After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 110: Chapter 111: Taking a Captive Back

With soldiers backing him up, Hee Lingchuan had felt at ease facing the fatty, but now, something felt off. Towns were different from small villages. Wealthy gentry would pay out of their own pockets to form Village Defense Teams and other self-defense militias. Such armed forces were especially necessary in times of chaos. For this band of ruthless brigands to take down an entire town, they had to have a numerical advantage at the very least.

’If the fatty lied about one thing, he could be lying about everything.’

Hee Lingchuan stuffed the flatbread back into his mouth, pulled open the front of his shirt, and carved a cross over his heart with a dagger.

Blood immediately streamed out.

Fatty Wang cried out in pain, but the sound was mostly muffled by the flatbread. His facial muscles contorted, and a gurgling sound rattled in his throat.

Then, Hee Lingchuan handed the dagger to Mrs. Zhu, guiding her hand to press the tip of the blade into the center of the cross. "Hold it steady. One inch deeper, and he’s a dead man."

After a slight hesitation, Mrs. Zhu gripped the dagger with both hands.

"If you scream, she’ll stab you in the heart. If you give me any nonsense answers, she’ll stab you in the heart." Hee Lingchuan patted the fatty’s shoulder. "She hates your guts. I wouldn’t test her. Got it?"

The fatty nodded cautiously.

"Let’s play a little game, a race against time," Hee Lingchuan said with a smile. "If you answer all my questions before you bleed out, I’ll stop the bleeding and spare your life. How’s that sound?"

The fatty’s nodding quickened considerably.

Hee Lingchuan nodded in satisfaction.

Just a few months ago, he would have been incapable of such cruelty. However, after several life-or-death struggles, he had finally come to understand one thing:

’Mercy toward an enemy is cruelty to oneself, especially when they still mean you harm.’

He removed the flatbread and asked, "What town are the rest of your men in?"

"Qianteng... Town."

"How many?" Hee Lingchuan asked, annoyed. "Can’t you be a little more forthcoming? Or do you have to be a marionette, only speaking when I pull the strings?"

The fatty strained to speak. "We took the town the day before yesterday. There are two hundred more men there."

’So this gang has four or five hundred men in total?’ "Common bandits aren’t this numerous. Where are you from?"

"Hongchuan River!" Fatty Wang replied. "Our homeland was flooded. We couldn’t make any money there, so we decided to find a new place."

"Here?" Hee Lingchuan asked Mrs. Zhu. "Is this area wealthy? How large is the population?"

Mrs. Zhu shook her head. "The soil is poor, and there aren’t many people."

Fatty Wang quickly added, "We’re just passing through! Boss Lui wants to keep heading south!"

’Passing-through bandits are the most ruthless killers; they only expect to do business once.’

As they were speaking, a commotion arose outside.

Hee Lingchuan said to one of his Personal Guards, "Go and see what’s happening."

The Personal Guard went outside for a moment and quickly returned to report, "A school of fish suddenly swarmed in the lake and washed up on shore. The ground is covered in flopping, live fish."

"Fish?" Hee Lingchuan had not expected that answer at all. But just then, more sounds came from outside—hurried footsteps, and the squelching crunch of soles on stones and mud.

From the sound of it, there were at least a dozen people.

’The fatty’s reinforcements?’ The four of them tensed instantly. Hee Lingchuan’s hand went to the hilt of his blade as he pointed at Fatty Wang. "Drag him into the inner room."

Fortunately, the footsteps approached and then receded, passing right by the door without stopping.

The entire east side of the village seemed to be filled with the sound of running feet.

Hee Lingchuan couldn’t resist opening the door to look. He saw a large number of soldiers running and beckoned the nearest one over. "What’s going on?"

"We’re fighting the villagers! The Lord Governor is by the lake on the west side of the village!"

’They’re already fighting?’ Hee Lingchuan was shocked. "Is my father okay?"

"Don’t know. Three blasts from the signal whistle, we’re being called for reinforcements."

The signal whistle was the Black Water City Army’s call to assemble, with different commands conveyed through variations in the length and pattern of the blasts.

Hee Lingchuan closed the door and stepped back inside. A Personal Guard immediately asked, "Should we go help?"

"Hold on, wait!" Hee Lingchuan’s mind raced. He wasn’t at the lake, so he didn’t know what started the fight. It was definitely too soon for a battle to break out. ’Unless my father seized an opportunity... or Boss Lui did.’

’To be cold about it, I’m not the commander of the Personal Guard Corps. Even if I rushed over now, I wouldn’t be able to control the situation or turn the tide.’

’What else could I do?’

A dozen ideas surfaced in his mind, and he dismissed them one by one. In the end, Hee Lingchuan sent another Personal Guard toward the west side of the village.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, the man hurried back. "The Lord Governor has negotiated a truce with them," he said, out of breath.

"He wasn’t injured?"

"No."

"Are there any bandits outside?" An idea was already forming in Hee Lingchuan’s mind.

"No one. They’ve all gone to the lake."

Hee Lingchuan let out a breath of relief. "Good. Go inside and help."

The three men walked into the inner room where Fatty Wang had been placed under Mrs. Zhu’s watch. The wound on his chest had been crudely treated and was no longer bleeding.

Fatty Wang was still gagged, his face a bit pale, but otherwise he seemed unharmed.

"Take him to my father’s quarters."

The three men lifted Fatty Wang. Before heading out, they glanced left and right. The area was indeed deserted.

Bandits and soldiers alike were now gathered by the lake.

So they escorted Fatty Wang, moving quickly toward Hee Chunhua’s quarters.

A quarter of an hour ago, this place had been crawling with bandit lookouts; they never could have openly transported a prisoner. Fortunately, the fight had drawn everyone’s attention, giving Hee Lingchuan the chance to move Fatty Wang.

Nothing good ever comes easy.

They were forty or fifty paces from their destination when the door of a nearby cottage suddenly opened and a woman poked her head out.

She had likely intended to check the surroundings, but her eyes immediately landed on Hee Lingchuan’s group escorting Fatty Wang, with Mrs. Zhu in tow. Her eyes went wide.

Of course, Mrs. Zhu saw her too.

The woman froze for a second, then ducked back inside, trying to shut the door.

Mrs. Zhu rushed forward, pushing against the Door Panel to keep it from closing.

The woman cried out, "You can’t do this! You’ll get us all killed!"

Mrs. Zhu gritted her teeth. "Come with me, or I’ll kill you!" She was afraid the woman would report them to the bandits.

"Are you insane? The soldiers won’t be staying!" the woman shrieked. "Once the soldiers are gone, the bandits will still be here!"

As they struggled, a Personal Guard looked to Hee Lingchuan. "Eldest Young Master?"

Hee Lingchuan said in a low voice, "Go help her."

The Personal Guard rushed forward to help Mrs. Zhu drag the woman out. Terrified, the woman raised her voice and let out a piercing shriek. "Help! Somebody!"

Mrs. Zhu immediately let go. She took two steps back and said, "Forget it!"

"Forget it?" Hee Lingchuan reiterated. "You’re sure?"

"I’m sure!" Mrs. Zhu’s gaze shifted rapidly from confusion to determination. "Let’s hurry!"

The four of them paid the woman no more mind, continuing on with Fatty Wang in tow. The wooden door closed, and the woman’s screaming stopped.

There were no further incidents on their way. No other villagers showed their faces, despite having heard the high-pitched screams.