Chapter 104
Pei Liu saw Mr. Jia striding past them and hurried towards the city. When he passed by Mr. Shen who was waiting for the boat, he saw Mr. Shen's face change, and then he quickly turned around and went to the other side of the dock.
Pei Liu stretched his neck slightly:?
It seems that Mr. Shen also recognized Mr. Jia? Why?
Pei Liu couldn't help but take a few more glances, and noticed that Master Jia, who was originally busy on his way, also paused, but continued to walk forward.
"Sixth Lady, it's our turn to get on board."
"good."
Pei Liu agreed and got on the boat with full of doubts.
Mr. Jia had no idea that he had been discovered and quickly entered the county town.
He was in a panic because of the recent government crackdown on assassins like them. He dared to set foot in Yongchang County again only because the two officials from the capital gradually calmed down. After the departure of the Lord Censor, the official from Quangang also detained many prisoners and returned to the capital to report on his work. The control over Jianzhou was no longer as strict as before.
But why did you choose to return to Yongchang County?
Naturally, it was because the source of the disaster that led to the destruction of the number one thief in the world, two Bing-sequence and one Mao-sequence assassins, had an accident in Yongchang County, which made the entire government and the public focus their attention on their organization.
Afterwards, the branch hall was destroyed, and the government tracked down Minzhou, and even the south, no, perhaps other strongholds or accomplices revealed by Yiwu.
When he thought about how his whereabouts might be revealed by Yiwu and how he was almost hunted down and arrested by the government, Mr. Jia was glad that he had gotten the tip-off at the time and had gone into hiding early after learning that someone from the court was coming to investigate the Zhou family's massacre.
Fortunately, he was not the one who stayed in the inn to inquire about the news, otherwise, he might have been arrested by the government and tortured.
After receiving the summons that Yiwu was arrested, he was investigating Mr. Chen who lived at the scene of the murder. Now he has thoroughly investigated and found out that the deaths of Bingyi and Bingsi had nothing to do with Mr. Chen.
So who killed them? Was it really an internal conflict?
Mr. Jia looked tired.
Do we need to continue investigating this matter?
Now the stronghold in the capital has been destroyed, and branches in various places are also being destroyed one after another. Even the Puzhou stronghold to which he belonged is gone now. I heard that many of his accomplices were captured and killed. They are all trying to escape. He has barely escaped death. Is it necessary to continue the investigation?
"Check, of course we have to check!"
After the Puzhou stronghold was discovered and destroyed by the government, Master Sun, who had been hiding for more than half a year, finally dared to show up until Censor He and others left Jianzhou. He brought two escaped killer guards with him and saw Master Jia in Zuiyue Tower, and said viciously.
The number one thief suffered such a huge setback, and even the entire organization suffered a devastating disaster, all because of the accident of the three assassins.
Originally, assassinating the entire Zhou family was just an extremely simple business.
After investigating the number of Zhou family masters and guards, even the B-sequence killers were unnecessary. Facts have proved that this arrangement was correct. C-1, C-4, and M-3 successfully completed the assassination mission.
The problem is their death.
Bingyi and Bingsi actually died in Yongchang County, and Maosan has not been seen since then. I guess he died somewhere too!
If they had died alone, it would have been fine, but their deaths caused the number one thief to be condemned by the world and become a thorn in the eyes of the entire court.
Because of the secret letter they carried, the identity of their employer was exposed, and everyone believed that the powerful General Qiao died at the hands of the number one thief.
Now, no matter where he is in the world, the number one thief has become a stray dog that everyone wants to kill, and he has nowhere to live.
Just one mistake destroyed the hundred-year inheritance of the number one thief in the world. It was so despicable.
The person who caused them to face such a tragic defeat was the enemy of all the people of Tianzi No. 1 Thief. He must be found out, and even cutting him into pieces would not be enough to make up for their losses.
"Whoever killed our people should be hiding in Jianzhou, or even Yongchang County," said Hall Master Sun. "Otherwise, why do our people keep getting killed at the Changlai Inn?"
"Come to the inn often, is there any problem?"
"We've checked, and for now, there's nothing suspicious. The suspects are probably the people who entered and exited the inn at the time." Hall Master Sun asked, "Do you have any leads?"
"The most likely perpetrators of the murders of Bingyi and Bingwu are the two guests who stayed on either side of the room where the crime occurred that night. One is Zhu Si Niang, and the other is Master Chen," Master Jia said. "But I have secretly investigated Master Chen, and he is not a suspect."
"So, it's another Zhu Si Niang?"
"According to the information I found at the inn before Yiwu was captured, no one had ever seen this Zhu Si Niang. Furthermore, I have inquired with various sources about the Zhu family in Yongchang County, but there is no matching Zhu woman who visited the Changlai Inn on the day of the incident."
"So, Zhu Si Niang might be a pseudonym?"
Master Jia nodded: "Very likely."
"Is there such a capable womanizer in Yongchang County who could orchestrate the murder of our three assassins?"
"I'm afraid we need to investigate further."
"Then let's investigate carefully."
"But, Hall Master, there is no one and nothing, how can we check?"
Now there are only four of them, him, Hall Master Sun, and two guards. Jianzhou is so big and has a large population, and this Zhu Si Niang is not "Zhu Si Niang". It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack for the four of them to find someone.
In addition, there are fees.
In the past, the headquarters and branches had raised funds for their missions, but now, their lair had been destroyed and they had all become pariahs. In order to survive these days, he had very little money left, and he had to spend money on food, clothing, housing, transportation, and buying and selling intelligence.
In order to conceal his identity, he had martial arts skills but did not dare to rob houses. Now that he saw the people who were chasing them had left, he could barely breathe a sigh of relief.
Seeing how down and out Master Sun is now, he doesn't look like someone who carries a lot of money with him.
For a moment, the four fell silent.
Mr. Jia knew at a glance that everyone was in a similar predicament, and then he thought of the well-dressed middle-aged man he met when he entered the city.
"Master, I do have a way to get some money."
"Now is the time to pool our wisdom and efforts, but you can speak freely!"
"Before I was transferred to the Puzhou branch, I took on a mission in Suzhou," said Master Jia. "It involved a large family surnamed Shen. The patriarch's son colluded with local officials to seize a farmer's fertile land. After a dispute between the two parties, the patriarch's own son beat to death the farmer's family of five. Later, his relatives reported to the authorities and arrested this young master Shen. At first, because there were no witnesses or physical evidence, they could not do anything to him. But then, someone persuaded a member of the Shen family, Mr. Shen Wu, to testify in court. He sacrificed his own family for the sake of justice and eventually convicted this young master Shen. He was even sentenced to death the following year and beheaded in public as a warning to others."
"In his grief, Clan Leader Shen also hated Fifth Master Shen to the core, so he hired us, the top thieves, to kill Fifth Master Shen and his family." Master Jia said, "Unfortunately, two years ago, after we contacted Clan Leader Shen, we went to Fifth Master Shen's house and found it empty. Clan Leader Shen was furious and told us to do whatever it took to bring Fifth Master Shen and his family to him at any time. He would reward us handsomely."
"Have you discovered the whereabouts of Master Shen Wu?" asked Master Sun.
Mr. Jia nodded.
"Even if we killed Master Shen Wu's family, so what? We can't go back to Suzhou to ask for a reward from the head of the Shen family, right?"
"No, we are going to ask Fifth Master Shen for some money to ward off disasters." Master Jia said, "When Fifth Master Shen was in Suzhou, he was a wealthy merchant who dealt in Su silk. I think his family is very wealthy. If we ask Fifth Master Shen for money to buy his life, he will definitely give it. Then..." Master Jia glanced at Master Sun meaningfully, "Then, after we get the money, we can kill Fifth Master Shen and his family, and then we can plunder the remaining money. Later, we can ask for the reward from the head of the Shen family."
Hall Master Sun suddenly realized, "If that's the case, why bother with all this trouble? Just kill Shen Wu and take his family's wealth."
"People like Master Shen Wu who are so cunning and flee at the first sign of trouble may have hidden their own silver. If we kill them directly, we may not be able to find much silver. It is better to force them to hand it over voluntarily and save us the effort of finding the silver."
"Yes, if that's the case, we need to think about this matter carefully."
In Xiaxi Village, Mr. Shen finally returned to his home after inspecting the herbal jelly shop in the provincial capital.
But his expression was always uneasy.
All this happened because I met that man at the county dock two days ago.
Didn't Censor He wipe out the Puzhou branch of the number one thief? Why are there still remnants?
Yet, he was once ordered to hunt down the evil villain of his Shen family!
If so, that day...
Mr. Shen sighed deeply.
Two years ago, he stood up for justice and sent the evil nephew of his own patriarch to jail. Soon after, he heard that the patriarch had hired an assassin known as the number one thief in the world with a large sum of money to kill Master Shen Wu and his family.
Because he had always been kind to others and had received support for his righteous deeds, after learning about this incident in advance, he fled with the help of others and arrived in Minzhou half a year later. He chose Xiaxi Village, which was sparsely populated and had few visitors, in order to avoid being hunted down by the patriarch and the assassin.
However, he did not expect that when the number one thief in the world was being hunted down by the government, he would have such bad luck to meet the assassin again.
He recognized the assassin's face because he had accidentally glanced at it when he was confirming that the patriarch had really hired a killer. It left a deep impression on him and he still couldn't forget it to this day, so he tried to stay away from them.
But now, he recognized the assassin, but he didn't know whether the assassin also recognized him.
Three days later, when Mr. Shen saw the assassins breaking into his house and openly visiting him in Xiaxi Village, he knew that they had indeed recognized him.
"Master, these two guests claim to be your old friends. I have never heard you mention this Mr. Jia, so I asked you to come and see him in person. Are they your friends?"
The steward of Master Shen's family also fled to Xiaxi Village from Suzhou. His master came to this small village to hide from the world in order to avoid the chaos. None of the master's old friends have visited over the years. Today, two uninvited guests suddenly came. The steward naturally found this matter suspicious.
"Master Shen, we once had a business in Suzhou. Unfortunately, you left too quickly and I came too slowly, so we missed each other. I've taken the liberty to visit you today because I want to sit down and have a good talk with you. Is it possible to make that deal?" Master Jia smiled and bowed to Master Shen. The threat in his tone was self-evident.
"Yes, if you hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten." Master Shen Wu's brows twitched, and he was secretly frightened, but he didn't dare show any panic on his face. He calmly invited the two into the house, led them to the reception room, and ordered the steward: "Serve tea for the distinguished guests."
They have dared to come to my house, so I am afraid they have already found out the details of the Shen family. Since they are willing to come as guests to talk to me, they may not have any intention of killing anyone at the moment. So, what kind of business do they want to do with him?
Mr. Jia took the hot tea that was served to him, opened the lid, took a look, but did not move it and had no intention of moving it.
Now that they have penetrated deeply into the tiger's school, they naturally cannot be easily defeated by trivial matters. Who can predict whether Master Shen Wu has tampered with the tea?
The cautious Mr. Jia slowly put down the teacup.
"Let's be frank. Two years ago, the lives of Mr. Shen Wu and his family were bought. We were originally going to take them, but now that things have changed, we can choose not to take the lives of Mr. Shen Wu and his family."
Master Shen Wu was stunned for a moment before he said, "This..."
"Master Jia."
"Mr. Jia, are you saying that you can spare my family's lives?"
“That’s right, since others have bought your lives, as long as Master Shen buys his own life back, this deal will be settled between us and you, Master Shen.”
Buy? This is clearly extortion.
Master Shen Wu was furious, but he managed to hold it back, “Then I wonder how much silver I have to pay to buy it back from Master Jia?”
"Fifth Master Shen is no ordinary man, so his worth cannot be low. The eldest and second sons of the Shen family are also very handsome men, so they cannot be sold at a low price, right?" Master Jia said with a half-smile. "Also, I heard that the Shen family has a new member, the first grandchild of your Fifth Master Shen. The asking price cannot be too low!"
"How much money does Master Jia want for his life? You can tell me the number and see if I, Shen, can afford it." Master Shen clenched his fists. "If you can, my family can chip in. If you can't, Master Jia, you can take our lives yourself."
"That's straightforward. I like people like Master Shen Wu." Master Jia turned the teacup on the table. "Then I'll give you a fair price. Master Shen Wu has a family of six, so how about thirty thousand taels?"
Master Shen Wu gasped.
"Thirty thousand taels?"
"Why? Is there something wrong with this price?" Master Jia laughed. "Master Shen, don't say you don't have any. When you left Suzhou, you sold all your Shen family's belongings. Master Shen, the money you took away must be more than 30,000 taels, right?"
"Times are different now, and I can't come up with that much silver right now." Master Shen Wu forced himself to calm down and said, "Please give me some time so that I can raise the 30,000 taels?"
"Yes." Master Jia nodded. "We'll give you five days. We'll come back after five days."
Then, without looking at Master Shen Wu's expression, he nodded to the other killer who came with him and walked out of the Shen family mansion.
As he walked towards the village entrance, Mr. Jia squinted his eyes and looked around the village.
"Master Shen Wu really found a remote little village. If I hadn't recognized him at the dock, I wouldn't have known his family had come here." Master Jia snorted coldly, "This must be God's will to destroy the Shen family. Even if he escaped this disaster, he can't escape ours."
"This Fifth Master Shen has escaped once, I'm afraid he will escape a second time."
"Find a few people and keep a close eye on them for the next few days." Master Jia said, "If you find any of Master Shen Wu's family trying to escape, kill them if they escape."
"I will follow your instructions, senior."
Master Jia took another look at the small village and sneered, "Master Shen Wu has chosen a good burial place for himself!"
It is a small village with less than 20 households and only about 100 people.
By then, if we want to destroy the Shen family, we won’t be afraid even if there is a commotion.
At worst, all the people in this small village can be slaughtered.
In such a poor village, I'm afraid no one will know about the incident even after a few days.
It’s great that it makes things easier for them!
Master Jia couldn't help but look back at the Shen family mansion again. Seeing Master Shen Wu still standing at the door, his face ashen and trembling all over, he couldn't help but sneer twice and strode away.
As Master Shen Wu watched Master Jia walk further and further away, thousands of thoughts popped up in his mind, wanting to call the guards to kill the two assassins, but he suppressed this impulse thousands of times.
Since they dared to show up in public, they must have been prepared early on.
It is said that there were only three evil thieves who killed more than a hundred people in the Zhou family. In other words, the assassins of this number one thief were all extraordinary people. There were only more than ten guards in his house. Could they be against these two people?
Not to mention, there might be more than just the two assassins coming.
However, he was completely unprepared. If he acted rashly at this time, it would only cost the lives of so many people in the Shen family.
But even if they gave the 30,000 taels of money to buy their lives, would this assassin, the number one thief in the world, really let their Shen family go?
Master Shen Wu didn’t believe it.
"One cannot trust a robber who trades in human lives, nor can one expect a killer who has taken human lives to conduct a fair business."
That night, Master Shen Wu called his eldest son.
The Shen family fled to Xiaxi Village to avoid being hunted down by the clan leader and the number one thief. They did not hide the fact from Shen Dalang and Shen Erlang. At this time, Master Shen Wu also did not intend to hide the fact that the assassin had come to their door from his two sons.
"In the next five days, I will try to raise thirty thousand taels. In the meantime, you, your mother, your wife, and Jiaojiao, before I hand over the money to those evil thieves in five days, leave Xiaxi Village as quickly as possible and run as far away as possible."
But you cannot show any abnormality within these five days.
Now, it is possible that these evil thieves, who are the worst thieves in the world, have infiltrated the village.
If we are discovered by these evil villains, I am afraid it will alert them. These stray dogs have nowhere to live and have no conscience. If we anger them, we don’t know what the consequences will be.
We can't let them become alert.
Only by making them think that Master Shen Wu listened to them and that he could really use money to exchange for his life, would they not be on guard, and it would be even more difficult for his son and others to escape.
"Father! And you?"
"Someone has to hold those evil thieves back, right?" Master Shen Wu sighed. "Besides, this disaster was caused by my father. It started with my father and will end with my father. If I sacrifice my life, plus thirty thousand taels, in exchange for your and Erlang's future safety, it will be worth it."
"Father, can't we report it to the police?"
Now the government is hunting down and suppressing the number one thief. If the government receives a report that the evil thief is here, they will not sit idly by.
"Report to the authorities? How do you know that once you report the case to the county magistrate, the spies of the evil criminal won't know about it?" Master Shen Wu shook his head. "I'm afraid that once you report to the county magistrate, your mother and your wife will be killed."
"father!"
"But that day, after you escaped from Xiaxi Village, you could have gone directly to the county government office to seek help. Once you're all safe, report the case to the authorities." Master Shen Wu warned, "Remember, Erlang must not be informed of this for the next few days. Dad is afraid he might get into trouble due to his impulsiveness. Wait until you escape to the county town, and then find him to hide with you in the government office."
Shen Dalang wanted to say something, but seeing his father's resolute eyes, he knew that it was useless to say anything.
Back then, when my father testified against the clan leader's cousin in Suzhou, he looked at me with this kind of look.
Later, when I learned that I was being targeted by the number one thief and decided to flee with my family, my father had the same look in his eyes.
Shen Dalang could only suppress his grief and agree.
Many people in Xiaxi Village were unaware of the unusual situation of the Shen family being visited by the number one thief, as well as the Shen family's unusual movements. However, there was one person who noticed it.
This person is naturally Pei Liu.
Ever since he suspected that Mr. Shen recognized the assassin of the number one thief, Pei Liu always kept an eye on the Shen family's movements while he was in the small house. Therefore, when Mr. Jia and others came to visit, Pei Liu discovered it at the first time.
The first reaction was fear and anger!
He was obviously very careful not to let the killers of the number one thief draw any attention to Xiaxi Village, but now, these assassins have openly entered the village!
Now that they have come to his door, can he and Er Niang still have a peaceful life?
Moreover, why would the assassin who is the number one thief in the world visit the Shen family in person?
Does Mr. Shen have any entanglement with them?
However, I heard that Master Shen mentioned that day that the Beijing officials were investigating the assassins' lair. It was obvious that he wanted to get rid of them as soon as possible and was sworn enemies with them. Why did he personally receive Master Jia today?
Pei Liu couldn't help but be more cautious about the Shen family's affairs.
So, that night, he sneaked into Shen's house and overheard the conversation between Shen's father and son. After thinking about it, he immediately understood a little bit.
It turned out that the Shen family chose to settle in Xiaxi Village in order to escape the hunt for the number one thief assassin. Unfortunately, as luck would have it, they were now being targeted by the assassin again.
Perhaps, the cause was that Mr. Shen recognized Mr. Jia at the dock a few days ago?
Things are getting tricky!
Pei Liu returned to the small house with a solemn expression. Before entering the courtyard, he looked at the village in late spring. Seeing the few houses scattered everywhere, his mood became even more solemn.
"Sixth Sister, what have you been doing?" Gu Ran came out holding a tortoise-shell cat. Noticing Pei Liu's gloomy expression, she worried, "What happened?"
"Or, something big!"
Pei Liu didn't intend to hide this from Gu Ran.
When Gu Ran heard that Mr. Shen was targeted by an assassin, he was stunned for a moment, "So, you can't escape?"
"We can't run away." Pei Liu shook his head. "Besides, I'm afraid our entire village will be targeted."
According to the rules of the number one thief, if he encounters any factors that may expose his identity at the assassination scene, he must eliminate them.
Now that Mr. Jia and his accomplices dare to swagger into the village, it is estimated that many people in the village have seen them, but they are still so ostentatious. Perhaps after finding out the situation in Xiaxi Village, they have already made up their minds to massacre the entire village and silence everyone.
"They are at the end of their rope, yet they still dare to be so presumptuous?" Gu Ran could only gasp.
"Calculate how many people there are in Xiaxi Village and the Zhou family in Geyan County? They were wiped out by three assassins." Pei Liu said, "They are in a desperate situation right now. I'm afraid they won't care even if they kill more people."
"You know it very well!"
Gu Ran glanced at Pei Liu.
After all, he was the employer who had hired the number one thief to kill people, so he knew more about the details of these assassins than anyone else.
Pei Liuyi was embarrassed, but after recovering, he said, "Liu Niang, how about we go to Dunzi Island to take shelter for a few days?"
"What will happen to the people in the village if we leave?" Gu Ran asked.
It's not bad to keep oneself safe, but she is now a member of Xiaxi Village. Knowing the disaster, why didn't she tell the villagers and just watch Village Chief Wu, Mrs. Lin Ersao, and Uncle Yang die?
Her big house on Dunzi Island and the work in the orange grove were all built with the help of people from the village.
Knowing that the village was in trouble, he ignored the villagers. If he had first come to Xiaxi Village, Gu Ran could have stayed out of it, but after being a Xiaxi villager for so many years, Gu Ran could no longer stay out of it.
"Well, what do you think?"
"In your opinion, those assassins, namely Master Jia, are very powerful?"
"Master Jia's skills rank him sixth among the best assassins," Pei Liu said. "As for the one beside him, judging by his aura and demeanor, he's probably a slacker, barely even at the bottom of the pack. However, if they're ready to attack the Shen family again, there's probably more than just the two of them. There might be three or four more, and they're acting as hidden agents, and they've most likely already infiltrated our village."
Gu Ran looked at Pei Liuniang, a hint of surprise flashing across his eyes.
How come Liu Niang is so familiar with the number one thief in the world?
Afraid of being noticed by her, Gu Ran quickly lowered his head and pretended to pet a cat, stroking the little tortoise's head: "Can you find that hidden chess piece?"
"I'm afraid not."
Now is the busy farming season. Every household in Xiaxi Village is busy raising seedlings and planting rice. Families with fewer people, like Village Chief Wu and Uncle Yang, have hired a lot of helpers to do farm work.
If they want to catch the person in just a few days, they will have to take quite radical actions, for fear that such actions will alert the enemy.
"So, who's more powerful, you or Mr. Jia?"
Pei Liu was stunned for a moment, then smiled complacently: "Of course it's me."
"That's easy." Gu Ran immediately came up with a plan. "Since they're going to attack in five days, let's schedule a banquet for Dunzi Island for five days from now. Only the villagers of Xiaxi Village will be allowed to attend. This will allow Village Chief Wu and the others to get to a safe place. The key is to bring the Shen family along in a legitimate way. But when they board the boat in batches at the Donglin Township ferry, take the Shen family to the county town first."
"Of course, we'll also take these village hangers-on with us, but only take them to Donglin Township. That way, even if we have hidden chess pieces, they won't be of any use that day. If the hidden chess pieces reveal a flaw at that time, we'll be able to take action."
After escorting Shen Dalang and others away, they no longer had to worry.
"As for Xiaxi Village, Master Shen will naturally not leave. I guess he will leave a few guards with him. If we only want to save Master Shen's life, I'm afraid it is possible, right?" Gu Ran said this and looked at Pei Liuniang, "Next, it's about dealing with the assassins. Liuniang, I can only leave it to you."
Hearing Gu Ran's reliance on him, Pei Liu couldn't help but curl his lips in pride for a moment before saying, "I'm afraid Master Jia isn't the only assassin."
"Then call some more people to help deal with one or two, call Li Ji!" Gu Ran said, "Also, I can help too."
"How can you help?"
"A trap." Gu Ran said bluntly.
She had set up many traps in the island forest to catch big beasts, and her own traps had dealt with malicious thieves. If she secretly dug a few traps in the Shen family, that would also be okay, right?
Pei Liu smiled and nodded: "Okay."
After the strategy was decided, the two of them went their separate ways the next day.
Pei Liu went to Dunzi Island to find Li Ji, while Gu Ran went to the home of Village Chief Wu and told him that she, Gu Er Niang, would host a banquet on Dunzi Island to entertain the entire village four days later.
"Hey, what's the matter that makes you spend so much money?"
"At the beginning of the year, I want to pray for a good harvest in my orange grove this year, hoping to share in everyone's good fortune." Gu Ran said with a smile, watching the helpers hired by Village Chief Wu walk out of the house one by one, and pulled Village Chief Wu to a corner: "Come on, come on, we'll need your help to take care of these things when the time comes."
"What's up?"
Seeing that all the hangers-on of Village Chief Wu's family had left, Gu Ran lowered her voice and quietly told them about the assassin who was the number one thief coming to look for the Shen family, as well as her plan.
Village Chief Wu is the head of the village and has done a lot of practical things for the village. If one wants every household in the village to leave the village peacefully on that day, Village Chief Wu has to step in and make arrangements.
As Village Chief Wu listened, his face turned from blue to black and then to white.
The Shen family had actually provoked those villains before coming to Xiaxi Village!
Those assassins are extremely evil people!
The Shen family, Master Shen, would really cause trouble for her village.
"Second Mother, are you sure you can handle it if all the villagers leave that day?" Village Chief Wu said immediately, "How about we report it to the police?"
Some time ago, the two gentlemen from the capital wanted to kill all the assassins from Minzhou. Now that the killer of the number one thief is here, the government will definitely not sit idly by.
"But if we report it to the authorities and alert the assassins, they might become desperate and attack immediately." Gu Ran shook his head. "Even if we have a backup plan, we have to wait four days, until all the villagers have safely evacuated the village."
"Okay, I understand. Should I do this in a big way?"
Gu Ran nodded, and the task of promoting and persuading the villagers to go to Dunzi Island was handed over to Village Chief Wu. She herself also went to the Shen family in person under the pretext of informing the Shen family about this matter.
In less than a day, the news that the second wife of the Gu family held a banquet on Dunzi Island and invited all the villagers to dine on the island spread widely in the village.
Village chief Wu went from house to house to persuade them to attend the banquet.
"Oh, Village Chief, it's not that we don't want to go to the feast, it's just that farming is very busy right now, and we can't just abandon our work in the fields!"
"That's right. If we miss one day's work, we have to work twice as hard the next day."
"It's just one day, what's there to be afraid of?" Village Chief Wu explained patiently, "Second Lady Gu has chartered a ferry specifically to take you to and from the island. You can drink and eat as much as you want without spending a penny."
"We can't delay our farm work, right?"
"No delay, you can go early in the morning and come back in the afternoon."
"Hey, setting up the table so early?"
"Yes, it's a buffet. You'd be remiss not to go. If you miss this opportunity, I don't know how long you'll have to wait for a meal at Gu Er Niang's house next time! It would be a shame not to go!"
"Alright, I heard that Dunzi Island belongs to the wife of the Gu family, right? Normally, you're not allowed to go to the island, so I'll make some arrangements to see what the island is like."
"Yes, yes, my second son is working in the orange grove on the island. I have to go and take a look."
"Maybe we can learn how the Gu family's wife grows orange trees, right?"
Everyone started laughing, completely unaware of the danger behind it.
When the people of Xiaxi Village were discussing the plan to have a banquet on Dunzi Island, the news also reached Mr. Jia.
"Dunzi Island? A feast? Madam Gu?"
"That's right. The lady from the Gu family is a fruit farmer from Xiaxi Village. I heard that she bought a deserted island on the Wujiang Suidaozhou Island two years ago, specifically to grow orange trees. It was her family who said they were going to hold a banquet on Dunzi Island and invite the entire village to that deserted island."
"What's going on with Master Shen Wu's family?"
"Mr. Shen Wu has been running around the banks to raise money these past few days and has not agreed to let the lady from the Gu family attend the banquet."
"They know what's good for them."
"Why are you suddenly inviting the whole village to a banquet?" Mr. Jia felt strange.
The day that the second wife of the Gu family held a banquet to entertain guests happened to be the day they went to the Shen family to settle the matter. It was too coincidental.
"Have you found out the reason?"
"They say the orange grove had a bumper harvest last year, making a lot of money. So, in late spring, we're inviting the entire village to the island to pray for a good orange harvest this year."
"Tsk!" Master Jia snorted coldly, looked at Master Sun, and laughed.
"This is truly a great deal that was delivered to us right away!"
"If that's the case, then it would be convenient for us to take advantage of the fact that no one in that village is around to deal with the Shen family, and then..."
"If we destroy the Gu family, all the money of these fruit farmers will be ours!"
It's like killing two birds with one stone.
Mr. Jia and Master Sun were very proud.
Soon, five days later, the day agreed with the Shen family arrived.
When Gu Ran woke up early this day, his heart was in his throat.
In other words, these days, after knowing that the number one thief was coming to Xiaxi Village, he had never felt at ease, but today, he was most worried.
Are you kidding me?
She had finally settled down in Xiaxi Village and was living a peaceful life. She had even just begun her orange farming plan. How could she allow the number one thief to show up and massacre the village just because of Mr. Shen's family?
It took a lot of effort to transform the environment around the house into a livable and comfortable place, so I don't want to let it go so easily and let these assassins destroy it.
So, that day, under the pretext of inviting Mr. Shen to dinner, after entering the Shen family mansion, they took advantage of the fact that everyone in the mansion was from the Shen family and told Mr. Shen about their plans for the day.
Seeing that he could send his eldest son and his family away, Mr. Shen naturally agreed. However, he refused on the surface. Only today, after seeing the assassin coming to the door, did Gu Ran send someone to go to the Shen family to pick them up.
Mr. Shen could use the excuse that he couldn't refuse such a kind invitation to let Gu Ran take the person away.
Since the morning, Village Chief Wu has been shouting at the villagers to hurry to the Donglin Township ferry to take a boat to Dunzi Island.
In order to make the fake look real, Gu Ran actually held a banquet on Dunzi Island. The food for the banquet was entrusted to Yang Jinling, while Lin Erlang was in charge of welcoming and seeing off guests.
Village chief Wu also helped urge the villagers to go to the ferry to take the boat, and the ferry was handed over to Liu the boatman and several fishermen he found to ferry people.
It's been arranged properly.
"Second mother!"
Gu Ran was at the back door of the cottage, glancing towards the Shen family from time to time to see when the assassin would show up. Pei Liu, who was also ready to meet the enemy, walked up to her and called out.
Gu Ran turned around and glanced at Pei Liu.
Today, Liu Niang is wearing a navy blue gentleman's suit, with her black hair tied up high. She looks so good, like a handsome and elegant young man.
In the past year, he had watched Liu Niang grow taller like a bamboo, becoming truly graceful and elegant. Just as he had said at the beginning, she was almost seven feet tall.
As she grew taller, Liu Niang wore lady's dresses less often. If people didn't know that she was a real lady, they would have thought that there was a handsome young man in their house.
Well, no matter if you dress up as a beautiful lady or a handsome man, it’s great as long as it’s pleasing to the eye.
"What's the matter?" Gu Ran glanced at the Shen family again and became excited: She saw someone going to the door of the Shen family at this time, was it an assassin?
"After you pick up Shen Dalang and the others, remember to flee to a safe place with them," Pei Liu said. "Once this is over and you're sure the village is safe, come back."
"Okay." Gu Ran said he would never lag behind.
She knew her own worth. If she stayed at this time, it would only cause trouble for Pei Liu and Li Ji.
It would be better to just leave and let them do their best.
"But, Liu Niang, you have to promise me that when I go to the Shen family, those assassins will definitely see me. In order to avoid being sought after by them in the future, you must kill them."
"Of course." Pei Liu promised.
Anyone who has seen Er Niang's assassin will not be able to escape today.
Gu Ran and Pei Liu took a deep breath and went out at the same time. Pei Liu went to meet Li Ji with a sword, while Gu Ran strode towards the Shen family.
Shen family.
Mr. Jia and the assassin who had come earlier had been welcomed into the reception room by Mr. Shen.
"Master Shen Wu, have you prepared the money for our deal?"
"Please be patient, Master Jia. I've already sent the steward to the bank to get the silver you requested. So please take a seat, Master Jia, and enjoy some tea while you wait. How about that?"
Master Shen was about to personally pour tea for the two assassins who came with ill intentions when Gu Ran's voice floated in from outside: "Master Shen, why haven't you and your family left yet? Aren't you giving me face?"
"Who is making noise outside?" Mr. Jia frowned immediately.
"Oh, that's Mrs. Gu, an orange farmer in our village." Master Shen Wu pretended to be embarrassed and glanced at Master Jia. "She held a banquet in the orange grove today and invited everyone in the village to the banquet. I declined several times, but it seems that Mrs. Gu still refuses to give up. Please forgive me for not being able to entertain her well. I will go and tell her first."
Is it the lady from the Gu family?
Mr. Jia exchanged a glance with the other assassin, a faint smile appeared on his face, then he stood up and followed Mr. Shen out.
The owner of their next big deal actually showed up at this time!
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