A Mission

The refugees had not withstood the shop hands' charge and were beaten back again and again.

Those Burly Men, who carried themselves with no small presence, immediately rushed forward and made short work of the fight. Then the refugees swarmed in like a tide, drowning the storefront.

Deng Qing secretly groaned. This was clearly no simple refugee riot; someone was fanning the flames from behind the scenes and escorting them along.

Deng Qing shrank into the shadows and quietly watched as the refugees finished looting the shop, then were led north by those Burly Men.

And to the north lay the direction of North Warehouse.

Just as Deng Qing was about to slip away, he suddenly saw a One-Eyed Dragon riding slowly over on a scrawny horse.

When the two Burly Men saw the one-eyed man, they hurried over to greet him, their manner exceedingly deferential.

The one-eyed man gave a cold snort and raised a hand to point. The Burly Men scattered in every direction.

Deng Qing did not dare keep watching. He waited in the shadows for a while before quietly retreating.

He did not take the route he had come by, instead circling through the narrow gap between the back walls of two households.

Before long, he climbed back into North Warehouse through the side door.

Li Cheng, Zhou Tie, and Wang Wei were all startled to see him return so quickly and immediately demanded to know what had happened.

Deng Qing told them what he had seen, emphasizing that someone was gathering the refugees and heading this way.

The three men turned pale with fright and began talking all at once.

Zhou Tie said urgently, "What are we waiting for, then? Shut the doors, barricade them, and pile up everything that can hold them!"

Wang Wei shook his head. "There are too many people outside. If they truly charge in, a few doors won't stop them."

Li Cheng said gravely, "Then we withdraw."

Deng Qing shook his head. "If we leave now, we'll die even faster."

The three men looked at him simultaneously.

Deng Qing said, "The streets are already in chaos. The refugees are obviously being controlled, and who knows how many people the other side has? Rashly heading out would be the worst course."

As he spoke, he pointed at the sacks in the corner. "Besides, we are responsible for guarding this warehouse. If we guard it successfully, we might receive no credit; but if we lose it, the blame will certainly fall on us."

The three men's expressions grew even uglier.

"We can neither defend it by force nor flee."

Deng Qing said in a low voice, "We can only make them think this place has already been looted."

Wang Wei froze. "What do you mean?"

Deng Qing pointed at the sacks of Redwood Powder. "The refugees want food and drink. They won't linger long over this powder, which they can neither eat nor wear."

As he spoke, he pointed at the scattered bundles and clothing on the ground. "As long as this place looks like it has already been ransacked and they cannot find anything edible, they won't stay long."

Zhou Tie frowned. "But if the warehouse doors are opened, won't that mean we've lost the warehouse?"

Deng Qing said, "Only when the warehouse is destroyed and the stored materials are lost can it be said to have fallen."

"Let them come in and take a look. Once they find there is nothing to plunder, they will naturally leave. So long as the Redwood Powder remains in the warehouse, there is still room to turn things around."

"This seems to be the only way."

Li Cheng did not want to take Deng Qing's orders, but he also knew this was a desperate measure. "Then we'll do as Senior Brother Deng says."

They had not compared ages, yet they addressed one another as "senior brother" to show respect.

No one objected. The four of them immediately sprang into action.

Before long, both the front and rear doors were thrown open, and the bolts were casually tossed aside.

Very soon, Deng Qing kicked his own bed apart, then turned his gaze toward Li Cheng's large nanmu bed.

Li Cheng sighed and raised his foot, kicking the bedframe apart.

The moment the bed collapsed, Li Cheng simply gave up all restraint. He tore out the brocade quilt, mosquito net, and clothing, tossing everything in a chaotic heap across the floor.

Zhou Tie and Wang Wei followed suit.

In no time, the scene had become a complete mess.

Deng Qing turned to the three men and barked, "Take off the white robes."

The three immediately understood. They tore off their white robes and stuffed them beneath the broken beds, then mussed up their hair and smeared dirt and ash over their faces.

The more Li Cheng went through the motions, the tighter the knot between his brows became.

He was Young Master Li, after all. When had he ever been reduced to such a state?

Deng Qing reassured him, "Senior Brother Li, if we want to complete this mission safely, this is the only way."

Li Cheng gave a grunt of acknowledgment.

After arranging the scene, the four men stood pressed against the wall beside the door.

More than a hundred breaths later, several hundred refugees rushed in. The four immediately dispersed and blended into the crowd, and the warehouse descended into chaos in an instant.

Not long after, a skinny man ripped open a sack and grabbed a handful of Redwood Powder.

The red-gray powder had barely reached his hand before he began coughing violently, tears nearly spilling from his eyes.

The man cursed and flung the powder to the ground. "It's not grain! It's all this damned junk!"

The others hurriedly rummaged through the remaining sacks, but after opening several, they found nothing but the same stuff.

The refugees quickly lost interest. Most rushed back out through the rear door, and Li Cheng's group of three also slipped out among them.

Deng Qing was blocked at the back. Just as he was about to follow them out, he caught sight of the One-Eyed Dragon entering the warehouse from the corner of his eye.

The man walked over to a sack, grabbed a little Redwood Powder, rubbed it between his fingers, then lifted it beneath his nose and sniffed. Smacking his lips, he said, "Good stuff."

Deng Qing inwardly cursed his bad luck. This fellow knew his goods.

He did not dare stay long and followed more than a dozen refugees out the door.

Before long, Deng Qing and the other three regrouped inside a dilapidated house not far from North Warehouse.

Leaning against the wall, Li Cheng stared grimly at the warehouse gate in the distance. "What now?"

Zhou Tie said softly, "Once the One-Eyed Dragon leaves, we kill our way back. Even if someone stays behind, there can be only one or two."

Li Cheng looked at Deng Qing. "Junior Brother Deng, what do you say?"

Deng Qing said, "Wait."

Li Cheng frowned. "Wait for what?"

Deng Qing said, "Wait for the main force to counterattack."

Zhou Tie's expression darkened. "What if there is no counterattack?"

Deng Qing curled his lip. "Then there would be no point in taking back North Warehouse."

Zhou Tie was taken aback.

Li Cheng nodded. "Then we wait. If there is a counterattack, we only need to reclaim it before they do."

"If the main force does not counterattack, those above cannot blame us either."

Thus, the four hid in this half-collapsed house and waited until the sun slanted westward.

The streets remained noisy and chaotic throughout, with shouting here one moment and fighting there the next.

Just as the three men were waiting so anxiously their hearts and lungs seemed to be scorched, a rapid burst of hoofbeats suddenly sounded in the distance.

Behind the hoofbeats came orderly footsteps, the clang of copper gongs, and someone shouting sharply, "Advance and be rewarded! Retreat and be killed!"

The instant that voice rang out, the previously chaotic streets exploded into an uproar.

Deng Qing poked his head out and looked toward the sound, only to see masses of refugees retreating in panic.

Ahead, a squad of constables pressed forward with blades in hand. Behind them came numerous martial artists advancing in formation, brandishing sabers and spears as their battle cries shook the heavens.

Joy burst from all four men's eyes at once. The counterattack had finally arrived.

The two Burly Men guarding North Warehouse's gate also sensed that something was wrong and turned tail to run.

Delight lit the four men's faces as they rushed toward North Warehouse. Once inside, they found it in utter disarray, but sack after sack of Redwood Powder remained untouched.

The four rushed into the warehouse and immediately bolted the doors. After checking the Redwood Powder, they all let out a long breath of relief.

Not long afterward, someone knocked on the rear door.

The four men's expressions changed. All fell silent and assumed guarded stances.

Then a familiar voice came from outside. "Open the door. It's me, Fan Sheng."

They hurriedly opened the door, and Fan Sheng led several Celebration Hall disciples rushing inside.

All of them were stained with blood, clearly having just fought their way out of the chaos.

After entering, Fan Sheng's gaze first fell upon the rows of sacks of Redwood Powder. Seeing that the sacks were still there and that there were no signs of fire in the warehouse, he let out a breath of relief.

"Well done."

Fan Sheng gave them a thumbs-up.

The four men all breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Cheng said, "Senior Brother Fan, what is the situation outside?"

Fan Sheng said, "A small force from the Donghuang Cult infiltrated the city, inciting the refugees into rebellion and seizing several streets in the western district.

"However, the county office and local forces have already joined hands to push back. The rioters are currently scattering, and the Donghuang Cult's remnants have begun fleeing outward as well.

"Alright, continue guarding North Warehouse."

Li Cheng stepped forward and cupped his hands. "Senior Brother Fan, now that North Warehouse is safe, I am willing to follow you out and kill the bandits."

Zhou Tie also spoke up. "I'm willing to go as well."

Wang Wei refused to fall behind. "Count me in. The Donghuang Cult dared stir up chaos; they deserve to be killed."

The three spoke with great fervor, but Deng Qing was no fool. He too cupped his hands and asked to join the fight.

Everyone knew that charging out to kill now was a perfect opportunity to seize merit.