Chapter 254: Sir, the disciples have finally avenged you!

Besides, the two yamen runners also drew their long sabers, their faces full of ferocious menace.

But immediately after, several shadows flipped over from outside the alley wall, landed steadily, and stood behind Li He.

The three yamen runners were slightly panicked.

Although these people were all twelve or thirteen-year-old youths, their murderous-eyed appearance was somewhat frightening.

However, the three yamen runners remained relatively calm.

Da Heizhi sneered: "There are still plenty of fish that slipped through the net. I know it was you who deliberately set up obstacles to block the carriage, right? You want to rob the County Magistrate's belongings? Just with you few?"

Li He said: "Of course not just a few; otherwise, look behind you."

Da Heizhi froze for a moment, turned his head, and discovered that several youths in the same attire had also appeared behind him at some point.

The two groups front and back together numbered fifteen people.

The other two yamen runners hurriedly stood back-to-back with Da Heizhi, holding their long sabers horizontally in front of them.

Da Heizhi's expression turned grim: "Those four Constables, were they killed by you?"

Li He curled the corner of his mouth: "Don't believe me?"

Da Heizhi furrowed his brows, uncertain and doubtful.

He really didn't believe it much.

Those were four properly trained Constables.

Not to mention a bunch of brats; even ten or so grown adults would find it hard to easily take them down, and moreover it was done silently— the difficulty is obvious.

Therefore, besides this bunch of brats, there must be several adult experts as well.

Da Heizhi arrogantly said: "I don't play with kids; let the adult come out. If you have the guts to kill Constables, why don't you show yourself? What are you hiding for?!"

Li He coldly snorted, raised his arm and made a gesture.

The youths in front and back then simultaneously advanced on the three yamen runners.

Everyone holding their blades moved in neat unison, not fast, gradually putting pressure on the three yamen runners.

"Stop! Don't come over!" Da Heizhi's forehead beaded with cold sweat as he gripped his long saber and shouted sternly, "We are all County Gate personnel! Are you trying to get yourselves killed?!"

Li He said: "Weren't those four Constables also County Gate personnel? Tell you, I, the young master, killed County Gate personnel!"

Da Heizhi's face finally lost its composure; he gritted his teeth and snarled, "Break out!"

He and the other two yamen runners attacked simultaneously.

The youths swarmed forward.

Blades clashed, producing a clattering din.

Da Heizhi quickly discovered with shock that, although he had a huge advantage in size and strength, his saber could not cut through the youths' peculiar clothing.

Looking again at his bronze official saber, he found it had several large nicks.

The youths' daggers in hand suffered no damage at all.

As the fight intensified into a fever pitch, the three yamen runners' hearts gradually lost confidence, and fear finally arose.

Their official sabers could not break through the youths' defenses; instead, they watched as their blades were chopped into scrap iron by the youths' knives.

This huge equipment disparity, combined with the difference in numbers, was enough to erase the gap in strength and martial skill between the two sides.

Moreover, these dozen or so youths were not mindlessly brawling; they attacked in waves, one batch after another. Though their techniques and coordination were still immature and stiff, they were sufficient to exert power.

Bang!

Accompanied by a muffled thud.

Da Heizhi, exhausted, revealed an opening and was kicked over by Fang Hui.

The other two yamen runners also collapsed, legs weak from injuries all over.

Afterwards, the youths bound the three men's hands and feet.

Da Heizhi had no choice but to admit defeat and yield, forcing out an unwilling grin as he said to Li He:

"Little brother, you're the leader, right? Today you've opened my eyes; I concede. But we have no past grudge nor recent enmity—you really have no need to kill us… Youthful vigor shouldn't lead to rashness. How about this: everything in the carriage belongs to you, and as long as you let us go, we'll pretend we didn't see the deaths of those four Constables?"

Da Heizhi felt some fear inside, but upon reflection, during the fight those youths actually had many chances to outright kill the three of them, yet they didn't.

Thus, it seems these brats have already killed the Constables and dare not kill more.

Li He squatted down, tapped Da Heizhi's face with the back of his blade, and said: "Do you really think we came here to loot? Do you really think there's no grudge between us?"

Da Heizhi stared, racking his brains, and said: "I have no impression of you and your people at all; I suppose I've never even seen you. How could there be a grudge?"

"Do you know this young man? Do you know these people?" Da Heizhi kicked a nearby yamen runner's companion.

These two's clothes were soaked red with blood; their injuries weren't serious, but in this weather they felt awful, and after being kicked they grimaced in pain.

"No… I don't know…"

"I've never seen them either, little brother… you… you might have mistaken the person?"

"..."

Li He said: "Just a reminder: a few days ago, outside the southern city, at the ruined temple."

The three men's faces changed slightly; they instantly thought of the schoolteacher they had killed.

But the three refused to admit it, either claiming they didn't know what that meant, or saying they had never gone to the ruined temple.

Li He grinned: "Still playing the tough duck?"

Da Heizhi's cheek twitched as he forced a smile: "This… we really don't know what you're talking about; surely you've misunderstood something."

"Fine, this is of your own making." Li He's face instantly turned cold; he rose and waved his hand.

The youths nearby had been enduring; now, having finally received the signal, they all raised their daggers.

The three yamen runners were shocked and terrified, their bodies trembling.

Da Heizhi shouted: "What are you doing… what exactly do you intend to do?!"

Puchi!

A teenager stepped close, stared fixedly into his eyes, and stabbed the knife tip into his thigh.

"Ah!" Da Heizhi cried out.

But the cry had just begun when Fang Hui wrapped a hemp rope around his mouth and tied it once.

Thus, Da Heizhi could not shout loudly, yet could barely speak.

The two other constables, of course, received the same treatment.

After the first teenager had stabbed each of the three once, he stepped aside, letting the other teenagers take turns.

After a dozen or so people took turns stabbing, the three constables' thighs had no decent flesh left; in some spots the bone was visible, and blood pooled on the ground.

The three writhed all over but could not break free; in pain they clenched the rope in their teeth, grinding their lips until they bled.

"Do you remember now?" Li He asked coldly.

Da Heizhi could no longer endure, speaking weakly: "I remember… you… you want to avenge Liu Juren… right? … I now understand, you must all be… his disciples. But his death has nothing to do with me; I didn't kill him…"

The two other constables, barely alive, hearing this, hurriedly defended themselves:

"It's nothing to do with us! It was him—he ordered us to act!"

"Exactly! We didn't mean to kill anyone!"

Upon hearing this, Da Heizhi flew into a rage, cursing: "Don't spout bloody nonsense! Back then I told you to stop them, you two stupid pigs went and killed the man outright—now you bite the hand that fed me?!"

For a moment, both sides traded insults, each pushing blame onto the other.

In the heat of the argument, they wished they could slaughter each other.

"Shut up!" Li He barked.

The three then stopped insulting each other, scrambling to plead and beg for mercy from Li He.

Li He coldly swept his gaze over the three, saying, "Sir Liu was undoubtedly killed by you—whether you wielded the knife or merely wagged your tongues, you are all murderers; none of you can escape."

The three instantly felt a chill from head to toe.

The chill born of inner fear was a thousand times colder than the winter wind blowing on their wounds.

"It's time to send you on your way," Li He said, slowly stepping back, "Everyone, let these murderers pay with their lives."

As his words fell, a dozen or so teenagers surged forward like wild wolves, surrounding the three constables.

The sound of knives stabbing into bodies rang out continuously.

Until the three were stabbed full of holes, their faces unrecognizable, the teenagers finally stopped, then knelt on the ground, tears streaming, gazing heavenward.

"Sir…"

"Disciples… we have finally avenged you!"

"…"

Soon afterward, the group left the alley and headed for the County Magistrate's Residence.

In the alley lay seven cold corpses; the three constables had even been stripped of their clothes and hung with rope on the wall.

The wind and snow grew fiercer, the sky ever darker.

At the County Magistrate's Residence, lanterns for lighting were lit everywhere, casting bright light.

The magistrate's wife was in the accounting room tallying the blood-and-sweat money extorted from the populace under the pretense of the bandit suppression.

She had counted it several times already, yet still felt unsatisfied, meanwhile scheming what jewelry she could buy for herself.

The magistrate himself was in the room, warming himself by a large brazier, sitting before a table of sumptuous dishes, attended by two concubines serving food and drink.

Having drunk his fill, he even poured wine for the concubines, making them tremble with delight.

One concubine giggled, "Sir, you're so annoying, you only know how to bully us two."

The magistrate's eyes were hazy as he hooked her chin, saying, "You exist just for me to bully; not only do I want to bully you now, I'll keep doing it tonight."

"Sir…" the other concubine smiled even more alluringly, throwing herself into his arms and stroking his chest, "You said you'd reward us with some silver today, so where is it? Are you deceiving us?"

The magistrate laughed, "When have I ever lied to you? Wait a bit longer—the carriage from the County Office should arrive soon; I really do love you, even in this awful weather I haven't forgotten to order silver fetched from the County Office's storehouse. This time the County Office's harvest is abundant; I never imagined that although the people of Ze County all cry poverty, squeezing them still yields plenty of grease… hahaha!"

The two concubines immediately flattered, "Still, our lord is formidable!"

"What part of me is formidable?" the magistrate asked, pinching the concubines' delicate hands, his face full of lecherous smirk.

The two concubines gave a seductive smile and kept on flattering.

"Naturally, you're formidable everywhere…"

"Especially your vigor in bed, it's so strong it would wear us two out…"

After some teasing, the magistrate's whole body grew hot and his spirits rose.

He didn't even wait for nightfall, pulling them both onto the bed.

Bang!

The door was suddenly burst open, a house slave stumbled in.

The magistrate shouted, "You wretched dog! Don't you see I'm busy? Who let you barge in? Get out!"

But the slave collapsed with a thud, clutching his chest, blood frothing at his lips, "Sir… no… not good… a group of people have… have broken in…"

The two concubines turned pale with fright, screaming as they huddled in a corner.

Only then did the magistrate notice the slave's chest was also wounded, blood seeping from between his fingers, soon forming a pool on the floor.

"What sort of people!" the magistrate rushed to the slave, grabbing his shoulder, "Who dares be so bold as to come kill in my residence!"

The slave, vomiting blood, said, "It seems… a group… a group of teenagers… sir, you… you must flee…"

Having spoken those words, the slave breathed his last.

The magistrate was shocked pale, already hearing the sounds of combat drawing near.

Just as he was about to flee through the door, his foot hadn't even crossed the threshold when a dagger thrust from outside, pressing against his neck.

The magistrate trembled as he stepped back, "Who are you! I am the County Magistrate! You have the gall of a—"

Before he could finish the word "gall," he was kicked over.

Li He walked into the room, followed by Fang Hui and three youths.

Fang Hui looked around, gazing at the dazzling golden splendor and the myriad exotic treasures, almost dropping his jaw. "Heaven above, the County Magistrate's room is so luxurious?"

The three young masters beside them were also dumbfounded.

Having lived over ten years, they had only ever heard such a magnificent setting described by storytellers.

The four's eyes then fell on the table laden with all kinds of delicacies, making their mouths water.

However, without Li He's command, they would not move a finger on their own.

Li He's eyelids twitched, anger surged in his eyes, "Even a single plate or a wine jar from here could fetch enough money to cover several years of expenses for an ordinary peasant household! Dog Official! You truly deserve to die!"

"You brat… you…" the County Magistrate scrambled to his feet, pointing at Li He's nose and scolding, "What are you, a nobody! How dare you act insolently before me! You've rebelled! You've defied Heaven! I will skin you, pull out your bones, and hang your corpses for all to see!"

The County Magistrate, accustomed to wielding power and far from the Royal City, was truly a local despot; even with danger looming, he habitually put on his airs.

"Dog Official, you seem to have forgotten your current situation?" Li He stepped forward half a pace, brandishing the dagger in his hand.

The County Magistrate, as if waking from a dream, shivered and retreated again, "Are you mad?! I am the County Magistrate! The magistrate of Ding County!"

Li He's eyes were filled with mocking coldness, "Magistrate… what a magistrate indeed. Fang Hui, kill him; it's disgusting to watch."

Fang Hui glared angrily, both hands gripping his knives as he advanced, "Dog Official! If you hadn't previously shielded the local thugs and hooligans, my family would never have perished! Bring me your life!"

His family's ruin and death were directly caused by the One‑Eyed Dragon, but the real culprit was the County Magistrate of Ding.

Only by killing this Dog Official can the revenge be complete; now the Dog Official stands before them, how could he not be enraged.

The overwhelming hatred scared the County Magistrate to the point of nearly wetting his pants.

In his panic, the County Magistrate grabbed two concubines and hurled them violently at Fang Hui, then turned and rushed toward the window.

The two concubines, already terrified, were flung straight onto Fang Hui's body.

Puff—

Two daggers pierced their bellies precisely.

Fang Hui was stunned.

Seeing the County Magistrate arch his butt and about to tumble out the window, Li He said, "From the County Magistrate down to the concubines and household slaves, everyone here has been sucking the blood of our people alongside the magistrate; none of them are innocent."

Fang Hui recovered, decisively drew his twin blades, pushed the concubines aside, sprinted two steps at a time to the window edge, raised both hands high, and drove them down hard into the County Magistrate's back!