Chapter 33: Mutual Schemes

Ma De stood up excitedly and turned to run outside.

"Brother Jiang, I’m off to talk to Buffalo. Wait for my good news!"

After Ma De left, Jiang Li had just reached out to pour a cup of tea when a voice suddenly sounded from outside the courtyard gate.

"Lord Jiang Li!"

Jiang Li turned around, speechless. Three indigenous people were standing outside the gate, one of whom was tightly bound with a rope made of grass.

"What are you doing? There’s no need to bring captives to me."

"That’s not it, Lord Jiang Li," one of the indigenous men hurriedly explained. "It’s like this: this is a trained slave. Chief Buffalo told us to bring one to you, to serve as you command."

"A slave?" Jiang Li muttered to himself, looking at the guy who was tied up. Like the others, he was dark-skinned, extremely thin, and looked like a gust of wind could blow him over.

"Lord Jiang Li, don’t let his appearance fool you. He runs incredibly fast. We took turns chasing him for two days and a night before we finally caught him," the man explained, fearing Jiang Li might be displeased.

"Two days and a night? Really? He has that much endurance?" Jiang Li looked at the man outside in surprise. He looked so frail; he didn't expect him to be so tough.

"You out there, what’s your name?"

The bound man knelt on the ground immediately. "I have no name. Whatever the master calls me, please, master, give me a name."

Jiang Li’s expression stiffened. Had they really conditioned him to this point? "Uh, alright. Get up first."

After saying this, Jiang Li turned to the other two. "You can go back. Tell Chief Buffalo that I accept this slave, and thank him for his generosity on my behalf."

"Yes, Lord Jiang Li. By the way, the Chief said they are going to attack another tribe tomorrow. Since it requires so much manpower, the houses being built for you might take another two days to finish."

"No problem, that’s fine. Thank him for me."

Jiang Li waved his hand, signaling them to leave. Once they were gone, he looked at the slave. "Come inside."

"Yes, master."

"Tsk, tsk. How did they train him? He’s lost all sense of self," Jiang Li couldn't help but shake his head.

"Master, is there anything you need me to do?"

"Not for now," Jiang Li replied, then looked at him. "You’re fast and you have endurance. I’ll just call you Lightning."

"Thank you, master, for the name." Lightning knelt again.

Jiang Li sipped his tea. "Get up. And from now on, you don’t need to kneel when you talk to me, and you don’t have to think of yourself as a slave. If you perform well in the future, I will grant you your freedom."

Hearing this, Lightning couldn't stop trembling. He looked deeply at Jiang Li, then stepped back and stood quietly to the side.

Once Jiang Li finished his tea, Ma De came bounding back.

"Brother Jiang, it’s settled! Buffalo agreed. He’ll let us tag along tomorrow. But Buffalo said this time is just to see what Qin Lang is made of, so we can just watch from the sidelines."

"Brother Jiang, do you have any way to pull a fast one on him?"

Jiang Li glared at him. "Do you think ideas are like farts? Just one right after another? I have plenty of ideas, but do we have the resources? If this were the capital, I could kill him with a word and even whip the graves of his ancestors. But in this godforsaken place, there’s nothing. I can’t even find poison if I wanted to. What do you want me to do?"

Ma De grew anxious. "We can’t just let Qin Lang stay alive like this. You didn't see it—he kicked a tree as thick as a bowl in half! If he decides to take revenge on us one day, won't I be dragged into it too?"

"Wait!" Jiang Li suddenly stood up and leaned into Ma De’s ear, whispering for a moment.

"Brother Jiang, you’re a genius!" Ma De exclaimed sincerely. "I can’t believe you came up with that. You really are a wicked, heaven-deserving good man!"

"Get lost!" Jiang Li spat out, then sat back down comfortably.

The next morning, Jiang Li gathered Chu Chunqiu and Li Tongxuan, along with the slave Lightning, to join the main force.

"Brother Jiang, it’s getting colder. How much longer are we going to stay here?"

"Look at you, impatient again!" Jiang Li sighed. "Brother Ma, I want to leave too, but there have been people hiding in the grass behind your house. Do you want to die?"

"It’s precisely because I can’t do it alone that I need you to find a way. It’s not that I’m impatient, but I’m afraid that if we return too late, the situation in the capital will be set in stone. Even if we go back then, it won't change anything," Ma De argued.

Jiang Li calculated the days and made a plan. "Let’s stick to what we discussed yesterday. If it goes smoothly, we might be able to act tomorrow or the day after."

"Good!" A flicker of hope ignited in Ma De’s eyes. After being here for so long, he finally saw a glimmer of hope for escape.

A short while later, Jiang Li’s group successfully met up with Buffalo in the wilderness.

"Good morning, Chief," Jiang Li greeted him first.

"Haha, greetings to all," Buffalo laughed, then pointed toward Qin Lang nearby. "I’ve heard you have many talented people on your side, but I didn't expect so many. Today, we’ll see what Brother Qin Lang can do."

Jiang Li smiled but said nothing. Qin Lang, who stood to the side, didn't understand the indigenous language and kept his cool, remaining silent.

"Alright, let's move out!"

Buffalo waved his hand, and the group set off in a certain direction. As they walked, Jiang Li drifted closer to Qin Lang.

"Qin Lang, I hear you’re doing most of the work today?"

"So what? Don't trouble yourself with my business, sir," Qin Lang said coldly. If he weren't currently powerless, he would have struck Jiang Li with a club.

Damn it! He used him as a shield when he escaped, causing those tribesmen to chase him all over the place. He swore that if he didn't get revenge for this, he wouldn't be a man!

Jiang Li laughed dismissively. "Qin Lang, I can’t help but care. But there is something I need to tell you."

Qin Lang remained silent, afraid of being used by Jiang Li again.

"Fine, I’ll be direct," Jiang Li said, stroking his chin. "Frankly, we are all people of the Great Qian. We come from a powerful nation, and we can all be considered the cream of the crop. Look at these indigenous people—they eat raw meat and drink blood, they are uncivilized savages. Do you really want to work for them for the rest of your life?"

"Don't you feel ashamed? If the Emperor sends someone here in the future and they see acquaintances from the capital, how will you explain this?"

Qin Lang fell silent. Even though there was bad blood between them, Jiang Li’s words hit home. For someone as capable as him to take orders from a brute like Buffalo—it was truly galling.

A great man living between heaven and earth; how could he stay under someone else's thumb for long?

"What’s your plan?"

Hearing this, a cold smirk played on Jiang Li’s lips. The fish had taken the bait.