As he spoke, he grabbed a charred, fragrant roast pork leg and tore off a huge bite, grease running down from the corners of his mouth.
"Second Brother is right!"
Scarface Li, the one-eyed third brother, gave a sinister chuckle, greed gleaming in his lone eye.
He slapped the curved saber at his waist onto the table and cupped his hands toward Tu Hai. "Boss, give the order! The brothers are about to burst from holding back!
"We've found out that Heaven Shaking Tiger died at the hands of a brat called Yan Shuangfei.
"Not just him. Drilling Mountain Leopard, the second brother, and Poison Scorpion, the third brother, were both taken out by that brat and his men."
He had distributed part of the wealth among the villagers of Lanxi Village and several nearby villages. The lion's share remained in his hands, piled up in the warehouse at Lanxi Village.
"I'll take two hundred brothers with me. We'll snatch back what the villagers have, then raid that warehouse. That money and grain will be enough for us to live it up for three years!"
Tu Hai finally spoke, his voice rasping like a grinding stone. "What's the rush?"
He lifted his bowl of wine and drained it in one gulp, then wiped the wine stains from his lips with his fingertips.
"Anyone who could wipe out Qingfeng Village isn't a soft target. Send the scouts to investigate again. We move only after we've figured out the details.
"But that wealth is something Black Wind Village is determined to get!"
The wind of late spring carried a chill as it swept through the vermilion-lacquered gates of the Gucheng County yamen, making the leaves of the old locust tree in the courtyard rustle and shiver.
County Magistrate Zhou Zhengyi sat behind