Chapter 38

Listening to the passionate and sharp words, Ye Yu suddenly felt that Guo Xiaotian had become much more impressive. He never expected that a person who was usually quiet and somewhat dull could say something so resonant.

He could feel the concern in Guo Xiaotian's words, which stirred a touch of emotion deep in his heart.

The hall was silent, and Guo Xiaotian's roar still echoed in their ears. Ye Yu stroked his chin, raised his head, and calmly said to Li Dàyǐn, "I know the difficulties you, Chief Li, are facing. Therefore, besides paying respects today, I have also prepared two gifts for you!"

"Really? You've prepared gifts?" Li Dàyǐn, who was in a bad mood, was left speechless by Ye Yu's sudden words, neither laughing nor crying.

"Indeed, two very important gifts for you..." Ye Yu paused slightly, then continued, "The first gift is the four brothers you most want to rescue!"

"What!?" Li Dàyǐn's expression changed dramatically. He opened his tiger-like eyes wide and sat up straight, staring fiercely at Ye Yu, "Say that again!"

Ye Yu calmly repeated, "I have already brought the four prisoners, and they are not far from the mountain, at Wangfeng Slope! If Chief Li doesn't believe me, send someone to check and you'll know if it's true!"

Li Dàyǐn stared at Ye Yu for a moment without speaking, then nodded to Li Ping'er. Li Ping'er understood and turned to lead several bandits out of the hall, rushing down the mountain.

At this moment, Li Dàyǐn frowned and asked in confusion, "How did you know that my brothers were in the Qingliu County prison? How did you know that I was struggling with this issue? And how did you manage to bring the prisoners from the heavily guarded prison to Yuping Mountain?..."

"Chief Li, you don't ask questions lightly, but once you start, you don't stop! You ask so many questions, how should I even begin to answer?" Ye Yu spread his hands, smiling awkwardly.

"Then take your time!"

Seeing Li Dàyǐn's curiosity and confusion, Ye Yu waved his hand and smiled, "It's too early to say. We can talk about it after your sister returns!"

...

Just as the two were in a silent standoff, Li Ping'er rushed into the hall, her expression excited, "Brother, they are really at Wangfeng Slope!"

"Why haven't you sent people to bring them up the mountain?" In Li Dàyǐn's view, since they were already at the foot of the mountain, it was his territory, and bringing the four suffering brothers up the mountain was a matter of course.

"But there are many county officials gathered at the foot of the mountain, and the security is very tight. The leader is the Qingliu County Captain, Liu Yuanshan, and he has a message for you!"

"Speak!"

"If Ye Yu and his people lose a single hair, he will tear the four brothers to pieces and send troops to level Yuping Mountain..."

As soon as Li Ping'er finished speaking, the bandit leaders in the hall burst into laughter, mocking Liu Yuanshan for his big talk, claiming that a group of county officials could level Yuping Mountain, as if it were his own backyard.

Several bandit leaders stepped forward to volunteer, willing to lead a team to wipe out the county officials and rescue the four trapped brothers.

Li Dàyǐn waved his hand to calm the excited crowd, then walked down the steps to Ye Yu's side, bent down, and asked in a low voice, "What is the second gift?"

"It seems that you, Chief Li, being the leader of Yuping Mountain is not by chance!" Ye Yu said, taking out a piece of sheepskin from his sleeve and handing it to Li Dàyǐn.

Li Dàyǐn took the sheepskin with a puzzled look, unfolded it, and as his eyes scanned the map, his expression turned serious.

After he finished reading the map, he folded it and held it behind his back, frowning and asking in a low voice, "Where did you get this map?"

"You don't need to know. You just need to know that I have more than one copy! Chief Li, if this map falls into the hands of the officials, your natural defenses and traps on Yuping Mountain will be useless! Do you still have the leisure to be complacent as you did when the officials besieged you years ago?"

"Are you threatening me?" Li Dàyǐn's brows furrowed, his eyes filled with killing intent, making people feel a chill.

Ye Yu, however, was not fazed and smiled sarcastically, "Threatening? If I wanted to threaten you, why would I risk coming alone? Even if your four brothers are in my hands, if I were to rally the officials to besiege Yuping Mountain, do you think you could escape?

I came to pay respects to make friends, not enemies. Even though I have leverage, I still dealt with your many challenges. Isn't that enough sincerity?"

Li Dàyǐn's expression changed slightly, then he coldly snorted, "So, I should thank you?"

"Not necessary! If you were a heinous, evil, and cold-blooded person, I would have already bloodied Yuping Mountain today! Death is something I don't want to see, but if one of my friends is injured or killed..."

As Ye Yu spoke, his eyes glinted coldly at Li Dàyǐn, and he sneered, "Chief Li, do you believe I would grind your brothers' bones to dust and light a lamp with their blood? Hmm?"

Sss!

Although it was a joke, Li Dàyǐn felt a chill. Looking at Ye Yu's icy eyes, he knew it wasn't a joke.

He had heard rumors of Ye Yu eating human flesh in Qingliu County, but he had dismissed them as exaggerations, thinking no one could be as ruthless as he was.

But now, Ye Yu's presence made him believe the rumors.

"Since you know the details, I don't need to say more! Today's actions were wrong on my part. I will return all the people and goods I detained. I only want the four people in your hands. What do you think?"

At this moment, Li Dàyǐn's tone softened. Since the matter was clear, he felt his actions were unjust. Since the other party had given him enough face, he had no reason to hold hostages.

Li Dàyǐn's decision drew opposition from many who didn't know the full story, including Li Ping'er, who didn't understand why her brother was so accommodating.

Although she didn't want her brother to be enemies with Ye Yu, his words were too arrogant.

If not for Li Dàyǐn's stern gaze, she would have already acted on her anger.

Seeing the protests, Li Dàyǐn raised the sheepskin and coldly said, "This map outlines the eighteen defenses of Yuping Mountain and Qingfeng Fort, with every trap and deployment marked. Think about how long we can hold out without any defense?"

"Uh..."

"..."

His words silenced everyone. They understood the gravity of the situation. Yuping Mountain had been able to thrive for so long because of its natural defenses and traps.

If it were exposed to the officials, the few hundred bandits would be no match.

"Chief Li, you should know that it's easy to invite someone but hard to send them away. Since you detained my people, it's easy to release them now, but is this how you treat guests?"

Ye Yu lightly patted the armrest of his wheelchair and asked with interest.

"What do you want?"

"Hand over the person who set this up, and we'll call it even!"

"Fine! It suits me. Sister, bring Ding Lu here!"

Li Ping'er left the hall with a cold face and soon returned with a thin bandit.

Approaching Ye Yu, she kicked Ding Lu and said, "This is the person who set it up!"

"Then I'll borrow your knife!"

Before anyone could react, Ye Yu pulled out a short knife from Li Ping'er's waist and swiftly beheaded Ding Lu. The entire process was silent and efficient, without any hesitation.

At this moment, everyone looked at Ye Yu with a strange expression. His ruthlessness and indifference, coming from a scholar, were unsettling.

Clap, clap, clap!

Li Dàyǐn clapped, praising, "Today, I've truly seen something. You are ruthless!"

"Let's go, meet your four brothers!"

Ye Yu ignored Li Dàyǐn's praise, placed the bloody knife on his knees, and gestured for Guo Xiaotian to push him down the mountain.

Although Ye Yu's actions were unreasonable, Li Dàyǐ didn't mind and led the bandits down the mountain.

When they reached Wangfeng Slope, Liu Yuanshan hurried over, relieved to see Ye Yu safe.

Ye Yu smiled reassuringly at Liu Yuanshan and asked, "Sir, where are the four prisoners?"

"Do you really want to exchange these four prisoners? Although they don't deserve death, they should be punished in prison. Releasing them could cause future problems!"

"Sir, we have no choice! Even if we don't release them, Lu Kun will use them as a favor. Exchanging four for many lives, though against your principles, is necessary!"

Ye Yu was also helpless. If the other side went all out, the casualties would be unacceptable. With four people already arranged in the prison, it wouldn't be too difficult for Liu Yuanshan.

Mentioning Lu Kun's name, Liu Yuanshan gritted his teeth, "Hmph! That scoundrel! If you hadn't uncovered this, even I would have been deceived! This can't be left alone..."

"Sir, don't worry. Time will tell. I owe my safety to your trust!"

Liu Yuanshan stroked his beard, smiled, and turned to order two bailiffs to bring over four prisoners dressed as farmers. Pointing at them, he said, "These are the four you mentioned!"

Ye Yu nodded and asked Li Dàyǐn, "Chief Li, are these the four?"

"Exactly! Thank you, Brother Ye!"

"You're welcome. I always keep my word. But..."

As he spoke, Ye Yu threw the bloody knife to Guo Xiaotian and coldly said, "Four people, four arms!"

"Uh... Yes!"

Guo Xiaotian hesitated but quickly cut off four arms with the bloody knife.

The agonizing screams were unbearable, making Li Dàyǐn's face turn pale. He shouted, "Brother Ye, what do you mean?"

"People should be responsible for their actions. If they are wrong, they must face the consequences. Since Chief Li is hesitant, I'll do it for you!"

Ye Yu coldly said to the four one-armed prisoners, "You should be grateful that you didn't lose your lives. Otherwise, Chief Li would have received four corpses!"