Chapter 150: It Has to Be Today

Inside the woods, the spot where the corpse had been buried was already dug up by the garrison brought by Fan Ying. The clothes had been stripped entirely from the body, and its entire frame was riddled with bloody, fist-sized holes. The blood had long since drained away, and the wounds were caked with mud, making them look somewhat less terrifying.

"Captain Fan! This was found on the dead man!" The squad leader who led the troops into the woods stepped forward, bowing and holding up a jade token with both hands toward Fan Ying. After presenting it, he took two steps back, straightened up, and continued his report: "We tracked our way here by following the smell of blood! We just inspected the wounds on the deceased; they must have been inflicted by the bamboo spears inside the traps along the imperial highway! We deduce that the man likely fell into a trap by accident either while digging it initially or after the deed was done, resulting in his death. His accomplices simply buried him on the spot for convenience!"

"Xun?" Fan Ying muttered, nodding faintly as he listened to his subordinate's report, but his gaze remained fixed on the single character carved into the token in his hand. He turned the token over and over, as if trying to decipher some hidden clue, but after a moment, he gave up. He handed the token over to Cao Chen, his brow still tightly furrowed, and asked in a deep, solemn voice, "Brother Cao! Have you ever seen a token like this?"

How could Cao Chen possibly be unfamiliar with the jade tokens of the Xunzhou Gang? He had recognized it at a single glance while Fan Ying was examining it on his own. His heart had immediately begun to hammer wildly, and for a fleeting second, his mind felt as though it had exploded into a chaotic void without a single coherent thought. It was only when Fan Ying finally spoke up and questioned him that Cao Chen opened his mouth, only to find that his lips and throat were dry enough to smoke. He coughed lightly a couple of times, licked his parched lips, cleared his throat, and then nodded heavily with a solemn expression. Raising his eyes to check that the surrounding garrison troops had all retreated far out of earshot and paid no attention to his side, Cao Chen lowered his voice and replied with utmost caution, his tone trembling slightly: "I have... I have seen it! This is, this is a jade token of the Xunzhou Gang..."

"The Xunzhou Gang?" Fan Ying's sword-like eyebrows arched upward, his eyes filled with doubt. Then, as if an epiphany had suddenly struck him, he drew a deep breath and pressed Cao Chen with an incredulous tone: "Are you saying this is the Xunzhou Gang—the very group that used to rely on the Chaozhou Gang?"

Without waiting for Cao Chen to respond, and as if eager to press his advantage before the other man could react, Fan Ying twisted his arm holding the jade token and pointed it toward the corpse on the ground, demanding with renewed astonishment: "Does this mean the dead man is a member of the Xunzhou Gang? And that the firecracker bandits Brother Cao mentioned earlier were actually men from the Xunzhou Gang?"

"Yes, yes... But, but..." Led step by step by Fan Ying's prompting, Cao Chen instinctively nodded in agreement with the other man's theory. Yet, upon second thought, something felt amiss. He reasoned that even if Lai Wu were still alive and bent on banditry, he shouldn't have possessed the audacity to target the Cao Clan Trading Company's caravan. Stammering with his mouth open for a long while, Cao Chen found himself unable to overturn the hard facts laid out before him. Frowning deeply, he finally shook his head in bewilderment, though it was clear he had already acquiesced to Fan Ying's analysis and judgment.

"Audacious! Utterly lawless!" Fan Ying suddenly flung the jade token to the ground. Fortunately, the ground beneath them wasn't paved with the bluestone slabs of Fuxu Town, or the token would have been smashed to pieces. Fan Ying's furious roar gave Cao Chen a violent start, causing him to leap half a step to the side purely out of reflex. Ignoring whether the merchant was startled or not, Fan Ying barked a stern order to one of the nearby section commanders: "Take my orders and go to Guangzhou Prefecture to find General Yang Hongwen of the Bandit-Suppression Army! Tell him that the Xunzhou Gang, a local faction of Guangzhou Prefecture, has openly plundered passing merchant caravans right here on the soil of Fuxu Town, and their influence is growing strong! Request General Yang Hongwen to lead the Bandit-Suppression Army here to wipe them out! As for us, we must return to Fuxu Town as quickly as possible to notify the caravans along the route to exercise caution, while simultaneously stepping up patrol duties within the territory of Fuxu Town!"

"Understood!" The section commander briskly cupped his fists in acknowledgment, turned on his heel, and strode out of the woods with his men. In the blink of an eye, the thunder of departing warhorses and whinnying echoed from outside the forest.

After the section commander sent to fetch reinforcements departed for Guangzhou Prefecture, Fan Ying stared at the corpse on the ground for a moment longer before signaling another section commander with a glance. Quick as lightning, that commander stepped forward with his soldiers, hoisted the corpse, and carried it out of the woods. Only then did Fan Ying turn around, cup his fists toward Cao Chen with a solemn expression, and take his leave in a heavy tone: "Brother Cao! The troops I brought out on this expedition are few, and I must return to Fuxu Town to report by the hour of You. Furthermore, today's incident proves that the bandits are powerful, and this matter is of grave consequence; I must return to the city as swiftly as possible to make a true report! Forgive me for being unable to continue escorting the caravan!"

"Naturally, naturally!" Seeing this, the somewhat absent-minded Cao Chen hurriedly raised his hands in a return salute, repeatedly agreeing while seizing the opportunity to offer his thanks once more: "Today's safe outcome is entirely thanks to Captain Fan's timely arrival. Otherwise, otherwise the consequences would have been unthinkable!"

With these words, Cao Chen shouted to the steward of the accompanying caravan, who was standing not far behind: "Such hot weather! Quickly fetch some tea for Captain Fan and his men! Use the very best we have!"

Without waiting for Fan Ying's polite refusals, Cao Chen continued to pour out expressions of gratitude as he walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Fan Ying out of the woods. True to his command, the steward soon brought the finest "tea" Cao Chen had mentioned and handed it to Fan Ying.

Was this tea? Shimmering with a golden luster under the sunlight, it was clearly a stack of overlapping gold leaves—and of the purest grade at that!

Fan Ying cast a meaningful look at Cao Chen, hesitated for a fraction of a second, and accepted it anyway. He promptly tossed it to the squad leader following beside him, instructing him to distribute it among the soldiers once they reached the city. Then, he turned and cupped his fists in farewell to Cao Chen. Before leaving, however, he kindly reminded the merchant that if he felt unsafe on the road, he could wait a while longer; after all, the Cao Clan Trading Company's caravan was merely the first to leave Fuxu Town, and countless other caravans were lined up behind them.

After Fan Ying and his garrison troops departed, Cao Chen didn't wait for Jichuan and the bewildered steward to step forward and question his strange behavior. Instead, he walked straight back into the woods. Near the spot where the corpse had been discovered, he rustled through the weeds for a moment and retrieved the Xunzhou Gang jade token that Fan Ying had thrown to the ground earlier. Looking down at the token resting quietly in his palm, a chilling depth gathered deep within Cao Chen's eyes, momentarily silencing Jichuan and the steward and preventing them from daring to speak.

While all of this was unfolding, Ding Li and Aguda, having successfully executed their ambush, reunited with Heizi and Ruda Chi on a path running parallel to the imperial highway. Though every single one of them was dripping with sweat, their faces radiated the pure joy of victory, and the tone of their conversation was several notches higher than usual.

Ruda Chi had originally proposed that everyone rest in place, grab some food and drink to fill their stomachs, and reorganize before returning to Fuxu Town. But Ding Li, still seated atop his horse, suddenly cupped his fists toward the group and smiled as he rejected Ruda Chi's suggestion: "Brothers! I thank you all for what was done today! Ideally, I should return to Fuxu Town with you all and drink three hundred cups of wine to honor my promise! But today is truly not the time; there are some highly important matters awaiting me in Guangzhou Prefecture that require my return! Therefore, I must part ways with all of you here today!"

"No, no! Brother Li, didn't we agree to head back to Fuxu Town?" Hearing this, Aguda was the first to panic. Fearing that Ding Li would turn around and leave immediately, he hurried forward to grab the reins of Ding Li's mount, his face flushed as he demanded: "What could possibly be so urgent that you have to go back today?! You promised the brothers just now that after it was all over, you'd treat everyone to drinks! The brothers all want to see how much Brother Li can hold!"

"That's right! Brother Li, I, Ruda Chi, admit my martial arts aren't as good as yours, but when it comes to drinking capacity, I really refuse to concede!" Seeing this, Ruda Chi also hurried forward to back him up. Swaying his sturdy, muscular frame, he tilted his head back to look up at Ding Li, laughed boisterously, waved a hand, and added: "If you ask me, Brother Li, you should just come back to Fuxu Town with the brothers today. Whatever business there is—at worst, after we drink our fill tonight, I'll take the brothers and go with you to Guangzhou Prefecture tomorrow!"

Seeing that the two faction leaders had both spoken up, the others swarmed around Ding Li, encircling him and offering a barrage of eager persuasions. Under any other circumstances, Ding Li might have temporarily set things aside to return to Fuxu Town with Ruda Chi and Aguda. But today was the final day of the three-day deadline he had agreed upon with Jin Sanpang in the foreign merchant district. Moreover, with the Xunzhou Gang suddenly poking their heads out, Ding Li was eager to strike while the iron was hot and settle the matter concerning Liu Fu, the owner of the smuggling ships.

"My brothers, please, quiet down for a moment!" Facing the overwhelming enthusiasm of the Mongolian youths—who looked ready to physically lift him off his horse—Ding Li felt somewhat out of his depth. Knowing that his appointment with Jin Sanpang took precedence, he twisted continuously in his saddle, pressing his hands downward to signal everyone to halt. After nearly a full minute of shouting, the crowd finally quieted down. Though a look of heavy apology washed over Ding Li's face, he braced himself, cupped his fists toward them once more, and stubbornly stuck to his decision: "You all understand some of what we just did without me spelling it out, and the business in Guangzhou Prefecture is even more critical than what just happened! So truly, I cannot return to Fuxu Town to drink and make merry with you all this time!"

Without waiting for their reply, Ding Li raised his hands once more to cup them toward Ruda Chi and Aguda, continuing: "You two! When you get back, explain things to Second Brother for me! The business in Guangzhou Prefecture is genuinely urgent and cannot be delayed past today!"

Seeing that Ding Li was determined to leave and showed no sign of making a hollow excuse, Ruda Chi and Aguda exchanged glances, then nodded slowly and bowed deeply to the man on horseback: "Brother Li, take care on the road!"

"Brother Li, take care on the road!"

Seeing this, the others realized they could no longer press him to stay. One after another, they cupped their fists in salute toward Ding Li and shouted in unison.

"Take care on the road, all of you!" Ding Li smiled, nodded, and returned the salute. Just as he turned his horse around, he suddenly glanced back and called out with a smile to Aguda: "Aguda, if Brother Wu wakes up, send him my regards and tell him to recuperate properly! And remember to greet Uncle Xiang and the eldest miss as well!"

"Understood, Brother Li! Don't worry!" Aguda waved with a smile, then shouted to Heizi, who was also turning his horse around: "Brother Heizi, take care on the road!"

"Farewell, brothers!" Heizi released his reins, cupped his fists toward the gathering, and exchanged a glance with Ding Li. Together, the two men dug their heels into their mounts and sped off rapidly in the direction of Guangzhou Prefecture. The golden sunlight washed over their backs, making them look like two war gods galloping away into the distance, until they finally vanished from the sight of the men left behind.