Chapter 56

After noon, the bandits who remained at the Xayun Ridge Five Tigers Fort came out of their houses one by one. Taking advantage of the rare sunny day after the snow, they basked in the sun. In a corner of the fort, in an inconspicuous house, Shi Feibao and Ding Yuchang were huddled inside, drinking their sorrows away. The reason for their complaints was obvious: this time, when Wei Dangjia led the attack on Yuxu Palace, he did not take them along but left them on the mountain. Wei Dangjia did not explain the reason to them, only saying that if the raid was successful, he would not forget their contributions. Despite their great dissatisfaction, Shi and Ding did not dare to show it on the surface; instead, they had to act respectfully and without complaint.

After complaining for a while, Shi Feibao, with his casual personality, could let go of things beyond his control. After venting his frustrations for the whole noon, his mood had improved significantly. He then picked up the wine pot, poured another cup for Ding Yuchang and himself, and raised his cup, saying, "Come, Brother Ding, I’ll toast to you. Let’s drink to the bottom."

As he spoke, he drained the cup in one gulp, put it down, and poured another for himself. Seeing that Ding Yuchang held the cup without touching it, his face filled with dissatisfaction, Shi Feibao knew that he was still upset about not being allowed to join the attack on Yuxu Palace. He tried to console him, saying, "Brother Ding, don’t think about Yuxu Palace anymore. By now, Wei Dangjia has probably already wiped out all the Taoist priests there. It’s no use thinking about it. As a man, one should be able to let things go. As long as the Taoist priests at Yuxu Palace are killed, and Wei Dangjia gets the gold and silver, we will get our share. Why be so concerned about whether we did it ourselves?"

Ding Yuchang sighed heavily, tilted his head back, and drank the wine in one gulp, slamming the cup on the table, and said resentfully, "Brother Shi, I understand what you’re saying, but I just can’t swallow this. Those Taoist priests killed my adopted son. I would eat their flesh and drink their blood to avenge this hatred."

As he spoke, he picked up the wine that Shi Feibao had just poured for him and drank it in one gulp. Then he threw the cup on the table, picked up the single-edged saber by the table, and got up to leave. Seeing this, Shi Feibao quickly reached out to stop him and asked, "Brother Ding, where are you going?" Ding Yuchang said angrily, "No matter what, I have to go to Yuxu Palace. Even if I can’t kill my enemies, I have to see them beheaded."

Without waiting for Shi Feibao’s objections, he was about to leave. Shi Feibao, fearing that he would be punished for leaving the mountain without permission, tried his best to dissuade him. As they were arguing, the door opened, and Ding Yuchang’s disciple, Gou Siyuan, rushed in in a panic.

Gou Siyuan did not pay attention to the argument between his master and the so-called uncle. He closed the door behind him and said in a panic, "Master, Uncle, something terrible has happened. I just heard that Wei Dangjia has run into trouble at Yuxu Palace."

Hearing this, Ding Yuchang and Shi Feibao stopped arguing and asked in unison, "What exactly happened? Speak clearly."

Gou Siyuan caught his breath and said, "While I was basking in the sun outside, I saw the guards at the gate helping several bandits who had gone down the mountain last night into the assembly hall. Not long after, the fifth chief, Wu Xingji, hurried over. Then the fourth chief, Xing Budao, was carried into the assembly hall on a stretcher by his subordinates. I knew something serious must have happened, so I asked a guard I’m close with. According to him, those bandits who returned to the mountain were sent to report. They said that their sneak attack on Yuxu Palace failed, and they suffered heavy losses. Wei Dangjia was killed on the spot, and Liu Dangjia was seriously injured and barely saved by the other bandits. Because of his severe injuries, Liu Dangjia couldn’t return to the fort immediately and is now hiding in a mountain crevice about ten miles from the fort. These bandits were sent back by him to report and to request immediate reinforcements to rescue the remaining bandits, to prevent the Taoist priests from Yuxu Palace from intercepting them on the way."

"Are you saying what? How could this happen?" Ding Yuchang and Shi Feibao asked in unison. This news was too unexpected. Wei Dangjia, with three hundred men, had failed to sneak attack a few unprepared Taoist priests at Yuxu Palace. Not only did he fail, but he also lost his life. Could those Taoist priests really have such profound Daoist powers that they predicted the attack? This was too unbelievable. Those Taoist priests didn’t look like any kind of enlightened masters.

Ding Yuchang no longer talked about going to Yuxu Palace to cut off the heads of the Taoist priests. The three of them sat in their chairs, pondering what this news would mean for them and the Five Tigers Fort.

Shi Feibao was the first to come to a conclusion. A sudden idea flashed in his mind, and he stood up from his chair, exclaiming, "This is bad. We three are likely to be in great danger."

"Brother Shi, what do you mean?" Ding Yuchang asked, puzzled.

Shi Feibao sat down and explained to Ding Yuchang, "The reason Wei Dangjia decided to attack Yuxu Palace at night was entirely because of the information we provided about the vast wealth at Yuxu Palace, which made him greedy. If the raid had been successful, we would have received our share of the rewards. But now, it has ended in a disastrous defeat, and Wei Dangjia has lost his life, and Liu Dangjia is seriously injured. Once the fifth chief brings Liu Dangjia back, the first thing he will do is to blame us as the 'culprits' and have us executed to appease the surviving bandits. Don’t you think we are about to be in great danger?"

Shi Feibao’s words made Gou Siyuan break out in a cold sweat. Despite the warm fire in the room, he felt a chill to the bone. Thinking about his impending execution, he cried out, "What can we do? What can we do?"

Ding Yuchang was clearly dissatisfied with his disciple’s panic and said disdainfully, "What’s the panic for? At worst, we can fight our way down the mountain. Are our swords just for show?"

Shi Feibao, though aware of the crisis, did not want to rely solely on brute force to ensure his safety like Ding Yuchang. He had been a minor chief at the Five Tigers Fort for about half a year after being forced to leave Liangxiang County. He had been living a comfortable life, eating well and drinking well. He was absolutely unwilling to be a fugitive again, like a dog on the run. Although he was now in trouble, he believed there was still room for maneuver. He was confident that with his silver tongue, he could turn the situation to his advantage and might even gain greater benefits.

Having made up his mind, he first calmed down Ding Yuchang and his disciple, telling them to wait for news while he went to turn the crisis into an opportunity. Although Ding Yuchang did not fully understand his plan, he knew that Shi Feibao was clever and resourceful, so he did not ask further questions. He sat back in his chair, continued to drink and eat, and waited for his return.

In the assembly hall of the Five Tigers Fort, the fourth chief, Xing Budao, and the fifth chief, Wu Xingji, were arguing about the next steps. Xing Budao argued that since the second chief had sent people to report, they should not delay and should immediately send troops to rescue him and bring him back to the fort. The second chief was seriously injured, and if they did not bring him back to the fort for treatment quickly, the situation could be dire.

Wu Xingji’s reaction was quite strange. He neither agreed nor disagreed but insisted that the situation was not clear and that more scouts should be sent down the mountain to investigate before making a decision.

Xing Budao was not convinced by his suggestion, thinking that Wu Xingji was being overly cautious. How could there be any deception? He knew Li Fu, who had come to report. Li Fu was a trusted confidant of the second chief and had always been by his side. If he couldn’t be trusted, who could? Despite his repeated attempts to persuade Wu Xingji, he refused to send troops immediately and only agreed to send a few scouts to verify the situation.

Although Xing Budao was anxious, he was physically unable to lead the troops himself. Moreover, this news had likely spread throughout the fort, and without Wu Xingji’s personal command, he dared not send any chief down the mountain, fearing that they might defect for personal gain.

After a heated argument, the two parted ways unhappily. Xing Budao went to verify the situation with Li Fu and others, while Wu Xingji returned to his independent residence with his personal guards. As soon as he entered, he saw his trusted manager, Wu Yan, smiling and greeting him. As he greeted him, he leaned in and whispered, "Chief, the minor chief Shi Feibao is looking for you and has been waiting in the side hall for some time."

Wu Xingji was taken aback when he heard that Shi Feibao was looking for him. He thought, "This boy is quite bold, daring to come to me. Doesn’t he know that once I confirm the situation, I will be the first to execute him to avenge my brother?" He kept a calm face and asked as he walked in, "What does this boy want?"

Wu Yan, bowing low, replied, "I asked him, and he said he has a great piece of news to tell you, but he didn’t specify what it was. He said you would know once you return. I thought, as a minor chief, he wouldn’t dare to deceive you. Since he dared to come, he must have something beneficial to offer, so I let him wait. Chief, do you want to see him or not?"

Wu Xingji, though unsure what great news Shi Feibao had, thought it couldn’t be bad and decided to see him. He waved his hand and said, "I don’t think he would dare to play tricks on me. Have him come to the back hall to see me."

As Wu Yan was about to leave, Wu Xingji called him back and instructed, "Arrange for a few of my personal guards to hide in the rooms on both sides of the back hall. If this boy does anything suspicious, I will signal by throwing my cup, and they should rush in and capture him."

Wu Yan quickly agreed and went to arrange it. Wu Xingji also instructed his personal guards to be on high alert and then led them to the back hall, waiting to see what Shi Feibao had in mind.

Wu Xingji sat down in the back hall, took a few sips of tea, and heard Wu Yan report from outside, "Chief, Chief Shi has arrived."

Wu Xingji said, "Let him in." The door curtain was lifted, and the tall and slender, but unimpressive-looking Shi Feibao entered, bowing his head. As soon as he entered, he bowed and said, "This is Shi Feibao, paying respects to Chief Wu."

Wu Xingji did not let him rise but took a few more sips of tea before slamming the cup on the table and shouting, "Shi Feibao, you have quite a nerve, daring to conspire with the Taoist priests at Yuxu Palace to harm my brothers. Now you come to me with some so-called good news. Do you think you can harm me too?"

Without waiting for Shi Feibao to respond, he waved to his personal guards and shouted, "Seize him and hold him. Wait for the second chief to return, and we will cut out his heart and dig out his intestines to honor the spirits of my brother and the other fallen brothers."

The personal guards responded loudly, rushed in, and pinned Shi Feibao to the ground, tying his hands behind his back. They were about to drag him out, but Shi Feibao neither resisted nor begged for mercy. Instead, he laughed loudly as he was being dragged to the door. Wu Xingji, finding his lack of resistance and sudden laughter strange, waved his hand and said, "Wait. Shi Feibao, you are about to die. What’s so funny?"

Shi Feibao stopped laughing and said, "I laugh because Chief Wu, who is usually so clever, is being foolish now. Think about it, I, Shi Feibao, have a vendetta against the Taoist priests at Yuxu Palace. How could I conspire with them to harm Wei Dangjia? I reported to Wei Dangjia that Yuxu Palace had vast wealth, and it was not a false report. Both 'Grasshopper' and the second chief can vouch for this. Wei Dangjia’s failure was due to his overconfidence, not because of me. Moreover, with Wei Dangjia dead and Liu Dangjia seriously injured, it is clearly beneficial for you, Chief Wu. You don’t need to thank me, but why do you want to kill me?"

Wu Xingji, who had not really intended to kill Shi Feibao immediately, now heard a hint of truth in his words and asked suspiciously, "So, you are not only innocent but also beneficial. I want to hear how this