Chapter 114 - Flames

Lei Jingzhe crouched by the pigsty with a bowl in hand. After a day of hunger, he stuffed his mouth with the hard-earned cornmeal and swallowed it fiercely. Beside him squatted a subordinate, a young lad around Ding Tao's age but as sturdy as a calf, devouring his food just as greedily as Lei.

From the open kitchen window, a head popped out, tapping the pot's edge with a spoon, and called, "There's still some broth left. Do you want it? Hurry up if you do!"

"Want, want, want!" Li Xiong, with cornmeal still in his mouth, hastily rushed to the window, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand while extending his bowl next to the pot, his eyes never leaving the meager soup.

"The appetite is enormous," the cook scraped the bottom of the pot. "If your brother found a steady job, he wouldn't be starving like this!"

"My brother has big plans!" Li Xiong noticed the broth spilling over the edge and wiped it clean with his finger, sucking it off.

The cook was also a burly man. Wiping his forehead with his apron, he looked at Li Xiong's energetic appearance and casually wiped his face too, complaining, "Your face is as black as the bottom of a pot. No one takes care of you at home. Hey, what do you busy yourself with all day? Take care of yourself, kid!"

Lei Jingzhe showed the cook an innocent smile, still chewing on pickles. Li Xiong jogged over, pouring the broth into Lei's bowl as if presenting a treasure, urging, "Brother, eat!"

"Good boy!" Lei Jingzhe didn't hesitate, draining the bowl in one go. Looking up at the blazing sun, he was drenched in sweat. Squinting against the glare, he shifted his feet and cursed softly, "Damn it!"

"Damn it." Li Xiong mimicked his action, standing to shield Lei from the sun.

Lei Jingzhe propped his arm on his knee and asked, "What's the situation outside?"

Li Xiong craned his neck to look around and whispered, "They're still investigating!"

Frustration flickered across Lei Jingzhe's face. Lowering his head, a scorpion tattoo on the back of his neck glistened with sweat. After fleeing Cizhou, he had disbanded his men and only brought along the foolish boy he had raised, hiding in a town near the main road, watching the imperial guards chase their tails in vain, waiting for Xiao Chiye's patience to run out and send troops after him. To his surprise, Xiao Chiye was not at all restless but instead set fires along the way, sowing fear in every corner.

"Brother, the reward for the imperial guards is so meager," Li Xiong mused, "barely enough for the brothers to buy a drink. Why would so many people still go for it?"

"It's precisely because it's so little," Lei Jingzhe said, his bright eyes shining beneath his sweat-drenched brows, "that this person's offer is just right."

Xiao Chiye could have directly assigned a price tag to the reward in terms of a few taels of silver, but common folk might not have been willing to act as his eyes and ears for that amount. Central Bo had suffered from numerous disasters in recent years, and bandits were rampant. The higher the price, the more dangerous the job would be, potentially costing one their life. But a few copper coins would be worth it. Once they discovered the bandits' whereabouts, all they needed to do was report to the imperial guards, and no one would know about their involvement. It would be normal for them to spend the copper coins immediately, and even if the bandits sought revenge, they wouldn't be able to find anyone.

"Then what should we do?" Li Xiong was drenched in sweat. He turned to Lei Jingzhe. "Brother, why don't we just bloody do it! He only has twenty thousand men."

Lei Jingzhe was also agitated. He understood Xiao Chiye's intentions all too well – Xiao Chiye was forcing them to make a move, leaving them with nowhere to hide. However, he was clear-headed. He knew that the men under his command had fought their way out of the two eastern states with ragtag groups, without proper military training. If they abandoned their current advantages, they would suffer heavy losses against the well-equipped imperial guards. Yet, hiding indefinitely was not a solution. Lei Jingzhe could endure it, but could his subordinates, who were used to giving orders, bear it?

Sweating profusely, Lei Jingzhe stared at the dirt beneath his feet and said, "This guy is sly. He won't play by the rules of righteousness and morality with me. I don't think he has any defenses set up in the north. He's deliberately pushing us there. He knows that the north belongs to Li Bei, so he's betting that we won't dare to go."

Damn it!

Lei Jingzhe spat with frustration.

He truly did not dare to go!

"Wait one more night," Lei Jingzhe suddenly stood up and said. "Go and tell Er’er to inform the brothers still in the town tonight that if the situation turns bad, we’ll leave. We can always retreat back to Luo Mountain first. I have plenty of energy to waste on Xiao Chiye!"

* * *

Xiao Chiye was eating, and he paired his steamed buns with pickled vegetables. He sat on a wooden stake used to tie horses, watching as soldiers gave out copper coin exchange slips to the common folk who had come to report news.

"Master," Tan Taihu walked over and said, "He’s really something, scattering people everywhere. How is he going to issue orders? It’s impossible to knock on every door, right?"

"He’s the bandit leader, so naturally, he has his methods," Xiao Chiye said as he scratched his shoulder where the falcon perched. "The Sea Eagle from the North can also deliver military intelligence swiftly."

"We’ve caught quite a number of them," Tan Taihu said. "How do we deal with them?"

"Kill them," Xiao Chiye replied.

Tan Taihu turned to look at the captives before turning back to Xiao Chiye and whispering, "But I heard that some of them are from good families. Should we really kill them all?"

Xiao Chiye looked at Tan Taihu and said, "Since they chose to go to Luo Mountain and serve under Lei Jingzhe, they should have expected this day. I am here to quell bandits; there is no reason to show mercy to the enemy. Besides, tell me, everyone has a mouth and claims to come from an upright family. Which of them do you believe, and which do you doubt?"

Tan Taihu fell silent.

Xiao Chiye rose to his feet and watched Meng Fei fly away. "I know you're thinking about the Border Sand Cavalry, but, Tiger, don't misuse righteousness. You've been in the military for a long time, so you shouldn't need me to tell you this. Can't you figure it out yourself?"

Tan Taihu lowered his head to kneel.

"Stay standing," Xiao Chiye patted his shoulder. "You're a general leading troops now, not a petty banner officer guarding the city gates at Dianzhou. Don't put yourself in the wrong place."

Xiao Chiye was generous, but he was also strict. His guards knew when to advance and when to retreat. Last time, when Chen Yang had ignored him, Xiao Chiye had made him feel worse than if he had been whipped. However, guards and generals were two different things. Why didn't Xiao Chiye let Chen Yang lead the troops? Clearly, Zhao Hui, who was by Xiao Jiming's side, was a fierce general. Xiao Chiye must have had other considerations.

Xiao Chiye did not get angry or change his expression, but Tan Taihu already looked ashamed. None of them could read Xiao Chiye's true emotions, but even in such a relaxed tone, he had already begun to reflect on himself.