“Are you really planning to go? Why are you so willing to kiss someone’s ass with a hot face?” After the person left, Zhang Dabiao was full of reluctance, his words laced with some resentment. “Gui Jianchou acts superior because he has the capital for arrogance. I don’t know if this capital is useful on Qingfeng Mountain, but at least for now, he has the right to be arrogant.
But why should his subordinates be arrogant too? Moreover, after they insulted us earlier, wouldn’t it make us seem too cheap if we went crawling back now? If he’s so capable, he should deal with the mountain’s troubles himself. Why ask us?”
Zhang Dabiao’s complaint was not unreasonable. If it were me in the past, I might not have gone. If you think you’re so great, you should show the capital of your greatness. But now, I don’t think that way.
If the Sleeping Taoist of Maoshan and the Elder Heavenly Master Fang of Longhu Mountain had already died, I could naturally stand by and let this arrogant Gui Jianchou suffer a great loss.
But now that I know the Sleeping Taoist and Elder Heavenly Master Fang are not dead, I cannot just watch them hide in a fake underground palace and wait to die. My master never taught me to turn a blind eye to such things, and I cannot do it myself.
Furthermore, being on good terms with the Longhu Mountain and Maoshan sects only brings benefits and no harm. Why wouldn’t I do it?
Wang Defa, standing nearby, opened his mouth a few times, wanting to say something, but he gave up in the end because his current status was rather awkward. He was originally the leader, but almost all his subordinates had died.
Although he had requested reinforcements from the capital, they ignored him. After several casualties, he had lost the arrogance he had when they first met, and could only offer a wry smile to show his embarrassment.
“Brother Zhang, you’re saying it wrong. Their coming only benefits us, not harms us. Don’t forget our purpose is to save people. Doesn’t the Buddha often say that saving one life is better than building a seven-story pagoda? Can’t we put aside our prejudices for the sake of saving someone? The Sleeping Taoist and Elder Heavenly Master are still on Qingfeng Mountain. Saving them is the priority.” I said these words rapidly and urgently. If I had cried a few more times, it would have been perfect.
However, there were no other spectators around. The two spectators before me were one whose jaw was about to drop in surprise, and the other was nodding vigorously, almost clapping.
“Old Zhang, Qingyun is right. Saving people is the priority. Compared to human lives, everything else is just fleeting. We should focus on rescuing the people. What do you think?”
Zhang Dabiao looked at me with suspicion. He knew me very well, much better than Wang Dafa. I would go through fire and water for my friends without batting an eye, but for my enemies, I could only apologize and find ways to kill them, never giving them a chance to bite back.
Having spent several months with me, Zhang Dabiao had thoroughly understood my personality. Moreover, I had no reason to hide anything from him. After I gave him a knowing look, he understood that I must have had some ulterior motive.
Under Wang Defa’s “persuasion,” he reluctantly stood up and walked with us towards Gui Jianchou’s newly established camp. At the entrance of the camp, the young man who had called us earlier was already waiting.
“Gentlemen, there are various traps set up within the camp, so I will lead the way. I hope you can follow my steps and not stray, otherwise, it will be troublesome.” With that, he prepared to walk inside.
“Traps? Wait a moment, what does this mean? Is this a test for us?” Zhang Dabiao took three steps and then leaped forward, grabbing him from the back.
This series of actions was incredibly swift, like a nimble leopard. No one had time to react, especially the young man, whose face showed surprise. Zhang Dabiao’s actions perfectly demonstrated the meaning of “Seven-Step Saber Speed.”
If this were a life-or-death struggle, his head would have been chopped off countless times by now.
“There are no traps or tests. It’s because we know the mountain spirits will attack at night that we’ve set up some landmines to deal with them. Our own people also walk carefully. These landmines won’t kill you, but losing limbs is inevitable,” the young man explained quickly, seemingly feeling pressured by Zhang Dabiao.
“Then aren’t you afraid that someone might get up at night and accidentally step on them?” I asked, stepping forward. At the same time, I gently nudged Zhang Dabiao, urging him to let go. Grabbing someone at their doorstep and interrogating them looked like an unwelcome guest.
Zhang Dabiao subtly let go of him and smoothed out the wrinkles on his clothes, saying, “Next time, explain everything at once. Your words make it sound like you’re up to something malicious. It’s uncomfortable to listen to.”
The young man, having escaped Zhang Dabiao’s grasp, did not show any displeasure. In fact, his face showed admiration, as if he were completely convinced by Zhang Dabiao’s strength. He said, “Follow me closely,” and then walked inside.
From the entrance to the simple house before us, less than ten meters away, there were seven or eight turns. In some places, one even had to jump to get past, even though the ground ahead was flat!
I was puzzled, and Zhang Dabiao also showed a look of doubt. Only Wang Defa was calm. After the young man passed, Wang Defa squatted down and blew on the ground. The yellow soil revealed a metallic color, and then he took out the knife he carried and threw it forward.
*Bang*—
Two large iron jaws clamped together, their height just reaching the base of the thigh.
Looking at the giant rat trap before me, I felt a chill in my crotch. If I had been caught by this, not only would my legs be crippled, but my descendants would also be ruined. Who designed this? It was too vicious!
Hearing this, the young man named Xiang Dong looked back at the closed trap and said to Wang Defa with slight displeasure, “This thing is very difficult to open. You’re really giving me trouble.”
Wang Defa chuckled and made a gesture of helplessness, then leaped over. Zhang Dabiao and I followed suit, fearing that there might be other mechanisms, and if they were all such malicious devices, we would be in trouble.
After crossing all the obstacles, we saw a simple colored steel house. I didn’t know how Gui Jianchou managed to drag such a heavy and cumbersome thing into the deep mountains. When they were setting up the camp earlier, I hadn’t seen this thing being unloaded from a vehicle.
The door was open, so standing at the entrance, one could see Gui Jianchou sitting behind a table, his eyes hidden behind sunglasses. I didn’t know if he was sleeping or watching us.
“Captain, the people are here,” the young man said, bowing.
“Hmm! You may go. Go and receive your punishment. To be scared by just calling someone, you’re really bringing shame on me.”
The young man’s face turned pale. He opened his mouth as if to explain something, but then, thinking of something else, he finally closed his mouth and said, “Understood,” before walking out.
Facing Gui Jianchou’s obvious attempt to intimidate us, I felt a surge of contempt. Who did he think he was, Zhou Yu from the Three Kingdoms period? What use is intimidation? If he truly believed he was capable, he could have charged into the mountains himself to rescue the people. Why set up camp here and then call us to inquire about the situation? It was as redundant as farting after taking off one’s pants.
“Your method of inviting people is quite unique. I just wonder if you use this method often, or only occasionally. Aren’t you afraid that your subordinates will rebel and stab you in the back?”
Gui Jianchou tilted his chin up, unconcerned by my questioning, and said arrogantly, “You don’t need to worry about how I manage my subordinates. I invited you here simply to tell us about the mountain spirits’ night attack and what you did after they went up the mountain.”
“You…”
I stopped Zhang Dabiao, who was about to get angry, and said unhurriedly, “It’s not impossible to tell you, I can tell you now.”
“Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and tell me,” Gui Jianchou said, looking as if he had me cornered.
I pursed my lips and smiled, “Why should I tell you? Because you’re ugly?”
“You…” Gui Jianchou suddenly stood up. Zhang Dabiao was a fraction faster, as his Pishandao had already appeared in his hand.
“Good… very good. What will it take for you to tell me?” Gui Jianchou’s face turned pale with anger, and he asked fiercely while sitting down.
“Do I even need to ask? When you go to gather information, do people just tell you? You have to pay…”
“What? You… you’re extorting me.”