Chapter 4 The Flag Flutters (Part 2)

  "Who knows, I might really be your grandfather! When you were young, didn't your mother and father ever tell you that you were picked up?" The hunchbacked old military advisor leaned forward, with a sly expression.

  Zhang Songling was so angry that he wanted to hit him, but his heart didn't know why it suddenly became sour and soft. The arm that had been raised in the air turned into a hugging gesture, "Military strategist, don't die! What do you want me to call you?!"

  The old general's smile froze, and his entire body was like ash, slowly dispersing in the wind. First his legs, then his body, neck, and head. "General, Grandfather, Grandfather..." Zhang Songling cried out, desperately stretching out his hands to try and hold him back. But his arms only grasped at empty air, and every part of his body ached with pain.

  He hastily opened his eyes to find several unfamiliar smiling faces. A chubby hand with a gold ring extended, handing him a handkerchief, "What are you crying about? You're a big strong man, and you cry even in your dreams!"

  "Who are you!" Zhang Songling didn't take the handkerchief, and alertly turned over to look for his rifle. On the burlap sack leaning against his left side, he saw two familiar wooden handles, but couldn't reach them. As soon as he stretched out his hand, the muscles on his back and chest felt like they had been stabbed by a knife, the pain piercing through his bones.

  "Ah——" He couldn't help but let out a loud cry. While continuing to struggle to stretch his arm towards the shotgun, he observed his surroundings. All around him were sacks of grain, hard and full, piled up high. Underneath the sacks was a huge horse-drawn carriage, rumbling along a stone road.

  "We are the little devils from Yan Wang's temple, sent to capture you and throw you into the oil cauldron!" The people sitting around him looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and indifference, neither stopping nor helping, while the small metal triangle on his shoulder sparkled brightly under the starlight.

  "Are you Chinese?!" Zhang Songling's nerves relaxed instantly, abandoning his efforts to grab the gun and fight back, panting as he asked.

  "Nonsense!" The fat hand with a golden ring pulled back the handkerchief, laughing and scolding: "I'm not Chinese, you're lucky to be alive. Do you still have the chance to pull out a gun in front of me?!"

  Zhang Songling reluctantly put away his hands, propped himself up with his elbows, and tried to lift his upper body. He attempted to sit up straight and say thank you to the other person. As soon as his head left the cushion, a burst of golden stars appeared in front of him, and he helplessly lay back down again.

  "Don't want to die, then don't move! You may have internal injuries!" The gold ring looked at him with a glance, continuing to scold in a bad mood. "I don't want to dig another grave for your corpse in the middle of the night. What's your name? What's your relationship with that bastard Xiao Guotao?"

  "My name is Zhang Songling, thank you for saving my life! Xiao Er Dangjia is the vice president of our Tiexuehui, and I'm in charge of accounting!" Zhang Songling thought for a moment before answering carefully. The other person's tone was not friendly when mentioning Xiao Er Dangjia, so before understanding the grudge between this person and Xiao Er Dangjia, Zhang Songling didn't dare to reveal his identity too clearly.

  "So he's the accountant, huh!" The golden ring adjusted his military cap, a hint of disappointment on his face. "Where's Xiao Guotao, that son of a bitch? Is he dead or has he been caught by the Japanese?"

  "I don't know?!" Zhang Songling thought for a moment, and a hint of worry flashed in his eyes. When the old military advisor led them to fight against the Japanese devils, the figure of Xiao Guotao, the second master, never appeared. Maybe he was killed by the Japanese devils on the way, or maybe he saw that the situation was not good and escaped into the mountains.

  "That son of a bitch! He's better off dead. Otherwise, one day when I see him, I'll definitely skin him alive!" Jin Jiezi spat a mouthful of thick phlegm under the carriage and cursed viciously. "What about the others from the Iron Blood Society? There must be a vice president, right?"

  "The head of the Wei family, led a group to negotiate at the Bell's estate, but fell into an ambush and was killed on the spot. On their way back, they were attacked by Japanese devils again, and the head of the Wei family went missing just like Xiao Er Da Zhang. After thinking for a while, Zhang Songling slowly recalled some news he heard before he fainted, "There's also a fourth head surnamed Yang, who heard that the Japanese devils were coming, so he took his men to loot the warehouse and ran away!"

  "Damn it!" The golden ring spat a thick phlegm under the carriage again, with a disdainful face. "A group of stinky turtles who only know how to be arrogant in their own nest. Fortunately, I suddenly had a brainwave and brought my brothers over to take a look. Otherwise, once the little Japanese devil figured out this road, the old camp chief would have been finished!"

  Zhang Songling shook his head, feeling a bit hot on his face. The Iron Blood Society, with over a thousand members, was defeated by just over a dozen devils. No matter how you looked at it, this fact couldn't be glossed over. Jin Jiezhi cursed the Iron Blood Society as a group of stinky turtles who only knew how to bully in their own nest, and that was already being polite. In his opinion, most members of the Iron Blood Society were not even as good as stinky turtles, except for those few who fought alongside him until death at the village entrance. At least stinky turtles would bite back when taken by someone to be chopped up.

  "What about the others?! Is it true that as soon as they heard the Japanese were coming, they all ran away with their tails between their legs?!" The golden ring's words hit Zhang Songling right in his weakest spot.

  "We didn't run away completely... we still fought against the devils..." Zhang Songling dared not look into Jin's eyes, and responded in a low voice.

  "More than 200 guns, 500 or 600 people, and in the end, only six of you are left standing at the village entrance. Among them is an old man and a half-grown child!" The phlegm in Jin's throat seemed to be endless, one mouthful following another. "At that time, Xiao Er Ye didn't tell me it was like this! He told me that every member of the Iron Blood Society was a hero made of iron, only lacking guns. If they had guns, they would fight to the last man and never let the little devils set foot on Qinglong Ridge!"

  These words were more painful to Zhang Songling than a direct slap in the face. He didn't dare to argue back, nor did he have the strength to do so, and instead turned his head away, staring at his shotgun with unblinking eyes. Both shotguns were still intact, their dark bodies gleaming with a cold light. As long as he had his guns, he would have the chance to redeem himself, to make the little devils pay back tenfold or even a hundredfold for what they owed him and the others.

  "But at least there are six people, better than none!" Jin Jiezi cursed enough, sighed, and his voice suddenly became very gentle. "Especially that old man, he's really something, one person took two devils to bury with him!"

  "Grandpa Wei, Grandpa Wei, is he...is he really gone?!" Despite already knowing the truth in his heart, Zhang Songling still hoped to hear a negative answer from Jin Jie. Unbeknownst to him, Old Military Advisor Wei Ding had become like family to him, an elder of his own flesh and blood, with every move and memory filled with warmth.

  "He died in battle!" The golden ring nodded, wiping the contempt off his face and replacing it with solemnity. "He blew himself up with a grenade, taking two little devils with him. When I led my men over to rush them, the little devils were still mutilating his body..."