Chapter 513: Retreat and Defense

  Under the ruthless beating of two old women, Xiao Zhen, covered in blood, didn't dare to hide anything. While crying and begging for mercy, she told them everything: how she was bullied by two military officers from Nanchang that day, how she escaped, how she and her servant went up the mountain to thank Wu Daochang afterwards, how they came up the mountain today to burn incense and help Wu Daochang wash his bedding and clothes, and how Wu Daochang sent them down the mountain under the entrustment of the abbot of Qiuzhen Temple. Finally, she also confessed that Wu Daochang was indeed the same Wu Shan who had come to their house with a knife to take revenge.

  The whole house was shocked, the two old women put away the three-foot-long board, looking at the angry Mrs. Wang with a flustered expression, the two little maids who were supporting Mrs. Wang on either side were also frightened pale and trembling all over, Mrs. Wang's brother, steward Wang, had his eyes rapidly moving back and forth, his face full of gloomy color.

  It was a matter of the Chen family's reputation and grudges, everyone held their breath, only Xiao Zhen, who had fallen to the ground, whimpered and cried.

  Wang Guan's eyes flashed with a fierce light as he thought for a moment, then leaned in close to the old lady and whispered a few words.

  The old lady's eyebrows twitched a few times, and she nodded heavily. Wang the housekeeper turned around and left, soon bringing two strong and powerful guards who quickly bound Xiao Zhen's head with a quilt and tied her up tightly. Xiao Zhen struggled and shouted desperately, her legs trembling all over, and in an instant she suffocated to death.

  "Slipped out the back door and went to a deserted place to bury it."

  "Yes!"

  Two nurse assistants quickly lifted up Xiao Zhen and left, the housekeeper glared at everyone with a fierce expression, walking step by step to the two trembling old women: "Tomorrow morning you two come to my room, each of you will receive five big yuan as reward, remember, after leaving this house, shut your stinking mouths, whoever lets out even half a word about today's events, don't blame me for being ruthless! Remember?"

  "Remember, remember..."

  "Second Master, rest assured, I wouldn't dare to speak nonsense even if you beat me to death!"

  The housekeeper nodded in satisfaction, waved her hand to let the two women retreat, and looked at the two maids who had been frightened: "You two have followed the lady since childhood, do I need to tell you what to do?"

  "Yes! Second Master, rest assured, we didn't hear anything."

  "Alright, go ahead!"

  Wang Guan's family waved his hand to let the two frightened maidservants leave, and then he went forward to support Madame Chen to sit down: "Sister, it seems that you should immediately invite Master Chen to come and discuss what to do. Our enemy is now hiding on Taijin Mountain, and no one knows when he will sneak in to take revenge. He's a madman who has gone crazy, and maybe he really has the support of the Red Bandits behind him. If this person is not eliminated, our Chen family will not be able to rest easy for a single day! Moreover, with Young Madam involved in such an ugly affair, if it gets out, the reputation of our Chen family will be ruined, and how can Young Master make a name for himself? Isn't this ruining Young Master's bright future?"

  "Monster! Monster!"

  The lady woke up and slumped on the armrest of the chair, wailing in pain. Manager Wang was shocked and urged her repeatedly, but she just kept crying.

  The lady cried for a long time, wiped away her tears and grabbed Wang's hand: "Second brother, what should I do?"

  Wang Guan's face turned even more solemn: "The most urgent task is to get rid of the scourge on Taigong Mountain as soon as possible and cover up the whole thing. However, we don't have enough manpower. Since that scourge was able to kill two Nanjing military officers, he must not be an ordinary person to deal with. Moreover, I estimate that he has guns in his hands, the two rifles taken from the two Nanjing military officers. With only twenty or so men under my command, I'm afraid we can't catch him. Therefore, I'll go to the county town to ask Wang Wu to send troops to surround and capture him. After all, Wang Wu is our cousin, the county magistrate, and the Wang and Chen families have been friends for three generations. It was also his doing that brought about the marriage between Erniang and us. He won't ignore this matter, will he? If word gets out, it'll be a loss of face for Old Wang's family too. Can he really not help us?"

  "Alright! Second brother, you go into the city right now and tell fifth brother everything that happened. Ask him to immediately dispatch troops to get rid of that evil spawn! Oh heavens, why is my life so bitter? My eldest son died young, and all I have left is Kang'er, this flesh and blood of mine. Just as he's starting to make something of himself, disaster strikes again. If anything happens to him, how can I go on living?" The old lady was so anxious that she couldn't speak coherently, and tears streamed down her face once more.

  "Sister, don't cry anymore, this isn't the time for tears. We need to hurry up and invite your brother-in-law over, let him make a decision quickly. This is a big matter, after all, it needs your brother-in-law's approval!" Manager Wang patiently comforted her.

  The lady wiped away her tears, thought for a moment, and suddenly stood up: "Don't wait for him to nod, at this time he's already on that scoundrel's belly, who would bother him and not get scolded? Even if he comes over, with his temperament, wouldn't he still be hesitant? If he still remembers the shameful things he did back then, maybe he'll dawdle and have no main plan. Today I'm taking charge, that cursed bastard is now on Mount Taigold in the west, and may come seeking revenge at any time, can't afford to delay. You immediately ride a fast horse into the city to mobilize troops, the faster the better."

  Wang Guan's wife looked at the lady with suspicion: "Sister, why do I feel that there is something fishy going on here? You always refer to that fierce man as a wicked offspring, are you hiding something from me?"

  "Oh no! You're still asking, hurry up and go! You've only been at the Chen's for less than two years, of course you wouldn't know about things from twenty years ago. After everything is settled, I'll tell you all about it in detail. If we don't get rid of that bastard, who knows if either of us will be able to live a good life? Don't forget that the mother of that bastard was killed by your own hands when you drove into her! If we don't get rid of him, there'll be endless trouble!" The old lady urged her brother out hastily.

  "Alright! I'll go into town now, you wait for news at home." Manager Wang didn't ask any more questions and hurriedly ran off.

  。。。。。。

  At dawn, on Taikong Mountain.

  The starlight faded, and the morning glow suddenly appeared. Wu Ming finished his stance and practiced another round of boxing. He picked up his shirt to wipe away the sweat flowing down his face and body, glanced at his bulging chest muscles and a few abdominal muscles, rotated his robust arms, and casually tossed his shirt onto a three-meter-high bamboo pole. He walked to the middle of the empty space in front of a sturdy wooden stake, took a deep breath, and assumed a rare starting pose. His two hands, one yin and one yang, were like embracing the universe. With a low hum, he suddenly exerted his strength, and the water bucket-thick, two-meter-long wooden stake emitted a dull thudding sound.

  A moment later, Wu Ming withdrew his last kick, slightly bent his knees and opened up a closing stance. He took off his clothes, wiped the sweat while walking towards the babbling brook, squatted on the stone slab by the creek to clean himself up.

  Wu Ming wiped the water stains on his face with a dry shirt, raised his head and let out a long sigh. In a daze, he seemed to hear a faint sound of footsteps.

  Wu Ming tilted his head slightly, listened carefully for a moment, and slowly turned to look in the direction of Qi Zhen Temple. He finally clearly heard the chaotic footsteps and the sound of weeds falling, getting closer and clearer. It seemed that there were more than twenty people.

  Wu Ming didn't have time to think about who was approaching, he looked around and suddenly jumped up, rushed back to the small hut, quickly put on his Taoist robe, pulled out a Mauser pistol from under the pillow, loaded the magazine, buckled the wide belt, listened for a moment, then strode out of the back door without hesitation, nimbly passing under the water bamboo tube, jumped over the three-meter-wide stream, and disappeared into the dense thicket behind the big tree.

  About fifty security guards wearing light gray uniforms and big caps gathered in front of the wooden house, the leading officer waved his hand with a shotgun and gave a low command, and about fifty people immediately dispersed to surround the wooden house, all gun barrels aimed at the door and two open small windows.

  "Commander, it's quiet inside. Have they discovered us?" A quick-witted little soldier bent down to the commander behind the wooden stake.

  Lian Chang raised his gun and pointed to the front: "Don't you see that the iron chimney on the roof is still smoking? He must be inside. You bring ten people to quietly approach the back door, I'll block the front door with my men. When you hear a gunshot, rush in. If we can't catch him alive, dead will do."

  "I understand."

  "Bang——"

  "Don't move! Don't move......"

  After the gunshot, there was a commotion. Lian Chang and over a dozen soldiers rushed into the house as if they were facing a formidable enemy. However, not a single person was found inside. The tidy room was empty, with only the neatly folded quilt on the bed. The copper kettle by the fireplace kept emitting steam.

  "Ah, he must have found out we're coming for him. Looks like he can't be far away, maybe hiding nearby. Search for me!" Lian Chang angrily shouted.

  A group of soldiers have rushed in, two squad leaders came to the company commander: "This desolate mountain is not easy to search, I heard that the bandits have guns."

  "Yes, the enemy is in the dark while I am in the light!"

  Lian Chang angrily glared with wide eyes: "What a bunch of cowards! Several dozen brothers ran tens of miles on mountain roads in the middle of the night, and after finally blocking all the mountain paths and sneaking up, not even a single feather was obtained? Who was it that heard about the 300-dollar reward and came rushing?"

  Everyone fell silent, and after a moment of contemplation, Long decided resolutely: "What's there to fear? All the small paths down the mountain have been sealed off, and Commander Tuan personally led two companies of brothers to blockade the roads and mountain passes. Chen Fuwang, the steward of the Chen household, is guarding the western pass with his servants, and behind us are cliffs that even monkeys can't climb. The bandit is alone, and even if he grew wings, he couldn't fly away. As long as we find him, a hail of gunfire will be all it takes to finish him off. You'll split into two groups and search the forest in front of and behind the big tree, let's go!"

  "Yes!"

  Gunfire was heard outside, and the room suddenly fell into chaos.

  A small soldier rushed in: "Company Commander, there are gunshots coming from the west side of the mountain, it seems to be gunfire opened at the waist of the western mountain."

  The captain rushed out of the hut, ran to the edge of the cliff in one breath, and looked down. A group of little soldiers followed him, and dozens of eyes looked down at the mountain waist about 500 meters below. Unfortunately, the dense forest made it impossible to see anything, only knowing that there was a fire below.

  Lian Chang had no choice but to raise his shotgun and shout loudly: "Below is the mountain pass guarded by Chen Fu's house servants, it seems they have clashed with bandits. Quick! Follow the sound and chase after them, cross the stream and there must be a small path down the mountain, hurry over and attack from both sides. Even if the bandits are killed, we must arrive at the scene, 300 big oceans!"

  The officers and soldiers shouted loudly, holding their guns and rushing to jump over the small stream in a competitive manner.

  Behind the big rock at the foot of the mountain, Wu Ming held his gun tightly against the stone, wiping away the wound on his right cheek that was scratched by flying debris, and anxiously observed the terrain in all directions.

  Sparse bullets kept flying, hitting the leaves on top of their heads, and Wu Ming had already judged that no less than five guns were fired from the mountain valley below, the distance would not be more than 300 meters. If they didn't think of a way to escape quickly, the enemy on the mountain would come after them, and it would be even worse to be attacked from both sides.

  Wu Ming's current location is almost a dead end, with a deep mountain gorge on the left that is over ten meters deep, covered in moss and slippery to the point where it's hard to stand, let alone climb down. On the right is a steep slope, although the vegetation is lush and dense, but climbing up would expose his body, making him a target for enemy fire from below. Even if the enemy's marksmanship is poor, with five or six guns firing at once, it's hard to guarantee he won't be hit.

  In the midst of shouting, the gunfire from below suddenly stopped, while the responding voices from above grew closer and closer. Wu Ming knew that if he didn't move now, he would only be able to hide here and wait for death. So, taking a deep breath, he tentatively fired his first shot downwards, immediately drawing a barrage of return fire from below.

  After a burst of gunfire, the shots below grew sparse. Wu Ming seized the opportunity to leap over the rocks, shouting angrily as he charged down the mountain path with his gun at the ready.