Chapter 187: A Thousand Gold for a Hammer, Wan Zhilan

Drew away Madame Zhen? Lei Qing was slightly stunned, scratched his head and thought for a moment, feeling somewhat enlightened. He shook his head and said with a smile: “So that is how it is, but I still cannot accept this credit. Back then, after I kidnapped Li Baobao, Zhen Jimu, the First Young Master of the Zhen Family, wanted to stand up for his brother Wan Liyun. So he brought men to intercept me. Unwilling to suffer such baseless humiliation, I subdued Zhen Jimu on the spot, and that was what drew Madame Zhen over. I did not know that Young Master Dongfang was in danger at the time, nor did I intend to save him.”

“Young General, I know what you said. But regardless, it was because of you that my son was saved.” Zhu Xiyu looked at Lei Qing with gratitude and saluted him, then said with some apology: “And back then, my son left in too much of a hurry and did not help you resolve your trouble. It is truly because I usually failed in my guidance; please, Young General, forgive me. Another day, I will definitely have him personally visit Yehe Town to express his thanks and apologies.”

Naturally, regarding exactly what humiliation and danger Dongfang Lan had suffered, he had not explained clearly to his mother. He only said that Madame Zhen hated him as well, called experts to beat him, and wanted to imprison and torture him. If she had known that her son was almost raped by his aunt, even if Zhu Xiyu was virtuous, gentle, and kind-hearted, she would probably have stormed over to find Madame Zhen and cause her serious trouble.

“Madam Dongfang, there is no need to be so polite.” Lei Qing laughed and said: “Back then, I just happened to help by accident. Young Master Dongfang had just escaped danger and did not know I would be in trouble; it was only right for him to flee in panic. There is no need to dwell on this matter; how about we just let it go?”

Lei Qing did not want Dongfang Lan to be forced by his mother to apologize to him, only to end up resenting him and making an enemy for no reason.

Zhu Xiyu was also quite grateful for Lei Qing’s reasonableness. She only had one son, Dongfang Lan, and although she didn’t say it out loud, she naturally cherished him dearly.

“Since General Lei is so generous, I offer my thanks in advance.” Little Guanyin Zhu Xiyu spoke gently again: “We, the Divine Sword Villa, will remember this favor. If the Zhen Family Ranch dares to offend Yehe Town because of that matter in the future, the Divine Sword Villa will certainly make a necessary response. If Madame Zhen insists on acting recklessly, the Divine Sword Villa will not sit idly by and will definitely send troops to assist the Black Flag Regiment.”

Hearing this, the crowd around immediately burst into lively discussion. They were probably all guessing, how exactly did Madame Zhen bully her nephew Dongfang Lan? It actually made Zhu Xiyu, who always had a good temper, so indignant? This was equivalent to shifting the repercussions of Lei Qing kidnapping Zhen Jimu onto the Divine Sword Villa.

She indeed had a heart of a bodhisattva, but that didn’t mean she would only try to smooth things over when her son was bullied like this.

To actually receive such a golden promise of a favor from Zhu Xiyu, Lei Qing was truly surprised and overjoyed. He cupped his hands and said: “This junior thanks Madam Dongfang for her care.”

Little Guanyin Zhu Xiyu had an excellent reputation; no one would doubt a promise made by her. Moreover, Dongfang Cangqiong both respected and loved Zhu Xiyu; as long as she spoke, he would agree to anything.

From this, it could be deduced that if the Zhen Family Ranch dared to send troops against Yehe Town, the Divine Sword Villa would definitely send troops to assist in the defense. And Zhu Xiyu’s words today would surely spread throughout the entire Free Alliance in a short time. The Zhen Family Ranch would also receive this extremely important piece of intelligence within a very short time.

Rifts developing between two major powers was naturally a major event within the Free Alliance. If the two major powers went to war, it might break the peace of the Free Alliance that had lasted for over a hundred years.

“Little Aunt, this Lei Qing is clearly a treacherous villain, why do you have to help him? He just saved Cousin by accident.” Zhu Yuer, who held a strong prejudice against Lei Qing, held her aunt’s arm and pouted coquettishly: “He is the bad man who kidnapped my Cousin Li Baobao.”

“Yuer, don’t hold such a deep grudge against Brother Lei.” Guan Fei laughed loudly and said: “Brother Lei explained it clearly before. If Baobao hadn’t acted so impulsively, rushing to find trouble without distinguishing right from wrong, how would such a problem have arisen?”

Her coquettish behavior gave Lei Qing a wave of goosebumps. She was clearly dressed in men’s clothing, yet she insisted on clinging to Zhu Xiyu’s arm, stomping her feet and speaking in a cloying tone. Although he knew she was a woman, an air of something unnatural rushed at him, making him unable to stop himself from shivering.

“Hmph, Third Uncle, you’re taking an outsider’s side. When we get back, I’m definitely going to tell Third Aunt about the bad things you’ve done out there.”

Normally, when Guan Fei encountered this kind of situation, he would have tried to coax her. But right now, his mind was on the worried look Zhu Xiyu had earlier, so he spoke with a slightly serious tone of concern: “Xiyu, I saw you looking troubled just now? Did you encounter something worrying?”

“The war between our Divine Sword Villa and the Southern Barbarian is going very poorly. It has reached a stalemate. The longer it drags on, the more disadvantageous it is for our Divine Sword Villa.” Zhu Xiyu sighed softly and said: “The Villa needs to form a new army to prepare for the southern front. I came to Wan Family Treasure this time to buy a batch of superior armor and weapons.”

Hearing this, Guan Fei’s expression became even more grave: “Xiyu, a newly formed army probably won’t have much combat effectiveness, right? Why not go back to your maiden home and borrow some troops from Big Brother? If Big Brother agrees, I am willing to personally lead the army to assist.”

“Third Brother-in-law, you know that a few years ago, Cangqiong and Big Brother had a disagreement while drunk. They parted on bad terms, and their relationship has been strained since.” Zhu Xiyu’s face showed a hint of sorrow.

“What does it matter? What deep hatred could exist between a brother-in-law and a brother that can’t be resolved?” Guan Fei glared and said in annoyance: “You know our Big Brother actually has a good temper. If the younger brother-in-law just lowered his stance and apologized, wouldn’t everything be harmonious?”

Zhu Xiyu wanted to say something but stopped herself, ultimately saying nothing.

Guan Fei actually also knew that One Sword Shaking The Heavens, Dongfang Cangqiong, had a very proud personality; he might not be willing to lower his head and apologize. Moreover, as the Divine Sword Villa, which ranked among the top of major powers, if they had to beg for help everywhere after fighting a barbarian tribe, the Divine Sword Villa would lose too much face. That was why they would rather form a new army and rely on themselves for everything.

Seeing Lei Qing beside him, Guan Fei’s eyes suddenly lit up and he laughed: “Xiyu, the Iron Cavalry Regiment has strong soldiers and sturdy horses, and they are good at fighting. They are mercenaries by origin, so they should be willing to accept employment to fight against the Southern Barbarian. Why doesn’t your Divine Sword Villa spend some money and hire the Iron Cavalry Regiment?”

Guan Fei’s surname was Guan, but he had married into the Marquis Zhu Residence, so he was part of the Marquis Zhu Residence. Zhu Xiyu, though surnamed Zhu, had married into the Divine Sword Villa, so she was part of the Divine Sword Villa. These were the respective stances they had to adhere to.

Hearing this, Lei Qing’s eyes also lit up; this was indeed a good idea. At this stage, the Iron Cavalry Regiment was still very short of money, and Uncle Xiahou often worried about financial matters. If the Divine Sword Villa offered a suitable price, sending a few regiments to assist would be something Uncle Xiahou would likely be more than happy to do.

Moreover, his current forces now numbered one thousand and five hundred men. They were actively training, but many of them had never seen blood. If there was a chance, Lei Qing would have to take them to the battlefield to fight. Only by personally experiencing the tragic and fierce atmosphere of the battlefield, and being baptized by their own blood and the lives of their enemies, could they become a strong army.

Most importantly, having such an opportunity to establish good relations with the Divine Sword Villa and Little Guanyin Zhu Xiyu was also a wonderful thing.

“General Lei, what do you think of this matter?” After thinking for a moment, Zhu Xiyu felt this method was feasible and cast her gaze toward Lei Qing.

“I am only a general under the Iron Cavalry Regiment. I can make decisions for the Black Flag Regiment, but I cannot make decisions for the Iron Cavalry Regiment.” Lei Qing said seriously: “But I can immediately send someone to ask Regiment Commander Xiahou and hear his opinion.” Although Lei Qing guessed in his heart that Uncle Xiahou would agree, a guess was just a guess; he absolutely could not overstep his authority in such matters.

“In that case, I will trouble General Lei to convey the message.”

Lei Qing immediately called over two personal soldiers, wrote a letter, and handed it to them, instructing them to deliver it to Xiahou Huan with fast horses. After handling this matter, seeing that the brother-in-law and sister-in-law seemed to have things to discuss, he sensibly excused himself.

Returning to his own table, Zuo Qianqian appeared very happy, holding onto Lei Qing’s arm and chattering non-stop. Because the fight Lei Qing had just been in was very worthwhile; he had actually earned a Heart-Cleansing Pendant. This appearance fee was almost comparable to that of a Holy Rank powerhouse.

After everyone ate and drank to their fill, they returned to their rooms. Lei Qing took Zuo Qianqian to his “Xuan” character room to cultivate while waiting. Long before this, Lei Qing had bribed Steward Wu to find a way to deliver a letter to Wan Zhilan.

If she still had a heart and still cared about her grandson, she would definitely come on her own.

Just as Lei Qing had expected, two hours later, the sound of Steward Wu knocking on the door came from outside. He told Zuo Qianqian to hide in the bedroom first, and when he opened the door, he saw Steward Wu leading a plainly dressed but elegant middle-aged beautiful woman standing outside.

Judging by her age, Wan Zhilan should have been in her fifties. But at this moment, she still looked like she was in her thirties. However, her temperament was completely different from Zhu Xiyu’s. Her entire aura exuded a sharpness like a sword, giving off a feeling that she was difficult to approach.

“Reporting to Miss, this is Lei Qing, the one who asked me to deliver the letter.” Steward Wu was clearly quite afraid of her, not daring to breathe loudly.

Unmarried, she was addressed as Miss. Intelligence indicated that Wan Zhilan had never married in her life.

“I understand, you may leave.” Wan Zhilan coldly waved Steward Wu away. She stepped into the “Xuan” character room, her gaze sharp as lightning as she stared at Lei Qing: “Your name is Lei Qing? You are from the Iron Cavalry Regiment? You said you know the news of Zuo Ming?”

A series of aggressive questions revealed her domineering mindset.

Lei Qing frowned slightly. Perhaps it was this kind of personality and temper that caused her to eventually separate from Old Man Zuo? Lei Qing had never liked women with this kind of personality. But she was Zuo Qianqian’s grandmother, and before determining her intentions, Lei Qing did not want to have a falling out with her.

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