In Dream Of The Red Chamber, Jia She Acquires A Plant-Based Superpower. - Chapter 20

In the dead of night, Jia She donned a night-walking suit to cover his face, channeled spiritual energy into his feet, and pushed off. He drifted away like smoke. Though he was unaccustomed to flying at first, he soon became proficient.

He reached the foot of the mountain where the Crossing Dragon gang resided, only to find the situation amiss. Hundreds of men were lying in ambush in the surrounding brush. Jia She quietly perched in a large tree and used his spiritual energy to heighten his hearing, recognizing a familiar voice.

“Your Highness, today is the Crossing Dragon gang’s annual Grand Assembly. It will not be easy to find all the leaders together again if we miss this chance.”

Situ Ruo, dressed in black, lowered his voice to reply to Hu Bing. “I know. But the men I brought with me have weak martial arts. Even if you and I can hold off four of the leaders, who will deal with the Third Leader, whose martial arts are peerless? This mountain is easy to defend and difficult to attack, filled with dense trees that render bows and arrows useless. There is even an underground river leading out of the mountain. If they decide to flee, we will not be able to stop them. Give me more time to think of a plan.”

Situ Ruo had noticed the Crossing Dragon gang as soon as he arrived in Yangzhou, disgusted by their practice of harvesting children. He had visited Lin Ruhai and confirmed he was truly poisoned, and that his wife had little time left. He had also obtained the account books detailing the officials bought off by the salt merchants. He knew the books were of vital importance and should have been sent to the capital immediately, but the gang’s practice of abducting children on the street and murdering families who sought justice drove him to madness. He would dream of the desperate screams of those children.

Situ Ruo’s mind raced. This was a rare opportunity to capture all the leaders. Before he could devise a plan, a nervous official in the bushes accidentally released an arrow. It struck a door frame, triggering a bell hanging above it. Situ Ruo looked solemn; if he were to die here, he hoped Lin Ruhai would succeed in sending the books to the capital.

Jia She watched the skirmish unfold between Situ Ruo’s men and the gang members, waiting in the tree for the Third Leader to appear. He knew that if the leader escaped through the underground river, catching him later would be nearly impossible. As Situ Ruo and Hu Bing fought their way up the mountain, Jia She helped from the shadows, picking off gang members in the chaos. They died without ever knowing what struck them.

Suddenly, someone shouted for the Third Leader. Jia She looked over and saw seven men dressed in luxury emerging from a room. They were clearly the leaders. Jia She channeled his spiritual energy into seven leaves and flicked them with a snap of his fingers. The leaves pierced their foreheads with pinpoint precision.

The spiritual energy acted like a cheat code. Even the Third Leader, despite his superior martial arts, could not dodge in time. He had tried to hide behind a boulder, assuming it would block the projectile, never imagining Jia She’s weapon could pierce stone.

“The Third Leader is dead! The First Leader is dead too!”

“All seven leaders are dead! Run for your lives!”

The mountain erupted into chaos. Situ Ruo and Hu Bing fought even harder. Jia She watched Situ Ruo show no mercy, executing those who knelt to beg for their lives. “Kill them all,” Situ Ruo ordered coldly. “Leave no one alive.”

Jia She used his leaves to covertly assist any official in danger. Once victory was certain, he circled the mountaintop, found no further threats, and descended to return to the Lin mansion.

When Jia She arrived back, he was untainted by the scent of blood, even his soles remained clean. He changed out of his night-suit and had Lin Zhixiao burn it quietly. This kill was different from the last; he had sought this one out. He felt no remorse; he had visited the ravine at the mountaintop and seen the white bones of countless children.

Situ Ruo fought until the early hours. Hu Bing laid the seven bodies out in the clearing, drenched in blood. “Reporting to the Prince, they were killed by a projectile as thin as a leaf. It pierced their skulls instantly. I checked the boulder over there; it was pierced through as well.”

Situ Ruo examined the stone and gritted his teeth. “With such profound internal energy, could this be the work of a Grandmaster?” He called out into the silence, “I am Situ Ruo. I thank you, senior, for saving our lives. I humbly request that you appear.”

Only the wind rustled the leaves. After a while, Situ Ruo sighed, “The senior must have left. Clean up the site and rescue the victimized children. From today on, the Crossing Dragon gang is no more.”

The sudden appearance of a master in Yangzhou was a mystery. Situ Ruo decided to return to the capital early to report this to his Imperial Brother. Hu Bing discovered a secret chamber containing chests of gold, silver, and antiques. Situ Ruo, despite his experience, was shocked by the sheer scale of the wealth accumulated in under a century. He had the treasure sent down the mountain, rescued the children, and set the base ablaze.

The next day, all of Yangzhou was in an uproar. The infamous Crossing Dragon gang had been eradicated, their leaders’ bodies hung outside the city walls, and the base had been destroyed by fire. The remaining salt gangs went into hiding, terrified by the news that the gang had been destroyed by a high-ranking member of the Imperial family, and that the leaders had been slain by a mysterious master of projectile weapons. They all began praying to the heavens, hoping this master would not take notice of them.

News reached the Lin mansion, where Lin Zhixiao felt a secret sense of superiority. Lin Ruhai knew Situ Ruo had led the troops, but he had not expected him to succeed. No one suspected Jia She, who continued to act as if he knew nothing, listening to the servants’ gossip alongside Lin Daiyu. Upon hearing that the leaders died by projectiles, Lin Daiyu’s eyes brightened; a seed of interest in learning the art of projectiles was planted in her heart.

Jia She, unconcerned with the gang, turned his focus to creating spiritual tea. After countless experiments, he discovered he could not fuse his spiritual energy with the leaves, only attach it, and the effect would dissipate in a few breaths without his constant support. He then used his ability to accelerate the growth of tea branches. The leaves he produced contained rich spiritual energy, though they could not be used for cultivation. He spent two days producing half a pound of this tea and gave it to Daiyu, Jia Min, and Lin Ruhai.

Ordinary people could not detect the energy, only sensing a refreshing sensation. Jia She invited Lin Ruhai and Daiyu to taste it. Lin Ruhai praised it sincerely, “Your tea-making skills are truly supreme, Brother.”

Daiyu, usually indifferent to tea, liked Jia She’s brew, feeling relaxed after drinking it. Jia She smiled. “It was just a casual attempt. If you like it, I will make more when I have time.”

He observed Daiyu after she drank it. Seeing no immediate change, he surmised it would require prolonged consumption. That night, she slept peacefully until dawn, a rare occurrence. Jia She then drew up a strict exercise plan for her. Despite her frail appearance, Daiyu endured every bit of the running, never once complaining even when she was exhausted to the point of vomiting. Jia She replaced all her tea with the spiritual brew and felt a surge of pride as he watched her body strengthen day by day. He felt he was the one who had nurtured this healthy Daiyu.

Lin Ruhai also noticed the tea’s benefits and silently set aside a portion for Jia Min. She had been sleeping restlessly, with doctors declaring her body spent, but the tea allowed her to get an hour of peaceful sleep each night.

Situ Ruo returned to the capital in the seventh month and immediately inquired about Jia She. “Prince, do you not know? The General went to Yangzhou to visit his sister.”

Situ Ruo looked aghast. “What? He went to Yangzhou? If I had known, I would not have rushed back so quickly.” Hu Bing rolled his eyes; with the account books in his possession, Situ Ruo would have left regardless.

Situ Ruo entered the palace, covered in dust, and tossed the account books onto Situ Xuan’s desk. “Imperial Brother, I have investigated what you asked for. I also eradicated a monstrous gang.”

Situ Xuan scanned the names in the account book, his face hardening as he suppressed his murderous intent. When he saw Jia Zheng’s name, he sneered. “The Jia family is bold. What status does Jia Zheng hold that he dares to sign a protection talisman with the salt merchants? He is unworthy.”

Situ Ruo hurriedly leaned in. “That was signed by Jia Zheng, Imperial Brother. Please do not hold it against Jia She. He did nothing rebellious; at worst, he was merely negligent in managing his house. Besides, the Old Matriarch is still alive; Jia She is in no position to control Jia Zheng.”