Chapter 3: The Tartars

The burly man with a dark face laughed and said: "Do you not know who we are? Then you might as well ask the King of Hell. Everyone, quickly take action; there’s a kid who might have gone to report this. It’s no longer safe here; once we finish here, we must evacuate immediately"

The burly man on the ground groaned: "Kill him, or none of your family members will survive. You two dog servants, hurry up."

Xue Yun said to the thin man: "What is your name"

"Ah, my lord, what are the Ten Cruel Punishments of the Ming Dynasty?" Li Qing said in terror.

Xue Yun said: "Who is leading? What tasks do you have? Speak up." At that moment, Jile's head moved slightly.

Xue Yun took a half step to the right, and the knife pierced through his side. Xue Yun grabbed the right hand of the burly man with the black face with his left hand, and with all his strength, he punched the burly man in the face with his right hand. The features of the burly man with the black face were sunken in, and he was breathing more out than in; it seemed he would not survive.

The stocky man, Jilezhan, upon losing his knife, heard the shout of the burly man and fiercely charged at Xue Yun, wrapping his arms around Xue Yun's waist and shouting for his companions to come and kill Xue Yun. The thin man advanced and began to slash wildly at Xue Yun, who retreated two steps to evade the thin man's attacks. Jilezhan bit into Xue Yun's thigh, and Xue Yun used his left hand to grip Jilezhan's head, while his right fist struck Jilezhan's face, causing him to faint immediately. The thin man continued to slash at Xue Yun, who again retreated two steps to avoid the thin man's attacks. Jilezhan bit into Xue Yun's thigh, and Xue Yun used his left hand to grip Jilezhan's head, while his right fist struck Jilezhan's face, causing him to faint immediately.

The tall man stumbled as he ran towards the door, just about to pull it open. Xue Yun suddenly swung the black-faced man's waist knife towards the tall man, piercing through his back and pinning him to the door.

The thin man, upon seeing the imposing figure of the burly man, was so frightened that his soul seemed to leave his body. He dropped his knife, knelt on the ground, and repeatedly bowed his head in supplication, pleading with Xue Yun for mercy and begging to be spared his life

Xue Yun said to the two women, "Is that what he said?"

The two women lowered their heads, and the older woman said softly, "My son is over there; we little people have no way to manage. My son has been away from home for several years, and the family is living off dwindling resources. The officials..."

It turns out that Li Qing and five others disguised themselves as refugees from Liaodong to infiltrate the capital, sent by the Eastern barbarians. However, Li Qing's task was merely to act as a guide. He and Zhang Quan were both Han servants of the Eastern barbarians, having been with the Tatars for many years, with their families and relatives in Liaoyang, making them relatively trusted among the Han in the eyes of the Tatars. The leader of this group entering the capital was the black-faced man who was killed, known by his Han name Zhang Dawei; the man whose head was smashed by a stone mill was also a Tatar, using the alias Zhang San. Jilezhan was called Zhang Er, serving as the black-faced man's servant, and the name Jilezhan was also what Zhang Dawei called him. The leader of this group entering the capital was the black-faced man who was killed, known by his Han name Zhang Dawei; the man whose head was smashed by a stone mill was also a Tatar, using the alias Zhang San. Jilezhan was called Zhang Er, serving as the black-faced man's servant, and the name Jilezhan was also what Zhang Dawei called him

Li Qing said in terror: "What I know, I dare not conceal; I will certainly tell you everything, my lord"

Xue Yundao: "These two people might be Tatars. It is not very convenient for you to be by my side. If they are indeed Tatars, I must act according to the situation. You should leave quickly; otherwise, I won't be able to catch up."

Xue Yun, upon hearing her lewd and vulgar words, turned around and bound Li Qing as well. He then tore a piece of cloth to gag the three of them, and with a swift strike to their necks, all three immediately lost consciousness

"You two have beaten my brother, and I have come to seek revenge. Do you think it's fair to bully someone when there are so many of you?" As Xue Yun saw that there were five people surrounding him, he realized he had fallen into an ambush and quickly began to think of a way to escape

The burly man with a dark face standing opposite Xue Yun sneered: "Whether you are here for revenge or not, once you enter this place, you shall not think of leaving. Everyone, take action against him."

Suddenly, the chubby man he had just met rushed over. Xue Yun realized that this could not end well. He quickly darted to a corner of the courtyard, reached out, and grabbed a stone mill nearby, estimating it to weigh around three to four hundred pounds. If it weren't for the fact that his strength had increased significantly today, he would have found it quite challenging. Xue Yun said, "Who are you? If you continue to press me, do not blame me for being ruthless."

The tall man had already gotten up, holding a knife, and charged towards Xue Yun. Jile Zhan had released his grip, and it was at this moment that Xue Yun felt the pain in his thigh. Xue Yun grabbed Jile Zhan and lifted him up, using both hands to hold Jile Zhan's legs and swung him like a weapon towards the thin man on the right with the knife. The thin man hurriedly retreated. Xue Yun swung Jile Zhan around and hurled him at the tall man. The tall man was caught off guard, and the two old shells collided. Just at that moment, amidst the flash of fire and lightning, a black-faced man on the ground suddenly lunged forward with a knife.

The little man, along with the three Tartars and that one named Zhang Quan at the door, pretended to be refugees from Liaodong, stealthily making their way into the capital.

The thin man hurriedly said: "The little person is called He - Tu - Shu Li Qing, with the nickname Li Gou'er"

The burly man with a black face thrust a knife towards Xue Yun's waist. Xue Yun sidestepped to avoid it, then forcefully pushed the stone mill fan in his hands forward. The black-faced man jumped back, only to collide with a tall figure coming up from behind. Struck on the thigh by Xue Yun's stone mill fan, the black-faced man fell to the ground, crying out in pain: "Jilezhan, quickly kill this Aqi La (beast), hurry up!"

The burly man with a dark face coldly said: "Arm yourselves, everyone attack together"

Li Qing said: "In that house, there is a mother and daughter-in-law. The man from their household went to Liaodong to fight and was captured, then he defected to the Tartars and became their servant. This is how we made his home a refuge."

Xue Yun entered the small room where Li Qing said their leader lived alone. At a glance, he could see everything, except for three bundles on the kang. Xue Yun opened them to take a look; the two smaller bundles contained some silver and clothing, while the larger middle bundle held ten gold ingots weighing ten taels each. In a small box, there were ten large East pearls, two hundred-year-old ginseng roots, and some banknotes.

Mao Laoyao had no choice but to leave and head towards the Xue residence. Xue Yun quickly followed in the direction the two people had just left, trailing along the alley. Upon reaching the corner of the alley, he saw two figures slip into a courtyard. Xue Yun hurried to the wall of the courtyard, pressed his ear against it to listen closely. To his surprise, his hearing was particularly sharp today; after a while, he discerned about seven distinct breaths. Just as Xue Yun was listening intently, someone approached from the entrance of the alley ahead. He had no choice but to slip through a small gap in the wall of the courtyard. Upon entering the courtyard, Xue Yun found it empty. He took a few steps forward, and people began to surround him from all sides.

The little man spoke to the three masters, or rather, the three Tartars. Li Qing looked at Xue Yun with anxiety

Xue Yun said: "Focus on what is important; the name is not significant."

Xue Yun said: "Just be honest, later when I ask Jile about the inconsistencies, my methods are quite ruthless, you know the top ten tortures of the Ming Dynasty, right"

Xue Yun angrily looked at Li Qing, who was in a panic: "It has nothing to do with the petty people. Besides, both of them are willing participants, and the petty people have all been compensated with silver."

"What are you doing here, kid? Where's your brother?" said the thin man who had just been seen.

Xue Yun pushed Li Qing into the inner room, where he saw a pair of women squatting in the corner, lost in thought and motionless. Without a word, Xue Yun instructed Li Qing to step forward and take the rope to bind the two women. Only then did the two women start to cry out. The younger woman still had some beauty, but when she stood up, it was evident that she was not wearing any pants.

As Xue Yun spoke with the burly man, he realized that things could not end well, so he did not hesitate and swung the stone mill in his hand towards the fat man. Perhaps the fat man had brought this trouble upon himself and, eager to prove himself, charged too far forward. He was struck on the old shell by Xue Yun's stone mill with a loud "bang," causing a dent to form instantly, and a spray of white and red gushed out, scattering everywhere, truly disgusting to behold. Taking advantage of the momentum, Xue Yun kicked the fat man towards the corner. At that moment, having killed one person, his courage surged significantly.

Mao Laoyao said: "I want to see them being beaten, so that the petty people can vent their frustrations."

Xue Yun said: "Haha, even the most ruthless person among the top ten cruel punishments of the Ming Dynasty has only used three kinds; for me, there are no secrets in this world that I do not know."

Xue Yun secretly thought that if it was bird language, it would be quite significant. Could the memories that surfaced in his mind be dialects? However, dialects shouldn't be completely incomprehensible. There are many refugees in the capital; could it be the language of the Tartars? With this thought, he said to Mao Laoyao: "I will go take a look. Since your leg is inconvenient, you should return to the residence quickly. If I have the chance to avenge you, I will inform you later"

Xue Yun said to the thin man: "Li Qing, Li Gou'er, explain the ins and outs of this matter clearly. If there is even half a word that is untrue, the young master will make it so you cannot live or die. Do you understand"

Four individuals armed with weapons surrounded him. Xue Yun noticed that the thin man had fallen behind. Another short and sturdy man stepped forward, swinging a knife towards Xue Yun's chest with his right hand. Meanwhile, a burly man with a dark face also drew a waist knife to follow suit. Since Xue Yun was cornered against the wall, there was also a tall man behind the burly man, who was holding a waist knife. Seeing that the opponents were not at a disadvantage in terms of weapons, and fearing that his strength would not suffice after using the stone mill fan for too long, Xue Yun had no choice but to resolve the matter quickly, even if it meant risking his life. At that moment, disregarding the discomfort that would follow from killing someone, he struck the stone mill fan towards the short and sturdy man, sending the man's waist knife flying.

Li Qing does not know much either, Xue Yun said: "There are still two people there"