Geng Zhong, still reeling from the five or six slaps Yu Jiuling had delivered, found that the changes were not merely physical. Something had shifted in his thinking as well.

His standing was low. Being called the commanding officer of this pass — did it not rather prove his marginal status within the Slayer King’s army? And had his effort to ingratiate himself with Gan Daode, landing him this posting instead of remaining in the personal guard unit, not rather confirmed that even staying in the personal guard unit had held no real future?

Just as Li Chi had calculated: Gan Daode had rushed back to Wulai City and had not lingered at this small pass for a moment. He had barely said a handful of words to Geng Zhong. Geng Zhong could not possibly have known anything at the higher levels. He was simply performing the role of a close confidant before others.

And now, at this moment, Yu Jiuling’s sequence of moves had genuinely thrown Geng Zhong off balance.

Precisely at this moment, Old Master Zhang Zhenren stepped out through the door.

“I want to see just what gives the Slayer King’s people the audacity to behave so outrageously. Is this how they treat their esteemed father-in-law?”

The presence Old Master Zhang Zhenren carried was naturally far weightier than Yu Jiuling’s.

These words alone gave Geng Zhong a start. He had spent all his time before this posting doing service work, and so reading people was a skill he had necessarily developed.

Looking at Old Master Zhang Zhenren now, he could see in an instant that this old man’s standing was anything but ordinary.

That bearing — it was not something one could put on.

The moment Old Master Zhang Zhenren appeared and swept his gaze across the assembled crowd, he asked: “Deputy Marshal Yu, who was it that just gave you trouble?”

Yu Jiuling raised a hand and pointed at Geng Zhong: “This person.”

Old Master Zhang Zhenren’s expression seemed to shift into fury. He called out loudly: “Cut off his head, pack it in quicklime, and bring it all the way to Wulai City. When I meet with the Slayer King, I want to ask him plainly whether he arranged this himself — whether this is the welcome he prepared for me. My daughter hasn’t truly married him yet, and he already wants to show a show of force?”

He waved a hand: “Pack everything up. We’re returning to Yanzhou. If this is what it’s like, there’s nothing more to discuss!”

Geng Zhong dropped to his knees: “Please, Honored Elder, hear me out — the Slayer King did make arrangements. It’s only that I assumed a large army would be arriving. I never imagined the Honored Elder would be so unassuming, traveling with just a small escort. It was my failure to recognize you. Please, Honored Elder, be patient with me.”

Yu Jiuling used this moment to slip back inside and lower his voice in Young Zhang Zhenren’s ear: “This — is what you called the Dao Sect not deceiving people?”

Young Zhang Zhenren smiled awkwardly and cleared his throat: “Well, this can’t really be called *deceiving*. At most… at most this is *misleading*. Misleading and deceiving — they’re entirely different things.”

Yu Jiuling said: “Give me thirty silver taels, or I’ll go around telling people everywhere — the Zhenren of Dragon Tiger Mountain, conning people wherever he goes. Two Zhenren, no less. The young one might be forgiven, but the old one too? If word got out, what would become of Dragon Tiger Mountain’s reputation?”

Young Zhang Zhenren said: “I can’t believe you think so little of me — putting me to a choice between thirty silver taels and betraying my master. Does that even require thought? I choose the thirty silver taels.”

Yu Jiuling felt she perhaps shouldn’t have opened her mouth.

But she resolved to try harder, so she asked: “Is thirty silver taels too much?”

Young Zhang Zhenren nodded very earnestly: “Not just too much. Enormously too much!”

Yu Jiuling refused to give up: “Then how much would you be willing to accept?”

Young Zhang Zhenren said even more earnestly: “Anything over ten copper coins — off the table entirely.”

Yu Jiuling nodded: “Fine. Deal.”

Young Zhang Zhenren: “Oh no.”

Yu Jiuling said: “Ten copper coins is still money. Hand it over. You can deceive people, but you can’t go back on your word.”

Young Zhang Zhenren sighed, opened his coin purse, counted out ten copper coins with great care and placed them in Yu Jiuling’s hand, then asked quite cautiously: “Now that you’ve taken my money — do you promise you won’t go out and say bad things about me and my master? You won’t damage our Dao Sect’s reputation?”

Yu Jiuling said: “I’m not like the chief. Of course I keep my word.”

Li Chi: “Oh, come on…”

Young Zhang Zhenren nodded: “I trust you.”

Reassured at last, he placed the ten copper coins in Yu Jiuling’s palm. Yu Jiuling smiled, pocketed the coins, and gave them a pat.

“Wait.”

Young Zhang Zhenren produced another five copper coins and placed them in Yu Jiuling’s hand. He looked uneasy as he said: “If you truly can’t hold yourself back and feel you have to say something — say it about my master. Not about me.”

Yu Jiuling stared at the five coins, delighted by the unexpected windfall.

She pocketed them, nodded: “Money received, service rendered. Rest assured — I will be a sealed jar from now on.”

Young Zhang Zhenren nodded: “Good, good.”

Yu Jiuling said: “Five more copper coins.”

Young Zhang Zhenren: “Why?! What for?! Absolutely not!”

Yu Jiuling said: “You said your limit was ten copper coins — we’re still five short. Otherwise, if I happen to have a bit too much to drink one day and something just slips out that damages your esteemed Dao Sect’s reputation…”

Young Zhang Zhenren sighed: “I never imagined you would be so utterly faithless. Fine, fine — hand back those fifteen copper coins. I’ll give you one silver tael. But you have to promise not to breathe a single word.”

Yu Jiuling said: “A gentleman’s word is as binding as four swift horses!”

Young Zhang Zhenren extended his hand. Yu Jiuling placed the fifteen copper coins in his palm. Young Zhang Zhenren pocketed them swiftly, pulled the drawstring of his coin purse tight, gripped it firmly with both hands, and then looked over at Yu Jiuling: “Say whatever you like. I don’t care. You’ve already pushed me to my absolute limit — and you still want more. I won’t have it!”

Yu Jiuling: “Oh, come on!”

Li Chi: “Pfft…”

Dantai Yajing pressed her lips together so hard the corners of her mouth were twitching.

Li Chi said: “That didn’t work out, did it.”

Yu Jiuling sighed: “I’ve thought about why this time failed, and I really don’t think it was my fault. I just never imagined his floor could be that low…”

Outside, Old Master Zhang Zhenren had dressed down Geng Zhong until the man was completely cowed. The scolding was relentless as a torrent, and Geng Zhong knelt there drenched in a cold sweat of pure terror.

He genuinely did not dare let things go wrong. If the Slayer King truly had reached an alliance with the Shanhai Army, and it collapsed because of him — what would the Slayer King do to him?

He didn’t need to think long to know. The Slayer King would have him chopped into pieces so fine nothing remained, minced into stuffing.

“Honored Elder, I truly know I was wrong. I beg the Honored Elder’s mercy.”

Geng Zhong knocked his forehead to the ground repeatedly, until a broad red mark had formed. He looked quite pitiful by this point.

Old Master Zhang Zhenren let out a breath — his fury appeared to ease somewhat. He sighed: “I understand, perhaps the Slayer King truly did forget to brief you. And you didn’t dare admit it, because if you had, the Slayer King would have had you killed for it… All right. I won’t make things harder for you. Handle the rest yourself.”

“Yes, yes, yes…”

Geng Zhong knocked his head to the ground as he spoke: “Thank you for the Honored Elder’s grace. I will never forget this. May the Honored Elder enjoy ten thousand years of life!”

Old Master Zhang Zhenren sighed: “I arrived here still hungry. Your people at the gate collected no small amount of gold from my escort before letting us through. And now you’ve gone and upset my appetite entirely.”

This single statement contained three pieces of information.

One: I am hungry. Two: where is my gold? Three: you have thoroughly ruined my mood.

Geng Zhong was not a fool. He read it immediately: “Quick — send people to prepare food for the Honored Elder and the Young Mistress.”

He stood, then called out again: “Clear out the general’s quarters for the Honored Elder and the Young Mistress. Invite the Honored Elder to take up residence there.”

Having issued those orders, he looked toward the officer who had come to report to him earlier. The officer’s face had gone completely green.

Seeing Geng Zhong moving toward him, the officer immediately reached into his coat and produced the two gold ingots with both hands: “It’s all here, it’s all here…”

Geng Zhong snatched them up and said savagely: “Once the Honored Elder has been settled in, I’ll deal with you.”

The officer’s face went greener still.

Turning around, Geng Zhong immediately replaced his expression with a full smile, trotted over to Old Master Zhang Zhenren, and held out the two ingots with both hands: “Honored Elder, I’ve already given that man a thorough dressing-down. This is the gold he collected.”

The moment Yu Jiuling heard the word *gold*, he immediately turned around — only to watch helplessly as Old Master Zhang Zhenren took both ingots and tucked them into his own coat.

Yu Jiuling’s eyes went very wide.

The look in his eyes said plainly: *that’s mine. Those are mine.*

Old Master Zhang Zhenren glanced back at him, and his own expression said just as plainly: *you foolish child. No sense of the bigger picture whatsoever.*

Then Old Master Zhang Zhenren turned back to Geng Zhong, looking puzzled: “Hmm? You were thinking of pocketing some for yourself? What my escort handed him — it was considerably more than just this.”

Geng Zhong was stunned for a moment, and then understood. He was being openly squeezed.

But what could he do about it?

He could only bow: “Honored Elder, please wait just a moment. I’ll go find the rest right away…”

And turned and ran — apparently to hunt down more gold from wherever he could.

Yu Jiuling looked over at Old Master Zhang Zhenren, his whole face a picture of aggrievement.

Old Master Zhang Zhenren said: “Child, don’t wear that look of small-minded pettiness. Think about it — do you want these two ingots, or do you want the substantial sum that will arrive shortly?”

Yu Jiuling’s eyes lit up, and he was just about to answer.

Old Master Zhang Zhenren said: “I’m just asking. I’m not giving you either one.”

Yu Jiuling: “!!!!!”

Old Master Zhang Zhenren strolled back inside, saying as he went: “What a pleasure.”

He walked over to Li Chi, handed him the two gold ingots: “As agreed — the principal returned to you. Profits split down the middle.”

Li Chi said: “A gentleman’s word is as binding as four swift horses.”

Yu Jiuling turned and looked at the two of them, thinking…

*So in the end, there’s still so much I could never have imagined.*