Chapter 229: Night Talk with the "Lords" [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

A secluded spot in the mountain valley.

If a highly skilled martial artist or a learned scholar were to approach this place, they would discover that a sophisticated maze has been set up nearby.

At this moment, the night was deep and quiet, and all was still.

Upon closer listening, one can hear many unconscious cries and groans of pain.

Tear—

The young man in the scholar's robe tore the cloth into strips of roughly the same width.

He bent down and wrapped the cloth around the wounded soldier.

After wrapping, I tied a delicate knot.

"The injuries were quite serious, but fortunately, he survived."

The bottom strip of cloth was already stained red with blood.

Crimson red, so red it was almost black.

"It's good that his life has been saved..."

Not far away, the young man with long, gray hair breathed a sigh of relief. He really thought Gong Shuwu was going to die; thankfully, he had pulled through. The gray-haired young man was Chu Yao, who had retreated in two groups with the Zhai brothers; the one lying on the ground was the unconscious Gong Shuwu.

As for the young man who bandaged up Gong Shuwu...

Chu Yao didn't ask any further questions.

It happened by chance.

Judging from the other party's skillful use of military tactics and deception, he was probably no ordinary person. It was fortunate that they encountered this person, otherwise—although he was confident that he could escape with Gong Shuwu, the remaining forty-odd soldiers outside the cave would be gone.

Thinking of this, Chu Yao was momentarily lost in thought.

After the battle of Xiaocheng, only this small number of the seven or eight hundred men remained. I wonder what Commander Yang's feelings will be when he wakes up and sees this scene.

The young man did not inquire about Chu Yao's name.

He handed over a bag of dry food.

He asked, "What is the current situation in Xiaocheng?"

Chu Yao said with a wry smile, "There are hardly any left..."

The young man muttered, "They are truly brutal. I heard that the rebels who attacked Xiaocheng were Zheng Qiao's brother—King Zhi, Zheng Zhi? These brothers of the Zheng family are really... each one more inhuman than the last."

Chu Yao twitched the corner of his mouth upon hearing this.

He scoffed, "They're all the same."

A ruler who lacks morality is not human.

They're all rotten people; there's no question of who's worse than whom.

The young man then casually brought up another matter.

"I heard that Zheng Qiao issued an interesting edict."

Chu Yao followed up on the topic and asked, "What edict?"

"Call upon all forces to suppress the rebel army of the King of Pigs. Those who make contributions will be promoted or granted land and titles, regardless of their background."

Chu Yao understood the deeper meaning after a moment's thought.

He scoffed dismissively. Judging from his own Wu Lang's words, Zheng Qiao was like a pig that only realized it was turning when it hit a tree, or someone who only realized they had snot in their mouth... Hah, where were they before? Given Zheng Qiao's style, there were probably other underhanded tricks hidden here.

Chu Yao countered with, "So?"

The young man took the water bag, tilted his head back, and drank a mouthful.

He chuckled and said, "So quite a few people who received the news are rushing to Xiaocheng. Ah, things might change completely... Oh, and on my way here, I also heard that more than twenty forces are coming to annihilate the elite troops of the Pig King here."

Chu Yao's expression turned somewhat solemn.

He knew there was a murky area outside Xiaocheng, but he hadn't expected it to be this murky. As for those twenty-odd forces... he hadn't paid them any attention. How long had it been between the Prince of Zhi's rebellion and the fall of Xiaocheng?

The other forces reacted so quickly; it's obvious they were mostly local civilian groups from the vicinity of Sibao County. How large could they possibly be? Large numbers don't equate to high quality; they were likely just a disorganized rabble easily defeated…

They'll see how formidable they are when they clash with the rebels.

Chu Yao neither confirmed nor denied the matter.

The young man chuckled again, "I wonder if any of them are reliable? Or perhaps a hidden gem we can turn to..."

Chu Yao became somewhat interested upon hearing this.

He said, "With your skill in troop deployment, you could easily serve in any country in the Northwest. With a little more management, wealth, honor, and high-ranking positions would be within your grasp. Why bother picking from these worthless fry?"

He spoke from the heart.

Regardless of the young man's identity, he was ultimately his savior. Having experienced many hardships in his life, Chu Yao understood the pain of encountering inhuman beings.

It was truly unbearable to see a young man searching for his lord in a garbage dump.

If you really want to find—

They also considered those with military strength, territory, and reputation.

Starting from scratch is not impossible, but the real danger lies in encountering a "scumbag" who can share hardship but not happiness, wasting time and giving your heart to the wrong person.

As for why the young people didn't try to persuade him to consider his own son?

Ah, this—

He believed his family had the best "destiny"! But honestly, Wu Lang was so poor he couldn't even afford a basic salary, and who knew how many more years he would struggle before his career improved. Not every scholar can dedicate themselves to their passion or sacrifice themselves for the "Way"... Most people still need to earn a living and support their families; wealth, status, and high positions are their ultimate pursuit.

The king chooses his ministers, and the ministers choose their king.

This was originally a two-way choice between the two parties.

Therefore, Chu Yao had not considered this point at all.

The young man chuckled: "That's why it's called a pearl covered in dust."

Chu Yao pondered carefully for a moment.

He racked his brains over everyone he knew and finally picked one out: "The son of the Wu family of Tianhai, surnamed Wu, named Xian, courtesy name Zhaode, I've heard good things about him. His ancestors were illustrious for generations, with a distinguished family background and reputation. He was chivalrous in his youth, fighting bandits and protecting the peace of the region. He also has a good temperament and a reputation for being courteous to scholars... What do you think of him? If he comes, you can go and meet him."

Young man: "I don't like Wu Zhaode."

Chu Yao asked, "Why are you not happy?"

The young man said, "This person is too easily swayed; he's not good."

Chu Yao had never heard of this rumor.

Curious: "Oh, what do you mean by that?"

The young man sighed: "Doesn't Wu Zhaode have several beautiful wives in his backyard? There are seven or eight wives in total, including the principal wife and concubines, and each of them is good at whispering in his ear. He listens to one today and thinks it makes sense, and listens to another tomorrow and thinks it makes sense too. His favorites change every few days. If he is so confused about his own family affairs, what about other things? He is no good."

Chu Yao: "..."

He had never heard of this kind of gossip before.

Chu Yao thought for a moment and said, "The son of the Shangnan Gu family, surnamed Gu, named Ren, courtesy name Ziyi. This man's ancestors had a good reputation. He studied under a famous teacher in his youth and was kind-hearted from a young age. He often gave alms, built bridges and roads, and helped the poor. He had an excellent reputation, and many disciples voluntarily became his disciples... When Xiaocheng was in trouble, the king issued an edict. Given his temperament, he should come..."

As a result, Gu Ren was also rejected.

The young man waved his hand and said, "This person? This person is even worse."

Chu Yao asked curiously, "Even Gu Ziyi isn't suitable?"

The young man put his hands in his sleeves, shrugged, and shook his head repeatedly.

They looked like they wanted to avoid it at all costs.

"Of course not, Your Excellency. You may not know this, but Gu Ziyi has a strange habit: he likes to form sworn brotherhoods with people. Forming one or two sworn brotherhoods is fine, but what is he thinking with twelve? What's the difference between this and a young woman getting into her husband's house and being greeted by twelve sisters-in-law? Twelve sisters-in-law with completely different personalities! She can't handle it, she can't handle it! Only a god could handle it!"

After saying that, he waved his hand seriously.

Chu Yao: "..."

"Pfft—"

In the darkness, someone couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The young man instantly became alert: "Who?"

_(:3」∠)_

Damn it, I just took a nap to rest and prepare for the next battle, but I ended up dozing off until after 2 a.m.

I finished coding while yawning, then went back to sleep for a while.

(End of this chapter)