NOVPUBI wonder if I’ll be able to see this time...
Chen Xi wiped his face, not sure whether it was sweat or rainwater, and without realizing it, the spiritual power he had been using to shield himself from the rain had dissipated. Discovering the truth of the matter seemed to have given Chen Xi quite a fright.
"Zichuan, why are you here without even using an umbrella!" Liu Bei exclaimed, seeing Chen Xi standing in the rain without an umbrella or his spiritual power deployed, and he got a scare. The slight chill in the rain could seep in, and with Chen Xi’s physical quality, he might end up lying at home, groaning and moaning in discomfort.
"If I didn’t come now, things would have gone wrong. Zhongkang has already captured Gan Ning. Don’t let him be killed; he’s a very important character." Once Liu Bei mentioned this, Chen Xi felt a slight chill on his body and quickly deployed his spiritual power to wrap himself, thinking that tomorrow he would be at home groaning and moaning under a quilt instead of going to work at the Political Office.
"The Prefectural Governor need not worry, such a master is not so fragile." Saying so, he walked over, crouched down, grabbed Gan Ning by the collar, and lifted him up after sealing his Inner Qi.
"Zichuan, how did you know the leader of the bandits is called Gan Ning? Wen Ze captured all the pirates before finding out that the man who fought fiercely with Zhongkang was called Gan Ning," Liu Bei curiously said, pulling Chen Xi beneath the shelter of a roof.
"This thing is the identifier." Chen Xi took out the Golden Bell, his face contorted in an awkward smile, "This man was originally someone I planned to recruit, and I also intended to introduce him to Lord Xuande as a prospective Naval Admiral. I knew he was a water pirate operating in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River but didn’t know his exact location. It’s ironic that he has ended up on our territory—apparently, there has been some misunderstanding!"
"What?" Liu Bei was taken aback, and after a while he gathered his thoughts and summoned Yu Jin, "Wen Ze, go, call over the person in charge from the Lul family, and find out what happened."
Soon, Lul Jun, dressed in Confucian robes and a slightly pale-faced, walked over, "Lul Jun, Lul Jicai of Jiangdong Lul Clan, pays his respects to Lord Xuande and Governor of Chen Commandery."
Chen Xi nodded slightly. With Liu Bei present, he didn’t need to say much. He also couldn’t unabashedly scrutinize others, so he slightly nodded to show his respect while keeping his expression unreadable, then he carefully scrutinized Lul Jun. According to reports, this man was supposed to be Lul Xun’s father and quite an extraordinary figure; however, since he was not in good health, he died rather early.
"You may dispense with the formalities." Liu Bei waved his hand to indicate that Lul Jun needn’t be so formal, casualness was fine, "Jicai, business matters could have been handled by sending one or two stewards over. Why did Jicai personally come here? Moreover, I do not lack such items in Mount Tai."
Lul Jun forced a smile. Although he was coerced to come to Mount Tai, he hadn’t suffered any hardships on the way, so he had a good understanding of Mount Tai. He knew the man behind Liu Bei giving the slight nod was Chen Zichuan, the planner and executor of Mount Tai’s reconstruction, so Lul Jun could guess why Liu Bei was being so cautious. A Hidden Dragon lies in the abyss, ready to soar when the time comes!
Luckily, the Lul family had no designs on Mount Tai. Instead, much of what Lul Jun saw along the way made him look forward to Mount Tai’s prospects. Moreover, given that his family had few descendants, there was no issue of ’clan relocation difficulties,’ nor were there concerns of ’spreading bets by branching out’ due to owning a large business.
Both the Lul and the Mi Families were peculiar in their way, with plenty of assets, but very few descendants in their direct lineage. If angered, they wouldn’t hesitate to abandon their assets, pack up, and leave without any preparations whatsoever!
It was for this reason that Lul Jun sat in the carriage, carefully observing the situation on Mount Tai. Beholding the thriving condition of the mountain, Lul Jun felt it necessary for his family to invest more into Mount Tai, or perhaps, to test the waters. Although they had fewer people, it was essential to have more than one hideout. Who knew when it might come in handy? Moreover, Mi Zhu had told him that Liu Xuande was quite a decent person.
Lul Jun recounted the whole affair slowly, purely from a third party’s perspective, without showing favoritism towards either side.
Liu Bei and Chen Xi exchanged a glance, with Chen Xi slightly nodding. Such a thing was purely accidental, but once it happened, it became extremely reasonable.
"It is indeed Bei’s mistake. Jir Cai, please do not blame him. Here, Bei apologizes on behalf of Xingba," Liu Bei directly took the blame for Gan Ning’s mistake onto himself. Whether it was Gan Ning’s recent performance, or the thoughts revealed during their conversation, Liu Bei was very pleased. This was his own man, and he couldn’t let his people be bullied by outsiders. Liu Bei stepped forward and then stealthily reached out to Chen Xi.
"Jir Cai, please don’t take offense. We also did not expect such an incident to occur. Since Xingba hasn’t harmed anyone, let’s put this matter aside for now. As for the losses, Mount Tai will take care of it. Jir Cai, please do not refuse. We have caused trouble for the Lul family and naturally need to compensate. I hope that you won’t reject our offer," Chen Xi took over the conversation, smiling. He could tell that Lul Jun did not plan to accept their compensation, but sometimes, offering a compensation is a way to build a closer relationship for next time.
He signaled Yu Jin to come over. Chen Xi knew that Yu Jin carried a book he had written under the pseudonym Sunx Bin of Qingxi, outlining the Thirty-Six Stratagems, and Yu Jin treated it as precious as life itself, always carrying it with him. What Chen Xi needed now was for Yu Jin to make an incomplete copy of it, as broken chapters would allow others to infinitely imagine what followed...
Gan Ning quickly recovered. It must be said that these military generals recovered very quickly as long as they weren’t dead. Upon opening his eyes to see Liu Bei, Gan Ning roared in anger, "I, Gan Xingba, have been wise all my life, yet I was foolish enough to trust a villain! Kill me or flay me, it’s all up to you!" After saying that, he turned his head, with an expression as if ready to face his execution.
"..." Chen Xi looked at Gan Ning with a speechless expression. This man really had character. "Lord Xuande, leave Xingba to me. I will make him understand the gap between the actual situation and the scenarios he has concocted in his mind."
"Be careful, Zichuan. Zhongkang!" Liu Bei nodded, then left Xuu Chu behind.
"Now it’s just the three of us left. Xingba, who else could you have robbed? You actually went after Lord Xuande’s private interests, this is like a flood hitting the Dragon King’s temple! All right, since it happened, it’s done, but why did you have to drag the Lul family into this? It made us all anxious! Couldn’t you compare the difference between Mount Tai and Yuzhou? With our military forces not yet fully assembled, we’re just like a piece of fat meat. The Lul family should absolutely not have come to clear their name. What would we think, seeing as they did come?" Chen Xi didn’t try to console Gan Ning but just spoke what needed to be said!
Even though Gan Ning cursed vehemently, he had not given up hope of survival. After all, he was still young, and his best years were not yet squandered. He definitely wouldn’t be content dying like this. After hearing Chen Xi’s words, Gan Ning followed the logic and thought about it. He was arrogant, not stupid, and quickly understood Chen Xi’s point.
"You mean to say you treated me as a stepping stone to test the intentions of Mount Tai," Gan Ning stared at Chen Xi, hoping to see his inner thoughts from his face.
"You already know, so there’s no need to ask us. It’s a good thing this happened, otherwise Zhongkang would’ve surely split you in two!" Saying this, Chen Xi took out the Golden Bell and shook it twice, "The people we sent to recruit you didn’t find you, but unexpectedly, you came to Mount Tai yourself. It seems that you and Mount Tai are truly fated. How about it, join us, and you will become the Naval Commander under Lord Xuande! I know you can’t accept losing to Zhongkang, and I also know you excel in naval battles. What do you say?"
