They had reached a point of no return, and all they could do was take things one step at a time.
The group, along with Zhou Ding and several bandits, charged out of the county town.
After a brief discussion, Xu Qing and the others decided to return home to make arrangements.
At this point, the villagers began to feel a sense of dread.
While they had been too angry to think about it earlier, and then too busy to be afraid, now that they had time, their thoughts turned to fear of the imperial court.
On the way home, they all walked with their heads down, no one in the mood for conversation.
"Brother Qing, look at this!"
Around midnight, as the group entered the Yonghe Township borders, they saw wanted posters plastered by the roadside.
They had been feeling guilty and wanted to see if they were on it.
To their surprise, as they looked, they recognized someone on the poster.
"Isn't this guy? Colluding with bandits as an imperial official, what a disgrace!"
Xu Qing, having come from a relatively well-off family in his youth, could read some characters and quickly found Zhou Ding's information.
If this were before, he might have fantasized about the good life he'd have with the reward money.
But not now. Now that their lives were on the line, they had no energy for such thoughts.
"Look here!"
After another careful read, Yue Fei seemed to have discovered something new.
"Anyone who provides clues, or captures the culprits, will be rewarded by this county with an additional one thousand strings of copper coins!"
"What's the big deal? It's just the same old thing. I doubt they'll actually give the money to anyone. If we hand over the person, we might end up losing our own lives. It'd be better to just kill him cleanly!"
Seeing the hesitation in Yue Fei's eyes, Xu Qing immediately understood his thoughts.
However, having been deceived once, they no longer trusted the authorities.
"I think we should go and try our luck!"
After contemplating for a moment, Yue Fei suddenly spoke.
"Go again? To do what? To die?"
"Yeah, yeah, what else would we do? All crows are black in this world. Since ancient times, officials have protected each other. I think we should just chop this guy up quickly!"
Just by looking at the list of crimes on the poster, they knew Zhou Ding was a villain of the worst kind.
Moreover, they had all ended up in this predicament because of Zhou Ding, and now the villagers were itching to get their hands on him.
"Think about it carefully. If we chop him now, we'll have to become outlaws for the rest of our lives! But if we take him to the Neihuang County yamen, and if they accept him, after verifying his identity, the situation will be completely different!"
Hearing Yue Fei's words, Xu Qing and the others were clearly taken aback. But upon further reflection, Yue Fei's words actually made some sense.
If they accepted him and confirmed his identity as Zhou Ding, the situation would indeed change drastically.
After all, as long as Neihuang took him into custody, it would prove that they had indeed captured bandits.
"But..."
After the events of tonight, Xu Qing had no good feelings whatsoever towards the authorities.
"There are no 'buts'. At worst, we can fight our way out again!"
Once someone takes the lead, the rest of the group is much easier to motivate.
Even Xu Qing had to admit that this was the best way to solve their current predicament. Otherwise, he himself didn't know what else they could do.
Having made this difficult decision, the group once again dragged Zhou Ding and the other bandits back to their own manor.
With no other option, Yue Fei didn't know what else to do at this moment. He could only grit his teeth, give a few instructions to his family, and then return to the manor's exterior.
When he returned, there were only about ten people willing to accompany him to Neihuang.
Estimating the time, Yue Fei didn't say anything more and led these people with Zhou Ding and the others back on the road.
When the news of the prison break reached Liao Wenxing, even he couldn't sit still.
He knew in his heart that there must be some other circumstances involved. However, with Lu Ying still present, he found himself unable to speak up.
After all, just by looking at the shifty eyes of the turncoat as he spoke, it was clear that this fellow was no good.
"Sir, if you have something urgent, I suggest we call it a day for today!"
Seeing them stammering for a long time without saying a word, Lu Ying suddenly understood that it was time for him to excuse himself.
"There's some urgent official business in the yamen. I apologize for not being able to accompany you today, Brother Lu. I'll treat you next time!"
"We are all officials, Sir. Feel free to attend to your business. Coincidentally, I've had my fill of wine for today!"
After some pleasantries, Lu Ying led his subordinates towards the post station in the city.
Meanwhile, Liao Wenxing hurried along with Cui Hao towards the county jail.
"Follow them and see what's happening!"
Just by observing their hurried demeanor, Lu Ying understood that something significant had happened in Tangyin County. After walking a few dozen paces, he quietly instructed one of his trusted men.
"Yes, sir!"
----------
Zhou Ding himself hadn't expected that he would only spend a day in Tangyin County before being brought back to Neihuang County.
By the time the group returned to Neihuang County town, the sky was already bright.
As they re-entered Neihuang County town, even before reaching the city gate, Zhou Ding's legs had gone weak with fear.
"I have money, whatever amount you want, I'll give it to you. Please let me go!"
Zhou Ding understood perfectly well that once they entered the city, his life would no longer be in his own hands.
Given the crimes he had committed, coupled with his status as an imperial official, even if Han Mo didn't kill him, the imperial law would surely not spare him.
"Shut your damn mouth and stuff it! Go ahead and ask where the county yamen is!"
Just as Zhou Ding was in a bad situation, so were Yue Fei and the others.
What if the county magistrate of Neihuang was also someone who was easily swayed by money? Then they would have to fight their way out again today.
"Sir, Zhou Ding has been caught and brought here. He's waiting outside the yamen now!"
"So soon?"
While lamenting the power of the reward money, Han Mo was more eager to know who had actually captured Zhou Ding.
Could it be that it was the truly influential person?