Chapter 194: Brothers

Zhao Jin got the answers he wanted, swung his blade and cut the two men's throats, then drew his spear and stabbed it into the man's throat.

He had put so much force into the swing that Zhao Jin actually staggered a step and nearly fell; it was Chen Sheng behind him who reached out and steadied him. Everyone could see that Zhao Jin's expression was extremely dark.

"Brother Zhao, you questioned them for so long and still don't know who the Meeting Master of the Fragrance-Smelling Sect is — can their words be trusted?" Wang Zhaojing spoke up, his voice also exceptionally hoarse.

Zhao Jin steadied himself and said in a deep voice, "They can be trusted. Without revealing that identity, he couldn't keep these desperadoes in line."

To these blood-soaked bandits who lived by the blade, the Fragrance-Smelling Sect's vast numbers and pervasive reach were a deterrent, and the legends of the sect's various sinister methods made them deeply wary as well. Since this gang of bandits had designs on wiping out He Family Village, He Family Village would have to show its strength in turn.

"Bingfeng, go pull out the arrows. We're heading back to the official road," Zhao Jin said, steadying his emotions.

Dong Bingfeng had not joined the bloody melee and was in somewhat better shape than the others. Hearing this, he hurried over to pull out the arrows. It didn't take long before Dong Bingfeng returned, his quiver full of arrows.

"How many did you shoot dead, Bingfeng?" Ji Xiang asked.

"Ten. I had exactly ten arrows in total," Dong Bingfeng replied.

The group walked in silence toward the top of the slope. Halfway there, Liu Yong turned his head to look back and asked, "Big Brother, should we check if anyone's still alive and finish them off with a blade?"

"No need. In this weather, if they can't run, they'll definitely die," Zhao Jin answered in a muffled voice. Those who could run had already fled; those who couldn't had severe injuries — broken hands or feet. In this freezing cold, they were certain to freeze to death.

After a few more steps, Zhao Jin slammed his fist heavily into a tree trunk. Everyone froze, then saw Zhao Jin's face twisted with ferocity as he ground his teeth and said, "Li Shun, Li Shun!"

Hearing that name, everyone understood. Zhao Jin said bitterly, "Silver blinded my eyes. I actually thought that if we all got rich together, everything would be safe and sound. I never imagined people's greed knows no bounds. What's a little extra liquor quota? Seizing this Fragrance Drifting Wine Workshop — that's the real fortune!"

"Big Brother..." someone started to speak. Zhao Jin waved a hand and continued walking forward, sneering as he walked. "Eight thousand taels — that bounty is far too small!"

"Everyone stay cautious. Who knows if there's another ambush waiting!" Earlier, everyone had felt Zhao Jin was somewhat unhinged, but when he said this, it was clear he had already calmed down.

The seven of them watched each other's backs and carefully descended from the top of the slope. As they emerged from the woods, they saw Sun Dalei lying face down in the snow.

"Dalei..." Dong Bingfeng rasped out two syllables, then could hold back no longer and broke down sobbing.

There were five feathered arrows in Sun Dalei's back, each sunk several inches deep. Zhao Jin could imagine the agony he had endured at that moment.

"... You brat... you brat... weren't you a coward... weren't you, damn it, afraid of dying..." Chen Sheng muttered under his breath beside him, cursing lowly, his voice growing softer and softer.

Zhao Jin felt as though his nose and throat were blocked by something. That instant when Sun Dalei had shielded him at the boundary between life and death — he didn't dwell on it now. Instead, what flashed ceaselessly through his mind were memories of the past: that chubby kid playing around the freight yard, that spendthrift who was always offering to treat everyone and show off, that coward who never backed down in any fight but was scared of everything afterward, that brother with the slightly awkward expression on his face at the end-of-year gathering...

Everyone was crying — some wailing, some weeping softly. Zhao Jin stared blankly. He had thought himself strong enough, thought he wouldn't shed tears, but his vision gradually blurred, and tears streamed down uncontrollably. He wiped his face with a hand; it came away covered in blood. Tears and the blood from his wounds had mingled into that sight.

The official road between the hills was deathly quiet. Only Zhao Jin and the others stood around Sun Dalei's body.

But this was no time for grief. Just as Zhao Jin was about to tell everyone to stop crying, a sudden sound came from where the several carts were parked on the official road.

All seven drew their weapons in an instant. Dong Bingfeng even retreated several steps, nocking an arrow and drawing his bow. The sound came from a "corpse" lying by the roadside — now that "corpse" had stood up and was saying through tears, "Masters, masters, you're still alive..."

"... Zhang Hubin?" The person running over wore the coarse cotton-padded jacket of a household servant, his body and face covered in blood and grime. Only when he got close could they make out who he was — it was Zhang Hubin, the servant who had performed so outstandingly the night the wine workshop was raided.

"Master, this lowly one thought everyone was dead, so I just played dead by the roadside. A little while ago, one man came running down alone — this lowly one killed him and kept playing dead, thinking I'd flee after dark..." Zhang Hubin spoke incoherently.

When the ambushers' archers had loosed their arrows, the household servants had been caught completely off guard, too panicked even to know how to react. Most were shot dead. Zhang Hubin, however, had been quick-witted and dropped straight to the ground, using a companion's corpse as a shield.

Immediately after, the ambushers' main force had charged through in pursuit. Zhang Hubin hadn't dared to move at all, just kept playing dead the whole time. Even when the official road fell silent, he still didn't dare run off recklessly and simply waited for nightfall.

But just now, one ambusher had come running down in a daze. Seeing no one else around, Zhang Hubin had grabbed a spear, jumped up, and taken easy advantage of the opportunity. As the shouts of battle from beyond the hill gradually faded, Zhang Hubin, afraid the bandits might return, had found another corner to lie low and play dead again. He never imagined that his own masters would all come through unscathed.

Everyone walked over to look at that corpse — it turned out to be the archer who had fled first. One could call it retribution: he died at the hands of a companion of the man he had shot dead.

"Besides you, who else survived?" Zhao Jin asked. Zhang Hubin's appearance gave him a sliver of false hope.

"No one else. The brothers are all gone!" Zhang Hubin's voice carried a sob. The household servants were all young men of roughly the same age; they had spent every day together and long since formed deep bonds.

Zhao Jin took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down. Everyone was waiting for him to decide what to do.

"There... there are dry rations on that cart. Let's eat something first," Zhao Jin said hoarsely.

The sun was already slanting west. No travelers could be seen on the road, which was perfectly normal — it was still before the fifteenth of the first month. Everyone stayed home resting; New Year visits were all done within one's own neighborhood, and visiting relatives had designated days. In this freezing season, no one would venture out.

On the cart were wheat cakes, pickled vegetables, and dried meat. Though wrapped in cotton padding, they were now cold and hard, but thanks to the insulation of the padding, they hadn't frozen solid.

Zhao Jin and the others were ravenous. Seeing the hungry, envious look on Zhang Hubin's face, they simply called him over to eat with them.

"Chew slowly and carefully, or your stomachs will hurt later and you won't recover your strength," Chen Sheng reminded them.

None of them felt that this was the end. They chewed very thoroughly, yet ate very quickly. After a few cakes were down, everyone's spirits improved considerably.

Zhao Jin looked around and said, "Drag all the bodies into the woods and cover them with snow for now."

"Aren't we bringing Dalei back..." someone asked.

"We will bring him back, but not now. What we need to do now is make sure no one discovers there was a fierce battle here — at the very least, not so soon," Zhao Jin said irritably.

Only after speaking did he realize his tone was off. Zhao Jin shook his head and added, "I have my reasons. Get to work first!"

There weren't many bodies on the road. With several people working, it didn't take much time. They dragged them to the roadside and into the woods, covered them with snow. As long as the wind didn't pick up, anyone passing through would have a hard time spotting the corpses. Once that was done, they scattered loose snow to cover the bloodstains on the road.

With food to replenish them, everyone's condition improved considerably. Continuous training, practiced coordination, excellent physiques, fine equipment, and experience in life-or-death combat — all of this meant Zhao Jin and his companions had sustained hardly any injuries.

Zhao Jin, Chen Sheng, and Wang Zhaojing possessed outstanding martial skill, while Liu Yong and Ji Xiang fought on the move, and Dong Bingfeng had been shooting arrows from the trees the entire time. Aside from Zhao Jin's cheek being cut open by an arrow and Ji Xiang being struck in the middle of the back by the flat of a thrown hand-axe, everyone else was completely unharmed.

"If this ambush party came on horseback, their horses must be nearby. Find that place," Zhao Jin said.

After his one outburst of temper earlier, everyone silently obeyed.

Finding where the ambushers had stabled their horses required no brilliant deduction, because it certainly wouldn't be far. Crossing two hills, they saw over a hundred horses tethered there, all with bits in their mouths, tied to trees, and very restless.

"Zhang Hubin, drive our cart over to the roadside and stop it there, then feed the draft animals some fodder. There's a bag on the cart with it inside. If anyone comes, you run this way immediately," Zhao Jin instructed. Zhang Hubin nodded hastily and ran off toward the official road.

"Bingfeng, turn the clothes you're wearing inside out. Ride back to the city now. When you get back, find a secluded spot to dismount. First go to the freight yard and find Shitou. Have Shitou go find my father and tell my father to bring men here — they need to be men who can ride, and men familiar with the local terrain. Remember, don't tell them what happened here, just have them come. And you must make sure to tell Shitou to guard the house well — the freight yard and the wine workshop must be strictly defended. No matter who comes, don't let them in. If they try to force their way in, strike back directly. Everything waits until I return!" Zhao Jin said in a deep voice.

"Big Brother, if I leave, you all..."

"Riding there and back won't take more than an hour and a half. Don't spare the horse. The few of us can hold out. Go quickly and return quickly!" Zhao Jin said in a low voice.

Dong Bingfeng didn't fully understand Zhao Jin's intent, but he knew there was no time to waste. He nodded, casually took one of the horses, and headed out of the hills. His own mount had been shot dead by arrows.

As Dong Bingfeng's figure vanished from sight, everyone turned to look at the herd of horses tethered in the woods. Chen Sheng said hoarsely, "Grass Den and Mengshan Tiger — I've only heard their names before. But with this many horses, these two bands are probably the two strongest outfits in the Xuzhou and Huai'an region..."