Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Wager

Zhao Ding glanced back at Zhao Yun with a hint of confusion, as if asking, “Has he always been like this?” Zhao Yun shrugged helplessly, spreading his hands slightly. It seemed a similar scene had played out the first time Zhang Xuan met Yuwen Chengdu—though, by comparison, it wasn’t quite as dramatic this time. It just seemed that whenever Zhang Xuan encountered someone new, he’d always be stunned for quite a while; who knew what was going on in his head.

“Cousin, what are your plans next?” Zhao Yun turned to Zhao Ding, asking. The two hadn’t seen each other in a long time; there was so much he wanted to say to his kin, hoping his cousin could stay for a few days.

“Plans?” Zhao Ding pondered seriously for a moment, glancing at his companions, their faces showing fatigue. He couldn’t bear to press on further. “We’ve been traveling non-stop, especially after being tailed by that group. We tried to shake them off by picking up the pace, but things didn’t go as planned—we still ended up fighting. We really need a good rest. Now that we’ve met, you and I—well, it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other. We should spend some time together. After a few days, we’ll head for Yingchuan. Why don’t you come with us when we go?”

Watching the touching reunion between the two cousins, Zhang Xuan felt a pang of emotion. He wondered what it would be like if, after a long separation, he were to meet his brothers again. Partings and reunions like this would likely happen often in the future. Perhaps they would be like Zhao Yun and Zhao Ding now, or perhaps words would be unnecessary, or they might simply raise a cup in silence and drink together... Of course, there could also be times when they would never meet again. At that thought, Zhang Xuan shook his head, unwilling to dwell on such things. What if they did come true? Better to change the subject and let that dark thought drift away.

He looked at the bodies lying on the ground, then walked over to Zhao Ding, rubbing his hands together. “Sorry to interrupt your reunion, but, just to ask—what do you plan to do with those who’ve already reported to the afterlife? Want me to handle it for you? I can take care of it.”

“These people?” Zhao Ding looked troubled. “I’m not sure what to do. If you have a way, go ahead. We can’t just leave them here—someone might report it to the authorities, and that would be a headache.” He had been fretting over how to deal with the corpses, not wanting to end up in trouble with the officials. Now that Zhang Xuan was volunteering, it was a relief.

Zhao Yun was highly skeptical that Zhang Xuan had any real solution. He tugged at Zhang Xuan’s sleeve. “Brother Xuan, do you really have a plan? Don’t make promises you can’t keep and end up embarrassing yourself.”

“Oh, are you doubting me now, Yun? Is this a challenge?” Zhang Xuan grinned. “Good. I like a challenge. Want to make a bet on whether I can handle these bodies properly? As for the stake, I’ll think of something later.”

Zhao Yun had no idea where Zhang Xuan got his confidence. He looked over to Yang Hu, who was more familiar with Zhang Xuan, but Yang Hu was deep in conversation with Yuwen Chengdu and hadn’t noticed. With no help in sight and seeing the provocative glint in Zhang Xuan’s eyes, Zhao Yun decided to go all in. “Fine, I’ll bet! I don’t believe you can do it. If I win, you’ll have to call me ‘Brother Yun’ from now on. Stop calling me ‘Little Yun.’ I’m only three years younger than you.”

“Deal. If you win, I’ll call you ‘Brother Yun’ for a year and never again call you ‘Little Yun.’ If I win, I’ll let you know when I think of my stake. After all, at the moment…” Zhang Xuan circled Zhao Yun, “you don’t have much worth wagering. Don’t worry, I won’t ask you to do anything evil or immoral. If I do, you can refuse. Sound good?”

“Fine! No problem,” Zhao Yun replied, extending his pinky for a promise, just in case Zhang Xuan tried to back out. Zhang Xuan laughed at the childish gesture and, thinking to himself how much of a kid Zhao Yun still was, hooked his own pinky with his. At the same time, he recalled the childhood rhyme and recited, “Pinky swear, if you break it, a hundred years of bad luck.”

After that, Zhang Xuan waved over to Yang Hu and Yuwen Chengdu, who were still chatting. Once they approached, Zhang Xuan turned to Yang Hu first. “Brother Hu, check these people—see if they have anything that can identify them. And you know, don’t miss anything valuable.” He gave Yang Hu a meaningful look.

Yang Hu caught the glance and the unspoken intent—Zhang Xuan was at it again, trying to profit from the dead. He gave Zhang Xuan an “OK” sign in response.

Zhang Xuan nodded with satisfaction. This was what true understanding looked like—just a look and they were on the same page. Then he turned to Yuwen Chengdu. “Second Brother, do you know where the nearest local authorities are? I didn’t see any government office yesterday around here. Is there one at all?”

Hearing Zhang Xuan mention the authorities, Zhao Ding frowned, and his companions, upon hearing the words, stiffened and then stood up.

Yuwen Chengdu thought for a moment. “Xuan, why do you ask? There isn’t one here, but there’s a county seat with officials about twenty or thirty li from here. I remember passing it with my master before.”

“Twenty or thirty li? That far? Then taking this group there to claim a reward seems a bit impractical. Too far to go just for that.” Zhang Xuan rubbed his chin, talking to himself.

Zhao Ding, hearing Zhang Xuan inquire about the government office and seeing his interest in confirming the identities of these people, guessed that Zhang Xuan was planning to pass them off as bandits to claim a reward. The thought of all his hard work ending up as someone else’s trophy left him feeling slightly bitter.

Zhang Xuan had originally thought to just bundle up the bodies as “bandits” and claim the reward at the county office. What a perfect way to make some money—it wasn’t even his effort. If it worked out, he could always give a portion to Zhao Yun and his cousin as a token of thanks for their trouble.