Young hero, stay put and don't be reckless.

Chapter 12 Cooperation

Before Jiang Xun could react, footsteps suddenly came from afar.

"Who goes there?!"

"There's some activity at the Transmission Pavilion!"

The man in black paused, then turned and ran without a word, disappearing into the depths of the bamboo forest like a gust of wind.

Jiang Xun didn't have time to think and ran away.

He ran faster than a rabbit, sprinting all the way back to the woodshed. Just as he crawled into bed, he heard a flurry of footsteps approaching from afar.

"Search! Search thoroughly!"

"It was discovered that someone broke into the Transmission Hall; the door locks had been tampered with!"

Jiang Xun huddled under the covers, his heart pounding like a drum in his chest. He held his breath, barely daring to make a sound, his ears perked up like a rabbit's.

After a while, the footsteps gradually faded away.

He finally breathed a sigh of relief; the back of his clothes was completely soaked.

Who is that man in black?

female?

What are you doing at Chuan Gong Ge?

Jiang Xun tossed and turned all night, his mind racing, but he still couldn't figure it out.

The next morning, Jiang Xun went to work in the kitchen as usual.

As soon as I reached the well, I saw a girl in green standing there.

She was fifteen or sixteen years old, with bright eyes and white teeth. She wore a light blue dress with a white silk sash tied around her waist, which made her waist look slender.

She stood in the morning light, looking like she had stepped out of a painting, completely out of place with the smoky atmosphere of this dilapidated kitchen.

But those eyes were staring at him, and they were frighteningly bright.

Jiang Xun's heart skipped a beat—he recognized that look from last night.

Before he could speak, the girl had already walked over.

"What's your name?"

The voice was clear and crisp, with a hint of condescension, as if the speaker was used to asking questions.

"Jiang... Jiang Xun," he answered instinctively, his mouth moving faster than his brain.

The girl nodded.

"Come with me."

After saying that, he turned and left without giving him a chance to refuse. His steps were neither fast nor slow, but they exuded an air of unquestionable authority.

Jiang Xun stood there stunned, watching her take two steps before he came to his senses.

"Wait, wait a minute—who are you?"

The girl turned and glanced at him.

"My name is Su Miao."

Su Miao.

The only daughter of Su Guanlan, the leader of the Chunshui Sect.

Jiang Xun almost bit his tongue.

He followed Su Miao, winding his way through several cobblestone paths until they arrived at a secluded pavilion.

The pavilion was built beside the pond, surrounded by bamboo, which rustled in the wind, and a few bamboo leaves floated on the water.

Su Miao stopped in the pavilion and turned around.

"Was it you last night?"

Jiang Xun's heart tightened, but his face showed a blank expression.

"What? Last night? Miss Su, what are you talking about? I don't understand."

"Don't understand?" Su Miao smiled, a beautiful smile, but there was no smile in her eyes, only coldness. "The lock on the Transmission Pavilion was tampered with. The guards chased a dark figure, and the direction the figure ran was the courtyard where you servants live."

Jiang Xun opened his mouth, still wanting to argue.

Su Miao interrupted him.

"Stop pretending. I checked, and you're the only outsider who's come to the kitchen in the past month."

Jiang Xun remained silent for three seconds.

Then he sighed, and the honest look on his face vanished completely, revealing his true roguish appearance, as if he had become a different person.

"Okay, it's me."

Su Miao's eyes lit up; she hadn't expected him to agree so readily.

"You're quite decisive."

Jiang Xun shrugged.

"You've investigated so thoroughly, what else can I say? But—"

He suddenly grinned, took half a step forward, and lowered his voice.

"I also encountered someone at the Transmission Pavilion last night. The person was dressed entirely in black, with a mask on, and was a woman—"

Jiang Xun stared into Su Miao's eyes and said, word by word.

"Is that you, Miss Su?"

Su Miao's expression changed.

It changes very quickly.

He froze for a moment, then a flash of panic crossed his face, before regaining his composure, as if the mask on his face had been put back on.

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

"I'm talking nonsense?" Jiang Xun laughed. "You almost killed me with that palm strike, how could I possibly admit it wrong?"

Su Miao fell silent.

Jiang Xun wasn't in a hurry. He just smiled and looked at her with his hands in his sleeves, as if he was waiting for a show.

After a while, Su Miao suddenly smiled as well.

"That's interesting."

She looked Jiang Xun up and down, her eyes filled with amusement, as if she were looking at something interesting.

"A kitchen handyman who can take a slap from me and dares to try and bluff me—who exactly are you?"

Jiang Xun shrugged.

"A petty thief, stealing chickens and dogs, just trying to make a living."

"A petty thief?" Su Miao raised an eyebrow. "How could a petty thief have such audacity?"

Jiang Xun didn't answer, but instead asked:

"And what about you, Miss Su? What are you doing at the Transmission Pavilion in the middle of the night, the daughter of the sect leader?"

Su Miao looked at him, and he looked at Su Miao.

The two stared at each other for three seconds.

Su Miao suddenly turned around, walked to the edge of the pavilion, looked at the fish swimming in the pond, and lowered her voice.

"I'll make a deal with you."

Jiang Xun was taken aback.

"What kind of deal?"

Su Miao turned around.

"Didn't you want to go to the Transmission Hall? I'll help you."

Jiang Xun frowned.

"Will you help me?"

"Yes." Su Miao nodded. "I'll help you go in, and you can take whatever you want. But you have to do one thing for me."

Jiang Xun stared at her, his mind racing.

Does the dignified daughter of the sect leader need the help of a kitchen handyman?

This whole thing looks sinister, like a trap.

"What is it?"

Su Miao paused for a moment before speaking:

"In a few days, guests will be coming to the Spring Water Sect. The sect leader will host a banquet to entertain them, and the security will be at its lowest then. Take that opportunity to enter the Transmission Pavilion and retrieve something for me."

"What is it?"

"The sword manual of the Spring Water Sword Technique".

Jiang Xun was stunned.

"Spring Water Swordplay? Isn't that your Spring Water Sect's martial art? If you want to learn it, just have your father teach you, right?"

Su Miao looked at him with a complicated expression, as if she had many things she couldn't say.

"He won't teach me."

Why?

Su Miao did not answer.

She simply watched the fish swimming in the pond, her voice so soft it was almost carried away by the wind.

"There are some things you don't need to know. All you need to do is help me get the sword manual; you don't need to worry about anything else."

Jiang Xun remained silent for a while.

"Aren't you afraid I'll take the sword manual and run away?"

Su Miao turned around and looked at him.

"Do you dare?"

Jiang Xun thought about the sword-wielding disciples of the Spring Water Sect, each with their backs ramrod straight, and then thought about his own small frame, and decisively shook his head.

"I wouldn't dare."

Su Miao smiled, and this time there was a hint of amusement in her eyes.

"Then it's settled."

She turned to leave, but stopped after taking two steps.

"By the way, you managed to take one of my palms that night, so you're not bad. But there are guards in the Transmission Hall, so be careful."

After saying that, she left without looking back; her blue dress flashed in the bamboo shadows and then disappeared.

Jiang Xun stood there, watching her figure disappear into the depths of the bamboo forest.

What exactly is this girl up to?

The following day, Jiang Xun worked in the kitchen as usual.

During the day, she chopped firewood, carried water, washed vegetables, and washed dishes; at night, she learned to cut vegetables from Aunt Zhao.

Fatty Song still had that sour face, but he scolded less—perhaps because he saw that Jiang Xun was indeed efficient at his work, or perhaps because Aunt Zhao had spoken up for him.

Jiang Xun didn't care and continued doing what he was doing.

On the morning of the third day, Fatty Song suddenly stood in the yard and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Everyone, be on your best today! We have important guests coming, and we're having a banquet tonight! Anyone who messes up will be skinned alive!"

Jiang Xun's heart stirred.

Distinguished guest?

He remembered what Su Miao had said.

By evening, the kitchen was bustling with activity. The sounds of spatulas, sizzling oil, and shouts mingled together, and the heat was intense, making it feel like a battleground.

Aunt Zhao was in charge of cooking, Jiang Xun was tending the fire, and several servants were running around serving dishes and wine.

Fatty Song stood at the door, staring intently with his eyes wide like copper bells. He would scold anyone who dared to slack off, his mouth never stopping for a moment.

"Xiao Jiang, take these dishes to the front hall." Aunt Zhao handed over two plates of steaming hot food. "There are a lot of people today, and we're short-handed. Could you help me run this errand?"

Jiang Xun took the plate of dishes and carried it to the front hall.

After passing through the training ground and going around a bamboo grove, the front hall comes into view.

The room was brightly lit, and the sounds of clinking glasses and laughter filled the air, creating a lively atmosphere.

Jiang Xun lowered his head and carried the dishes into the front hall.

Inside the room was a large round table with seven or eight people seated on it. The table was laden with dishes, and three or four wine jugs were empty, indicating that they had been drinking for some time.

Seated at the head of the table was a middle-aged man, gentle and refined, with a smile on his face—presumably the sect leader, Su Guanlan. He was raising a wine glass and talking to the guests with a composed demeanor.

To his right sat a young man in his early twenties, dressed in a brocade robe, with an arrogant demeanor and a slightly raised chin, as if he found fault with everything.

When Jiang Xun saw that face clearly, his heart skipped a beat, and he almost dropped the plate in his hand.

On the dock.

Jade Sand Gate.

That young man in white could mobilize the Jade Sand Sect with just a word.

That night, it was his men who beat him and Ajiu, and then pretended to let them go.

Jiang Xun took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and casually placed the dishes on the table before stepping aside.

But his eyes had already started to move.

If he doesn't avenge his grudges, would he still be Jiang Xun?