Talking with Zang Ba

It took the group less than two weeks to finally arrive at Kaiyang where they will be staying for one day they were lucky if they had arrived a day later they might have missed the opportunity to travel on a ship to Xiapi and would have had to wait for a week before the next one set sail.

Yun was walking down the main street in his doctor outfit while Dian Wei was right behind him before they stopped in front of a gate that was being guarded by soldiers which leads to a compound.

Behind the gate, Yun could see soldiers drinking which didn't please him since a compound this size should be used for training and not drinking. Dian Wei could feel Yun's displeasure as they approach the soldiers guarding the entrance to the compound.

"Stop right there," says one of the soldiers to Yun and Dian Wei who didn't notice Yun's displeasure while Dian Wei was trying to warn the soldier with his hands.

Dian Wei knows Yun well enough for him to warn the soldiers that Yun might kill some of them just to discipline the rest when he hears in an angered tone, "I am here to see General Zang Ba. I will meet him with or without you but be sure that he will hear me even if half of his army lies dead on the floor."

"And who might you be for threatening us," says one of the soldiers when Yun releases his Qi making them all shiver in fear.

"I am the Inspector of the Xu Province, General Zhao," says Yun installing fear in their bodies as he takes a step forward while the soldiers retreated one step.

"And I want to talk to General Zang before I lose myself," says Yun taking another step forward when suddenly the soldiers point their weapons at Yun out of fear.

"I had a pretty long journey which is going to end soon and I wanted to talk with General Zang about our future," says Yun in an intimidating tone moving forward when the speartips of the soldiers pressed against his clothes and skin.

Yun took another step forward and pushed them further back shocking the soldiers even more since the spear tips didn't penetrate Yun's skin as he continued his advance passing through the gate and entering the compound.

Dian Wei only shook his head thinking that Yun was running into his own death before following him inside. The soldiers were opening a path for both as Yun walked to the place in which he thought Zang Ba would be which was the manor inside the compound surrounded by soldiers who weren't drunk since they are on duty.

"You can be quite intimidating sometimes," whispers Dian Wei as they entered the manor together when they find Zang Ba in the act with a woman.

Yun didn't even need to take a second look to know that the woman must be a prostitute that needs the money as she wasn't embarrassed at all when Yun and Dian Wei entered the room, unlike Zang Ba who recognized Yun and Dian Wei immediately even if they were wearing rags at the moment.

Zang Ba stopped what he was doing trying to find something to cover himself while Yun sat down on an empty chair with Dian Wei standing behind. Dian Wei sighed after seeing Zang Ba's reaction which just made it clear that he was aware of Yun's attitude toward having more than one woman.

Yun might not follow it but he doesn't care if his men have more than one wife if they can support them. He already accepted it even if he wasn't going to follow the trend and the only people that needed to follow his trend were his sons, his younger brother, and his sons-in-law. If he were to catch one of them he would punish them heavily.

Zang Ba rapidly returned with some rags covering his naked body while sending the woman away before saying, "What leads you to Kaiyang, General Zhao?"

"It is one of my duties to inspect the Xu Province. Unfortunately, you are one of the first since you laid on my way back to Xiapi," says Yun as he controlled his Qi making it disappear to the visible eyes.

"I heard about what happened in Guandu. I am sorry about your father," says Zang Ba seriously as Yun stops him by raising his hand.

"It is alright, I have already dealt with that by traveling to Zhending to lay him to rest that's why you are so unfortunate that I visit you first without announcing it," says Yun explaining to Zang Ba that he already dealt with his loss.

"Anyway, I came here to hear if you have already returned the confiscated gold which you took from Xiao Jian back when Lu Bu was ruling over the Xu Province," says Yun knowing very well that Zang Ba still had the money stashed somewhere.

"I have already sent it to Cao Cao," says Zang Ba with confidence lying to Yun who only smiles at him.

"So if I send a letter to Cao Cao asking if he received said gold he will respond positively," says Yun making Zang Ba turn a bit pale.

"I heard that Cao Cao can be quite brutal with people that try to trick him," says Yun giving Zang Ba a way to confess his misdeed.

"If I think about it again. It should be somewhere in the manor. I will send it to Xuchang as soon as possible," says Zang Ba trying to control his emotions.

"No, you will send it to Xiapi. I will send it to Xuchang with a group of people that Cao Cao knows and trusts. But if the money disappears on the way from Kaiyang to Xiapi because of some pirates... Well, let's just say that Cao Cao won't be happy but he won't be angry either since it happened outside our perimeter," says Yun to Zang Ba which caught his interest.

"You want to make the gold disappear," says Zang Ba excited about what Yun just said.

"We make fifty-fifty and everyone is happy," says Yun making a smile appear on Zang Ba.

"Alright, I am all ears, what do I have to do?" asks Zang Ba happy that he will be able to keep at least half of the gold.

"One day in the future I will give you a questionable order and I want you to follow it and join me when the day comes," says Yun seriously making Zang Ba feel nervous.

"What will I be doing?" asks Zang Ba nervously since he was now a General and not some Bandit Chief like before.

"You will know when the day arrives. If you don't follow the command your days as General will be over and you might return to be a Bandit Chief of Mount Tai since Cao Cao will be after you for stealing from him," says Yun warning Zang Ba of the consequences of going behind his back.

"He will be after you as well," says Zang Ba returning Yun's warning as a threat which made Yun just grin.

"He will but I will be safe since he is awaiting me to do that since I work for him under a contract while you, my friend, are his bitch. If he tells you to bark you better bark or he will put you down. I, on the other hand, am a mercenary not fully loyal to him. So I would think again about who you are threatening at the moment," says Yun seriously to Zang Ba bringing an important point in his association with Cao Cao and the difference between him and Zang Ba.

"You think he will go after me but not after you, why?" asks Zang Ba curiously as he leaned forward.

"I have too many soldiers that are trained to good to be ignored. He would win the war against me but the other Warlords would go right after him defeating him completely," says Yun telling the truth.

He never sees himself as the winner against Cao Cao even with all his strategists and generals by his side since Cao Cao has the mass behind him. He could only win if he could use ships which is almost impossible on firm land.

"You, on the other hand, have only bandits who turned into soldiers because of your involvement against Lu Bu back in the day. He could kill you and your little army easily without losing much. He would use you as an example to warn the others what will happen if you steal from him," says Yun returning the threat before saying, "And for threatening me we will now make it seventy-five for me and twenty-five for you. And don't say that I am conning you since I could have taken it all."

Zang Ba was furious and Dian Wei could see it on his face when Yun says, "If you don't send the gold soon I will have to take it forcefully and send it to Cao Cao and nobody except for him will be happy since you will be six feet under the ground and I don't have the gold to spent it in plans which would involve you."

"Fine," says Zang Ba angrily as he feels tricked by Yun who stands up.

"Good, that's what I wanted to hear. I will await the gold in a month don't be late," says Yun standing up when Dian Wei pulls his pike and slashes at some sheets which were hanging from the entrance revealing two soldiers that were ready to ambush them.

Yun released his Qi which now took even the form of a demon while saying coldly, "If you try something stupid like this again, you will be a head shorter."

Yun then leaves with Dian Wei since they were done. Dian Wei was surprised that Yun didn't kill them while Yun was thinking about the words Lucius said to him before when he asked why he didn't kill all the bandits.

'You are getting pickier with the blood you are spilling,' says Ysmrgra seriously as they leave the compound.

'I was thinking about what Lucius said about why he hasn't killed those bandits back then,' says Yun back curious about why.

'Simple, he understood that he needs better blood to unseal the Dragons still sealed in the armor and weapons,' says Ysmrgra making Yun open his eyes remembering what the Leader of the Black Dragons once said when he took a drop from Lu Bu before.

'Right, Lu Bu's blood was worth a lot which could have unsealed you alone if I had killed him,' says Yun shocked when Ysmrgra laughs.

'That's right, he understood that killing bandits would never unseal the remaining Black Dragons so he focuses on killing people that can,' says Ysmrgra revealing it openly to Yun as Yun and Dian Wei walked back to the Inn they were staying.