Chapter 64: Eliminating Future Troubles

  Yang Tong fell, and the remaining few bandits were no match for Xing and his men. With a few swift strokes, they were cut down to the ground, seemingly mortally wounded. Yang Tong struggled on the ground, trying to grab his knife to end his own life, but was immediately pounced upon by Li Laoliu, who pinned him down, binding his shoulders and arms with ropes into tight knots.

  The courtyard was quiet again, and the captors quickly searched the courtyard to confirm that there were no more fish escaping from the net. They lit lanterns and torches, illuminating the entire courtyard.

  Gao Huaiyuan waved his hand, and Zhou Huan immediately shouted: "Form up!" A dozen or so young men quickly formed a neat line in the courtyard, their bodies standing straight.

  At this moment, these young men are not having a good time either. Except for Gao Huaiyuan, Zhou Huan and Xue Yan, who have experienced such scenes before, the rest of them are experiencing this kind of thing for the first time. Moreover, most of them had just tasted the enemy's blood in the previous battle.

  Humans are emotional animals, no one is born a warrior, and no one is born to kill. The first time they experience killing, it doesn't feel good for them.

  Especially Fei Wenlong and several other gunmen, just now they were blocking the gate of the courtyard, stabbing down the most enemies. After the first stab, the feeling of the gun tip entering the human body made them almost soften their hands. If it wasn't for Gao Huaiyuan telling them before that no matter what, they couldn't soften their hands, otherwise they would be the next to die. So they endured the huge shock in their hearts and continued to stand at the gate, stabbing out the long guns in their hands one by one according to Gao Huaiyuan's command.

  It wasn't until later, when they felt a bit numb, that they started to feel slightly better. When they first arrived, seeing the corpses at the entrance, the wounded bandits who hadn't died yet, and the blood all over the ground, they almost threw up. However, for the sake of the Tiger's Lair Manor's reputation, they forced themselves to hold back the urge to vomit, took a few deep breaths, and suppressed it. Nevertheless, their noses still caught a strong smell of blood, and their stomachs kept churning, so at this moment, their faces looked somewhat pale, and their hands holding the long guns and knife handles were slightly trembling.

  But Zhou Jun and the other archers were in a slightly better state, after all, they were shooting arrows, and didn't have to feel the sensation of weapons cutting through flesh. However, when they came down from the house, looking at the ground covered in blood and the pitiful sight of those who had been shot, as well as the scattered remains of people who had been hacked to pieces, one of the young men couldn't help but vomit. At this moment, their faces were also as pale as Fei Wenlong's.

  "Stand up straight, don't pity these thieves, they're not worth your sympathy. The first time you see blood, it's always like this, anyone would feel uncomfortable, that shows you're still human. You all did well today, and you're doing a good thing, ridding the people of Daye County of a scourge! Now check if anyone is injured?" Gaohaiyuan didn't bother with Xing the captain and his men cleaning up the battlefield, but instead loudly spoke to his own young subordinates. At this time, these youngsters needed someone to comfort them, after all, everyone had performed well today, and it was their first time seeing blood and killing people. If they left a psychological shadow, it wouldn't be good!

  "In response to Young Master's words, we're not afraid! We've already taken stock, our people are fine, just Jin San twisted his leg when he jumped off the roof, and Li Er Gou was slashed on the shoulder by that fierce man earlier, but the injuries aren't serious! Please don't worry, Young Master!" Zhou Hao replied to Gao Hua Yuan.

  He felt much more at ease now, and it seemed that he was indeed worried about someone getting too seriously injured. Although he had mentally prepared himself for this, such things could never be guaranteed to not result in deaths or injuries. Now, looking at the young people he had brought with him, not one of them had died, only two were lightly injured - this was practically a miracle.

  "Does it hurt badly?" Gao Huaiyuan walked up to Li Erdou and examined the wound on his shoulder. The wound was over two inches long and looked a bit frightening, but compared to his previous injury, it was nothing.

  "It doesn't hurt!" Li Erdou still didn't say much, but his answer was very firm, and a hint of gratitude appeared in his eyes.

  Gao Huaiyuan nodded and let them disperse to rest, ordering Xue Yan to bandage Li Erdou's wound, while he himself turned around to see if Xing the captain had finished dealing with things.

  Yang Tong was tied up with five flowers, his eyes almost bulging out of their sockets. Only now did he see clearly that the ones blocking them at the gate were actually a group of underage kids. He could hardly believe his eyes, and his heart was filled with bitter resentment. This was really too much! Today, he had actually fallen into the hands of a group of young whippersnappers. If this got out, people would be killed from laughing, it was just too ridiculous! How did those damned officials find such a bunch of useless kids to deal with him?!

  Xing caught the head, and his heart was beautiful! Today, it can be said that they were able to catch these thieves so smoothly, thanks to Gao's help. They caught more people than expected, with less than 20 captors, they killed nearly 50 fierce bandits, while only two of their own captors died in battle and five or six were injured. This time, when they return, they will have gained a lot of face!

  And the young guards on Gao Huaiyuan's side also performed remarkably, not letting their captors look down on them. With over a dozen people coming, they didn't lose a single one, and their battle results were no worse than their own side. A large group of thieves tried to rush out of the gate, but were firmly blocked by just a few of them in the front yard, not letting a single one escape. Not even suffering any casualties themselves, truly formidable!

  Even the three young archers who cooperated with Zhou Jun couldn't help but praise him and his men. Although these youngsters were not very old, when they shot arrows, their speed and accuracy were no worse than theirs, and they also had a good eye for the situation, greatly supporting the battle below. Just the bandits they shot down were more than a dozen, truly making them look at each other in surprise.

  Upon seeing Gao Hua Yuan arrive, Xing Bu Tou and the others hastily paid their respects to him, opening their mouths to say: "Thank you, Young Master Gao, for lending a hand. If it weren't for you today, we truly wouldn't have been able to take down these fierce bandits! Thank you, thank you!"

  Gao Huaiyuan waved his hand repeatedly and said, "I've already told you, I and Captain Xing are like brothers from the same family, why be polite? These fierce bandits are indeed ferocious and formidable, they even scared me! Hehe!"

  After finishing, he walked among the captured bandits and saw this half-naked bandit leader. The arrow he had just shot was still stuck in the man's thigh, with blood still gushing out of the wound, staring at him intently. He lowered his head, glared at him, and stared back.

  "What's wrong? Are you not convinced? You should know that when you come out to mix, you always have to pay back! You've done so many evil things, it's time for you to taste this kind of flavor, heh heh!" Gao Huaiyuan deliberately provoked him, and towards this kind of person, he couldn't muster up even a bit of sympathy.

  "Are these little brats under your command?" Yang Tong stared at Gao Huaiyuan's eyes, asking fiercely.

  "Not bad! Yes, they are all the guardians of my house, what's wrong? Don't you agree? I forgot to tell you, this arrow on your leg was given by me! How does it feel?" Gao Huaiyan occasionally had a childish outburst, after all, in his previous life, he wasn't that old either. He squatted down and asked Yang Tong, who was lying on the ground like a shining pig, with a smile.

  Yang Tong was so angry that he almost vomited blood. He also saw that Gao Huaiyuan, although not short in stature, was actually quite young. Today, he had really fallen into the hands of a group of youngsters and was cleaned up like this. In his haste to attack with anger, he hadn't caught his breath yet, and was actually made dizzy by Gao Huaiyuan's words and fainted.

  Gao Huaiyuan took a look at this guy, who was so uncooperative, and got up to stroll around the yard. He then went to take another look at Jin San's injured leg, and gave it a twist. Soon, Jin San felt that his leg could move again, and he couldn't help but be deeply moved.

  "Master, come quick and take a look, we've run into an old acquaintance again! Haha!" Xue Yan had just finished bandaging Li Er Gou's wound and stood up to help Xing Bu Tou, when he unintentionally caught sight of a familiar face among the captives, and burst out laughing as he hastily called out to Gao Huai Yuan.

  Gao Huaiyuan immediately walked over, lowered his head and followed the direction of his finger, and suddenly burst out laughing. It's really true that one can't find it no matter how hard they try, but when it comes easily, it doesn't take much effort!

  At this moment, Di Er was covered in blood and lying on the ground, gasping for breath. There was still an arrow stuck in his shoulder. This guy really had a strong life force, comparable to Xiao Qiang's. He had been shot by Gao Huaiyuan's arrow and fallen from such a high wall, yet he hadn't died. Now he had been discovered by the guards, tied up, and tossed into a corner without anyone caring whether he was suffering or not. No wonder Gao Huaiyuan hadn't seen him earlier.

  After catching Xiang Er, Gao Huaiyuan couldn't help but feel lucky about his decision this time. Since Xiang Er ran away last time, he had been a thorn in his side. He wasn't afraid of thieves, but he was afraid that the thief would remember him and seek revenge. After making an enemy out of Xiang Er, who he knew was not a good person, he couldn't guarantee when this guy would come back to attack him again. Now that he had a big family and business, if he was always being targeted by people seeking revenge, it would be impossible to guard against. With Xiang Er caught this time, he could finally rest easy.

  But thinking about it again, I feel a bit apprehensive. What if this time he has ulterior motives and doesn't follow Captain Xing on this trip? If these thieves aren't caught by them, that scoundrel Xiao Er will definitely not let me off so easily next time. Who knows, maybe the next target will be to lead these bandits to attack my family's estate. If that happens, I won't have any defense and might really suffer a great loss. It seems that sometimes doing good deeds is also necessary, which is equivalent to helping others and helping oneself.

  With things already settled, there was no need for him to do anything else. Gao Huaiyuan handed over the remaining tasks to Xing Boutu and his men, bid farewell, and prepared to leave.

  "How can this be? Today, we've all witnessed it. If it weren't for Young Master Gao, it would have been impossible to resolve the matter of these bandits so easily. This is a great achievement, and we cannot take credit for it again. This time, no matter what, Young Master Gao must return with us and let everyone in Daye County know about his prestige! No, no, you can't leave!" Xing the captain heard that Gao Hua Yuan wanted to leave and refused to do anything else. He was still a honest person who knew good from bad, and this time he wanted to ask for credit on behalf of Gao Hua Yuan.

  Gao Huaiyuan smiled wryly and said, "I'm telling you, Xing brother, just spare me this time. I came to help you guys because of our good relationship, not for the reward money or to show off. Besides, if this gets out, who knows if those thieves will take a liking to me? I don't want to be on their minds all the time, that would make me sleep uneasily! Let's just keep this between us, and if there's really going to be a reward, consider my share as a token of goodwill for our fallen brothers. Please, you guys must keep this a secret for me. There's a saying that goes 'the nail that sticks out gets hammered down', I don't want to be the one getting roasted on the fire! Thanks for your kindness, but I should get going!"

  Xing Captains and other capturers heard that Gao Huaiyuan's words also made sense. If this matter is spread out, who knows who will be offended? No wonder last time Gao Huaiyuan caught Jing Heihu, he gave the credit to them. He was young, but knew how to keep a low profile, it's really rare!

  Then Xing Bu Tou and the others no longer stopped Gao Huai Yuan, and when they were about to leave, Xing Bu Tou secretly took out a package of valuable things from the stolen goods that had been seized, and stuffed it into Gao Huai Yuan's hand as a reward. At first, Gao Huai Yuan was unwilling to accept it, but seeing that he was sincere in his gratitude, he reluctantly accepted it. This kind of thing is not surprising, as the salaries of the captors are very low, and if they only rely on their meager pay, it would be difficult to make a living, let alone support their families. Therefore, when they encounter such situations, they will often secretly take some of the stolen goods for family use, which is also a helpless move. Today, they seized a lot of stolen goods, and it was inevitable that they would take some for themselves and give some to Gao Huai Yuan as a token of their appreciation. If not, they would also feel uneasy. Gao Huai Yuan understood these things, so he didn't make it difficult for them either.

  However, Gao Huaiyuan suddenly remembered something and grabbed Xing's hand, whispering a few words to him, nodding towards the second son.

  Xing caught the head coldly nodded, whispered to Gao Huaiyuan: "Young Master Gao rest assured, this guy won't make it to the county town! He's a bit too heavily injured! Hmph!"

  Two people looked at each other and burst out laughing, Gao Huaiyuan called out to Xue Yan and his gang, bid farewell to Xing Baozhuang and others, and returned to Wohu Village all the way, as if nothing had happened.

  But this matter, Xing Captains and others respected Gao Huaiyuan's opinion, but privately told Liu Zhi County about the beginning and end of this matter, and concealed it without spreading it out. After all, they wanted to benefit from it in the end, so everyone understood and was very grateful for Gao Huaiyuan's help this time.

  Liu Zhi County now knew about Gao Huaiyuan's abilities and realized that a capable person had emerged on his own turf. He looked at Gao with even more respect, thinking that it was best not to offend someone like him, as he might be useful in the future.

  A few days after Gao Huaiyuan returned home, Xing Boutu personally came to the door again to thank him and told Gao Huaiyuan that the rascal had died of serious injuries on the same night, and also caught his accomplices in Baoshan Town from his confession, thoroughly solving the trouble of the rascal, only then did Gao Huaiyuan completely let go of his worries about this guy.

  After this incident, although the young men did not show any obvious changes on the surface, but among these young men who went out to do things, inadvertently, a kind of ferocious aura was revealed, the aura of those who had killed people and those who had not killed people were different. After this battle, their psychological quality has been greatly tempered, and their entire mind seems to have matured a lot.

  And those young men who were not able to participate in the war also had a strong desire to train themselves well, striving for the next opportunity to follow the young master out to gain experience. They all felt the changes that had taken place in these people who had returned this time and couldn't help but feel a sense of awe towards them.

  This is exactly what Gao Huaiyuan would like to see, and it has achieved his original intention of taking people out for training.

  Of course, people have different aspirations, and some are not moved by this matter. For example, Zhou Wei and Jiang Peng, even if they were a different kind of person, were still busy with their own affairs, and didn't think about learning to fight like the other brothers. One continued to study mathematics, while the other was in the backyard soap workshop, every day tinkering with those somewhat disgusting things, content and happy.

  During the days when Gao Huaiyuan was away, Jiang Peng presided over the soap workshop and produced another batch of soap. The quality was no different from when Gao Huaiyuan was in charge himself, indicating that Jiang Peng had already mastered the soap-making skills. As a result, Gao Huaiyuan could relax a bit more and not worry about the soap workshop's affairs.

  After Yang Tong and Diao Er's gang of bandits were put down, the area around Daye also settled down and was no longer in a state of panic as it had been before. Gao Huaiyuan also returned to Wohu Village and started taking care of his affairs again.

  Because the soap workshop started to officially put into operation, the output was general, but the price was frighteningly high. Moreover, Li Tong's Luli Workshop had also produced some products, and with both parties working together, Gao Huaiyuan's wallet quickly began to swell again.

  Now he can continue to do what he wants, so he sent Xue Yan again, to the surrounding borders, to start searching for suitable young men, buying them back and filling them into Wohu Villa.

  At the same time, considering Luli Village on that side, after all, it was still his father's industry, and it couldn't be counted under his name. After thinking about it for a while, in order to be cautious, he decided to build a new Luli Village on this side of Wohu Villa. This way, there were two benefits: one was that there were fewer idle people on this side of Wohu Villa, which could better guarantee that the glass production techniques of Luli Village would not leak out; secondly, everything on this side of Wohu Villa was under his name, and if his father took back his management rights to the old house, he could still stand on his own with Wohu Villa, without having to worry about anything else.