It was already evening when Xia Liang and his group met up with Ji Xiao.
Ji Xiao was surprised to see Xia Liang arrive with so many people. Xia Liang asked directly, "How many people were there?" Ji Xiao replied, "This situation was rather unusual. The people who came included men, women, and children. We were quite cautious at the time, and they took advantage of us when we weren't prepared." Afterwards, we went to the local police station, but it was of no use. They just told us to wait for the investigation.
As expected, Xia Liang sneered, "It wasn't transported out, was it?" Ji Xiao shook his head, "We've blocked all the roads out of the village." Xia Liang was relieved, "Don't worry, we'll get it back exactly as it was lost. I brought over thirty people with me this time, all of them are Tian Longhui's fellow apprentices, and they're all quite skilled."
After it got completely dark, Ji Xiao drove forward and arrived at the spot where he had been robbed that day. Sure enough, a group of men, women, and children, about a hundred or so, emerged and surrounded Ji Xiao's car. Ji Xiao stuck his head out of the window and asked, "What are you doing?" The middle-aged man at the head of the group laughed loudly, "You little rascal, you've brought us money again." He then turned to the crowd behind him and said, "Fellow villagers, this kid is here to help the poor. If we don't accept his money, wouldn't that be disheartening?" With a gesture, the men and women began to scramble into the car, completely ignoring Ji Xiao's angry shouts.
The group climbed into the carriage and found it empty. Enraged, one of them shouted, "Uncle Long, this kid tricked us! There's nothing in the car!" The man called Uncle Long instantly stopped smiling and looked at Ji Xiao with a mocking grin: "Are you tired of living? You dare to play me? Looks like you don't want to see the sun tomorrow." He then reached for Ji Xiao's car door, intending to pull him out and teach him a lesson.
Before he could even make a move, they found themselves surrounded by about thirty people, but their figures clearly indicated they were no ordinary individuals. Leading them was a young and beautiful woman. The young woman said, "So, you're the ones who stole my goods?" The middle-aged man, called Uncle Long, inexplicably flinched. The person before him looked like a frail young girl, but her eyes seemed to carry daggers, as if they could rip flesh from his body.
At this moment, Ji Xiao jumped out of the car, pointed at Uncle Long, and said, "Sister-in-law, they're the ones who stole our goods! A pack of wolves in sheep's clothing!" His tone was filled with an anger Xia Liang had never seen before. Xia Liang coldly said, "Go!" Uncle Long saw the thirty-odd people rush towards their side like the wind. The villagers who had originally planned to bully the weak were instantly knocked down by half. Uncle Long then began to fear: "Leader, we dare not do it again, please spare them." Xia Liang glanced at him sideways and said indifferently, "As long as you don't kill them, beat them to death! If you dare to cause me trouble, I'll make you suffer today!" In an instant, the villagers' cries of agony rose and fell.
Seeing his fellow villagers being beaten, Uncle Long panicked and kept apologizing to Xia Liang: "Leader, we were wrong, we were blind to your greatness, please let us go!" Xia Liang raised his hand, and the men who had just been beating the troublemakers stopped instantly. Xia Liang looked at the middle-aged man kneeling and begging for mercy and said: "I'll give you half an hour to return my goods intact, or you'll know the consequences." Uncle Long argued: "Leader, half an hour is not enough!" Xia Liang snorted: "Twenty minutes." Cold sweat dripped down Uncle Long's back. Knowing that he couldn't reason with the man in front of him, he had no choice but to call the villagers back to move the goods.
Watching these people scurrying away like docile grandchildren, Ji Xiao finally felt a sense of satisfaction, remembering how he had been swindled that day. Only then did he have the heart to recount the events of that day to Xia Liang. It turned out that when Ji Xiao arrived at this village, right at this spot, an old man was lying in the middle of the road, clutching his injured leg and crying for help. Seeing the old man's pitiful state, Ji Xiao got out to try and take him to the hospital. But as soon as he stepped out, dozens of people rushed out and surrounded his truck. The two men he had brought were no match for them and could only watch helplessly as his goods were stolen. Luckily, he reacted quickly, jumping into the driver's seat and driving recklessly forward; otherwise, the truck itself might have been stolen. The villagers unloading goods in the truck also jumped out, and those blocking the way were frightened and scattered, after all, they only wanted the money, not their lives.
Half an hour later, Uncle Long returned with his men. This time, there were even more people—men, women, and children. Before, it was mostly young adults, but now not only young adults were there, but also elderly men and women in their sixties, carrying hoes, rakes, sickles, and all sorts of farming tools. Not only did they not bring back the goods, they went back to grab their tools. Xia Liang was so angry she laughed.
Uncle Long, beaming with pride, said, "So what if you can fight? We outnumber you! Even a mighty dragon can't suppress a local snake. Today I'll teach you a lesson. Folks, rob their car! This one heist will bring us a few years of good fortune." The villagers, of course, knew the car was valuable and were eager to beat them down and take the car for themselves. At Uncle Long's command, the men grabbed their farm tools and charged towards Xia Liang and his group.
Xia Liang remained calm, as she was prepared. She saw the thirty-odd people who had been unarmed just moments before rush onto the bus, each holding an iron rod, waiting for Xia Liang's command.
Xia Liang didn't mince words: "Fight! If you kill them, it's on me." Thirty-odd young men with martial arts skills, wielding steel pipes about a meter long, were incredibly lethal. They weren't the type to act recklessly; even though Xia Liang said it was her responsibility to kill them, they knew their limits. They aimed for the older ones' arms and broke the limbs of the younger ones. Ordinary people are no match for trained fighters. Although they outnumbered each other, they were all on the ground in no time.
Xia Liang said directly, "Drive the car into the village and take everything you like." Ji Xiao was dumbfounded. What did he mean by taking everything he liked? Was this a case of double-crossing? Why was he even a little excited about it? But there wasn't a single good person in this village, and those things didn't belong to them anyway. Helping them get rid of them was like doing justice for heaven.
The three vehicles drove towards the village, kicking open the gates and carrying away whatever they could find. When they arrived at a place that looked like a warehouse, it was filled with the timber that Ji Xiao had brought from the Northeast, as well as some other things. Xia Liang accepted everything without hesitation and had it loaded onto the vehicles. However, the three vehicles were still too full, so Ji Xiao said, "Let's stop here!" Only then did Xia Liang order the vehicles to leave.
After driving for three or four hours, they arrived at the provincial capital of Y province. Xia Liang asked everyone to stop and rest for a while, and they found a guesthouse to rest for the night before continuing their journey.
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