Chapter 750: Go Quickly

Tying everyone up — was this the moment they'd be silenced for good? It was laughable. He'd been in the Smelling Incense Sect, climbed to a high position, thrown his weight around in his territory, and even believed he could plot great things. Just moments ago, seeing all the sect's various forces gathered here, he'd felt invincible, certain that glory and riches were just around the corner. Now, the only thing he could see was a dead end.

"Master Jin! Master Jin, this lowly one hasn't done anything. I just came to watch the excitement, happened to run into this. Master Jin, spare this lowly one's life, and I'm willing to hand over my entire family fortune."

"Master Jin, this lowly one is willing to submit to Xuzhou, to serve as your horse and groom. I know every corner of Shandong like the back of my hand..."

"Master Jin, that Xu Hongru and Xu Hongju are both bastards. This lowly one knows where the main headquarters' treasure is hidden — mountains of gold, seas of silver..."

"Master Jin, this lowly one's younger sister and daughter are both as beautiful as flowers and jade..."

This last man didn't get to finish before the companion beside him knocked the words back down his throat with a headbutt. Master Jin still had one in his arms — don't be so blind and spout nonsense.

By this point, Xu Hongru had instead calmed down. Though his hands were bound and everyone around him kept as far away as possible, he paid it no mind, eyes closed, muttering something under his breath. This display made those around him edge even farther away; they all thought Xu Hongru truly was a madman.

Xu Hongju was so furious his face had gone completely red, yet he couldn't utter a single word. He'd been cursing loudly just moments before, and the men tying him up had directly stuffed a rag into his mouth. Now he could only glare, eyes wide with helpless rage.

Xie Mingxian had kept his head lowered the entire time, his body trembling faintly. Listening to his companions grovel and debase themselves, throwing away all shame and saying more and more outrageous things, he finally couldn't take it anymore. He raised his head and roared, "Have some dignity! Don't disgrace yourselves in front of outsiders!"

At his shout, several family retainers immediately looked over, but they didn't interfere. Those begging and wailing, however, merely flushed for a moment, then went right back to what they were doing.

These great heroes of the local underworld, so majestic before their subordinates and others, looking so dignified and respectable — at a life-or-death juncture like this, none of them cared a whit for dignity. Stay alive, and their lives and fortunes remained. Die here, and nothing else mattered.

Xie Mingxian, seeing his shout had been useless, shook his head in fury and frustration, and in the end only lowered his head deeply once more.

The Zeng Estate had horses too, and they were all searched out. Some of the burdens on Zhao Jin's mount were transferred to other packhorses, and a felt blanket was used to rig a bridge in front of Zhao Jin's saddle.

Everyone here was either under guard or tied up, and the warhorses had gotten sufficient rest. Zhao Jin exchanged a few low words with his companions, and orders were passed down in sequence. The family retainers who had been sitting there just moments ago all rose to their feet.

The clamor of weeping and begging for mercy suddenly fell silent. Some faces turned pale, their bodies trembling uncontrollably. Others, after the silence, began to wail loudly. Some cursed furiously. Xu Hongru, however, opened his eyes. His face was ashen, but he remained relatively calm. Xie Mingxian let out a long breath, swept his gaze over the disciplined ranks of the Zhao Battalion's mounted retainers, then shook his head helplessly and closed his eyes again.

Zhao Jin first set Mu Shulan down on the felt blanket, then mounted his horse in one fluid motion. Everyone present — whether Zhao Battalion retainers or members of the Smelling Incense Sect — many of the Zhao Battalion retainers already had their hands on their weapons, awaiting the order to strike. The wailing and cursing stopped. Many closed their eyes. Everyone here had blood on their hands; they knew the moment had come.

"Move out, back to Xuzhou!" Zhao Jin gave the simple order.

The moment he spoke, even Chen Sheng turned his head to look. Those close to Zhao Jin all glanced over in surprise. But in the Zhao Battalion, orders were law and followed instantly. The command was given, and strange as it was, everyone mounted up. Ji Xiang raised his lance as a signal, and the cavalry column began to move out.

As the Zhao Battalion cavalry began to move, every single person under the awning on the earthen platform stared wide-eyed. From the moment Zhao Jin had led the cavalry here until their departure, they had never once come down from that platform. They had assumed that next, every one of them would be put to the sword. They never imagined they would just leave like this.

What in the world was going on? Looking at the ground covered in mangled flesh and corpses, then at the cavalry column fading into the distance — had they come just to rescue that woman, Mu Shulan? Shouldn't they have conveniently killed everyone else too? And then made Shandong his, Zhao Jin of Xuzhou's, territory? Yet they'd done nothing and just left?

Among Zhao Jin's own contingent, quite a few were just as puzzled. Chen Sheng stared for a few moments, then focused on controlling his horse. Ji Xiang kept glancing at Zhao Jin. Ma Chonghao, bringing up the rear, looked at Xu Hongru and the others under the awning, then at Zhao Jin, a thoughtful expression on his face. The moment Ma Chonghao did this, Liu Yong also turned his head from horseback and repeated Ma Chonghao's action.

Only when the rumbling thunder of hoofbeats faded into the distance and the Zhao Battalion cavalry had shrunk to a mere dot on the horizon did the core figures of the Smelling Incense Sect under the earthen platform's awning finally confirm they had been spared. By then, they had no time to puzzle over why — they all began thinking about how to get free.

They were, after all, men who had spent years in the underworld. Someone casually felt around and pulled a tiny blade, barely an inch long, from his person. Clamping it between his fingers and twisting, the binding ropes were quickly severed. Once he'd cut himself free, he went to help others. Before long, everyone under the awning had been freed.

Outside, the remaining scattered forces of the Smelling Incense Sect had also struggled free of their bonds. These men did not scatter and flee, however; some basic discipline still held. They picked up their weapons and began gathering toward their respective leaders.

Xu Hongru stood there in a daze. From the moment this cavalry column had arrived until now, his conduct had been worthy of his position as sect leader. But now, he seemed utterly lost and despondent. His younger brother Xu Hongju, on the other hand, was beside himself with rage. The moment the rag was pulled from his mouth, he began cursing furiously. The various branch masters and others all remained silent. At this point, they truly had no idea what to do.

"Move! Back to the city first! Zeng family, gather up the bodies. We'll talk about money later — it's no issue. Once it's done, bring your family into the city as well!" Xie Mingxian shouted.

The few Zeng family members present only now began to weep. Hearing Xie Mingxian's words, they didn't bother to think, hastily agreeing and setting to work.

As those remaining forces regrouped, Xie Mingxian leaned in and whispered a few words into Xu Hongru's ear. Xu Hongru merely nodded sullenly. Xie Mingxian then raised his voice: "Brothers have risked life and limb today. Once back in the city, every man will be rewarded with ten taels of silver!"

Ten taels of ready silver — that was no small sum. Their usual treatment wasn't bad, but ten taels was still what they might earn in half a year or even a full year. Dancing on the edge of a blade, living with their heads tucked under their belts — what they sought was food, warmth, and silver. What had just happened was terrifying, but that was then. Now, with such a reward dangled before them, everyone immediately perked up.

Using the bounty to keep the fighting men in line and hold the situation together, the group made a few hasty arrangements and immediately began heading toward the city. Although the Zhao Battalion cavalry hadn't killed everyone, every large animal in the estate that could serve as transport had either been taken away or driven off into the distance. The men had no choice but to walk.

Those who had soiled themselves, now damp and reeking, had no time to clean up. Who knew when those killers might turn back? Safety lay in reaching the city first. That was a city of the Great Ming, with official troops still guarding it. Since Zhao Jin hadn't openly raised the banner of rebellion, surely he wouldn't dare attack a city directly...

The crowd clustered together, stumbling and staggering toward Yuncheng County. As they left the Zeng Estate and encountered common folk along the road, some spotted Xu Hongru in the procession and hastily fell to their knees in worship. In the lands around Yuncheng County, the Perfected Xu was like a living immortal, rarely glimpsed by ordinary people. To be blessed enough to see him, of course, required kowtowing and offering prayers.

In the past, Xu Hongru would have stopped, exchanged a few casual words, and if someone presented a difficulty or plea that could showcase a "miracle," he might even arrange something on the spot.

But today, Xu Hongru had no mind for such things. He simply strode forward, face dark. Some men had already broken into a run toward Yuncheng County, but without horses, they couldn't move fast no matter what.

"Mingxian, if we were to pursue that Zhao Jin, could we catch him within Shandong?" Xu Hongru suddenly asked.

His voice was low, his tone hoarse and trembling. Xie Mingxian, who had been hurrying along, paused, his pace slowing. He furrowed his brow and calculated for a moment, then spoke: "They're heavily armored and in formation — they certainly can't move very fast. This time they're just heading back toward Xuzhou. If our luck holds, we could catch them between Jinxiang and Yutai."

At this, Xie Mingxian and Xu Hongru's eyes met. He now understood what Xu Hongru meant. Xie Mingxian pondered briefly, then said, "With enough of a reward, we can mobilize all the government troops and private soldiers in the entire Yanzhou Prefecture. If we send out fast riders with urgent messages today, the number of men who can get there won't be small."

"Ten thousand taels of silver! No — twenty thousand! No — thirty thousand! For Zhao Jin's troops, one hundred taels per head! For Zhao Jin's head alone, ten thousand taels! If they're all taken down, the sect will add another thirty thousand taels as a reward!" Xu Hongru's voice rose higher and higher, his previously calm expression now twisted into hideous ferocity.

Thirty thousand taels of silver! The moment Xu Hongru spoke that figure, every single person trudging back in panic stopped in their tracks, their faces involuntarily revealing naked greed.

They all had their own private soldiers and cavalry units. They hadn't brought many this time — but could they scrape together enough to swallow this prize?

But just as quickly, the expressions on their faces turned wry. Zhao Jin had just led his troops through here. They'd seen that mighty host, men and horses like dragons, armored head to toe in iron, fierce killers who didn't blink at slaughter. Why throw their own hard-won forces into the meat grinder? Even if enough ants could bite an elephant to death, there was no guarantee their own family would be the one to reap the benefits in the end.

Xu Hongru, of course, understood exactly what they were thinking. He seemed manic, yet his logic was perfectly clear: "Send the word out! Don't be afraid to ride the horses to death — go quickly! Go quickly!"

At that moment, someone muttered under their breath, "That Zhao Jin just let us go..."

"That was Zhao Jin being young and muddle-headed, losing all sense at the sight of a woman, not knowing he should root out the weeds! We cannot make that mistake! If Zhao Jin isn't eliminated, this sect, this seat, and all of your comfortable lives — all of it will be gone! Look at Xuzhou! Do you think Zhao Jin will leave a path for you to live?!" This time, Xu Hongru failed to control himself again, roaring out these words. Everyone present was terrified into silence, too frightened to even breathe.

Being away from home, I won't thank everyone for their support one by one.