Griffin Commander in the Late Ming Dynasty

"Yes, although I have no grudge against him, I can still do this job for the sake of money. How about it? He is your master. Tell me the truth. Who is this Jiang Muzhi? How can he be worth two thousand taels of gold?"

Volume 98: Chapter Chapter : Persuasion

“I won’t help you”

Shen Lian's refusal was unexpectedly straightforward.

"Oh? Can I ask why?"

Ding Xiu raised his eyebrows. Shen Lian's attitude was somewhat beyond his expectations.

Based on his understanding of Shen Lian, this man is a pure iron-headed guy who dares to commit any disaster. Although he is a court lackey, he is soft-hearted, otherwise he would not have almost fallen for a woman. According to his original character, he must have thought about it before bringing En here this time. What's more, his wife is still in his hands. With Shen Lian's martial arts, it is impossible for him to beat him. Ding Xiu has this confidence.

You know, in the movie Swords of Legends, Shen Lian lost half his life in a one-on-one fight with Zhao Jingzhong, while Ding Xiu defeated an entire Mongolian cavalry team alone and only got some scratches on his face.

Since he can't beat me, according to the common sense of this infatuated man, he would not reject me no matter what. Could it be that there are some details in this that I don't know?

Shen Lian was also very calm about this. Anyway, even if I told you, you couldn't solve it. Even if I told you, it wouldn't be considered a betrayal of the boss: "Jiang Muzhi has a lot of guards around him..."

"When I kill someone, I never check whether he has guards or not. This is not an excuse. Next..."

Obviously, Ding Xiu felt that this was not a problem.

"I haven't finished speaking yet. Every one of his guards is as skilled as you in martial arts."

"S..."

Ding Xiu took a long breath. This matter could not be ignored.

"Is this serious?"

"It's true. Why do you think I work for him? When we first met, I tested the guards against him and I was no match for him."

Shen Lian had a frank look on his face. If it were ten years ago, he would definitely not have said such words. Whether he could win or not, he would only know after the fight. He didn't care about life or death. He would fight if he didn't accept it. If he lost, it must be the knife's problem, not mine. But now, he has passed the age of bravery and fighting, and he has concerns. It's no shame to admit defeat.

"How many people with such skills are there?"

"Let me think... one, two, three... no less than five"

"S... such a big thing, he didn't tell me?"

Ding Xiu touched his lower handle, then stood up and smoothed his braid. It was obvious that he was quite dissatisfied with the lack of this key information.

Shen Lian could also understand that it was a really bad feeling to take a job and then find out after arriving at the location that the information he got didn't match the actual situation, causing him to suffer a great loss and have to deal with things on the spot.

"With so many guards, he should be paid more!!"

Ding Xiu gritted his teeth and spoke hatefully.

I knew it would be like this, Shen Lian rolled his eyes secretly when no one was paying attention.

"What are the circumstances that led you to take this job? Logically, shouldn't you be killing Tartars in the north? Why did you end up here?"

After they parted, he came to the south of the Yangtze River and hid his identity. But Ding Xiu, as if he had gotten rid of the last worry in his life, wandered around the north killing Tartars and helping others to make money as a killer, just like a prodigal son.

This time he suddenly came to Jiangnan, and Shen Lian instinctively felt that something was wrong.

"Of course, a big shot came to me. You know, I'm a fair businessman, I'm honest, and I'm famous. I was watching an opera in the capital that day, and I tell you, the girls there are really hot."

"Speak to the important points"

"Oh, I was halfway through listening when someone came to me and asked me to kill someone. I wanted to refuse because the journey was so long, but the offer was too much."

"Two thousand taels of gold, who can refuse? I took the job on the spot. When I got here, the people on the street told me who they were going to kill."

"Contact person? Ding Xiu, don't blame me for being nosy. Both you and I have suffered losses. You should know very well how many tricks there are in such commissions. If you get involved, you will be in trouble. If things go wrong, you may even lose your life."

"Don't worry, I'm not a person without sense of propriety"

Ding Xiu patted Shen Lian on the shoulder and said, "When I came here, I also did a simple check on the man I wanted to kill. He is a newcomer and has no background. It is said that he is a young man who moved here from the capital. Maybe there is some secret in his family that those big shots don't want the outside world to know, or maybe they offended someone before. In short, he must die."

"That person has offered a reward, and I'm not the only one who will take the job. The money will be taken away by someone else anyway, so why can't it be me?"

"I still want to advise you..."

Shen Lian was about to speak when he keenly sensed something was wrong.

"who!"

Maybe Shen Lian's martial arts skills are not as good as Ding Xiu's, but as a senior Jinyiwei, he is a professional when it comes to this kind of secret spying. The moment he shouted, Ding Xiu also picked up the horse-slaying sword wrapped in cloth beside him.

The two rushed out of the hut and saw a dark shadow in the night passing over the roof of a nearby house and rushing towards Kangpingju.

And there is more than one such figure.

"Look, I was saying that I'm not the only one who took this job. I've wasted so much time just to catch up with you. If someone else takes the blame, my trip would be in vain. No, I have to go over and take a look."

Ding Xiu was about to leave when Shen Lian grabbed him.

"Hey...Shen Lian, even though we have a good relationship, it's not worth two thousand taels of gold. If you want to stop me from making money, don't blame me for turning my back on you."

"Before you do anything, I want to tell you something."

"Go ahead and speak as quickly as possible. I'm afraid that if you talk to me for too long, the unlucky guy will be dead and I won't be able to catch up with him."

"There is a group of bandits entrenched near Yangzhou City. They are supported by a wealthy family in the city. They have a strong army and horses, with no less than fifty people."

"What does this have to do with the person I want to kill?"

"Not long ago, one of my boss's guards went up to the bandit mountain alone. He wiped out all the bandits on the mountain, leaving no one alive. His blood dyed half of the village red, but that man didn't even have a scratch on his body."

"...This joke is not funny"

"Do you think I'm the kind of person who's telling you a joke?"

Ding Xiu was silent. This was reality, not some fictional story. No matter how capable he was, when he single-handedly defeated the cavalry team, although his injuries seemed minor, it was still extremely exhausting. He didn't even have the strength to stand after a fight, and it took him a long time to recover. If there were more than a dozen people like this, and if there were dozens of people, even if they all stood still and let you chop them, they would still be exhausted to death.

Ding Xiu was somewhat skeptical. This matter sounded absurd, but based on Ding Xiu's understanding of Shen Lian, the iron-headed guy, this person did not seem like the kind of person who would make up stories to deceive people. So to say that this matter was true was a bit too outrageous.

"If you don't believe me, we can follow them and see for ourselves. Believe me, the end of this group of people will definitely not be good. After seeing it with your own eyes, I believe you will have a different judgment."

Ding Xiu looked at Shen Lian, and Shen Lian looked back at him. After the two confronted each other for a while, Ding Xiu finally compromised first, put down his aura, and carried the big knife on his shoulder: "I will believe you this time. Let's go and see what this master you praised to the sky is capable of."

Volume 99: Chapter Chapter : This is a trap!

The moon is dark and the wind is high, the sky is full of murders and arson.

A crescent moon hung in the sky, faintly obscured by dark clouds, making the atmosphere in the city feel a little more gloomy.

Inside the Wen Mansion, Wen Ren was still playing chess by himself. Beside him was a lackey he had recently promoted.

"Master, all the orders have been given. We will start tonight."

The lackey bowed and reported to Wen Ren.

"Yes... I understand. We must find the whereabouts of the butler. Do you understand?"

"Yes"

The butler disappeared. As the local boss, Wen Ren panicked at first, but he still expanded his intelligence network and searched for relevant information. However, after the first few days, there was really no news at all.

The butler disappeared at some point, and he had no idea where those people had gone. There was nothing in the cottage except a pool of blood. Wen Ren had to inquire about the butler's information while erasing all traces of himself. All the evidence in the courtyard was destroyed by himself.

After a few days, the butler seemed to have disappeared, which made Wen Ren even more mad. The butler had too many things in his hands and could not stand being questioned. He did not dare to gamble his life on whether others were loyal to him. Wen Ren felt panic for the first time. With no other choice, he chose to ask for help.

Why were salt merchants able to become so big? In an environment like the Ming Dynasty, without a backer, how could a merchant like you be a master? If you want to have business everywhere, you have to learn to be filial. The bulk of Wen Ren's business was basically all paid to that master. Just like the saying goes, he is just one of the legs.

Compared to Wen Ren, the big shot was obviously much smarter. He had to deal with others himself. The bandits were gone the next day. As his former opponent, Jiang Han became the biggest suspect.

Wang Dang's whereabouts were not difficult to track. Considering that he frequently ran to Jiang Han's side, the two were naturally accomplices. In that case, it was self-evident where the butler had gone.

As long as they find Jiang Han, find out the whereabouts of the butler and then kill him, the problem will naturally be solved. Taking direct action is too obvious, so there is a reward.

It's only about two thousand taels of gold, and the money is paid by Wen Ren anyway. For the people in higher positions, hiding oneself is the most important thing. He doesn't want to lose his official hat because of such a trivial matter. The emperor's temper has been getting worse and worse these days.

Kangpingju is very lively at this moment.

Two thousand taels of gold is not a small amount. Ding Xiu is just one of the thousands of people who died for money and has never been taken seriously. With such a high reward, naturally many people are flocking to it.

Shen Lian brought Ding Xiu with him, and the two of them stood not far away, observing silently. The lights in Kangping Residence were on.

The lanterns on the corridor lit up the road, and the main house was also brightly lit. However, somewhat contradictory to this scene was that it was too quiet.

Quiet, something was wrong.

"Two thousand taels of gold, it really is a big deal... so many familiar faces"

After calming down, Ding Xiu looked at everything in front of him with interest, and he really saw some clues.

"Oh?"

Shen Lian acted as if he wanted to know more. He had lived in seclusion for many years and was not very clear about the so-called martial arts world.

"Look at that man, he is short and agile. He is a famous killer in Northern Zhili, nicknamed Zuanmeishu. He is good at using Emei spears and has extraordinary martial arts skills, but he is still far inferior to me."

"And the one who wields a long whip, nicknamed Guo Yunlong, is very good at using a soft whip, no one can get close to him."

"You don't have a nickname?"

"A real man never changes his name or surname, what do I need those for?"

"Why are there so many people in the underworld? Don't the Jinyiwei do anything?"

Instinctively, Shen Lian was somewhat dissatisfied with the low work efficiency of his juniors.

"Haha, what about the Jinyiwei? They are almost a thing of the past. Ever since Wei Yan died, you Jinyiwei have been getting worse day by day. You are not much worse than the constables."

"How could this happen?"

Shen Lian frowned, somewhat confused.

"What's there to not understand? Have you seen enough of this world? Hush, don't talk, it's about to begin!"

Ding Xiu stopped Shen Lian from continuing the conversation with an excited look on his face. The two looked into the courtyard and saw that, as expected, the men in black could not hold back and decided to take action after testing for a while.

"Everyone, we are all here for the reward, so let's rely on our own abilities. Since no one wants to be the first to take the blame, I will not be polite for now."

A figure rushed to the main house first.

"Damn it, you idiot, who do you think you are? Do you think you can take the first place? Wait for me back here!"

With someone taking the lead, the killers who were originally hesitant and entangled with each other all let go of their psychological burdens. After all, if there was a mine, the person in front would step on it first. But if they went too late, the two thousand taels of gold would belong to someone else.

A crowd of people rushed into the courtyard, but in the next second, the main house, which had been noisy, became completely silent. The lights in the courtyard were all turned off in an instant. The atmosphere in Kangpingju, which had been peaceful and harmonious, suddenly changed.

"careful!"

"not good!"

The killers realized that something was wrong and took evasive actions. Those who were originally rushing towards the main house stopped and looked for the nearest cover to hide their bodies. Those who had nothing to cover themselves also lowered their bodies and took a defensive posture.

The expected attack did not come. Just when everyone was in doubt, the door of the main house slowly opened. Under everyone's wary eyes, Jiang Han slowly appeared in front of everyone.

"It's so lively...Everyone, did you bring your invitations when you come to my house today?"

"Do it!"

There was no intention of wasting time. The group of desperadoes decided to use the weapons in their hands to speak at the first moment. They had no intention of chatting with Jiang Han. What mattered most was to complete the employer's requirements and get the money.

Someone shook his hand, and the hidden weapon on his body flew towards Jiang Han. The Emei Spear in the sleeve of the nearest Zuanmeishu had already slipped into the palm of his hand and stabbed straight at Jiang Han.

Flying crossbows, flying knives, hidden weapons, long nails, and even flying men in the air, almost all arrived in front of Jiang Han in an instant, but none of them could advance an inch.

Because, in front of them, a large shield appeared.

"Oh my goodness, Commander, there are so many pointy things, what should I do if I get pricked? Really, it's not cute at all!"

The voice of a coquettish woman, in such an environment, not only did not make people feel the slightest warmth, but also a little scary.

"It's a tricky idea! Let's do it together!"

The fact that the opponent actually had a shield in his home was obviously beyond the expectations of this gang of gangsters, but it was not an unsolvable problem. Everyone had the same interests at the moment, so they decided to cooperate to deal with the strange woman in front of them first.

"Die to me!"

Holding a long knife, a killer had already forced his way in front of the big shield, and stabbed the person behind the shield with the long knife in his hand in an extremely tricky way.

"You think you can shake me?"

The stabbing sensation that should have been successful did not come from the hand. Instead, a huge force penetrated the whole body. The man was smashed into the air and fell heavily on the ground in the front yard.

This attack was obviously very effective, causing the rhythm in the field to stagnate.

"Don't worry, since you guys are so enthusiastic, I have selected a very suitable opponent for you."