Chapter 47: Cooperation

The next day, the large contingent of the Mount Hua Sect set off. Yue Lingshan and Lin Pingzhi had originally intended to travel alongside Wang Jingyuan. However, Wang Jingyuan figured that these two weaklings and toadies would not only be completely unhelpful but would also turn into dead weight, so he forcefully demanded that Yue Buqun take them away with him.

Wang Jingyuan returned to the Returning Geese Restaurant once more, ordered a table of dishes, and had the waiter deliver them to Centurion Chen’s residence. Although he had requested only aged wine and fatty chicken, Wang Jingyuan was not exactly strapped for cash nowadays. Since he could trade a few material goods to boost an NPC's favorability, why not?

When Wang Jingyuan arrived at Centurion Chen’s grand estate accompanied by the restaurant waiter, he discovered that besides the host himself, there were only two elderly servants and not a single other soul.

Once the waiter had tremblingly laid out the food and wine and departed, Wang Jingyuan stood on no ceremony. He pulled a chair right up to the table and asked, "Old Chen, where are your wife and kids? Call them out to eat together."

Centurion Chen shook his head. "I have yet to take a wife or have children."

"Understood, staying single and childless keeps you safe," Wang Jingyuan said, shaking his head. "Wait, that's not right. Women these days are totally reliable. Why aren't you getting married?"

Centurion Chen shot Wang Jingyuan an annoyed glare. "I am already betrothed. I am merely waiting to complete my term of office here, return to the Left Guard of Yanshan to take over my father's post as Vice-Commander, and then I will marry."

Wang Jingyuan filled Centurion Chen’s cup to the brim with wine and poured himself a cup of tea. "Very well, since there are no outsiders, let's talk about business. Tell me, how do you want to invest in me, Angel Investor?"

Centurion Chen swirled the wine in his bowl as a rich, mouthwatering aroma drifted out. He could tell clearly that this was the most expensive vintage from the Returning Geese Restaurant. "Although I am a brocade-clad guard of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, I cannot bear the title of an angel. Furthermore, I am not much of a drinker; this single jar is more than enough for the two of us."

Wang Jingyuan waved a hand. "I simply don't like drinking. Back when I was hustling in the market, those bastards were all lightweights, and I had to block every single toast for them. I've had more than my fill of alcohol. If given the choice, I'd rather be a total teetotaler."

Seeing that Wang Jingyuan had a chicken leg in his left hand and a pig's trotter in his right, looking not the least bit inclined to exchange polite pleasantries, Centurion Chen dropped the persuasion and asked instead, "What kind of support do you need?"

Wang Jingyuan probed, "Since you're a centurion, you probably have a few dozen men under your command, right?"

Centurion Chen shook his head. "My family has served in Yanshan for generations. At present, the men under my command are not my direct loyalists; with too many people and too many differing opinions, they cannot be deployed lightly."

Wang Jingyuan nodded. "Fine. Your biggest advantages are your official status and your subordinates. If your subordinates are unusable, can you use your official status to support me?"

Centurion Chen shook his head again. "After all, I am part of the Emperor's personal troops; I cannot afford to leave myself open to criticism. Therefore, there is very little I can do to help you. I pondered for the entire night yesterday, and the only thing I can possibly sponsor you with right now is one specific item."

"What is it?"

"Naphtha."

In fact, people had already discovered this substance during the Song Dynasty, but at the time it had very little practical use. It was mostly used for heating and lighting, or collecting the soot left behind after burning petroleum to make ink.

It was not until much later that it began to be used as a weapon. For instance, many firearms in the Ming Dynasty required the use of naphtha.

"Not bad! Although this stuff isn't regulated quite as strictly as crossbows and armor, it's still not easy to get your hands on. How did you get it? And how much can you get?"

Centurion Chen continued, "The task of collecting and storing naphtha for the Great Ming is handled by old acquaintances of my family. This stuff is important, yet unimportant. Furthermore, losses are inevitable during both transport and storage. Smuggling a bit of naphtha out is practically effortless. The amount I can secure is more than enough to supply you in an attack on Black Wood Cliff."

Wang Jingyuan clapped his hands. "This is good stuff! By the way, since your family comes from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, how on earth do you still know people in this line of work?"

Centurion Chen glanced sideways at Wang Jingyuan. "My ancestor, Lord Chen, given name Qi, served as the Vice-Commander of the Yanshan Left Guard during the Hongwu era."

Wang Jingyuan continued, "You already mentioned that before. What does that have to do with this?"

Centurion Chen gazed at Wang Jingyuan for a long moment. "Before my ancestor followed the founding Emperor, he was a captain in the Raging Fire Flag of the Manichean Cult."

Wang Jingyuan understood now. The Raging Fire Flag of the Manichean Cult was most skilled in fire attacks. As recorded in the original text of The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, the area around Bright Peak, the main altar of the Manichean Cult, was rich in naphtha. Rock springs spewed oil day and night, which ignited upon contact with fire. The men of the Raging Fire Flag each carried an iron box on their backs filled to the brim with naphtha, spraying it to burn everything in their path—something extremely difficult for anyone to withstand.

"So the descendants of the Five Element Flags are still sticking to the family business in the new dynasty, huh?"

"Exactly."

"Fair enough. To be honest, naphtha is still very useful to me. Can you get gunpowder?"

Centurion Chen paused. "I can get it, but this item is guarded quite strictly, and the amount I can acquire is limited."

"That settles it, then. How should I contact you hereafter?"

"I will be stationed long-term in Hengyang City. Whenever you need me, just have me take you to the armory at night. If the day comes when I return to Yanshan, I will send a letter to Mount Hua to inform you.

However, since the two of us have begun cooperating, there is a task I need you to handle recently."

Wang Jingyuan thought for a moment and guessed, "A fake imperial edict?"

Centurion Chen nodded. "Some matters can be made as big as you want or as small as you want. Every year, some idlers in villages claim to be the True Son of Heaven and then privately set up a 'court' in their village.

Yet even if such incidents reach the Emperor's ears, they are merely treated as a joke. But today's affair went just a bit too far, and moreover, it happened to be witnessed. That means we cannot simply ignore it."

Wang Jingyuan stated bluntly, "It was done by Fei Bin of the Mount Shaan Sect."

"Their methods of silencing witnesses today were so crude that I had guessed as much long ago. However, what I want is evidence."

Centurion Chen's words left Wang Jingyuan puzzled. "Does the Embroidered Uniform Guard even need evidence to handle a case? Why not drag that loser from Mount Shaan back to the Mount Tai Sect's prison? Under the torture of the three boards, what can't you extract?"

Centurion Chen cast a gloomy look at Wang Jingyuan. "The Mount Shaan Sect is considered a major sect. If I provoke a backlash from them, the men under my command won't be enough."

"Ah, but you could... Oh~ you want to hog all the credit? Understood, understood, hogging all the credit is the best. I was originally planning to take advantage of their plight to wipe out those fellows from the Mount Shaan Sect, but it looks like I'll have to delay that. Crippling the Mount Shaan Sect is part of my plan anyway; I'll just leave Fei Bin behind for you when the time comes."

Centurion Chen picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and scrutinized Wang Jingyuan closely. "Although I can tell that you have methods at your disposal, which is why I want to try backing you, I am very curious: why are you so confident that you can pull those things off?"

"Because I'm a player and I use cheats."

"What?"

"Didn't understand? Fine, let's use another reason. My moral bottom line is lower than that of the vast majority of people in this world. To defeat your enemies, you must be more despicable than they are. It would be hard to find anyone in this world more despicable than me."

"..." Centurion Chen had nothing to say.

Having eaten and drank his fill at Centurion Chen's house, Wang Jingyuan prepared to go attend to some proper business, but he was intercepted by a disciple of the Mount Heng Sect who said that Liu Zhengfeng wanted to see him before setting off.