Chapter 30: Testing the Waters

The shopkeeper, Fu Qing, was no stranger to this band of villains; they were members of the local militia in Shangmu County.

Since the imperial court stationed limited troops beyond the pass, to assist in resisting raids by foreign tribes, they had specially permitted border residents to arm themselves and organize local militias.

In the early days, the militias did effectively resist foreign invasions, serving a self-defense role.

But with the heavens high and the Emperor far away, once an armed force existed for a long time, lacking supervisory forces to constrain it, it often easily transformed into warlords or soldier-ruffians ruling their own territories.

The ringleader villain was named "Xia Duo Buliang," known as "General Xia Duo," a mixed-blood of Jurchen and Han, with a shaved head and braided queue, standing eight feet tall and mighty; in his youthful arrogance, starting more than a year ago, he frequently led his militia brothers to roam the Shangmu County area, bullying the common people and trampling the weak.

This gang of evildoers appeared in groups of three or five; upon seeing a pretty Miss, they would rush forward to grab heads and hands indiscriminately; if the Miss screamed loudly, they would even push the woman down in public, tear at her clothes, and humiliate her.

Sometimes they would even burst directly into farmhouses, beating the masters until their faces were bruised and swollen, pushing women to the ground, and regardless of the women crying out "Master, save me," they would play with the women's bodies before everyone, while the women's wails could only echo endlessly.

Once, General Xia Duo set his sights on a young and beautiful bride, ordering his men to beat the bride's male master half to death and drag the bride upstairs.

The bride's cries and pleas rose and fell, but all were drowned out by General Xia Duo's roars.

By the time General Xia Duo came down from the stairs, the bride had become his trophy and plaything; her face was deathly pale, her eyes vacant, as if she had even lost the strength to cry out.

Once, a mother, in order to save her daughter, knelt before General Xia Duo and pleaded, offering her own body to take her daughter's place.

General Xia Duo laughed loudly, saying that since that was the case, he would take both mother and daughter to play together!

The mother and daughter's cries and screams struck straight at the heart, yet General Xia Duo seemed to find this the greatest amusement.

This band of soldier-ruffians under General Xia Duo's command, like common thugs, had been running rampant across the countryside for months, making the common people live in constant dread day and night.

Their evil deeds were simply uncountable; they committed every kind of evil, having lost even the most basic sense of propriety and shame.

They only knew how to use the military force in their hands to do evil and oppress the world.

The existence of this group had almost turned this land into a hell where living beings were slaughtered, with the common people living in pain and fear day and night.

They were simply demons of the human world, taking pleasure in oppressing others, a sight that made one's hair stand on end.

At this moment, Xia Duo Buliang stood with furrowed brows and glaring eyes, his gaze slanting arrogantly at all sides.

On both sides of his neatly shaved skull hung three long braids each; the braids were jet-black and glossy, hanging all the way down to his waist.

He was built tall and mighty, with muscles knotted together; although he had passed forty, his physique was in no way what one would expect for such an age, still brimming with the vitality and explosive power of a youth.

Yet there were already some traces of time on his face, but they could not hide that overwhelming arrogance, an arrogance born of the habit of trampling others underfoot.

At this moment, a scornful smile mocking everything hung on the corner of his mouth, as if all people and things in the world were tiny and ridiculous in his eyes.

He radiated a violent aura from head to toe, as if he were a volcano ready to erupt at any moment.

He habitually hunched his shoulders, like a beast ready to pounce on prey at any moment.

But the venom in his heart far exceeded the intimidation and arrogance of his appearance.

He enjoyed the pleasure of trampling others and the feeling of controlling the life and death of others.

Although he could not restrain himself from bullying his way through, he also knew in his heart what he was doing, and even took pleasure in it.

Following behind General Xia Duo were twelve burly men, each tall and mighty, with fierce and villainous faces, looking at a glance like thugs accustomed to brawling and fighting.

These people were simply ruffians who took pleasure in violence; they had just gone to a Mr. who taught to collect gambling debts and beaten that poor Mr. until he was half dead!

Having just finished beating people, they were about to go their separate ways when a lackey immediately reported that three outsiders had arrived at Rumei Xiaoye, looking very wealthy and presumably fat sheep.

The lackey advised General Xia Duo not to rush to disband but to quickly take men to the shop to give them a wake-up call!

The eyes of these little brothers immediately lit up; they were just waiting for days like this to act out freely.

With a single order from General Xia Duo, this gang of thugs immediately swarmed after him.

"Yo... isn't this General Xia Duo!" Shopkeeper Fu Qing rushed out from behind the counter, using a tone that was both dignified and non-offensive, attempting to block General Xia Duo and the squad behind him.

As a businessman, Fu Qing knew how to handle these troublemaking villains to resolve the trouble.

"General, are you bringing your brothers to drink?"

Although Fu Qing was secretly nervous in his heart, his tone and smile were very appropriate, the image a typical businessman should possess.

"I will go open a private room for you right away; please wait a moment..." Fu Qing said hurriedly.

Before Boss Fu Qing could finish speaking, General Xia Duo had already grabbed his collar by the neck, lifted him close, and waved his right fist twice before his eyes; this domineering and arrogant posture showed at a glance that he was looking for trouble.

General Xia Duo burst into loud laughter, but there was not a shred of joy in that laugh: "No need to trouble you, Shopkeeper Fu; Laozi isn't here to drink!"

Having spoken, he shoved Boss Fu Qing hard and swept past him.

General Xia Duo's two eyes scanned the customers in the shop one by one; instantly, the entire shop fell silent, and everyone timidly lowered their heads, daring not to make a sound.

The subordinates followed behind, occasionally emitting a few mocking laughs, following General Xia Duo as if watching a good show.

General Xia Duo swaggered over to Jiang Jiang Mingyu's table, as if this were his own territory.

On the table sat half a table of uneaten dishes and two jars of unfinished fine wine.

Seeing that one seat remained unoccupied, General Xia Duo, without even saying a word of greeting, sat down heavily opposite Jiang Jiang Mingyu with no scruples!

Jiang Jiang Mingyu, already somewhat drunk from the fine wine he had just drunk, in his dazed state only felt a shadow block his vision; when he came to his senses, General Xia Duo's large frame had already occupied the chair opposite him.

That chair, under General Xia Duo's build, seemed ready to collapse at any moment; Jiang Jiang Mingyu watched and couldn't help but sweat for that chair.

General Xia Duo's arrogant posture and composed expression made Jiang Jiang Mingyu sober up in an instant.

He was restless and uneasy; his two eyes stared fixedly at General Xia Duo's unyielding face, feeling only a surge of anger erupting like a volcano in his heart, almost ready to burst forth and burn this rude fellow to a crisp.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's fists were already clenched until they creaked, wishing he could immediately beat this rude fellow until his face was bruised and swollen.

Just as Jiang Jiang Mingyu was about to slam the table and roar in anger, his hand was pressed down by Tu Tu Kesiluo, who simultaneously gave a look, signaling not to act rashly.

Anger rose in Jiang Jiang Mingyu's heart, yet he had to suppress it.

He knew Tu Tu Kesiluo's signal was correct; the other party had brought so many men and came with fierce momentum, obviously with ill intentions.

Moreover, he knew nothing about the other party's background; acting now was clearly not a wise move.

Although General Xia Duo wore an arrogant appearance, he knew he had to first test the waters to see if they were tough customers!

He tilted his head, sizing up Jiang Jiang Mingyu, Li Li Xuanren, and Tu Tu Kesiluo from head to toe; his gaze was sharp as a hawk's, and he suddenly spoke.

"Heaven covers the earth, and the tiger roams the ground?" (Criminal slang: Where are you from? How dare you come to my territory!)

Xia Duo's voice was like thunder, shaking people's ears until they ached.

Tu Tu Kesiluo showed no fear, speaking with decisive firmness: "The pagoda suppresses the river demon." (Criminal slang: We don't mean to cause trouble; if we did, you'd already be sunk to the river bottom.)

General Xia Duo heard the other party understood the slang, his eyebrows "swished" together in a frown; he knew they were no ordinary commoners and might have someone behind them, so his arrogance immediately dropped by thirty percent.

He softened his tone, gave a snort, and said: "Since you are 'He Wu', then first present a threshold." (Since we are all friends on the road, then give your name to avoid hurting harmony.)

Tu Tu Kesiluo snorted and said: "Neither red nor green. Fellow travelers, hold your lanterns higher; we are merely 'yellow grass buns'." (We are not wandering the jianghu. Friend, show mercy; we are ordinary people with no wealth.)

"Hahahaha... You are not 'yellow grass buns'?" General Xia Duo laughed heartily, his rolling voice vibrating the surrounding air into rippling waves.

Seeing the other party unwilling to give their name, General Xia Duo continued to tease: "Look at this table of wine and dishes, your attire... I truly cannot see... where you resemble 'yellow grass buns'!"

General Xia Duo attempted to try other methods to force them to reveal their names; but after several rounds of probing, using both soft and hard tactics, they simply refused to state their origins.

General Xia Duo smashed the wine bowl on the table with a "clang", splashing the wine everywhere.

He glared, impatiently shouting: "You've seen all the brothers following me behind; so... bestow some 'lang', just to make friends." (Criminal slang: 'Lang' means money.)

After descending the mountain, before entering the Imperial Hospital, Li Li Xuanren had practiced medicine on the Jianghu for two years and understood a bit of Jianghu affairs.

Upon hearing the keyword "lang", he reacted quickly, immediately took a tael of silver from his sleeve, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward General Xia Duo.

Li Li Xuanren smiled and said very politely: "This great sir, let us make friends; this small token... please have the brothers drink tea."

General Xia Duo picked up the silver, weighed it, then asked: "You... where are you from?"

"Inside the pass, Jingcheng." Li Li Xuanren replied.

Li Li Xuanren naively thought that revealing the Jingcheng background would make this gang of hooligans know they had connections in the capital and know to retreat in the face of difficulty; but he never expected General Xia Duo's train of thought to be completely different from theirs!!!

In General Xia Duo's world, anyone from Jingcheng must be wealthy tycoons; they are like people dripping with fat, how could they be easily let go?

Seeing that single ingot of silver, General Xia Duo's eyes widened, his face showing an expression as if he had seen a ghost.

He bared his teeth, let out a roar, and swept the silver to the ground, as if it were not glistening silver, but useless scrap copper and iron.

"Do you take Laozi for a beggar?!"

General Xia Duo punched the table, the tabletop "boom"ed, nearly splitting in two.

His eyes were bloodshot, his angry gaze round and wide, as if he were about to swallow Li Li Xuanren and the others whole...

"People from Jingcheng give a one-tael ingot? Who do you look down on? At least forty taels! Forty taels of silver, or none of you shall leave!!!"

General Xia Duo shouted until his lips and veins bulged; his ignorant yet arrogant appearance made even Tu Tu Kesiluo unable to help but roll his eyes internally.

Forty taels of silver; General Xia Duo himself did not know what that would bring him; he simply thought that people from Jingcheng were so wealthy that forty taels would be but a drop in the bucket to them.

By this time, Jiang Jiang Mingyu could no longer hold back; disregarding Tu Tu Kesiluo's obstruction, the alcohol took hold, and with a drunken air, he leaped to his feet in one stride.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu stared tightly at General Xia Duo, his gaze as if to pierce the other party through.

His face was slightly flushed, looking filled with indignation, and he spoke with an intensely impassioned tone: "You bandits, under the bright heavens, openly extort; you are utterly without regard for Wang Fa! I do not believe in this superstition; how can I allow you to succeed!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu spoke word by word, gritting his teeth; he felt these people were truly too excessive, daring to seek wealth and kill in broad daylight; they were simply calamities of the human world!

Seeing Jiang Jiang Mingyu still drunk and being a man of emotion, Tu Tu Kesiluo feared he would cause great trouble.

He quickly spoke to stop him, wanting Jiang Jiang Mingyu to sit down, but Jiang Jiang Mingyu took no notice.

As the saying goes, slow to speak but fast to act; before Tu Tu Kesiluo could react, one of General Xia Duo's underlings suddenly pounced, and with a vicious twist, threw Jiang Jiang Mingyu to the ground.

The underling's fists and feet kicked wildly; "bang bang" sounds never ceased; Jiang Jiang Mingyu cried out in pain repeatedly, yet had nowhere to hide.

Seeing this, Tu Tu Kesiluo's anger burned in his heart; the Emperor had issued an edict that he must personally protect Jiang Jiang Mingyu's safety; if anything happened to Jiang Jiang Mingyu, he would lose his head, and possibly even have his nine clans executed.

Tu Tu Kesiluo leaped forward, his feet generating wind, and delivered a flying kick squarely to the underling's chest.

The underling let out a long roar to the sky, flew far away like a puppet with cut strings, and crashed heavily onto the neighboring table, the tabletop "boom"ing and shattering into pieces.

Seeing the scene beginning to spiral out of control, General Xia Duo grew tired of finishing the ritual of courtesy before force.

He shouted angrily: "Then today, Laozi will teach you the rules of outside the pass; brothers, attack me, beat them to death! Beat them until they are searching for their teeth on the ground!"

Before the words had fully left his lips, General Xia Duo kicked the table; the table "clanged" and overturned; the underlings surged forward, hitting whoever they saw!

After a huge crash, the customers turned their heads to look; they saw tables overturned, people and horses toppling, one or two exchanging fists and kicks.

Seeing this scene, the customers' faces turned deathly pale; one by one, their souls seemed to fly away.

They quickly rose and rushed toward the door, fearing they too would suffer this calamity.

Uneaten food and spilled wine lay all over the floor; the silver for payment remained on the tables, yet they had already rushed out of the shop door, not even wanting the money, only seeking to escape this damned place!

Fu Qing and the waiter were also startled upon seeing this, but quickly calmed down.

Fu Qing did not stop the fleeing customers, nor did he dare to mediate; they had seen such scenes far too many times; it had become a daily occurrence.

Instead, after exchanging a glance with the waiter, they both hid behind the counter.

They had seen such scenes far too many times and knew that resistance would only bring death for nothing.

After the farce passed, they could come out and clean the place.

Fu Qing took out two hemp sacks; he and the waiter each took one, and stuffed silver into the bags with all their might.

Stuff as much as possible; saving lives is paramount now; silver can always be earned back.

Both men worked with their heads down, yet their hearts were calm and fearless.

He had opened this shop for many years; encountering smashings and disturbances was not just once or twice.

Furniture and decorations smashed can be replaced; anyway, as long as the green hills remain, even if there is no firewood to burn.

Silver can be earned back, but a life is destined to be only one.

As the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard, Tu Tu Kesiluo naturally possessed extraordinary martial skills; one comes, he beats one; a pair comes, he beats a pair!

But Jiang Jiang Mingyu and Li Li Xuanren were different; as weak scholars, they usually only displayed scholarly spirit; where had they ever seen a bloody fight like a battlefield struggle?

The two were either beaten to the ground, or hiding under tables; they could only scurry like rats, hiding behind Tu Tu Kesiluo, daring not to show even half a shadow.

Tu Tu Kesiluo blocked a punch to the left and dodged a kick to the right, busy back and forth; where could he spare attention for Jiang Jiang Mingyu and Li Li Xuanren, these two soft-footed crabs?

Once the underlings found an opening in Tu Tu Kesiluo, these two weak scholars would immediately be hit, dragged out, and beaten severely.

They could only clutch their heads and scurry like rats, desperately hiding behind Tu Tu Kesiluo; seeing Tu Tu Kesiluo, who was stretched too thin, his two fists could not fight thirteen hands; once someone found an opening, either Jiang Jiang Mingyu or Li Li Xuanren would be caught, then dragged out for a severe beating!

Jiang Jiang Mingyu and Li Li Xuanren cried out repeatedly, looking utterly wretched.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu hid under the table, yet still took a kick; he cried out in pain but dared not make a sound, so he could only rub his belly while curling into a ball.

Li Li Xuanren tried to dodge, but a punch struck the back of his head; darkness swam before his eyes and he nearly fell; his heart still racing, covered in cold sweat, he could only continue trembling behind the table.

The two were like lambs awaiting slaughter, forced to be dragged out by the underlings and beaten to their hearts' content; groaning in pain, they prayed for Tu Tu Kesiluo to intervene quickly, otherwise today would truly be the end.

Seeing that continuing to fight like this was no solution, Tu Tu Kesiluo made up his mind and decided to strike with lethal force!

Tu Tu Kesiluo moved like lightning; with a technique called "Golden Hook and Iron Chain Drag," the wrist joints of one underling cracked and popped as his arms were violently yanked behind his back.

Then a "Taizu Mountain-Splitting Kick" struck another underling squarely on the jaw; instantly blood poured forth, splashing like a wild celebration of fresh blood.

The underling's head tilted to one side, and he fell like a broken puppet.

He, who had previously held back, instantly became fierce and powerful; crushing throats, snapping arms, kicking ribs until they broke, stomping shins until they snapped—every move was vicious, every strike and kick intended to knock people to the ground, half-dead!!!

General Xia Duo flew into a rage and gave the order: "All of you, attack!" Instantly, more than ten men surged toward Tu Tu Kesiluo, fists raining down upon his entire body.

Tu Tu Kesiluo deflected them one by one; every move was lethal; the sounds of cracking joints and shattering bones rose and fell in succession, and the underlings fell like kites with cut strings, unable to rise.

General Xia Duo, who practiced martial arts himself, never expected Tu Tu Kesiluo to unleash a full set of Taizu Long Fist!

He knew in his heart that even with these twelve brothers plus himself, all attacking together, they might still not win!

General Xia Duo, a hero who avoids immediate losses, shouted: "Retreat!" The moment the words left his lips, the brothers who could still walk carried or dragged the unconscious wounded away and fled the shop in disgrace.

As General Xia Duo left, he could not forget to spit out a vicious threat: "You Jingcheng mongrel, we shall meet again!"