From a tuberculosis patient to a martial arts master

Zhu Hong remained calm and silent, his gaze fixed on the windowpane, as if the old locust tree in the courtyard was more worthy of his contemplation than the matter at hand. Wang Zhenshan glanced at him, knowing that the quieter the boy was, the more thoughts were swirling in his mind.

After a long while.

His words immediately drew Zhu Hong's attention back:

"The Jiang family is truly determined to kill you this time. Once Jiang Feng's death can no longer be concealed, they will likely resort to even more unscrupulous means in the future."

"The boss knows?"

Zhu Hong raised his eyes, a perfectly timed look of surprise appearing on his face, and asked the question knowingly.

"You, you."

Wang Zhenshan pointed at Zhu Hong, his expression quite helpless, but the protective look in his eyes was impossible to hide: "I even suspect that you don't have a heart of fear. Killing someone is like crushing an ant. How come you never consider the consequences, or rather, don't you really leave yourself a way out?"

He sighed and lowered his hand:

"If something goes wrong, it's good to have a way out this time."

Zhu Hong lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, not rushing to refute. He knew Wang Zhenshan was thinking of him, but being in the world of martial arts, he had no choice. The way things are resolved is always related to people, and it can't be explained in a few words how best to do things.

After a moment of silence, he looked up and smiled:

"Isn't this just being too eager to improve?"

"Now that the Prefect is betting everything on this young man, doing things too mediocrely isn't good, but doing them too extravagantly isn't necessarily good either, but..." He paused, his eyes becoming clear and resolute:

"It's better than a mediocre death."

What do you say?

Boss.

Wang Zhenshan didn't respond, but the emotion in his eyes betrayed him.

That makes sense.

Everyone has their own ambitions. If their positions were reversed, he would probably do the same. However, as the saying goes, "A leader is like a father to his son." As a half-elder of the boy, he would not want the boy to risk his life if he could.

Moreover, he is an extremely talented young man.

If we take steady steps, there's a bright future ahead. One day, not to mention his current position, even the positions of Liu Kui and Gu Huai'an might be within reach.

"A thousand trees bloom before a diseased one."

Just as Wang Zhenshan fell silent, Zhu Hong spoke up at the opportune moment: "Boss, everything can be resolved, don't worry." Without waiting for a reply, he continued, "By the way, have any of the people from Jingu Garden come down the mountain?"

"The leaders were Huang and Bai."

Seeing that he had changed the subject, Wang Zhenshan composed himself, wisely withdrew his words, and continued with the main matter: "Bai Zhao, whose real name is Bai Xiaoshan, is the second among the three leaders of Jingu Garden, and has already reached the minor mastery of martial arts apprentice."

"The one traveling with me, Huang Zhao, is named Huang Tianlu."

"He is the third in line, and his cultivation is inferior to White Claw's. As for the rest of his followers, they are just a few lackeys and are not worth mentioning to you."

One is a martial arts apprentice who has achieved minor success, and the other is a novice martial arts apprentice.

Zhu Hong narrowed his eyes and sneered, "It seems that Jiang Yannian has issued a kill order against me because Jiang Feng was arrested. However..." He smiled and said:

"I'm afraid there are even more powerful methods to target them."

Wang Zhenshan nodded in agreement, saying, "Jiang Yannian is a very cunning man. As the head of a clan, he is also very thoughtful. Since he is determined to offend the government and also plot to kill you, then, given his style of doing things, he would never send just an outsider."

Zhu Hong neither confirmed nor denied, but simply said:

"The tree may wish to remain still, but the wind will not cease; the fire is burning, and that's quite good."

Wang Zhenshan said:

"Now, what do you want to do?"

"First come, first served." A cold glint flashed in Zhu Hong's eyes. "If we wait until Jiang Yannian reacts and unleashes all his forces, we will have no chance of winning." With that, he rose and looked at the gradually darkening sky, saying softly:

"We'll set off tonight."

When they finally left the barracks, the two went their separate ways. Zhu Hong and Lin Jizhi lowered their heads and chose only secluded paths, heading towards the muddy alley. Wang Zhenshan, on the other hand, went ahead to the other end, informing the other major leaders to start an uprising that night.

"Zhu Hong".

As Lin Jizhi stepped into the muddy alleyway of "Early to Bed," he asked, "What's today?"

Zhu Hong said in a low voice:

"work."

Lin Jizhi understood now. While he was happy, he also began to feel uneasy. Ever since the day the chief constables held a meeting, the entire yamen had been mobilized from top to bottom, each with their own tasks. Everyone knew that something big was going to happen, especially since he had visited the prison with his superiors after being questioned by them.

Upon witnessing Jiang Feng's tragic death, she understood the situation more clearly than others.

"arrive."

Zhu Hong suddenly stopped. He stood under the crooked tree at the alley entrance and reached into his pocket to take out a communication talisman the size of a thumb.

The jade talisman was pure white, with extremely fine patterns engraved on its surface, resembling a budding orchid. It was the one Wang Zhenshan had just given him, saying it was a "communication talisman" refined by the Taiqing Xuanmen. Within a radius of ten miles, as long as it was crushed, Jin Buhuan could sense it.

"You wait here."

Zhu Hong said this to Lin Jizhi, and then kneaded the jade talisman.

There was no sound, no light, only a faint fragrance spreading between my fingers, like an orchid blooming and fading, then being blown away by the night wind.

Lin Jizhi huddled against the wall, looking around and muttering to himself:

"What the hell are you doing..."

Before the words were even finished, light footsteps echoed from the depths of the alley. It wasn't just one person, but two or three. The footsteps were so light, like a cat stepping on roof tiles, that they would be completely unnoticed unless one was listening intently.

"You little rascal, you've finally arrived."

Jin Buhuan's voice came from the darkness, carrying a hint of lazy laughter.

He emerged from the darkness, followed by two constables from the fifth squad. Both were junior officers, their scabbards wrapped with cloth strips, so they walked without making a sound.

"Master Jin".

Zhu Hong cupped his hands in greeting.

Jin Buhuan waved his hand, his gaze lingering on him for a moment, and said sarcastically, "You've been a hands-off manager for three days straight, and you're the first constable to make me, Jin Buhuan, guard a household for so long." As he spoke, he immediately gave two thumbs up.

"Mr. Jin is joking."

Zhu Hong scratched his head.

"Everyone's inside." Jin Buhuan stopped talking nonsense and pointed towards the depths of the alley. "I've been temporarily keeping an eye on Liu Housheng's family in that empty house across the street for the past few days." He paused, his eyes suddenly sharpening.

"As expected, a group of spies sneaked over under cover of night, but I killed them before they could even make a move."

Zhu Hong nodded slightly:

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Jin."

Jin Buhuan shrugged it off: "Just a few rats that can burrow, no trouble at all." He glanced at the crooked tree at the alley entrance, then looked behind Zhu Hong, "You only brought that kid?"

Zhu Hong said, "They've all gone to Xifuju."

Jin Buhuan suddenly stopped spinning the iron bead in his hand. He half-closed his eyes, as if dozing off, but the glimmer of light peeking through his pupils revealed a hint of seriousness: "What, has the matter... already begun?"

Zhu Hong's lips curled slightly. "Master Jin," he said.

"The fish have already taken the bait, so why not reel them in?" As he spoke, the lamplight shone on his face, casting flickering light on his sharply defined features, sending chills down one's spine.