army should have already reached the vicinity of the stronghold, following the markers he had left along the way.

However, since they were unfamiliar with the mountain paths, it would likely take them another half-hour at the earliest to reach the stronghold gates.

He had to find a way to stall for time.

No matter what, he could not allow a young girl like Qiao Yue to suffer such degradation, especially right after the painful loss of her brother.

With this thought, he took a step forward. His eyes filled with a perfectly calculated look of terror, and his voice trembled.

“Chief, this girl is my younger sister. She's been ugly since she was a child, and I fear she will only offend your eyes.”

Wang Meng raised an eyebrow. Before he could speak, Shen Yu hurriedly added with a fawning tone, “To tell you the truth, if she didn't have such excellent culinary skills, I wouldn't have kept such a burden by my side. I heard you complaining about the food just now. Why not let my sister go to the kitchen and whip up a proper meal to fill your stomach first?”

Wang Meng was a crude man at heart. Hearing about good food and seeing Shen Yu's obsequious attitude immediately whetted his appetite.

“You certainly know how to please,” he said.

He then called over one of his lackeys to untie the ropes binding Shen Yu and Qiao Yue's hands and feet.

“Now that you're in Black Wind Stronghold, don't even think about running. You'd better behave,” he threatened them. “If the food you make isn't good, you can look forward to becoming fertilizer!”

“I wouldn't dare boast about anything else, but my sister's cooking is top-notch. It will definitely satisfy you!”

Shen Yu said, gesturing for Qiao Yue to head toward the kitchen, but they were suddenly stopped by a cold voice. “Hold on.”

Turning around to meet Zhang Xun's gaze, Shen Yu's heart skipped a beat, but he kept his expression perfectly calm.

“Second Chief, is there something wrong?” He hunched his shoulders. “I'm just an ignorant country bumpkin who doesn't know how to speak properly. Please do not take offense, Second Chief.”

Zhang Xun stared at Shen Yu thoughtfully. “Why does looking at you feel so familiar? I feel like I've seen you somewhere before.”

The moment Shen Yu had spotted Zhang Xun earlier, he had already recognized him as one of State Preceptor Luo Daoqing's men.

Back in the capital, Shen Yu had attended the annual imperial banquets with his father, where Zhang Xun had indeed seen him.

Fearing that he would be recognized, he subtly shielded Qiao Yue behind his back and kept his eyes lowered as he replied, “Perhaps it is because my face is so utterly plain and ordinary, Second Chief, that I look a bit like everyone else.”

“Raise your head,” Zhang Xun ordered.

Shen Yu hesitated for a brief moment before slowly raising his head.

In the next second...

Before he could react, a ladle of freezing cold water was splashed directly onto his face, washing away the mud and leaving droplets of water rolling down his cheeks.