novelSusiti Chapter 15 Nanshan Village
Chapter 15 Nanshan Village
Shen Bai and his group set off in the afternoon.
Twenty men stayed behind to guard the camp, while the remaining thirty followed Old Zhao.
Old Zhao walked at the front, his steps light, like an old fox. He didn't light a torch, but relied on the moonlight to feel his way, wandering around the mountains and bypassing two villages. When they passed a reed bed, he told everyone to crouch down and wait for the patrolling bandits to pass before continuing.
Iron Shield brought up the rear, leaning on a cane and limping, but he kept up. They walked for two hours without anyone falling behind.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, Old Zhao stopped.
Ahead was a mountain, dark and indistinct, like an overturned pot. There was a faint light on the mountainside, a torch flickering in the wind.
Old Zhao squatted down and pointed in that direction.
"Nanshan Village."
The voice was kept very low.
"There's a road leading up to it, with cliffs on both sides. There are two sentry posts at the crossroads, one during the day and two at night."
Shen Bai looked over.
Under the moonlight, you can see the mountain road winding upwards, ending at a dilapidated temple with light shining in front of it.
Where is Wu Er?
"They should sleep in the temple."
Old Zhao's voice was very flat.
"Today is the thirteenth. He'll definitely get drunk."
Shen Bai looked at the mountain.
The mountain path snaked around the mountainside. On both sides were cliffs, dark and deep, their depths impossible to discern.
"Walk."
---
When I reached the intersection, the sky was just beginning to lighten.
It was gray and hazy, like the face of a dead person.
Two sentries sat on a rock, back to back, dozing. They held knives in their hands, but the tips were resting on the ground; they were fast asleep. Their snores were loud, one high and one low, like a theatrical performance.
Old Zhao made a gesture.
Two veterans crept over.
Their footsteps were very light, like a cat's. They made no sound at all when they stepped on the ground.
We arrived.
A knife.
One of them collapsed first, his throat slit, unable to utter a sound. Blood gushed out, gurgling like a kettle boiling.
The other one was about to shout when a piece of cloth was stuffed into his mouth, and then he felt a chill on his neck and collapsed as well.
Clean.
Even the scream that wasn't uttered was muffled inside the cloth.
Old Zhao turned around and looked at Shen Bai.
Shen Bai nodded.
"Divide the troops."
"good."
Old Zhao stood up, knife in hand, and led twenty men up the mountain.
Shen Bai led the remaining men around to the other side and made their way towards the back of the mountain.
---
When Lao Zhao led his men up the front road, the temple gate was already clearly visible.
Two broken wooden planks lay askew to one side, the inside pitch black. Snoring emanated from within, rising and falling like a herd of pigs snoring.
There was a grain drying ground in front of the temple, where a dozen or so people were lying. Some were snoring, and some were vomiting, making a sour mess all over the ground.
He drank too much.
Old Zhao's eyes gleamed in the darkness.
He turned around and looked at the people behind him.
One by one, their faces were full of tension, but no one backed down.
They were all veterans.
They all came out alive from the vanguard battalion.
He raised his hand.
Then cut it down.
"kill!"
---
The moment the shouts came out, the scene erupted.
Some people woke up with a start, bewildered, searching for a knife. Some scrambled to their feet and ran, tripping over others. Others stood there motionless, as if they still didn't understand what was happening.
Old Zhao led his men in and charged in, without saying a word, hacking at anyone they saw.
The knife slashed down, and blood splattered.
One bandit had just gotten up when his throat was slit. Another tried to run away, but was kicked to the ground and then stabbed. He wasn't quite dead; he crawled on the ground, leaving a trail of blood.
It lacks any structure or method.
The bandits had no strategy, and neither did Old Zhao's men. They just hacked and slashed.
But there were many bandits.
More and more bandits woke up; some found knives, others picked up sticks, and began to fight back.
There was a particularly strong bandit who wielded a stick. He swung it and knocked an old soldier to the ground. The old soldier rolled on the ground, got up, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but still rushed forward and stabbed the bandit in the stomach.
The two of them hugged each other and rolled on the ground.
Old Zhao led his men to push the temple in, all the way to the temple entrance.
Just then—
"kill!"
People behind also shouted.
Shen Bai and his group fought their way up from the back of the mountain.
They attacked from both sides, encircling each other from the front and rear.
The bandits were completely dumbfounded.
Someone started running.
---
When Shen Bai led his men around from the back mountain, they ran into a group of bandits.
They were all awake, carrying knives, and running towards the back mountain. They were probably trying to escape by taking a detour.
But there's no escaping it now.
Shen Bai's men were blocking the intersection.
"kill."
Just one word.
Iron Shield led his men to meet them. With a flick of his cane, a piece of iron protruded and slammed down on the man in front. The man parried with his knife but couldn't block it and was knocked to the ground.
But there were still people behind them.
Three bandits surrounded him. Iron Shield couldn't hold them off alone and was stabbed in the shoulder. Blood stained his clothes and trickled down his arm.
He didn't back down.
He gritted his teeth, parried the knife with his cane, and then kicked the man in the stomach.
But the remaining two surrounded them.
Iron Shield took a step back.
Behind them is a cliff.
It's impossible to get a refund now.
Shen Bai moved.
---
He didn't think about anything when he rushed forward.
It's called "chong".
The sword is drawn.
A flash of silver light.
It was short and bright, like a snake, and it swept past the necks of the two bandits.
Then two muffled thuds were heard.
The two bandits fell to the ground, each with a gash in their throat, blood gushing out and splashing onto Shen Bai's face—hot and foul-smelling.
Iron Shield was stunned.
He looked at Shen Bai.
Shen Bai pulled the knife back and walked forward.
"Walk."
The sound was very flat.
It was as if nothing had happened.
Iron Shield watched his retreating figure.
hand.
He saw that Shen Bai's hands were trembling.
black.
---
Inside the temple, Wu Er was still asleep.
He lay on a straw mat in front of the idol, surrounded by empty wine jars. His head was tilted to the side, a smile playing on his lips, as if he were having a sweet dream. His belly was exposed, white and jiggling.
The snoring was deafening.
Old Zhao stood in front of him.
He was carrying a knife.
There was blood on the knife.
Blood was still dripping.
Old Zhao stared at Wu Er for a long time.
He doesn't speak.
Just watch.
Someone nearby tried to get up, but Old Zhao kicked them back down.
Someone tried to shout, but Old Zhao slit their throat with a knife.
He doesn't care.
He was looking at Wu Er.
Looking at that face piled high with fat.
Look at that belly.
Looking at the person smiling in their dream.
This man gave the order when his brother died.
One slash.
soon.
When Wu Er's head rolled to the ground, blood spurted from his neck, spraying onto the wall and onto the face of the statue.
Red.
Old Zhao wiped the knife on the sole of his shoe.
Then he squatted down, picked up Wu Er's head, carried it, and walked out.
---
When Wu Er's head was thrown to the ground, it was already quiet outside.
There's no escape; either you die, or you kneel on the ground and beg for mercy.
Old Zhao stood in the middle of the courtyard, holding a severed head in his hand.
No one dared to look at him.
He was covered in blood, including on his face, but his expression was calm.
It's like strolling through a market.
"Clean up the battlefield."
He threw the head on the ground and kicked it, letting it roll to the side.
Then he squatted down and began to search the bandit's body for money.
Turn them over one by one.
He put all the copper coins he found into his pocket.
The movements were very natural.
It's like I've done it many times before.
---
While cleaning up the battlefield, they discovered a cellar.
Iron Shield discovered it. He went to the back to urinate and saw a stone slab on the ground with blood on it. The blood had dried, but it wasn't just one person's blood; there were pools of it, as if someone had been beaten there.
He lifted the stone slab.
It's black inside.
It had a musty, fecal, and bloody smell mixed together, which was pungent.
"There's someone there."
He shouted.
Shen Bai walked over and looked down.
It was pitch black, and I couldn't see anything.
"Light the torch."
Someone lit a torch and shone it down.
The cellar wasn't large, with stone walls on all four sides and straw covering the floor. The straw was rotten and blackened, and every step you took was wet.
A person was lying on the straw.
No, not lying down—he was tied up.
His hands were tied behind his back, his feet were bound, and his mouth was gagged with cloth. His clothes were tattered, as if they hadn't been changed in a long time. His face was covered in filth, making it impossible to see what he looked like.
But the eyes are bright.
When the firelight shone on those eyes, Shen Bai was stunned for a moment.
young.
Early twenties.
He was thin, but his face showed no signs of hunger. He didn't look like a bandit.
The man heard the noise and opened his eyes.
The firelight was blinding, and he squinted as he looked up.
His eyes were calm.
It's not the kind of calm that comes with waiting to die.
It's a calmness that only those who have seen great things can possess.
"Who are you?"
Shen Bai asked.
The man didn't speak.
He pushed the cloth out of his mouth.
The cloth smelled bad, like it had been pulled hard.
Then he spoke.
His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time.
"My name is Chen Qingzhi."
---
(End of Chapter Fifteen)