Chapter 44: Loot from House Raids, Take Your Pick
“Eh? A la.s.s that actually listens to instructions?” Jiang Chen’s viper tongued personality revealed itself as soon as he saw Princess Gouyu. “Looks like you’ve agreed to believe me. I can tell that your condition is much better than a few days ago. At this rate, you’ll breakthrough to eleven meridians true qi within the month. Congratulations in advance.”
Jiang Chen’s tone was lighthearted, as if breaking through eleven meridians true qi was as normal as eating and sleeping, and nothing to make a big fuss over.
Princess Gouyu had originally been full of expectation, waiting for Jiang Chen to compliment her with a few words. It’d be fine even if they were some all purpose, generic compliments - stuff like her extraordinary potential or being a rare genius at martial dao.
But, she discovered tragically, this fellow didn’t even seem to know that women needed to be complimented.
Seeing that Princess Gouyu was staring at him in a wide eyed manner, Jiang Chen smiled tiredly. “So tell me, what did you need me for? The past couple of days have really exhausted me. If there’s nothing else, I’m going to go home and sleep.”
Princess Gouyu felt both enraged and amused by his demeanor.
“Jiang Chen, looking at how you are now, is your father well?”
Jiang Chen winked. “Do you want something to be wrong with him?”
“Of course not,” Princess Gouyu’s jade lips moved rapidly as she appeared to be a bit put out in her anger. “Am I truly so nefarious in your heart?”
“Alright, alright. We’re all on the same boat now. I have to hold my nose and co-exist with the good and bad parts of you, don’t I? Right, you’ve come to my house everyday, what urgent business is there?”
Princess Gouyu really didn’t know how to deal with this fellow and could only respond honestly, “Of course I had a reason when I came to find you. Follow me.”
“To where? You’re not trying to be a cradle robber are you?” A wary look appeared on Jiang Chen’s face.
“Rob your b.u.t.t! What do you take me for?” Princess Gouyu almost directly slapped his face.
“Hmm, you’re so fierce and you look like a tomboy... do you like women?”
Princess Gouyu was utterly defeated. If looks could kill, Jiang Chen would have absolutely died at least ten times at this moment.
He followed Princess Gouyu along her way and the two arrived at a large warehouse surrounded by heavily armed guards on all sides.
They all made their respective bows upon seeing Princess Gouyu.
“Jiang Chen, come inside with me.”
Jiang Chen still gave Princess Gouyu some face in front of others as he docilely walked inside. This was actually a large treasury.
The gold, silver, and other treasures inside were piled into a small mountain. All sorts of strange and precious treasures were piled high on racks on its two sides.
“What do you think these are?” Princess Gouyu asked.
“Isn’t that nonsense? I’m not blind.” Jiang Chen responded snappily.
“These were all raided from Du Ruhai’s house. They sit here, untouched.”
“Ah? This dog of an official was this greedy?” Jiang Chen started cursing loudly when he heard these were Du Ruhai’s loot. “So it pays this much to be an official in the capital? I must thoroughly consider moving to the capital and becoming an official. What’s the big deal in being a duke? Fighting wars everyday, shedding blood and sweat, and having to face suppression in the end. How nice it is to be an official. An unimportant and miniscule official like Du Ruhai could h.o.a.rd so much wealth! I say, what’s your purpose in bringing me here? Are you trying to corrupt me? If that’s the case, I only have one sentence -- you win, hurry up and move all these things into my home.”
Princess Gouyu was so amused by his manner of complete seriousness that she involuntarily cracked a smile.
She suddenly discovered that it was quite relaxing being with this d.a.m.nable sort of character. This fellow was always up to a dirty trick of some sort whenever he found the opportunity to do so, and his open-minded optimism always suffused his seemingly diffident demeanor.
“Jiang Chen, my royal brother has instructed me that you can take your pick from the items here.”
“You really are planning on corrupting me?” Jiang Chen hadn’t thought that Princess Gouyu had brought him here for this purpose.
“You can’t possibly really want all of it?” Princess Gouyu’s eyes widened.
“If I wanted this gold and silver, I wouldn’t take it from the mouths of a corrupt officials. But I can consider spending it for you.” Jiang Chen said with a merry laugh. “If I remember correctly, there’s been successive floods in recent years within the territory of the Jinshan dukedom, and the people have fallen on hard times. Nine houses out of ten are deserted. If these stolen goods could be used to relieve their suffering, it can yet be regarded as charity. The only thing unknown is that, will the ruler of your house be willing to do so?”
“Are you… are you serious?” Princess Gouyu had never thought that such words would come from Jiang Chen’s mouth. This enabled her to gain a better understanding of Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen said with a grave face, “Do you think I would joke with the lives of millions of victims of a natural calamity?”
Princess Gouyu felt a wave of vertigo as Jiang Chen’s awe inspiring righteousness had driven her a bit out of breath. Finally, her phoenix eyes twitched, “Alright, I will make the decision on behalf of my royal brother. If I remember correctly, the Jinshan dukedom and yours are old family friends?”
“Succouring victims are an act of benevolent rule. It benefits the face of your royal family. What does that have to do with the relations.h.i.+p between our two families?”
Jiang Chen’s reb.u.t.tal caused Princess Gouyu’s face to flush red. She too felt that her words had lacked appropriateness and were deserving of admonishment.
After a moment of awkwardness, Princess Gouyu finally found a topic. “Jiang chen, this Du Ruhai was an avid collector of divine weaponry. These weapons are all out of the ordinary, why don’t you select an item or two?”
“Oh? I surely won’t be polite here.” Jiang Chen didn’t decline and came to the racks filled with weaponry.
It was a bit of an exaggeration to call these mundane weapons divine weaponry.
Jiang Chen swept his gaze over the lot. Most of these items were pieces of junk in his eyes. There were a few items that barely merited a look.
Jiang Chen’s gaze halted on a saber that was three feet long. This saber was hidden within its sheath like a dragon hiding in the abyss. It looked inconspicuous from the outside, and it didn’t have any trace of a gleam.
But Jiang Chen’s millions of years of memories from his past life allowed him to slightly perceive that some latent, wild power, was hidden within its ordinary exterior.
It was a kind of reservation that disdained showing its edge in mundane, common things.
It was an arrogance that disdained wallowing in the mire with common weaponry.
“That’s the one!”
Jiang Chen had chosen this saber with his first glance. It would keep to a subtle dormancy when it was time to keep a low profile. When its cutting edge was needed to be revealed, it would absolutely, unabashedly, display that peerless brilliance!
This was Jiang Chen’s personality, and was also this saber’s personality.
Congenial personalities meant it was serendipity!
Princess Gouyu was slightly surprised to see Jiang Chen ignore cutting sharp knives that were sending out brilliant rays of light, and chose instead a knife with an absolutely ordinary exterior.
“Jiang Chen, this is a piece of Layered-Feather Golden Crystal and is a superb material for crafting weapons. Why didn’t you decide upon it?” Princess Gouyu could only bite the bullet and make a recommendation.
If Jiang Chen chose only a saber, Princess Gouyu felt that this reward would really pale in comparison to the help that Jiang Chen had given her.
“Oh? I thought I could only choose one. Then I’ll choose that as well. But I have this saber and thus, temporarily, I have no need of other weapons.” Jiang Chen paused and suddenly thought of something, his words taking a turn. “The Hidden Dragon Trials are about to commence, therefore I should make some preparations. Your connections are vast in the capital, right? Help me forge flying daggers out of this material.”
“Forge flying daggers?” Princess Gouyu started and felt that such outstanding material should be used in refining divine weaponry. It seemed a bit of a shame to use it to craft small weapons like flying daggers.
“Yes, judging by the material amount, forge a set of nine flying daggers.” Jiang Chen didn’t care in the slightest about wantonly wasting things. To be able to become his, Jiang Chen’s, flying daggers - this could be said to be the Layered-Feather Golden Crystal’s good fortune.
Seeing that Jiang Chen was so resolute, Princess Gouyu naturally wouldn’t go against Jiang Chen’s wishes for the piece of Layered-Feather Golden Crystal. She nodded, “I’ll try to have it ready for you in the next couple of days.”
“Mm. Being so amiable and nice is more likeable, is it not?” Jiang Chen had a tone like that of lecturing a small girl.
Princess Gouyu now lacked the strength to challenge Jiang Chen and rolled her eyes at him. She suddenly thought of something again. “Oh right, Jiang Chen, the Pill King Garden will have a pill exhibition the day after tomorrow. This was included in the news that I’ve received. This Pill King Garden has great ambitions and likely has the Hall of Healing in its crosshairs. Your Jiang family has a partners.h.i.+p with the Hall of Healing, so you’d best be on your guard.”
“Heh heh, I’ve also heard of this matter. It should be interesting.” Jiang Chen flashed a harmless and innocent smile, completely not thinking anything of this matter.
He carelessly spread out his hands. “I’ll be on my way if there’s nothing else.”
Princess Gouyu was extremely angry at seeing Jiang Chen care not a whit. But her thoughts suddenly took a turn, wasn’t this fellow always like this?
At the Soaring Dragon manor last time, hadn’t he also been completely unconcerned?
And what was the result? Bai Zhanyun had been punished with one bout, and was now docile and obedient towards Jiang Chen, as if he was a completely different person.
“Could it be that this kid hasn’t shown his face for a few days because he’s been secretly preparing a fine scheme?” The more she interacted with Jiang Chen, the more Princess Gouyu understood about his acting style.
When this kid displayed a harmless and innocent smile, perhaps this was when a plot was brewing.
Given these thoughts, Princess Gouyu couldn’t help but feel antic.i.p.ation, even though she felt that Jiang Chen didn’t have a hope of winning against the Pill King Garden.
But this Jiang Chen often committed astounding and shocking actions - who knew what new tricks he would come up with this time?
Seeing that the sight of Jiang Chen’s back was about to disappear, Princess Gouyu finally abruptly remembered something. “Oh right, Jiang Chen, the situation in the capital is complex during this time. Commander Tiandu has decided to arrange for a couple of his best men to be sent to your Jiang Han manor who will answer to your commands. This will avoid you having a shortage of people when you need them.”
“Let them come tomorrow.” Jiang Chen carelessly waved his hand, having taken advantage of someone but still pretending otherwise. “I’m saying this first - don’t just send me a few sticks of wood, I’ll reject the goods if they’re not good to use.”
Princess Gouyu truly wished to pluck off her shoe and beat this brat up. She’d been nice to him, even sent him men and gifted him presents. How dare he not have a single nice thing to say in return, and pick and choose instead?
“Rascal, this brat is a rascal.” A trace of a smile slightly curved up Princess Gouyu’s lips as she softly scolded him with a few words.
Princess Gouyu couldn’t really bring herself to hate Jiang Chen when she thought of the changes that had occurred within her during the past couple of days.
Because, the incantation for smoothing her qi that Jiang Chen had given her was simply too useful. Add to that the aid of the spiritual medicine prescription, and in just a few days, Princess Gouyu could feel that her internal demons were being dispelled and resolved with a speed that could be observed with the human eye.
The true qi within her body had also slowly changed from its original wildness to a state of being able to be controlled and handled with ease, compared to prior experience.
All of her confidence, pride, and faith that had been lost, had now been recovered.
The most important thing was when she did all this, that familiar true meaning of martial dao also reappeared naturally.
Eleven meridians true qi…
A strong sense of desire suffused Princess Gouyu’s eyes - eyes that were as brilliant as the stars.