In the early morning, Chen Jie was having breakfast with Su Yunjin when they heard a shout from outside, and immediately saw Xiao Hu standing outside the fence.
Chen Jie, sipping on his sorghum rice, waved to Xiao Hu.
Xiao Hu greeted Su Yunjin as he entered the door.
Su Yunjin smiled and said, "You're here, have you eaten? Join us for a bit."
"No need, sister-in-law, I've already eaten, really!"
Chen Jie chuckled, "Big guy, have a little more to eat."
Saying so, he offered a large bowl of sorghum rice, "Come, Hu Zi, eat more, your sister-in-law's cooking is delicious, right, Ruirui?"
Ruirui nodded eagerly.
Hu Zi looked a bit embarrassed, but Su Yunjin had already handed him the chopsticks.
"Eat up, once you're done, you'll head to the fishery with your Jiu Si."
Hu Zi was indeed a bit hungry, as he had woken early because he had to go to the fishery today. He ate the meal prepared by his mother, but during these challenging times, who can really eat their fill?
He was only about eighty percent full, and after a morning of hustle, his stomach didn't have much left!
At this moment, he was truly hungry.
Seeing that Chen Jie and Su Yunjin were genuinely inviting him instead of being polite, he dug in and started eating.
Once the family had their fill, Chen Jie and Xiao Hu left together.
They didn't go straight to the fishery but headed into town first.
They bought some things and then returned to the village, heading towards the Bai Family.
As they arrived at the Bai Family, Chen Jie noticed several fine horses parked at the entrance!
Horses were rare in Mianshui because it was in the south, while horse breeding regions were in the north.
A good horse, transported from the north to the south, would fetch an astronomical price.
Therefore, in Mianshui County, only those with power and influence could ride good horses.
And today, there were five such fine horses parked outside the Bai Family's gate, which hinted at something significant.
Chen Jie said to Xiao Hu, "Xiao Hu, wait outside; I'll go in and have a look."
With that, he picked up the gift he had bought, a decades-old piece of Lingzhi, worth eight taels of silver, specifically for Wu Zhong.
The day before, Chen Jie had received twenty taels, and he used eight to buy the Lingzhi for Wu Zhong.
The remaining ten taels were spent on gifts like rice and oil for the brothers at the fishery, as a gesture of goodwill.
Finally, he left two taels of silver with Su Yunjin for any unexpected household expenses.
After a good while, someone opened the door. It was Madam Bai!
The two exchanged greetings, and Madam Bai let Chen Jie in.
"This is for Uncle Zhong."
Chen Jie handed over the gift.
Madam Bai glanced at it, surprised, "This Lingzhi must be decades old. Why did you spend so much money?"
"Didn't I make a little profit thanks to Uncle Zhong? I've wanted to show my gratitude for a long time but was always short on funds. Please don't laugh at me, Aunt!"
"Child, even if you have some silver now, you should spend it on your wife and little one, buy them some food and good clothes. Why spend on this? Your uncle doesn't lack this! Take it back, return it! If you really want to show gratitude, buy a cheaper snack. It's not easy for your family either."
"Aunt, I understand what you're saying, but this is a token of my appreciation. If you ask me to return it, how could I bother you and Uncle in the future?"
"Well...fine, just this once, alright? Don't waste money next time!"
"Alright, I understand, Aunt!"
Chen Jie promised Madam Bai.
It was apparent that Madam Bai felt much happier after accepting the gift.
At this moment, Chen Jie asked, "Where is Uncle Zhong?"
"Entertaining guests."
"Those at the entrance?"
Madam Bai, "Yes, let's keep our voices down."
Chen Jie asked curiously.
"These are important people."
Madam Bai lowered her voice, "Two are officials from Huangzhou Prefecture, and the other three are members of our county's Thirteen Grand Protectors."
"The Thirteen Grand Protectors?"
Chen Jie had heard of them several times.
Madam Bai said, "They are thirteen Energy Transformation masters. I've heard Hong'er mention it many times, along with a rhyme that ranks them!"
"Let me think, hmm, 'Nan Batian, Beilao Liu, Thirteen Grand Protectors, unbeaten in battle. Beggar, constable, oil seller. Ghost Hand, scholar, Red Face. Blacksmith, fisherman, blind fortune-teller, Eagle, Tiger, and Leopard!'"
Chen Jie memorized it silently.
He had long heard of the fame of the Thirteen Grand Protectors, and today he finally understood who they were.
Madam Bai continued, "Three of the people here today are from the Thirteen Grand Protectors."
"Hong'er's mentor, the constable from the Thirteen Grand Protectors, Zhang Liye, Chief Zhang."
"From our Fishing Guild, the Hall Master of White Tiger Hall, fisherman, Peng Shizhong."
"Guild Cao's Ruijin Hall Master, the Ghost Hand from the Thirteen Grand Protectors, Gu Qingfeng."
Chen Jie was also very surprised, not expecting that so many important figures would gather in tiny Xiantao Village today.
Thinking about it, he couldn't help but feel excited.
"Aunt, what are so many important figures doing in our Xiantao Village?"
Madam Bai said, "It seems they are here to catch a rebel!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie understood. This should be a chain reaction brought by Chief Zhang, who was called by Wu Hong. However, the lineup was quite substantial, with three of the county's Thirteen Grand Protectors, combined with the two officials from above.
These officials shouldn't be too weak either, meaning it was likely that five Energy Transformation masters were going to capture this Ni Manzi.
*What kind of crime did Ni Manzi commit to require so many experts to capture him?*
*Wasn't this arrangement a bit too high-spec?*
As he pondered, a commotion was heard from inside, and soon Wu Zhong's voice followed, "Seeing off the esteemed guests..."
Then a group of people came out of the inner room.
Leading were two people dressed in dark-colored official clothes with silver belts, looking official, followed by a middle-aged man in red and black constable attire, whose presence commanded respect. This person must have been Zhang Liye, the constable from the Thirteen Grand Protectors.
Behind them were a sullen-faced middle-aged man, somewhat embodying a killing aura, followed by Yu Biao, who had a bruised and swollen face covered with a veil. Yu Biao must have been interrogated earlier and had just removed the veil.
This middle-aged man was likely Gu Qingfeng, the Ghost Hand from the Thirteen Grand Protectors.
The last was a middle-aged man with a smile, supporting Doctor Bai, "Mr. Bai, there's no need for you to see us off in person..."
Doctor Bai said, "Shizhong, don't stop me. I'm happy you came, so I must see you off more..."
Saying this, they already reached outside.
The group mounted their fine horses. Wu Hong spoke a few words to Wu Zhong, who frowned slightly but eventually nodded, after which Wu Hong left with his mentor.
After bidding the group farewell,
Wu Zhong turned around and saw Chen Jie, then smiled, "Jiu Si is here."