Chapter 89

"Fall, fall!"

In Yang Zhi's gradually blurring vision, the seven merchants selling jujubes in the nearby forest tore off their masks of enthusiasm, sincerity, vigilance, and timidity, and ran over laughing. They swiftly passed by the fallen escort officer, trampling on the dignity of this man from a family of generals, and forcibly took away his last hope of reviving his family's reputation. At this moment, Yang Zhi's heart, long suppressed, reached its ultimate point of despair, and the last thread of consciousness faded away with endless regret.

These merchants, laughing strangely, caught up and casually threw down the jujube bags from their carts. They swiftly moved the heavy wooden chests filled with gold and pearls onto the carts, leaving behind a chaotic scene of the robbery. The abandoned jujube bags lay tilted by the roadside, with bright red jujubes spilling out and rolling onto the ground. Some of the jujubes were crushed into paste by the Jiangzhou carts pushed by their owners, a scene that seemed to foreshadow the fate of these lowly soldiers after their failure.

"Ha ha ha... these fools! Talking about being from a family of generals, I thought they would be something! In the end, they were still taken down by us! Brothers, with these gold and pearls, we can live without worries for the rest of our lives!" Han Bolong, pushing a Jiangzhou cart loaded with the future, led the way with quick steps. He was abnormally excited, knowing he shouldn't be talking so much on the road, but he couldn't stop. It was a testament to his resilience that he had survived being trampled by horses in the chaos and had recovered over the past few months, as if nothing had happened, and was now involved in this major heist.

"Brother Bolong, this is not the place to talk. Let's discuss it when we get to the manor!" Cao Gai, pushing another Jiangzhou cart, replied. A rare smile appeared on his dark and gloomy face, as he had been depressed for months after the previous encounter.

"Brother Baozheng, what are you afraid of? In this hot weather, who else would be as cheerful as us? Let Han brother talk; it's better to let it out than to keep it bottled up!" Liu Tang laughed, his eyes frequently glancing at the two chests of gold and pearls in front of his cart, his face full of joy.

"Brother Liu Tang is right! Brother Baozheng, didn't you say you wanted to travel the world? I, Han Bolong, will go with you. Staying here means living in constant fear! Those bandits on Liangshan are all bad! If they hear we got this unexpected wealth, they might have evil thoughts!" Han Bolong said angrily. Clearly, the experience from months ago was hard for him to forget. In this world, besides hatred, nothing else could make Han Bolong so resentful.

Xiao Rang and Jin Dajian exchanged glances, their hearts filled with disdain. They thought to themselves that it was always Cao Tianwang who had plans for others, and now they were being blamed for it. They had been forced by Wu Yong's smooth talk to join this heist, and they had already made up their minds to cut ties with Cao Gai after this last job, to repay his kindness of giving them ten thousand strings of coins each.

Wu Yong saw their reactions and turned to laugh, "How about it? This time, you two brothers didn't come for nothing, right? Baozheng said we would split the eleven chests of gold and pearls among the eight of us, which means each of us gets more than ten thousand strings of coins? Even if you two wrote ten thousand letters or carved a thousand inscriptions a day, you wouldn't earn this much in a lifetime! Brothers, why not stay and not leave?"

Wu Yong thought of Wang Lun's warning to be careful when making friends, which made him angry. Wasn't this a veiled insult? But at the time, the situation was against him, and he had no choice but to admit defeat. If he had the means, with these ten thousand strings of coins as capital, the saying goes, "Thirty years on the east side, thirty years on the west side," and who knows who will laugh last?

Xiao Rang and Jin Dajian exchanged glances, and Xiao Rang said, "Wu Xuejiu, when you came to us, you didn't say it like this. We two are not capable of governing the country or leading an army. Why do you value us so much? It makes us feel uneasy!"

Xiao Rang glanced at Jin Dajian, and after getting his nod, he continued, "We two are grateful to Brother Baozheng for this wealth. We were supposed to repay his kindness, but if you keep pressuring us, we won't take this wealth and will return to our humble homes!"

Cao Gai sighed, "Why say such discouraging words at a time like this? Whether you stay or leave is up to you. I, Cao Gai, will keep my word. This ill-gotten wealth will be split equally. If you two want to leave, take your share and go! I, Cao Gai, wronged you two and almost cost you your lives. This time, I called you to make up for it."

Wu Yong was speechless, looking at Cao Gai with a complex expression. He sighed, thinking of all the effort he had put into helping Cao Gai, but none of the people he had tried to recruit had joined. Li Kui was one thing, but now it seemed Xiao and Jin were also going to part ways. Wu Yong sighed, feeling that his fate was bitter, unable to find a worthy leader to follow.

Xiao Rang and Jin Dajian exchanged glances, feeling a bit moved. They thanked Cao Gai, "Thank you, Cao Tianwang, for your kindness. We two are unworthy of it, but we have families to take care of and cannot wander the world with you. We will share one portion, and you six can share seven portions."

As everyone was about to speak, a song was heard, "The scorching sun burns like a fire, the fields are half withered. The farmers' hearts are boiling, while the nobles fan themselves." A cheerful man sang as he approached, carrying two empty wine barrels.

"Brother Baisheng, you keep singing the same lines. Stop it and come help! Two of our brothers are willing to share one portion, so come take the cart!" Han Bolong said sarcastically. He saw the two timid scholars and wondered how they could be considered heroes. Wu Xuejiu still wanted to recruit them, and Cao Baozheng didn't stop him, which was ridiculous! Originally, they were six, but Cao Tianwang insisted on having eight, claiming he had a dream about the Big Dipper and a flying star. It seemed that Wang Lun had diminished his former glory, making him act strangely.

"Hey, which two brothers are so generous? If I don't take it, I'll feel bad!" Baisheng replied, guessing it was Xiao and Jin. If not for their skills, which could match several ordinary servants, and their usefulness in a fight, he would have tried to persuade Cao Baozheng and Wu Xuejiu to leave them out.

Baisheng quickly moved to Jin Dajian's side, grinning, "Brother, you must be tired. Let me push the cart with your share of the gold and pearls. How can I let you do it?"

Jin Dajian was irritated but held back. Xiao Rang said, "Brother Jin, I'm struggling. Come help me!" He was afraid Jin Dajian might lose control and provoke the others, who might try to silence them.

Jin Dajian coldly hummed and went to help Xiao Rang. Baisheng persisted, "What? Look down on us? Who are you to be so righteous? If the news of robbing Cai Jing's gifts gets out, you won't have a good outcome either!"

"Enough! Push your cart! We'll divide the gold and pearls when we get back!" Cao Gai finally shouted, unable to bear it any longer.

Everyone stopped, and Gong Sunsheng, who had been silent, observed everyone with a thoughtful expression. He didn't have any ill feelings toward Xiao Rang and Jin Dajian, thinking they were decent people who were not suited for this. What was the point of forcing them to join? Even if it was to fulfill some dream, why not use the many servants available? It was confusing.

When he first came to Cao Gai, he had considered joining Wang Lun. But with over ten thousand men on Liangshan, how much would be left after robbing the birthday tribute? Cao Gai was good in many ways, but sometimes his actions were very irrational. Fortunately, they had obtained the ten thousand strings of coins without bloodshed, but Cao Gai was not a great leader, and it seemed they couldn't stay here long.

The eight of them, each with their own thoughts, hurried to Cao Gai's manor. It was already dark, around the first watch of the night. They saw a dark, burly man leaning against the gate, holding a roasted chicken in his left hand and a chicken leg in his right, stuffing it into his mouth. He ignored the group and continued eating.

Liu Tang thought, "This man has such a strange temperament, yet Cao Baozheng tolerates him, feeding him well. It seems the reputation of the 'Heavenly King' for generosity is true. I haven't chosen the wrong person!"

Seeing the group enter the manor secretly, Li Kui just sneered. When they reached the house, they worked together to move the eleven heavy chests of gold and pearls into a secret room. Han Bolong and Baisheng looked at each other and laughed, thinking their hard times were over. They would soon be wealthy, with beautiful concubines and a life of leisure. They hadn't tasted a woman in years, and the thought of the delicate women they saw during temple fairs made their hearts itch.

They placed the chests side by side, and Han Bolong was eager to open them. Cao Gai said, "Thanks to all of you, we have this joy today. I suggest we swear brotherhood and face the world together!" Liu Tang and Baisheng cheered, Wu Yong smiled, Gong Sunsheng remained silent, and Xiao Rang and Jin Dajian lowered their heads. Cao Gai's heart sank, but then Han Bolong, unable to resist, secretly opened one of the chests. He sat on the ground, shocked, and exclaimed, "Bricks... bricks..."

(To be continued. Please search for Piaowen.com for better updates and faster updates!)

PS: The formatting issues have been a headache. I had to manually break the paragraphs. I aim to write four chapters with 12,000 words today. I hope for your support with subscriptions and monthly votes!