Chapter 66: Pressing the River Bandits and Uncovering a Major Case

“Let’s go, let him lead the way, quickly…” Lu Jin didn’t want to linger a moment longer. Since they were already inside, it was best to follow the tunnel straight through.

By the time Lu Jin and the others climbed out of the well, the sun was already dipping behind the mountain peaks. Lu Jin was rather shocked—how could so much time have passed in that tunnel?

After retrieving the identification tokens they had left in the front courtyard, Lu Jin glanced around and saw, to his exasperation, that the neighboring building was indeed an armed escort agency.

Back in the rear courtyard, Lu Jin directed Yuan Fang and Xiao Bai to restore the well to its original state. Only then did they sit down to rest, exhausted—Yuan Fang, strong as he was, was utterly drained. The tunnel was simply too suffocating.

“Son-in-law, what should we do with this man? Maybe we should just bury him in the well?” Yuan Fang eyed the captive.

“No, please, master, don’t kill me! I can work, I’ll serve you like a beast of burden…” The water bandit, slumped on the ground, had never imagined that after leading them out, he’d be facing execution. He crawled over, weeping and begging at Lu Jin’s feet.

The display stunned Lu Jin. He was still catching his breath and hadn’t really thought about what to do with the bandit.

“Master, please, you even spoke to me before. I had no choice—”

“Shut up! You’ve got some nerve complaining, when you wouldn’t even give us a bite to eat.”

Lu Jin’s first impulse was to kill him, but he wasn’t sure what risks that might bring. Perhaps it would be better to hand him over to the authorities.

“Will it work if we kill him?” Lu Jin asked Yuan Fang uncertainly.

“No, please, master, I beg you… spare my life, I know a secret…” The water bandit pressed his forehead to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Oh?” That caught Lu Jin off guard. He had only wanted to remove a potential threat, never expecting an unexpected gain.

“Speak!” Now that things had come to this, Lu Jin wanted to know what the secret was.

“Master, I know you’re a man of status. I’m just a desperate water bandit…”

“Yuan Fang, finish him!” Lu Jin snapped, growing impatient.

“No, I’ll talk, I’ll talk…” The bandit, prostrate on the ground, inched forward in panic.

“Move another inch and I’ll send you straight to hell!” Yuan Fang pressed his sword to the bandit’s neck with a chilling threat.

“Master, do you remember those soldiers we met on the road…”

Ah! That’s right—the water bandits had connections with the soldiers. In the flurry of events, Lu Jin had all but forgotten about it. He wondered how Heita was faring in his search for the traitor. Could this lead to something after all?

“Keep talking!” Lu Jin barked.

“That man was a company commander under the general of Jiangzhou, named Wang Ben. He’d recently been introduced to our second-in-command…”

“How do you know that?” Lu Jin’s expression darkened. This kind of information should be confidential. How could a lowly lackey know it?

“Master, I wouldn’t dare lie. I’ve always worked under our second-in-command…” the bandit wept.

“How did they make the connection?” Lu Jin pressed on. Was corruption really this rampant? How could a mere water bandit so casually mingle with officers?

The bandit hesitated, stammering without an answer.

“I knew we shouldn’t have given you a chance. Yuan Fang!”

“No, I’ll talk, I’ll talk…” the bandit howled in terror.

“You wretch, speak!”

“Some time ago, our second-in-command took a few of us to Haidong. There, someone gave him a letter, and after we returned, he got in touch with Commander Wang.”

“A letter?” That didn’t sound like something bandits would be involved in.

“Why did you go to Haidong?” Haidong had been cropping up in Lu Jin’s thoughts far too often lately.

“Someone… someone told us to go and steal grain…”

“What?” Lu Jin shot to his feet in shock, eyes fixed on the bandit. He’d only just heard about the Haidong military rations being stolen and the governor’s mansion set ablaze. Now, by chance, a captured lackey was spilling the inside story?

“What grain did you steal?”

“I don’t know, master. There were just a few of us, and we were only watching the road in Tongzhou. We only know a lot of people went out to sea…”

“Then why did you say it was the Pu family’s fleet that day?” Lu Jin suddenly remembered that detail.

“I don’t know. Second-in-command told us to say that…”

“How many times have you kidnapped hostages?”

“Three or four times. Only after second-in-command connected with Commander Wang could we even get out; otherwise, it would have been nearly impossible…”

“What about this tunnel? How did it come to be?”

“I don’t know. When I started following second-in-command, he led me through this tunnel into the city. It must have existed for a while. How he knew about it, I really have no idea…”

As the questioning continued, Lu Jin grew increasingly uneasy, a chilling sense that he’d stumbled into a case of massive proportions.

Sitting in the dilapidated backyard, Lu Jin fell into deep thought.

The water bandits had gone to steal grain—could it have been military rations? Clearly, they were only one of several groups. Who were the others?

And after their return, they’d met the commander, thanks to someone’s introduction. That person must have been involved in the grain heist, enabling the mountain bandits to connect with the military. Who was it?

Wang Ben obviously knew that person, or at least had vested interests with him, which was why he would risk collaborating with bandits. Otherwise, what officer would casually collude with criminals?

Then the second-in-command instructed them to operate under the Pu family’s name and cooperate with the military under their very noses. Was this blatant move a deliberate misdirection, or did they simply not care? Did the Pu family know about it? And who exactly were the Pu family?

One question after another raced through his mind, but it was clear that the water bandit before him could provide no further answers. Even what he’d revealed was more than Lu Jin had hoped for.

Could he piece together the outline of a massive conspiracy from the clues at hand? Could the Pu family be the true mastermind behind the military grain case, colluding with various water bandit factions and local officials to steal two hundred thousand bushels of military rations? And to stymie the investigation, set fire to the governor’s mansion?

But would a single clan really dare such a thing? For what gain?

Besides, his own speculations were nothing but idle conjecture, lacking any proof.

Unable to make sense of it, Lu Jin decided to stop dwelling on these matters; clearly, they were beyond his reach for now.

“Xiao Bai, can you go fetch the horses and luggage by yourself? Yuan Fang’s with me here, so we’ll be safe.” Lu Jin realized awkwardly that they were short-handed—he couldn’t be everywhere at once.

Xiao Bai didn’t want to go, but with so few people, he really had no choice. He trudged off, dejected.

After Xiao Bai left, Lu Jin pondered for a while before making up his mind: he had to inform the Shen family. He had no real power of his own, and neither Yuan Fang nor Xiao Bai could be trusted to keep such a secret from them. Besides, he had no reason to hide it.

An hour passed before Xiao Bai returned, by which time night had fallen—a fortunate thing, as it would have been difficult to bring the bandit back in broad daylight.

Lu Jin and Xiao Bai shared a horse, Yuan Fang rode with the bandit, and together they galloped back to the manor.

“Xiao Bai, remember this place well!” Lu Jin instructed as they rode. That courtyard needed to be kept under watch.

“Yes, young master!”

It was already the hour of the dog when they reached the Shen residence. As they approached the east gate, Lu Jin saw a crowd gathered outside.

“Young master, it’s the young mistress!” Xiao Bai exclaimed excitedly.

What? Why was Shen Yanxi at the gate—was she waiting for him? Seated behind, Lu Jin wasn’t as sharp-eyed as Xiao Bai. Hearing those words, he was startled, then felt his eyes grow warm. At heart, he was a sensitive soul—prone to worry, easily moved. In this moment, the concept of home felt more real than ever, for his woman was there, waiting for his return.

“Yanxi!” Lu Jin was the first to dismount, running straight to Shen Yanxi, not caring what others thought, gently drawing her beautiful figure into his arms.

“I made you worry.” Feeling the warmth in his embrace, breathing in her subtle fragrance, Lu Jin experienced a peace he’d never felt before.

“It’s enough that you’re back.” Shen Yanxi nestled against his shoulder, speaking softly. She was no longer shy, letting him hold her as long as he wished.

Only after a long moment did they part, while the onlookers stood awkwardly by—unsure whether to leave or laugh. The maids and attendants, for their part, harbored their own thoughts. None of them had ever seen such an open display from a man—so quick to embrace, so unabashed.

“Yuan Fang, who is that?” Shen Yanxi asked, noticing the ragged, filthy man he’d brought back and wondering why they’d returned with a beggar.

“Come, I’ll explain everything inside,” Lu Jin cut in quickly.