Chapter 2, or the Hero.
As Ma Zifang struggled to rise, a pair of straw sandals came down heavily on his head, causing the hard stones beneath to knock out two of his front teeth. In unbearable pain, Ma Zifang attempted to draw his short gun with his uninjured left hand, but Cao Yue's sharp kitchen knife immediately chopped down fiercely onto his arm.
Cao Yue, while resolutely committing murder, internally said: "Do not blame me; if you must blame someone, blame this world. Blame your identity as bandits. Surely, you have killed many innocent people in the past; it is only fair that you receive retribution in kind." His methods were calm and efficient, without any hesitation, and even the location for the bloodletting was precise, with the blade passing through the gaps in the bones without injuring them.
Ma Zifang bared her teeth and coldly said, "I don't believe it. Even if one of them dies, he won't feel heartbroken. At that time, I will capture your second brother, your eldest brother, your fourth brother, and your father. Surely, your family won't let the Wang family die out, right? Then don't blame me for being ruthless as an older brother. I can only skin you and return your hide to your father"
Ma Zifang looked in surprise at the robust man, who stood eight feet tall (1.8 meters) on the mound. Dressed in a blue coarse cloth outfit, with thick braids around his neck and holding a gleaming "kitchen knife" in his hand, she couldn't help but laugh: "Cao Erlang? Never heard of him. San'er, have you heard of him?"
Cao Yue noticed that he was extremely frightened, so he pressed on Old Man Cao's shoulder and whispered in his ear: "Father, don't panic, they are not targeting us. I believe they have their eyes on Young Master Wang San. Damn it, they are trying to snatch food from me! If I had a handgun, I could take them out."
The loyal servant, Dogwa, boldly stood in front of the young master with wide eyes, facing the bandit and loudly asking: "Who are you, and what do you want? What do you intend to do? We are..."
"He is my father." Ma Zifang pointed to the website https://www.hetushu.com, saying, "Come on, just follow me honestly for a trip. My father has always been one to take money without harming lives." He glanced at the dog on the ground and chuckled, "Little brat, I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let you know that you won't even know how you die in the future."
Cao Yue picked up Ma Zifang's short gun from the ground, glanced at him rolling in pain, and then ignored him completely. As he walked past the other bandits, Cao Yue used the kitchen knife in his hand to slit their throats one by one
A man with a square face and a long beard grinned widely, pointing with a riding whip from a distance, and asked: "This young man with a fair complexion is Young Master Wang San, right? The third son of the wealthy Wang family in Anle Township, isn't he?"
Ma Zifang waved the riding whip and laughed, "You little brat, your gaze is indeed impressive. If it weren't for the need to keep you alive to deliver the message, I would have liked to gouge out your eyeballs to drink with."
Chapter Two: The Hero
Just as Ma Zifang was about to turn the horse around and leave, he suddenly heard a violent coughing sound coming from the grass in the hillside. It turned out that Old Man Cao had been holding it in for so long that he could no longer contain himself and began to cough loudly. This bout of coughing was no trivial matter; Old Man Cao coughed incessantly, and the crowd nearly thought he was going to cough himself to death. Several bandits immediately drew their thick-backed machetes, their eyes fixed menacingly on the grass on the hillside five meters above.
Ah? Young Master Wang San trembled and said, "Ma... Ma... Ma... Ma Tai Sui? The leader of the three bandits in southern Shaanxi?"
"Cao is such a fool, hahaha, turns out he is really a fool," said Ma Zifang
Pfft
Ma Zifang glanced over and sneered, "Sun Qiu! You're nothing but a village tyrant, so don't meddle in things that don't concern you. Those with some sense should stay far away."
Cao Yue knew that the other party despised him, and since hetushu.com could only take the initiative, this group was a bandit gang, the foremost in southern Shaanxi. Regardless of whether he wanted to be their enemy or not, if he did not kill them today, he would undoubtedly die. With this thought, Cao Yue smiled and said, "Oh, you really don't take me seriously?" He then swiftly threw a flying knife with his right hand.
Ma Zifang curled her lips
Dog Wa could only lower his head, while Ma Zifang burst into laughter and turned around to say: "Brothers, let's pack up the umbrellas and return to the temple (a slang term for going back to the old nest)"
Having already been exposed under the watchful eyes of the bandits, it seemed that further concealment was futile. Cao Yue pressed down on Old Man Cao's shoulder and stood up straight.
Ma Zifang chuckled and said, "That is for those who are blind to the situation. If your father obediently hands over three thousand taels of silver, I guarantee your safety."
Young Master Wang San glanced at him, then at the dog on the ground, rendered speechless.
Dog Wa said: "No, you have mistaken the person."
"Three thousand taels?" Young Master Wang San was on the verge of tears, saying, "Given my father's nature, he definitely won't take three thousand taels. Even getting him to take three hundred taels would be difficult; I am not the only son he has."
Old man Cao smiled bitterly, while Cao Yue coldly stared at the group of people. He wanted to see what kind of person this so-called number one bandit of southern Shaanxi, who had caused headaches for the governor of Shaanxi during the Qing Dynasty, truly was.
The five bandits surrounded Young Master Wang San, their faces filled with cruel smiles as they circled around him. One of the riders struck Young Master Wang San across the face with a whip.
Ma Zifang let out a cold laugh and instructed his subordinates to carry Young Master Wang San horizontally on the donkey. He then glanced at Gou Wa and said, "Kid, I will spare your life. Go back and tell Lord Wang that in seven days, he must bring three thousand taels of silver to the South Slope Mountain Temple to exchange for his son. If the silver is not seen in seven days, he should be prepared to receive the news of his son's demise."
As an old boatman by the Yellow River, Old Man Cao naturally knew the ferocity of this Mattaisui. It is said that he is a man who skins and dismembers people to eat their flesh, which frightened him so much that he hurriedly climbed down and dared not move. He held his only weapon, a worn-out firewood knife, tightly in his arms, as if the knife could grant him infinite strength.
Young Master Wang San, both frightened and angry, let out a gasp and fell from the donkey's back, losing consciousness upon hitting the ground
Whoosh—Bang
A streak of blood immediately appeared on Young Master Wang San's face, and he stared in bewilderment with his mouth agape, covering his face as if he were in a daze
The man with the curled beard laughed, suddenly glaring and cursing, "Damn you!" A whip struck, and the dog fell to the ground, rolling in pain. The expression on the man's face changed rapidly, and he smiled faintly again, saying to the Third Young Master, "Young Master Wang, my name is Ma Zifang, do you know me, Ma Zifang from Taiping Mountain?"
Ah... Ma Zifang cried out in agony, clutching her severed hand
Who? Come out!" Ma Zifang shouted loudly
Taiping Horse, Taiping Mountain, Ma Taisui, the number one bandit in southern Shaanxi
In just about twenty seconds, five men riding pure black Northwest fine horses galloped over. The men carried thick, long sabers on their backs and wore red headscarves. One of them waved a flag in his hand, on which were inscribed the three characters "Taiping Ma"
Instantly, Ma Zifang and the others couldn't help but burst into laughter. One of the henchmen, whose face was full of flesh, remarked: "He hasn't even been skinned yet, and he's already fainted. What use is a young master from a wealthy family?"
Cao Yue had just lifted his buttocks when suddenly a whistle and a gunshot rang out. He saw a few dry leaves fall from a withered tree by the roadside, and he quickly crouched down to look in the direction of the gunfire.
What is going on? How did they arrive? In the three months since his rebirth, Cao Yue had heard the name of this notorious bandit from Shaanxi more than once from neighboring mouths. He couldn't help but take a closer look and saw five highwaymen on horseback. He quickly crouched down and whispered "shh" to Old Man Cao.
Ma Zifang laughed heartily, just about to speak when suddenly he felt a flash of silver light. He felt a sharp pain in his right arm, which was holding the reins, as if something had violently pushed him off the horse. Before he could react, he heard several screams and saw his comrades falling off their horses one after another. Some fell directly to the ground and died instantly, while the horses, frightened, scattered in all directions. One comrade, with his foot caught in the stirrup, was dragged by the horse and crashed against a large rock, resulting in his death. He saw his comrades falling off their horses one after another, some dying instantly upon impact, while the horses, terrified, fled in all directions. One comrade, with his foot caught in the stirrup, was dragged by the horse and crashed against a large rock, resulting in his death.
He cupped his hands in greeting, adopting a demeanor typical of the martial world, and said: "Esteemed heroes, having traveled a long distance to this peaceful land, I, Cao Erlang, should extend a warm welcome to all of you. However, you all arrived without so much as a word of greeting and directly robbed on my territory. Is this not a bit disrespectful to me, Cao Erlang?"
Young Master Wang San trembled as he clasped his hands together and cried out: "I beg you, please do not peel... peel... peel my skin."
Bang!
Old man Cao nervously covered his mouth, stifling a cough. As a boatman who had pulled the ropes on the Yellow River for twenty years, it was his first time becoming a bandit with his son. He was so anxious that he felt the urge to urinate; after all, they were becoming bandits! If the authorities found out, the shame would last for generations. Yet, being inherently honest and kind-hearted, he still decided to support his son's every decision
Ma Zifang then said: "Do you know about the Tai Ping Shan Ma Tai Sui?"
The bandits were originally positioned at Cao Yue's feet, and with the added arrogance of the five bandits who looked down on this country bumpkin, they never expected him to dare to take the initiative to attack them. Caught off guard, they were struck by his boldness. Cao Yue acted decisively, throwing out a row of flying knives, and then jumped down from the hillside, using a kitchen knife to chop off the head of one struggling bandit.
Cao Yueleng coldly said: "Gentlemen, what is the explanation for this?"
The bandit known as San Er furrowed his brow and thought hard. He was a scout from Taiping Mountain, well-acquainted with the customs of various regions and skilled at gathering information. After a moment of careful recollection, he suddenly slapped his thigh and exclaimed: "Young Master, I remember now. Three months ago, in the village of Taojia in Anlexiang, the son of the old rafter, Cao Laohan, known as Cao Dashazi, fell into the water. It was said that the Erlang God possessed him and he came back to life. Ever since the Erlang God left, this Cao Dashazi has become skilled in martial arts. Previously, a few idle men in Taojia Village used to bully him because he was considered a fool, but they ended up beaten to a pulp and now run away at the sight of him."
Bandit San Er said: "It seems that after Erlang Shen possessed him, this kid is no longer foolish. This is the first time we have heard of such a peculiar matter in the Great Qing Dynasty. Previously, I used to tell this as a joke to the brothers on the mountain."
Ma Zifang originally wanted to be more assertive, but such a terrifying person instantly made him feel numb to the pain. Who is this person? He kills without even blinking; it's over, he has definitely run into a tough opponent today. This person is certainly not as simple as Zhang Erlang. Could he be a notorious bandit? If he is indeed a bandit, then it’s easier to handle, as they are all in the same line of work, bound to cross paths. With this thought in mind, despite the pain causing him to break out in a cold sweat, Ma Zifang still pleaded obsequiously, "Master Cao, we are all in the same line of work; it truly is a case of the flood washing away the Dragon King’s temple, a misunderstanding, it’s all a misunderstanding..." If he is indeed a bandit, then it’s easier to handle, as they are all in the same line of work, bound to cross paths. With this thought in mind, despite the pain causing him to break out in a cold sweat, Ma Zifang still pleaded obsequiously, "Master Cao, we are all in the same line of work; it truly is a case of the flood washing away the Dragon King’s temple, a misunderstanding, it’s all a misunderstanding..."
Dogwa glared angrily at the horse bandits, blood oozing from his back, soaking through his cotton-padded jacket
The dialogue between the master and servant became increasingly clear. Cao Yue, while observing, calculated the distance in his mind, contemplating how to capture them in one swift move. He slowly pushed aside the dry grass, fearful that they would discover his escape. By the time they reached the foot of the hill, Cao Yue had already devised a plan and was ready to leap down to seize the Third Young Master.