"Boss Yat is already dead. That surname Chang obviously treats us brothers like dogs. Not only does he not let us avenge him, but he also beats and scolds us at will. Truly outrageous."
Peering through the crack in the door, amidst the glow of firelight, the burly man with a full beard slapped the table with his palm, causing the cups and plates to jump.
He lifted a bowl of wine and drained it clean, angrily saying, "This isn't the way. If I had known, I would have joined Beizhou long ago, better than hiding and fleeing with no status."
Chen Ping guessed right.
Big-Beard Zhang came from the border army. After being dispersed, he crazily escaped, plundering all the way and saving some silver while mixing into the refugees avoiding snow disasters.
In between, he occupied a small fort, dealing in business without any capital.
But in this chaotic year, even being a bandit was precarious.
Common folk couldn't survive, so where would there be any extra for them to snatch?
Larger merchant caravans generally had skilled guards, so they dared not act rashly.
As a result, in the bleak times, he sneaked into Xingqing Prefecture City, thinking that with the brothers' battlefield skills, they could make a name for themselves.
Anyhow, now within Nanli, fires were everywhere, refugees flooded the land, and the household registration system was practically obsolete.
The government wouldn't bother to strictly check everyone's travel documents. Everyone was living muddled lives.
He wasn't worried about his identity being exposed.
"Second Brother, you shouldn't say it like that. The Beizhou Hu Cavalry is the cruelest. Rumor has it that during the Yuntai battle, those colleagues who joined Beizhou were all driven to the city wall, dying almost entirely. In the end, after taking the city, they even massacred... the city in fury. Were it not for this, we wouldn't have fled in panic."
A long-faced man with a cloth wrapped around his shoulder solemnly interjected. He wasn't drinking, only eating meat with his head bowed.
Chen Ping recognized this man as the unfortunate fellow who had his shoulder pierced by Shopkeeper Shen's crossbow. He took two bites of meat, scoffing coldly, "Since that surname Chang doesn't treat us as humans, we needn't be his dogs. Boss Yat shouldn't die in vain..."
When he reached this point, his eyes flickered and he continued, "I still suspect that Boss Yat had some tricks up his sleeve... the gold and silver jewelry are all missing. Do you think it's..."
"Are you saying those beggars took it?"
Big-Beard Zhang's expression froze, thinking carefully, it seemed indeed possible. He slapped his palm heavily, "No wonder that cripple agreed so easily, guess he had a plan. Three hundred taels of silver, even I wouldn't dare name that amount."
"Not just three hundred taels, absolutely not," he stood up again, sat back down heavily, his face flushed, speaking in a solemn tone, "Did you notice that little singer seemed strange?"
"Didn't see anything strange, but that lad's singing was something, even more enticing than the top singer at Chunfeng Tower, making one's heart itch tenfold."
Nearby, a sharp-faced man chuckled twice, took two gulps of wine, and answered casually.
He scratched his feet, sniffed at it, twisting his body as if his back indeed itched.
"It's good if it itches... let's do it."
Big-Beard Zhang's eyes shone.
"How could there be a guy with such a smooth voice, and still draw flowers on his face for no reason? That's the saying...'What was it again?'"
"No three hundred taels of silver in this place," the long-faced man laughed, frowning in confusion, "Are you saying it's a girl? Come to think of it, that's possible, dressed in rags, yet one song stirred the whole street. Never seen anything like it, never even heard."
"Doesn't matter if it's a boy or girl, just based on that voice alone, with a good makeover, put them in Chunfeng Tower, they could rake in gold daily. Sister Weii would laugh till her cheeks hurt seeing them, sure to sell for a good price. No, can't go to Chunfeng Tower, must go to Jadeite Pavilion, that's where the nobles are willing to spend."
"Let's do it then, forget about eating... seize the dark night, let's head out. Monkey, do you still remember their place?"
Big-Beard Zhang waved his hand heavily, turned to find weapons.
"Leave it to me, my skill runs deep, I could find it even with my eyes closed."
The sharp-faced man immediately perked up hearing this, "I've thought we should move early. Enough of serving that surname Chang. Once we sell the silver, we'll avenge Boss Yat... and buy a superior cultivation technique, master the skills, and join East Celestial King."
"Let's do it."
"Alright."
The group, buoyed by the wine, prepared to scatter and act under night cover.
No one worried the venture would fail.
Back when Boss Yat died, Big-Beard Zhang saw it clearly...
He was frightened outside the temple, first thinking of escaping out of caution.
Having gotten used to fleeing on the battlefield, it became instinctive.
Thinking back later, he slapped his thigh in regret.
The few opponents didn't seem too formidable, their victory only due to surprise, real prowess was barely there.
Boss Yat and Brother Li died unjustly, completely unprepared.
This time, sneaking up, hacking away upon sight, would surely mean those lads wouldn't stand a chance.
...
Just as the group stood up, arranging to seek swords, a sudden gust arose.
The lights flickered...
Atop the courtyard wall, shadows passed swiftly, leaping down with a cruel chill, pouncing like wolves and tigers.
The first sight was a pair of eyes, indifferent and icy, brimming with unmatched killing intent.
"Enemy attack!"
Despite his rashness, Big-Beard Zhang reacted instantly.
Bellowing, as his long knife gathered power for a swift chop, his right leg straightened, kicking up the entire table.
Utensils flew chaotically, amidst rolling tabletop, a blade light like a bolt descended diagonally.
From the moment shadows pounced, to kicking the table, wielding the blade...
Big-Beard Zhang displayed all his skills honed from surviving the battlefield's bloody storms to the fullest.
Striking with utmost force, amidst the fierce wind, his entire skeleton crackled like beans bursting.
Simultaneously, the long-faced and monkey-faced men dove to the ground, hands reaching for spears and long knives.
...
"Shame there's no gun at hand."
Chen Ping, in mid-assault, felt a small regret.
This was a minor flaw.
He stood listening outside the wall for long enough, knowing he couldn't delay, once he decided to act, he held no hesitation.
At that moment, all his relief and anger vanished, replaced by intense killing intent.
Luckily, acting on impulse came early, otherwise, had those few gotten to his quarters first... even if he survived, Hua Lian'er and the others might not.
He could assess roughly, Big-Beard Zhang's skills matched Boss Yat, both in the Bone Forging phase.
Strong power, ferocious moves.
The other two, too, could be considered military elite.
Skillful actions, commendable crisis handling, forming a faintly coordinated military array.