"What if we refuse?" Gu Jinâanâs voice suddenly rang out as he followed Luo Wu into the courtyard of the He Family Ancestral Hall, staring at He Daqian with a cold smile.
He Daqian was taken aback and didnât expect Gu Jinâan to come. He shouted angrily, "Get out, you stray dog from elsewhere! You have no right to stand on the ground of our He Family Ancestral Hall!"
"Shut up! Quickly, someone, stop this beast from speaking!" Village Chief He almost went mad. He didnât expect He Daqianâs words to be overheard by Gu Jinâan and quickly ran over, saying, "Good Brother An, donât listen to his nonsense. The village is very safe. No outsiders will come in to harm us."
Gu Jinâan said, "Donât worry, Village Chief. If outsiders think they can come in to harm the Gu, Qin, and Luotian families, theyâre dreaming."
He walked closer to He Daqian, looking down at him, "Weâve been watching you for years. Do you really think weâre unaware of your little schemes?"
Weâre keeping you around because weâre waiting for you to make a big mistake so we can deal with your whole family at once.
He Daqian recoiled, glaring at Gu Jinâan, "What do you mean? You scoundrel, are you setting me up?"
"What do I mean? Youâll find out in a few days." Gu Jinâan smiled slightly, the summer nightâs breeze carrying a chilling sharpness in his gaze as he stared at He Daqian, "Your so-called noble brother is Zeng Biao, right? Though heâs younger than you, you call him Brother Zeng. You say youâre sworn brothers, but itâs more like youâre his servant."
"Except that youâre a lousy servant, spilling everything out."
He Daqian broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this. How did Gu Jinâan know Brother Zengâs name? What else did he know?
"Even if I said it, so what? Itâs just my one-sided story. You donât have other evidence. The government office wonât take action!"
Truth be told, He Daqian had learned a bit from his recent travels and now knew about one-sided stories.
Gu Jinâanâs smile didnât falter as he looked at He Daqian, like viewing a prey trapped in a cage, "Zeng Biao has an old leader living in the mountains, a bandit leader named Fan Tu whoâs a significant threat in Hukang County. Youâre only daring to mess with my family because you have Fan Tu backing you."
"But my family is not afraid. In fact, we should thank you for allowing us to present a great gift to Lord Magistrate and General Guo." Gu Jinâan shook his head with a laugh while looking at He Daqian, "I donât understand where you got the courage to associate with Zeng Biao and the others. These mountain bandits, Zeng Biao and Fan Tu, have long been watched by General Guo. Serving them as a henchman is a surefire way to get yourself killed."
Upon hearing this, He Daqian was so scared that... he wet himself.
The people of the He Family smelled something unpleasant and cursed, "He Daqian, you dirty dog, how shameful!"
He Daqian, ignoring them, stared at Gu Jinâan, "What did you say? Brother Zeng and they have been targeted by General Guo?"
The Water Bandit Case years ago was a major incident. They had heard the names of General Guo and Vice General Lan, knowing they were experts from the Prefecture garrison.
If Zeng Biao and Fan Tu really were targeted by General Guo, they had no chance of survival!
Both those masters wouldnât survive, and as a henchman, he would die even more miserably.
Gu Jinâan nodded, "Thatâs right. Theyâve been watched since last year. General Guo already knows the banditsâ hideout organized by Fan Tu. With a single command, Fan Tuâs stronghold can be annihilated. However, General Guo dismisses them as a ragtag band, not even counting them among the fierce bandits, and because they are few in number, he wanted some new recruits to have a workout, which is why he hasnât acted yet."
Gu Jinâan added with a sarcastic jab, "Just about sixty men thinking theyâre mountain kings, itâs laughable."
These things were all told to him by Qin San Lang, though at the time he didnât expect He Daqian would be mixing with these people.
"Impossible, thatâs impossible..." He Daqian, terrified out of his wits, kept murmuring, "Brother Zeng and the others are quite powerful, and they have hundreds of brothers in the mountains."
He Daqian dared collaborate with them only because he heard of their numbers, planning to lure them into the village to rob the Gu Family.
But his answer was Gu Jinâanâs contemptuous cold laugh.
Village Chief He was nearly maddened, tearfully pleading with Gu Jinâan, "Good Brother An, save the He family, save the He family!"
Engaging with mountain bandits meant extermination of the entire clan.
Other He Family members, understanding the gravity of the situation, pleaded with Gu Jinâan, "Good Brother An, weâre all from the same village. You must save us, or the He family is doomed."
Women, with children, knelt before Gu Jinâan, "Good Brother An, for the sake of the children, save the He family. The children shouldnât be punished with us, sob sob sob..."
Then they turned to plead with Luo Wu, "Squad Leader Luo, youâre a squad leader at the county government. You certainly can help, save us, weâll have the children kowtow to you."
As they spoke, they pressed their children down to kowtow to Luo Wu.
The He Familyâs younger children, frightened into tears, soon filled the entire ancestral hall with cries.
Luo Wu said, "Fan Tu and they are in Hukang County. I am a squad leader in Tianfu County and canât handle matters in Hukang County. Only the Prefecture garrison camp and the Magistrate Government Office can."
At these words, the He Family sank into despair.
"What to do, what to do?" they cried in anguish, fighting with He Daqian and his wife, "Itâs all your fault, you two rotten scoundrels, dooming the entire clan!"
Village Chief He surveyed the chaotic He Family Ancestral Hall, his body swayed, and he looked about to faint.
He Jinseng quickly supported the chief, "Grandfather, hang in there. Good Brother An wouldnât ignore us since heâs here. He must have a solution."
He Jinsengâs words revived the nearly fainting village chief, who turned to Gu Jinâan, tears streaming down as he asked, "Good Brother An, is what Jinseng said true? If you have a way, please save the He family."
Seeing that the He Family had learned their lesson, Gu Jinâan didnât continue to frighten them but instead suggested a way to save themselves: "Expel He Daqian and his family from the clan immediately and take He Daqian and his wife with us to report to the county government overnight and tell County Magistrate Zheng everything."
He added, "Right now, nothing has happened to my family, and Zeng Biao and his gang havenât committed crimes in Tianfu County. As long as the situation is explained clearly, County Magistrate Zheng is a good official and will handle the case fairly, not taking out his anger on the entire He family."
"Yes, yes, Good Brother An is right. Expel them, expel He Daqianâs family immediately!" Village Chief He came to his senses, hurriedly fetched the clan register, and swiftly erased He Daqianâs family from it.
Then he ordered a vehicle to be prepared, taking He Daqian and his wife to the county government overnight.
Since it involved the Gu Family, Gu Jinâan and Luo Wu went along as well.
Luo Wu, being a squad leader, had a badge for entering and exiting the city gates. The guards recognized him and, knowing it involved a major case and a meeting with the County Magistrate, quickly let them through.