For a moment, the displaced people couldn't withstand the shop workers' charge and were driven back again and again.
The burly men with their imposing bearing rushed forward and settled the fight in a few swift moves. Then the displaced people surged in, swallowing the shop whole.
Deng Qing groaned inwardly. This clearly wasn't just displaced people causing trouble. Someone was stirring them up and backing them from behind.
Hidden in the shadows, Deng Qing watched quietly as they looted the shop, then followed the burly men north.
And north was where the North Warehouse stood.
Deng Qing was about to slip away when he spotted One-Eyed Dragon riding slowly toward them on a scrawny horse.
Two burly men hurried over to greet One-Eyed Dragon, all deference.
One-Eyed Dragon snorted and pointed. The burly men scattered in different directions.
Deng Qing dared not watch any longer. He waited in the shadows awhile before quietly withdrawing.
He didn't retrace his steps. Instead, he slipped through a gap between the back walls of two houses.
Before long, he climbed back into the North Warehouse through a side entrance.
Li Cheng, Zhou Tie, and Wang Wei were startled to see him return so quickly and demanded to know what had happened.
Deng Qing told them what he'd seen, emphasizing that someone was gathering the displaced people and leading them this way.
The three turned pale and began talking over one another.
Zhou Tie said urgently, "What are we waiting for? Shut the doors, barricade them, pile everything we can against them."
Wang Wei shook his head. "There are too many people outside. If they charge us, a few doors won't stop them."
Li Cheng said grimly, "Then we leave."
Deng Qing shook his head. "Leave now, and we'll die even faster."
All three looked at him.
Deng Qing said, "The streets are already in chaos. Those displaced people are clearly being controlled, and heaven knows how many are on the other side. Rushing out would be the worst move."
He pointed at the sacks in the corner. "Besides, we're responsible for guarding this warehouse. If we succeed, we might get no credit; if we lose it, we'll certainly be blamed."
The three men's faces grew grimmer.
"We can't hold it by force, and we can't flee."
Deng Qing said gravely, "Our only choice is to make them think this place has already been looted."
Wang Wei froze. "What do you mean?"
Pointing at the sacks of Redwood Powder, Deng Qing said, "The displaced people want food and drink. They won't linger over powder they can't eat or wear."
He gestured to the bundles and clothes scattered across the floor. "If this place looks like it's already been ransacked, and they can't find anything to eat, they won't stay long."
Zhou Tie frowned. "If we open the warehouse doors, won't we have lost it?"
Deng Qing said, "Losing the warehouse means it gets destroyed and the stores are taken.
"Let them come in and take a look. Once they see there's nothing worth stealing, they'll leave. As long as the Redwood Powder remains, we'll still have room to maneuver."
"That does seem to be our only option."
Li Cheng didn't want to take orders from Deng Qing, but he knew there was no other way. "Then we'll do as Senior Brother Deng says."
They hadn't established who was older, so they all addressed one another as "Senior Brother" out of respect.
With no objections, the four immediately got to work.
Before long, both the front and back doors stood open, their bars tossed aside.
Deng Qing kicked his own bed apart, then turned his gaze to Li Cheng's large nanmu bed.
Li Cheng sighed and kicked through the bed frame.
Once the bed collapsed, Li Cheng went all in, dragging out his brocade quilt, mosquito net, and clothes and throwing them all over the floor.
Zhou Tie and Wang Wei followed suit.
Soon the place was a complete wreck.
Deng Qing looked at the three and barked, "Take off your white robes."
They understood at once. They pulled off their white robes and stuffed them beneath the collapsed beds, then mussed their hair and smeared grime on their faces.
The more Li Cheng did, the deeper his frown grew.
He was Young Master Li. When had he ever sunk this low?
Deng Qing reassured him, "Senior Brother Li, this is the only way to complete the mission."
Li Cheng grunted in acknowledgment.
With the scene prepared, the four stood against the wall beside the door.
A little over a hundred breaths later, hundreds of displaced people rushed in. The four immediately scattered among them, and the warehouse plunged into chaos.
Before long, a skinny man pulled open a sack and grabbed a handful of Redwood Powder.
The moment the reddish-gray powder touched his hand, he began coughing so hard his eyes watered.
"Damned luck!"
The man cursed and flung the powder onto the floor. "It's not grain! Just some damned stuff!"
The others began opening sacks, but sack after sack held the same thing.
The displaced people soon lost interest. Most charged back out through the rear door, with Li Cheng and the other two among them.
Deng Qing was trapped behind the crowd. Just as he was about to follow, he caught sight of the horse-riding One-Eyed Dragon entering the warehouse.
One-Eyed Dragon walked to a sack, took a pinch of Redwood Powder, rubbed it between his fingers, then held it beneath his nose and sniffed. "Now that's good stuff."
Trouble, Deng Qing thought. He knows what this is.
He dared not linger and rushed out with a dozen or so displaced people.
Soon, Deng Qing and the other three regrouped inside a dilapidated house not far from the North Warehouse.
Leaning against the wall, Li Cheng stared at the warehouse doors nearby, his face dark. "What do we do now?"
Zhou Tie said quietly, "Once One-Eyed Dragon leaves, we fight our way back in. Even if he leaves guards, there'll be one or two at most."
Li Cheng looked at Deng Qing. "Junior Brother Deng, what do you say?"
Deng Qing said, "Wait."
Li Cheng frowned. "For what?"
Deng Qing said, "For the main force to counterattack."
Zhou Tie's face darkened. "What if they don't?"
Deng Qing curled his lip. "Then taking back the North Warehouse would be pointless anyway."
Zhou Tie paused.
Li Cheng nodded. "We'll wait. If they counterattack, we can retake it before they arrive.
"If the main force doesn't counterattack, our superiors can't blame us."
The four hid in the half-collapsed house until the sun slanted westward.
The streets remained in uproar. One moment shouting rose from here, the next fighting broke out there.
As the four waited with their hearts in their throats, a sudden clatter of hooves sounded in the distance.
After the hooves came marching footsteps, the clang of gongs, and a voice roaring, "Advance and be rewarded! Retreat and die!"
At that cry, the already chaotic street erupted.
Deng Qing peered toward the noise and saw crowds of displaced people retreating in panic.
A squad of Yamen Runners advanced with drawn blades. Behind them, a large formation of Martial Artists brandished swords and spears, their battle cries shaking the sky.
Delight flared in all four men's eyes. The counterattack had finally come.
The two burly men guarding the North Warehouse doors realized the danger too and fled.
The four broke into delighted smiles and sprinted for the North Warehouse. Inside, they found chaos, but no one had touched the sacks of Redwood Powder.
They rushed in, barred the doors, and checked the Redwood Powder. Only then did they all breathe a sigh of relief.
Before long, someone knocked on the rear door.
Their faces changed. None spoke; each readied himself for a fight.
Then a familiar voice came from outside. "Open up. It's me, Fan Sheng."
They hurried to open the door, and Fan Sheng rushed in with several disciples from the Celebration Hall.
All of them had blood on them. They had clearly fought their way out of the chaos.
As soon as Fan Sheng entered, his gaze fell on the rows of Redwood Powder sacks. Seeing them still there and no sign of fire in the warehouse, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well done."
Fan Sheng gave them a thumbs-up.
All four breathed easier.
Li Cheng asked, "Senior Brother Fan, what's happening outside?"
Fan Sheng said, "A small group from the Donghuang Cult slipped into the city, incited the displaced people to riot, and seized several streets in West City.
"But the County Yamen and the local forces have joined hands to push them back. The rioters are scattering now, and the remnants of the Donghuang Cult have begun fleeing the city.
"All right, keep guarding the North Warehouse."
Li Cheng stepped forward and cupped his hands. "Senior Brother Fan, now that the North Warehouse is safe, I'd like to join you in killing the enemy."
Zhou Tie spoke up too. "I'd like to go as well."
Wang Wei refused to be left behind. "Count me in. The Donghuang Cult dared stir up a riot. They deserve to die."
The three spoke with stirring resolve, but Deng Qing wasn't a fool either. He cupped his hands and volunteered to fight.
Everyone knew that charging out now was a golden chance to claim credit.