Qiang Jin Jiu (Author : Tang Jiuqing 唐酒卿)

Chapter 141 : Rain

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How could the bandits have expected that the commoners would rally together and fight back? The deafening sound of trampling feet roared like sudden claps of thunder, while the cacophony of curses and cries blended together and engulfed the bandits like a surge of floodwater. The commoners were already all seeing red as they shouted in the melee, “The evil bandits deserve to be killed!” 

The bandits were not a match for this many people. Stones and broken bowls went flying and smashing all over, causing the bandits to scurry for cover. Seeing as the situation did not bode well, that particular chief intended to flee, but when he looked back, Cai Yu’s trusted aide was already running away! 

“Son of a bitch!” The chief flew into a rage and took to his heels too.

But he was unlucky, and the sharp-eyed Fei Sheng deftly hauled him back. This chief was merely a commoner, and there was no way he could defeat a well-trained Imperial Bodyguard like Fei Sheng, so he promptly fell into the horde of people who swarmed around him to beat him up while he covered his face and rolled on the ground wailing. 

The rest of the bandits were thrown into disorientation. Seeing how the commoners outside the city were all acting like man-eating evil spirits as they pummeled the chief, they abandoned the battle and fled back into the city. 

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Cai Yu was waiting for updates in his residence. The dishes left aside on the table had already gone cold. He suddenly heard a commotion outside and hurriedly got up, but he had only taken a couple of steps when he saw his attendant stumbling his way in. The latter reported in a panic, “Old Master, there are plenty of people outside. They have surrounded our mansion!” 

Cai Yu’s main forces had already been dispatched out of the city, and at present, he had no more than five hundred people left behind in the city. It immediately dawned on him, and he hissed through clenched teeth, “I’ve been had!” 

He had no men by his side at present, and this gave the small-time gangs an opening to exploit the situation. 

Cai Yu immediately said, “Tell the guards guarding the compound and the remaining men to keep an eye on the various courtyards’ gates. Bring my cloak over. I’m going to meet them personally!” 

Cai Yu draped his cloak over himself and secured his broadsword, then briskly made his way outside with his entourage. The residence’s doors were tightly shut. Cai Yu peered through the gap in the door and saw torches everywhere outside the residence. Even though his heart was heavy, he still faked a laugh and said, “Who do we have here? I’m not hosting a feast today, and there’s no joyous event going on either. So why raise such a big hooha coming over to give your congratulations?”

Outside, Luo Mu leisurely replied, “I heard Elder Brother has been haunted by nightmares lately and has trouble sleeping, so I made a special trip to invite the various brothers over tonight to dispel the evil energy in Elder Brother’s residence.” 

Cai Yu expressed displeasure on hearing Luo Mu’s voice. “Mengzheng, I married my younger sister off to you, and I treated you well too, and yet you return my kindness with enmity. I’m afraid that’s a violation of moral principles.”

Without batting an eyelid, Luo Mu said, “Cai Yu, you shut the granaries to sell grain and profit off others’ misfortune, and you turn a blind eye to the destitute and displaced commoners outside the city. You are no longer considered a chivalrous bandit who robs the rich to help the poor. As the prefectural prefect of Chazhou, I had no choice but to socialize with you for years in order to make you let down your guard. Now that you’ve lost the heart of the people, you should surrender without resistance as soon as possible.”