Chapter 124: Born a Scout

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After handing over the duties to the county magistrate, he saw that the group of people had already been locked up in the county jail. Following that, Wang Hong reported the incident to the imperial court, which then conveyed the message to Fufang, prompting an investigation into He Chaozong. The county magistrate would also report this through the proper channels. Thus, there was no longer any need for Wei Renshi to concern himself with the matter.

Only then did Wei Renshi’s heart finally relax completely. Eager to return home and rest peacefully, to calm his nerves. Not to mention the physical trials his twelve-year-old body had endured over these days, even the soul from the future within this body was witnessing such a bloody scene for the first time.

The image of Old Shi pulling the firewood cleaver out from the split head vividly appeared in Wei Renshi’s mind whenever he closed his eyes; it would take some time to digest. Fortunately, the soul inhabiting this body was mature; otherwise, it might have left a lasting psychological shadow.

After lingering for a while at the county office, he stepped out to find Zheng Lizheng, Ma Weilong, and Zhang Changgui waiting outside. Wei Renshi was overjoyed. Tian Dali was also standing nearby. Seeing him, Wei Renshi immediately knew that Tian Dali had gone home to notify them, which was why Ma Weilong and Zhang Changgui had come.

He stepped forward and first saluted Tian Dali, saying, “Uncle Tian, thank you very much!”

Tian Dali smiled and waved his hand, saying, “Not at all, not at all. I didn’t tell them what happened to you, only that they should come to pick you up.”

Wei Renshi nodded. Indeed, such matters could not be spoken aloud by Tian Dali.

“Master Wei, what happened? Why are you here at the county office?” Zheng Lizheng stepped forward to ask.

Tian Dali smiled and said, “I have some matters to attend to, so I’ll leave first. You all hurry back to Changgu.”

Wei Renshi and Zheng Lizheng bade Tian Dali farewell, watching him return to the county office.

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Only then did Zheng Lizheng’s expression change as he glanced at Gou Er and asked, “What happened? Gou Er, why are you covered in blood?”

Gou Er looked at Wei Renshi, who sighed and said, “It’s just bad luck. I’ll explain when we get back.”

Ma Weilong took off his long robe and handed it to Gou Er, saying, “Gou Er, put this on.”

Though the blood on Gou Er’s body had dried and turned dark brown, it was still unpleasant to see.

Gou Er changed into the clean clothes, and the group left the county office, returning to Changgu.

To avoid alarming the matron and Xi’er, Wei Renshi first had the others stay at Zheng Lizheng’s house. He went home alone to pay his respects to the matron. After a brief conversation, he excused himself and returned to Zheng Lizheng’s residence.

By then, Gou Er had changed into a clean set of clothes borrowed from Zheng Lizheng and was sitting in the courtyard waiting for him.

Wei Renshi recounted from the time Scholar Zhang took him to meet General Wang, explaining how they had turned the tables on the bandits, sent Old Shi to the Eastern Capital’s garrison office to report, and how the county magistrate had divided the credit at the county office.

“Rebels?!” Zheng Lizheng was shocked. “How could there be rebels here? And they were heading to Fuzhou?”

“It’s a heretical cult. It seems He Chaozong conspired with the cult to rebel in Fuzhou,” Wei Renshi explained. “This group was just one faction of the cult. I fear there are many other factions like them rushing to Fuzhou to aid He Chaozong’s rebellion. In other words, these rebels must be attacking from multiple directions. This was truly dangerous—if not for Uncle Shi and Brother Gou Er’s skills, we definitely wouldn’t have escaped, let alone captured these rebels. The fact that the two of them alone managed to catch these rebels speaks volumes about their abilities.”

“Thanks to the young master’s strategy, the group was rendered powerless,” Gou Er shook his head. “Otherwise, we wouldn’t have managed it either. The young master is truly remarkable—under such circumstances, he still managed to think up a plan.”

“The young master is no ordinary person, I’ve known that for a while,” Zheng Lizheng said. “So your improvements to farming tools, the reclamation of wasteland, and those other contributions have already reached the imperial court. Add to that your work providing horseshoes to the army and General Wang personally reporting your merits—now, with the elimination of one group of rebels and the early discovery of He Chaozong’s treason, that’s yet another great achievement. Multiple merits combined, plus General Wang’s personal endorsement—it’s very likely you’ll be officially honored!”

“It’s not certain yet; I dare not indulge in such hopes,” Wei Renshi shook his head, then turned to Ma Weilong and Zhang Changgui. “I already told Uncle Shi and Brother Gou Er that if I am honored, I will recruit you four as my personal retainers. Uncle Shi and Brother Gou Er have agreed. What do you two think?”

Ma Weilong and Zhang Changgui were initially surprised and instinctively looked at Gou Er.

Gou Er said, “I’ve witnessed the young master’s abilities firsthand. Even the commanders we served under in the army were not better than him. And I don’t need to say how well the young master treats us. Uncle Shi immediately knelt in agreement.”

That meant Uncle Shi had readily accepted.

Ma Weilong and Zhang Changgui exchanged glances. Ma Weilong said, “It’s not that I’m unwilling, just didn’t expect the young master to think so highly of us. Since you do not disdain us, I pledge my loyalty and will never betray you!”

Zhang Changgui threw down his wooden staff, knelt alongside Ma Weilong, and said in unison, “We pledge to serve the young master faithfully and never betray the Wei family!”

“Get up, quickly!” Wei Renshi helped them up with a smile. “Rest assured, I will not treat you unfairly, nor your descendants.”

Zheng Lizheng laughed nearby and said, “Haha, with Master Wei’s talents, you’ve certainly boarded a great ship.”

Ma Weilong stood and said, “Since we’ve accepted the young master as our head and ourselves as his retainers, we should let him know what each of us is skilled in, so he can assign tasks accordingly. I’ll start. We were all scouts in the army. I’m not as good at killing as Gou Er and Uncle Shi, but I’m quite clever and good at gathering intelligence.”

Wei Renshi’s eyes brightened as he listened. Ma Weilong continued, “Uncle Shi is the most loyal and righteous, never abandoning us. He’s the best at fighting—we all fall short compared to him. He’s also very alert; several times we escaped danger thanks to his vigilance.”

Then Ma Weilong looked at Gou Er, who smiled and said, “I’m best at assassination. I’m quick on my feet and fast in attack.”

Ma Weilong added, “And ruthless. Though sometimes not as alert.”

Gou Er laughed, “No matter how alert I am, I can’t match Uncle Shi’s vigilance. So having Uncle Shi around is enough.”

Then he looked at Zhang Changgui. Zhang Changgui said, “I don’t have any special skills, just brute strength. Too bad I lost a leg and can’t stand firmly, so my strength is somewhat reduced.”

Wei Renshi was speechless. He had personally seen Zhang Changgui easily lifting three hundred pounds of coal back and forth with one hand. And that was with reduced strength. Just how much power did he have before?

No wonder their skills were so excellent, far beyond Wei Renshi’s expectations.

It turned out they were all army scouts!

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