Chapter 114

Chapter 114

Yi Ten felt the old madman in front of him suddenly change completely, exuding an overwhelming aura that hit him like a tsunami. His unwavering confidence wavered for a moment as a sense of danger crept in, but it was already too late.

The fight was over in an instant.

In Gu Ran’s eyes, the bandit, who was flying towards Grandpa Lu, suddenly stopped as if time had frozen.

As Grandpa Lu landed with a horizontally held stick, the previously arrogant bandit collapsed heavily to the ground.

At the doorway, the assassins who had rushed in saw the phantom-like speed of the old man and hesitated for a moment before pouncing on him.

Grandpa Lu fearlessly waved his stick to meet them.

Gu Ran knew Grandpa Lu was skilled in martial arts, but she hadn’t realized just how formidable he was.

Among the group of assassins, wherever the stick landed, people fell. He charged out of the tangerine orchard, tearing through the battle outside, turning the situation around, and defeating the remaining bandits who had been cornering Li Ji and the others. Then, he immediately dashed towards another direction.

Pei Six, already covered in wounds, was at a disadvantage in his standoff against Jia Three.

Damn it, why was Jia Six so easy, but Jia Three is such a nightmare?

Pei Six, normally so composed, now found his breathing ragged, his footwork unsteady, and his sword techniques faltering.

So, when he saw the old madman come to the rescue, he shouted, "Kill him!"

"I'll kill you first!"

As soon as these words left his mouth, Jia Three’s soft sword darted towards Pei Six like a venomous snake.

At first, Jia Three had watched Yi Ten break open the gate of the tangerine orchard, his subordinates having their enemies cornered, feeling certain of victory, which had made him arrogant.

He had thought the ones who set the trap would be formidable, but they turned out to be nothing at all!

But as he toyed with the traitor like a cat with a mouse, he heard his subordinates inside the tangerine orchard scream continuously. An old man burst out and rescued the weaklings, killing all his remaining subordinates.

Furious, Jia Three immediately moved to kill Pei Six.

Pei Six wouldn’t just sit and wait for death, managing to retreat ten feet on his last breath.

Jia Three didn’t chase after him, but his soft sword did, its tip flashing with cold light, aiming for Pei Six’s neck. But just before it could strike, Grandpa Lu intervened.

The soft sword, which was about to sever Pei Six's head, instead wrapped around Grandpa Lu’s stick that blocked the attack.

Jia Six snorted, waved his hand, and the soft sword, like a wriggling snake, crushed the stick. Leaping into the air, he attacked the old man again.

He understood clearly that it was this old man who had ruined his plans.

But it didn’t matter. Although all his men were dead, these were just remnants of a defeated army. The only one who posed any threat was the old man in front of him!

Kill him, and the others would be no concern.

After weighing the pros and cons, Jia Six abandoned Pei Six and focused solely on the old man.

"Madman, sword!"

Just as Pei Six, who had been tossed aside by Grandpa Lu and barely escaped, saw the stick being crushed, his heart lurched. Then he remembered that when he had first seen this madman upon arriving on the island, he had been holding a sword.

This madman was a master with the sword, yet Pei Six hadn’t seen him wield one in all this time.

Where is his sword?

Now that the tree branch was gone, how could he fight Jia San bare-handed? That wouldn't do!

So, Pei Sixth Lady threw the sword in his hand towards the madman.

As Grandpa Lu dodged the silver serpent, he reached out and caught the sword that Pei Sixth Lady had thrown to him. With the sword in hand, Grandpa Lu seemed invincible, quickly blocking all of Jia San's attacks. The two were evenly matched, and they soon leaped from the ground to mid-air, crossing over the collapsed walls, dueling atop the tangerine trees under the moonlight, the battle growing fiercer by the moment.

Taking advantage of the moment, Pei Sixth Lady, despite his injuries, quickly leaped over the collapsed wall, calling out, "Erniang!"

Gu Ran, along with the others who had recovered, were on guard against Jia San while trying to rescue the injured.

In the rubble, she found Lu Bo, who had been knocked down. She checked his breathing and found that he was still alive. "Lu Bo, are you okay? Lu Bo?"

"Am I... not dead?"

"You're still responding, of course you're not dead. I'll help you up!"

"No, my leg is pinned under the stone pile. I can't get up. Go find someone..."

Gu Ran, relieved, said, "Okay!" Just as she was about to find someone, she saw Pei Sixth Lady rush over. Seeing that she was unharmed, he sighed in relief. "Sixth Miss, you're just in time. Quick, Lu Bo's leg..."

Seeing that Gu Ran was safe, Pei Sixth Lady also felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders. Despite his painful injuries, he moved the stones off Lu Bo's body and found that Lu Bo's left leg had been deformed from the impact. It was probably broken.

Lu Bo, enduring the pain, was helped up by Gu Ran and Pei Sixth Lady and managed to sit, leaning against the broken stone. "Li Ji? And Liang Sixth? Is the assassin dead?"

"Not dead?"

"They're not dead, and you're telling me to take care of you instead of going after them? Why are you worrying about me?"

"Grandpa Lu is handling them!"

Gu Ran replied as she and Pei Sixth Lady looked towards the tangerine orchard.

Lu Bo, enduring the pain, also looked over and was shocked by what he saw. "Is there someone among us with such incredible skills?"

"It's Grandpa Lu!"

Gu Ran felt a surge of relief, nearly overcome with emotion. Pei Sixth Lady, trying to speak, suddenly felt his strength give out and collapsed. Gu Ran quickly moved to hold him. "Sixth Miss, you're injured? Why didn't you say anything?"

Pei Sixth Lady looked at Gu Ran, shook his head, and said nothing.

Lu Bo, staring intently at the two figures battling under the moonlight, muttered, "Too similar, too similar!"

"Lu Bo, what's too similar?"

"He..."

Overwhelmed by the shock, fear, anger, and pain from his injured leg, and now the overwhelming surprise, Lu Bo, who had been barely holding on, fainted.

"Lu Bo!"

In the tangerine orchard, Jia San, who had thought he could easily take down the old madman, was shocked to find that after fifty exchanges of blows, the old man was still going strong, while he himself was gradually losing strength and being pushed back. He thought in alarm, "There's actually such a master hidden on this island!"

"Who are you?"

"Your grandfather!" Grandpa Lu growled.

Jia San flew into a rage and, mustering his last bit of strength, he swung his sword with deadly intent, determined to take the old madman's life.

Seeing that Jia San was already at the end of his strength, Grandpa Lu did not let down his guard. Taking advantage of Jia San's desperation, he deliberately exposed a weakness. When Jia San took the bait and attacked, Grandpa Lu thrust his sword through his chest.

Jia San fell from the sky, barely managing to land. He spat out a mouthful of blood, then coughed twice, looking as Grandpa Lu landed gracefully. Jia San took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.

The more he wiped, the more blood seemed to flow.

Jia San wiped faster and faster, then his hand suddenly stopped, and he fell backward.

After coughing out a final mouthful of blood, his eyes, reflecting the crescent moon of that night, gradually lost their light.

Grandpa Lu took a few steps forward, his eyes lingering on Jia San's deathly pale face before dropping to the sword in his hand.

The ambush that night ended with the total annihilation of the Heaven Rank First bandit group, while the tangerine orchard guards were left with a pyrrhic victory.

The next day, Xiao Wu Ye arrived upon hearing the news. Starting from the first trap, he helped collect the bodies of the assassins. When he reached the tangerine orchard’s entrance and saw the shattered gate, broken walls, and the ground littered with blood and severed limbs, he was stunned.

"Gu Erniang, are you all okay?"

Of course, they were far from okay!

Although they had wiped out the group that attacked the island, they had suffered heavy losses.

Apart from herself, Sixth Miss, and Lu Bo, out of the twenty-two guards, most had perished. These included those she had hired from the farmers, the Shen family, and Luo San, who had traveled all the way from Zhengzhou to Jianzhou hoping for a better life.

The rest were seriously injured. Lu Bo had even lost a leg and would be a cripple for the rest of his life.

With a heavy heart, Gu Ran distributed a large sum of money, including her recent earnings from selling tangerines, as condolence payments to the families.

When she returned to the village to inform Luo San's family of the tragic news, the entire Luo family burst into tears.

Luo San's sister-in-law, overwhelmed with grief, lashed out at Li Si and Li Ji right in front of Gu Ran and the others. "What's the point of coming to Jianzhou to make money if you lose your life? How can you make money without a life? Our San'er has been so unlucky to have associated with your Li family; it's as if he's run into eight lifetimes of bad luck!"

There was a heavy silence.

As Li Ji left with Gu Ran, cradling his injured arm, he remarked, "Erniang, they are hurting right now. Don't worry, after some time, I'll try to persuade them."

Later, Li Ji and Li Si took turns persuading the Luo family and received a sum of money from Gu Ran.

The Luo family members who came to Jianzhou with Luo San did not have any elders. The head of the family was still Luo Da and his wife. Under them were Luo Er's family and Luo Si.

Luo Da and Luo Er were still doing odd jobs on Dunzi Island. Even though they regretted moving, it was impossible to move back immediately.

Since they had to stay, they would need to continue working. Moreover, Madam Gu had promised that when Luo Si grew older, she would employ him on the island. For now, the family was at least provided for.

Gradually, the situation began to settle.

However, there was a rift with the Li family, and it was no longer suitable to live together. Luo Da used the money Gu Ran compensated him with to buy some land from Head Wu to build their own house. A month later, the Luo family moved out of the Li family's large house and into their own.

Eventually, the Shen family and the Lu family also built their own houses and moved away one after another.

Returning to the present, Gu Ran went to the neighboring room to visit Lu Bo, who had lost a leg.

Contrary to everyone's expectations, Lu Bo was not discouraged after losing his leg; instead, he was quite composed.

"I’m lucky to be alive, compared to Luo San, who lost his life," Lu Bo said with a hearty laugh, seeing everyone's worried faces. "I, old Lu, have seen many storms and waves; this little thing can't defeat me."

"Uncle Lu!"

"I'm serious."

Uncle Lu looked at his bare left leg and patted his remaining right leg, saying optimistically, "Even though I'm missing a leg, I'm still very capable, Madam Gu. You can't let me go."

"Uncle Lu, don't worry, you're my capable assistant. Even if you wanted to resign, I wouldn't let you go."

Uncle Lu laughed heartily.

As Uncle Lu laughed, the heavy atmosphere among the crowd slowly dissipated, and the grief in their hearts eased considerably. Gu Ran secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Xiao Wu Ye transported the bodies collected from Dunzi Island back to the dock using an official ship, shocking the entire county.

More than fifty corpses—these were the assassins of the Heaven Rank First bandit group.

So many bandits had fled to Min Prefecture and even infiltrated the county under the jurisdiction of Jianzhou, yet the authorities had not noticed until they captured the last batch of their accomplices.

How did these bandits obtain their travel permits and official papers?

This needed to be thoroughly investigated.

And why had these bandits come? Who had killed them?

They had come for Li Ji and Pei Liuniang, who had previously slain their accomplices, but they were ultimately killed by the guards of the Gu family, including Li Ji and Pei Liuniang!

It was said that just over twenty people heroically stood their ground against so many bandits, which was admirable and brave!

They deserved rewards, great rewards!

After the officials of Jianzhou prefecture's yamen transported these bandit corpses back, the Jianzhou prefecture's magistrate, along with the county magistrate of Yongchang County, came to Dunzi Island to commend the warriors who had assisted the authorities in exterminating this group of bandits!

The families of the deceased guards thus received a generous amount of silver from the authorities, and the injured guards were also rewarded and commended!

It was at this time that Gu Ran and the others learned that Hall Master Sun, who had been escorted to Jianzhou prefecture's yamen, had been killed by his accomplices. The prefecture magistrate also learned from the bandits captured later on the ship that this group led by Meng Gongzi was the last remaining force of the Heaven Rank First bandit group, which had been hunted by the court.

It was said that after eliminating Meng Gongzi, the remaining force of the Heaven Rank First bandit group was only a small group that had fled north to the desert.

Thus, the most renowned Heaven Rank First bandit group of the Great Sheng Dynasty, though still named, was effectively destroyed.

This meant that in the future, there would be no need to worry about the bandits of the Heaven Rank First bandit group causing trouble anymore!

Presumably, after this incident, when people learned that the guards on Dunzi Island had defeated so many bandits with fewer forces, even if some scattered bandits still wanted to seek revenge on Dunzi Island or on Li Ji and Pei Liuniang, they would have to consider whether their skills were up to the task!

"So this time, your extermination of this group of bandits on the island was a great achievement. After I return, when I bring the remaining accomplices to the capital, I will report your achievements to the court. In the future, you warriors and heroes will receive great rewards from the Emperor."

Receiving a reward from the Emperor was something that countless ordinary citizens could only dream of!

The families of the deceased guards were immediately excited, and their grief over the loss of their loved ones was somewhat diminished.

As the news of the twenty-two guards on Dunzi Island fighting against the assassins of the Heaven Rank First bandit group spread, Dunzi Island became famous, and Gu Dongjia's tangerines became very popular among the local people and merchants. Just after the prefecture magistrate and the county magistrate left, merchants eager to buy from Gu Family Xiaoju arrived incessantly at the ferry, requesting to land.

Gu Ran only had Lin Erlang, the overseer, handle negotiations with these merchants who came seeking opportunity.

She, on the other hand, along with Wu Sanbo and others, had to repair the houses damaged during the bandits' attack, as well as the collapsed wall battlements and gates.

Both Pei Liuniang and Li Ji were injured and needed to rest for some time.

This dangerous incident severely weakened the guards Gu Ran had hired, but the workers returning to the tangerine orchard grew even more admiring of Madam Gu!

The last time the Shen family encountered trouble, Madam Gu had allowed the villagers to take refuge on this island to avoid deadly disasters. Now, knowing that the assassins were targeting Dunzi Island, she again gave them leave to escape, ensuring their safety. Where else would they find such a kind-hearted host?

After that, the waiters couldn’t help but look at Madam Gu with admiration.

Madam Gu was unaware that she had earned quite a bit of goodwill among the waiters. She was busy explaining to the craftsmen brought by Wu Sanbo how to repair the wall and rebuild a sturdier gate. Afterward, she went to check on the orange trees that were damaged when Grandpa Lu confronted the assassins.

Fortunately, the early-ripening varieties were planted in the front valley, and the fruits had been harvested early; otherwise, the losses would have been greater.

As Madam Gu headed towards the tangerine orchard, it suddenly occurred to her: By the way, where is Grandpa Lu?

Since that night when they dealt with the assassins, Grandpa Lu had vanished after helping clean up.

Now, both the local people and the officials believed that Master Li Ji and Pei Sixth Lady were the main forces that eliminated the assassins, but everyone who survived that night knew that the greatest credit belonged to Grandpa Lu!

However, since Grandpa Lu’s identity was unclear and he had disappeared when the officials arrived, people simply regarded him as one of the guards and did not pay much attention to him.

Although Grandpa Lu was not around now, Madam Gu knew that he would not leave Dunzi Island. He was probably hiding somewhere on the island again, so she only worried for a moment before feeling relieved.

She trusted that, just like before, Grandpa Lu would show up out of nowhere.

By the way, Grandpa Lu’s walking stick had been destroyed. She needed to find Master Huang to select some good wood to make him a new one.

Meanwhile, Grandpa Lu had already returned to the other side of the river, across the wooden bridge, to the cave in the mountains.

He slowly squatted down and moved the dry firewood aside, revealing a rusty sword lying inside.

His trembling hands brushed off the dust and, treating it as a precious treasure, he held the sword up with great care.

Tears of emotion welled up in his eyes and flowed uncontrollably as he sobbed, hugging the sword.

For years, he lived in isolation on the island, enduring a life of hardship and despair. Over time, he lost his sense of time, his emotions, his memories, and even the ability to communicate with others.

If not for Madam Gu and her people, he might have spent the rest of his days in that confused, dazed state.

But Madam Gu came, bringing so many people, and he, like an old man lost in a lonely forest for a long time, regained everything.

That night, when the cannons roared, he finally remembered who he was!

He was Qiao An, one of the ten generals of the Great Sheng Dynasty, from the Qiao family.

Many years ago, people also called him General Qiao.

At that time, he was in his prime and, under the Emperor’s command, led a campaign against pirates in Quan Gang, achieving many victories. But then, everything changed...

Qiao An could not bear to think back, weeping bitterly.

Later, he intended to return to the capital bearing the burden of guilt to explain everything to the Emperor, but he was wrongfully accused of treason. His loyal soldiers, unwilling to see their general imprisoned by traitors, risked their lives to rescue him midway. However, he fell into the river while being chased by the Zhou family and woke up on a deserted island.

How many years had passed? How much time had slipped away?

After so many years, was the soldier who saved him still alive?

Had the crime of treason and dereliction of duty been cleared?

Were his family members safe?

Qiao An longed to know, yet he feared the answers.

Because too many years had passed, and he had become an old man. Had the world changed too much?

Qiao An feared that if others were implicated in his downfall, the consequences would be too much for him to bear!

Qiao An cried for what felt like hours, his throat raw and eyes heavy. Finally, he stood up, took his sword, and left the cave with a stiff expression, stumbling forward.

He must inform the Emperor that the defeat and dereliction of duty were never his intention.

There were still many wronged soldiers who were innocent.

Although it was many years too late, as long as he, Qiao General, was not dead, he had to clarify this matter.

He had to clear the names of the soldiers who had already died and vindicate those who were still atoning for their sins.

He must return to the capital and meet the Emperor.

Before that, he needed to figure out how many years had passed since the incident and how he could leave this island!

In the large cottage within the tangerine orchard, after a period of recovery, the remaining guards gradually returned to work on the island.

Initially, due to the deaths of many guards, their families and the young men from nearby villages were afraid to become guards in the tangerine orchard and refused to work on Dunzi Island.

It wasn't until later, when these deceased guards received awards from the government, and the local magistrate personally came to Dunzi Island to express condolences and promised to report the merits of this bandit suppression to the Emperor, that the guards' posthumous reputation soared, and their families were also highly regarded by others.

They had already received condolence money from Madam Gu and a reward from the magistrate. There was also a high chance of receiving a personal reward from the Emperor in the future, which would bring honor to their ancestors.

Furthermore, the magistrate personally announced that the remaining bandits from the Heaven Rank First group had fled to the northern desert, making Dunzi Island safe. The island had now become the most prestigious river island in Jianzhou, attracting many tourists eager to see the site of the bandits' defeat, as well as people interested in working in the tangerine orchard.

The line of people looking for jobs at Madam Gu's estate through Lin Erlang stretched from the front gate of the tangerine orchard all the way to the ferry.

Some families who had guards working in the tangerine orchard became anxious.

The salary for Madam Gu's guards was already generous, and with no further threat from bandits, working for the Gu family had become a highly sought-after job. The families who had previously scolded Madam Gu for the loss of their young men now rushed to Lin Erlang, willing to send their sons back to work as guards on the island.

However, Lin Erlang regretfully informed them that the positions were full but promised to consider their sons first if any vacancies opened up in the future.

The families who arrived too late still wanted to protest: "My son died protecting your tangerine orchard from the bandits. How can you be so heartless?"

"That's right, our third son also lost his life for this job, and you're being so heartless. This is unacceptable."

Lin Erlang felt both sad and guilty as he faced these aggressive acquaintances.

He had selected the guards, choosing strong young men from trusted families.

Their deaths also weighed heavily on him.

On the night the bandits attacked Dunzi Island, Gu Erniang had sent him back to Xiaxi Village for safety.

When the incident was discovered and people had died, these families had also come to his house and cursed him, asking why he could escape back to the village while their sons could not.

How could their sons lose their lives while he was safe at home?

He couldn't coldly say that being a guard meant risking your life, and staying behind to protect the tangerine orchard was their duty, could he?

Lin Erlang could only be speechless.

Later, following Madam Gu, he delivered condolence money to each household, endured the scolding, and then proposed that a male in their family could take over the guard position. What had they said then?

"You want us to send people to be your guards? Do you think we haven't lost enough sons?"

"Dream on! Our sons will not take on such a heartless job again!"

"No, get lost, get lost!"

At that time, it happened to be when the tangerine orchard was short-handed. Since they refused, he and Gu Erniang had no choice but to look for others, but back then, no one was willing to take the job.

Who knew if the remaining assassins from the Heaven Rank First bandit group would come back for revenge?

The risk of being a guard at the tangerine orchard was too high!

Therefore, during that period, although Lin Erlang and Gu Erniang tried hard to recruit, they couldn’t find many people willing to work as guards on Dunzi Island.

It’s only natural for people to fear death, so they had to find other solutions.

Then, the county magistrate and the prefect arrived with good news, confirming that Dunzi Island was now safe and that Li Ji and Pei Sixth Lady had taken down some powerful remnants of the bandit group.

They had even eliminated the third most important figure of the Heaven Rank First bandit group. Unless the first and second most important figures came—it was also confirmed that they had fled elsewhere and wouldn’t come back to Dunzi Island. This meant that no one as dangerous as the third-ranked assassin would dare to cause trouble on Dunzi Island anymore!

With Li Ji and Pei Sixth Lady around!

And the guards who survived that day!

When Gu Ran started hiring guards again, people lined up to apply. Lin Erlang quickly filled the guard positions and even found a few extras, just as Gu Ran had asked.

Now, there was no room for more guards, even if the families of the original guards wanted to rejoin.

When Lin Erlang explained the situation honestly, they angrily lashed out at him. At that moment, Lu Bo, who had returned to his post, rolled up in a wheelchair and pushed himself over: "What are you all yelling about here?"