Chapter 81

Chapter 80: With Lord Gui, life is very easy.

With Lord Gui around, life is very easy.

"Since it's difficult for us to attack them, why don't we lure them down?" Song Qingshu said, "Everyone knows that Mr. Wei is a notorious gambler. We can pretend to be gambling in the tent, lower our guard, and make the Wangwu Sect think they have a chance to succeed. They will surely have the idea of capturing the leader first and can't resist coming down from the mountain."

"Good!" The officers all praised the idea, but Wei Xiaobao cursed inwardly, yet he could only agree.

That night, everyone set up a gambling table in the main tent. Wei Xiaobao took out a stack of silver bills and placed them on the table, totaling about five or six thousand taels, saying, "Whoever has the skills can come and win it." In his heart, he kept praying that the people from Wangwu Mountain wouldn't come down.

The officers placed their bets, some winning and some losing. After a while, everyone got excited, and the stakes gradually increased. The soldiers standing behind also passed their silver to place bets.

Originally, they were pretending to gamble while secretly being on guard, but later, everyone became so engrossed that some who had lost everything even ran back to the camp to borrow money from their non-gambling comrades to try to win back their losses.

In the main tent, the sounds of shouting and betting filled the air, making it seem like a real large casino.

Wei Xiaobao secretly gloated, "Heh, the more you get into the game, the less likely you'll be able to catch the Wangwu Sect when they come down."

Suddenly, a man loudly said, "I bet on the Heavenly Gate!" He placed a melon-sized object on the Heavenly Gate. Everyone was stunned when they saw it. On the gambling table was a bloodied head. The head was wearing an official hat, belonging to the imperial guard patrolling outside the tent.

Everyone looked up in shock and noticed that there were over a dozen people in blue robes standing at the tent entrance, each holding a long sword or a sharp saber.

The soldiers were about to draw their weapons to fight back, but they had thrown their weapons aside in the heat of the game. Now, with the enemy staring them down, picking up their weapons would immediately make them targets. For a moment, no one dared to move.

"Hmph, the Manchu Tartars are truly on their last legs. To have a mere child lead the troops and even gamble in the camp," Situ Bolai surveyed the scene, his mind as clear as a mirror.

"That's not necessarily true," a long laugh echoed, and Jiumozhi stepped out from the crowd.

Seeing Jiumozhi and Song Qingshu standing beside him, Zeng Rou blushed, thinking that his prediction was indeed correct.

Situ Bolai's eyes narrowed, and he, along with a middle-aged man and others, attacked Jiumozhi together.

"Your sword skills are not bad, but they are too mixed and impure," Jiumozhi sneered, forming a hand seal with one hand above and one below, creating a visible energy sphere in the middle, which immediately blocked the three long swords.

Sweat appeared on Situ Bolai's and the others' temples as they found their swords no longer under their control, unable to advance or retreat.

"Great! Master, your martial arts are superb!" The officers were amazed by Jiumozhi's skills and cheered for him.

A hint of a smug smile appeared on Jiumozhi's lips. He channeled his energy into his hands, lightly pinched, and the three long swords were all shattered. Jiumozhi waved his hand, and the sword tips flew back and hit the three men.

The soldiers in the tent took the opportunity to attack, and the Wangwu Sect members, terrified, were quickly surrounded with knives at their throats.

Seeing the Wangwu Sect members subdued, Wei Xiaobao felt a headache coming on. His eyes darted around as he thought about how to find an excuse to release them.

Seeing the right moment, Song Qingshu asked, "Your Wangwu Sect killed officials and invaded the camp. This is a serious crime of rebellion. Aren't you afraid of being beheaded?"

"Hmph, we have devoted ourselves to the Pingxi King, ready to die for him. When the Pingxi King rises, your days as Tartars will be over," Situ Bolai said according to the plan they had discussed the previous night.

The officers looked at each other, and Zhang Kangnian angrily rebuked, "Nonsense! The Emperor favors the Pingxi King, and the Pingxi King has always been loyal to the Emperor. He has been guarding the Shanhaiguan Pass against the Mongols for many years. You are falsely accusing him, and you have the wrong person."

Wei Xiaobao understood the mutual suspicion between Kangxi and Wu Sangui. Since Situ Bolai was an old general of Wu Sangui, he wondered if what he said was true. But no, his master had specifically instructed him to preserve the Wangwu Sect... I see, he must hate Wu Sangui to the bone. Thinking he is doomed, he wants to drag Wu Sangui down with him.

Realizing this, Wei Xiaobao quickly called the senior officers of the action to one side to discuss, "I once heard the Emperor casually mention the idea of revoking the fiefs. Could it be that the news has leaked and forced Wu Sangui's hand?"

The group was unaware of this development, and Jiumozhi was greatly surprised, "If Wu Sangui really has the intention to rebel, that would be a huge matter."

Song Qingshu's eyebrows twitched, and he seized the opportunity to say, "If we capture these people and take them to the capital, and Wu Sangui gets the news, he might be forced to act rashly. The Emperor might not be prepared, and he might even blame us."

The officers of the cavalry camp were terrified, their faces pale. Such high-level turmoil was not something they dared to get involved in. One misstep could mean the destruction of their families. They all looked at Wei Xiaobao, "Everything is up to Mr. Wei."

Wei Xiaobao glanced at Song Qingshu in surprise, not expecting him to say what he was thinking. He quickly added, "We need to find a way to suppress this matter. I think we should release these people."

"Release them?" The group was confused. They had just captured the Wangwu Sect, and now they were going to release them?

"That's where you don't understand the ways of officials," Wei Xiaobao cleared his throat and put on a serious face, "You think capturing them is a great achievement, but as Song Brother just analyzed, the Emperor might not only not reward us but also punish us. But if we release them, it's a different story."

"What's different?" Jiumozhi was puzzled, thinking that the politics of the Central Plains were more complicated than martial arts.

"Think about it," Wei Xiaobao said in a low voice, "If they are captured and then released, they won't dare to tell Wu Sangui about it. If they do, Wu Sangui will suspect that they have surrendered to the court. They are not fools; they won't tell Wu Sangui."

"This way, Wu Sangui won't know about today's events and won't rebel so soon. We can inform the Emperor in advance, and the court can prepare. The Emperor might be pleased and even give us a great reward."

"With Lord Gui, life is very easy!" Zhao Qixian couldn't help but give a thumbs up.

Duo Long also laughed, "Thanks to Brother Wei's reminder, otherwise, we would have made a big mistake without realizing it."

Jiumozhi sighed, "The culture of the Central Plains is indeed profound."

"But," Wei Xiaobao glanced at the Wangwu Sect members in the distance, "They killed our brothers, and just releasing them would damage the morale of our troops. Heh, we need to get some interest from them."

Wei Xiaobao led a group to Situ Bolai and gave him a cold, mocking smile.

"Kill us or let us go, it's up to you! The people of the Wangwu Sect won't flinch," Situ Bolai coldly snorted and turned his head away, no longer looking at him.

"You bunch of mud legs from the江湖 also want to cling to the Pingxi King? Who would believe such lies?" Wei Xiaobao chuckled, "I'm in a good mood today and am willing to let you off..."

Hearing Wei Xiaobao's words, many of the Wangwu Sect members looked up, their eyes filled with hope. They had all killed officials and caused chaos, and being captured meant certain execution, with no hope of survival. But now, there was a glimmer of hope.

"Let's do this: since we were gambling just now, you can gamble with me. The winner can leave, and the loser..." Wei Xiaobao's cold laugh continued.

"What happens to the loser?" A member of the Wangwu Sect couldn't help but ask.

"Oh, nothing much," Wei Xiaobao said nonchalantly, "Just leave your head behind."

Wei Xiaobao thought that the lies he had just told might fool these fools, but they wouldn't fool Kangxi. He needed to leave a few people behind to report to the young emperor and complete his mission.

The Wangwu Sect members were all chilled to the bone, thinking that half of their brothers would likely be left behind.

"How do we gamble?" A clear voice rang out, and Wei Xiaobao turned to see Zeng Rou in the crowd.

"Damn, how could there be such a beautiful woman I didn't notice before?" Wei Xiaobao's heart skipped a beat. Wanting to leave a good impression on the beautiful girl, he quickly smiled and said, "I, Wei Xiaobao, have always cherished beauty. This young lady, whether you are a big sister or a little sister, doesn't need to gamble. You can leave first."

Zeng Rou's face turned red and then pale, and she slowly shook her head, saying softly, "I don't want to. We... we are nineteen fellow disciples, and we will live and die together."

At that moment, she was extremely afraid but didn't want to escape alone. She looked up and saw Song Qingshu's warm gaze, and for some reason, her heart calmed down, and her speech became more fluent. The people in the tent couldn't help but admire her courage.

"Good, you are very righteous, young lady," Wei Xiaobao said, "Since you are living and dying together, there's no need to gamble one by one. Little girl, you can gamble with me. If you win, all nineteen of you can leave. If you lose, all nineteen heads will be cut off. How about that?"

Zeng Rou looked back at Situ Bolai, waiting for his instructions.

Situ Bolai was in a difficult position. If the nineteen people gambled with the young general one by one, there would be winners and losers. If he kept his word, half of the nineteen could survive, and they could seek revenge later. But if Zeng Rou threw the dice, winning would mean all of them could leave, and losing would mean all of them would die. It was too risky.

"Little sister, well said! You... you go ahead and throw the dice," Situ Bolai finally decided, "If you win, we all live. If you lose, we all die. This is the only way."

Zeng Rou nodded, her heart pounding but determined. She stepped forward and faced Wei Xiaobao.

"Alright, let's see what you've got," Wei Xiaobao said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.