diymy Chapter 44 At the Crouching Tiger Bridge, the General on His White Horse
Chapter 44 At the Crouching Tiger Bridge, the General on His White Horse
"Master, Master..."
An old woman, adorned with gold and silver and pearls in her hair, rushed out, wailing and crying, pointing at Li Xin and roaring, "You villain! You broke into my house and killed my husband! Aren't you afraid of retribution?"
"And you, husband, gather weak women into your household, toying with and tormenting them at will—aren't you afraid of retribution?"
"They're just a few lowly wretches. It's their good fortune to have them serve the master well."
The old woman argued in a shrill voice, sounding quite righteous.
"That's true, why should I waste my breath talking to you?"
Li Xin shook his head.
He pierced her throat with a single shot.
"I'll also give you some good fortune; no need to thank me."
"Father, Mother..."
A middle-aged man ran out, crying and wailing.
He was shot in the heart and collapsed to the ground.
At this moment, the entire Yang residence fell completely silent.
"Come out and let's clean up this huge mansion together. It would be a pity to burn it down, but we can't let go of the gold, silver and valuables, as they are all the people's hard-earned money."
Take a portion and distribute it to the servants in the mansion, so they can fend for themselves under the cover of night.
"Second brother."
"Young Master..."
The two men who arrived were wearing black masks; they were none other than the eldest brother, Li Cheng, and Yang Fan.
The two of them were acting suspiciously.
Fearing that he might ruin Li Xin's important plans, he followed closely behind, rushing as fast as he could, and finally made it to the final battle against Zhang Shijie.
"I was a little worried when I heard the shouts of battle, so Hongxiu sent me to come and check."
Li Cheng glanced at his second brother's red and white mask, the mask of the Third Prince, and felt a wave of blood rush to his face. For some reason, he felt a little guilty and quickly explained.
Yang Fan kept his head down and remained silent.
Are you suggesting he say that Sister Hongxiu didn't say anything?
Actually, it was the eldest son who came along on his own initiative.
They said that brothers fight tigers together, and they couldn't let the second brother take the risk alone.
Is this really an adventure?
A storm raged within Yang Fan's heart.
They chased after him, watching the second young master display his might, leaving corpses strewn across the field, with none of his men able to withstand a single blow.
He felt that those enemies were the ones taking risks, facing life-or-death dangers.
……
Entering the Intermediate People's Court.
Then I saw that all the maids and servants were kneeling on the ground.
My whole body was trembling.
A woman's voice was wailing inside the room, sounding like a ghost's cry at first glance.
Li Xin looked up and saw a pretty little girl who looked about thirteen years old. Her arms were tied behind her back and her legs were also tied with ropes up to her ankles. She was jumping out step by step.
Her eyes sparkled with joy, mixed with tears, as she skipped and peeked out towards the front yard.
Li Xin reached out and pulled the cloth out of her mouth, his first question being, "Is he dead? Is that corrupt official dead?"
"He's dead. I killed him with my own hands. He pierced his throat. He's as dead as can be."
Li Xin found it strange and thought to himself that this girl was really crazy. Seeing that she was tied up, she was very likely to be tonight's prey.
The old man died before he could even enjoy it.
"It's good that he's dead. He got off easy. And that old beggar woman, they're all birds of a feather. They all deserve to die."
"That's right, his wife and son all went down to keep him company."
"Good, good, really good."
The little girl wobbled and then knelt down on the ground.
With a loud thud, Li Xin felt the pain for her.
But she didn't feel it at all, and was about to kowtow again.
A glimmer of golden light slowly rose and drifted into Li Xin's mind.
Li Xin helped her up, his heart filled with joy.
Before he could speak, he noticed a short servant kneeling on the ground in a corner of the courtyard, kowtowing with tears streaming down his face.
There are quite a few people like that.
The reason why this servant boy, who was only about thirteen years old, was noticed was because golden light also emanated from his body.
The others, each consisting of six or seven pale red dots of light, converged towards us.
This shows how strict the prefect was in managing his household, and how much his servants hated him.
"What's your name? Why do you hate him so much?"
Li Xin was always gentle with the "one of us" who had given him the golden light, and thought it necessary to say a few words of comfort to put their minds at ease.
"My name is Qiao'er, and my surname is Fang. My father was murdered, and my mother was tortured to death by that corrupt official and thrown into a mass grave outside the city."
This corrupt official still had designs on me, so I planned to bite him to death while he was asleep tonight, but I was too late...
The girl spoke clearly and logically, as if she were telling someone else's story, with utter calmness.
Clearly, she genuinely believed she was dead.
"Qiao'er, from now on you will stay with me and live for yourself. No one will be able to bully you."
Li Xin offered a word of comfort, but felt a deep sense of sorrow in his heart.
"And come here, what's your name? Did you come to the Yang residence to seek revenge?"
Li Xin called over the boy who had contributed the golden light.
As the boy approached, he didn't know what to do with his hands and feet. His legs went weak, and he was about to kneel down again.
After being helped up by Li Xin, he quickly replied, "My name is Dong Zhu, Zhu of bamboo. My parents were beaten to death by the corrupt officials who sent men to seize our land."
My fellow villager Erniu and I devised a plan to sneak in while several of the Yang family servants were being beaten to death.
Erniu was beaten to death a few days ago for knocking over a bowl that the lady liked. I was thinking that I would attack as soon as I got close...
The boy's eyes were full of gratitude.
Clearly, he himself knew that, given his status and power, the chances of getting revenge were actually very small.
It's nothing more than risking your life.
"Alright, no need for thanks anymore. You'll be working with me from now on..."
As for the rest of you, settle your grievances and revenge, come to me for some money, and then you can leave.
If they are captured and interrogated after daybreak, the consequences will be unimaginable.
With the master of the house gone, the fate of the servants in the mansion is truly uncertain.
Moreover, they also lost money.
It must be said that Yang Fan's methods of interrogating the second son of the Yang family were quite unique.
They quickly found out where the hidden silver was, killed the man, and then divided the money among themselves.
Then, carrying all their belongings, they were about to head out.
Suddenly, I heard the sound of horses' hooves.
……
Two quarters of an hour ago, at the head of Wohu Bridge.
General Wu Chengfa of the Southern Camp rode a tall horse, carrying a three-tiered broadsword, followed by eight elite riders, his gaze coldly fixed on the direction of the flower market.
Soon, shouts, the clash of weapons, and the roars of pursuers could be heard, echoing clearly from afar in the night.
Less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the sound stopped.
Most of the torches had been extinguished, and the main street at the entrance of the flower market was quiet.
You can vaguely see the onlookers, cautiously approaching, then shouting and yelling as they come out.
Many people are discussing this extensively.
"It's Nezha again, the Third Prince Nezha! My goodness, he killed a whole bunch of government officials, he has some nerve!"
"I recognize the guy with the hole in his head; he's Commander Lin Shanze. He kicked me when we were drinking at the restaurant earlier today, and it still hurts."
"Killing an official! This is killing an official and rebelling! It's a truly shocking case!"
"What's the big deal? Of the more than 100 constables, more than 20 were killed, and the remaining 80 or 90 scattered in a panic."
These cowards, they're dead, what more could they possibly do? I say it's good they died.
"And that swordsman, I heard he's from the Northwest, and he's very famous."
He didn't even last one round against Grandpa Nezha's spear before collapsing dead. It's hilarious!
"That's the Mad Saber of the Northwest, a very famous figure in the Northwest underworld..."
"What's so famous about it? It's just that you haven't met a master yet."
"Keep your voice down. The Third Prince is a deity descended to earth; he doesn't care about these things. We can't speak carelessly, or we might get into trouble."
"That's my steamed bun..."
"Don't steal it! I have a steamed bun here. Go and smear some blood on it."
……
Upon hearing these words, the military officer was so angry that he saw stars.
It wasn't that I cared what these lowly people, like ants, said.
In his eyes, these people were not even human; he found them disgusting to look at.
He was simply furious that his subordinates were all incompetent fools.
Lin Shanze usually appears to be shrewd and capable, and his skills are quite formidable.
Unexpectedly, he was killed on the spot as soon as he set off with his troops, and his troops were routed.
What a useless piece of trash.
And then there's the Madman of the Northwest, Feng Hou, what a great reputation he has.
If it weren't for the great things he did in the Northwest back then, and his ferocious swordsmanship, which had once cleaved several martial arts masters in two, it would have been a great loss.
Thinking that this was a good knife, he spared no expense in keeping him under his command, preparing to send him to tackle some tough challenges.
The results of it.
Not a single wave was splashed.
Listen to what those peasants have to say?
It didn't stop a single shot.
Was he dozing off?
I just thought of this.
Then they saw flames shooting into the sky to the west, and shouts of battle rang out again.
"Where is that?"
"It seems to be Xiyuanqiao Hutong, where Magistrate Yang lived..."
A rider behind him answered.
"Prefect Yang, Yang Wenhan, something bad has happened!"
Wu Chengfa suddenly remembered something, and his face became extremely anxious. "Come with me, quickly send out the signal arrow... This time we must not let that little thief escape."
……
Li Xin listened intently to the thunderous sound of horses' hooves coming from the street outside the door.
A hint of a smile appeared in his eyes.
"They dared to come with only eight or nine riders; they must be unparalleled warriors in battle!"
He carried a red-tasseled, white-barreled spear and walked towards the door with a murderous aura.
At the same time, he waved his hand: "Don't get too close, or you'll get hurt."
Although the eldest brother, Li Cheng, is quite capable, he hasn't fully matured yet.
I can participate in regular battles, but not for the time being, as I cannot fight against skilled opponents.
Yang Fan and the others had only just begun practicing the "Tone Turning" static stance of the Chuojiao School, building their foundation. They hadn't even started practicing fist and knife techniques yet, so they were of little use.
I can only run errands.
In his plan, the group of boys and girls he had gathered would form his future base.
They are also my most trusted "trust points," and I must nurture and cultivate them well.
Just like those "gods and immortals" in ancient times, if they wanted to continue their lineage, they chose two paths: preaching and spreading their teachings.
The reasoning is actually right here.
Human memory is fleeting, and the mind is restless.
Today I can love you to the point of obsession, tomorrow I can hate you to the core.
Nothing is certain.
The only way to ensure a good harvest is to cultivate your own crops, fertilize them diligently, water them frequently, and treat them with sincerity.
Li Xin simply followed suit when others did it.
……