Chapter Thirteen: The Saber (III)

The horse bandits would surely come, and indeed they arrived the next day.
But Li Kuo had already made plans. He ordered his soldiers to hide while instructing Clerk Feng to calm the townspeople and keep things normal to avoid panic.
Though brutal, the horse bandits generally adhered to rules and kept their promises. If they said they would arrive by today, they would definitely show up on time, without delay. Li Kuo and Clerk Feng stayed at the county office, waiting for that moment.
Since they had nothing else to do, Li Kuo decided to play a game of chess with Clerk Feng to pass the time.
Despite being older, Clerk Feng wasn’t very skilled at chess, even slightly inferior to Li Kuo. His chess play didn’t match his usual dignity—after losing several pieces in a row, he kept retracting his moves, leaving Li Kuo both amused and exasperated.
“Old Mr. Feng, if you keep playing like this, I’ll end up with no pieces left!” Li Kuo said helplessly with a wry smile.
Normally serious, Clerk Feng winked at him and said, “Hehe, a true gentleman stays silent while playing chess. General Li, are you afraid of losing and trying to surrender?”
Li Kuo was speechless for a moment.
“Fine, go ahead!”
“The horse bandits won’t follow any rules or morals in battle. They only obey the edge of their swords. Whoever has the sharper sword sets the rules.”
Clerk Feng took the opportunity to capture a major piece in the lower right corner of Li Kuo’s board, pushing him into a desperate situation. “General Li, you’re distracted again. I won’t hold back!”
Rubbing his hands and swallowing hard, Clerk Feng’s eyes gleamed with determination.
“Old Mr. Feng is truly skilled. I’m far from your level.”
Li Kuo never expected Clerk Feng to be so mischievous. He almost spat blood—had he not remembered his status, he might have jumped in frustration.
“General Li, please make your move.”
Clerk Feng opened his mouth slightly, revealing yellow teeth, staring intently at Li Kuo.
“Hmm.”
Intimidated by Clerk Feng’s gaze, Li Kuo made another mistake, allowing him to lock him in.
“General Li, you’re not focused while playing. You’re too easily influenced by others—this can be fatal on the battlefield.”
Clerk Feng swept across the board, turning the captured pieces into scattered dust.
“Thank you for your guidance, Old Mr. Feng!”
Suddenly enlightened, Li Kuo bowed to Clerk Feng with a laugh. …

Life is like a game of chess; you never know what move will come next, but one thing is essential—determination to win. Even if you’re just a pawn, believe that you’re one who can control your own destiny. And these bandits clearly possess such determination. A life spent relying on violence has forged their fierce nature. They won’t lay down their swords until their last drop of blood is shed. Outside Shangcai City stands such a group of bandits—about three thousand riders, all on yellow horses, carrying heavy knives at their waists. They are strong and muscular, with thick faces. One must repay what one owes sooner or later, and these bandits understand this better than anyone in the martial world. That’s why they want to indulge in food, drink, and women before paying back their debts. It would be too shameful to not have had their fill when their enemies come for them. Today, they’ve come to Shangcai City to indulge thoroughly and enjoy themselves. At the center of the bandits stand three men. The one in the middle is named Jiang Chui’er, the leader of the Black Cloud Fortress generation. He’s cruel and lustful; it’s said he’s taken over a dozen wives in his fortress. He has a peculiar habit: after breaking a virgin’s purity, he cuts off her head, dries the wound with lime, and keeps it as a souvenir. As a result, the people of this region hate Jiang Chui’er so much they want to drink his blood and eat his flesh. The second-in-command is a smooth-looking young man in green clothes. His appearance doesn’t match that of a bandit at all, making people think of a cunning advisor from legends. Yet he’s known as a cold-hearted murderer, just as ruthless as Jiang Chui’er. To the right is the third-in-command, Qi San’er. He was originally a law enforcement officer who was framed in a murder case by a wealthy youth and nearly died unjustly. Fortunately, Jiang Chui’er, who was passing by, saved him, sparing him from an unjust death. Since then, the Black Cloud Fortress has had a capable leader who’s skilled in both combat and strategy, while losing a loyal officer to the government. Qi San’er tugged at his horse’s reins and sneered, “That old Feng seems quite stern and serious usually, but it turns out he’s just a coward.” About a horse’s length behind him, a one-eyed man with a scarred face smiled seductively and said, “Third brother is right. That old Feng pretended to be righteous around you, but in the end, he just bent over, moaning, letting you take your pleasure.”

Qi Laosan raised his eyebrows upon hearing such vile words: “Stop talking nonsense. I find it strange that this old man changed so quickly.”
The scar-faced man smiled brightly and said, “Third brother, look what you say. Everyone is greedy; who isn’t afraid of death? Though that old man is quite old, he surely doesn’t want to meet the King of Hell so early, right? Besides, there are so many people in the city—would he just stand by and let them die with him?”
“That’s true, but…”
Qi Laosan was about to say more when he was interrupted by a bald man holding an axe beside him: “Third son, don’t overcomplicate things. What kind of important figures could hide in this ruined county? Just look at its low, crumbling city walls—our brothers could easily break through them. That scoundrel must have realized the situation and doesn’t dare to challenge us anymore.”
This man was Jiang Chui’er, the leader of Heiyunzhai. He had saved Qi Laosan’s life, so no matter whether Jiang Chui’er agreed with him or not, Qi Laosan would always try to support him. Qi Laosan bowed to Jiang Chui’er and said, “Big Brother Jiang is right. I was overthinking it. Please forgive me.”
“Sigh, you’re just thinking about the safety of our brothers. I don’t blame you!”
Jiang Chui’er waved his hand impatiently and said, “Our brothers are here to fill our stomachs. He can’t expect us to leave after just one meal.”
The scar-faced man leaned in again, licking his lips: “Hehe, once we’re in the city, it’s still up to us to decide how much we take. There’s an old saying: ‘It’s easy to invite Buddha…’”
The cold-faced second-in-command, Yan Jun, couldn’t stand it any longer and frowned, saying, “It’s easy to invite Buddha, but hard to send him away!”
The scar-faced man nodded repeatedly, saying, “Exactly! It’s easy to invite Buddha, but hard to send him away. Once we’re in the city, even if that old Feng kneels and begs, no one will even look at him!”