Chapter 119: Terms of the Exchange

Jiang Chen told Shen Xueying that he had once encountered a local tyrant outside Longjiang City named Liu Kui. This man had committed countless misdeeds and was insatiably greedy, ultimately killed by Jiang Chen himself in a dilapidated temple. Therefore, the rebel from the Xuan Yan Mansion currently held captive was merely impersonating Liu Kui to deceive others and escape punishment.

Since Jiang Chen knew Liu Kui’s background well, he immediately saw through the man’s lie.

Shen Xueying said, “Then, it’s up to you now.”

Jiang Chen stepped into the cell. The man before him was battered and bruised from torture, yet the sharpness in his eyes remained undiminished.

Most of the Xuan Yan Mansion’s men were tough and resolute; otherwise, they wouldn’t have dared to rebel. Jiang Chen was intrigued to meet such a man.

“You’ve finally come,” the man said slowly, as if he had long expected Jiang Chen’s arrival.

“To keep it brief, don’t bother with that Liu Kui story anymore. That man was killed by me. If you want to suffer less, it’s best you tell me clearly about the matters I asked you before.”

A faint smile crept onto the man’s face as he spoke candidly, “My real name is Geng Ji. You’re eager to know about the incident twenty years ago—I can tell you now, but surely you’ll want something in return, won’t you?”

“Name your conditions. If I can help, I will,” Jiang Chen replied readily. Unlike the Night Punishment Department officials who had interrogated him before, Jiang Chen spoke to the man on equal terms, without any arrogance or condescension.

The man clearly hadn’t expected Jiang Chen’s swift agreement.

“I don’t even know who you are. I need a promise from you!”

“I’m not with the Night Punishment Department. Whether I can do what you ask is a gamble you’ll have to take. Other than trusting me, do you have any other choice?” Jiang Chen’s words struck at Geng Ji’s core. Trapped and desperate, no one else had treated him with such calm fairness.

If he didn’t seize this chance, Geng Ji could only await death.

“I’ll give you some time to think.” Jiang Chen found a chair and sat down, letting Geng Ji weigh the pros and cons, confident he would make a wise choice.

After a brief pause, Geng Ji spoke, “Twenty years ago, the Xuan Yan Mansion didn’t even exist yet. But someone gathered us from all over the country to plan a series of operations targeting Qishan.”

“Back then, everyone had the tattoo of a three-eyed serpent’s head on their chests as a unified mark, so we could distinguish friend from foe, since none of us knew each other.”

As Geng Ji spoke, a grim smile crossed his face, as if reminiscing about those days.

He continued, “Tiequan’s man, Tu Wu Kuishan, was then the most prominent general of Qishan. Rumor had it he was most likely to succeed as commander. With him at the helm, Qishan’s iron cavalry would have remained strong for decades.”

“So, we plotted an ambush against him. We mobilized several times their numbers, employing every tactic imaginable—traps, cold arrows, poison smoke, fire attacks—almost annihilating them.”

“But in the end, Wu Kuishan escaped. His loyal guards pushed him into the river, and he drifted downstream beyond our pursuit. Because of this, Wu Kuishan soon faded from Qishan’s scene. Yet, our mission was accomplished.”

Jiang Chen listened intently and asked, “Who gathered you all for this? And why target Qishan?”

Geng Ji replied, “I cannot name that person. The reason for targeting Qishan is simple—it was too strong, the backbone of Da Qian’s military might. If Qishan fell, the consequences would be disastrous.”

“That’s all I can tell you. Don’t ask more; I won’t answer.”

Jiang Chen nodded, then pointed toward the door. “The Night Punishment Department only let me in here so I could extract valuable information. If you don’t give me something worthwhile, next time I might not be able to come talk to you.”

That was entirely true. Without Jiang Chen’s access, their deal would be meaningless.

Geng Ji had to confirm Jiang Chen would accomplish the task he’d promised; otherwise, everything was pointless.

He then revealed several Xuan Yan Mansion strongholds scattered across the land. If the Night Punishment Department had the capability, they could go and destroy them. This allowed Jiang Chen to report back to Shen Xueying.

Just as Jiang Chen was about to leave, Geng Ji suddenly said, “Wait!”

“To ensure you keep your promise, I’ll tell you one more thing—a deeply hidden mole operates within Qishan, one who has loyally served us for a long time.”

“If you complete that task, bring the token back to me, and I’ll reveal the mole’s true identity.”

Jiang Chen said coolly, “I understand your intentions. Of course, I can’t verify if this mole truly exists. But that doesn’t matter—I will keep my promise.”

To guard against betrayal, Geng Ji had left himself a fallback. Jiang Chen, however, thought he was just spinning lies.

Leaving the dungeon, Jiang Chen shared the locations of the strongholds with Shen Xueying, who admired his approach. She was puzzled, though, by how Jiang Chen had easily achieved what even the Night Punishment Department could not.

“Because I was sincere. Even when holding absolute advantage, I treated him with respect and honesty. That way, he’d offer me information he deemed trivial but which proved invaluable,” Jiang Chen explained.

The information he sought was about the events two decades ago—long past and insignificant to Geng Ji, making it perfect as bargaining chips.

“By the way, what exactly did Geng Ji want you to do? Isn’t that the Night Punishment Department’s responsibility?”

Shen Xueying asked, but Jiang Chen refused outright.

“When I promise someone, I do it personally. Besides, your Night Punishment Department is already distracted dealing with the Northern Yan emissaries. You don’t need to worry about this small matter.”

Surprised, Shen Xueying asked, “You know about our recent activities?”

Jiang Chen assessed keenly, “You scattered your forces across the city searching for Han Yuyang. Since the Northern Yan emissaries arrived, your numbers have sharply declined. That’s hardly hard to guess.”