Chapter 2703: The Capital (Part 59)

Liao Sanniang had already gathered some intelligence on the enemy. The opposition had four relatively tall and sturdy men—these would be her primary opponents. What she didn't know was their will to fight. On the battlefield, once the elite vanguard of government troops was frustrated and annihilated, it would trigger a general collapse. But in small-scale private fights over personal gain, people were often more vicious and persistent. Such skirmishes rarely ended until the balance of numbers tipped decisively. This might mean her side would have to take down fifteen men without suffering any losses of their own. That would be no easy feat.

Autumn had arrived, and the plants were beginning to wither. Branches still hung full of remnant leaves, but they had grown brittle, crackling louder when stepped on or snapped aside. As she advanced deeper into the woods, Liao Sanniang grew increasingly cautious, slowing her pace even further.

The dense vegetation reduced visibility considerably. The distance between Liao Sanniang and Little Bazi behind her had shrunk to two paces—close enough to react and support each other instantly should anything sudden occur.

Passing through a narrow path, Liao Sanniang turned and made a horizontal line gesture to Little Bazi.

Little Bazi understood immediately. He drew a length of steel wire from his waist and strung it horizontally between two trees at roughly head height. Then he produced five soot-blackened fishhooks and hung them side by side on the wire. From even a slight distance, the matte steel wire and darkened hooks were invisible to the naked eye.

Once the trap was set, Liao Sanniang waved her hand gently, and the two continued forward.

After advancing a bit farther, a speck of white light flashed ahead—the reflection off exposed skin.

Liao Sanniang halted instantly, raising her left fist in a sharp, abrupt motion. Behind her, Little Bazi froze in place. Moments later, an impatient male voice sounded from not far ahead: "We've been waiting here for ages. Why hasn't that bunch of cattle arrived yet?"

Another voice followed immediately, this one wretched and sneering: "You're like a radish seller following a salt carrier—worrying for nothing. The leaders have their own plans for these things, so what's your hurry? I heard there's a woman in this group. Sounds like the brothers will have some fun for a few days. A while back, our boys robbed a family returning to their hometown. I dragged the three men to the roadside and killed them one by one with a simple saber, then had my way with the two women, hehehe. That little lady's skin was as white as fresh goat's milk..."

Amid the foul talk, a circle of suppressed, lewd laughter rang out around them.

Suddenly, someone called out in a low voice: "They're here."

The group stirred. Everyone stretched their necks and leaned out to look, their clothes rustling with the movement.

Through the trees, the crowd saw that indeed, at the bend of the road, a dozen men were escorting a mule cart that creaked slowly toward them.

Behind them, Liao Sanniang's expression was grim. She signaled to Little Bazi, and both moved simultaneously toward the trees beside them, melting silently into the shadows behind the trunks until they became one with the deathly stillness.

Zhao Liangjian sat on a lateral branch of a half-dead scholar tree, gazing into the distance. He watched Liao Sanniang and her companion pause briefly at the road bend before vanishing into the roadside forest.

Zhao Liangjian glanced up at the sky, then turned to look at Old Feng, who crouched beneath the tree smoking. Seeing the cigarette in the old man's mouth had burned down to a stub, he estimated the time and leaped down from the tree.

Old Feng caught Zhao Liangjian's descent from the corner of his eye and immediately snuffed out the cigarette butt against the tree trunk. He picked up his horse whip, flicked his wrist with practiced ease, and cracked a crisp explosion in the air. The group set off.

After rounding the bend and proceeding some distance, Zhao Liangjian reined in his horse and clapped his hands. He released the dart dog from the formation. The hound sniffed heavily, then broke into loud barking.

Zhao Liangjian let out a long call: "Vicious tiger blocking the road—everyone take care!"

The escort bureau group stopped immediately. Hearing the warning, two fellows beside the mule cart quickly untied the slipknots binding the ropes. With a few turns of the winches on both sides of the cart frame, they loosened the taut lines, and the canvas covering snapped open with a sharp crack.

The guards pulled rattan shields and long-handled weapons from the gaps between cargo boxes beneath the canvas. Amid a chaotic clanging of metal, everyone soon held weapons in hand, protecting the silver cart at the center and forming a defensive circle.

Zhao Liangjian's eyes turned fierce. He faced the main road and shouted in a booming voice: "Turning the great road comes another bend, a vicious tiger blocks the way ahead. Brothers hold weapons in hand, thieves tremble at the sight. All brothers strike the tiger together, making roads across the Five Lakes and Four Seas peaceful!"

After reciting these lines of doggerel, Zhao Liangjian drew a thick, segmented steel whip from the sheath by his saddle. He dismounted, holding the whip horizontally, and strode to the front of the formation.

Zhao Liangjian called out to both sides of the road: "Listen well, you men in the woods! Your presence is exposed. If you are upright heroes who stand between heaven and earth, come out and face us properly. Friends of the Line need not hide head and tail."

As his voice faded, silence reigned in the woods. Only a tumbleweed rolled across the empty road, pushed along by the wind.

Seeing no response for a long while, Zhao Liangjian continued: "If you're set on being shrinking turtles, I'll turn this cart around and report to the authorities. I'll personally guide the constables back here to catch the highwaymen."

He waited a moment longer, but still no response came from the surroundings. It seemed as though Zhao Liangjian was talking to himself.

He called out again: "You are inside, we are outside. How can we discuss matters this way? Such sneaky, wretched behavior is not the conduct of heroes. Don't force us to loose arrows to pinpoint your location. When you can no longer hide and are dragged out into the open, you'll lose face before all. If word spreads, the world will look down on you." He finished by waving the steel whip above his head.

Behind him, seeing the signal, Liu Chang leaped onto the roof of the mule cart in a single bound. He drew his eight-strength cavalry bow and released a whistling arrow that sang through the air. The mechanism on the arrowhead screamed as it traced a high parabola, flying dozens of paces before its momentum exhausted and it fell clattering in the middle of the road ahead.

This time they didn't wait long. The moment the arrow landed, a whistle sounded from ahead. Over twenty men surged out of the woods a few dozen paces away, rushing forward in a swarm until they stopped less than twenty paces from Zhao Liangjian and the others.

Seeing the thieves emerge, the escort bureau crowd immediately tensed, huddling tighter together.

A big man walked out from the group of bandits. He had rough skin, a face full of fleshy ridges, and a beard that covered both cheeks. His frame was fat and sturdy. He wore a blue cloth headscarf and a dirty, bronze-studded brigandine that had long since lost its color, lacking both tassets and spaulders. In his hands he gripped a long saber with a five-chi blade and a one-chi-five-cun handle. He was clearly the leader.

The big man approached and asked with some puzzlement: "I thought I hadn't revealed any flaws. How did you see our hiding place?"

Zhao Liangjian stepped forward and laughed. "Spirit hounds on earth track a thousand li; divine hawks in the sky gaze down from the clouds. We have our ways."

Then he raised his voice and asked clearly: "May I have the honor of knowing the Hero's surname and great name?"

The big man snorted coldly. "Asking for names so you can arrest me later? This Lord serves the Great King of the Underworld—I only deal with dead men and spare none among the living. Just call me Martial Yama."

Zhao Liangjian took no offense. He cupped his hands and spoke: "There are mountains beyond mountains, and forests beyond forests. The Jianghu was originally one line. This little brother was poor and took to the road; the Greenwood Jianghu became my home. The great road splits east and west; a stick of incense turns back rivers and mountains. We are escorts from the Heliansheng Escort Bureau in the Capital. Passing through your noble territory today, we hope you'll grant us some convenience and look after us a bit—lend us half a sail of east wind to send us west. If you agree, we shall etch our gratitude deep in our thoughts. Here are some meager travel expenses for the brothers to buy wine and meat. It's not much of a sentiment, just a small token of appreciation."

After speaking, Zhao Liangjian waved his hand. A guard handed over a silver packet of thirty taels. Zhao Liangjian took it and tossed it near Martial Yama's feet.

Martial Yama glanced sideways at the bundle, the corners of his mouth curling in contempt. "Who is family with you? This Lord is no drifter in the Jianghu—your bullshit rules don't govern me. This Lord doesn't know any Heliansheng, nor do I understand your city slang and hidden words. Grandpa here doesn't cultivate good karma; my deeds are only ever forceful and vicious. If there are men, I kill them. If there are women, I take them. If there is wealth, I seize it. Life is short—one should seek comfort and pleasure. If you fellows are sensible, leave the cart and horses and I'll let you go. Otherwise, the ditch by this road will be your grave, and this day next year will be your death anniversary."

The two exchanged a few more words. Zhao Liangjian's brow gradually furrowed. This Martial Yama's attitude was stiff and tyrannical; his words revealed him as someone who cared nothing for life or death. With just a few sentences, he had choked off all conversation, leaving almost no room for maneuvering.

Zhao Liangjian shook his head and sighed softly. "Hero, leave some room to turn around. Everything can be discussed. Surviving in chaotic times is already hard enough—why fight to the death?"

Martial Yama grinned. "Room, my ass. Do you take this Lord for a clueless fool? Since you're willing to throw down this much silver to buy passage, there must be a thousand times this wealth on that cart. Enough idle talk. If you won't hand it over, I'll make you bleed right now and finish you all off together."

Zhao Liangjian sneered. "Oh? When friends come, we share fat meat. When vicious dogs come, they gnaw hard bones. Since you are no friend, don't regret it when you break your teeth."

Martial Yama's face turned ferocious, and he spoke with venom: "This Lord has copper teeth and iron jaws. I'll chew you up even if your bones are forged of iron."

Martial Yama waved his hand. Behind him, the bandits brandished their swords and spears in a chaotic din, shouting in unison as they prepared to charge.

Zhao Liangjian's face was grim. He shouted: "Form ranks!"

The guards immediately shifted formation. The circular array transformed into a wild goose wing line. The two sides faced each other across the road. The escort bureau men gripped their weapons tightly, shoulders touching shoulders, relying on one another to protect both front and flanks.

Atop the mule cart, Liu Chang nocked an arrow and drew the cavalry bow halfway. He widened his tiger eyes and shouted: "Life and death together!"

The guards responded hoarsely, straining with all their might: "Iron and blood we share!"

The guards thrust their weapons forward, took a synchronized step, stamped their feet heavily, and roared as one: "Kill thieves!" Their slogan was sharp, their movements uniform. After the cry, blood surged through their veins, fighting spirit rose, and heroism swelled in every chest. A dozen men seemed to carry the spirit of a thousand troops.

The bandits were mostly local petty thieves who only felt bold when gathering in numbers. Intimidated by the majestic display from Zhao Liangjian and his men, fear flickered across their faces. Their hearts quailed, their footsteps faltered, and their formation grew somewhat ragged.

Martial Yama's face turned iron-green in an instant. He took a step forward, thrust out his long saber, widened his eyes, and grinned—revealing a mouthful of jagged, rotting teeth stained black and yellow. He chuckled quietly twice, then his laughter rose from low to high, weak to strong, growing louder and louder until it became unrestrained, boisterous laughter filled with madness and brutality.

(End of Chapter)