Chapter 53 The Fifty-Third Chapter Fire Evil's Ability (4)

  Huoxiao Ye was sweating profusely underground, while Zheng Daquan on the ground had already brought people back from the rear mountain empty-handed.

  At this time, the sun had already set, and the Luoma Inn, nestled between two mountains, was as dark as an inkwell. Qian Zhanggui ordered Jia Chunzi and Jia Qingzi to light the tung oil lamps in the courtyard, illuminating a hundred paces around with a bright glow.

  Zheng Dakuan scolded all the way and led the people back to the courtyard of Luoma Inn.

  Qian Guanju took one look at Zheng Dakuan and knew he had nothing to show for it. He stood up, cupped his fists in respect, and said: "Brother Zheng, you've worked hard!"

  Zhao smoked a gun and finally waited for Zheng Daquan to return. He had a backing, so he hurriedly poured a bowl of wine and handed it to Zheng Daquan.

  Zheng Daquan sat lazily at the edge of the table, took over the wine bowl, and drank it in one gulp. He wiped his mouth and cursed: "Those two bastards, they clearly escaped to the back mountain following their footprints, but now it's as if they've burrowed into a hole! Damn it, can't find them!"

  Qian Zhanggui cursed secretly: "This Zheng Dakuan, except for his quick legs, is still a pig brain! He thought he was sure to win and chased after them relentlessly! I reckon he was deceived by that little wife and child, thinking they had run to the back mountain!"

  Qian Zhanggui said: "If they ran to the back mountain, it's indeed hard to find. But I'm guessing, could it be that those two are still around? Zheng Dakuan, what do you think?"

  Zheng Daquan hummed: "I haven't seen what this little daughter-in-law and child look like, I just listened to your description, how do I know what kind of temperament they are? I saw it clearly, they just ran to the back mountain!"

  Qian Zhanggui thought to himself that there was no need to say anything more to Zheng Dakuan, so he said: "Even if they escape, it's okay. We still have the four at the bottom of the pit. If we can't catch all of them, catching these four will definitely be heavily rewarded by Master Zhang."

  Zheng Daquan seemed to have not heard it, turned his head and shouted: "Brothers, take a rest! Zhao Yanguo, arrange people to keep an eye on this place for us!"

  Everyone responded in unison, and the inspector went on his way. The others sat around a brazier, sitting on the ground.

  Zhao Yanguan arranged everyone, squeezed to Zheng Dachuan's side and sat down. Zheng Dachuan also ignored Zhao Yanguan, using his hand to peel peanuts, chewing one by one, his eyes gazing far away in the direction of the main road.

  In the distant darkness, the sound of horseshoes gradually came from a very far place, then suddenly stopped. A sharp and long whistle was heard. Zheng Dakuan's eyebrows spread out, and he jumped up, also taking out a thin iron pipe from his pocket and blowing it - "Drip, drip, drip..." The sound was sharp and piercing, making people's eardrums ache. Zhao Yangu and the others understood what was going on, all standing up with excitement on their faces.

  Qian Zhanggui slightly furrowed his brow, sizing up Zheng Dakuan. Jia Chunzi and Jia Qingzi walked over, looking at Qian Zhanggui with confusion. Qian Zhanggui gave them a subtle signal with his eyes, but didn't say anything.

  A whistle sounded in the distance, repeating several times, and then the sound of horseshoes echoed again.

  Zheng Daquan put away his whistle and hummed softly: "The people from Liu Xing Dao have finally returned!"

  Horses' hooves rolled up layers of gray sand, seven or eight swift horses whirled in the cold wind, and rushed into the courtyard together. People shouted and horses neighed, making a big commotion.

  One of the men in the group jumped off his horse and ran towards Zheng Daquan. From this person's movements, it was clear that he was extremely skilled. He had an ordinary appearance, but was lean and agile, and there was nothing special about his attire. He arrived in front of Zheng Daquan, bowed his head and clasped his fists together, reporting: "Zheng Lao Da, I am Liu Xing Dao, come to report! The journey was smooth! All the messages have been delivered!" Zheng Daquan gave a loud approval: "Liu Xing Dao, well done!" It turned out that this person's name was indeed Liu Xing Dao.

  Liu Xingdao raised his head and saw that in front of the Luoma Inn, there was nothing, not even a house. He looked shocked and shouted: "Zheng Lao Da, what's going on? Where are the houses?"

  Zhao Yanguan seemed to be in awe of Liu Xingdao, and was about to approach him with a smile on his face when he was stopped by Zheng Dachuan. Zheng Dachuan leaned close to Liu Xingdao's ear and whispered, "Get the guns ready, do you understand?"

  Luoxingdao slightly stunned for a moment, then nodded and said: "Yes." He turned around and retreated back into the ranks.

  Everyone on the six paths dismounted, pointing at the empty land of the fallen inn in front of them, all extremely surprised. Some of Zheng Daquan's men came over to lead the horses, their faces serious and not saying much.

  Liuhangdao turned around and returned to the crowd, made a gesture, and patted the shoulders of several people in front of him. Those few people were slightly stunned, then calmed down, not moving at all. Liuhangdao walked to his horse's side, took out a cloth package from the saddle bag, suddenly turned around and shouted: "Old Zheng, catch!" and threw it over.

  Zheng Daquan took two steps forward, and with a "click", his hands moved swiftly, lifting the cloth package. Instantly, two short guns appeared in his hands.

  Zheng Dakuan burst out laughing and turned the muzzle of his gun towards Qian Zhanggui, shouting: "Qian Laozei, return my brother's life to me!"

  Rustling sounds filled the air as the six men from Liuhangdao drew out their long guns from behind their backs, cocked them, and pointed them at Qian Zhanggui and his companions. The man from Liuhangdao also held a short gun in his hand, pointing it at Qian Zhanggui and his group, and walked slowly to Zheng Dakuan's side.

  "Six Lines Way! Well done! You're indeed my left and right arm!"

  Liu Xingdao nodded slightly and didn't say a word, his expression focused as he pointed his gun at Qian Zhanggui and the others.

  Qian Zhanggui's face was as cold as frost, and he slowly stood up. Jia Qingzi and Jia Chunzi also rushed to Qian Zhanggui's side.

  Qian Zhanggui's voice was low and husky.

  "Zheng Daquan, what do you mean by this?"

  Zheng Daquan coldly snorted: "What are you talking about? I don't want 70%, I want all the reward money."

  Jia Qingzi let out a loud shout, pulled out a vegetable knife from his waist, and clanged it against the other, ready to charge forward at any moment.

  Zheng Daquan cursed: "Qian Laozei, let your dog son be honest, want to try if my bullet is fast enough?"

  Qian Zhanggui grasped Jia Qingzi's wrist and shouted at Zheng Dakuan, "Zheng Dakuan, do you still understand the rules of the Jianghu? Were all your previous words just nonsense?"

  "What the hell is this crap about Jianghu rules? Stop bringing up ten-year-old Jianghu rules! At this age, whoever has the hardest gun is the boss! Gun, got it? It's these ten rounds in my hand! Whatever I say, you can believe it, it's just that your brain is full of crap!"

  Qian Zhanggui said: "Zheng Dakuan, you want to reward money, all of it is yours! I don't care about those few thousand dollars, but the person was caught by me, this principle should be understood! I just want Zhang Siye to remember my merit and return me a free body! Zheng Dakuan, put down your gun, I can give you a written guarantee, based on the guarantee, Zhang Siye won't interfere with our grudges."

  Zheng Daquan laughed and said, "Qian Laozei, stop playing tricks on me, I can spare your life, but I'll tie you up! Wait until Zhang Siye comes, or else I'm afraid you'll play some ghostly trick!"

  Qian Zhanggui: "Zheng Dakuan, what's the point of this!"

  Zheng Daquan shouted: "Qian Laozei, if you don't bind, we'll open fire immediately and shoot you out of ten holes! If you bind, there's still a chance to live! Which one do you bet on?"

  Qian Zhanggui hesitated, Zheng Dachuan continued to shout: "Old money thief, I've counted to dozens! Make a decision quickly! One! Two! Three......"

  Just as Zheng Dakuan was about to count to ten, Qian Zhanggui cried out in a mournful voice: "Alright! I'll bet on the latter! Throw over the rope and we'll tie ourselves up!"

  "Alright! I'll give you credit for having a clear head, old fellow!" Zheng Dachuan shouted to Zhao Yanguo, "Zhao Yanguo, throw over two ropes and let them tie themselves up!"

  Zhao Yanqiang hastily responded and ran to the side of the horseback to fetch a rope.

  Qian Zhanggui's steel teeth were about to shatter, he took a deep breath and asked Jia Qingzi without moving his head: "Jia Qingzi, are you afraid of death?"

  Jia Qingzi's eyes widened and he said, "Don't be afraid!"

  Qian Zhanggui said: "Good! You listen......" Qian Zhanggui spoke slowly to Jia Qingzi, and Jia Qingzi nodded repeatedly.

  Zheng Dakuan couldn't hear what Qian Zhanggui and Jia Qingzi were saying, thinking they were discussing how to tie him up, feeling pleased with himself, he cursed: " Zhao Smoke Gun! Hurry up!"

  Zhao Yanguan picked up the rope and quickly walked forward, throwing the rope at Qian Zhanggui's feet. He whispered to Qian Zhanggui, "It's not my fault, it's not my fault." Then he hastily retreated.

  Jia Qingzi suddenly lowered his head, picked up the rope and slung it over his shoulder. Qian Zhanggui and Jia Chunzi retreated behind him, looking as if they were about to bind themselves first. But unexpectedly, Jia Qingzi's eyes widened in a fierce stare, and he let out a thunderous roar: "Bind your ancestors!" With a swift motion, he flung a large coil of rope towards Zheng Dachuan! His feet moved swiftly as his hands danced with the knives like spinning wheels, but instead of pouncing on Zheng Dachuan's group, he rapidly retreated towards the rear where the fire pit was located. Qian Zhanggui and the other three had been separated from Zheng Dachuan's gang by a table, standing opposite each other. When Zheng Dachuan's side launched their attack, the six men with guns took the lead, while the others who didn't have guns had witnessed Jia Chunzi's ferocity before and didn't immediately close in. They merely hid behind the men with guns, holding knives, which inadvertently left a path of retreat for Qian Zhanggui's group.