Zhu Sangao heard Zhu Liucai's words and slowed his attack, exchanging a glance with Zhu Yixiu to signal him to ease up as well.
He was curious about what secret Wang Zhengwu held.
What was Wang Zhengwu's trump card? It always lingered in Zhu Sangao's mind.
He was deeply worried that the gamble he staked his life on would end with Wang Zhengwu stabbing him in the back.
If Xiaosuo lost, his fate would be out of his hands.
If Wang Zhengwu tricked him, he would die with regrets.
As soon as he decided to ease up, Zhu Sangao's blade strikes noticeably slowed.
Wang Zhengwu noticed Zhu Sangao starting to fight with tacit understanding and felt a sense of foreboding.
Zhu Liucai was the steward of the Second Madam, so he must know his secret.
If it were revealed, his entire family would die in vain.
But he was fighting for his life, already nearing exhaustion, each swing of his blade was forced, draining his strength, sustained only by willpower, leaving no energy to speak.
He could barely manage one more strike, unsure if he could follow up with another.
At this moment, Wang Zhengwu resigned himself to his fate, seeing his life flash before his eyes.
As soon as Zhu Liucai finished speaking, Xiaosuo shouted loudly: "Zhu Sangao, don't listen to his nonsense, fully cooperate with Wang Zhengwu to kill this old dog! This old dog is too formidable, for safety's sake, don't bother capturing him alive, just chop him to death!"
Xiaosuo didn't seem to care about Wang Zhengwu's affairs?
Though puzzled, Zhu Sangao did not disobey Xiaosuo's command and, with Zhu Yixiu, charged at Zhu Liucai with full force.
Zhu Liucai thought this condition could buy him some time, and seeing Zhu Sangao's attack slow, he went all out against Wang Zhengwu.
Unexpectedly, Xiaosuo didn't play by the rules and still had Zhu Sangao fight with full force.
Even though Zhu Liucai's movements were godlike, he couldn't withstand the erosion of time and the severe injury to his abdomen.
Exhausted and unable to dodge, Zhu Sangao's blade shattered his knee, causing him to fall to the ground.
"You can't escape now!"
Zhu Sangao smiled with satisfaction.
At this moment, Wang Zhengwu quickly followed up with a slash to Zhu Liucai's neck, ending his life.
Zhu Sangao gave Wang Zhengwu a meaningful look but said nothing.
Wang Zhengwu, drenched in sweat and with bloodshot eyes, gasped for breath. Only after seeing Zhu Liucai's head separated from his body did he turn to look at Xiaosuo.
Seeing that Zhu Liucai had been dealt with, Xiaosuo immediately commanded: "Zhu Liucai is dead, quickly support the others! Not a single one of the Second Madam's men should be left!"
With Zhu Liucai's death, his men immediately lost their will to fight, retreating as they fought.
But they had charged too fiercely earlier, getting mixed up with Xiaosuo's men, fighting chaotically, unable to cover each other for a smooth retreat.
With Zhu Sangao and others joining the battle, the situation completely reversed.
It was a total rout.
Even the exhausted Wang Zhengwu could still take down a lackey with about five strikes.
Perhaps to repay Xiaosuo's kindness, Wang Zhengwu fought with extra vigor.
Coughing up blood, he still fought on the front lines.
Under his lead, they finally annihilated Zhu Liucai's group.
After tallying the numbers, Xiaosuo's side lost six people, with over a dozen injured.
Less than twenty could continue the journey.
But they still had to reach the Zhu Clan before Zhu Fulu's funeral.
Time was of the essence.
They had no choice but to let the injured carry the dead and leave the traveling group.
The rest continued on to Mountain Chicken County.
The remaining group was somewhat subdued along the way.
Zhu Sangao and Wang Zhengwu remained silent.
Xiaosuo got off the carriage alone and walked over to Wang Zhengwu.
"Master Wang, shall we have a chat?"
"Alright."
With that, the two fell behind the main group by a distance.
Xiaosuo didn't speak, and Wang Zhengwu had nothing to say.
Even though Wang Zhengwu was used to dealing with the Zhu Clan's dirty work, facing Xiaosuo, he couldn't hide his guilt.
Though Xiaosuo had suggested dealing with Zhu Liucai, at the time, Zhu Liucai's leg was already broken, and just disabling his limbs would have sufficed to control him, yet Wang Zhengwu still ended his life with one strike.
No matter what, it was a betrayal of Xiaosuo's life-saving grace.
But Xiaosuo didn't feel Wang Zhengwu owed him anything.
"If it weren't for you, I would have been killed by Zhu Wuhua."
Xiaosuo began.
"I just..."
"No matter your motives, you did save my life."
Hearing this, Wang Zhengwu felt even more embarrassed.
"Without you, we wouldn't have gotten past Zhu Liucai.We'll call it even."
"Young Master, you're too kind, I owe you..."
Xiaosuo raised his hand to stop Wang Zhengwu's words.
"When I say it's even, it's even. Who doesn't have a few secrets they can't reveal? Your secrets, I don't care."
Xiaosuo looked at the sunset, feeling exhausted.
He hadn't expected to encounter such troubles before even seeing Mountain Chicken County.
"But if you want to use me as a shield, I can't accept that. Think it over. If you want to help me with things, show your sincerity. If you want to start your own thing, let's part on good terms."
Wang Zhengwu was silent for a while before speaking:
"Young Master,How confident are you of success? Though I have a trump card, I can't give you an answer. I don't even know how many brothers I have."
Wang Zhengwu sighed.
"Then, Young Master, don't blame me for being ungrateful. This is a life-or-death gamble, and if you're not confident, I can't entrust my life to you..."
"I understand. It's best to keep your life in your own hands."
"Young Master, you're a reasonable person and fair in your dealings, I respect that. As you said, let's part on good terms. But I'll still escort you near the Zhu Clan before leaving."
"Thank you, Master Wang."
"Young Master, you're too kind."
"Alright, go ahead and prepare, and bring Zhu Sangao to me."
"Yes."
Xiaosuo watched the sunset for a while, and soon Zhu Sangao came running over with small steps.
"Young Master, why did you get off the carriage? Aren't we continuing?"
"There's no rush. If I didn't get off, would you talk to me?"
Hearing Xiaosuo's meaningful words, Zhu Sangao looked innocent:
"What do you mean, Young Master?"
"Let's not pretend to be naive. I have some questions for you, and I know you have some for me. You go first. After you're done, I'll ask mine."
Zhu Sangao realized it was time to be honest, so he didn't beat around the bush, not even wasting words.
"Young Master, why didn't you cooperate with Zhu Liucai?"
"Do you want to know Wang Zhengwu's secret?"
"Don't you, Young Master? Didn't you just talk to Wang Zhengwu about it?"
"If Wang Zhengwu wanted to tell, he wouldn't have killed Zhu Liucai. He silenced him to keep his secret, so why would I ask? It would be pointless, and besides, I don't want to know his secret."
"Why not?"
"Being hunted by both Madams without a reason announced, his secret must be related to the Vein Opening Pill."
"Related to the Vein Opening Pill? But the pill is only given to the clan head's sons. What secret could he have? Is he pretending to be the clan head's son? But his age doesn't match, he's almost as old as the First Madam!"
"Stop guessing. I think he probably has a Zhu Clan bloodline with him."
"What? He has a Zhu Clan bloodline with him?"
"Besides this reason, which could elevate him, why else would he offend both Madams and risk his family's lives?"
Zhu Sangao thought for a moment and found it increasingly plausible.
"Young Master, you're truly remarkable. So young, yet as perceptive as Zhu Liucai. I truly admire you."
"Don't flatter me if you don't know how. Praising me with a dead man, how did you come up with that? There's another reason I didn't cooperate with Zhu Liucai."
"What reason?"
"At the time, Zhu Liucai's men were already surrounding the carriage. If he sincerely wanted to cooperate, he should have first ordered his men to stop. Since he didn't, it showed he just wanted to buy time to take you down one by one. I noticed Wang Zhengwu's blade speed was much slower than at the start, nearing his limit. If Zhu Liucai found a chance to kill him, we'd be done for."
Zhu Sangao's face turned pale, realizing it was indeed the case.
He had been so focused on the secret that he almost fell into a trap.
That Zhu Liucai was truly cunning!
Thinking about how Xiaosuo, unarmed, observed the battle more keenly than himself, Zhu Sangao felt even more admiration.
"Young Master, you're truly like a god descended to earth. I've been fighting for years, yet my insight isn't even a fraction of yours..."
"Alright, enough with the nonsense."
Xiaosuo patted Zhu Sangao's head, signaling him to stop.
"Do you have any more questions?"
"Not for now."
"Good, then I'll ask mine."
"Go ahead, Young Master."
"I told you all this to prove that siding with me is a wise choice, otherwise I wouldn't bother explaining. Since I've told you so much, tell me about the trump card you have for siding with me."
Zhu Sangao looked puzzled again.
Xiaosuo shook his head and said:"In this line of work, you need to know your limits. I've let you test me long enough, don't test my patience."
Zhu Sangao thought for a moment and asked:"How did you guess I have a trump card, Young Master?"
"You're different from Wang Zhengwu. He's in a life-and-death struggle with the two Madams, he has to be involved, but you're different. No offense, but you're just a lackey, no need to risk your life."
"Maybe I want a better future?"
"You're specialized in dirty work, a rare talent. If third madam wins, you could become Zhu Sigao or Zhu Wugao. If third madam doesn't win, you can still be Zhu Sangao. If I were you, I'd follow Zhu Wuhua and live an easy life, with someone else to take the fall if things go wrong."
"......"
"But you killed Zhu Wuhua, proving you don't want to be Zhu Sangao, Zhu Sigao, or even Zhu Wugao. You want to be the Zhu Clan's Chief Steward, Zhu Qigao.
You chose me, a young master with no strong backing. If you didn't have a trump card to help me get the Vein Opening Pill, that would be strange."
Hearing this, Zhu Sangao was convinced.
"Young Master, you're truly a genius! First, you deduced everything about Zhu Liucai from mere clues, then you unraveled my thoughts as if you knew them. I underestimated the talents of the world. Yes, I do have a trump card that can increase your chances of getting the Vein Opening Pill. But before I present it, I have a request."
"You want this matter to remain between us?"
"Exactly. I'm risking my life for you, Young Master, and I can't allow any mistakes. I don't trust anyone else but you, I hope you understand."
"I understand, I promise."
"Thank you, Young Master. Please come closer."
Zhu Sangao couldn't reach Xiaosuo's ear, so Xiaosuo bent down.
Xiaosuo leaned down to listen to Zhu Sangao's words.
After Zhu Sangao whispered a few sentences, Xiaosuo's expression became extremely colorful.
"Is this true?"
"The source isn't entirely reliable, but if I wasn't at least ninety percent sure, I wouldn't use it as a trump card."
"Alright, your information is indeed crucial. If I can get the Vein Opening Pill, you'll be Zhu Qigao."
"Thank you, Young Master!"
"I should thank you too."
"You're too kind, Young Master! By the way, you should get back on the carriage, we should hurry. I'm worried the later we arrive at the Zhu Clan, the more dangerous it will be."
"You're right. Inform the others to pick up the pace. I know today has been exhausting with all the twists and turns, but this is a critical moment, I hope everyone understands. If I succeed, I won't forget any of you!"
"With your words, Young Master, it'll be easier to explain to everyone! Don't worry, I'll ensure morale is high!"
"Thank you for your hard work, leave the rest to me."
"Yes!"
Xiaosuo said no more, quickly catching up to the carriage, urging everyone to speed up, aiming to reach Mountain Chicken County by nightfall.
The group quickened their pace, rushing for nearly three more hours before finally seeing the buildings of Mountain Chicken County.
***
Before they could celebrate, the experienced Wang Zhengwu noticed something was wrong from afar and quickly pulled Zhu Sangao aside.
"What's the matter, Master Wang?"
Zhu Sangao still harbored some resentment towards Wang Zhengwu, his tone a bit sarcastic.
Wang Zhengwu didn't mind and asked: "Since when did Mountain Chicken County have a checkpoint?"
"A checkpoint?"
Zhu Sangao followed Wang Zhengwu's pointing finger and indeed saw seventy or eighty officials in constable uniforms setting up a roadblock.
Moreover, there were twenty or thirty temporary tents beside the roadblock, crowded with people. Dozens of horse carriages were parked nearby, seemingly from Yellow Dog County.
This meant that everyone planning to come to Mountain Chicken County after Zhu Fulu's death was stopped.
It seemed they wouldn't be allowed through until after Zhu Fulu's funeral.
Zhu Sangao was also taken aback.
"Why are there constables there? There weren't any when I left Mountain Chicken County two days ago!"
"They're not here for good, probably targeting us. Discuss with the Young Master quickly."
"Alright."
The two went to the carriage and reported what they saw to Xiaosuo.
Xiaosuo asked Zhu Sangao:"Zhu Sangao, can you confirm this checkpoint wasn't set up by third madam?"
"No. Liu(third madam) doesn't have many capable subordinates like Zhu Wuhua. If she colluded with the authorities to set up a checkpoint, Zhu Wuhua wouldn't have been on this road, it would only weaken her forces."
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan