Song Chuyi hated these river bandits with good reason—in her previous life, this group of river bandits had outwardly accepted amnesty from the government, but secretly colluded with local military forces to massacre the common people of Zhujia Manor next to Qiyuan Town. This led to Commander Zhou being impeached, and Song Chengru was also implicated.
These people committed every evil imaginable and deserved to die. Moreover, in this life they had provoked her. From the moment she received Lai Chenglong’s warning, she had never intended to spare this group of conscienceless bandit tyrants.
Upon receiving Blind Eye’s letter, Lin Sheng slammed it on the table with a slap and laughed loudly several times, ordering the various chiefs around him to gather their men: “The ship has already reached Qiyuan Town. At the latest, it will arrive at Swallow Valley by tomorrow afternoon. We’ll make our move tomorrow night and prevent them from leaving Swallow Valley alive!” As he spoke, his eyes swept around the room at everyone with a seat: “I’m putting it out there—if this deal succeeds, we brothers won’t have to worry about food and drink for at least three years! Everyone better stay alert and handle this properly!”
There were at least two to three hundred men on Swallow Mountain. Dealing with a fleet of forty to fifty people was quite easy, but to be safe, they still followed their employer’s suggestion to plant informants on the ship so they could work from both inside and outside when the time came.
This was a windfall right before their eyes—they only needed to reach out their hands to have it. The ship now had ten planted informants, plus Flower Lady mixed in as a cook. When the time came, they’d put knockout drugs in these people’s food, and they would be like pigs and cattle waiting to be slaughtered. As for those escort guards on rotating shifts who wouldn’t eat, there was no need to worry—their people were more than ten times their number, and all were skilled swimmers. They’d definitely catch them completely off guard.
The fat-faced Left Chief stood up and grabbed a piece of beef from the table, gnawing it until oil dripped from his mouth. While eating, he laughed loudly: “Big Brother is right! Everyone better pay attention—the ones we’re dealing with this time are female relatives from the Cui clan, that prestigious Jinzhong family. Who knows how beautiful they might be? If you can’t bear to kill them when the time comes, just tie them up and bring them back…” He continued, putting on a fawning expression as he looked at Lin Sheng: “Big Brother, speaking of which, didn’t those people inform us that we don’t necessarily have to kill everyone, and the female relatives upstairs are ours to dispose of? When the time comes, if there are any pretty and pleasing ones, you’ve got to remember me. Every time you let others take advantage first!”
Lin Sheng laughed heartily and patted his shoulder, his face relaxed and cheerful: “Fine, fine, fine! I’ll let you enjoy them all. We’ll hold a grand wedding celebration for you, and we’ll all celebrate together!”
Ma Changjiang lay prostrate on a protruding rock beside the mountain wall, clinging to the cliff and climbing up bit by bit. He gritted his teeth and waited for two days, figuring out these people’s habits and their secret signals. Only then did he slit an inconspicuous bandit’s throat, throw him down the cliff, and brazenly mix into the bandit group himself.
He had originally been a bandit himself and was very familiar with bandits’ ways. Knowing that everyone was gathering for a big meeting, he guessed they must be discussing this business deal. He cleverly mixed into the council hall to serve them tea and pour water.
What he heard shocked him. Even someone as composed as Ma Changjiang almost couldn’t help wanting to jump up and strangle these delusional bandits—his pearl-like Sixth Miss, these people dared to have designs on her! They would die a thousand deaths and it wouldn’t be enough!
He exchanged glances with Sun Ergou, who was sitting inconspicuously in a corner lazily cross-legged with the others. Sun Ergou then excused himself to use the toilet, bent around to the back hillside, and found Ma Wangkun and Ma San who had been waiting: “This is a topographic map of the mountain and a distribution map of the people they’ve left to guard. Take it down to Commander Zhou. Also, tell him it’s what Sixth Miss said—to avoid trouble and common people tipping them off, it’s best to do it once and for all. After occupying their hideout, burn it down with a fire, burn it completely clean.”
Both Ma San and Ma Wangkun were dressed as hunters, with green waist sashes that only local common people knew about wrapped around their waists, precisely to prevent conflicts if they encountered river bandits on the mountain. Hearing this, they nodded and told Sun Ergou to be careful. They cautiously returned to town and stayed overnight first. After confirming no one was following them and that no townspeople were suspicious or had informed on them, they disguised themselves and left early in the morning to tip off Commander Zhou at his residence.
At night the wind was strong and the rain urgent. The fleet had raised their sails and lit their lamps, but their speed was unusually slow. The moon gradually hid into the clouds. On the river it was almost pitch black—you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. Even the fishing boats, passenger boats, and sand-dredging boats that usually floated about couldn’t be seen.
Flower Lady poked Sister-in-law Li San’s arm. Seeing Sister-in-law Li San scramble up in one motion, she viciously ordered her: “You walk through this lower deck and see if everyone has been drugged. I’m going upstairs!”
The masters lived upstairs, and she could only feel at ease going herself. Sister-in-law Li San dodged, not daring to look directly into her eyes, and nodded agreement haphazardly. Fortunately, Flower Lady had gotten up in a hurry and given instructions hastily. Plus, after spending this period of time with Sister-in-law Li San, she felt she no longer had divided loyalties and therefore didn’t notice. She turned and went upstairs without looking back.
But the moment she pushed open the cabin door, a firework suddenly exploded in the sky. She couldn’t help frowning, inwardly cursing that Blind Eye and the others were too impatient. The situation hadn’t been verified yet—they’d barely entered the valley halfway. Why issue the command to act so early?
But she had no time to think further, because after taking only two steps forward, a dagger plunged into her throat. She stared wide-eyed in terror, sensing her flesh tearing open, the hot flow of blood gushing out.
In the end, she only saw an extremely beautiful, extremely beautiful girl’s face. Before she could say even one more word, she breathed her last.
The command to act had already been issued, indicating that everyone on the ship had been drugged with knockout powder. In the water, Lin Sheng spat out the reed root he’d been using to breathe, took the lead in grabbing the ship’s rail, and leaped up.
Right now, the silver he’d dreamed of was not only piled before his eyes, but there was an even more splendid future—that person had promised him that in the future he could be granted amnesty by the court and become a minor official. With an official position, he would bring glory to his ancestors and no longer have to hide in these mountains.
In the original plan, now they only needed to board the ship. They had thought of the worst-case scenario on the ship—at most all the escort guards wouldn’t be poisoned, but that would only be thirty-some people. They had brought a full two hundred men. In the waters of Swallow Valley, their people had been waiting densely packed in the water until now.
But when they emerged from the water, they realized something was wrong. The large ship was filled everywhere with government soldiers holding nets. Torches lit up all around. The cliffs on both sides were actually covered with people!