I'm Just a Beast Tamer

Chapter 25: Chapter 23: News

He never would have imagined that Xu Wenchang could be so utterly clueless.

"I asked the passengers on the carriage! Those robbers were just after Jiang Zuo! They were only targeting him, not like a normal robbery!"

Of course, Xu Wenchang refused to believe he was wrong, arguing his case forcefully.

"Is that so? Are you sure? Did the driver and those passengers happen to mention that the robbers weren’t wearing masks to hide their faces?"

"And here’s something else for you. Those robbers are the brothers of the thief who was caught in Red Fox Town two weeks ago."

Jiang Zuo had no interest in watching Xu Mingde lecture his son, so he interjected.

Xu Mingde’s expression changed the moment he heard this.

Robbers who don’t hide their identities are, nine times out of ten, planning to leave no witnesses.

In other words, everyone on that carriage yesterday—including the driver—was nearly killed!

But the second piece of information was even more critical!

’If Jiang Zuo had left just now, allowing Yongsheng Post Station to carry the news to the Red Fox Town Government Office instead... then because of how Ping’an Post Station handled this, Red Fox Town would have very likely revoked our operating license for that route and given it to Yongsheng Post Station.’

’And it wouldn’t have just been one route.’

’An incident like this would have triggered a cascade of negative consequences.’

’With one misstep, Ping’an Post Station could lose more than half of its business in Sifang County.’

"Get home! Go to the ancestral hall and accept your punishment! You’re confined to the house for three months! Now get out!"

Xu Mingde had lost all patience for slowly teaching Xu Wenchang a lesson. He bellowed, telling him to get lost.

"I..."

Xu Wenchang’s face was ashen. He couldn’t understand why his father’s attitude had changed so dramatically.

But he knew his father always meant what he said, so he didn’t argue further. He just stormed out the door in a rage.

"My apologies for that display, Little Brother Jiang. My unworthy son... he’s more trouble than he’s worth. *Sigh.* I brought him here hoping he would learn a thing or two, but I never imagined he’d nearly cause such a disaster."

"As for this matter, I’m not sure what your plans are, Little Brother Jiang, but the Ping’an Post Station will cooperate in any way we can!"

Xu Mingde sighed, frustrated with his son’s failings, then turned to Jiang Zuo, looking rather ashamed.

"Those robbers were definitely targeting me, so I don’t dare return to Red Fox Town for the time being. I was hoping to ask you, Shopkeeper Xu, to send someone to deliver a letter for me to the Government Office in Red Fox Town."

"One of the robbers told me that I was the one who ’harmed’ their seventh brother. They must be that thief’s accomplices."

"They wanted to kill me and everyone else on the carriage. My guess is they intended to orchestrate a massacre to lure Chief Lu away from Red Fox Town and then stage a jailbreak."

"They failed to capture me yesterday, but they might try again today. That’s why I need to ask you, Shopkeeper Xu, to deliver this letter to the Red Fox Town Government Office as quickly and securely as possible. They need to be warned so they don’t fall into this trap!"

Jiang Zuo said with great gravity.

If Ding Yi and his men were still alive, the scenario Jiang Zuo described would indeed be highly probable.

But they were already dead. Jiang Zuo was doing this for two reasons. The first was to make his act convincing.

The second, more important reason was that he wanted to get the last remaining brother, Ding the Seventh, executed as quickly as possible.

He wasn’t sure if Ding the Seventh, who was in jail, knew that Ding Yi’s group was after him. But as long as Ding the Seventh was executed before he could learn of his brothers’ deaths...

...it wouldn’t matter what he knew.

"I understand. This is indeed urgent. But don’t you worry, Little Brother Jiang. I will have the Worldwide Bank send the letter via carrier pigeon. The Government Office in Red Fox Town will receive it in less than two hours!"

Xu Mingde said decisively after hearing the whole story.

"The Worldwide Bank?"

Jiang Zuo asked, feigning ignorance.

When he had discussed the Rampaging Bear incident with Blacksmith Li, he’d learned the Government Office had used this same method to contact the imperial court.

But Blacksmith Li hadn’t known the details, and Jiang Zuo hadn’t been in the mood to press for them at the time.

"Haha, you may not know this, Little Brother Jiang, but the Worldwide Bank also offers a letter delivery service. They use carrier pigeons, so it’s incredibly fast."

"In fact, our Post Station’s letter delivery is modeled after the Worldwide Bank’s."

"However, the Worldwide Bank’s service is extremely expensive. Sending a single letter from Sifang County to Red Fox Town costs one hundred taels of silver."

Xu Mingde said with a chuckle.

’Having the Worldwide Bank deliver a letter is expensive, but this letter from Jiang Zuo is definitely worth the price.’

’If we sent it by normal means, with the next carriage... never mind the risk of an accident and the letter getting lost... even if it arrived by evening, the massacre could have already occurred.’

’In that case, sending the letter would have been pointless.’

’While sending it the normal way would absolve the Ping’an Post Station of responsibility, it wouldn’t earn them any gratitude from the Red Fox Town Government Office. The Post Station would simply be doing its duty.’

’But paying a premium to have the Worldwide Bank deliver this critical information immediately? That’s a different story.’

’Opportunities for private bribes are everywhere, but chances to have the Government Office publicly indebted to you are rare.’

’Especially the Government Office of a special place like Red Fox Town.’

Of course, Xu Mingde had to seize this opportunity.

Once the decision was made to use the Worldwide Bank, the rest was simple.

"Little Brother Jiang, thanks to your information, I’ve really lucked out this time. The fact that the carriage made it back safely yesterday is also to your credit. If you ever need help with anything in the future, just say the word. If I can help, I absolutely will!"

After sending an old, steady manager to deliver the letter to the Worldwide Bank, Xu Mingde turned to Jiang Zuo with a broad smile.

This wasn’t just polite talk; he genuinely wanted to build a good relationship with Jiang Zuo.

He had only just learned that the dog Jiang Zuo had recently trained, Great Black, was so highly valued by the Red Fox Town Government Office that it had sold for the astronomical price of five thousand taels.

Moreover, in his brief interactions with Jiang Zuo, he sensed a meticulousness and composure that were extraordinary for someone so young.

To be so young, to have earned so much money through his own skills, yet to show not a hint of arrogance or impetuousness...

Forget about his own youth—even now, if he were to suddenly earn such a fortune through his own abilities like Jiang Zuo had, he wouldn’t be able to resist gloating a little.

As for his own prodigal son, there was simply no comparison.

If Xu Wenchang were even half as mature, composed, and sensible as Jiang Zuo, he wouldn’t have to spend so much time and effort worrying about him.

"Help? Actually, there is one thing I’d like to ask for your help with, Shopkeeper Xu."

Jiang Zuo didn’t stand on ceremony upon hearing the offer.

"Oh? And what might that be?"

"Well, I have an interest in collecting and studying antique beast bones. I was wondering if you, Shopkeeper Xu, know of anyone who shares this hobby, or perhaps a place that specializes in selling them?"

Jiang Zuo explained.

"If you had asked about anything else, I might not have an answer for you. But as for beast bones, I do happen to know a place. They have a massive quantity of them, and many are genuine antiques."

Shopkeeper Xu’s spirits lifted at the question.

He hadn’t been worried about Jiang Zuo asking for a difficult favor—if he could help, he would, and if he couldn’t, he wouldn’t be afraid to say so.

Hearing that Jiang Zuo was only looking for antique beast bones, Xu Mingde stroked his beard and smiled.

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