Guaizi Slope

At four-thirty in the morning, Lao Liang led his horse out of the Second Post of West Mountain. The patrolling eye-scout saluted hastily upon seeing Lao Liang. Eye-scouts were bandit sentries of relatively high standing. Clever and agile, with decent fighting skills, they were specifically tasked with patrolling the mountains and keeping watch. Within Hunlong Stronghold, their status was second only to the fire-blade scouts. Fangpai Mountain was vast. Hunlong Stronghold had eight major posts and six water strongholds in total, with two posts per mountainside, and three squads under each post. Lao Liang was the squad leader of the Third Squad of the Second Post on West Mountain, commanding more than thirty men beneath him. He was a person of standing in the stronghold, so naturally, the eye-scout did not dare ask questions. Yet the eye-scout was somewhat curious. Judging by the direction Lao Liang was headed, it seemed he was going toward Guaizi Slope. Hunlong Stronghold maintained no checkpoints on Guaizi Slope. The sky was pitch-black, the slope was steep, and snow had just fallen, leaving the paths slick. What was he doing heading out to Guaizi Slope at this hour? The eye-scout pondered it for a full ten seconds, then went back to his duties. Standing watch in freezing weather, patrolling the mountain in the dead of night—was his life not miserable enough already? How many silver dollars did an eye-scout earn in a month anyway? Why bother meddling in a squad leader's business? Guaizi Slope was indeed steep. With fresh snow over muddy ground, Lao Liang stepped on a loose rock, slipped, and slid straight down the mountainside. After sliding dozens of meters, he grabbed hold of a willow tree, took out a chisel, and carved a hollow into the trunk. He had come to Guaizi Slope to hide the bowl for Song Yongchang. The bowl bought for a hundred thousand silver dollars was on his person. Those who had accompanied Song Yongchang to the outside prefecture were all Lao Song's trusted confidants, and Liang Yixin was the most trusted among them. Yuan Kuilong had kept a close watch on Song Yongchang all night, even publicly searching him in the hostage quarters. Song Yongchang's men had been searched as well. Lao Liang's room had been searched by a few bandit soldiers, and he had been patted down personally, but as long as it wasn't Yuan Kuilong doing the searching himself, he could slip by for the time being. Thus, Lao Liang had to hide the bowl as soon as possible, or else once the chief turned his attention directly to him tomorrow, it would be too late to hide it. He produced a small sickle designed specifically for trimming willows, cut away a piece of bark from the main trunk, scooped out a hollow, placed the bundle containing the bowler hat inside, and set the cut bark back over the opening. His blade work was exquisite. With the bark set back and the debris brushed away, the exterior of the trunk looked intact, leaving virtually no flaw visible. Lao Liang took out some glue and was just about to seal the bark firmly in place when he suddenly heard footsteps nearby. Who would be coming to Guaizi Slope at this hour? Glancing at the bark covering the hollow, Lao Liang was momentarily at a loss as to what to do. His technique was skilled, but the footsteps were drawing closer; in the little time he had left, there was no way he could finish gluing the bark down. Yet if he didn't glue it down, a slight jolt would knock the bark loose, exposing the bundle inside the hollow. Retrieve the bowl from the hollow first? There didn't seem to be enough time for that either. If he retrieved the bowl now, he would have nowhere to put it and nowhere to conceal it, which would only expose him. Lao Liang was steady enough. He did nothing, merely watching in the direction of the footsteps, where he saw one person carrying another on his back, trudging with difficulty along the hillside. "Laifu, is that you?" Having spent two days with Zhang Laifu, Lao Liang was fairly familiar with his build. Despite the dark, he recognized him. Zhang Laifu set Lin Shaocong down and called out to Lao Liang from the slope, "We're here to shoot a movie." Lao Liang berated him, "What movie? What scene do you have out here? Your scene is supposed to be in the hostage quarters! Who told you to come here?" Just like an employee facing his boss, Zhang Laifu earnestly explained, "There's an actor over here who said he has a script, and he told me to come here to do an action scene." What a fool! If anyone dared claim Zhang Laifu wasn't an idiot now, Lao Liang would be the first to disagree. "Which actor?" Lao Liang looked toward Lin Shaocong, squinting through the gloom for a while before finally recognizing him. "Young Master Lin, you came too? You dared run from the hostage quarters—have you lost your mind?" With Zhang Laifu supporting him, Lin Shaocong managed to stand and cupped his hands to Lao Liang. "Master Liang, you treat us as soil to open the bowl for Chief Yuan. If we stayed in the hostage quarters, could either of our lives be spared?" Lao Liang was startled, scrutinizing Lin Shaocong from head to toe. Lin Shaocong's legs were limp; he truly was a cripple. Yet going by those words just now, this man was certainly no fool. "Young Master Lin, you hide deep! All of Heishakou said you were an idiot—even your own father and brothers called you simple. Did you deceive them, or did they deliberately cover for you?" Lin Shaocong did not answer the question, as answering it served no purpose. "Master Liang, you have moved around Heishakou for so many years, and my father and brothers have looked out for you quite a bit. The floodwaters should not wash over the Dragon King's temple, nor weapons harm our own. For the sake of past goodwill, could you give us a way out?" Lao Liang tucked his hands behind his back, the sickle in his sleeve sliding into his palm. "The Lin family indeed looked after me, and I acknowledge that debt. Yet now is not the time for personal feelings. This is stronghold business. If I let you go, how am I to answer to the chief?" "Master Liang, you don't need to answer for anything, because this has nothing to do with you," Lin Shaocong said, glancing around. "This is Guaizi Slope. Hunlong Stronghold maintains no checkpoints or patrols here. There are only the three of us here. Just say you never saw me, and we never saw you. If you give me a chance to live, I will never forget this kindness as long as I live." These words were spoken with measured tact. Lao Liang hesitated for a good while, then nodded. "You may go, but you must leave Zhang Laifu behind. I don't want to make things difficult for Second Master Song." Lin Shaocong glanced at Zhang Laifu, who stood there expressionless. "Uncle Liang, my legs are crippled. If you keep him here, who will carry me down the mountain? Besides, keeping him does you no good. If he goes back and babbles nonsense, it will only bring trouble on you." Lao Liang sighed and nodded slightly. "Fine, then. Both of you go." Zhang Laifu hoisted Lin Shaocong onto his back again and stumbled down the mountain. Watching Lin Shaocong's retreating figure, Lao Liang shook his head slightly. The third son of the Lin family—the lad truly hadn't had it easy. Not many years after he was born, his father had become a demon, and his elder brothers had had no fondness for him either. The Lin brothers were all ruthless men, stabbing each other in the back over the years. Out of eight brothers, only three were left now. Lin Shaocong had likely survived to this day by playing the fool. This wretched boy—one really ought to spare him. Yet whether he should be spared was one thing; whether he could be spared was another. The two of them had fled from the hostage quarters all the way to Guaizi Slope; they had surely left tracks along the way, and the chief would be pursuing them soon. Just now, an eye-scout had seen Lao Liang heading to Guaizi Slope. When the accounts were reconciled, not only would the matter of Zhang Laifu and Lin Shaocong be impossible to explain away, but Song Yongchang's bowl might also be exposed. If the bowl were discovered, Yuan Kuilong would surely seize it. Losing a bowl was secondary; if Yuan Kuilong investigated down that line and uncovered the business with Standard Commandant Wang, Song Yongchang and his whole crew would likely lose their lives. Now, even killing Lin Shaocong and Zhang Laifu might bring a tangled mess upon his head. Only by dragging the two back to the hostage quarters could this be explained cleanly. He could tell Yuan Kuilong that Lao Song had left cotton on Zhang Laifu, that the cotton had registered a reaction, and that upon realizing Zhang Laifu was trying to escape, Lao Liang had come specially to Guaizi Slope to cut him off. Everything would make perfect sense. Silently, Lao Liang cut a branch from the willow tree. With a smooth stroke of his hand, he stripped the bark, plucked away the twigs, and shaved the tip with a thumbnail, instantly fashioning a short spear. Zhang Laifu, Lin Shaocong on his back, was focused solely on hurrying down the slope. Now was the perfect opportunity for an ambush. Lao Liang looked at the two, considering which one to strike first. Zhang Laifu was a simpleton from an outside prefecture, definitely not a craftsman. The lad had merely been used by Lin Shaocong; their escape from the hostage quarters was entirely Lin Shaocong's doing. Lin Shaocong not only knew how to play dumb, but he also knew how to hide his craft. He had to be taken down first. Lao Liang snapped his wrist, and the willow branch flew through the air, striking Lin Shaocong in the back.