Chapter 93: Unequal Distribution of Spoils [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
The moon hangs high in the sky, its light gleaming.
Occasionally, the hooting of owls could be heard from afar.
The campfire burned quietly, occasionally crackling and popping. Confirming that Shen Tang and his companion were both fast asleep, the middle-aged man of considerable status gathered the other guards around the fire to discuss their next steps.
"What other way is there?" one hot-tempered man interrupted, flashing a murderous gesture with a fierce look in his eyes. "We've already gone this far, might as well go all the way..."
“Yes, didn’t we all say we’d share the good times and the bad? Since this world is making it impossible for us to survive, why don’t we just become bandits and become outlaws together…” The person who said this looked rather refined, as if he had been to school for a few years.
Another guard said, "With these treasures, we'll have no worries about food and drink for the rest of our lives. Why bother being a gatekeeper and putting up with this wrath?"
They all offered their opinions.
Some hoped to join the bandits, while others hoped to divide the spoils on the spot and return home as wealthy men with their share of the money.
The information that Shen Tang had gathered was true.
They were indeed guards of the Lin family of Lingzhou.
However, some information was deliberately concealed—for example, the journey south to visit relatives was fraught with danger, and they suffered losses as soon as they set out, with the number of dead increasing, leading some to consider turning back halfway. For instance, they saw wooden boxes filled with gold, silver, jewels, and antiques—a fortune that none of them could earn in several lifetimes! Driven by greed, they plotted to murder them for their wealth.
Most importantly, those they were escorting were the elderly, women, and children, who had almost no ability to protect themselves. In today's chaotic world, isn't it normal for these people to have an accident on the way? By the time the truth comes out, they will have already fled far away with the gold and silver treasures.
Besides being tempted by money, they had other reasons.
For example, in order to save time, the bodies of the guards who sacrificed their lives were hastily buried, without even a tombstone, while others could not even be found in graves—because they were being pursued by the enemy, the bodies could only be left behind, either exposed in the wilderness or their remains were never found.
The compensation given was merely symbolic. Ordinary people might think it was a lot, but compared to the Lin family's wealth, it was nothing more than the tip of the iceberg! Why would they risk their lives for such a small amount of money? It would be better if the families of the fallen brothers could also be properly cared for.
After some planning, they secretly reached an agreement.
The original plan was to take action near Xiaocheng, but a group of bandits suddenly appeared and disrupted their plans. In the ensuing chaos, many chests containing gold and silver jewelry were stolen by the bandits.
After escaping, they took a headcount and found that they had lost more than twenty brothers, and the rest were all injured to varying degrees.
At this time, a member of the Lin family noticed their abnormality and brought it up. Feeling guilty and worried that their secret would be exposed, they decided to kill everyone and throw them down the mountain.
Before they could even rest, Shen Tang and his companion arrived again.
“How about this…” The middle-aged man stared at the campfire in silence for a long time before finally speaking. Everyone looked at him, waiting for his decision. He said, “Later, we’ll count how many there are in total and divide them into 150 portions. Anyone who wants to leave can take one portion…”
After that, some people had different opinions.
"Why can we only take one out of 150? There are only about 60 people here, so it should be divided into 60 portions!"
The middle-aged man shouted, "Don't we share the spoils of dead brothers?"
The guard said, "I'm from the same village as Mao Da, Wang San, and Zhao Si. Can I take their share back to my sister-in-law and brother's wife? If we just leave it here, who knows when you'll be able to go back? What will happen to their parents, wives, and children?"
The middle-aged man's face darkened slightly: "What do you mean?"
"I didn't mean anything by it."
The middle-aged man was so angry that he stuck his neck out.
Do you think we would embezzle their money?
"I didn't say that."
The middle-aged man was so angry that the veins on his forehead bulged.
At this point, several others who had expressed a desire to take the money and live a life of luxury also began to mention the names of their deceased brothers, saying they would take their pensions back to their families. While some were genuinely sincere, many were simply after the money.
Such voices are growing, numbering as many as seven or eight people.
The middle-aged man gritted his teeth and refused to budge, saying that he was not at ease with that and that he would send all the brothers' pensions back himself.
One of the guards who didn't get along with him sneered, "Anyone can talk a good game. Put your hand on your heart and tell me, even you don't believe what you're saying, how can you expect us to believe you?"
At this moment, a third voice came from the guards.
Why should the money they risked their lives to earn be given to those who died young? Shouldn't it be given to the living?
This voice resonated with many, but they were too proud to speak out, fearing it would be unfair. So they kept quiet. Now that someone has brought it up, it has naturally received unanimous agreement.
The middle-aged man's face was so gloomy it looked like ink could drip from it.
Shen Tang, who was sleeping with her eyes closed: "..."
Oh my, so they're already starting to argue about dividing the spoils?
Zhai Le, who was sleeping with his eyes closed: "..."
To be honest, he almost fell asleep _(:з)∠)_
Three voices mean three groups of people.
The three groups were locked in a stalemate, the previously harmonious atmosphere now heavy and tense, thick with the smell of gunpowder. Some even secretly placed their hands on the hilts of their knives, waiting for someone to break the deadlock and strike first! Just at this critical moment—
Thump!
The sound was not loud, but it seemed exceptionally clear at this moment.
Upon hearing the commotion, Shen Tang knew something was wrong—why did the person in the large wooden box have to move now of all times?
What was that sound?
The middle-aged man shouted.
Everyone turned their attention to Shen Tang and the other person.
A murderous intent gradually arose within him.
Even if they weren't the ones who caused the commotion, these two teenagers couldn't be allowed to live, and their servants had to be all killed to avoid leaving any clues and getting themselves into trouble.
A ruthless glint flashed across the middle-aged man's face.
He hissed, "Kill them!"
Before they could finish speaking and before they could even strike, the two who had been sleeping soundly opened their eyes at the same time!
Zhai Le tossed the water bag upwards, leaped onto a tree trunk, conjured a dark longbow in his left hand, and simultaneously gripped the string with four fingers of his right. With a hum, the arrow pierced the water bag precisely. The exploding liquid spilled onto the campfire, and the remaining flames were also blasted apart by his arrows.
Darkness returned to the surroundings, with only the cold moonlight silently pouring down.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
Everyone was caught off guard and panicked.
With Zhai Le making a move, how could Shen Tang not follow suit?
With a flick of her right hand, she conjured a longsword. Her feet moved with agile grace, light as a feather, like a wisp of goose down. The sword sliced through the night sky, aiming straight for the enemy's throat. It sliced through several throats without resistance; before they could even react, their necks were already cold, and gushing blood splattered across their clothes.
The middle-aged man was the first to react.
I was shocked and horrified, but even more so, I was filled with overwhelming anger!
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
Before Huang Que could even gloat for a moment, the slingshot aimed at Huang Que's rear end struck! Despite his years of caution, he had actually suffered a great loss at the hands of two mere children!
_(:з」∠)_
PS: Regarding the previous quote by Guan Zhong, it should be "the granary is full (lin, third tone)," but I kept misreading it as "the granary is full." I didn't realize my mistake for so many years, how embarrassing.
P.S.: Regarding the previous chapter where the male fox demon didn't do it on purpose, the inspiration came from Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio has many similar stories, such as male foxes admiring a scholar's talent, male foxes sending their daughters to a scholar as concubines because they think he is talented, and there's also a very strange one that I vaguely remember, where a male and female fox brother and sister fall in love with a poor scholar and marry him together, or something like that...
PPPS: Anyway, I'm just going to make things difficult for poor scholars...
PPPS: Tang Mei's height is a bit of a disadvantage now, but her sword is very long, so if she wants to kill the enemy with one strike, she shouldn't need to jump...
(End of this chapter)
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