Li Shunxi and the other two were surrounded by Red Whale Gang members and temporarily relieved of their weapons. Li Shunxi in particular had felt a surge of fury shoot straight to his head when he saw Lu Sheng cleave that little girl in two. Grief and indignation churned within him; he had only thought Lu Sheng far too cruel, unwilling to spare even such a young child.
Yet before he could question him, the series of changes that followed frightened him badly.
The little girl's face melting horrifically in the blaze made his entire body shudder. All his previous anger vanished without a trace, replaced by lingering fear.
Only now, under the gang members' guard, did he better understand how meticulous Lu Sheng's arrangements had been.
This man had intended from the start to burn down the entire Song Family Village! Hadn't these gang members brought bows, arrows, and bundles of fire oil with them long ago? He could think of it, and so could Duan Meng'an and Ning San. For a moment, all three felt a chill in their hearts. Before entering the village, Lu Sheng could never have known whether anyone else would be inside. Yet even so, he had ordered the village burned. It showed how decisive and ruthless his nature was, unlike that of ordinary men.
Frightened, Li Shunxi stared blankly at the burning village.
Crack!
A flash of lightning streaked across the sky, and raindrops came pattering down.
The fire still burned fiercely, but under the rain's assault, it immediately weakened somewhat.
"Withdraw!" Lu Sheng turned his horse around and headed toward Iron Mine Village.
The gang members followed one after another, no longer sparing a glance for the burning Song Family Village behind them.
By the time they returned to Iron Mine Village,