Chapter 16

Among the four elders, Elder Song was the oldest and was implicitly the leader of the four. At this moment, his face turned red, and he coughed, saying, "This... this... um... We are good brothers who have shared hardships and life-and-death situations for many years, so there is naturally no ill will... Elder Bai, if you look at my old brother's face, there's no need to take it to heart."

Elder Bai Shijin said, "Elder Song says there was no ill will, but the reality is not so. Elder Chuan Gong and I were all imprisoned on three ships, moored in Taihu Lake, with the ships piled high with firewood and gunpowder. They said that if we tried to escape, they would immediately set fire to the ships. Elder Song, was this not ill will?"

Elder Song said, "This... this... indeed, it was a bit too much. We are all one family, always as close as brothers and kin. How can we act so recklessly? When we meet again, this... isn't it quite embarrassing?"

The latter part of his words was directed at Elder Chen.

Elder Bai Shijin pointed at a man and said sternly, "You deceived us onto the ship, saying the leader summoned us. Falsely transmitting the leader's orders, what crime is that?"

The man was so frightened that he trembled all over and stammered, "I... I... I have a low position, how could I dare to do such a disrespectful and deceitful thing? It was... it was..."

He looked at Quan Guanqing as he spoke.

Elder Bai Shijin said, "Was it your Chief Elder Quan who ordered you to do this?"

The man lowered his head and did not speak, not daring to say yes or no.

Elder Bai Shijin said, "Did Chief Elder Quan order you to falsely transmit the leader's orders and deceive me onto the ship? Did you know at the time that the order was fake?"

The man's face immediately turned pale, and he did not dare to speak.

Elder Bai Shijin sneered, "Li Chunlai, you have always been a brave and decisive man, haven't you? A man of courage has the guts to act, but does he lack the courage to admit it?"

Li Chunlai's face suddenly showed a determined look. He straightened his chest and said clearly, "Elder Bai is right. I, Li Chunlai, have done wrong. Whether I am killed or beheaded, I will accept any punishment without flinching. When I conveyed the leader's order to you, I knew it was fake."

Elder Bai Shijin said, "Has the leader wronged you? Have I wronged you?"

Li Chunlai said, "No, the leader treats us with great righteousness, and Elder Bai is fair and strict. No one has any objections."

Elder Bai Shijin said sternly, "Then why did you do it? What was the reason?"

Li Chunlai glanced at Quan Guanqing, who was kneeling on the ground, and then at Jiaofeng, and said loudly, "I have violated the rules of the gang and deserve death. The reason behind this, I dare not speak."

With a flip of his wrist, a flash of white light appeared, and with a "pu" sound, a knife pierced his heart. The knife was very fast and aimed directly at his heart, piercing through it and causing him to die instantly.

The gang members exclaimed in shock, but no one moved from their seats.

Elder Bai Shijin did not change his expression and said, "You knew the order was fake but did not report it to the leader, and instead deceived me. You deserved to die." He turned to Elder Chuan Gong and said, "Xiang Brother, who deceived you onto the ship?"

Suddenly, a man leaped up from the crowd and ran towards the forest.

This man had five cloth bags on his back, indicating he was a five-bag disciple of the Beggar Gang. He fled in a hurry, clearly the one who had falsely transmitted the order and deceived Elder Xiang onto the ship.

Elders Chuan Gong and Bai Shijin sighed but did not speak.

A figure darted out and blocked the path of the five-bag disciple.

This man had a ruddy face and held a ghost-head knife. He was Elder Wu, one of the four elders. He shouted sternly, "Liu Zhuzhuang, why are you running?"

Liu Zhuzhuang stammered, "I... I... I..." saying "I" six or seven times but could not say another word.

Elder Wu said, "As disciples of the Beggar Gang, we must abide by the ancestral laws. A man of honor acts righteously, and if he does wrong, he must take responsibility."

He turned to Jiaofeng and said, "Leader Jiao, we have all discussed it and decided to depose you as leader. This major decision involved Elders Song, Xi, Chen, and Wu. We were afraid that Elders Chuan Gong and Bai Shijin would not agree, so we had them imprisoned. This was for the good of the gang, and we had to take the risk. Now that the situation is unfavorable, we will accept your punishment. Wu Changfeng has been in the Beggar Gang for thirty years, and everyone knows I am not a coward."

As he spoke, he threw the ghost-head knife far away and crossed his arms, showing no fear.

He spoke calmly, revealing the secret plot to depose the leader, shocking everyone in the gang.

Elder Bai Shijin said loudly, "Elders Song, Xi, Chen, and Wu betrayed the leader and violated the first rule of the gang. Enforcement disciples, bind the four elders."

His enforcement disciples fetched some ox sinew and first bound Wu Changfeng, who stood smiling and did not resist. Then Elders Song and Xi also dropped their weapons and allowed themselves to be bound.

Elder Chen's face was very pale, and he muttered, "Cowards, cowards! If we all fought together, we might not lose, but everyone is afraid of Jiaofeng."

Elder Chen, determined to fight, found himself alone. With a sigh, he threw down his sack and allowed two enforcement disciples to bind his wrists and ankles with ox sinew.

By now, it was completely dark, and Elder Bai Shijin ordered his disciples to light a fire. The firelight illuminated the faces of the bound men, showing only dejection and gloom.

Elder Bai Shijin stared at Liu Zhuzhuang and said, "Do you still deserve to be a disciple of the Beggar Gang with such behavior? Will you take your own life, or do you need someone else to do it?"

Liu Zhuzhuang said, "I... I..."

He still could not finish his sentence. He drew his single-edged knife, trying to cut his own throat, but his arm trembled so much that he could not bring the blade to his neck.

An enforcement disciple shouted, "Such a coward, how can you have been in the Beggar Gang for so long?" He grabbed Liu Zhuzhuang's right arm and swung it, cutting his throat.

Liu Zhuzhuang said, "I... thank you..." and then died.

In the Beggar Gang, there was a rule that if a member violated the rules and was sentenced to death, if they took their own life, the gang would still consider them a brother, and their sins would be washed away with death. However, if an enforcement disciple carried out the execution, the sins would never be forgiven. The enforcement disciple saw that Liu Zhuzhuang truly intended to take his own life but lacked the strength, so he helped him.

Li Wucheng had long been looking forward to this scene in the apricot grove and had no good feelings towards the Beggar Gang. However, seeing Li Chunlai and Liu Zhuzhuang die one after another, he could not help but frown and feel a bit nauseous.

Not long ago, Li Wucheng was just an ordinary person who had rarely seen a dead body, let alone such a bloody scene. When he saw the hot blood spurt high, he felt a bit dizzy.