Chapter 110: Bringing a Captive Back

He Lingchuan had felt at ease with the Fatty earlier, backed by the soldiers, but now something felt off. Towns were different from small villages; wealthy gentry would fund their own local defense groups and trained militias, forces that were especially crucial during chaotic times. The fact that these ruthless bandits could conquer a town meant they surely held a numerical advantage.

If the Fatty lied about one thing, he could lie about everything.

He Lingchuan shoved the flatbread back into the Fatty's mouth, opened his tunic, and carved a cross over his heart with a dagger.

Blood gushed out swiftly.

The Fatty cried out in pain, but the flatbread muffled most of the sound. His facial muscles contorted, and a gurgling sound escaped his throat.

Then, He Lingchuan handed the dagger to Madam Zhu, guiding her to place the tip inside the cross. "Hold it steady," he instructed. "One more inch, and he's dead."

Madam Zhu hesitated for a moment, then gripped the dagger with both hands.

"If you scream, she'll stab you in the heart; if you give a random answer, she'll stab you in the heart too." He Lingchuan patted the Fatty's shoulder. "She hates you to the bone, so you'd best not test her. Understand?"

The Fatty nodded cautiously.

"Let's play a game called 'Beat the Clock'," He Lingchuan said with a smile. "If you answer all the questions before you bleed out, I'll stop the bleeding and spare your life. What do you say?"

The Fatty's nod became much more enthusiastic.

He Lingchuan also nodded with satisfaction.

Just a few months prior, he would not have been able to act with such ruthlessness. However, after several life-or-death struggles, he had finally come to understand a simple truth:

To be merciful to an enemy was to be cruel to oneself, especially when their intent to harm remained undiminished.

He removed the flatbread and asked, "In which town do you still have people?"

"Qianteng...Town."

"How many people?" He Lingchuan asked, displeased. "Can't you be a little more forthcoming? Do I have to pull your strings like a puppet for you to answer?"

The Fatty strained to reply, "The town was taken two days ago; there are still two hundred people there."

"So these bandits total four or five hundred people?" Ordinary bandits don't operate on this scale, He Lingchuan thought. "Where are you from?"

"Hongchuan!" the Fatty replied. "Our hometown was flooded, and we couldn't make any money there anymore, so we decided to move."

"Move here?" He Lingchuan asked Madam Zhu. "Is this place fertile? What's the population?"

Madam Zhu shook her head. "The land isn't very fertile, and the population is sparse."

The Fatty quickly interjected, "We're just passing through; Boss Lu still intends to head south!"

Transient bandits were always more ruthless; they only did business once.

As they spoke, a commotion erupted outside.

He Lingchuan told one of his personal guards, "Go out and see."

The guard went outside, made a quick round, and promptly returned to report: "A school of fish suddenly surged from the lake, washing ashore. The ground is now covered with jumping, live fish."

"Fish?" He Lingchuan was completely taken aback by the answer. But just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside again, accompanied by the crunching of shoes on pebbles and muddy ground.

Judging by the sound, there were at least a dozen people.

Had the Fatty's reinforcements arrived? All four immediately tensed up. He Lingchuan's hand went to his saber hilt, and he pointed at the Fatty, saying, "Drag him into the inner room."

Fortunately, the footsteps approached from a distance and then passed directly by their door without stopping.

The entire eastern part of the village seemed to be filled with such hurried footsteps.

Unable to resist, He Lingchuan opened the door and stepped out, seeing large numbers of soldiers also running quickly. He beckoned the nearest one over and asked, "What happened?"

"We've started fighting with the villagers, and the Prefect is also by the lake west of the village!"

"They've started fighting already?" He Lingchuan was startled. "Is my father alright?"

"I don't know. The 'flying whistle' blew three times, signaling us to rush to reinforce."

The 'flying whistle' was the Blackwater City army's assembly call, with different instructions conveyed by variations in its length and pitch.

He Lingchuan closed the door and returned inside. The guard immediately asked, "Should we go over and help?"

"Wait, wait a minute!" He Lingchuan's mind raced. He wasn't by the lake and didn't know the cause of the fight. Starting a battle at this moment was undoubtedly too early, unless his father had suddenly seized an opportunity... or perhaps it was Boss Lu who had seized one.

To be coldly pragmatic, He Lingchuan wasn't the leader of the personal guard. Even if he rushed there now, he couldn't control the situation or turn the tide.

What else could he do?

Over a dozen ideas popped into his mind, but he discarded them one by one. Finally, He Lingchuan sent another personal guard to the west of the village.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, the man hurried back, reporting urgently, "The Prefect has negotiated a truce with the other side."

"He's not hurt?"

"No."

"Are there bandits outside the house?" He Lingchuan already had an idea forming.

"No one's here anymore; everyone's rushed to the lakeside."

He Lingchuan felt relieved and let out a breath. "Alright, go into the inner room and help."

The three entered the inner room, where the Fatty, Wang Pangzi, had been placed under Madam Zhu's watch. The wound on his chest had been roughly treated and was no longer bleeding.

The Fatty's mouth was still gagged, and his face was still a bit pale, but other than that, he seemed largely unharmed.

"Take him to my father's room."

The three lifted the Fatty and glanced left and right before leaving, confirming no one was around.

Both bandits and soldiers were currently gathered by the lake.

So they quickly escorted Wang Pangzi toward He Chunhua's lodging.

Just a quarter of an hour ago, bandit lookouts had been everywhere, making it impossible to openly escort a captive. Fortunately, the outbreak of fighting had diverted both sides' attention, allowing He Lingchuan to seize the opportunity to take Wang Pangzi back.

Good things never came easy.

They were still forty or fifty paces from their destination when a door in a nearby cottage suddenly opened, and a woman peeked out.

She was likely checking her surroundings, but her eyes widened as she instantly spotted He Lingchuan and the two guards escorting Wang Pangzi, with Madam Zhu also accompanying them.

Madam Zhu, of course, also saw her.

The woman froze for two seconds, pulled her head back, and tried to close the door.

Madam Zhu rushed forward and pushed the door open, preventing her from closing it.

The woman cried, "You can't do this! You're going to get us all killed!"

Madam Zhu gritted her teeth. "Come with me, or I'll kill you!" She feared the woman would report them to the bandits.

"Are you crazy? The soldiers won't stay!" the woman cried. "When they leave, the bandits will still be here!"

The two sides were at a stalemate, and the personal guard looked at He Lingchuan. "Young Master?"

He Lingchuan whispered, "Go help!"

The personal guard rushed forward, about to help Madam Zhu pull the woman out. Terrified, the woman let out a heart-rending scream, "Help! Someone!"

Madam Zhu immediately let go, stepped back two paces, and said, "Forget it!"

"Forget it?" He Lingchuan reiterated. "Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Madam Zhu's gaze shifted swiftly from confusion to determination. "Let's go, quickly!"

The four ignored the woman and continued forward with Wang Pangzi. The wooden door closed, and the woman stopped screaming.

There were no further hitches as they proceeded, and no more villagers appeared, despite the fact that everyone must have heard the loud screams.