Their eyes were guarded and they rarely laughed or chatted, nor did they buy food at the station, waiting only for their horses to slake their thirst before departing immediately.
He Lingchuan slammed a fist onto the tabletop, making the pots, dishes, and cups rattle noisily. "Put them down, you parentless, ill-bred scoundrel!"
The bearded man narrowed his eyes, lowered his legs, and stood up, saying menacingly, "Say that again?"
The commotion was loud enough to carry into the station, and several Yuheng City patrol guards headed over toward the noise. "What's going on here?"
The thin, dark young clerk hurried over to mediate. "The weather's hot and tempers are flared! Calm down, both of you! These skewers are on the house. There are no empty tables left by the pond, so please bear with it, esteemed guests."
He Lingchuan chuckled and pointed at the burly man opposite him. "I'm turning him in. This bastard is a Longchuan water bandit!"
Around the nearby tables, a crowd of people sprang to their feet. The burly man's face changed drastically. "What nonsense are you spewing?"
"A few days ago, I saw him kill someone with my own eyes at Hunlong Ridge!"
Hearing this, the patrol guards looked the burly man up and down. "Hands on the table, legs apart!"
Judging by this face full of savage flesh, they would search him first and ask questions later.
The burly man sluggishly placed his hands on the table. Nearby, a chair suddenly clattered over.
Hearing the noise, the patrol guard turned his head, and the burly man drew a dagger from his waist with his other hand, seizing the chance to swipe at the guard's neck!
The strike was vicious and swift, and he shouted at the same time, "Strike!"
A dozen men by the pond and nearly a hundred inside the station drew their weapons simultaneously at his cry, charging toward the resting guards and merchants!
He Lingchuan hadn't reported falsely; they were indeed water bandits.
There were only about thirty patrol guards, whereas the water bandits numbered over a hundred.
Yet the burly leader's dagger failed to slash the guard's throat, because the thin, dark clerk, who had been smiling and playing the peacemaker, suddenly raised a pot and splashed it right at him!
The pot was clearly meant for bayberry wine, yet what splashed out was scalding oil, smoking hot!
He was standing diagonally across from the burly man, making it seem as if the burly man had thrown himself right into it. Sharp-eyed and quick of hand, the latter caught the golden-yellow liquid flying at him in his peripheral vision and instinctively recoiled, deploying his protective astral qi so the hot oil couldn't penetrate.
However, the water bandit rushing in from behind him to support him suffered terrible luck, catching the hot oil full on the head and face, and instantly hit the ground, screaming and rolling in agony.
The patrol guards drew their weapons without the slightest fear, parrying enemies while bellowing, "Kill the bandits! Bystanders stand clear!"
Another group of guests by the lotus pond stood up. Seemingly carriage drivers, traveling merchants, and coolies, they somehow pulled out blades and clashed noisily with the water bandits.
Were these martial artists? No, they were well-trained soldiers! One glance told the burly man things had gone awry, and he roared immediately, "Lads, fall back! Retreat!"
This was a trap—they had been ambushed!
His cultivation was quite formidable. In two moves, he forced back three patrol guards and swung a table at the thin, dark clerk. Just as he sought to hack a bloody path out with brute ferocity, he felt wind whistling behind his head.
Not daring to be careless, the burly man ducked.
A sleeve arrow whizzed overhead with a whoosh. Had he not ducked, it would have pierced clean through the back of his skull.
From this angle... The burly man was furious. It was that bastard who had fought him for the seat earlier!
Utterly sinister!
Just as he went to draw his saber, a sharp burst of agony ripped through the back of his thigh, followed by a loud crack.
The burly man screamed in pain. Looking down, his thigh bone had actually snapped!
A ghastly white bone poked through the thigh, spurting blood instantly. An ordinary man might have blacked out from the pain on the spot.
Behind him, the youth retracted his leg at an unhurried pace.
With a single kick, he had snapped the burly man's thigh.
Crippled but defiant, the burly man swung his blade backward with all his might, yet his movements were no longer agile. He Lingchuan dodged with ease, and within two beats, another sickening crunch rang out as he snapped the man's left leg as well.
Unable to stand any longer, the man rolled twice on the ground, yelling, "Don't mind me! Everyone retreat, hurry!"
The nearby patrol guards swarmed forward, tying him up securely and stuffing a rag into his mouth.
He Lingchuan wielded his blade, cutting down two bandits in succession as cleanly as scything grass in a field. Flecks of blood splattered across his cheek, adding a fierce, menacing air to his face.
A nearby water bandit was scared out of his wits and turned to flee. He Lingchuan casually hurled Fusheng; with a solid thud, it pierced clean through the bandit's back and pinned him to the wall!
Wiping the blood from his face, Commander He ordered, "Take their heads to claim merits! Don't let a single one escape!"
"Yes, sir!" the surrounding patrol guards barked in unison.
The burly man stared fixedly at He Lingchuan, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.
This fellow... this fellow was the real commander?
The government soldiers took no captives! Hearing this, the water bandits scattered in all directions.
The entire battle lasted over half an hour.
The patrol guards spent more time chasing them down than fighting.
By the time everyone returned and reported their tally, the bloody scene at Qinglang Courier Station was largely cleared up.
He Lingchuan had personally slain six men, leaving no survivors among them.
When he walked over to the burly man, the last drop of blood had just dripped from the edge of his blade.
The thin, dark clerk yanked the rag from the burly man's mouth. He Lingchuan lifted a leg, propping his foot on the bench right beside the man's head. "Greetings, Brother Hao."
The burly man gritted his teeth and glared without a word, cold sweat beading profusely across his forehead from the pain.
"What, don't dare acknowledge it?"
The thin, dark clerk kicked the burly man, who grunted in pain. "I don't change my surname on the road—Chen Hao, that's me! How do you know who I am?!"
"That's all thanks to Chief Xu of the Globe Amaranth Gang. Their intelligence is remarkably accurate!" He Lingchuan said with a smile. "They even laid out who would lead the team and how many men would raid Qinglang Courier Station down to the last detail."
Chen Hao gulped hard. "That bastard Xu is a dead man, and so are all of you!"
"That's the first time I've seen a prisoner so arrogant." He Lingchuan plopped down on the bench. "Judging by your accent, you're not a local, are you?"
He had the easy air of someone making idle small talk, and Chen Hao pressed his lips tight.
"Beijia?"
At those two words, Chen Hao instinctively looked up at him.
He Lingchuan continued, "I heard you're one of Fu Shanlie's favored commanders? Instead of staying comfortably in the Beijia Kingdom, what is Fu Shanlie doing running off to my turf?"
Chen Hao's Adam's apple bobbed. "Did that Xu tell you this too?"
By now, the patrol guards and plainclothes men who had pursued the fleeing enemies had regrouped and presented their severed heads. Any water bandits groaning on the ground who hadn't had time to plead for mercy were promptly finished off, their heads taken as well.
Yuheng City had long since proclaimed throughout the territory that bandits who surrendered of their own accord would receive leniency, but anyone daring to make an enemy of the Yuheng Army would be exterminated to the last man. The current situation fell under the latter. Once their legs were broken and they were lying on the ground, begging for mercy was utterly useless.
This combination of carrot and stick was one of the primary reasons the number of bandit gangs in Longchuan had plummeted so rapidly.
The merchants inside the courier station stared at the headless corpses littering the ground and the blood flowing in every direction. Their bodies trembled, yet their faces were filled with relief.
These fierce gods were on their side. The fiercer and more formidable the Yuheng City forces were, the safer their trade journeys would be.
Chen Hao watched helplessly, his expression grim.
The Yuheng Army's methods were truly ruthless. Aside from him, they genuinely hadn't left a single soul alive!
"Reporting! Sixty-seven bandits eliminated, sixty-seven heads claimed! Seven of them were wanted felons!"
"Splendid." He Lingchuan turned to Chen Hao and asked, "Among these heads, are there any of your fellow Beijia people?"
Chapter 765