Chapter 63: Bringing You Ashore

Seeing Zhong Miao's bewildered expression, Chen An had no choice but to explain, "Your whereabouts are unpredictable. Rather than scouring everywhere for you, it seemed much more convenient to simply wait for you to come to me."

"Then why are you saving me now?" Zhong Miao asked, perplexed. "If you wanted revenge, it would have been so much better to let Wang Erbaraca kill me."

"I am incapable of pulling off such a tasteless stunt," Chen An replied, glancing back at Wu Daizi, who was wreaking havoc. "Besides, to be completely honest, I don't have the slightest bit of fondness for human traffickers."

"So that's why you mentioned the fish and the bait earlier, right?" Zhong Miao coughed lightly. "What do you want from me?"

"Nothing major. There's something I need to accomplish, and having someone like you push it forward makes you the ideal candidate. That's why I specifically came to see you."

"And how do I look to you right now?"

"A bit battered, but still acceptable." Chen An nodded slightly. "So, I've changed my mind."

"What mind?"

"Come with me. My Tiger Regiment's organizational structure has been disrupted, and I'm currently in need of an instructor."

Zhong Miao was stunned for a moment before bursting into loud laughter. "I really didn't expect this. You're planning to co-opt me just like that?"

"Not co-opt, invite," Chen An said. "As the old saying goes: 'To become an official, commit arson and murder, then accept the imperial amnesty.' You're not someone who slaughters the innocent indiscriminately, so the word 'invite' is much more fitting."

While the two were conversing, Wu Daizi's spiked club had already carved out a bloody path.

Accompanied by cries full of lingering resentment and pain, Zhong Miao froze for a moment.

"If I say I have no intention of joining your Tiger Regiment right now, will you kill me?"

Chen An shook his head. "No. If I killed you, I'm afraid that young woman named Xiaohong would be heartbroken."

Zhong Miao was taken aback, a complex expression filling his eyes. "Coming after you to kill you is my business, it has nothing to do with her."

"See? You're worrying too much again. Of course I know the principle of not implicating others, that punishment shouldn't extend to the family," Chen An said. "Though, come to think of it, there are only about three days left until her debut performance, isn't there? First your attempt to kill me failed, and now your attempt to kill Wang Erbaraca failed. The injuries on your body won't heal properly in three to five days anyway. Put simply, you don't have much time left."

Zhong Miao fell silent once more; everything Chen An said was entirely true.

At that moment, the final curtain fell on Wu Daizi's battlefield as the last guard collapsed.

Wang Erbaraca, whose legs were already so paralyzed by fear that he could no longer stand, pointed at the children, gold, and silver treasures behind him and begged for mercy, "Don't kill me, don't kill me! I can give you all of these things!"

Wu Daizi let out a disdainful snort, raised the spiked club in his hand high, and brought it down fiercely.

The sharp iron spikes easily pierced through Wang Erbaraca's blood vessels.

Dragging him like a dead dog, Wu Daizi tossed Wang Erbaraca right in front of Zhong Miao.

"I've handed him over to you," Chen An said. "Take him to buy your beloved's freedom. But as the old saying goes: a man like you belongs in the army."

"Whenever you figure it out, come find me at the Tiger Regiment. I'll be waiting anytime."

Watching Chen An's retreating figure, Zhong Miao paused for a moment. "Can a man like me be a soldier?"

***

Morning arrived just in time.

An autumn rain fell, chilling one to the bone and soaking straight through armor.

Youmountain Pass was shrouded in a thin layer of mist.

The sentries guarding the watchtower couldn't help but become extra cautious.

Soon, a dark figure emerged from the dense fog.

"Halt, who goes there!"

Following the sentry's shout, the dark figure responded.

"My name is Zhong Miao, and I have come specifically to pay my respects to Chen An."

Zhong Miao!

Hearing these two words, the members of the Tiger Regiment instantly turned as guarded as if facing a formidable enemy, and dozens of bows were aimed at Zhong Miao all at once.

Over the past two years, the reputation of Zhong Miao, the Soul-Pursuing Arrow, was not the least bit smaller than that of the Tiger Regiment.

As the camp gates swung open, Chen An, accompanied by Zhang Xiaojing and the middle-ranking officers of the Tiger Regiment, slowly approached.

"Have you thought it over?"

"Yes."

"And Xiaohong?"

"I found a place for her."

"Alright. You know, you arrived two days earlier than I expected."

The dialogue between Chen An and Zhong Miao caught the rest of the people present completely off guard.

The two men, who had been mortal enemies just a short while ago, were now actually sharing the same pair of trousers.

Chen An cast a glance around the surroundings and cleared his throat gently. "I hereby announce that Zhong Miao is officially joining the Tiger Regiment, holding the rank of Platoon Commander. I will brief everyone on his specific duties later."

It was obvious that Chen An's authority within the Tiger Regiment was supreme. Although everyone present was filled with curiosity, they still cupped their fists in compliance and acceptance.

Chen An took Zhong Miao's hand, his voice dropping a notch lower. "I've given you the rank now, but whether you can command the respect of the lads will depend entirely on your own abilities."

"What do you mean by that?" Zhong Miao asked. "You want me to slaughter a few herdsmen from the grasslands?"

"No, no, no, it's not as troublesome as you think," Chen An whispered. "Just go tie up Cheng Qian's son for me and get a bit of ransom."

Zhong Miao was stunned for a moment, and then a smile blossomed at the corner of his mouth. "Very well, I'll take this job. Consider it my pledge of allegiance to you."

"How you handle it is up to you, but I have only one condition: don't expose your identity."

"You can rest easy on that. When it comes to leading troops into battle, I might not measure up to you, but when it comes to highway robbery, you're four hundred years behind me," Zhong Miao said, giving Chen An a reassuring shot in the arm before asking, "Aren't you afraid I'll stir up a catastrophic mess for you?"

"I've had diarrhea for the past two days and am confined to my bed. Even if the sky falls outside, it has nothing to do with the Tiger Regiment!" Chen An continued in a low voice. "It's all for the sake of making money, nothing to be ashamed of."

***

They say a heroic father produces no dog sons, and Cheng Huan, the eldest son of Youzhou Prefect Cheng Qian, had perfectly inherited his father's advantages.

Only, this advantage lay neither in navigating officialdom nor in working for the people, but rather in "spreading his branches and leaves."

His mouth was full of talk about the country and the world, while his belly was filled with debauchery and hypocrisy.

Day in and day out, under the guise of rescuing fallen women from the dust, he lingered in major brothels, drowning in sensual pleasures.

Before turning twenty, he had already taken three concubines.

Although Cheng Qian's teeth would itch with hatred every time he mentioned this unfilial son, he was, after all, the sole remaining seedling of the Cheng family.

Therefore, he could only vent his frustrations with words, and the title of " spoiled young master" was quickly pinned to Cheng Huan's head.

Gradually developing a mentality where heaven was number one, earth was number two, and he was number three, Cheng Huan's mindset underwent a subtle shift.

Lately, he had even set his sights on virtuous women.

Upholding the principle of "persuading fallen women to become virtuous, and virtuous women to fall into depravity," Cheng Huan began to relish that irresistible thrill.

True to form, upon hearing from a henchman today about a young widow who had recently arrived at the nearby Niujia Village, he grew overwhelmingly excited!