Chapter 43: Chapter 43: The Prefectural Governor
After a cup of tea, Steward Liu finally managed to calm his pounding heart.
He glanced at Jiang Ran again and hesitated.
"How did you know where I live?"
"I asked around before."
Jiang Ran smiled. "I was just making small talk with the government constables. I asked carelessly, and they answered carelessly. Steward Liu, please don’t hold it against them."
’Carelessly...’
Steward Liu didn’t believe a word of it.
Jiang Ran maintained his amiable smile.
He was, after all, the old drunkard’s disciple.
Wining, dining, womanizing, and gambling; swindling, conning, abducting, and cheating—these eight vices might seem uncouth, but they weren’t so easily mastered.
Especially the latter four, all of which involved the treacherous art of dealing with people.
If one’s mind wasn’t quick and cunning, who could they possibly deceive?
Jiang Ran had inherited a third of the old drunkard’s true teachings in this regard. When interacting with others, he could easily blend in and extract a great deal of useful information through casual conversation.
After collecting himself a little, Steward Liu was still a bit lost.
"Wait... even if you know where I live, you shouldn’t be coming to find me at this hour, right?
"Besides, you’ve never met His Excellency. Aren’t you afraid he’ll refuse to see you, showing up like this in the middle of the night?"
Jiang Ran let out a soft laugh.
"You’re right, Steward Liu. I have indeed never met this Prefect.
"However, you could say I owe him a favor."
He took the Assassin’s Order from his robes.
"I imagine this wasn’t something you gave me, was it, Steward Liu?"
The Assassin’s Order carried considerable authority. Steward Liu held no official rank, so how could he possibly have been qualified to issue it?
The day Jiang Ran had brought the heads of Zhang Dongxuan and Dao Zhen to claim the bounty, Steward Liu had chased after him as he was leaving and presented him with this Token.
Jiang Ran knew better than anyone who had truly given it to him.
But since the other party hadn’t mentioned it, he hadn’t either.
It simply wasn’t necessary...
Now that it was necessary, Jiang Ran decided he might as well bring it up.
Though they had never met, this Prefect was clearly not unaware of who he was.
Seeing the Token, Steward Liu finally smiled.
"Excellent, excellent. His Excellency is as perceptive as a hawk, and Young Hero Jiang is no ordinary man either.
"Since it has come to this, I won’t ask any more questions. I’ll go announce you, but whether he sees you or not is still up to His Excellency."
"Thank you, Steward Liu."
Jiang Ran cupped his fist in his palm.
Steward Liu shook his head.
"Let me grab a coat. I’m getting old; I can’t take this night wind."
He muttered as he went to fetch a coat and draped it over his shoulders.
Only then did he say:
"Follow me."
As he started to walk out, Jiang Ran spoke softly:
"Steward Liu, you lead the way. I will follow in secret."
"Hmm?"
Steward Liu paused, then nodded slightly.
"Alright. Be careful."
Without another word, he stepped outside.
Jiang Ran, carrying a chest on his shoulder, followed behind Steward Liu. He leaped up high one moment and ducked low the next, evading the real and imagined gazes from the shadows.
He was dodging not only the potential Feiyun Stronghold bandits outside, but also the government constables on night patrol within the Government Office.
The human heart is fickle and impossible to guard against. Since he was engaged in clandestine matters, it was only natural to conceal his movements.
After a few twists and turns, Steward Liu arrived before a small courtyard a short while later.
This time, he didn’t knock, but pushed the gate open and went straight in.
He had just come to a stop when he heard a gust of wind beside him. He turned his head to see Jiang Ran standing there, a chest still on his shoulder.
"How did you..."
Steward Liu was stunned, but he had no time to ask questions. He hurried the last two steps to the door.
"Your Excellency... are you resting?"
As his voice fell, a flicker of light ignited within the room.
It was followed by a deep, powerful voice.
"Why have you brought someone half-dead here in the middle of the night?"
"Your Excellency, Jiang Ran requests an audience."
As Steward Liu spoke, he wondered where the half-dead person was.
’Could Jiang Ran be seriously injured?’
"Oh?"
A surprised and uncertain voice sounded out, followed by a loud WHOOSH.
The doors blew open as if by an unseen wind.
A burly man stood inside the doorway with his hands clasped behind his back, looking out. His gaze fell instantly on Jiang Ran.
"Well, boy... your aura is so restrained, so deeply hidden, that even I didn’t realize there were three people outside my door.
"You’re Jiang Ran?"
"Greetings, Your Excellency."
Jiang Ran looked at this tall, brawny Prefect, whose body was a mass of corded muscle, and was momentarily surprised.
When he had chatted with Cheng Jimo outside the teahouse and learned that the newly appointed Prefect was a do-nothing official, Jiang Ran hadn’t given it much thought.
But when he received the Assassin’s Order, he understood... this so-called inaction was likely just a front.
Even so, Jiang Ran had pictured a thin, frail, scholarly man.
He never expected... a brute of a man.
"Who’s in the chest?"
The brute of a Prefect ignored Jiang Ran, his eyes fixed on the wooden chest on his shoulder.
"It’s not a hidden assassin, is it? Planning to take advantage of the situation, sneak attack me, and take this damned official’s life?"
Steward Liu nearly fainted. His "frail and sickly" master was spouting nonsense again.
Jiang Ran smiled.
"As this is our first meeting, I’ve brought a small gift for Your Excellency. I hope you like it."
As he spoke, he flicked his hand, and the chest shot through the air, flying straight toward the Prefect.
The Prefect laughed heartily, his voice full of vigor. He reached out casually, his hand as large as a cattail fan, and pressed down on the chest. He immediately felt a bizarre force wrapped around it.
It was like the coiling of yin and yang, seemingly endless, creating power from nothing and growing toward infinity.
With one hand on the chest, he was forced back two or three steps before he stabilized himself. He shot a glance at Jiang Ran.
"You dare try to put me in my place?
"If this ’gift’ isn’t valuable enough, I’ll have you punished for your crime!"
As he spoke, the chest landed on the ground with a THUD.
The Prefect grabbed the lid and yanked it open, revealing the person inside.
"Gu Mosheng of the Sunset Gang?"
Steward Liu was startled. He hurried into the room, went around the chest to peer inside, and was left utterly dumbfounded.
"Who did this?"
"Who else could it be?"
The Prefect shot him a look.
"Obviously, the kid with the surname Jiang did it..."
"Huh?"
Steward Liu froze and turned back to Jiang Ran.
"You... you did this?"
"That’s right."
Jiang Ran nodded.
Steward Liu’s head was buzzing.
The Government Office didn’t interfere in the affairs of the martial world, that much was true. But even if you were going to secretly cut someone down, why would you bring him to the Government Office?
Utterly confused, he turned to look at his master.
He saw his master had already reached out and unwrapped the cloth bandaging Gu Mosheng’s wound.
Staring at the wound for a moment, he clicked his tongue in admiration.
"What beautiful saber work."
Steward Liu: "..."
He suddenly felt that neither Jiang Ran nor his own master were quite normal.
