Finest Servant Chapter 647 (Patreon)

Chapter 647 The Bet

After conversing for a while, the night grew deep, with heavy dew and a late hour. An Biru gazed at the crescent moon in the distance and sighed softly, saying, "I must go back now."

Lin Wanrong, reluctant to part, held onto her, pleading, "Master Sister, can't you stay? It's been so long since we last met. I just want to chat with you tonight. Don't worry, it's all very innocent!"

"Innocent?" An Biru, with her expressive eyes, stared intently at him and smiled charmingly, "If I stay, I'm afraid you might keep your innocence, but I might lose mine, giggle!"

Sister An was indeed bold and outspoken. Lin Wanrong smiled as he held her delicate hand, remaining silent for a long time.

An Biru, feeling the warmth in her heart from his lingering gaze, gently caressed his cheek and said softly, "Be good while you're down the mountain. Don't bully anyone, especially not those young girls. If I find out you've done something bad, hmm, you'll be in trouble!"

Sister An laughed, her grip surprisingly strong, causing Lin Wanrong's tender waist to ache, yet he dared not complain, only managing a forced laugh, "Where is Sister thinking of going? I cherish those young girls too much to ever bully them."

"That's even more troublesome!" An Biru lightly tapped his nose, "Remember, don't let me find out you've committed any misdeeds, or else — the consequences will be severe!"

Her smile was teasing, her charm evident. Lin Wanrong felt a stir in his heart and asked involuntarily, "What kind of consequences?"

"Are you really eager to know?" Sister An's eyes, like water, surveyed him from head to toe, her gaze landing just below his belly, then suddenly, she raised her hand and made a light downward gesture, laughing playfully, "Just like this!"

No way! Lin Wanrong's face paled instantly. He hurriedly covered his groin, not daring to speak another word. An Biru laughed so hard she bent forward and backward, her face flushed, like a trembling pear blossom in the breeze.

After seeing off Vixen An, the sky was filled with stars. Thinking about the upcoming Flower Mountain Festival, he felt both excited and worried, uncertain about what the next day would bring.

The gate creaked open, and Gao Qiu hurriedly rushed in, followed by more than ten robust men, all tall and muscular, with piercing eyes. They immediately fixed their gaze on Lin Wanrong, their dark faces flushed with exertion.

"Brother Gao, who are these gentlemen?" Lin Wanrong began to ask, but the leading burly man knelt down swiftly, saying respectfully, "I am Cheng Zili, commander of the Luzhou naval forces, paying respects to General Lin!"

"Greetings, General Lin!" The ten or so plainclothes soldiers behind Cheng Zili also knelt down, bowing their heads in reverence.

Lin Wanrong was overjoyed, quickly helping them up, "You are Brother Cheng from the Luzhou naval forces? Ah, I've heard so much about you. When I was in the capital, the general often spoke of Brother Cheng's renown! He even praised you, saying that from Fujian to Sichuan, our naval forces are unmatched!"

"I am honored by the old general's remembrance," Cheng Zili said joyfully, standing up, his hands trembling, "To see General Lin in person today, even death would be worth it for me!"

"See me?" Lin Wanrong was surprised, laughing, "What are you saying, Brother Cheng? I don't understand!"

Cheng Zili was visibly excited as he exclaimed loudly, "General Lin, with a mere remnant army, you penetrated deep into the grasslands, traversed thousands of miles, shattered the capital of the nomads, and captured the Khan of the Turks alive. You were invincible, striking terror into the hearts of the nomads. This is an unprecedented feat in the history of our Great Hua! Which red-blooded Great Hua man wouldn't respect and revere you? General Lin, you are the pride of our Great Hua military. Seeing you today, I would have no regrets even in death."

"I have no regrets in witnessing General Lin's elegance!" the ten-plus Luzhou naval soldiers said in unison as they knelt down again, bowing sincerely to him.

Lin Wanrong quickly helped them up, shaking his head modestly, "Brother Cheng, you flatter me. My actions were merely fortuitous, not at all grand. The truly remarkable ones are those brothers who sacrificed themselves on the battlefield. Compared to them, I am nothing."

This statement warmed everyone's hearts, and Cheng Zili and others felt even more grateful and admiring of General Lin's character, just as approachable as the legends said.

"By the way, Brother Cheng, when did you arrive?" Seeing the soldiers dusty and weary, their faces covered in dirt, and their cloth boots worn through from the long journey, Lin Wanrong asked hastily.

Cheng Zili replied respectfully, "Our Luzhou naval infantry, totaling over twelve thousand soldiers, received the gold-plated orders brought by Officer Gao. We set off from Xingwen outskirts overnight, hastening day and night towards Yunlian without rest. Currently, the main force is still twenty-five miles away from Yunlian County and should arrive by tomorrow afternoon. Worried that General Lin might be in a hurry, I discussed with Commander Zhang Qun and decided that he would lead the two units forward while I, with over twenty men, took a shortcut to arrive here first for your dispatch."

Lin Wanrong nodded appreciatively, "You and your brothers have worked hard. I'm deeply grateful. By the way, Brother Cheng, do you know how many government troops are stationed in Xuzhou?"

Being adjacent to Luzhou, Cheng Zili was familiar with the situation, "Xuzhou's conditions are tough; no one wants to be stationed there. There are roughly more than three thousand government troops, led by Commander Yu Zheng, who is said to be very close to the Prefect of Xuzhou, Nie Yuanqing. Additionally, there are about two thousand Miao soldiers in the Miao villages, secretly raised by their leader Zhaguo. It seems Prefect Nie doesn't interfere much with this."

This information was consistent with what Lin Wanrong had learned before leaving the capital. Cheng Zili then added, "On the way here, I sent men to gather information. The Xuzhou garrison troops had already arrived in Yunlian last night, summoned by the prefect. The purpose of their arrival is unknown."

Nie Yuanqing's deployment of troops to Yunlian was likely not just for maintaining order. In Xuzhou, he had wealth, power, and troops, practically a dictator. Who would dare oppose him? Although the specifics of the agreement between Zhaguo and Nie Yuanqing were unknown, the situation was evidently not favorable.

Lin Wanrong hummed, "Quite a character, this Prefect Nie, turning Xuzhou into an iron fortress. Imposing harsh taxes and treating lives like grass, the blood and sweat of countless Miao and Hua people have been drained by his corruption. Just for this alone, he is utterly unforgivable."

Cheng Zili spoke softly, "We've vaguely heard of Prefect Nie's notorious reputation, towering three feet above the sky. But since Xuzhou is isolated from the outside world with no bridges or roads, we don't know much about the actual situation."

Nie Yuanqing, seeking to exploit the people here, naturally couldn't allow them to leave the mountains and lodge a complaint. The lack of bridges and roads was surely his deliberate doing. With no way in or out, he could act as he pleased.

The number of men Cheng Zili brought wasn't large, but they were specially prepared for General Lin. They were all capable and well-equipped. Each even had a set of Miao clothing. Lin Wanrong was very pleased with what he saw. With the Flower Mountain Festival close at hand and these reliable helpers, he felt much more at ease.

After a detailed discussion and arrangement of the next day's plans, it was already past the second watch of the night. Inside and outside the city, all was silent except for the gentle chirping of insects from the trees.

He and Brother Gao left the city to find the various Miao villages to the west of the city already resting, with young Miao people lying scattered around. The blazing bonfires illuminated their young faces, peaceful and serene.

Upon reaching Yingyue Hamlet, everyone was already asleep. Lin Wanrong lay down comfortably, hands behind his head, gazing at the starry sky, feeling blissfully at peace.

Just as he was about to drift off, he sensed something was amiss. It seemed something was missing. He stood up abruptly, searching through the crowd, but couldn't find that graceful figure.

Yilian was missing!

He was somewhat shocked. This Miao girl, as the leader of Yingyue Hamlet, was highly disciplined. Every night at this time, she would patrol and keep mosquitoes away. Why was she suddenly gone tonight? In a panic, he quickly woke up Si De, who mumbled sleepily, "Miss Yilian is missing? No way, I just saw her on patrol!"

She must not have gone far if she was just on patrol. Lin Wanrong felt slightly relieved but, looking at the crowd spread out before him, he didn't know where to start searching. The crackling bonfires reminded him that a girl wouldn't venture alone into the pitch-black forest at night; she would likely head toward the light.

With this thought, he followed the light of the fires. After a while, he saw a bright bonfire burning atop a tall hill, the liveliest in the entire western part of the city. Next to the fire, a small figure was sitting curled up, concentrating on something.

He approached quietly and saw the Miao girl with many carved bamboo pieces laid out in front of her. Her delicate hands held a piece of charcoal, writing something meticulously on the bamboo.

"Yilian!" he called out softly.

Startled, the girl turned around quickly, her face lighting up with joy, "Ah Lin Ge, you're back?!"

"Yes!" Lin Wanrong grinned and sat down next to her, "It's so late, what are you doing here? I got scared when I didn't see you, thought you were kidnapped or something. Nearly scared me out of my wits!"

"Really?" Yilian laughed shyly, whispering, "Ah Lin Ge, you really are a scaredy-cat, afraid of snakes and even kidnappers, hehe! Don't you have a hatchet? Just use that!"

He laughed, "A hatchet is for chopping wood, not for taking lives! Yilian, why aren't you sleeping at this hour, hiding out here?"

"I can't sleep without hearing your stories," Yilian said softly, almost inaudibly. Suddenly, she handed him a few bamboo slips with delight, "Look—"

Her hands were covered in charcoal dust, and her sparkling fingers had turned pitch black. Lin Wanrong gently shook his head, took a water flask nearby, and poured water into her hands.

"Ah Lin Ge, you're so kind!" The girl revealed a row of white, neat teeth, lowered her head shyly, and chuckled silently. She found some leaves from the grass nearby, wiped her hands with them, and the charcoal dust was washed away by the water. Lin Wanrong watched in amazement, wondering how these leaves could be more magical than soap.

He took the bamboo slips and observed them. They were filled with Hua language writings. Although not as beautiful as Ning’er and the others' handwriting, each character was neatly and elegantly written. Lin Wanrong was pleased, "These are all mountain songs! Ah, why didn't I think of copying them down? Yilian, you're so smart!"

Flattered by his praise, the girl shook her head and smiled, "I'm not that smart. If I had thought of this method earlier, you wouldn't have been so troubled! I came up with this idea last night. I split a lot of bamboo today and wrote until now, but only managed less than twenty songs. Take these with you tomorrow; they might come in handy."

Lin Wanrong chuckled, "The only one who sings with me is the Holy Maiden. I already know those few songs she taught me, so no one else will come looking for me!"

"Still thinking about the Holy Maiden? You were almost out of your mind!" The girl didn't believe his 'nonsense', giggling and glancing at him lightly, "How do you know no one will come looking for you? I think there are quite a few mi cai in the village who fancy you! It's the Flower Mountain Festival, and the mi cai are very bold. What will you do if someone comes looking for you, huh?"

Lin Wanrong laughed heartily, "Me, a half-baked Ah Ge, and someone will come looking for me? That would be a laughingstock!"

"You never know!" Yilian blinked playfully, suddenly getting an idea, "Ah Lin Ge, let's make a bet! If no one comes looking for you, then I lose, and I'll massage your legs and back every day."

"And if someone does come looking for me?"

"Then you lose, of course!" The girl lowered her head, speaking softly, "Then you have to sing with her, no fooling around. How about it, do you dare to bet?"

Lin Wanrong nodded with a smile, "Why wouldn't I dare? I always win bets! But let me clarify one thing beforehand, if the Holy Maiden comes looking for me, that doesn't count!"

"Still thinking about the Holy Maiden? So handsome of you!" Yilian looked at him and smiled sweetly, "Then it's settled! Ah Lin Ge, you're definitely going to lose!"