Chapter 2: Luring the Enemy with an Act

  Is this the legendary Zhongyitang's Big Boss Ye Tufei, also known as Ye Liu Ye?

  Zhang Luohui drew a big question mark in his mind. Based on Zhang Luohui's hearsay about Ye Tufei, he thought Ye Tufei should be a majestic and powerful person like Guan Yu, or at least as brave as Zhang Fei. But unexpectedly, this legendary master of Erlang Mountain turned out to be an ordinary person, not as tall as Zhang Luohui, nor as sturdy, and even less handsome.

  "Director Zhang, what's the matter that you're looking for me at this late hour?" Ye Tufei asked casually, playing with a cigar in his hand.

  Zhang Luohui quickly came to his senses, gave Ye Tufei a Jianghu salute and said: "I've long heard of the reputation of Ye Liu Ye, today I see you, it's indeed not in vain!"

  Ye Tufei smiled faintly and said: "Captain Zhang has already spoken, just say what you want to say, I don't like beating around the bush."

  As they spoke, Zhang Luosheng and Ye Tufei's eyes intersected. Zhang Luohui's heart suddenly skipped a beat, the gaze that met his was so sharp, as if it would pierce through his innermost thoughts.

  Zhang Luohui didn't dare to be slow, and hastily replied: "Sixth Master, you know that the Japanese invaders' iron hooves have already reached our faces, Xuzhou is in danger every day, China is in danger every day. We Chinese children should rise up and resist."

  Ye Tufei waved his hand, interrupting Zhang Luohui, saying: "Commander Zhang, we mountain bandits haven't read many years of books and don't like to listen to these grand principles. You just say what you have to say, but let's get the ugliness out of the way first. If you're here on orders to suppress me, there's no need for courtesy before battle, let's just start fighting directly."

  Zhang Luo Hui bitterly smiled and shook his head, saying: "Sixth Master, what are you talking about? Even if I, Zhang Luo Hui, had eaten a leopard's gallbladder, I wouldn't dare to make a move on your, Ye Sixth Master's, head!"

  Ye Tufei flew backwards, put the cigar in his mouth, took out a match and lit it. Ye Tufei watched as the match gradually turned to ash, but he didn't light the cigar. He threw away the matchstick and removed the cigar from his mouth before speaking: "You're not the first government soldier to come to my Erlang Mountain, I believe you won't be the last either. Do you understand what I mean?"

  Zhang Luohui was somewhat anxious and hastily explained: "Sixth Master, I didn't come here this time to target you."

  Ye Tufei smiled and said: "You came to Erlang Mountain, but you say it's not targeting me? Then tell me, who is it targeting?"

  "Hey, little Japanese! Sixth Master, please be a bit more patient and let me finish what I have to say."

  Ye Tu Fei put away his smile and said somewhat helplessly: "Alright, let's hear what you have to say."

  Zhang Luohui turned halfway around, pointing to the door and saying: "In a place less than 80 kilometers east of Erlang Mountain, a rapid strike force of Little Japan is lurking. I estimate that by tomorrow morning at the latest, Little Japan's troops will be able to reach Erlang Mountain."

  Ye Tu Fei slightly nodded and said: "Is Little Japan here to help your government army suppress bandits?"

  Zhang Luohui smiled bitterly and replied: "The Little Japanese are borrowing a path through Erlang Mountain, their actual target is the Jia family's Wan."

  Ye Tu Fei, seemingly lost in thought, lit another match and waited until it was about to go out before bringing the flame to his cigar, taking a light drag. "If they didn't come for me at Er Lang Mountain, then what business do they have with Zhong Yi Tang?"

  Zhang Luohui was unhappy in his heart and his tone was somewhat agitated: "How can Sixth Master Ye speak like this? The Jia family's Wan is a key point of support on the battlefield of Taierzhuang. If it is stolen by the little Japanese, it will inevitably affect the entire Taierzhuang battle situation. Ye Sixth Master, when the little Japanese attacked Xuzhou, it was the moment when you and I became slaves to the invading country. Ye Sixth Master, if you still have a sense of honor, you should stand up and fight shoulder to shoulder with me, Zhang Luohui, to defeat the Japanese army and save our Chinese nation in this time of crisis!"

  Ye Tufei's mouth seemed to twitch for a moment, and then he regained his composure. He said indifferently: "Whether it's your government army or the little Japanese in charge, what difference does it make to us? Captain Zhang, don't try to use the 'inspiring general' tactic on me, Ye Tufei. I'm not too fond of this kind of trick."

  Zhang Luohui sighed and said helplessly, "Alright! Let the 258th Regiment take on the task of resisting the Japanese alone. Ye Liu Ye, you're being cautious with your men's lives, I can understand that. But is it too much to ask for your brothers to help me repair some fortifications?"

  Ye Tuofei pinched the lit cigar, staring at the swirling smoke and slowly replied: "To be honest with you, Zhang Tuanzhang, the Japanese also approached me, offering me a whole fifty large yellow croakers, just to get my promise not to interfere in this matter. Considering your face, Zhang Tuanzhang, I agreed to help you, but since you're asking my brothers to do the job for you, shouldn't you show some appreciation? At least be more generous than those Japanese, right?"

  Not to mention fifty gold bars, even if it were fifty silver dollars, Zhang Luohui couldn't afford it.

  Looking at Ye Tufei who seemed nonchalant, Zhang Luohui stomped his foot in frustration and turned around to leave.

  Behind him, Ye Tufei said: "Captain Zhang, slow down! After you all die under the Japanese guns, I can collect your bodies for free!"

  Zhang Luohui was so angry that he wished to pull out his gun and shoot the big bandit, but since they were on someone else's turf, their guns had already been confiscated, so he could only curse silently in his heart.

  Watching Zhang Luohui's departing figure, Ye Tufei couldn't help but burst out laughing.

  Takeo stepped out of the inner room with a smile all over his face, bowed to Yè Tú Fēi and said: "Sixth Master is indeed a man of his word, Takeo is impressed!"

  Ye Tufei returned the courtesy and said, "As a Jianghu person, it has always been believed that taking someone's money to help them eliminate disasters is a matter of course. Since I took Mr. Zhuxia's gold bars, I must consider Mr. Zhuxia's interests. Isn't this the right principle?"

  "Of course," said Takeeda with a smile.

  Ye Tu Fei made a gesture of sending off guests and said: "Mr. Zhuxia's mood is urgent to report to the top, so I won't keep Mr. Zhuxia any longer, please!"

  After sending off Zhuxia Gen, Ye Tu Fei called out a greeting towards the outside of the door, and in response, a nimble figure flashed in.

  "Sixth Master, what instructions do you have?"

  Ye Tufei lit a cigar, but found that the flame had gone out. He reached for a match and took out the last one from the box, just as he was about to light it, the door opened and a gust of cold wind blew in, extinguishing the match in his hand.

  Ye Tu Fei angrily threw away the matchstick and asked the person who had just entered the house: "Is there a fire?"

  That man smiled bitterly and replied: "Sixth Master, you know that those of us in this line of work don't smoke, so we wouldn't have matches on us either."

  Ye Tu Fei became curious and asked: "It's strange, you big thieves from all over the place, why don't any of you smoke?"

  That man replied: "We don't understand what our master taught either."

  Ye Tu Fei didn't pursue the topic further and got down to business: "How did you arrange for that Zhang Battalion Commander?"

  That man smiled and replied: "I'll have my brothers take him for a stroll in the back hills."

  Ye Tufei smiled and said: "Alright, let's get him dizzy and then bring him back!"

  That man responded, turned around and was about to leave, but Ye Tufei added a sentence behind him: "Yi Xian, go call the Thirteen Arhats to the conference hall, we'll discuss it there later."

  Half an hour later, everyone gathered in the conference hall. Zhang Luohui was also brought in.

  The conference hall was not large, with a long table occupying most of the space. Ye Tufei sat in the middle on the inside, with more than ten men sitting on either side of the table.

  "Captain Zhang, it can't be pleasant to have been blindfolded and led around for half a day? I, Ye Tufei, had no choice either. Please forgive me, Captain Zhang." After his subordinates removed the black cloth covering Zhang Luohui's eyes, Ye Tufei apologized to him in a calm and composed manner.

  Zhang Luohui, who had just escaped from the darkness, seemed to be still unaccustomed to the light. He rubbed his eyes and asked: "What does Master Ye mean by this? I, Zhang Luohui, have no objections to Master Ye's decision, but I couldn't afford the price you set, so it's useless for me to stay."

  "How dare you speak to our Sixth Master in this tone? Are you looking for death?" One of the brothers, who was sitting closest to Zhang Luo Hui, couldn't bear it anymore and stood up, taking out a twenty-shot rifle along with its gun case. With a loud "slap", he slammed it onto the table.

  Zhang Luohui's face showed no fear as he coldly gazed at the brother, saying: "Be careful of accidental gunfire, not killing me but instead hurting your own brother."

  That brother couldn't stand Zhang Luo Hui's contempt, got angry, pulled out the twenty shots from the gun case, opened the safety catch, pointed at Zhang Luo Hui: "What kind of bird are you? Don't care about life or death, just a hard mouth?"

  At this time, another short and thin brother with a gold-rimmed glasses frame on the bridge of his nose stood up, pressed down the barrel of the gun, and said: "Old Five! Sixth Brother hasn't spoken, what are you yelling about here? Listen to Second Brother, put away your gun."

  Lao Wu put away his gun with a huff, saying discontentedly: "If it weren't for Second Brother stopping me, I'd have blown a hole in your dog head right now."

  Zhang Luohui sighed and retorted: "Only knowing how to show off in front of compatriots, what kind of hero is that?"

  After saying this sentence, Zhang Luo Hui anticipated the coming storm.

  Who would have thought that a house full of men, including Ye Tu Fei, burst out laughing.

  The crowd's laughter had barely subsided when Ye Tuofei spoke up: "I told you all, this Zhang Tuanzhang is different from the others. You guys just didn't believe me, did I not have good judgment? My sixth brother?"

  The brother who called himself Er Ge replied: "Sixth Brother is right, this government army really has some guts, I like people with guts."

  Zhang Luohui finally realized that these bandits had actually made a bet with him, he was very angry but couldn't vent his anger, and could only stare at the group of bandits laughing unscrupulously again.

  After everyone had a good laugh, Ye Tufei stood up and saluted Zhang Luohui with a fist, saying: "Commander Zhang, don't be offended. My brothers were just trying to see if you, this lieutenant colonel, are qualified to fight alongside us."

  Ye Tu's words shocked Zhang Luo Hui, he was a little unbelievable, and hesitantly asked: "Sixth Master, what did you say?"

  Ye Tufei smiled and repeated slowly: "I'm saying, see if Captain Zhang is qualified to fight side by side with us."

  Zhang Luohui still couldn't believe it and asked again: "Sixth Master, you mean to say that you accept my opinion, don't you?"

  Lao Wu shouted loudly, "You're just in time, Zhang! We six brothers have long known the intentions of those little Japanese devils. We've already made up our minds to give them a good fight. You just happened to arrive at the right moment!"

  Zhang Luohui was taken aback but didn't get angry, scratching the back of his head and smiling along with Lao Wu.

  At this time, Ye Tuofei spoke up. "Alright, stop arguing. You brothers all know Captain Zhang, but Captain Zhang doesn't know any of you. How about this, Xiaocai, you come and introduce everyone to Captain Zhang so that we can all get familiar with each other for tomorrow's battle."