Chapter Thirty-Two: What Is the Objective?

Li Yun departed from Qingyang alone.

By this time, he had slain the mountain bandits, rescued Miss Xue, captured three of the brigands, and escorted the Gu family’s uncle and nephew back to Qingyang. His reputation had already spread throughout the county town.

Those subordinates in the county office who had once been reluctant to obey him now, though not utterly submissive, dared not openly defy the will of Chief Li. After all, the day Li Yun fought three bandits single-handedly, Chen Dahuang and Yong were witnesses, and his martial prowess was such that even if all twenty officials from the county office attacked together, they might not be able to best him alone.

Under such circumstances, naturally no one dared to resist.

So when Li Yun announced he would go near Mount Cang to search for traces of the bandits, no one opposed him.

In grand fashion, Chief Li rode a horse from the county office and left Qingyang.

This time, he didn’t bother to use the word “borrow”—the stable master said nothing, and the horse simply became Li Yun’s “official steed.”

Arriving near Mount Cang, he changed out of his black uniform, stuffed it into his bundle, and rode to the foot of the mountain, where the Li family village lay.

He was already quite familiar with this place—or rather, the former Chief Li had been. He tied his horse at the village chief’s door and knocked.

It was already evening.

The sun slanted across the farmhouse courtyard, bathing it in gold.

Because times were turbulent, some moments passed before the old village chief’s voice sounded from within: “Who is it?”

“It's me, sir,” Li Yun replied.

The old man squinted one eye, peering through the crack in the door. When he saw Li Yun’s silhouette, he stumbled back in fright, nearly falling.

“You… why are you here?” The elderly man swallowed, glanced up at the darkening sky, his tone tinged with anxiety.

“I’ve come to fulfill the promise I made a few days ago,” Li Yun said with a gentle smile.

After a pause, the old chief opened the gate and let Li Yun in. He glanced over Li Yun’s shoulder, ensuring he had come alone, then stuck his head outside to look both ways before carefully closing the gate.

“Young man,” the old chief said, turning to Li Yun who was surveying the small yard, “Why are you here in the village instead of up in the mountains? It’s broad daylight—and on the big tree at the village entrance, there’s a wanted poster for you!”

Li Yun chuckled, drew from his sleeve the wanted notice he’d torn down, the one with a pockmarked face sketched upon it, and held it beside his own face for the chief to see.

“Sir, does this look like me?”

The old man glanced at it, then at Li Yun.

“They say the soldiers never got a clear look at your face when you committed the crime—your face was covered in blood. When they drew the wanted poster, they could only guess at your features. Hearing your nickname was ‘Li the Pockmarked,’ they drew pocks on the face.”

The old chief, seeing Li Yun bore no malice, sighed. “The county artist even came here that day, asked me about your looks. I described your father’s face to him.”

“So naturally, it doesn’t resemble me,” Li Yun said with a smile. “Since it doesn’t look like me, it isn’t me.”

He drew a silver ingot from his sleeve and set it before the chief. “When I left the mountain that day, I promised you I’d replace the money the soldiers took from the village. This, converted to copper coins, should cover what you spent that day. As for the losses suffered by other families, I’d ask you to tally them up, and in a few days I’ll send someone with the money.”

The old chief stood there, speechless, not daring to take the silver.

When did bandits ever pay money out?

It wasn’t until Li Yun pressed the silver into his hand that he came to his senses.

“Young man, you… have you changed professions?” the old chief asked.

Li Yun pondered the question, then replied with a smile, “I’m not sure if you’d call it a change; by a twist of fate, I suppose I’ve… transformed.”

“But I’ll still keep the stronghold,” Li Yun waved a hand, smiling. “I’ll be heading up the mountain soon, so I won’t stay. That horse outside is mine—can’t take it up the mountain, so could you look after it for a few days? When I come down, I’ll take it back.”

The old chief eyed the silver, and for its sake, agreed readily.

Chief Li turned to leave, and after a dozen steps, he looked back and called, “Sir, are there any idle young men in the village? I have a few vacancies for official posts—if there are suitable candidates, let them come with me.”

The old chief blanched, shaking his head vigorously.

What decent family would send their sons to be a bandit?

Seeing his refusal, Li Yun shook his head and went up the mountain.

By the time he returned to the main stronghold on Mount Cang, night had fallen. He didn’t wake anyone, but went straight to his own courtyard to sleep.

Early the next morning, Liu Bo, Zhang Hu, and Lean Monkey Li Zheng, having heard of Li Yun’s return, gathered in his courtyard, surrounding him and addressing him as Second Brother.

Liu Bo raised a thumb and said with a smile, “Second Brother, you’re truly incredible—not only did you squeeze so much money out of those two fat sheep, but afterwards, nothing happened to us. Now…”

“Those two fat sheep must hate Second Dragon Stronghold!”

Li Yun was washing his face. After wiping away the water, he spoke coolly, “Only we brothers participated in the whole thing. Keep your mouths shut—say nothing if you can avoid it.”

Liu Bo agreed, then sat in a chair, grinning at Li Yun. “Second Brother, the old folks in the stronghold say you’ve changed—some say, after someone hit you on the head last time, it knocked some sense into you.”

Chief Li, finished with his wash, sat among his brothers, looked at them, and said, “Now that I’m back, there are some matters to handle.”

“First, I want to take two men with me to the county town—to serve as officers there.”

At this, their expressions soured.

Zhang Hu couldn’t help but say, “Second Brother, did Second Uncle and the others guess right…”

Li Yun frowned. “What were they saying about me behind my back while I was gone?”

Zhang Hu glanced at Li Yun, then bit his lip and said, “Second Uncle and Third Uncle say no one wants to be a bandit for life; they say you’ve seen the prosperity of the town and… you won’t come back.”

“And even if you do, you’ll return to the town.”

Li Yun curled his lip.

“If I didn’t want to come back, would you ever see me again?”

Had these been peaceful times, or at least tolerable ones, Li Yun might have gained a legitimate status and not returned to Mount Cang’s stronghold. He might even have pulled his close friends out of the ‘quagmire’ of banditry.

But in these times, the stronghold was not a quagmire, but his support—his foundation.

An armed force unbound by official constraints! His future leverage to break free!

“Serving in the county doesn’t mean never returning to the stronghold,” Li Yun said calmly. “Are we brothers going to spend our whole lives holed up in Mount Cang? We ought to go out and see the world, make our mark.”

“And besides, we’re going out to develop the stronghold. I plan to set up a theft suppression team in the county…”

Chief Li spoke eloquently, and his three brothers gazed at him with clear, naïve eyes.

He shook his head in resignation. “Come with me, and I promise you all…”

“Each of you will marry a beautiful wife.”

Instantly, Liu Bo, Zhang Hu, and Lean Monkey leapt up in unison, their eyes bright with excitement.

Even their voices rang out together.

“Second Brother, I’ll go with you!”