Chapter 134: The Wu Family of Zhenhai

"Rest assured, while the mountains aren't lively, there's always plenty of meat to eat, and we have animal skins for the winter, so you won't be cold."

Long Chen carried the woman on his shoulder as he walked and spoke.

The woman remained surprisingly quiet on his shoulder, neither struggling nor cursing.

When they reached the entrance, the smiling man saw Long Chen carrying a woman out and asked with a grin, " Weren't you buying fish oil? How did you end up buying a wife instead?"

Long Chen chuckled honestly, "She's pretty and looks like she can bear children, so I bought her."

The man smiled, "As long as she can bear children, that's all that matters."

Chuckling cheerfully, Long Chen carried the woman back toward the inn. All along the way, he drew the gaze of everyone they passed.

Upon returning to the inn, the innkeeper was startled and asked, "Brother, how come you bought a person?"

Long Chen replied, "I'm taking her back to be my wife."

Puzzled, the innkeeper asked, "Does your wife know?"

"Not yet," Long Chen said. "I'll deal with the consequences later. Go bring me my horse."

The innkeeper hurried to the backyard to fetch the horse. Instead of going upstairs, Long Chen placed the woman directly onto the horse's back and said, "Sell the furs in my room for me. We'll split the proceeds seventy-thirty. Give me my cut the next time I come."

The innkeeper paused, realizing he had run into a wealthy and generous patron.

"You're generous, brother! Rest assured, I wish you a plump, healthy son!"

The innkeeper was beaming with joy.

Leading the horse, Long Chen walked toward the West Gate.

At the gate, the guards stopped Long Chen and asked, "Where did you get this person?"

With a cheerful smile, Long Chen replied, "I bought her from Master Xu's household."

Hearing it was from the Xu estate, the guards let him pass immediately without further question.

Once outside Qianjiang Commandery, Long Chen headed west for a dozen li until he spotted someone waiting by the roadside on horseback. It was Zhang Qian.

Long Chen rode over, the woman seated in front of him with a dull, expressionless face.

Upon seeing the woman, Zhang Qian asked in astonishment, "My Lord, who is this...?"

Without offering an explanation, Long Chen asked, "Where are the others?"

"They are setting up camp by the river," Zhang Qian answered.

Guiding the way, Zhang Qian led Long Chen to the riverside, where Dugu Jiali, Wu Jian, and numerous military tents came into view.

Upon seeing the military tents, the woman's vacant expression suddenly shifted to one of confusion as she turned her head to look at Long Chen.

Dugu Jiali and Wu Jian rode over, dismounted, and saluted, "Lord Long."

Long Chen dismounted and said to the woman, "Get down."

The ropes binding the woman had been untied long ago, but she remained motionless.

"Who are you?"

Instead of dismounting, the woman looked at Long Chen and asked perplexedly.

"This is the Minister of Works, the Minister of Revenue, the Director of Palace Eunuchs, and the Emperor's specially appointed General Suppressing Bandits, Long Chengen."

Zhang Qian stated Long Chen's official titles.

A look of profound shock crossed the woman's face, as if she found it hard to believe his identity.

"Bring her in."

Long Chen offered no further explanation.

Zhang Qian lifted the woman effortlessly and brought her into a military tent.

Shortly after, Long Chen entered after changing his clothes. The woman was sitting on the ground, blood still seeping from the wounds on her body.

"Give her this fish oil."

Long Chen placed the fish oil on the table. Zhang Qian asked, "How is it used?"

Before Long Chen could speak, the woman blurted out, "Are you really Long Chengen?"

Ignoring the question, Long Chen countered, "Who are you? Why were you captured and put up for sale?"

The woman stared straight at Long Chen without uttering a word.

"I am indeed Long Chengen!"

Long Chen produced his official tally token.

"This is Major General Zhang Qian, this is Cavalry Lieutenant Wu Jian, and this is Arbalest General Dugu Jiali."

Long Chen introduced them one by one.

Only then did the woman slowly relax her guard. "My name is Wu Xiangyun," she said. "I was captured by sea bandits and put on the market like livestock."

Long Chen asked, "Just now at the Xu estate, they said you were taken from Zhenhai County. What is your relation to the Wu family of Zhenhai?"

Wu Xiangyun's eyes suddenly turned red. "Wu Tianming is my father. I am from the Zhenhai Wu family."

Zhang Qian gasped in shock, "I heard the Zhenhai Wu family was... wiped out for resisting the sea bandits."

Biting her lip until blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, Wu Xiangyun said with bitter hatred, "My grandfather served as a military officer. When the sea bandits invaded, my father Wu Tianming led the people of Zhenhai to learn martial arts and fight, slaying many of the bandits."

"Those in the city who colluded with the sea bandits hated our Wu family. They collaborated from within to launch a surprise attack, slaughtering our entire family..."

By this point, Wu Xiangyun was choked with sobs and could speak no further.

Long Chen could more or less piece together the rest of the story: the Wu family was massacred, and Wu Xiangyun escaped by blending in with the commoners, only to be captured later and sold to the Xu family.

Fortunately, the wound on her face and her disheveled appearance prevented her from being recognized, or she surely would not have escaped with her life.

"Treat your wounds first. You should know how to use this. You can only seek revenge once your body has recovered."

Long Chen handed over the fish oil. Wu Xiangyun took it, pulled out the cork, sniffed it, and then tilted her head back to swallow more than half the bottle, applying the rest to her injuries.

Long Chen walked out, leaving Zhang Qian behind to tend to her.

Outside, Wu Jian followed Long Chen and said, "My Lord, it seems Qianjiang Commandery has already been deeply infiltrated by sea bandits."

He had already been briefed by Zhang Qian on the situation in Qianjiang Commandery.

"The Xu family are without a doubt the sea bandits; there's no need to doubt that. But what is going on with Prefect Chen Zu?"

As a provincial prefect, he surely would not willingly stoop to becoming a sea bandit. There had to be a reason behind it.

"Is there any news from Feng He yet?"

In this game of covert struggles, Jing Tianlie's covert guards had been dispatched, and the Southern Liang's Imperial City Inspectorate might also be involved. Long Chen's West Depot naturally had to take part.

However, since the West Depot had been established only recently, no matter how capable Feng He was, he could only play a supporting role and gather some intelligence. Trying to have them engage in direct combat would likely prove difficult.

When all was said and done, Long Chen would still have to rely primarily on himself.

"Word came that he entered the city yesterday, but there has been no news since."

When Wu Jian was not by his side, Feng He would report to Zhang Qian. When Wu Jian was present, Feng He delivered his reports directly to him, knowing Wu Jian was an absolute and trusted old subordinate.

"Have him scout the city and find out what is really going on, and why Prefect Chen Zu turned to banditry."

Long Chen had only figured out two things so far: the Xu family was problematic, and the prefect was problematic. The specifics would have to await Feng He's report.

Zhang Qian emerged from the military tent and said, "She's fallen asleep. She mentioned she has an older sister who managed to break out of Zhenhai County with troops at the time. Her current whereabouts are unknown, and she implored Your Lordship to help search for her."

Long Chen asked, "Do you have any intelligence on the Zhenhai Wu family?"

Zhang Qian shook her head helplessly, "We set out in too much haste, and we had no prior knowledge of the Wu family's plight."

Gazing out at Qianjiang Commandery in the distance, Long Chen said, "There's no rush. Let's wait for them to come to us."

With their camp set up here, the city would undoubtedly find out. They would just wait for the enemy to come out and greet them.

Long Chen returned to his tent to meditate and practice his cultivation.

Meanwhile, back in Qianjiang Commandery, at the Xu estate.

A corpulent, bald man walked through the bustling courtyard, where the auction of women was still ongoing. Upon reaching the back courtyard, despite being separated by only a wall, it was vastly quieter here.

Inside the ancestral shrine, a tall, middle-aged man was bowing in worship before a divine statue. This man was none other than the master of the Xu family, Xu Zhi.

"Master, the imperial envoy sent by the court has arrived outside the city," the bald man announced.

Finishing his devout bow, Xu Zhi turned around and asked, "How many troops did he bring? Have they arrived at the prefectural office?"

Entrenched in Qianjiang Commandery as they were, they had their own intelligence channels in the capital and knew Long Chen was coming, though the specific details remained unclear.

The bald man shook his head, "Only a thousand. They've made camp outside the city and haven't entered."

Puzzled, Xu Zhi murmured, "A thousand? Just that small force? They camped outside without entering? Could they have grown suspicious?"

Equally perplexed, the bald man suggested, "Master, should we have the prefect go and sound them out?"

Xu Zhi pondered this for a moment before replying, "Yes, that will do."

The bald man immediately departed for the prefectural office.