Chapter 81: Chapter 80: Set Ablaze
Their family’s merchant ships were moored at a pier not far from the ceremonial altar, clearly visible with just a glance.
Row after row, vessel after vessel—once, they had mostly belonged to the Fu Family. Now, they were all under the Xu name.
The ships were fully loaded and ready to depart. They were just waiting for the end of the Winter Clothing Distribution ceremony to set sail for Shenghai and Jinhai, where they would bring back vast sums of gleaming silver coins for the Xu Family.
Xu Leyi turned her head and glimpsed her younger sister, Xu Xinyi, standing obediently in a corner with her head down.
Ever since she was brought back from the Fu Family, Xu Xinyi seemed to have become a different person. She didn’t cry or cause trouble... but she also refused to say a single word to her sister.
Xu Leyi couldn’t be bothered with her at the moment. Her gaze shifted to another person as she asked, "Xinhua, did you check the ships today?"
"I’ve already inspected them twice this morning."
Zhao Xinhua was sharply dressed in a suit. He had even used hair pomade today, and with his gold-rimmed glasses, he looked exceptionally handsome and refined.
"What’s wrong?"
Xu Leyi shook her head, not voicing the strange feeling in her gut.
"Did you not sleep well again last night?"
Noticing Xu Leyi’s pale complexion, Zhao Xinhua couldn’t help but frown. "Leyi, you really need to get some proper rest for a few days... I’m here to look after things at the docks..."
Although his tone was slightly reproachful, Xu Leyi’s heart warmed, and she gave a soft "mm-hm" in response.
Zhao Xinhua had truly been a tremendous help to her lately. She recalled how, when she had insisted on hiring him against everyone’s advice, the whole Xu Family had been full of endless gossip, with no one thinking much of him.
But in less than half a month, Zhao Xinhua had shut them all up.
He not only handled the acquisition of the docks with perfect order, but he also possessed a network of contacts that Xu Leyi had never anticipated. Now, even without relying on the foreign merchant Lawrence’s channels, the Xu Family could easily sell off all their stockpiled goods.
’Maybe I really didn’t sleep well...’
Xu Leyi had great confidence in Zhao Xinhua. Turning her head to look again at the numerous cargo ships in the distance, the strange feeling that had just surfaced began to subside.
What she didn’t see, however, was that the moment she turned away, the corners of Zhao Xinhua’s mouth curled into a smirk. Behind his thin lenses, his eyes grew colder and more sinister by the second.
....
「Outside the East Gate of Luan River.」
Fu Guoping stood on a high earthen slope, gazing into the distance toward the city gate.
The area had once been crowded with refugees and victims of disaster, but today was the Winter Clothing Distribution. With clothes and congee being handed out at various locations inside the city, anyone with the strength to walk had already flooded through the gates.
Only the starving and the sick remained beneath the city gate—the elderly, the weak, women, and children lying on the ground, too feeble to move.
A man on horseback came galloping along the county road.
When he drew near, he swung himself off his horse and bounded up to Fu Guoping in a few quick steps. "Second Master," he reported, "they’re here."
The man who had dismounted was Qian Fei.
He seemed to have completely transformed during this time. All his former slickness was gone, and he had thinned down considerably. Standing there, he had the cold, hard air of a blade ready to draw blood at a moment’s notice.
Fu Guoping asked, "How much longer?"
Qian Fei pointed behind him. "Right there."
Fu Guoping squinted, following Qian Fei’s gesture. Faintly, on the dusty yellow-brown horizon, he caught sight of a pale crimson hue.
Gradually, the red grew deeper and more distinct.
The ground beneath his feet seemed to tremble faintly. A buzzing sound, growing steadily louder, drifted through the air from the distance.
At first, the sound was like a swarm of bees, but it gradually swelled, becoming like the beat of war drums, like rolling thunder.
Fu Guoping could soon make it out clearly.
It was the sound of thousands, tens of thousands of voices, roaring in unison—
"One cloud against the endless blue! Let karma’s inferno burn the Heavenly Court through!"
"One cloud against the endless blue! Let karma’s inferno burn the Heavenly Court through!"
"One cloud against..."
The wave of sound, mixed with the ever-brighter, fiercer red in the distance, washed over him like a wildfire sweeping across the autumn plains. Before he knew it, it had ignited the month’s worth of resentment, humiliation, grief, and pain pent up in his chest, setting it all ablaze until his very bones seemed to crackle and pop.
Fu Guoping closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and asked,
"Where are our brothers?"
"They’re all in position, waiting. The explosives are planted. We just need your order, Second Master, and we’ll blow the gates!"
"How many of the brothers came?"
"Every man who’s still alive is here."
The work at the Civil Affairs Bureau had always been a deadly business, and the men they recruited were mostly loners with nothing to lose.
Fu Guoping opened his eyes. He turned to look back toward Luan River County Town and muttered to himself.
’This time, I finally understand...’
’In this world, just having money isn’t enough. The rich just end up being piggy banks for those with guns.’
’And having money and guns isn’t enough either. If you have fewer guns, you’ll just be bullied by those who have more...’
"Tie the headbands!"
Fu Guoping suddenly barked the order. The men beside him immediately pulled out pre-prepared red headbands and quickly tied them around their foreheads.
At that same moment, it seemed someone at the distant city gate was watching them. The signal was received. A deafening BOOM echoed.
The East City Gate of Luan River was blown apart. Chunks of stone tumbled down as a raging fire erupted.
Fu Guoping stared at the distant explosion, the blazing red reflected in his eyes. His resolute face twisted, becoming more savage and crazed by the second.
He yanked the red headband tight, spat viciously on the ground, and finally roared the words that had been burning in his heart.
"This time, heaven saw fit to let me, Fu Guoping, live!"
"And I’m gonna fucking fight these bastards for my piece of this world!"
With that, he vaulted onto his horse. Man and steed as one, he led the red torrent that now swarmed the hills, charging toward the county town.
....
CLICK—
The very instant the explosion boomed from the East City Gate of Luan River, in the Fu Family’s front hall, Fu Juemin, who had been resting quietly on the sofa with his eyes closed, clicked the cylinder of his revolver back into place.
His eyes snapped open.
A room full of people, their luggage already packed, waited quietly around him.
Fu Juemin rose from the sofa, about to speak.
Just then, an arrogant laugh echoed from outside the door.
"Fu Guosheng, I’ve come to take possession of the house!"
WHOOSH—
The words had barely faded when a large group of men dressed as guards swarmed in, flanking a pot-bellied, handsomely dressed fat man who strode into the room.
"Well, well, look who’s here."
The fat man’s eyes lit up when he saw everyone in the hall. He scanned the room, his gaze finally landing on Fu Juemin.
"Isn’t this Young Master Fu? Do you remember me?"
The fat man pointed to himself with a grin. "Last time, at the opera house... I remember you were quite the big shot. I wonder if today, you still have it in you to—"
BANG!
A gunshot shattered the silence of the hall.
A blood hole the size of a fingernail bloomed on the forehead of the lavishly dressed fat man. The smile froze on his face as he fell straight back.
Fu Juemin stood with his hand raised, his expression calm. A wisp of blue smoke curled slowly from the muzzle of his revolver.
The sudden turn of events stunned everyone in the room, leaving them standing frozen in place.
It wasn’t until the THUD of the fat man’s body hitting the floor that the few guards around him were jolted from their stupor.
"You dare kill Mr. Huang—"
BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Fu Juemin pulled the trigger again and again, emptying all six chambers of the revolver.
On the colorful tiled floor of the Fu Family’s front hall lay five more bodies, their eyes wide in death. Each had a single, bloody hole in their forehead.
As crimson blood pooled on the floor, Fu Juemin calmly took fresh cartridges from his vest pocket and began reloading, one by one.
The remaining guards were utterly terrified. Without a second thought, they turned to flee the house.
As he reloaded, Fu Juemin gave a casual glance to Cao Tian beside him. With a cold expression, Cao Tian moved, pouncing on them like a leopard.
A few breaths later, a series of screams erupted from the doorway, followed by silence.
By the time Cao Tian returned with his twin blades dripping blood, Fu Juemin had just finished reloading his revolver.
Everyone in the room was still frozen in place, staring at Fu Juemin as if they had never truly known him until this moment.
That included Fu Guosheng.
Fu Juemin ignored their gazes and looked toward the stunned Fu Guosheng.
"Father, is the boat ready?"
"R-Ready. Just as you said, it’s moored to the west, a good distance from both the city gate and the docks."
"While the city isn’t in chaos yet, you should take everyone and go now, Father...
And remember, anyone—no matter who it is—who gets in our way... shoot to kill."
Fu Guosheng nodded, his expression dazed.
Having given his instructions, Fu Juemin casually picked up his suit jacket from the sofa, shrugging it on as he walked toward the door.
As he stepped over the corpses on the floor and neared the doorway, Fu Guosheng, who had been standing rooted to the spot, suddenly snapped out of it.
"You’re not coming with us? Where are you going?!"
Fu Juemin paused and turned his head slightly, offering a small smile. "Don’t worry about me, Father.
I’m going to get Second Uncle. And along the way... I have a few things to take care of."
Fu Guosheng seemed to guess his intentions. His pupils contracted, and after his expression shifted several times, he gritted his teeth. "In that case... be extremely careful.
I’ll be waiting for you on the boat!"
Fu Juemin waved a hand without looking back and strode out the door.
Outside, Li Tong stood waiting by a prepared car, his hands clasped behind his back.
Fu Juemin wasted no time. He opened the car door and slid neatly into the driver’s seat.
Li Tong stood outside the car, looking at him. "Young Master, must you really go?" he asked calmly. "Why not let me resolve this..."
’After preparing for so long, I want to see it through with my own hands...’
Amid the roar of the engine, Fu Juemin reached out and knocked twice on the car door. He grinned at Li Tong and called out, "Get in, Uncle Tong. Today, I’m taking you... to go kill some people!"
