Chapter 15 : Chapter 15

Chapter 15: A Banner Captain’s Kindness Can Never Be Repaid!

After putting away the Red River Gang’s hidden account book, Cheng Yu returned to the wharf.

By this time, his subordinates had already cleaned out the entirety of Red River Gang headquarters.

They had practically dug three feet into the ground to search out everything of value.

Though the Red River Gang still had large numbers of remaining members, once they saw Sha Yue’s severed head, they all turned into a pack of useless shrimp soldiers and crab generals. Not one of them dared continue opposing the Xiuchun Sabers in the Jinyiwei’s hands.

As for the Red River Gang’s more capable martial artists, they had already been surrounded at Weijia Restaurant the previous night.

The dead were dead, and those who had survived were thrown into prison.

With no resistance left, and with some people confessing the locations of hidden stores of wealth, everything proceeded smoothly.

“Reporting to my lord, the Red River Gang’s entire fortune is here. These are the title deeds to the properties under the gang’s name.”

Cheng Yu took the thick stack of title deeds his subordinate handed over.

After flipping through them briefly, he discovered that quite a few businesses throughout Qinghe County were in the Red River Gang’s name. Outside the city, countless fields and farmland deeds also belonged to the gang.

And beyond that, the open ground at the center of the wharf was piled high with copper coins, silver, and gold, along with mountains of rice, flour, ironware, and other goods.

For a mere gang in a small county to have amassed wealth to this extent—

“There’s quite a lot here that belongs to other people.”

As Cheng Yu stroked his chin, he thought of the contents recorded in the account book.

The Red River Gang had only ever been a black glove doing other people’s dirty work. They surely had not kept the lion’s share for themselves. At least seventy to eighty percent of these assets probably belonged to others.

If all of it were confiscated and brought back, quite a few people would definitely jump to their feet.

Including the lord Hundred-Household Commander of the prefectural Jinyiwei office—his own superior.

“But what does that have to do with me? If I worked hard to seize it, then it’s naturally all mine.”

Cheng Yu was not the sort of person to agonize over such questions.

With a wave of his hand, he said, “Convert all the gold, silver, and coins into banknotes. Each of you keep fifty taels, and bring me the rest. As for the rice, flour, ironware, and other goods, distribute them to the common people. It’d be too troublesome to haul them back.”

“Return all the deeds that Red River Gang seized by force, and release everyone who was forced into selling themselves.”

“Thank you, my lord!”

His subordinates were overwhelmed with excitement. Now that Sha Yue was dead, raiding the Red River Gang was little more than a matter of convenience. They hardly needed to lift a hand.

Banner Captain Cheng was so generous that even people who had done nothing still got paid. One by one, they became even more wholeheartedly devoted to Cheng Yu.

If he could give them money, they would even call him Grandfather Cheng!

As for the rules—normally, the proceeds from a house raid were not supposed to go into the Jinyiwei’s own pockets—but all of them conveniently overlooked that issue.

If not for Banner Captain Cheng, then according to the rules, they would never have gotten any of this in the first place!

Not far from the wharf, quite a few people had gathered and were watching from afar.

They had only heard that some young Jinyiwei officer had descended like a heavenly god. Yesterday morning, he had still been frightening an old man at the city gate.

Yet today, he had actually raided the Red River Gang, that scourge of the region!

Even now, Red River Gang Leader Sha Yue’s head was still hanging there!

At the sight of it, the common people who had long suffered under the Red River Gang were all incomparably excited.

But then they thought that crows were black all over the world.

It was probably just a matter of being squeezed by the Jinyiwei now instead of the Red River Gang, and more than half of their joy vanished.

Then, when they saw several imposing Jinyiwei strongmen walking toward them, they hurriedly backed away.

“Go call everyone you know. My Banner Captain is distributing the Red River Gang’s grain, oil, ironware, and other goods. Come collect your share by household.”

“If your family had property or land seized by the Red River Gang, come retrieve the deeds in a little while. If anyone in your family was abducted by the Red River Gang, remember to come identify them.”

“Distributing goods? Returning deeds?”

The common people could hardly believe their ears. The Jinyiwei had raided the Red River Gang—and now they were giving things back to them?

How could such a good thing possibly exist under heaven?

Surely they were being toyed with?

The strongman speaking saw that the crowd still could not believe it, and he grew somewhat displeased. “My Banner Captain fought Sha Yue blade-to-blade. Would a man like that really stoop to making sport of poor commoners like you?”

At that moment, Cheng Yu also stepped forward and said calmly, “The Jinyiwei are the Son of Heaven’s personal guard. After eliminating evil for the sake of the people, naturally we return the stolen goods. If you don’t want them, then forget it.”

After saying that, he walked away through the parting crowd.

Hearing those words, the people finally believed.

One after another, they burst into tears, turned toward Cheng Yu’s departing figure, and fell to their knees, kowtowing over and over again.

“A true heavenly lord among men! My lord is truly a bodhisattva descended to this world—we kowtow to you!”

“My youngest boy... now he can finally come home! We could never repay my lord’s kindness, not in ten lifetimes!”

“Many thanks to my lord for eliminating this scourge!”

【The host has swept away an unlawful faction and increased the reputation of the Jinyiwei. Reward obtained: Mid-Grade Armament, ‘Cold Ghost Face’!】

Looking at the sinister, chilling fang-mask in his hand, Cheng Yu nodded in satisfaction.

Aside from protecting the face, this thing could also emit a gloomy, icy aura. Whoever wore it at night would become difficult to detect.

“With this, raiding houses and killing people will be even easier in the future.”

...

On the broad official road of Jiangnan, a road that in earlier days had been reserved only for princes, officials, and Great Qian armies, now anyone of note could travel upon it.

Merchant tycoons, wandering heroes of the Jianghu, and even commoners came and went in an endless stream.

Among them, the most eye-catching was a carriage convoy radiating formidable momentum.

Even the men clearing the way in front had clearly reached the level of Fifth Rank martial artists.

For experts of that level to serve only as road-clearing guards, one could imagine how extraordinary the person inside the central carriage must be.

“Little Sister, didn’t we agree that we’d first go find Divine Physician Ma so he could treat and regulate your condition? Why aren’t we heading for Divine Physician Mountain in Dragon Abyss Prefecture? Why have we come toward Qingjiang Prefecture instead?”

The beautiful, tall Cheng Yue complained to her younger sister.

As the senior disciple among the younger generation of the River-Severing Sect, she was used to doing things directly and disliked her sister’s deception.

“Elder Sister~ my condition is an old problem. It can’t really be cured anyway, so there’s no rush.”

A crafty expression appeared on Cheng Si’s delicate and pretty face.

“I already made inquiries in Beixuan City. Second Brother is in Qingjiang Prefecture, so we can go see how he’s doing.”

At the mention of Cheng Yu, the son who had severed ties with the family, Cheng Yue also wilted a little and nodded.

Her attitude toward this younger brother of hers was complicated.

He had appeared out of nowhere, then disappeared just as inexplicably, suffering all kinds of torment within the family for various reasons.

As the senior disciple of the River-Severing Sect, she naturally believed she ought to practice the code of Jianghu chivalry that their father had taught and oppose someone like Cheng Yu, who was so ruthless and pitiless.

But whenever she thought of what he had gone through, she could not quite make herself do it.

Overall, she felt that although Cheng Yu’s experiences were special and there were reasons behind his actions, Cheng Zhenjiang had still not been wrong to teach him chivalry and morality.

It was simply that Cheng Yu had been too immature.

Understanding and forgiving one’s parents’ faults—wasn’t that what children ought to do?

Some things were understandable in light of the circumstances, yes, but how could he completely cast aside loyalty, righteousness, propriety, and filial piety?

“Sigh. Father and Mother really are something. They angered their own son into leaving, yet they won’t go look for him. All they do is keep finding excuses to do other things.”

Resting her chin on her hand, Cheng Si spoke again in irritation.

Cheng Zhenjiang and his wife had said they would all go together to Dragon Abyss Path, yet before they had even set out, Cheng Feng announced that he was about to break through to the Fifth Rank, and they immediately decided to stay in the North.

It was as though they had forgotten all about their eldest son, Cheng Yu.

“Little Sister, don’t say that. Little Brother is about to break through to the Fourth Rank. This is an important chance for him to push for a higher position on the Human Ranking. It’s a matter that could define his whole life!”

Jianghu status and reputation—these were the things Cheng Zhenjiang valued most, and Cheng Feng was exactly the same.

Cheng Si frowned at that. “Nonsense. It’s just some broken list. What difference do a few places higher or lower make? Could that really matter more than Second Brother?”

To her, it was utterly incomprehensible that they would refuse to go look for Second Brother over something as meaningless as striving for the Human Ranking.

“This is because you don’t understand, Little Sister!”

Cheng Yue’s expression also darkened when she heard Cheng Si say that. “Baibao Tower’s Heaven, Earth, and Human Rankings are acknowledged throughout the Jianghu as fair and impartial. Countless heroes dream of leaving their name on them and fail!”

“Take Father, for example. If he hadn’t entered the Heaven Ranking as a Ninth Rank, why would anyone have respected him as the Northern Alliance Leader?”

“If Little Brother can improve his ranking now, it will bring immeasurable benefit to his future, to the Cheng Family, and to the reputation of the River-Severing Sect!”

“I’m warning you in advance. Once we find your Second Brother, just treat him as an elder brother should be treated. Don’t go listening to all those stories of killing and slaughtering he tells.”

As usual, Cheng Yue slipped into the habit of lecturing her younger sister and just kept talking.

“Yes, yes, I know!”

Cheng Si covered her ears, unwilling to listen to her elder sister’s endless nagging.

Some things, she felt, could never be explained clearly to someone as stubborn as her sister.

Jianghu chivalry, reputation, status—were those things really so important?

Father had preached Jianghu chivalry all his life and earned people’s respect, yet in the end, hadn’t he still driven his own son to sever family ties?

“Second Brother, oh Second Brother... I wonder how your injuries are now. Please don’t let anyone bully you. Si’er is still waiting to hear you tell stories.”

...

A few days later, the Cheng sisters’ carriage convoy arrived at the gates of Qinghe County.

“We finally found it.”

Cheng Si stuck her head out to look at the place name written on the city gate.

“No wonder it was so hard to find. So it really is such a tiny place.”

Cheng Yue also looked outside. Most of the cities she had visited before were towering strategic strongholds and grand cities. She had never been to a place this small.

“Hey! Little Sister, what kind of unseemly rush is this?!”

Cheng Yue had only just begun complaining when she saw Cheng Si spring out of the carriage and run over to the roadside, grabbing hold of an old man.

“Elder, are you from this place?”

Seeing the weapon at her waist, the old man instinctively started to kneel, only to realize that she was actually a delicate and adorable young girl, so he stopped himself.

“This old man was born and raised in Qinghe County. There is nothing in this county that I do not know.”

The old man looked supremely confident.

“May I ask, Elder, do you know of a newly arrived Jinyiwei Banner Captain in Qinghe County by the name of Cheng Yu?”

The moment those words came out, the confident old man immediately withered. He lowered his head to look at the ground, shame filling his face, then turned to flee.

“What is wrong with this man?”

Cheng Yue, who had also stepped down from the carriage, was displeased at the sight.

Father was right. Commoners who did not learn chivalry and morality truly had no manners.

But Cheng Si looked puzzled and worried.

“The old man panicked and ran the moment he heard Second Brother’s name. Could it be that Second Brother has gotten tangled up in some kind of trouble?”

At that moment, the passersby at the side saw the old man run away and burst into laughter.

They said to the two sisters, “This old fellow used to judge people by appearances when dealing with Lord Cheng. In the end, he was frightened so badly by Lord Cheng’s Xiuchun Saber that he wet his pants. Now the moment he hears Lord Cheng’s name, he’s so ashamed he can hardly stand it.”

“Lord Cheng?”

Cheng Si was confused. Did a mere Jinyiwei Banner Captain really hold such status?

“He used a blade to bully an ordinary old man?”

Cheng Yue, however, found her own angle at once. “Cheng Yu truly hasn’t changed that savage and unkind nature of his.”

As an example to the younger disciples of the River-Severing Sect, she had always cared deeply about whether the behavior of her junior brothers and sisters conformed to chivalry.

If it did not, then it had to be corrected at once. The River-Severing Sect’s face could not be lost.

“How dare you talk like that? Is Lord Cheng someone you can insult?”

“Where did this little girl come from? She dares speak ill of Lord Cheng? Such a lovely exterior, yet hiding a vicious heart underneath!”

“Get out of Qinghe County!”

The moment the passersby heard her say that, they all reacted in displeasure and began defending Cheng Yu.

Cheng Yue’s expression changed.

She had never in her life been called vicious, yet now she was being condemned by a crowd of ordinary commoners.

There were too many mouths for her to argue against, and the discipline of her upbringing prevented her from using force.

Inwardly, she cursed.

It had to be that Cheng Yu was relying on his savage reputation to terrorize these people into never daring to speak a word against him!