Chapter Fifty-Four: The Guest

  Just as Yan Wudao and Luo Ying were playing, a voice outside the tent shouted at Yan Wudao, "Fifth brother, the guests who came from the front have big mouths, Master wants you to take action and exchange a few moves with them." Yan Wudao, who was pinching Luo Ying's neck, released his hand and turned out of the tent. Zhang Jinquan was indeed puzzled in his heart, maybe other people's mouths are just born that way, what does it have to do with you, why bother taking action to teach others a lesson?

  "Heh heh, fool, you're talking too big for your britches today, annoying me. That's why I had to teach you a lesson." Lu Ying, with an air of superiority, lectured Zhang Jinquan with his hands behind his back. Normally, everyone gave in to Lu Ying, making him feel like it was no fun at all. Now that there were new faces around, he couldn't wait to show off and satisfy his urge to brag.

  Jin Quan was normally a taciturn person, and after exchanging only a few words with Luo Ying, he became sulky and silent, causing Luo Ying to roll her eyes in annoyance. "Let's go, I'll take you to see Wu Ge teach someone a lesson, but you have to listen to me and not make a sound, or else Brother will scold me." Luo Ying's eyes sparkled with mischief as she thought of something fun. Since Yan Wujian was late, Luo Ying had yet to see him fight anyone, and now she could use this newcomer as a scapegoat.

  Zhang Jinquan had been itching for a while, and as soon as Luo Ying said this, he nodded his head like a drumbeat. Luo Ying quietly lifted the curtain of the tent and looked around, seeing that no one was paying attention to them, she beckoned Zhang Jinquan to follow her from behind. The two had just left the tent and hadn't walked far when they heard someone laughing behind them, turning their heads to see that it was Yu Dazhi from last night. Yu Dazhi seemed to have known all along that they would sneak out, and he had been waiting for them here, with a large pile of melon seeds already at his feet.

  "You little scamp, it's about time you came out! I've been waiting for so long, and I thought that once Old Five left, you'd all come out. But no, you took your sweet time!" Yu Dazhi clapped his hands together, shaking off the melon seed shells on his clothes, before grinning from ear to ear as he started teasing Luo Ying. Yu Dazhi's body was quite sturdy, but his hands were incredibly quick, and every time he reached out, he accurately pinched Luo Ying's ears, causing her to wail in pain and demand that Yu Dazhi carry her on his back, claiming that her ears hurt too much for her to walk.

  "Let's go, our boss is waiting for you." Yu Dazhi patted Luo Ying on the back with a smug face and turned to call out to Zhang Jinquan, "Remember what I told you yesterday, whatever Boss asks, just answer honestly, don't think about playing any tricks on us, or else we brothers won't be able to get around you." Yu Dazhi's words confused Zhang Jinquan again, he didn't know why this person who hadn't even covered his face was so interested in him. However, from last night to now, the people he had come into contact with seemed like good people, and this boss wasn't a bad guy either.

  Following behind Yu Dazhi, Zhang Jinqian entered the largest tent. After standing still for a moment, he discovered that there were already four people inside. A white-faced man with a black beard sat cross-legged opposite him. Yan Wudao, who had just parted ways with him, stood beside him, and he and Yu Dazhi stood beside Yan Wudao. Luo Ying was also silent, but still clinging to Yu Dazhi's back without coming down. In front of him, a person sat with their back to him, apparently the "master" that Yu Dazhi and the others had mentioned. Zhang Jinqian wanted to sneak a peek at this master from the side, but Luo Ying signaled him not to move with his eyes.

  "Mr. Zhao, your helpers are quite good, just one look and you can tell they're all skilled." The pale-faced man spoke first, his eyes scanning over Yan Wujian and Yu Dazhi and the others, even sparing a glance for Luo Ying who was leaning against Yu Dazhi's back. But when his gaze landed on Zhang Jinquan, it lingered for a moment too long, filled with surprise, as if he actually knew Zhang Jinquan. Zhang Jinquan may not have seen much of the world, but that didn't mean he was stupid. Seeing the doubt in the man's eyes, Zhang Jinquan also tried to recall whether he had met this person before, but after thinking for a while, he couldn't come up with anything. He could only give up.

  Just as Zhang Jinquan was in a state of panic, the person behind him spoke up, "They are not my helpers, they are my brothers, all of whom I can entrust with my life. People like us, you won't understand." As soon as Mr. Zhao finished speaking, Zhang Jinquan could clearly feel the people standing next to him, including Yan Wudao, tremble, and the aura emanating from them was even stronger than before. Even Luo Ying, who had been lying on Yu Dazhi's back, had quietly slid down at some point and was now standing upright with her chest out and hands on her hips.

  The white-faced man opposite him looked somewhat solemn, he didn't expect that the young man opposite him could make his subordinates' morale greatly shaken with just a light and easy sentence. If he had someone like this under his command, why would they still need to hide in the mountains every day to fight guerrilla warfare? They should have gone to gather troops to attack the county town long ago. But he had been probing for half a day today, and the other side just wouldn't budge, it seemed that they really weren't interested in joining his army.

  "Haha" The words had not been spoken yet, when the white-faced man burst into a hearty laugh. "Haha, well said! Mr. Zhao is an upright and honest person, so we can't be careless either. Let's just stick to what we agreed on earlier. As soon as you bring your things over, we'll immediately return the person to you. What do you think, Mr. Zhao?"

  "Alright, after our goods are delivered, I'll send someone to notify you. Can I send one person with you to go back and check on the condition of those big-nosed ones? After all, we still have a long way to go afterwards. If those big-nosed ones are safe and healthy, I can give you some more supplies, what do you think of my proposal?"

  The two men opposite each other exchanged a glance, and then the pale-faced man agreed to Mr. Zhao's proposal. Both sides also agreed that Zhang Dapao, the village chief of Xiaozhang Village, would act as their guarantor to ensure that neither side played tricks on the other. The two men opposite were the leaders of the local anti-Japanese guerrilla force. The pale-faced one was named Cui Dayong, an Eighth Route Army soldier who had been wounded and left behind to form an anti-Japanese armed force after his recovery. His guerrilla team now had over 100 people and a dozen long guns. The dark-faced one was Wang Dachun, whose ancestors were all stonemasons, and he was one of the earliest anti-Japanese activists developed by Cui Dayong. He was now the captain of the guerrilla team, with a dozen men under his command.

  As for Mr. Zhao, who was facing away from Zhang Jinquan, he was naturally Zhao Zhi. These people had come all the way from Shanghai to meet with Cui Dayong's anti-Japanese guerrilla team. The missionaries mentioned by Hunter were in Cui Dayong's guerrilla team. Zhao Zhi had only come to redeem someone and didn't need to clash with the guerrilla team, so they openly and directly moved into Xiaozhang Village, waiting for the guerrilla team to meet up with them. Sure enough, on the second day after their arrival, people came, and it was none other than the leader of the guerrilla team.