At this moment, Liu Tiezhu's urge to kill reached its peak. Family was his unshakable boundary. No matter who crossed that line, he would not let them off.
The three of them got onto the mule cart and headed west, following the direction Yang Haitian had pointed. West of Yang Family Village was a stretch of farmland, with only a single dirt road leading in and out. This area was near the village's edge, where only Yang Jingming's house stood, occupying several thousand square meters.
At that moment, Yang Jingming's home was brightly lit, filled with the clatter of noise and the crash of bowls. Several bandits, drunk and rowdy, had their arms around his two daughters-in-law, making lewd gestures. Though the two women were unwilling, they dared not resist, letting the bandits shove their hands inside their clothes.
Yang Guosheng and his brother gritted their teeth, choosing to ignore the scene by downing their drinks. Five bandits were now staying in the house, all armed with guns. If they dared to fight back, they'd be eating bullets. To survive and to gain more benefits from the bandits, they had to endure the humiliation of letting the bandits lay hands on their wives.
But these bandits, though despicable, were generous with their money. The two bandit leaders gave Yang Guosheng and his brother a hundred yuan each. They told the brothers that their wives were theirs for the night. Though the words were laced with insult, Yang Guosheng and his brother were secretly thrilled. A hundred yuan was enough to cover their living expenses for a year. And that was just for one night with their wives. The moment they received the money, the brothers were overjoyed, even wishing their wives would take turns serving the bandits.
Yang Jingming, seeing his sons get the cash, was grinning from ear to ear. At this point, his daughters-in-law meant nothing. As long as there was money, he could find new wives for his sons anytime. The bandits weren't stingy with the two women either, giving each fifty yuan. The women, now holding cash, were delighted. Ignoring their husbands sitting nearby, they eagerly embraced and kissed the bandits, not caring what their husbands thought.
Yang Guosheng and his brother couldn't stand it anymore and made excuses to retreat to their rooms. Yang Jingming, however, stayed to keep drinking with the bandits. The twisted mindset of the family left the bandits amazed, joking that the Yangs were even more depraved than they were.
Liu Tiezhu arrived at Yang Jingming's house and stopped about ten meters away. "Gouzi, stay here and watch over Brother Tian." Er Gouzi said, "Brother Tiezhu, going alone is too dangerous." On the way, Yang Haitian had mentioned that Yang Jingming had brought nine bandits. They had killed four, leaving five inside Yang Jingming's house. Liu Tiezhu going alone didn't seem like good odds. "Don't worry. If things go wrong, I'll pull back." Someone had to look after Yang Haitian, or they'd be trapped if the bandits flanked them. Er Gouzi wanted to argue, but Liu Tiezhu cut him off with a wave. "Listen to me. Stay here and watch Brother Tian."
With that, Liu Tiezhu grabbed his compound crossbow and rifle, crouching low as he crept toward Yang Jingming's house. Just outside the yard, he heard lewd chatter from inside. He quietly approached the gate, peering through the cracks to observe. Minutes later, Liu Tiezhu moved to the back of the house, climbed over the wall, and slipped in. From his earlier observation, he had a clear picture of the numbers inside. In the main hall, two bandits were fondling women, laughing as they groped. Beside them stood Yang Jingming, refilling their drinks. Under the locust tree on the right side of the yard, three bandits with rifles slung over their backs sat around a wooden table, eating hotpot. Their faces were as red as monkey butts, clearly drunk. Aside from these bandits, two more were in the room on the left side of the house. Liu Tiezhu figured they were Yang Jingming's sons.
After jumping into the yard, Liu Tiezhu had a plan. He quickly loaded a bamboo bolt into the compound crossbow and crept silently toward the right side of the yard. The three bandits, drunk and less alert, didn't pay attention to the footsteps. They assumed it was one of their own coming from inside the house. So they didn't even turn around, just kept raising their cups.
With a *thwip*, a bamboo bolt pierced one bandit's neck, blood startling the other two awake. Before they could scream, another bolt shot through the right bandit's throat. The last bandit tried to run, but Liu Tiezhu was faster, covering his mouth and driving a bolt into his skull. In less than two minutes, all three bandits were dead. The commotion outside didn't alert those inside the house.
Liu Tiezhu pulled out the bolts, reloaded, and stripped the three bandits of their belongings before heading toward the main hall. Inside, the two bandits, worked up from their groping, couldn't take it anymore. They shoved Yang Jingming's daughters-in-law onto the table and yanked down their cotton pants. Seeing this, Yang Jingming tried to leave, but one bandit stopped him. "Stand right there and watch how I handle your daughter-in-law. If you leave, I'll find someone else to be our eyes." Threatened, Yang Jingming forced a smile and stayed in front of his daughters-in-law.
The two bandits laughed loudly and pushed up the women's cotton jackets. The women's faces flushed like apples as they panted heavily. Doing this in front of their father-in-law was deeply shameful, but under the bandits' threats, they had no choice but to comply. The bandits didn't hold back, taking the women right in front of Yang Jingming.
Just then, Liu Tiezhu walked in. Seeing a stranger, the two bandits were startled. "Damn it, where the hell did you come from?" the bandit on the left snarled, pointing at Liu Tiezhu. "Brother Li, this is the bastard I told you about, the one hauling rice with the mule," Yang Jingming explained. "Haha, so it's you, you little shit. You killed my men and still dare to show up? You've got guts." The bandit sneered and reached for a pistol on the table.
It was a Type 54 pistol, a relic from the 1950s. This gun had immense penetrating power, easily punching through three-millimeter steel plates at twenty meters, a sure kill on a person. The bandit's reaction was quick, but Liu Tiezhu was already prepared. In the same instant, he fired a bamboo bolt from the crossbow, pinning the bandit's hand to the wooden table. The other bandit barely moved before a bolt pierced his neck, and he collapsed onto Yang Jingming's daughter-in-law, making her scream in terror. "Shout again, and I'll kill you," Liu Tiezhu warned, then fired another bolt through the first bandit's other hand.
With the two bandits dealt with, he grabbed the Type 54 from the table and fired two shots at the two figures hiding behind the room door. *Bang! Bang!* Yang Guosheng and his brother stared blankly at the blood gushing from their chests before collapsing. After taking them down, Liu Tiezhu aimed the gun at the bandit's forehead. "Don't kill me! I'm the younger brother of the chief of Huangyan Stronghold. If you kill me, Huangyan Stronghold will never—" Before the bandit could finish, Liu Tiezhu shot him in the head.
*Thud...* Terrified, Yang Jingming dropped to his knees, kowtowing to Liu Tiezhu. "Little brother, don't kill me! Take whatever you want!" Liu Tiezhu shifted the gun, aiming at Yang Jingming's forehead. "I want your life."