Chapter Forty-Six: Nothing but Passionate Blood

Though the young man was thin and weak, lacking great strength, the blows from his stick rained down swiftly, soon leaving the official battered and bleeding, his head streaming with blood. In no time, the official collapsed to the ground, motionless.

The youth who wielded the stick, panic-stricken, flung it aside and slumped to the ground, trembling all over.

Just then, several robust men with the look of villagers emerged from the yamen. Seeing the official’s body lying on the ground, they glanced at the group of youths. One man, around forty, called out loudly, “Who told you to follow us?”

He too seemed somewhat flustered, asking, “Did anyone see?”

The youths shook their heads.

This middle-aged man was evidently their leader; hearing this, he breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Since no one saw, hurry and leave—return to the village!”

In the darkness, a tall young man slowly stepped from the shadows. His voice was calm: “I saw. They won’t be able to leave.”

The middle-aged man’s expression changed, but he quickly gritted his teeth and signaled to several men in their thirties. They understood at once, each drawing a blade and closing in on the young man.

That young man was none other than Li Yun.

Li, the head constable, gazed at the men without fear. Facing these untrained villagers, he didn’t even draw his own blade. He strode forward, swiftly knocking one to the ground with a kick, snatching the standard yamen sword from his hand. With a single powerful swing, he collided blades with another attacker, sending the man’s weapon flying.

Li Yun’s sword remained steady; he flipped it, using the flat to strike the second man down.

The third villager, seeing this, dared not advance.

Li Yun dropped the weapon and looked toward the middle-aged man standing a short distance away, a confident smile on his face. “May I ask your name?”

The man regarded Li Yun, his expression complex. “My surname is Meng.”

Li Yun asked again, “From Hexi Village in Dahe Town?”

The man named Meng nodded silently. “Yes.”

He looked at Li Yun, his voice hoarse. “You have skill, sir; you’re not likely an imperial lackey.”

Li Yun considered this and answered honestly, “I suppose not.”

“I wish to ask you a few questions, Brother Meng. If you answer me, I’ll turn and leave, and tonight I saw nothing.”

The middle-aged man surnamed Meng waved for his companions to take the youths away, then approached Li Yun and asked, “Who are you, sir?”

Li Yun hesitated but answered, “It’s hard to say what my position is right now. Let me ask my questions first, then we’ll talk.”

“My time is short,” Meng said, clenching his fist and gritting his teeth. “Ask.”

Li Yun stepped forward, glanced at him, and posed his first question: “Hexi Village—how many have died?”

The question reddened the man’s eyes; he lifted his head abruptly, staring at Li Yun. “You—you…”

“I guessed,” Li Yun replied coolly. “If not for so many deaths, you wouldn’t have been driven to such extremes.”

“Eleven.”

The man clenched his fists, his voice burning with rage. “I don’t care who you are—I don’t have time for explanations! No matter how skilled you are, you can’t match dozens of us. Tonight we’re here only to kill the corrupt official! This has nothing to do with you.”

“Go, quickly!”

Li Yun sighed. “So you’re not rebelling.”

“If you’re not rebelling, what will you do after killing the official of Shidai?”

“We’ll take new names and flee far away.”

“Killing an official is tantamount to treason,” Li Yun said. “Even if you leave, there won’t be anyone left in Hexi Village.”

“The authorities will surely wipe out the village.”

Li Yun’s words struck a painful chord; Meng’s anger surged, and he was about to call for men to attack Li Yun, but the chief spoke first, “I am the chief of Cangshan Fortress in Qingyang County.”

Li Yun replied quietly, “Since you are righteous men, I can help you.”

“Of those who entered the city tonight, I can take thirty percent up to Cangshan and give them shelter.”

Seeing Meng’s expression shift, Li Yun continued, “Any more would attract too much attention.”

Meng stared at Li Yun, his voice hoarse. “Why should I trust you?”

“Do you have a choice?”

Li Yun, the chieftain, crossed his arms, his tone calm and merciless. “If you were determined to rebel, seized Shidai, and incited the townsfolk to riot, perhaps you could hold out for ten days or half a month. But since you don’t intend rebellion, you must flee the city before dawn.”

“It’s better to leave with me than be found by the imperial troops.”

“Isn’t that so, Brother Meng?”

The man stood still for a long while.

After some time, he gritted his teeth. “Some of the youths tonight followed us on their own. Can the chieftain take them?”

Li Yun nodded. “I’ll wait here for them for the time it takes to burn one incense stick.”

Meng nodded and turned back into the yamen. “I’ll go discuss with them as well.”

Once Meng had departed, Li Yun walked over to the official beaten unconscious by the youths. He hooked the man over with his foot.

The official, somewhat corpulent, was unconscious, yet his eyelids twitched rapidly.

Li Yun drew his blade.

“Don’t kill me!”

This was, in fact, the registrar of Shidai—the third-ranking official in Shidai County. Hearing the sound of the drawn blade, he snapped open his eyes, glanced at Li Yun’s sword, then squeezed his eyes shut again, pleading, “Spare me, good sir! Spare me!”

Li Yun’s expression didn’t change. He placed the blade at the man’s neck and asked, “Do you know why you must die?”

Without waiting for an answer, Li Yun’s blade swept across the man’s throat.

As he withdrew the sword, Li Yun wiped away the blood, speaking quietly to himself.

“Because you collected eight hundred coins in taxes.”

…

In the latter half of the night,

A dozen or so youths followed behind Li Yun.

The middle-aged man named Meng bowed his head to Li Yun, his voice hoarse. “I am Meng Chong. May I ask the chieftain’s full name?”

“My surname is Li,” Li Yun replied without concealment. “Given name Yun.”

There was no need to hide his identity from these people. Had they possessed even a hint of caution, they would never have rushed into the county seat to do such a reckless thing. In fact, even the infamous Li Mazi, though prone to violence, would never have stormed the county unprepared.

“Chieftain Li.”

Meng Chong glanced at the group of youths behind Li Yun and spoke quietly. “From your words, I know you are a man of understanding. I wish to ask… what fate awaits Hexi Village?”

“All those connected to you will likely be exiled. If you have womenfolk at home…”

Li Yun looked at him and continued, “Brother Meng, you can imagine.”

Meng Chong took a deep breath and said softly, “After we finish here in the county, we must return to Hexi Village, take our families, and leave Xuanzhou. If we ever survive, we will seek you out at Cangshan to thank you for your great kindness.”

Li Yun shook his head inwardly. These people truly acted on impulse, without the slightest preparation.

But this was not the time to say so.

He looked at the dozen or so youths behind him, all between thirteen and seventeen years old, and spoke slowly, “Stay close behind me. Don’t fall behind.”

The youths glanced at Meng Chong in unison.

He spoke in a low voice, “Meng Hai!”

A boy of fifteen stepped forward and bowed his head. “Father.”

“Lead them and follow Chieftain Li!”

Meng Hai gritted his teeth and nodded slowly. “I understand, Father.”

Having finished his instructions, Meng Chong did not hesitate further. He turned and shouted angrily to the villagers, “Brothers, follow me to search the corrupt official’s home! Before dawn, we must kill him and avenge Hexi Village!”

The crowd, full of righteous fury, howled and followed Meng Chong into the distance.

Li Yun, meanwhile, turned to the group of youths behind him. After a moment of silence, he spoke.

“We…”

“Let’s go.”