Chapter Nineteen: Vengeance

"Swallow, Boss Chen is one of our own brothers. If he's been robbed by outsiders, isn't that slapping the face of our own? I can't just swallow my anger. If we let ourselves be beaten without fighting back, once word gets out, our reputation will suffer greatly. Don't you all agree?" After he finished speaking, the people in the temple exchanged glances and, after a moment, the hush was broken by voices echoing, "Yes," "Can't swallow this," "Let's do it," filling the hall.

Swallow watched all this and waved his hand. "If our brother is beaten and we just endure it, others might do that, but I won't. We must reclaim our honor. Boss Chen, you've sent someone to keep watch, right? Tell us, how will we split things?"

"Swallow, as long as you agree to help me teach them a lesson, I've already sent men to follow them. When we succeed, just let us keep what was stolen from us. Everything else can go to you. How does that sound?"

"Oh, Boss Chen, this isn't like you at all. Have you really changed today? Looks like you might have been beaten silly." This remark drew laughter from the crowd.

"Or maybe these people are really as tough as you say? Otherwise, you wouldn't have suffered such a setback. Boss Chen, tell us about their skills, so we know what we're up against. If we all go and still can't get our revenge, I'd advise retreating, lest we get robbed again." The man to Swallow's left thought for a moment and decided to ask Boss Chen about their opponents. Swallow nodded, "Boss Chen, tell us what you know first, then we’ll decide how many men to bring."

"Brother Li,"—the man to Swallow's left was surnamed Li—"to be honest, I'm embarrassed to say it. I was robbed by three people, two of whom were just youngsters, a few years younger than Swallow. But they were clearly trained. I faced one with a knife, but he defeated me in mere moments. The other two worked together and in no time knocked down the rest of our five or six men. We barely had a chance to resist." The men who came with Boss Chen nodded their heads like pecking chicks.

"It was just three? No others?" Brother Li asked again.

"Brother Li, it was just those three, I didn’t see anyone else. I understand your concern, wondering if they're from some prominent family, but I can recognize that. These three don’t seem to come from any big household. Usually, children from such homes, even ten or so years old, wouldn’t rush forward at the slightest provocation unless they’re raised in a military family. Judging by their clothes, that doesn’t seem likely."

"According to Boss Chen, if it's only three, we should be able to handle it. We have over thirty men here. But are you sure they have money?" Brother Li stroked his beard and addressed Swallow.

"Brother Li, now it's not about money. It's about our dignity. If they don’t have money, you can keep what was taken from us. Is that fair? I just want to defend our honor."

"Enough, that's settled. Boss Chen, lead the way. Brothers, let's go together. I want to see for myself—nowadays, even those younger than me dare step on our brothers to climb up. Reminds me of myself." Brother Li was about to say more, but Swallow interrupted him.

Boss Chen led the way, following the markers they had set, heading toward Zhang Xuan and his companions. Villagers passing by or seeing the procession quickly hid, fearful of getting caught up in trouble, praying not to be targeted, and offering their best wishes to those who had attracted these calamities.

"Zhang Xuan, where did you get that knife? Did something happen on the road?" Uncle Yang noticed the blade at Zhang Xuan's side. Grandpa Tong, gnawing on a wild chicken leg, turned to look when he heard the question. "Probably some little thief misjudged and tried to rob Zhang Xuan and his group, only to end up robbed themselves. Right, Xuanzi?"

"You're sharp, Grandpa Tong! You guessed it exactly. The only difference is, it wasn’t just one thief, but five or six. What do you think, Grandpa Tong? I did alright, didn’t let you down, all your lessons in gunmanship weren’t wasted." Zhang Xuan boasted.

Uncle Yang glanced at Yang Zaixing and Yang Hu; both nodded in agreement, indicating it was just as Zhang Xuan said. Uncle Yang could only shake his head—what’s done is done.

"Whether you’re capable or not, I don’t know. What I do know is you’ve made another profit. Xuanzi, we’re almost in town, so tomorrow you can have a hot breakfast, right? But what’s with the two tails behind us? Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed them all the way here." Grandpa Tong pointed at the spot where the followers were hiding.

Zhang Xuan was unconcerned, but Grandpa Tong’s gesture made the two followers nervous. They couldn’t hear what Zhang Xuan and the others were saying, so they just shuffled aside like passersby.

"Grandpa Tong, are you a worm in my heart? Stop pointing, you’ll scare them. This is for your breakfast, you know—the last few had so little loot, not enough for even me to eat. So I left a line out, hoping to catch a big fish. And as luck would have it, there actually is one!"

"When the time comes, you’ll have to handle it yourselves. Don’t expect Uncle Yang or me to help—we’ll stay far away. So, Xuanzi, are you planning to wait here for them, or keep moving?"

"Let’s keep moving. Nothing worth waiting for—they've already paid for my breakfast."

"Grandpa Tong, are you really going to leave me to my fate? What if there are too many of them? Look, I have such a bright future ahead. You promised to take care of me—how can you break your word after just a month? As the ancients said, a true man’s word is his bond, not even four horses can chase it down. You're old, but still a man, right? Your word—forget four, even eight horses couldn’t catch it, right? Grandpa Tong, say something!"

Grandpa Tong wanted to respond, but seeing Zhang Xuan go on and on, knowing that any reply would land him in Zhang Xuan’s trap, he decided not to. Unable to listen any longer, he turned, mounted his horse, and prepared to leave.