"Waiting is no good, waiting would ruin Batu's plan," he thought. With that, Batu immediately stood up, "Second Master, there's no need to discuss this at length. With so many of us, can't we handle just one woman?"
The others echoed his sentiment, "Yes, Second Master, please lead us, to avenge Third Master."
"To avenge the Great Chieftain."
"We swear we won't be human if we don't avenge this."
Seeing everyone's impassioned fervor, Yang Zhi waved his hand again, signaling for quiet. He then slowly began to speak, "Brothers, I have some good news for you."
Upon hearing "good news," everyone immediately perked up their ears, their eyes fixed on Yang Zhi, not daring to breathe.
Yang Zhi surveyed the crowd and said, each word deliberate and serious, "The Great Chieftain is not dead. I rescued him, though his legs were injured. I've hidden him somewhere to recuperate."
"Seeking revenge against the Liu family is a matter of great importance, and I must discuss it with him first."
Hu Lao Qi immediately spoke up, "Second Master, since the Chieftain is alive, please take us to visit him."
Batu's heart sank. He had thought that after killing La Tu Er, he would be the Chieftain. But unexpectedly, Yang Zhi had appeared, and even more surprisingly, the Great Chieftain wasn't dead. This complicated matters.
Anxious, but needing to keep up appearances, Batu followed the crowd's lead, saying, "Yes, yes, Second Master, please take us to see the Great Chieftain."
Yang Zhi nodded and put down his wine bowl, "Alright then. Everyone, eat quickly. Once you're full, we'll take you to see the Great Chieftain."
The others stopped drinking. They ate their fill in a whirlwind, and then hurried on their way.
Yang Zhi and Yang Bo drove the donkey cart with seven or eight people, while Tu Ba drove the inn's horse cart with over a dozen. The rest had to follow on foot, measuring the ground with their steps.
Glancing at Hu Lao Qi beside him, Yang Zhi pressed for details, "How did you manage to escape?"
Hu Lao Qi first let out a sigh, then said, "It's all thanks to Batu and Third Master. They rallied everyone to retreat. The two of them were at the front. It was Third Master who fought to the death, killing two of the enemies, which allowed us to escape. But Third Master he..."
Hearing this, Yang Zhi's brow furrowed. "What did you say? Third Brother killed two enemies?"
"Yes, by the time we arrived, two bodies were lying on the ground. Third Master had an arrow in his head."
"And it was Batu who carried Third Master back?"
Listening to Hu Lao Qi's description, Yang Zhi fell into contemplation.
"Killing two people and breaking through? That's not right. It's very unusual. The fighting upstairs was so fierce. If it were me, I would have gone after the enemy's rear, and certainly wouldn't have left just two men behind."
He coughed, unable to figure out where the problem lay for a moment. At this point, Yang Bo beside him couldn't help but sigh, "Yes, if the other side had arranged a few more men, we would probably have been annihilated!"
It took an hour to finally reach Hetou Village. Today, Chen Da Qiang was on duty at the village entrance.
Seeing Yang Zhi arrive with so many people, he quickly sent someone to inform Chen Xiao Bei and Li Dong.
Out of responsibility for all the villagers, Chen Xiao Bei and Li Dong each brought a repeating crossbow to meet Yang Zhi.
At this moment, Yang Zhi, along with the members of the Vermillion Bird Gang, had arrived at the village entrance.
Yang Zhi cupped his fists and politely said to Chen Da Qiang, "Greetings, brother. These are all members of our Vermillion Bird Gang, here to pay their respects to our Chieftain."
Chen Da Qiang forced himself to remain calm and cupped his fists, "Brother Yang, with so many people entering the village, I cannot make this decision. Perhaps you could wait a moment while I report?"
Yang Zhi politely gestured, and Chen Da Qiang turned and left.
Watching him go, Batu, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but speak, "Second Master, do we need his permission to visit our Chieftain?"
Hearing Batu's words, Yang Zhi couldn't help but frown.
"Batu, you shouldn't say that. You must understand that these villagers are our and the Chieftain's saviors."
As soon as Yang Zhi said this, no one else dared to speak further.
Before long, Chen Da Qiang emerged, accompanying Chen Xiao Bei and Li Dong.
Behind the three were several village guards.
Seeing Chen Xiao Bei, Yang Zhi was very enthusiastic, and quickly greeted him with a smile, "Xiao Bei brother, I'm back. These are all members of our Vermillion Bird Gang."
Chen Xiao Bei nodded, "That's great, it's good you're back. Just now, Brother La Er Duo was asking about you."
Yang Zhi spoke again, "Xiao Bei brother, I have a humble request. May we all go in and see my elder brother?"
This was a reasonable request, and Chen Xiao Bei didn't want to make things difficult for them. He stepped aside and gestured, "What's so difficult about that? Please, everyone, come in."
As the Vermillion Bird Gang members excitedly entered the village, Chen Xiao Bei whispered to Li Dong beside him, "We must remain vigilant. Let everyone be on high alert, and absolutely no mistakes should occur."
At this point, Yang Zhi had entered La Er Duo's residence. As soon as he entered, Yang Zhi called out excitedly, "Chieftain, good news, great news! Over twenty brothers are still alive. I've brought them all here."
Hearing Yang Zhi's words, La Er Duo also appeared excited. He struggled to sit up and leaned against the head of the bed, "Quickly, let them all in."
Yang Zhi turned to the doorway and called for everyone to line up and enter one by one to see and greet the Chieftain.
With each person he saw, La Er Duo couldn't help but exclaim with joy.
"Hu Lao Qi, it's wonderful you're alive."
"Shi Tou, you're alive too, that's great!"
"Da Ge Zi, you're alive too, that's very good, very good! Your archery skills are second to none in our Vermillion Bird Gang."
The last to enter was Batu. Upon seeing him, Tu Ba, tears streaming down his face, cried, "Great Chieftain, it's all my fault, I couldn't protect Third Grandpa."
The atmosphere in the room instantly shifted from lively to somber. La Er Duo sighed, "Alright, I understand. You may go out now."
After Batu had left, Yang Zhi recounted the situation as he understood it to La Er Duo.
When La Er Duo heard that La Tu Er had killed two enemies, he couldn't help but clap his hands, "Good! Third Brother was truly courageous. For the Vermillion Bird Gang, he led the charge. He was a true man."
Yang Zhi, however, shook his head and lowered his voice, "Chieftain, don't you find this suspicious? We encountered such fierce attacks from the front. How could it be that only two men were left to cover our rear?"
"You, what do you mean? Are you suggesting that the enemies deliberately let them go?"
The speaker meant nothing, but the listener took it to heart. Yang Zhi hadn't fully figured out what was going on, but after La Er Duo's suggestion, his eyes suddenly lit up. "Brother, you're right. That's the only possible explanation."
La Er Duo shook his head, "Impossible. The enemy clearly intended to kill us all. Why would they deliberately let us go?"