Chapter 118: The Fate of White Seven

"Gentlemen, this is Tianmu Mountain."

A man in his thirties, of unremarkable stature, smiled as he addressed the burly men behind him. "Including myself, there are sixty-three people here at Tianmu Mountain, along with thirty or forty women and children. We can set out tomorrow to join the Heavenly King."

Behind the middle-aged man stood a tall, imposing figure. He glanced at the man and said coolly, "Chief Bai, the superiors have stated that since you are bringing your people to defect, you will be given command of your own battalion. The Great King is currently besieging Qiantang County, and this is the perfect opportunity for you to recruit more troops."

"With these one hundred men as your foundation, if you recruit another three or four hundred to reach five hundred, you will become a commandant under the Great King. Once the Great King conquers a few more provinces, Chief Bai, you shall be a general."

"When the Great King achieves his great undertaking, General Bai, you will be a founding hero, and your glory will last for generations."

The man addressed as Chief Bai was none other than Bai Qi, the leader of the Tianmu Stronghold. Bai Qi was not a burly man; rather, he was lean. In the bandit trade, such a physique rarely allowed one to maintain a position as a stronghold chief. Usually, only someone like Li Yun, who could outfight everyone in the stronghold, could secure such a seat.

Yet, over the years, Bai Qi had maintained his position at Tianmu Mountain through sheer ruthlessness. Even so, there were some bandits who remained unconvinced. To ensure the success of his defection to the King of Yue, Bai Qi had first scoured the surrounding areas for young women, personally taking them to Yuezhou to present to the King of Yue.

Although the King of Yue did not accept the ten girls personally, his brother-in-law, He Gang, "accepted them on his behalf." Shortly thereafter, he accepted Bai Qi’s surrender and dispatched men to accompany him back to Tianmu Mountain to take control of the bandits.

Upon hearing the burly man’s words, a smile appeared on Bai Qi’s face. He had been on Tianmu Mountain for nearly twenty years and had served as chief for seven or eight. All those years, he had been searching for a way out. After all, being a mountain bandit for life was no way to live.

It wasn't until Qiu Dian began his rebellion that Bai Qi became interested. He sent trusted subordinates to gather intelligence in Yuezhou, and once he heard that the King of Yue was accepting bandit groups, he made up his mind to take his "assets" and defect.

This was a high-stakes gamble. If he won, he wouldn't necessarily secure noble status for generations, but he would at least ensure a life of luxury and wealth. If he lost, the natural consequence was death. However, Bai Qi considered himself clever; he believed he could escape and, at worst, return to being a bandit. He could afford to lose.

With this in mind, Bai Qi led the twenty or so Yuezhou soldiers up the mountain path. Halfway up, he suddenly let out a sharp whistle. The man behind him immediately frowned and snapped, "What are you doing?" He was afraid Bai Qi was setting an ambush.

Chief Bai quickly turned back and said, "Don't misunderstand! My men are stationed on the path; I whistled to call them out." He looked up the path, frowning slightly. "That’s strange. Why are there no signs of them?"

"Don't play games." The man took a deep breath and patted Bai Qi on the shoulder. "Keep moving."

Bai Qi hurriedly agreed and said with a smile, "Brothers, some time ago I went down the mountain and brought back quite a few young women. I took ten to Yuezhou, but there are plenty left. Once we reach the top, why don't you stay for a few days? I will see to it that you are well entertained."

The soldiers grinned, and the leader laughed, "Are the girls you left behind still clean after all this time? We don't have the stomach for that."

Bai Qi chuckled. "Without my word, most of the men in the stronghold wouldn't dare touch them."

As they spoke, the Tianmu Mountain stronghold came into view. Bai Qi felt a vague sense of unease. As they drew closer, he said in a low voice, "Brothers, I must blow the whistle again to ensure the stronghold is secure. I don't feel right otherwise."

The leader hesitated, remembering that this man had presented ten young women to Master He, and decided not to offend him. He nodded. "Go ahead and blow it."

Bai Qi took a few steps forward and whistled again. After a moment, the gates of the Tianmu Mountain stronghold swung wide open. Soon, a man with two attendants emerged to greet the returning chief. As they approached, the man cupped his hands in greeting.

"Seventh Master is back!"

Bai Qi studied the man, frowning slightly. "Old Four, why are you bruised and battered, and why are you limping? What happened?"

The man called Old Four looked panicked for a moment before waving his hand. "Seventh Master, you weren't in the stronghold, so things got a bit chaotic. I had a fight with Old Eight and got injured."

"If you're injured, why aren't you resting in the stronghold instead of coming out to greet me?"

The Fourth Chief of Tianmu Mountain smiled. "Seventh Master, as long as I’m not crippled, I have to come out to greet you." He looked at the twenty men behind Bai Qi and asked, "Seventh Master, are these the righteous warriors under the Heavenly King?"

"Watch your tongue," Bai Qi frowned. "The Heavenly King has ascended to the throne as the King of Yue. He is the King of our Baiyue lands now. You must address him as the Great King."

Old Four cupped his hands to the men from Yuezhou. "Long heard of you, long heard of you." He squeezed out a smile. "Seventh Master, we're at the doorstep now. Whatever the matter, let’s discuss it inside."

Bai Qi agreed, but then looked at the two attendants behind the Fourth Chief and frowned again. "Something's wrong. Something's not right." He lowered his voice. "Who are these strangers? I've never seen them before!" He instinctively began to back away, saying, "Something has happened to the stronghold!"

"Something has indeed happened," said a tall attendant standing behind the Fourth Chief. He stepped forward with a grim smile. "And something is about to happen to you!"

He strode toward Bai Qi. Although he carried no weapon, his presence was overwhelming, causing the chief to retreat in terror. It was none other than Chief Li Yun!

The other "attendant," Zhang Hu, let out a war cry and charged at Bai Qi as well!

Without thinking, Bai Qi ducked behind the Yuezhou soldiers. Li Yun didn't break his stride; he smashed into one of the soldiers, snatched the long blade from his hand, and without hesitation, slashed at the man next to him.

The sudden turn of events caught the inexperienced Yuezhou soldiers off guard. By the time they reacted, Li Yun had already knocked one man down and wounded another.

Zhang Hu pounced on Bai Qi like a tiger descending a mountain. Bai Qi swung his blade, but Zhang Hu dodged it. At that moment, Li Yun caught up and kicked Bai Qi hard in the back, knocking the Tianmu stronghold chief unconscious instantly.

At the same time, dozens of men poured out of the stronghold like a tide. Li Yun didn't wait for reinforcements; he charged straight at the remaining Yuezhou soldiers, eager to test their mettle.

Having spent over half a year suppressing bandits, Li Yun had personally killed nearly a hundred of them. He was filled with a murderous aura, and his ferocity in combat was unparalleled.

By the time the reinforcements from the stronghold arrived, Li Yun and Zhang Hu had already incapacitated half the Yuezhou soldiers. Li Zheng led dozens of men to swarm the rest, binding them and dragging them back into the stronghold. Li Yun hooked his foot under the unconscious Bai Qi, hoisted him onto his shoulder, and walked into the stronghold, which was immediately sealed shut.

An hour later, Li Yun sat on a tiger-skin chair, watching the chief of Tianmu Mountain slowly regain consciousness.

"Seventh Master, is it?"

Bai Qi opened his eyes and saw Li Yun. He opened his mouth and stammered, "D-dare I ask, which deity are you?"

"I am your ancestor."

Li Yun stood up with a sneer and slapped Bai Qi across the face. His strength was immense, knocking two of Bai Qi’s teeth out. "A mountain bandit, stealing from your own backyard? You aren't even fit to be a bandit, you dog!"

After cursing him, Li Yun took a breath. "Do you know who I am now?"

"An... ancestor..." Bai Qi’s eyes were so swollen he could barely see. He struggled to look at Li Yun and stammered, "May I ask... which village is my ancestor from? There are some villages I... I truly never went to!"

"Lower Ao Village. Did you go there?"

Bai Qi shook his head repeatedly. "I... I didn't! I didn't!"

Among bandits, there are those who truly don't fear death. But many do, especially those as cruel as Bai Qi; sometimes, they fear death even more. Or rather, they fear the torture their opponents might inflict, for they themselves were often the ones inflicting it, and they knew better than anyone how painful it could be.

Seeing his reaction, Li Yun sneered. "Good. Tomorrow, I will have someone take you to Lower Ao Village and tie you to the big tree at the entrance. If no one comes to take revenge on you within a day, I will let you go!"

"But if someone does come, you will stay tied to that tree until you die!"

Bai Qi’s face turned deathly pale. Li Yun stepped forward and kicked him in the stomach. Ignoring his agonizing screams, he walked out of the room to find Li Zheng. "Have those men from Yuezhou started talking?"

"They have," Li Zheng replied.

Li Yun nodded slowly. "Good. I’m going to go question them myself."