Chapter 78: Inside Help
In the middle of the night, the old and young in Pei Family Village had all gone to sleep, a scene of peace.
A figure quietly pushed open the door and left the thatched hut.
The refugees in the same house had labored all day and were sleeping soundly from exhaustion. One heard the movement and asked groggily: “What are you doing?”
That figure paused: “Just going easy and I’ll be back.”
The half-asleep man oh-ed and turned over to continue sleeping. After an unknown amount of time, the door was pushed open again. The refugee who went out to go easy had returned.
The next day, the refugees went to the fields to work as usual. During a water break, the skinny man went to Feng Chang’s side and whispered a few words: “…Old Fan is acting strange.”
“When we came down the mountain that day, he followed halfway. We don’t know his true identity or background. These days, he hardly speaks and seems honest. But he’s sneaked out of the house twice in the middle of the night. Last night, he was gone for over half a shichen before coming back.”
Feng Chang didn’t turn his head to look for Old Fan, his expression unchanged, lips moving slightly: “Keep watching him. Come tell me if there’s any unusual movement.”
In the afternoon at the training ground, Feng Chang quietly reported the matter to Pei Qinghe.
Pei Qinghe was not surprised. The refugees from the mountains had various backgrounds, many didn’t know each other originally, and names and identities could be fabricated. It was not unusual to have one or two spies with ulterior motives mixed in.
She had started by acting ruthlessly to deter all the refugees. The refugees had just begun stable days of eating their fill and wearing warm clothes; they didn’t want to leave, much less die. The clever ones would secretly keep an eye on suspicious people around them.
“Hold position, don’t alert the enemy.” A chill flashed in Pei Qinghe’s eyes: “Watch him for a few more days.”
A few nights later, a dark shadow stealthily slipped out of the house, hurried all the way out of the village, and headed west of the village.
About three li out of the village, this dark shadow finally stopped, looked around, let out a long breath, went to a tree, took out a hemp rope from his bosom, and wrapped it around the tree twice.
After finishing this, the dark shadow breathed a sigh of relief again, smiled silently, revealing a mouth of yellow teeth.
Just as the dark shadow was smug, a familiar girl’s voice suddenly came from behind: “Old Fan, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?”
Old Fan was like struck by lightning, his body instantly numb, chill running from his spine to his head. He didn’t dare turn around to argue, immediately bolting forward in mad flight.
Swoosh!
Sudden intense pain in his left leg.
Old Fan let out a miserable cry, his whole body crashing heavily to the ground, nose bleeding profusely, stars swirling before his eyes. The intense pain made tears and snot stream out, his eyes blurred by tears.
Footsteps approached unhurriedly, and Life-Reaping Yama’s face appeared above: “Light the torches, I’ll get answers right here.”
Pei Yan and Pei Yun each lit a torch and stuck them between the trees. The man from the same house as Old Fan had also come and stood with Feng Chang.
The skinny man was even angrier than Pei Qinghe, stepped forward and kicked Old Fan hard, cursing vehemently: “Pah! You deserve to die a thousand deaths!”
“Sixth Sister gives us food and clothes, lets us live in clean houses. Without Sixth Sister, we all would’ve frozen or starved to death those few days in the snow. And you dare betray Sixth Sister!”
Old Fan’s left leg was pierced clean through by an arrow, and now kicked in the wound, the pain unbearable, miserable cries nonstop.
Clearly not some tough guy.
Pei Qinghe stepped forward and asked coldly: “What’s your name? What’s your background? Confess honestly, and I’ll give you a quick death.”
Old Fan’s lips trembled, wanting to say some tough words. The next moment, saber light flashed, and his right leg was directly severed.
Another earth-shattering miserable cry.
Old Fan nearly passed out from the pain.
“I’ll give you one last chance. Want a quick slash to end it, or be cut to pieces one slice at a time?” The torchlight illuminated Pei Qinghe’s eyes brimming with killing intent: “Who sent you as a spy?”
Pei Qinghe raised the long saber in her hand.
Sparks flew from Old Fan’s scalp, and he cried out for mercy: “I’ll talk! I’ll talk!”
“My surname is Fan, I’m from Wolf Fang Stockade.”
“Our boss has long had designs on Pei Family Village. But Black Bear Stockade was wiped out, and Beiping Army’s military banner is planted at the village head. Boss doesn’t dare act rashly.”
“At New Year, a large group of refugees from the mountains was coming down to seek refuge in Pei Family Village. Boss sent me to mix in with the refugees and come down to scout the situation in Pei Family Village…”
Old Fan’s right leg severed, left leg pierced by an arrow, no chance of escape at all. Under the intense pain, he spilled everything like beans from a bamboo tube.
“I use hemp rope to send signals. Sneak here quietly at night and wrap the hemp rope around the tree twice. Tomorrow during the day, accomplices will spot it from afar.”
“Two loops means Pei Family Village is not to be trifled with, don’t come.”
Pei Qinghe asked: “What does the signal for action look like?”
Old Fan’s pupils shook, not answering in time. Pei Qinghe sneered, her long saber flashed, and Old Fan’s left arm was gone.
The skinny man was scared into trembling legs.
Feng Chang felt chills inside but his stance remained steady.
Gu Lian sniffed the thick bloody smell, showed no fear, excitement gleaming in her eyes.
Pei Yan and Pei Yun were already used to it, no reaction. They each coldly watched Old Fan, who looked like a blood gourd. A wet patch spread under Old Fan, writhing in agony: “Hang the hemp rope from the branches, dangling down, that means they can move in.”
“Where is Wolf Fang Stockade located?”
“From here into the mountains, five days of mountain road.”
“How many people in the stockade?”
“Over three hundred mountain bandits, more than in Black Bear Stockade. Boss has a saber scar on his forehead, nickname Scarred Wolf. He’s savage by nature, martial skills more powerful than Black Bear. Wolf Fang Stockade’s location is hidden; without a guide, outsiders can’t find it…”
Pei Qinghe kept her word; after asking everything she needed, she indeed gave Old Fan a quick death with one slash.
The next day, a bloody Old Fan was hung under a tree north of the village.
Captains Pei Jia, Pei Yi, Gu Lian, and Feng Chang each led a team to view it up close for a circle.
“Everyone look, this Old Fan was a spy sent by Wolf Fang Stockade.”
“He mixed in among us, secretly sending messages to Wolf Fang Stockade. To come kill us and rob our grain.”
“This time, Wang Erhe spotted it in time and reported it, earning great merit. Sixth Sister said there’ll be no implicating of everyone, and Wang Erhe will be rewarded with a grain bag.”
The skinny Wang Erhe took the hefty grain bag from Feng Chang’s hands, face full of joy and excitement.
Don’t underestimate this one grain bag. In famine years, one grain bag could buy two young girls. Enough to make hungry refugees fight for life or death.
More importantly, Wang Erhe who discovered and reported it saved everyone’s lives and was heavily rewarded. The positive encouragement from this far outweighed the fear from Old Fan being killed and hung from the tree.
While farming, the refugees secretly watched those around them, inwardly thinking that maybe they too could catch a spy and earn great merit like Wang Erhe.
……
