Thinking of this, Liu Ce chuckled, "Yes, yes, you brothers should have a good drink after reuniting. We won't disturb you then."
As he said this, Liu Ce winked at Zhang Qian, signaling him to lead his men away. Outside the inn, Liu Ce called over a man.
"Go back and tell the young lady to immediately mobilize her forces and surround Centipede Ridge. Don't let the criminals escape."
Then he looked at Zhang Qian, "You stay here with your men. If Yang Zhi can't get anything out of him, you arrest Yang Chun and take him back to Hetou Village."
After making the arrangements, Liu Ce touched the waist token he carried and strode towards the county yamen.
The subordinates of Liu Rumei, plus the men brought by Liu Yuanwu, numbered no more than a hundred. It would be impossible to confront Centipede Ridge with such a force, so they had to rely on the authorities.
Seeing Liu Ce arrive, Hu Fan quickly stood up to greet him, speaking with considerable respect, "What wind brings Steward Liu here?"
Liu Ce cupped his fist and returned the bow, getting straight to the point, "To be honest, I've come with an important request today."
"I wish to ask Lord Hu to mobilize the county's patrol营 to help me剿灭 the bandits of Centipede Ridge."
Hu Fan's heart sank. "Oh, Steward Liu. To be honest, we've attempted to剿灭 the bandits of Centipede Ridge many times before, but they always escaped, and we returned without success."
Liu Ce raised his hand to stop Hu Fan from continuing, "Lord Hu, you must go this time, whether you want to or not."
As he spoke, he took out his waist token and placed it on the table. "The second son of the Protector of the Realm was killed by the bandits of Centipede Ridge on Qingniu Mountain."
Upon hearing this, Hu Fan shot up from his seat. "This, how is this possible?"
"Magistrate Hu, whether it's possible or not, I've said what I needed to say. You decide what to do." Liu Ce then retrieved his waist token and stood up, making a gesture as if to leave.
Hu Fan's expression also turned serious. "Steward Liu, please rest assured, I will immediately mobilize the entire patrol营 and march towards Centipede Ridge."
Leaving the county yamen, Liu Ce felt a little lighter. The county patrol营 had a thousand soldiers. This was enough to at least guard all the entrances and exits of Centipede Ridge.
Combined with his own hundred or so men, they would be enough to clear Centipede Ridge.
At this time, Yang Zhi had already entered Drunken Immortal Tower with Yang Chun.
This was the best restaurant in Qingniu County. The two entered a private room and ordered wine and food.
Yang Zhi poured wine and said to Yang Chun, "Second brother, you've gotten darker over the years."
Yang Chun downed a cup of wine, sighed, and opened up. "Alas, when my father was forced to leave our hometown, he fell ill and died within two years. Later, my master took me in and taught me martial arts, but fate is unpredictable. Later, my master also died. I was alone and had nowhere to go. After wandering around, I ended up settling down at Centipede Ridge."
"Yes, fate plays tricks on people, it truly does." Yang Zhi said and poured another cup of wine for Yang Chun.
As they talked, Yang Chun became a bit tipsy. After all, he had been up all night and was dragged out for a drink after only an hour's sleep.
It was easiest to get drunk when fatigued.
Seeing that Yang Chun was becoming intoxicated, Yang Zhi cautiously asked again, "Second brother, there's no one else here. Be honest with me, were you involved in this matter with Liu Yuanwu?"
This time, Yang Chun no longer concealed it and sighed softly. "Alas, to be honest, the Li Tong you're looking for was indeed found by our leader, and it was he who shot Liu Yuanwu."
"Do you know his identity?" Yang Zhi's eyes widened.
Yang Chun nodded slightly.
Yang Zhi let out a long sigh. "Second brother, what was Liu Yuanwu's background? How could you dare..."
"Alas, fifth brother, someone offered ten thousand taels of silver for Liu Yuanwu's head. Our leader was blinded by the money, and I couldn't dissuade him, so I went along with him."
Yang Zhi put down his wine cup. "Second brother, you can't go back to Centipede Ridge. It's likely surrounded by now. You should flee."
Yang Chun wore a wry smile. "Alas, flee? I have no family left. At least in the mountain stronghold, there are a few brothers I can drink with. If you tell me to flee, where can I go?"
Yang Chun's words were exactly what Yang Zhi had hoped for. "Second brother, I have something to say, though I don't know if I should."
Seeing that Yang Chun did not respond, Yang Zhi continued, "Second brother, why don't you betray Centipede Ridge? I'll take you to see Liu Rumei. This will be your token of allegiance."
Yang Chun still did not speak. He picked up the wine pot, gulped down a large amount, then put it down dejectedly and leaned back in his chair.
After a long silence, Yang Chun let out a soft sigh. "Those are brothers we've spent our days and nights with. You want me to turn on them."
Yang Zhi appeared indifferent, picked up the wine pot again, and poured Yang Chun a cup. "As the saying goes, husband and wife are like birds of a feather, but in times of great disaster, they fly in different directions. If it's like this for husband and wife, what about you? You only drink and fight together. At most, you're just living together, that's all."
"Second brother, they committed a crime punishable by extermination of the entire clan. If you don't do this, you'll only be executed with them."
Just then, they heard a great commotion from the street outside. Shouts erupted, followed by the sound of horses' hooves and the rhythmic marching of feet.
The two men stood up and moved to the window simultaneously. They looked down.
It was the patrol营 soldiers passing by, with Hu Fan at the forefront.
Watching them go, Yang Zhi spoke again, "Second brother, do you see? The end of Centipede Ridge is at hand."
Yang Chun pondered for a moment, then picked up the cup and drank it down. "Fifth brother is right. I tried to advise Old Hei back then, but he wouldn't listen. I can't be blamed for being heartless now."
Hearing Yang Chun's decision, Yang Zhi was overjoyed. He raised his wine cup and said, "Come, second brother, let's have a couple more drinks, and then we'll go see Liu Rumei together."
They drank a few more cups of wine. Yang Chun became completely intoxicated and slumped over the table, unconscious. Yang Zhi, helpless, had to call the shopkeeper over for assistance. He hired a carriage, tossed Yang Chun into it, and the two, still tipsy, set off for Hetou Village.
Meanwhile, on Centipede Ridge, they were completely unaware of what was happening.
After returning, Old Hei and the others went straight to sleep. They slept until noon.
At noon, a banquet was naturally laid out, preparing for a grand celebration.
At this time, Hou Liu came to see Old Hei again. "Great leader, Second Brother Yang hasn't returned yet. Something seems amiss!"
Old Hei stroked his chin and nodded. "Indeed. Qingniu Mountain is only fifty li from here. With Yang Chun's speed, he should have arrived by now, even if he walked."
Hou Liu cupped his fist. "Brother, why don't I go back down the mountain to look? Perhaps something unexpected happened!"
Old Hei thought for a moment. "Go down the mountain quietly yourself, without attracting attention. If you encounter any situation, report back immediately."