"Brother Zhu, what do we do now?" Er Gouzi asked.
"First, figure out how many people are inside, then decide."
"Wait here. I'll climb up to the wall and take a look."
Liu Tiezhu acted immediately after speaking.
With Yang Haitian's fate unknown, he had to move quickly.
He crouched low, moved to the left side of the yard, quietly placed his hands on the wall, and slowly climbed up.
After observing carefully for a few minutes, Liu Tiezhu jumped down lightly and gestured for Er Gouzi to come over.
"Brother Zhu, how many are inside? Do we storm in or try another way?" Er Gouzi asked as he approached.
"I only saw four, but I don't know if there are more hidden inside the house."
"So I'm thinking of using you as bait to test it out," Liu Tiezhu said.
Er Gouzi asked, "How do we test it?"
"In a bit, go knock on the door, then immediately slip into the alley," Liu Tiezhu said.
"That's it?"
"Yeah, that's it."
"Then no time to waste. I'll get ready now."
With that, Er Gouzi walked straight to the yard gate.
Liu Tiezhu climbed back onto the wall, lying flat so his body formed a straight line with it.
Unless someone looked closely, it would be hard to spot him in the dark.
Once everything was set, Liu Tiezhu gave Er Gouzi a signal.
Er Gouzi nodded, reached out, and pounded hard on the wooden door.
*Thump, thump, thump...*
A few dull sounds rang out, and Er Gouzi quickly retreated, hiding in the dark alley behind the wall.
Inside the yard, the bandits fell silent.
They exchanged glances, swiftly grabbed their rifles, and crept out quietly.
The group gathered behind the door. The lead bandit gestured, and the two on either side yanked it open.
The moment the door swung open, another bandit crouched down, rifle aimed straight ahead.
The four moved in perfect sync, their actions smoother than trained soldiers.
Seeing the empty scene, all four were baffled.
The lead bandit signaled, and the other three stepped back, shutting the wooden door behind them.
"What the hell's going on?"
They grumbled, annoyed.
Just then, Er Gouzi emerged from the alley, his eyes on Liu Tiezhu, still lying on the wall.
Liu Tiezhu gave Er Gouzi another knock signal.
Er Gouzi nodded and crept over again.
*Thump, thump, thump...*
Another round of violent pounding.
After knocking, Er Gouzi darted back into the alley.
The four bandits spun around and crept quietly to the door again.
This time, the lead bandit didn't order his men to open it. Instead, he signaled two to approach the wooden door and peer through the cracks.
The two peered for a long time, then shook their heads.
The lead bandit frowned and gestured for everyone to stay put behind the door.
Seeing this, Liu Tiezhu immediately signaled Er Gouzi not to come out.
For a moment, both sides were locked in a standoff.
Half an hour later, the bandits, freezing from the cold, finally retreated.
From the wall, Liu Tiezhu gave Er Gouzi another knock signal.
Er Gouzi crept over and pounded on the wooden door again.
The bandits inside couldn't take it anymore and shouted, "Damn it, which idiot has nothing better to do?"
"Knock, knock, knock—knock your mother's head, will you?"
But all they got in response was more pounding.
The four bandits, fed up, grabbed their rifles and rushed to the door.
By the time they were ready to open it, Er Gouzi had already slipped away.
"Screw you! If I catch you, you bastard, I'll skin you alive!"
They didn't bother chasing, just stood at the door cursing.
After a long tirade, the bandit leader ordered two men to guard the door.
He led the other bandit back inside, deliberately making noise to fake their retreat, hoping to lure the knocker into a trap.
Little did they know, Liu Tiezhu saw everything clearly.
He slid quietly down the wall and slipped into the dark alley.
"Brother Zhu, how is it? Did you see how many are inside now?" Er Gouzi asked, sidling up.
"Just four. Two are guarding the door, and the other two are inside."
"We'll climb the wall from left and right, one each. Be careful not to let them spot us," Liu Tiezhu said.
"No problem." Er Gouzi nodded, crouched low, and quietly circled to the right side of the house.
Six meters from the two guards, Er Gouzi placed his hands on the wall and climbed up silently.
The two bandits at the door had no idea they were now the prey.
They were glued to the wooden door, peering through the cracks at the outside.
On the wall, Liu Tiezhu signaled Er Gouzi, slowly aimed his crossbow, and raised one hand when he had the target locked.
Er Gouzi was ready, his eyes fixed on Liu Tiezhu's hand, waiting for it to drop.
Liu Tiezhu swung his hand down, and they both pulled the triggers.
With a soft *thud*, the two bandits crumpled to the ground without a clue what hit them.
Both were wrapped in padded coats, so the fall was muffled, unnoticed by the two inside.
With the bandits dealt with, Liu Tiezhu and Er Gouzi slid down the wall.
Liu Tiezhu pointed at the house's main door and gestured to Er Gouzi.
Er Gouzi nodded, crouched low, and crept along the wall to the right side of the door.
Liu Tiezhu pressed against the wall to the left side.
Once in position, Liu Tiezhu picked up a tile from the ground and tossed it into the center of the yard.
The noise instantly drew curses from inside the house.
"Damn it, is this never going to end?"
"You little bastard, you'd better not fall into my hands."
"Or I'll skin you alive."
The cursing came from inside, then the door swung open, and the two bandits stepped out.
*Whoosh, whoosh...*
Two sharp sounds cut through the air as bamboo arrows pierced the bandits' foreheads with deadly accuracy, splattering bright red blood across the wall.
Even after taking them out, the two didn't let their guard down. They continued sweeping the area with their crossbows.
After searching the house, they found no trace of Yang Haitian.
Liu Tiezhu didn't linger and headed to the cellar on the right side of the house.
Er Gouzi followed.
They lifted the cellar's wooden cover and stepped inside, only to be met with a horrifying sight.
Yang Haitian was tied to a wooden post in the cellar.
His padded coat had been stripped off, his body covered in blood, his face twisted in pain. He lay motionless, alive or dead unknown.
"Brother Tian!"
Liu Tiezhu shouted, rushed over, untied the ropes, and wrapped his own coat around Yang Haitian.
The moment the ropes came off, Yang Haitian let out a scream.
His body bore no fewer than fifty lash marks, a gruesome sight.
But what caused him the most agony wasn't the welts—it was the injury to his hands.
"Hands... my hands..."
Liu Tiezhu looked down and gasped.
The bones in two fingers of Yang Haitian's right hand were shattered, protruding through the skin and still oozing blood.
On his other hand, the nails of three fingers had been torn off, exposing the flesh beneath.
Liu Tiezhu quickly applied medicine and wrapped the wounds tightly with torn cotton cloth.
"Brother Tian, how did the bandits find you?" Er Gouzi asked.
"It was... it was Village Chief Ma Jingming..." Yang Haitian said.
Liu Tiezhu was furious.
"Brother Tian, lead the way. I'll take you to kill them."