Chapter Forty-Nine: The Demon in the Smoke!

"Second Brother."

While everyone was busy hauling firewood, the quick-witted Li Zheng quietly pulled Li Yun aside. He glanced around, then whispered, "What... what are we doing?"

Li Yun's face was expressionless as he looked up at the sky, now bathed in the last light of dusk.

"What do you think?" His voice was hoarse. "These bastards intend to burn all of Hexi Village to the ground."

"This!" Li Zheng was no stranger to killing.

He was a year younger than Li Yun, about eighteen or nineteen, but since he was fourteen or fifteen, he'd been going down the mountain with the elders to work. Whenever there was resistance, when bloodshed was necessary, he never hesitated.

Because of this, Li Zheng always believed himself to be a bad man. When Li Yun had urged him to become an officer, Zhang Hu—the simpleton—had protested, refusing to bully the common folk. Yet Li Zheng, feeling himself a villain, asked Li Yun whether he was fit for the job.

But even Li Zheng, who regarded himself as a genuine scoundrel, stood frozen, dumbfounded, upon hearing Li Yun's words.

"Second Brother, this is a village with over a hundred households..." he murmured. "Even if some escape, there'll still be one or two hundred left..."

Li Yun took a deep breath, his gaze icy. "Skinny Monkey, you've seen it yourself. Some people down in the valley are far more ruthless than we mountain folk."

"Second Brother." Li Zheng tugged at Li Yun's sleeve, his voice low but resolute. "We can't do this. Even if it means quitting as officers! We'll return to Cang Mountain, but we mustn't commit such monstrous acts for the government!"

Skinny Monkey looked at Li Yun and added, "If we really do this, we'll have sons with no assholes!"

Li Yun pointed to his own nose. "Do you think I'd willingly do such a thing for some useless official's sake?"

"Then why are you making us haul firewood..."

Li Yun sat on a stone, speaking quietly. "If everyone here were from our village, I'd take on these bastards myself. But aside from you two, the others are officers from Qingyang. How many will stand with us and defy the authorities?"

"And besides," his voice grew graver, "if we refuse, they'll find someone else to do it. I overheard that the provincial army will soon arrive, about two hundred strong, all armored soldiers."

"They'll do it with even less mercy."

"Right now, we have no other way out."

Li Yun spoke in a low voice. "Once we light the fire, we’ll put it out at once. When the smoke rises, we’ll stir up chaos. Whoever escapes, escapes."

Skinny Monkey nodded, biting his lip, his voice trembling. "Second Brother, before I followed you down the mountain, I thought we were the worst villains..."

Li Yun snorted. "You haven't seen enough. Once you have, you'll realize some people are rotten to the core."

"I've seen half a dozen today alone."

"Sooner or later," Li Yun said coldly, "I’ll let these rotten souls spill their filth."

------

Midnight came. At Guo’s command, fires were set on all sides of Hexi Village.

Li Yun, with a group of Qingyang officers, stood guard on the eastern side. Once the fire was kindled, Li Yun coughed. Skinny Monkey Li Zheng immediately brought a heap of wheat straw, pretending to add it to the blaze.

Suddenly, he stumbled, clutching the straw, and fell onto the fire.

But the straw he carried was wet!

The flames were still small, and the wet straw instantly smothered the fire, though embers remained beneath. Thick smoke billowed up at once!

Smoke rolled out, rapidly spreading!

Li, the officer, shouted, "What are you doing! You were told to light the fire, not make smoke!"

"This much smoke—how can we see anything? If the rebels escape through it, will you answer for it?"

His voice was loud, carrying through at least half the village, if not the whole.

As Li Zheng deliberately created more smoke, the white haze thickened, stinging eyes and making it hard to see.

Moments later, through the swirling smoke, shadowy figures began to rush out.

Li Yun took a deep breath, covering his mouth and nose, and moved forward. When he was only two or three steps from the figure, he lowered his voice as much as possible.

"Don’t stop—keep running! Shake off the soldiers before dawn, and you may survive!"

Now the figure was only two steps away, but the smoke was so dense faces were indistinct. Yet the figure spoke, voice raspy.

"Li... Chief Li, it really is you."

Li Yun recognized the voice, surprised. "Meng... Brother Meng Chong?"

He hadn’t expected this man to return to Hexi Village!

Meng Chong strode forward, trying to grab Li Yun’s collar, but Li Yun instinctively sidestepped, then seized his arm, holding him fast.

"What are you doing!"

Li Yun hissed.

"You’re no chief of Cang Mountain!" Meng Chong gritted his teeth. "You’re a government soldier! Where did you trick the youths of Hexi?"

Li Yun frowned.

At such a moment, explanations were pointless. He could only speak quietly. "My identity matters little. If I meant you harm, you’d never have made it out of Shidai alive that day."

"Your kin are all on Cang Mountain. If you want to know whether I lied, survive and see for yourself."

"Listen well!" Li Yun pulled him close, whispering, "I’m guarding the east for now. With this smoke, lead the villagers out this way."

"The smoke won’t last long."

"As for how many escape, that’s up to fate."

------

With that, he kicked Meng Chong hard, sending him forward. "Go, quickly!"

Meng Chong looked back into the smoke at Li Yun, gritted his teeth, and scrambled to rally the villagers.

Meanwhile, Li Zheng kept feeding straw, thickening the smoke.

Many villagers of Hexi, shrouded in that rolling smoke, fled desperately for their lives.

But the smoke’s reach was limited. Soon, Inspector Guo Han, patrolling, noticed people escaping east and stormed over, cursing in fury. "What the hell are you doing, making all this smoke!"

"The rebels are escaping through your area!"

"Where’s your officer? Bring him to me!"

Li Zheng, busy with the straw, didn’t look up, replying, "Our officer saw people escaping and rushed into the smoke to catch them!"

Guo Han frowned, commanding, "Get the fire going—once it’s burning, the smoke will clear!"

Li Zheng wiped his brow, anxious. "The straw’s wet—it won’t catch!"

From within the smoke came Li Yun’s voice. "Is that you, Inspector Guo?"

"Inspector Guo, I’ve found the rebel leader!"

"Come help!"

Guo Han, delighted and unsuspecting, strode into the smoke.

After all, no one would expect the officer sent by Qingyang’s yamen was actually a bandit—a sly, lawless bandit!

If he could catch the chief, even if he earned no merit, his own culpability would be wiped away.

Entering the thick smoke, Guo followed the voice toward Li Yun.

"Officer Li, is the chief caught?"

"He’s already in my grasp!"

Guo Han, overjoyed, pressed his nose and hurried forward, finally glimpsing Li Yun’s silhouette. Just as he was about to speak, Li Yun abruptly stood, stepping close in a flash!

In that instant, Guo saw Li Yun draw Guo’s own saber from his waist.

His eyes went wide, realizing something was wrong.

He tried to shout.

Li Yun’s hand clamped over his mouth, and Guo’s own saber slid smoothly into his body!

"Ambush—help!"

After this brief cry, Li Yun quickly pulled the blade from Guo’s body, slashed his own left forearm, then tossed the weapon to the ground, letting out a wailing shout.

"Inspector Guo! Inspector Guo!!"