Chapter Sixty: Hero at the Height of Power

  Prosperous Hero

  Feng Tianxiong followed Mrs. Wang's instructions and arrived at Ding Sheng Silk Store early in the morning with Liang Dayong and Sui Sanxi. He asked Liang Dayong and Sui Sanxi to wait for him at a wonton stall across from Ding Sheng Silk Store, while he himself walked into the store without any hesitation. A strange phenomenon made him feel uneasy. The shop assistants had changed, leaning against the counter, and didn't even come over to greet him when they saw him. The owner sat behind the counter, also ignoring his arrival. He pretended to be nonchalant, looking at a piece of light red fabric, saying: "How much is this fabric?"

  The fellow stood there motionless, looked him up and down disdainfully, and said: "Can you afford it? You look like a complete pauper. What right do you have to ask about such good stuff? Scram! Don't interfere with our business."

  Feng Tianxiong's eyes widened as he said, "How dare you talk like that? You say I'm poor and miserable? You're the one who's poor and miserable. It's really dog-eyed people looking down on others, with this kind of trash, even if it was given to me for free, I wouldn't want it. What a thing!" As he spoke, he walked towards the door.

  "Wait a moment, sir." A man came out of the inner room and called out to Feng Tianxiong: "The new apprentice doesn't understand things, please don't mind. What kind of fabric do you want to buy? I'll take care of it for you."

  Just as Feng Tianxiong was about to turn around, two people came out from behind the gate and blocked his way. One of them said: "You haven't even bought the cloth yet, and you're leaving? That's not very reasonable, is it?"

  Feng Tianxiong looked a bit flustered and shouted: "What are you going to do? Are you going to force us to buy or sell?"

  The person who looked like the boss said with a fake smile: "Forced buying and selling? That's not it, you're not here to buy fabric either, why would I force you to buy or sell? I want to know your real purpose for coming. Let's talk inside?"

  The porter leaning against the counter suddenly rushed over, with a smoky back, and shouted loudly to the boss: "Jump out of the window and run quickly. Kill more devils for us to avenge."

  The shopkeeper also overturned the counter, with a burst of smoke on his body, and rushed towards the two people at the door. Feng Tianxiong didn't have time to think carefully, and he turned around and jumped out of the window. After running forward for only a few steps, a deafening explosion sounded from behind him. The silk fabric store was instantly flattened. The blast wave sent Feng Tianxiong flying far away, shaking him until he lay motionless on the ground.

  Li Dayout and Wei Sanxi were eating wontons when they heard a strange noise from the silk fabric store. They stood up to investigate, but two Japanese agents at the next table pointed guns at their backs. Controlled, they considered how to escape when a loud explosion came from the silk fabric store, bringing debris and rocks with it. The two Japanese agents were distracted, and Li Dayout and Wei Sanxi quickly took action. Li Dayout dodged to the side, grabbed the gun-wielding agent's hand behind him, and broke his wrist with a swift motion. He then grabbed the agent's throat and crushed his windpipe. Wei Sanxi crouched down, grabbed the other agent's arm from behind, pulled him forward, and flipped him over his shoulder, knocking him to the ground with an elbow strike. The two agents were quickly dispatched, and Li Dayout and Wei Sanxi escaped into the chaotic crowd amidst the sound of sirens, carrying Feng Tianxiong with them.

  Feng Tianxiong was not seriously injured, only his arm was scratched and bleeding when he fell. After returning to the warehouse, he said expressionlessly: "The sinister little devils tied explosives to the boss and partners, with the fuse fixed on the wall behind them. As long as they moved half a foot away, the fuse would be ignited. The boss and partners pulled the fuse to save me, hugging the devil and detonating the bomb." He was very calm, pushing away Yan Xue who wanted to bandage his wound, looking at Yun Xiangtian and saying: "Boss, I want to quit the Evil Ghost Squad, my life is no longer mine. I want to return it to the two brothers who died for me."

  Yun Xiang Tian stroked his chin and said: "Good, this is enough to show brotherhood. Alright, if there's anything you need help with, just say it."

  Mrs. Wang hastily intercepted and said, "Feng Er Xia, don't be in a hurry, we need to discuss this matter carefully." She didn't know what was wrong with Yun Xiang Tian today, and angrily said, "Yu'er, Feng Er Xia is going to send himself to death, you're not stopping him, but instead urging him to go. What's wrong with you?"

  Yun Xiang Tian was still stroking his chin, smiling and saying: "Hold on, why hold on? Feng Er Xia, with a strong and unyielding spirit, standing tall and proud, what kind of hero is he? Eliminating the little devils, one person is enough, otherwise, wouldn't the boss and apprentices of Ding Sheng Zhuang's shop come to his rescue? If he can't defeat the little devils by himself, how would he have the face to see the two heroes who sacrificed for him? Feng Er Xia is a true hero. Wang Furen, with Feng Er Xia around, you can sleep soundly at night and wake up early in the morning to find that the little devils and Er Gouzi from Linping are all gone. Am I right? Feng Er Xia."

  A word left Feng Tian standing there in a daze, unsure of what to do?

  Yun Xiang Tian's tone changed as he said: "Feng Er Xia, why did the two heroes from the Brocade Store save you?"

  Feng Tianxiong muttered: "They regard me as a family member, don't want me to encounter difficulties. Want me to kill more devils, avenge them."

  Yun Xiang Tian's expression turned serious, he said: "Alright, they regard you as family, but they don't just regard you as family, they also regard me as family, and the 450 million Chinese compatriots as family. Revenge is a must, but it has to be done with consideration of how to take revenge. Now if you charge into the enemy's camp alone, how many little devils can you kill? Is that considered taking revenge? If you die in battle, who will come and take revenge for you?"

  Feng Tianxiong's mouth was agape as he stared foolishly at Yun Xiangtian, unable to utter a single word.

  "Mrs. Wang interrupted, 'Feng Erxiao, Yu'er is right, we must avenge our enemies, but you can't let your temper get the better of you. With Yue Gaoxuan's death, those little devils are already searching for the killer all over the city, and now there's this incident at Ding Sheng's silk shop. I think you should lay low for a day or two, wait for things to blow over before making your next move. Yu'er and I are discussing our next plan, we won't let those little devils live in peace.'"

  Yun Xiang let out a sigh and said: "Feng Er Xia, maybe what I'm saying sounds harsh to your ears, but avenging our fallen comrades isn't just your personal matter, it's everyone's responsibility. Only when we Chinese people unite as one can we defeat the little devils and send them back home, so they won't dare look down on us again. Moreover, do you think the little devils will give up after their attack on Qilin Mountain failed? They definitely won't let things go easily. Our main task this time is to disrupt the little devils' deployment by all means necessary, and win time for the Qilin Mountain Anti-Japanese Brigade to regroup. We must eliminate as many of the little devils as possible within our power. If you act alone and alert them, disrupting our plan and causing it to fail, it will lead to even greater casualties. You weigh the pros and cons yourself."

  Feng Tianxiong's eyes were wide with anger, and hot tears burst forth as he finally released the pain that had been suppressed in his heart. He knelt on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. Liang Dayong helped Feng Tianxiong up and said: "Feng Erxia, what Yun Dagao said is right. If you charge into the enemy camp alone, how many of them can you kill? It's just a waste of your life, not worth it. I think the two heroes who sacrificed themselves for you wouldn't want you to die in vain either. Let's listen to Yun Dagao and work together to kill the devils and avenge the Chinese people who were brutally harmed by them."

  Wang Qi brought Cui Dongsheng along, and they looked at Feng Tianxiong who was crying bitterly. After hearing about the incident at Ding Sheng's silk store, they were also moved by the two underground party members.

  Yun Xiang Tian Qiang suppressed his inner pain and said: "Cui Lian Chang, how's the preparation going? Have you reached the designated location?"

  "Reporting to the superior officer, the newly formed 1st Company of the Elite Ghost Unit has arrived at the designated location and is ready for action."

  Yun Xiang Tian returned a military salute to him, then smiled and said: "Cui brother, the Eighth Route Army doesn't have superiors. From now on, call me Yun younger brother, or whatever, anything is fine, just can't be called superior. However, the name of the new first company of the fierce ghost battalion is quite good."

  Outside, a noisy shout came in, and a team of Japanese soldiers mixed with Er Gouzi rushed in. One person made Cui Dongsheng take a big surprise, the original national army garrisoned Linping Independent Regiment regiment commander, Cui Dongsheng's direct superior, now serving as the commander of the Royal Cooperation Army Linping Guard Brigade, Lian Mengxiong was staring at him. Cui Dongsheng secretly said: "Bad." He lowered his head and turned to leave.

  "Stop right there! I've finally caught up with you. Where can you run now?"