IDWBE -Chapter 288 Revenge

“These northern bastards really have the guts of dogs!”

Han Dongxu poked his head out from behind Liang Qingshu and shouted, “This time we must repay blood with blood! Otherwise they’ll think we people of Sanhe are easy to bully!”

Beside him, Huang Daoji added indignantly, “Exactly! Those northerners are getting more and more arrogant. If we don’t teach them a lesson, they’ll never stop.”

Among the Sanhe suppliers, there was naturally plenty of scheming and rivalry in normal times. But when they were away from home, they stood as one. The complexity of the battlefield forced them to unite.

Other than Sanhe people, everyone else was an outsider.

Moreover, the women in Li Sanniang’s ready-made clothing shop were either their relatives or familiar neighbors. If they didn’t avenge them, they would have no face to return home.

“Sanniang, forgive me for speaking bluntly, but you were careless,” said Sun Quezi as he tapped his pipe against the wall and sighed. “I told you long ago your shop couldn’t be all women. You wouldn’t listen. Otherwise those northerners wouldn’t have had such an easy time.”

Sanhe had a strong martial culture—everyone knew a move or two—but those truly skilled were mostly men.

After all, women had to wash clothes, cook, and take care of children. Those duties consumed most of their time. At the same time, they weren’t as obsessed with martial arts as men, nor did they dream of roaming the world with swords. Naturally, their skills progressed more slowly.

This shipment from Sanhe had mostly been escorted by women. The two highest-level fighters were only fifth rank—and they were still half-grown boys.

Seeing tears in Li Sanniang’s eyes, Liang Qingshu waved a hand at Sun Quezi.

“Now isn’t the time to argue about who’s right or wrong. We can’t let those people die in vain. Sanniang didn’t report it to the authorities, but since we know, General Shen must know as well. We still have to follow General Shen’s arrangements.”

Wang Xiaoshuan said, “Wait here. I’ll go make inquiries first.”

Just as he turned toward the door, someone shouted, “Wang Tuozi is here!”

Wang Xiaoshuan looked up and saw Wang Tuozi leap over the wall into the courtyard.

Butcher Jiang hurriedly asked, “Did General Shen send you?”

Wang Tuozi nodded. “With something this big, how could General Shen not know? What do you plan to do about it? I need to report back.”

Han Dongxu asked, “From your tone, does that mean General Shen agrees we handle it ourselves?”

“Otherwise why would I be here?” Wang Tuozi sighed. “General Shen is furious. From south to north this is our territory, and yet someone intercepted you. Isn’t that humiliating? He said you have two days. If you can’t catch them, he’ll send someone else. Otherwise it’s a disgrace to Sanhe—and disgracing Sanhe means disgracing the prince. You know what that means.”

“As long as we find them, we won’t even need two days,” Wang Xiaoshuan said after thumping his chest. “Why catch them? I’ll chop their heads off directly!”

Wang Tuozi snorted. “Of course we’ll behead them publicly to warn others. The executioners in Jinling have ancestral skills—their blades are faster than You Mazi’s. Besides, if you slaughter them all, who will you question about the mastermind?”

Liang Qingshu said, “In that case, I’ll arrange for men to go out of the city and search for the bandits.”

Wang Tuozi smiled. “No need. Just wait for Fang Pi’s news.”

With that, he leapt onto the roof and disappeared.

After he was gone, Liang Qingshu snorted coldly. “That little brat must’ve forgotten his own surname, daring to put on airs in front of me.”

Han Dongxu sighed. “He’s about to be promoted to staff officer. We’re still commoners. Of course he has that right. Like it or not, we have to endure it.”

Huang Daoji shouted, “Stop standing around! Blow the whistles and gather the men!”

He pulled the wooden whistle hanging from his chest to his lips and blew hard. The sharp sound echoed across the courtyard.

Sun Quezi, Butcher Jiang, Liang Qingshu, and the others followed suit.

Before the whistles had even finished sounding, more than a dozen men appeared in the courtyard.

Those dozen began circling the city, blowing whistles.

By noon, the suppliers’ laborers had gathered outside the southern gate of Jinling City.

Though many had returned to Sanhe, more than two thousand still remained.

Liang Qingshu and the others had already discussed it: only those of sixth rank and above would be chosen. Anyone below sixth rank would be excluded.

Regardless of who was pleased or displeased, in the end they selected seventy-six men.

At last, they saw Fang Pi arrive on horseback.

“You little brat, where are they? Did you find out?” Sun Quezi barked.

Fang Pi grinned. “Uncle, don’t rush. Mount up and follow me.”

He spurred his horse forward.

Li Sanniang and Wang Xiaoshuan mounted quickly and followed.

The laborers of sixth rank and above followed close behind.

Dust billowed across the official road, frightening the uninformed townsfolk into scrambling aside.

They knew Jinling was currently occupied by “southern barbarians.” They dared not provoke them.

After traveling twenty li, the sun was already setting.

Fang Pi stopped before a bamboo grove.

An old man emerged from the grove, cupped his hands to Fang Pi, and pointed toward a forked mountain path.

Fang Pi dismounted and turned to Li Sanniang and Wang Xiaoshuan.

“My martial skills are weak—I won’t join the fun. You go yourselves. Be careful. There are two seventh-rank fighters inside. And you must capture them alive.”

Wang Xiaoshuan snorted. “Unless a Grandmaster shows up today!”

With so many of them, anyone below Grandmaster level could be pinned down and beaten. He was confident.

“Then please, go ahead,” Fang Pi said with a wave.

Wang Xiaoshuan led the way up the mountain path.

Fang Pi sat by the roadside, idly teasing ants with a blade of grass.

The sounds of fighting drew nearer.

After a moment’s thought, he leapt into a large tree.

He was still just a porter.

Pan Duo had once said: for a porter, gathering information was secondary—staying alive was most important. If you couldn’t afford to offend someone, you must avoid them.

Otherwise, if captured, his temperament wouldn’t withstand torture—he would not keep secrets.

From the tree, he saw Wang Xiaoshuan swinging an axe, locked in fierce combat with a burly man dressed in black.

Then five or six laborers rushed down the mountain and joined in surrounding the man.

The burly man tried to flee.

But a broadsword and an axe hacked into his limbs.

Momentum carried his body forward. He collapsed to the ground.

His severed legs, cut clean at the knees, remained standing upright where they had been, blood spraying high into the air.

A seventh-rank expert was crippled just like that.