Nine out of ten gamblers lose; I've run into a jerk!

Chapter 212 Each Displays Their Unique Abilities

"You mean that several horses belonging to the Tao family suddenly went berserk on the outskirts of the city, and the carts carrying their goods plunged into the river?"

"Yes, General," the soldier replied. "Those carts happened to be carrying mink furs and medicinal herbs such as ginseng. To minimize losses, Lord Tao ordered his men to rush back to the city and rent several courtyards from ordinary people to dry and salvage the herbs."

Yue Jiang frowned, a suspicion rising in his mind. "Is the entire caravan stuck in the city?"

"Reporting to the general, only fifty-seven men were left behind. To avoid delaying the journey, Lord Tao led the main force back to Andu first."

Fifty-seven people… Yue Jiang began to calculate. Drying things naturally didn't require so many people, but transporting goods across mountains and rivers would necessitate more guards, but…

"Why did those horses suddenly go berserk?" Yuejiang still had doubts in his mind.

"He's here!" The staff member standing to the side, hearing Yuejiang's questioning, thought to himself, "The general is still so cautious. Fortunately, he ordered his soldiers to investigate, otherwise he would have been in trouble."

"Reporting to the general, because three horses were lost this morning, the goods were distributed to carts pulled by other horses. The horses were so heavy that they started kicking when they reached the outskirts of the city. The guards who were driving them whipped them a little too hard... and then they couldn't stop."

"How could three horses be lost all at once?" Yuejiang's suspicions deepened upon hearing this; it was simply too much of a coincidence.

"This..." The soldier paused, and his lips twitched involuntarily as he thought about what he was about to say.

"It is said that this morning several horses were found to be deprived of their diaphragm in the stable. The stable boy at the post station also went to check and found that they were indeed no longer useful."

Yuejiang was taken aback upon hearing this, and after confirming that he hadn't misheard, his skin twitched involuntarily. "Is there anything else unusual?"

The soldiers understood immediately: "The officers have sent people to check, and there are no signs of drugs being used. It must just be the season."

“General, I also believe this is a coincidence,” the aide interjected.

"Oh~" Yue Jiang raised an eyebrow. "Why are you so certain, sir?"

"This is absurd." No normal person could design it.

"..."

Am I just overthinking things?

After a moment of silence, Yuejiang decided to play it safe and ordered, "Send someone to keep a close watch and report back immediately if there is any unusual activity."

"promise!"

The soldiers obeyed and left, while at that moment, in an ordinary courtyard near the west gate, dozens of people were busy processing the goods that had been salvaged from the water, and it looked quite impressive.

"Biaozi, what were you doing sneaking into the stables in the dark last night?"

"I just did some handicrafts~"

"Stop chatting, you two, get to work!"

Tsk~ The sergeant is cautious. Biaozi suppressed his desire to show off and shook the mink fur with both hands, letting the loose fur drift into his nostrils.

"Ah...ah..."

…………

"Achoo—"

Wen Yan touched his nose, looked west through the teahouse window, and thought to himself that it must be Lu Zechuan cursing him behind his back!

"Chi Yan, keep a close eye on the post roads these days."

"Is Your Highness troubled by how to recall the Grand Commander?"

Wen Yan was indeed quite troubled. Although Jing Kingdom was not as wealthy as Jing Kingdom, it was located in the Central Continent and had been well-managed for many years, so it was considered a peaceful and prosperous country. After being comfortable for a long time, it was easy to forget to be vigilant in times of peace. Therefore, the radical faction led by him strongly promoted the war against Qi.

Ten days ago, a battle report was received that Jing's army's unstoppable offensive had stalled in Pingxiang. The conservative faction in the court began to speak out against it. Prime Minister Du felt that the battle was already worthwhile since the cost of capturing a prefecture was not high. He submitted a memorial advising that Yanzhou should be abandoned, and that Cangzhou should be consolidated and managed first, and that the war should be fought steadily and gradually.

It sounds like wise words from an experienced ruler, but morale is something that can be boosted in one go, then weaken in another, and eventually be exhausted. In recent years, the ruler has grown old and lost the vigor and ambition of his youth. If we stop now, who knows when the time will come to choose a new opportunity to fight?

Wen Yan naturally couldn't stand it, and the two sides engaged in a five-day war of words in the court, neither willing to give an inch.

"Your concerns are all valid. Further debate will not yield any results. It would be better to consult Heaven for a decision."

Ultimately, because the king believed in divination, he decided to have the royal advisor perform a divination by spirit writing before making a decision.

Since this matter concerns the fate of the nation, it is only right to fast, bathe, and choose an auspicious day. The date was set for three days later.

The Imperial Preceptor, whose Taoist name was Xuanzhenzi, claimed to be able to communicate with heaven and earth and understand yin and yang. His divination results had influenced the king's judgment on political affairs on multiple occasions.

Confucius said, "I do not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits." Wen Yan had always kept his distance from such matters, but now he had no choice but to take them seriously.

Since this person was recommended to the king by Prime Minister Du, he had already sent someone to the front line to prepare Old Lu. Although he had not yet received a reply, he could guess that the fellow would most likely not obey.

"Zechuan usually looks lazy, and in fact... he really is lazy, but he has a stubborn streak. If he doesn't do something, he won't do it, but once he does it, he won't give up easily."

Wen Yan sighed, pressing his forehead. Chi Yan, who was attending him, didn't know how to comfort him. However, the silence didn't last long, as a commotion arose from the street downstairs.

Following the sound, one could see a Taoist priest's crane-feather cloak fluttering in the wind on the bluestone slabs of the central avenue below.

He held a peach wood sword, flicked up a yellow talisman, and the copper bell at the end jingled. "Ew! You fiend! Take this Heavenly Fire-Inducing Talisman from this humble Taoist! Nine Heavens Thunderfire to exorcise evil and ward off misfortune!"

The Taoist priest chanted incantations, his fingertips twirling the talisman paper across the sword's blade. Suddenly, a ghostly blue flame rose from the corner of the paper, eliciting gasps from the onlookers.

The talisman burned in mid-air, and the Taoist priest calmly caught the falling ashes with a cup.

"Drink this talisman water, and your grandson's hysteria will be cured."

"Thank you, Celestial Master!" The old man selling steamed buns wiped his hands on his clothes and carefully accepted the money, then asked awkwardly, "I wonder... how much money do you need?"

“Hey~” The Taoist waved his hand, “People outside the secular world don’t talk about money, they talk about fate.”

Without waiting for the old man to express his gratitude, he waved his sleeves, put his hands behind his back, and left with the young Taoist boy, displaying the image of a superior person, leaving behind only the curious onlookers who praised and flattered him.

Once the two had left the crowd, the young Taoist boy whispered, "Master, why don't we strike while the iron is hot and make some money off him?"

"It's too small; the scope is too narrow."

These two were Zhang Tian and his apprentice Gouwa. Ever since meeting Shen Qing in Long County and suffering a professional Waterloo, and then joining the bandit leader of Hutou Mountain to become a strategist only to lose his job again, Zhang Tian realized that small-scale escapades had no future.

He got back up from where he fell, and Zhang Tian reclaimed his identity as a "celestial master". Inspired by Shen Qing's trick of setting fire to locusts in mid-air, he devised a trick of burning talismans in mid-air.

"We should learn from our enemies' strengths, my disciple. Let me test you: what was Du Wei of Longhu Mountain's most formidable skill?"

"Kung Fu!" Gouwa blurted out without hesitation.

"..." This makes the conversation impossible, Zhang Tian thought to himself, I need to learn this too! But who is Zhang Tian? He remained unfazed and said, "Wrong, it's 'pretending'!"

As the saying goes, "What the superiors like, the inferiors will follow even more fervently." His Majesty Kyung is a believer in Taoism, so if he makes a name for himself here and builds a Taoist temple, the incense offerings can't be lacking, right? Hehe~

At this moment, Wen Yan, standing on the windowsill in the teahouse, looked down at the people who were still marveling at the Taoist priest, and couldn't help but recall the bad idea that Ze Chuan had come up with last year.

"If you use their own spear against their own shield, what should you do?"