Chapter 11: Secret Conference

  The day after tomorrow will be the beginning of winter, and the weather outside the Great Wall will become colder faster than inside. From noon on, Zhangjiakou's sky was drizzling with small snowflakes, which is the first snowfall of winter, affecting the livelihoods of countless people, especially the nomads' living and the merchants' roads. The fine snowflakes fell for a while before stopping, and the air was very dry. Last year's drought in Liaodong seemed to be slowly spreading westward, causing this first snowfall to end without any significant impact.

  In the depths of the mountain, the bandit's lair was filled with joy, as if manna had fallen from heaven. No one knew what kind of skills the leader possessed, but somehow, someone had sent a large shipment of supplies to their camp. There were over 20 sacks of grain, three fat pigs that had been slaughtered and cleaned, and most importantly, over 20 jars of fine wine. This was like celebrating the New Year all over again.

  Di Zhe Xian Yi Nu Ma, let Meng Kang bring all the things that were brought into the valley and lay them out, so that all the rascals can see clearly.

  "Haha, I didn't cheat you, did I?" Zhai Zhe burst out laughing, his expression wild and exaggerated.

  "Brothers, from now on, you will never go hungry again after cooperating with me! Enjoy these wine and meat to your heart's content!" Zhai Zhe shouted loudly, the horse bandits whispered among themselves.

  A man behind Tianying's back changed his face and said in a low voice: "Master, isn't this kid being too much?!"

  Diamond Swallow's withered mouth corners twitched slightly, saying: "Zhang Er, he's just a fledgling, don't bother with him. Wait until I've squeezed out all the oil and water, then it'll be his turn to watch."

  A group of people still entered the largest earthen house, sat down as host and guest, and Di Zhe took the main seat without hesitation.

  Di Zhe picked up a wine jar, broke open the mud seal on the mouth of the jar, and a fragrance overflowed. Even Zuan Tianying had not tasted such fine wine for a long time.

  "This is a five-year-old bamboo leaf green, not a good wine at all. When the master of the house arrives at the gathering, I'll invite him to have a good time and entertain him properly. And there's also the girl from Yixiang Garden, her skin as smooth as cow's milk!" Zhai Zhe said with a sly smile.

  "Zhai Gongzi, let's have a drink!" Zuan Tianying handed over a porcelain bowl. Zhai Zhe poured wine from the jug, and the flowing wine foam was as clear and refreshing as a mountain spring, with its mellow fragrance intoxicating people.

  "A month later, we will have a merchant caravan going to Liaodong. As long as the master can escort us safely back and forth, we will guarantee the supply of such fine wine." Zhai Zhe lowered his voice again: "If this matter is successful, our reward for the master will be this amount!" He stretched out the index finger of his right hand.

  "Alright, alright!" Zhāng Tiān Yīng's face smiled but his heart didn't.

  Several people clinked glasses and drank together, coming and going. Xiao Zhi only drank wine without speaking, while Meng Kang kept shouting "cheers" with gusto.

  Zhuan Tianying had a few bowls of wine, then turned to the two men standing behind him and said: "You guys come try some too! Since I entered the grasslands, I haven't drunk such good wine!"

  Upon hearing this, Di Zhe immediately stood up and said: "Let the brothers in the mountain stronghold have a taste of the wine we brought today!"

  The Diamond Eagle was stunned and didn't speak for half a day.

  Di Zhe suddenly enlightened, said: "You're afraid that the wine is not enough, right? Today these are all given to my brothers to drink. In a few days, I'll send some more over. As long as things can be done well, these things don't matter. We'll all be friends in the future!"

  The eagle laughed dryly a few times, looking somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Well, that's good too!"

  "After we cooperate, the difficult days of my brothers are over!" Di Zhe leaned into Tianying's ear and said in a low voice: "I'll give you a little message. In recent days, there have been some small-scale merchant teams passing by Zhangjiakou to Tumote occasionally. If you ambush there for a few days, you will definitely get something."

  "That is the residence of the Chahar people."

  "Twenty men are enough." Zhai Zhe nodded and stopped there, this was the sweet reward he gave to Drilling Heaven Eagle.

  In the afternoon, Di Zhe sent over twenty jars of wine, half of which were consumed. Zhuan Tianying privately kept five jars for himself and distributed the rest to the horse bandits in the stronghold, who became excited under the stimulation of alcohol.

  Di Zhe was no match for the wine's potency and was slightly tipsy by the end. Xiao Zhīyán, on the other hand, was completely unaffected, with a thousand cups not enough to get him drunk, his eyes growing brighter with each drink.

  "Big boss," Zhai Zhe stood up, his body swaying slightly. "Don't forget the main event in a month's time. Before the merchant caravan sets off, our master wants to see you again. Meng Kang is my brother, that's why we found you."

  "Don't worry! I, Zhuan Tianying, still have some face in the Duo Yan grasslands." Zhuan Tianying stretched out his hand to help him, but was blocked by Xiao Zhiyan's outstretched hand.

  It was already past midnight when they said their goodbyes, and Meng Kang still escorted the two of them out of the mountain.

  After Dai Zhe walked far away, Zhang Er, who had been following closely behind Zhu Tianying, couldn't help but curse: "This little brat treats our mountain stronghold as his own home!"

  "Zhang Er, you're inexperienced. The sons of wealthy merchants are all like this, looking down on others with disdain. But the person beside him is a formidable one, don't underestimate him!"

  "Are we really going to escort them through Duo Yan Grassland?" Zhang Er couldn't help but ask, thinking that his family didn't have the capability.

  "Ha! I have my own plans!" said Zuan Tianying with a cold smile.

  In the mountains, the horses walked slowly, and Zhai Zhe, Xiao Zhongyan, and Meng Kang strolled along. After leaving the valley, the cold wind was oppressive, and Zhai Zhe's intoxication had also sobered up by 80%. The three of them didn't say much on the way. When they exited the winding mountain road, Meng Kang, who was walking in front, turned around and asked coldly: "Do you two have some kind of plan? I know that although Xiao Ge isn't good at drinking, his capacity for liquor isn't this poor either." Zhai Zhe's behavior today was vastly different from what Meng Kang remembered. The more he thought about it, the more it didn't feel right.

  "Not bad!" Di Zhe nodded, "We are going to escort the merchant team through Duo Yan grassland, but we will never put our hopes on the Sky Eagle!"

  Meng Kang's expression was completely innocent as he asked: "What do you want to do?"

  "Di's family wants to sponsor a horse thief, but it must be in our own hands!" Di Zhe said bluntly. "We don't have time to reorganize a horse thief, so we discussed with Xiao brother a plan to occupy the nest of the magpie!"

  "You want to cheat the master of the house!" Meng Kang was shocked and broke out in a cold sweat.

  "Not 'you', but us!" Zhai Zhe slowed down his speech, he didn't have any intention of discussing with Meng Kang, and continued to say: "Take down the Heaven Piercing Eagle, how confident are you in grasping this bandit horse?"

  Meng Kang was somewhat stunned and shook his head saying: "I don't know!"

  Xiao Zhiyan interjected: "Little brother will send another batch of supplies over, and the third time he comes is when we'll take action!"

  "You guys are going to make a move in the old camp, it's too crazy!" Meng Kang shook his head repeatedly.

  "You're also a horse thief, you should understand them. Following Zuan Tianying can only provide a warm meal, and in the winter, they might even go hungry occasionally. Following us, there's wine and meat, what would you choose?" Zhao Zhe raised his voice, this was Xiao Zhisheng's idea, he used to be a horse thief too.

  "Meng Kang still shook his head, 'The Diamond Eagle has nearly twenty trusted followers!'"

  "How many do you have?"

  "Five or six!"

  Di Zhe saw Meng Kang still hesitating, and urged him: "Get rid of the Sky Eagle, this horse thief belongs to us three! The Zhangjiakou business will fund us, at that time this horse thief will no longer be a rootless tree. Think about it, how long can you live like this?"

  "Damn it!" Meng Kang gritted his teeth, "Zhuan Tianying has always used me as a knife! Don't blame me for not being loyal anymore! What do you want me to do, little brother?"

  "Alright! That's the spirit of brotherhood!" Zhai Zhe nodded, "You go back and don't do anything for now, just spread the word about our benefits. Remember, next time we enter the valley will be the time to take action! You make preparations and wait for my message."

  "Good!"

  The three of them parted ways at the mouth of Shisu Gorge, only a few days after their last gathering. The weather had turned much colder, and Di Zhe felt that his thin cloak was no longer able to withstand the biting wind on the grasslands.

  "You've leaked the news to Meng Kang so early on, aren't you afraid he'll let it slip?" asked Xiao Zhi with a smile.

  "Men Kang is a rough but meticulous person, it's better to inform him early on!" Zhai Zhe and Men Kang have been familiar with each other for several years, and have also helped him out of trouble before. He understands this man's temperament - although he appears to be both rash and righteous, in reality, he has a keen eye for detail.

  "Have you ever killed anyone?" asked Xiao Zhiyan suddenly.

  Di Zhe was taken aback for a moment before answering, "No!" He had been training in martial arts with Hao Yangyou since he was young and practiced every day. He also often found people to spar with, but as for drawing his sword and personally killing someone, he really hadn't done that before. With so many guards in the Di household, why would it be necessary for him, the second young master, to take action and kill someone?

  "You haven't even killed a person before, how can you be a bandit! You still want to set fire in the bandits' den, you have the guts, I don't want to accompany you to death."

  Xiao Zhiyan's words made Di Zhe feel indescribably annoyed in his heart, yet he had no way to refute them.

  "Tomorrow, change into a set of gear and I'll take you to experience the feeling of killing!" Xiao Zhiyan's tone made Di Zhe's heart cold, but at the bottom of his heart, there was an inexplicable excitement.

  Winter nights fall early, and the two returned to the village just as the sky had completely darkened. There were still a few shops on the street with red lanterns swaying in the cold wind to attract customers. Zhai Zhe asked the cook at the merchant's house to stir-fry four small dishes and send them to his room, where the two simply finished their dinner.

  Xiao Zhiyan smiled mischievously before leaving, saying: "Tomorrow at noon, wear your soft armor and switch to a battle horse. I'll take you on a ride across the grasslands and show you my skills!"

  "Go kill him!"

  "Let's see how lucky we are!"

  One night, with a mix of fear and excitement, Di Zhe tossed and turned, unable to sleep all night.