Volume One, Chapter 13: A Deadly Ambush

“Payoff?”

Those two words stabbed sharply into Qi Zhiyuan’s heart like a dagger.

His face instantly turned pale, and even his hand gripping the war blade began to tremble uncontrollably. If this matter got out, it wasn’t just his position as squad leader that would be at risk—whether his head would remain on his shoulders was also uncertain.

“Disperse, everyone disperse.”

Qi Zhiyuan forced himself to appear calm, waving his hand with a stiff smile on his face. “Zhang Muyang, since you’ve just arrived at the Jingbian Army, I’ll treat you. Let’s go out for a drink—consider it a welcome party.”

Zhang Muyang glanced at Su Ying, Zhang Xiaobei, and the others, then sighed deliberately. “Well, there are over a dozen brothers from Zhangjia Village here. We can’t let them all starve, can we?”

“All together, all of you!”

Qi Zhiyuan dared not utter a single word of refusal and quickly patted his chest, promising, “Old Ma’s Tavern has plenty of steamed buns and beef soup. It’s on me!”

As the group stepped outside the barracks, the biting north wind whipped snowflakes against their faces.

Old Ma’s Tavern, located at the northern edge of the county, was modest and far from spotless, but it was warm and drove away the chill outside. The moment they lifted the door curtain, a rich aroma of meat mingled with the scent of charcoal hit them, causing the stomachs of the dozen young men to rumble instantly.

Qi Zhiyuan ordered ten pounds of steamed buns and five pots of meat soup. Large chunks of beef floated in the steaming broth, filling the entire room with a savory fragrance.

“My goodness!”

Gousheng swallowed hard, eyes wide with astonishment.

For these young men from Zhangjia Village, beef was a luxury, and even white flour buns were a rare treat, usually reserved for the New Year. They paid no mind to manners, grabbing the steamed buns and stuffing them into their mouths, splattering broth everywhere, eating greedily until their mouths glistened with oil.

Qi Zhiyuan watched their ravenous eating with a growing sense of unease, his hand holding the bowl never stopping. Only when the meal was nearly finished and the group, full and burping, headed back to the barracks did he quietly breathe a sigh of relief as only Zhang Muyang, Su Ying, and Zhang Xiaobei remained inside.

“Zhang Muyang, earlier in the mess hall, it was my fault. Don’t take it to heart…”

“It’s nothing. No fight, no friendship,” Zhang Muyang waved his hand and then asked, “Squad Leader Qi, earlier when you were escorting those female captives to Zhangjia Village, you said that Lord Doubo had taken a liking to that Northern Yan woman. Do you know who this lord is?”

“Well…” Qi Zhiyuan’s eyes flickered nervously, hesitating.

“You still want to hide it?”

Zhang Muyang put down his chopsticks and sneered coldly, “Do you know? You’ve already stirred up a death sentence.”

Qi Zhiyuan suddenly looked up. “I… what did I do?”

“Nothing at first, but today, Zhang Kui publicly declared that the Northern Yan woman wasn’t dead and that she had become my wife. Tell me, if Lord Doubo finds out, won’t he come after you?”

“Ugh…”

Those words felt like a bucket of ice water poured from his head to his feet.

His lips trembled, and cold sweat broke out across his forehead… Indeed! Lord Wei Doubo was ruthless and cruel. He had taken bribes to conceal this information. If the truth were exposed, there was no way the other party wouldn’t tear him apart!

Zhang Muyang shook his head. “I don’t know what kind of temper this Lord Doubo has, but if it were me, I would find a chance to kill you.”

“Ah? Brother Zhang, I’ll be honest with you—this Lord Doubo is Wei Wentong! Ruthless, cunning, and vicious. Am I… really doomed?”

“Looks like this Wei Wentong isn’t someone you want to mess with!”

“No kidding! Not long ago, a soldier was late for roll call by just a minute and was beaten to death by him! Brother Zhang, quickly tell me, what do we do now?”

“There is a way.”

Zhang Muyang held up three fingers. “First, kill Zhang Kui. Dead men tell no tales. Without witnesses, even if Wei Wentong suspects, he won’t have proof.”

Qi Zhiyuan shuddered but didn’t argue; he already hated Zhang Kui deeply.

But how to kill him?

Zhang Kui was a sergeant, fierce and combative—not so easy to deal with.

Zhang Muyang smiled and leaned close to whisper a few words in his ear. “We do it like this and that. You just cooperate with me.”

“What?”

Qi Zhiyuan’s face went deathly pale, stammering, “You… you’re really confident you can take him on in a duel?”

“It’s just killing a chicken!”

Zhang Muyang didn’t care at all. “Second, send someone back to Zhangjia Village to confirm that the ‘Yan woman is dead.’ That way, even if Wei Wentong sends people to investigate, they won’t find a single flaw.”

“And the third?”

“The third is us, Brother Qi. Haven’t you realized? We’re grasshoppers on the same rope. We have to work together. You let me know if anything happens in the camp. I can help shield you from trouble. How about that?”

“Alright! Let’s do it!”

Qi Zhiyuan no longer maintained any squad leader’s composure and quickly agreed, “I’ll try to stall Lord Wei. Hurry and send someone back to the village!”

No time to lose!

Gousheng immediately strapped on a sled and left the city. Once in the deserted wilderness, he skillfully tied the sled to his feet, pushed off with his poles, and shot forward like an arrow from a bow. The faint tracks he left quickly vanished into the vast twilight.

Zhang Muyang breathed a quiet sigh of relief. If not for the camp’s alcohol ban, he would have made sure to get Qi Zhiyuan drunk to secure his loyalty completely.

As darkness fully settled, Zhang Muyang and Su Ying returned to the barracks.

The so-called barracks was nothing but a drafty hut with four leaking walls, filled with the sour stench of a dozen pairs of sweaty feet fermenting into a nauseating miasma in the confined space. A large shared bed took up most of the room, covered with moldy dry grass. Ten or so soldiers squeezed together, careful not to roll over recklessly.

Zhang Xiaobei sidled up to Su Ying. “Ying-ge, you look thinner than before. You don’t even look the same.”

Su Ying’s voice was deliberately hushed and rough, “I just got back and was immediately dragged into the army.”

Zhang Muyang quickly cut in, “No chit-chat. Rest while you can.”

The barracks was as cold as an ice cellar. Even the dry grass beneath carried a chill.

Su Ying curled up in the corner, lips purple from the cold, trembling uncontrollably, her teeth chattering.

Zhang Muyang quietly moved over and wrapped her in his arms, warming her with his body heat, whispering, “Everyone’s dressed when they sleep. Stay alert.”

Su Ying stiffened briefly, then relaxed and leaned into him, soon falling asleep.

Before dawn, a sharp whistle shattered the silence like an ice pick stabbing into everyone’s ears.

They had come!

Zhang Muyang was prepared and immediately grabbed Su Ying, flipping off the bed and rushing out first.

Zhang Xiaobei and several fellow villagers quickly followed.

Chaos erupted on the training ground.

Some new recruits ran out without proper clothes, shivering uncontrollably in the cold. Some couldn’t find their shoes and ran barefoot on the frozen ground, teeth gritted in pain but afraid to stop. Others bumped into each other in a daze, pushing and cursing, turning the scene into a mess.

Chen Xiucheng stood on the platform, scanning the chaotic crowd, and barked, “From today, you are the Jingbian Army of Northern Daliang! Remember, your supreme commander is Camp General Wu! Under his command, soldiers receive five hundred wen per month; sergeants, one tael; squad leaders, three taels…”

A low murmur of astonishment arose from the crowd.

Five hundred wen! Enough to buy two dou of coarse rice. Many eyes lit up instantly… “For this pay, I’ll give it my all!”

Chen Xiucheng pointed to the barren hill behind the camp and shouted, “Today’s first test: raid! See that hilltop? Run up and back within the time it takes to burn an incense stick! The first three finishers get six taels of dry rice and two taels of dried vegetables for breakfast; the last ten... no meal!”

He paused and then abruptly waved his hand.

“Go!”

“Charge!”

Five hundred recruits surged forward like wild horses, madly racing toward the hill. The narrow mountain path was packed with people, shoving and gasping, shouting mingling with the rustling of startled birds taking flight from the woods.

Zhang Muyang held Su Ying’s hand, nimbly weaving through the crowd.

Each of his movements was precisely calculated—the left shoulder dipping fifteen degrees to push past a burly man blocking the way, the right knee bending slightly to dodge a charging figure, tracing paths that defied physics through the dense crowd. Even more astonishingly, he constantly shielded Su Ying with his body, creating a forty-five-degree protective angle, absorbing all impacts himself without losing speed.

Zhang Xiaobei and several young men from Zhangjia Village followed closely behind. Used to hunting in the mountains, this terrain was nothing to them.

Outside the crowd, Zhang Kui stood still, watching Zhang Muyang’s back with a cruel, sinister smile curling his lips.

Slowly, he clenched the war blade at his waist…

Lord Wei Doubo had said, as long as it was done cleanly, he would take the blame.

Some debts were overdue for repayment.