"Smack!"
Before Zhang Qishan could finish speaking, he received a heavy slap across the face.
Ping Shan cursed, "What nonsense are you spouting? If you say another word, I'll kill you!"
He then turned and went to check on the injured person.
These soldiers were all from his tribe; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they had grown up together since childhood. More than a dozen of them had already died on the way out, and if anything else went wrong, his tribe wouldn't let him off the hook.
Zhang Qishan staggered back, covering his face. A Wu Dynasty slave soldier stepped forward to help him up, whispering, "Brother Qishan, they came back so quickly. Those greasy hairs we touched..."
Zhang Qishan glared at him: "What are you afraid of? It's dead people's stuff, might as well take it."
Tell the other brothers that Ping Shan is no good, and we should leave as soon as we get the chance.
Don't stay by my side, go get to work, or someone might use it against you.
The slave soldier grunted twice and quickly went to help set up the tent.
Zhang Qishan touched the small bundle in his arms, a sinister look appearing on his face.
He had originally hoped to gain some benefits by following the Ping Shan tribe, but after this battle, he realized that the Wuda tribe was not easy to deal with.
Ping Shan could not possibly trust these Wu Dynasty people, and might even take his anger out on him after another defeat, so it would be better to return to the Wu Dynasty immediately.
But thieves never leave empty-handed; having come all this way, they're bound to make a gain.
The Di people like to carry auspicious objects, and those dead people had valuable items such as agate seeds, jade, and wolf teeth on their bodies.
He wasn't greedy; he only took one item from each person, which they could exchange for silver once they returned to the Wu Dynasty.
Before the tents were even set up, Ping Shan ordered people to prepare the bodies for burial.
According to Di customs, after these people die, they need to be smeared with fragrant oils, carefully combed, wrapped in cowhide and dragged behind a horse, allowing the horse to choose which direction to run. When the rope breaks, the body is buried in a deep pit dug locally.
Given the current conditions, it's impossible to hold a funeral; the only option is to dig a deep pit nearby and bury them together.
Just as they were cleaning up the two bodies, someone whispered to Ping Shan.
Ping Shan's face was gloomy, and his eyes were filled with murderous intent: "No wonder my tribe has been having bad luck lately, and even Ba Wan died inexplicably. It turns out that something unclean has come in."
The tribesman said, "What does the chief intend to do? This filth can only be completely removed by a shaman performing a ritual."
Ping Shan said coldly, "The more ruthless you are towards filth, the better. If there are no sorcerers, bury them alive, which will also be a good way to accompany our people in death."
Zhang Qishan was directing people to set up tents when he heard someone call him to help move the body.
Zhang Qishan, unsuspecting, was looking to take advantage of the chaos to steal some more things, so he led three Wu Dynasty slave soldiers over.
The pit was dug a person deep, and several corpses were already placed at the edge of the pit. Ping Shan sat on a saddle next to it, staring at him coldly.
Just as Zhang Qishan was about to bow, Ping Shan waved his hand, and several Di people stepped forward and pinned him to the ground.
"Search them, then throw them into the pit!"
Zhang Qishan struggled and shouted, "Chief Pingshan, why, why? We didn't do anything!"
Ping Shan just sneered. The Di people immediately tore open Zhang Qishan and the others' belts, searched inside and out, and took out several small packages.
Upon opening it, one finds some raw agate stones, a few unpolished jade pieces, wolf teeth, and an extremely ordinary pair of earrings.
Zhang Qishan stopped struggling. He was originally a gangster, so how could he not have a way to defend himself? He had already hidden his illicit goods in a secret place.
These are things that most people have, so they're not a big deal.
Without evidence, Zhang Qishan felt emboldened: "Chief Pingshan, if you want to take us down with you, don't try to frame us. You should know that we harbor resentment, and what we'll bring you isn't protection, but the most vicious curse."
The other Wu Dynasty slave soldiers were so frightened that they cried out, "We refuse to submit! We refuse to submit!"
Ping Shan picked up a small earring from the package, held it up to Zhang Qishan, and said sternly, "You're stealing things from the dead! What is this? This is our talisman, something we've worn since childhood. I even gave this earring to Aba myself. Of all the things you could steal, you had to steal this longevity pendant."
Zhang Qishan's face froze. These earrings were won by them while playing dice at Xuyang Grassland; they weren't stolen now.
Ping Shan was determined to take their lives, and he even resorted to lying.
But I can't just tear off their mask.
He suddenly looked at one of the slave soldiers: "Qingshan, you must have stolen it, right? How could you do such a thing!"
The slave soldier whose name he called trembled all over: "B-Big Brother, I...I didn't take it!"
Zhang Qishan turned to Ping Shan and said, "Chief, this Qingshan is my own brother, born of the same father and mother. He was ignorant and offended the spirits of the dead. He should be punished as appropriate. Could you make him do hard labor as an amnesty?"
Ping Shan completely ignored him: "I'm not listening to any of your explanations, you Wu Dynasty pigs! Fill all the holes!"
Zhang Qishan was extremely anxious: "Since the chieftain wants to kill us, why not use our lives to gain more benefits?"
“Your lives are worthless. I don’t want to see your face again. Bury you! Go over there and continue to be slaves to our people.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the two slave soldiers were thrown into the pit, and their cries were deafening.
Zhang Qishan dared not keep them in suspense any longer. While struggling against the Ping Shan tribe soldiers who were pulling him, he shouted to Ping Shan, "We are willing to go to the Wuda tribe as undercover agents to help the chief open up the road."
Ping Shan raised an eyebrow and waved his hand to stop the tribal soldiers from moving: "If you throw it again later, what did you say? You're willing to go to the Uda tribe to open the gate?"
The tribal soldiers had just said that someone was stealing the deceased's protective amulets, and he immediately assumed that these slave soldiers were behind it.
Returning from this defeat, he was seething with anger and decided to take the Wu Dynasty pigs with him.
But to their surprise, they couldn't find the stolen goods.
Ping Shan couldn't lose face in front of others, so he could only make an excuse about an earring. If Zhang Qishan dared to contradict him again, he would just beat him to death.
But when he heard Zhang Qishan say that he could open the wooden wall of the Wuda tribe, he decided to listen a little longer.
The crossbows of the Uda tribe were truly formidable; just two arrows were enough to instill fear in him.
I'd be happy if someone went to scout ahead, anyway...
He looked at Zhang Qishan and thought to himself: Since we're all going to die anyway, let's use it one more time.
In just a few words, he had narrowly escaped death. Zhang Qishan's face was already covered in cold sweat. He nodded vigorously, "I'm willing, I'm willing!"
In the Wuda tribe, Song Liyun did not rest. After Xiao Shitou and Zhao San were taken away by Song Dekui, she simply washed up and asked Granny Qi about the situation in the tribe.
"Don't worry, young mistress. As long as we don't fight, the Ping Shan tribe won't be able to break through. When Wu Dan and the others returned in the middle of the night, I sent someone to deliver the message to you. You should be on your way back with your troops now!"
Granny Qi sat by the fire pit, holding a cup of hot tea. She looked frail and cold, but she still forced herself to keep him company.
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