Take Back Our Luggage

A monk!

Gu Zhengchen was startled. He was the fourth member of the Horse Bandits!

Liang Family Jiajun's expression changed drastically as he looked at Liang Wujin lying on the floor, his fate unknown. He involuntarily took two steps back.

Holding a wooden staff, the monk slowly turned toward Gu Zhengchen and Liang Family Jiajun. "Hand over your money and spare yourselves disaster. You two are officials, aren't you? It wouldn't look very dignified if you suffered a beating."

"Master, what should we do?"

Sun Shiba looked at Gu Zhengchen. At a single word from him, he would fight, even if it cost him his life.

Gu Zhengchen raised a hand and pressed it against Sun Shiba's shoulder. Looking at the monk and Scarface, he said, "Bring out all the luggage and give it to them."

"Master!"

Gu Cheng grew anxious.

The chests held twenty strings of cash brought from home and another thirty allocated by the County Yamen. If all of it was stolen, how would they get to the Capital?

Surely they couldn't find a broken bowl and beg along the streets all the way to the Capital?

Gu Zhengchen said gravely, "Bring it out."

Gu Cheng and Sun Shiba were reluctant. Gu Zhengchen turned toward the lake. What good would reluctance do? The bandits' reinforcements had already arrived.

Out on the lake, four small boats had drawn close.

Ten men boarded the vessel. Their heavily bearded leader cupped his hands toward the monk. "Old Diamond King, how much money did you find?"

Old Diamond King fingered his prayer beads. "Take it all. And their chests, too. Take those as well."

The bearded man glanced at Gu Zhengchen, Liang Family Jiajun, and the others, then waved a hand. The Horse Thieves barged into the cabins and carried out Liang Family Jiajun's and Gu Zhengchen's chests. They opened them, checked the money inside, and immediately grinned, happily carrying them onto the small boats.

Watching the Horse Bandits carry the luggage, Gu Zhengchen cautioned them, "Be careful. Don't damage anything."

The bearded man looked at Gu Zhengchen and advanced step by step, slowly raising his steel saber. "Boy, you're courting death!"

Sun Shiba glanced beneath the bench. His own steel saber was hidden there. He only needed to shove the man in that direction, and he could seize it in the same motion.

"It's getting late. Don't grow branches out of the trunk."

Old Diamond King checked the bearded man and ordered the others to move the chests.

The large vessel was fine, but it was awkward to maneuver and retreat in, and difficult to hide. Once an enemy latched onto it, escape would be hard. It was less useful than the Horse Thieves' own small boats.

Liang Family Jiajun slumped into a seat. Watching all his luggage being carried away, he felt a jumble of bitter emotions.

Gu Zhengchen coldly watched the Horse Bandits plunder the vessel. They packed the loose goods into two chests and carried off six more chests' worth of belongings, transferring everything onto the small boats.

Scarface and Old Hu each boarded a small boat.

Old Diamond King walked to the stern and looked at Gu Zhengchen inside the cabin. He planted his Ritual Staff and smiled. "Amitabha. Young sir, your bearing is extraordinary, and you remain calm in danger. You will surely accomplish great things. This calamity was ordained by fate."

Gu Zhengchen looked at the old monk and said calmly, "Safe travels. I won't see you off."

The old monk boarded a small boat, laughing heartily.

Gu Zhengchen strode coldly toward the stern and ordered sharply, "Sun Shiba, Gu Cheng, untie the boat owner and boatmen. Have them take control of the vessel."

He reached the stern.

Looking at the Horse Bandits laughing loudly aboard their boats nearby, Gu Zhengchen raised his foot and stamped down hard.

Thud!

He raised his foot again and stamped down hard!

Thud!

Then came two heavy stamps in quick succession!

While everyone was still baffled, the door to the storage compartment on the lowest level was kicked open!

Ling Yan spat, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and strode out, followed by six bowmen.

Gu Zhengchen clasped his hands behind his back. "Now, take back our luggage!"

Ling Yan walked to the stern with his bow already drawn. An arrow flew out with a sharp whistle!

Old Diamond King was laughing heartily, discussing with the other Horse Bandits how they would enjoy themselves once they returned. He never imagined an arrow would come from behind. By the time the others warned him, it was too late. An arrow struck his shoulder, and he lost his balance and fell into Luoma Lake!

The other bowmen also loosed their arrows. The Horse Bandits, who had not gone far, never imagined government troops would suddenly appear on the lake. In their panic, one small boat spun in place nearby, its occupants wounded or killed by arrows.

"Row! Pursue them!"

Gu Zhengchen looked at the dumbstruck boatmen and issued the order coldly.

Boatman Wang was bewildered. Wasn't that Patrol Officer Ling from Taizhuang? How had he brought men aboard his vessel? There was no time to think it through. Pained by the loss of his cargo, he gritted his teeth and shouted, "Brothers, get rowing!"

Sun Shiba stepped forward and snatched the bow and arrows from a soldier. "Let me!"

Ling Yan glanced at him, then looked at Gu Zhengchen.

Gu Zhengchen nodded slightly, and Ling Yan said, "Give them to him!"

"Me, too!"

Liang Wujin rolled his neck, his face filled with murderous intent.

"Give them to him!"

"Patrol Officer Ling!"

"If they shoot the Horse Bandits dead, the credit will still be yours!"

Once Ling Yan spoke, his men fell silent.

Gu Zhengchen knew these men from the Patrol Office were all militia. Although they practiced archery in their daily training, few were accurate shots. Those first arrows had made that clear: the targets were only twenty-odd paces away, yet they had still missed.

Sun Shiba and Liang Wujin were different. Liang Wujin practiced martial arts. Sun Shiba's past was unclear, but according to the Sun Family, he was a skilled fighter.

Two arrows, two hits!

Ling Yan and the others rallied. Every arrow Sun Shiba and Liang Wujin loosed found its mark!

There were only three Horse Bandits on Old Diamond King's boat. Aside from Old Diamond King, who had fallen into the water, the other two were both shot dead. Some Patrol Office men with nothing else to do fished Old Diamond King out as well.

With no time to attend to the luggage on the small boat, they left one man to guard it and continued the pursuit!

The Horse Bandits' boats were small and should have been able to move quickly, but the constant rain of arrows kept disrupting their rhythm. The chests could shield them from behind, but not from the front, much less either side.

Boatman Wang and the boatmen were all burning with pent-up anger. They rowed furiously, and the vessel quickly closed in. As arrows flew toward the bandits, they had to either jump overboard or take a hit.

Even though the four small boats scattered, none escaped. The last boat still had a chance to get away, but it was intercepted with more than a li of water still between it and Reed Marsh. Two Horse Bandits aboard were shot dead, and one jumped into the lake.

Of the fourteen Horse Thieves in total, eight were killed and six captured.

Ling Yan looked at the row of corpses and the wounded prisoners, his spirits soaring. Cupping his hands toward Gu Zhengchen, he called, "Brother Gu, we owe this remarkable feat and the slaying of these Horse Bandits entirely to your strategy. You have my admiration!"

Gu Zhengchen patted a recovered chest and smiled. "It was all thanks to Patrol Officer Ling and your brothers bravely killing the bandits. Even without me, you would have caught them sooner or later. Besides, I only wanted to protect myself..."

Ling Yan gazed intently at the young man before him, filled with respect.

He earned credit but didn't grasp after it. A man like this was worth befriending!

Gu Zhengchen looked toward Old Diamond King, walked over, and said mildly, "This calamity was ordained by fate."

Old Diamond King glared viciously at Gu Zhengchen. "We admit defeat today. But young sir, you've offended us Horse Bandits. Aren't you afraid we'll take revenge?"

Gu Zhengchen stood, walked over to Ling Yan, and said quietly, "You should know the emperor holds Buddhism in high regard. If he learns that a monk became a Horse Bandit and the Benevolence and World Academy gets dragged into this, you may not receive any reward."

Ling Yan considered it carefully. That was indeed true. Horse Thieves were simply Horse Thieves, but once a monk became involved, the whole affair could easily take on a different flavor.

In that case, this man couldn't be allowed to live!