Lao Huihui was completely baffled.
"Hardly any disaster?" he asked in disbelief. "Just a few days ago, I personally saw a massive swarm of locusts heading straight toward Luoyang. I was extremely worried about you."
Jiang Cheng burst into hearty laughter.
"That swarm?" he said. "Its main force was taken straight up to the heavens."
Lao Huihui's face instantly filled with confusion, as if several question marks had been pasted onto it.
Jiang Cheng did not elaborate.
Those who had not witnessed it with their own eyes would never believe the terrifying divine power the Dao Xuan Tianzun used to sweep away the locust swarm. That level of strength was simply beyond comprehension. Jiang Cheng knew that no amount of explanation would convince Lao Huihui, so he chose to leave it unsaid.
Instead, Jiang Cheng continued calmly, "After the main swarm was dealt with, we brought in a large number of chickens and ducks from the Hedong Circuit farms in Shanxi. We released them to handle the smaller swarms. The results were extremely good."
Lao Huihui was once again struck dumb.
In the midst of a devastating drought, people were still raising chickens and ducks?
And not just a few scattered birds, but entire farms?
Enough to send them out against locust swarms?
Jiang Cheng reached into his pocket, pulled out a large duck egg, and placed it into Lao Huihui's hand.
"Here, brother," Jiang Cheng said with a grin. "A little extra snack, just for you."
Lao Huihui was speechless.
The hand holding the duck egg trembled slightly.
The more he interacted with the people of Xiaolangdi, the more Lao Huihui felt their strength was unfathomable. When others were starving, these people not only transported grain to him by the boatload, they also sent luncheon meat. And now, they casually handed him a duck egg.
It was simply too much.
He truly did not know what to say.
At that moment, the sound of galloping hooves came from the distance. A fast horse rushed toward them, the rider leaping down the moment he arrived.
"Report!" the scout shouted. "The Rebel King has arrived!"
Lao Huihui blinked. "Eh? What's he doing here?"
The scout replied quickly, "It seems he is merely passing through with his army. He does not appear to be targeting us. There are no signs of hostility."
Lao Huihui finally breathed out in relief. "So he just ran into us? That's good. Quick, hide the provisions."
His subordinates immediately sprang into action. They dragged the grain Jiang Cheng had just delivered behind rocks, shielding it with horses and men to keep it out of sight.
Jiang Cheng also hurried back toward his boat. He intended to steer it away from the shore at Gubai Ferry. A vessel of that size was impossible to conceal.
After running a few steps, he suddenly remembered something.
He turned his head and realized that the courtesan had not moved at all.
"Hey!" Jiang Cheng called out. "Miss Zhou, get on the boat!"
The courtesan shook her head. She leaned close to Jiang Cheng's ear and whispered, "No. I can't leave. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I might be able to film the Rebel King with my camera. The people of Gao Family Village would definitely want to see what he looks like. News needs interesting material. Who wants to keep watching the same old things?"
Jiang Cheng was shocked. "Hey! That's far too dangerous!"
The courtesan turned toward Lao Huihui instead. "General, dear brother, I'm feeling a bit seasick and don't want to go back on the boat. I'd like to hide with your army for a while. Once the Rebel King leaves, Instructor Jiang can come get me. Would that be alright?"
Lao Huihui answered without hesitation, "Of course! If I can't even protect a young lady, I might as well jump into the Yellow River."
The courtesan made a playful face at Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng had no choice but to give in. He hurried back to the boat and steered it away toward the opposite bank of Gubai Ferry.
The courtesan and her special operations team hid inside an abandoned house at Gubai Ferry. From a window, they aimed the camera lens outward.
From the south came the sound of shouting men and neighing horses. A massive banner bearing the character "Chuang" advanced toward Gubai Ferry.
At the head of the formation rode a man on a white horse. He wore white robes and a white hat.
This had to be the Rebel King.
The courtesan immediately aimed her camera at him.
For some reason, his face felt strangely familiar. It was as if she had seen him somewhere before. A powerful sense of déjà vu washed over her, even though she was certain this was her first time seeing the Rebel King.
The feeling was unsettling.
The Rebel King rode up to Lao Huihui and clasped his fists while still on horseback.
"Brother Lao Huihui," he said, "I just fought a battle with He Renlong and Gao Jie. I'm passing through on my way back. What are you doing stationed at Gubai Ferry?"
Lao Huihui replied calmly, "Nothing special. Just letting the troops rest."
The Rebel King raised his horsewhip and pointed toward the north bank of the Yellow River.
"Could it be that you're still thinking about going back north?"
At the Xingyang Conference, Lao Huihui had proposed returning north, and Zhang Xianzhong had made a few sarcastic remarks about it at the time. The Rebel King still remembered the incident clearly.
As he passed through and heard that Lao Huihui was camped by the river, he had genuinely worried that Lao Huihui might abandon everyone and flee. That was why he came personally to ask.
Lao Huihui shook his head. "Yes, I'm still thinking about it. But thinking is one thing, acting is another. Look at the river. I don't even have a single boat. How could I go back?"
The Rebel King nodded. He indeed saw no boats, and his concerns eased.
"Brother Lao Huihui," he said, "it's not that I, as your elder brother, don't want to return home. The problem is that Shanxi is currently under Wu Shen's control. You know how wealthy that fellow is. Back then, he arrived in Shaanxi with a hundred thousand taels of silver and bought over many of our brothers in an instant. Now he's stationed in Shanxi, carrying out massive construction projects and gathering a large army along the Yellow River. Crossing over would be extremely difficult. If you went back now, you'd likely be walking straight into death."
Lao Huihui replied simply, "I know."
The Rebel King nodded again. "Alright. Since you understand, I'm relieved. I'll be taking my leave now. You shouldn't stay here either. He Renlong and Gao Jie's troops will be arriving soon."
Before his words had even faded, two swift horses galloped in from the distance.
The first rider was Lao Huihui's scout.
The second was a middle-aged man. He was not particularly handsome, but his expression was steady and he carried a sharp, ruthless air.
The scout shouted loudly, "Report! The Dashing General has arrived!"
The man behind him shouted angrily, "Report what? I'm already here, right behind you! No need to announce it!"
As he spoke, the Dashing General rode straight up to the Rebel King. Still on horseback, he clasped his fists and asked urgently, "Brother Rebel King, I heard you just fought with He Renlong and Gao Jie?"
The Rebel King nodded. "Yes. Their forces are just west of here."
The Dashing General roared, "Good! Thank you, elder brother! I'm off!"
With that, he kicked his horse hard and charged westward.
The Rebel King cried out in alarm, "Hey! Brother Dashing General! Why are you riding straight toward the enemy?"
The Dashing General shouted back, "That bastard Gao Jie is Fan Shan Yao! I have a blood debt to settle with him for seducing my wife!"
The Rebel King froze on the spot.
Lao Huihui also froze.
In the blink of an eye, the Dashing General had already ridden far ahead. Immediately after, his Old Eighth Squad burst out from the east, charging west after him.
"Brother Dashing General, wait for us!" they shouted. "Don't run off by yourself!"
The Dashing General roared as he rode, "Brothers, hurry and catch up! Whoever captures Gao Jie alive gets a reward of one hundred catties of gold! Fifty catties if he's dead!"
The Old Eighth Squad went wild upon hearing this. Howls of excitement echoed as they charged westward at full speed.
The Rebel King let out a long sigh.
"Ah," he said helplessly. "My brother's lost it."
He turned to Lao Huihui. "Brother Lao Huihui, I'm going to help the Dashing General. Will you come with me?"
Lao Huihui shook his head. "I won't be going. We just fought government troops yesterday. My men need rest."
The Rebel King nodded. "Very well."
He turned his horse around and rode west as well, followed closely by a large portion of his army.