Chapter 15: Foes Meet on a Narrow Path

Li Gui immediately beat the drum to assemble his men. Soon, everyone was fully armed and lined up neatly in the square. Fearing that the bandits’ morale might falter, Li Gui did not disclose their plans but simply led his troops out of the stronghold.

Li Gui, accompanied by five guards clad in armor and wielding swords, walked at the front alongside Old Li Qi. Behind them were fifty spearmen, with five guards trailing at the rear serving as overseers. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to bring more men, but the mountain path was narrow; too many would cause congestion and hinder combat efficiency. Leaving fifty spearmen to guard the stronghold ensured it wouldn’t be vulnerable to sneak attacks should anything go wrong.

The group did not know the purpose of the expedition and dared not ask, silently pressing onward. Before long, they arrived at a mountain pass flanked by dense woods on both sides. The path between was relatively flat and wide, a perfect spot for an ambush.

Li Gui ordered two squads of twenty-five men each to lie in wait on either side of the forest, ready to form ranks in the road upon the sound of the drum. The men assumed this was a drill and, unafraid, obeyed quietly. Li Gui himself inspected every detail with his guards, correcting any imperfections before retreating a short distance and disappearing into the trees.

About half an hour later, a group appeared in the distance, walking along the mountain path. Around a hundred strong, they wore folded cloth headbands and black robes typical of yamen clerks, their waists girded with swords and some carrying staves. A few bore bows and arrows. They gathered loosely around a man who looked like a squad leader, chatting and laughing as they ascended the mountain.

This scene looked less like a bandit hunt and more like a leisurely outing. Had Li Gui not been forewarned, he might have thought he had ambushed the wrong group.

Since killing the steward Li Guan, Li Gui had seized a large cache of weapons and armor from the Li family. The magistrate, Old Li, must have known this. Yet the yamen clerks who arrived bore no armor and acted so casually, as if utterly unprepared.

Seeing this, Li Gui wasn’t sure whether to call them arrogant or foolish. But deep down, he suspected these clerks had been set up by Old Li.

-----------------

Qian Ketong had recently been riding a wave of good fortune.

He was once a hooligan roaming the streets of Yishui County, relying on some fighting skills to earn a notorious reputation and secure a modest salary at the Juba gambling house.

He had planned to live this way until old age—finding a wife, having children, and passing through life quietly.

But fate had other plans.

First, Li Gui went mad, slaughtering Huang Xiu, the gambling house manager. While others fled in terror, Qian Ketong, bold and skilled, sneaked back into the gambling house after Li Gui left and made off with a tidy sum.

If that had been all, he might have squandered the loot and ended up back where he started.

Yet fortune kept smiling. Li Gui had not only killed Huang Xiu but also the county magistrate.

This stirred up a hornet’s nest.

The higher-ups blamed the local authorities and dispatched troops, arresting all squad leaders and clerks at the yamen. They would not escape without harsh punishment.

Seeing an opportunity, Qian Ketong flattered the newly appointed magistrate, offering all the gambling house loot. In return, he smoothly secured a position as squad leader.

Though a squad leader was technically a low-ranking officer with a modest salary, the position wielded considerable influence—especially handling lawsuits and brokering deals for the officials, yielding considerable illicit gains.

The petty fortune would eventually dry up, but this post was a true treasure to inherit.

Sure enough, soon after taking office, wealth came knocking.

A band of outlaws on Elm Mountain had become bold enough to commit crimes in Shagou Town and had even killed Old Li’s steward.

Old Li was furious, repeatedly urging the magistrate to launch a crackdown.

The new magistrate, eager to prove himself and keen on the gentry’s support, summoned Qian Ketong to lead the operation.

Qian Ketong seized the chance to suggest imposing a “bandit suppression tax” to fund the campaign, winning the magistrate’s favor.

He also accepted bribes from the disgraced clerks, using the pretext of needing manpower to secure their pardons, shifting all blame onto the previous squad leader and creating an opportunity for extortion.

After this maneuvering, the officials prospered, Qian Ketong solidified his post, and the clerks escaped responsibility. All parties were pleased.

As for the Elm Mountain bandits, Qian Ketong had no real concern.

Being a man of the underworld himself, he was well aware of the outlaw situation nearby.

Though called bandits, they were mainly poor peasants, numerous but unsophisticated. They might manage some petty raids but posed no real threat to the government troops.

A swift charge would likely scatter them.

Bringing back a few heads as trophies would count as military merit, and with some bribes, Qian Ketong might advance even further.

With these bright prospects, he led his team toward Elm Mountain.

Unexpectedly, just after passing a mountain pass, a sudden drumbeat and cries of battle erupted. A group of burly men burst from the forest opposite.

Qian Ketong was startled, drawing his sword and shouting, “There are only a dozen or so of them! We outnumber them! Cut them down!”

His men, though briefly unsettled, rallied seeing their brave squad leader and drew their weapons to defend.

As Qian Ketong steadied himself and looked closer, he saw the leader was a single-handed swordsman clad in armor, his face fierce with murderous intent—someone oddly familiar.

The man charged forward and swung his steel blade in a powerful strike.

In a flash, Qian Ketong recognized him: the very killer, Li Gui!

What an unexpected clash of fates!

On the day Li Gui killed Huang Xiu, Qian Ketong had fled in fear. Now, here he was, running headlong into him.

Had he known Li Gui was here, he wouldn’t have come to suppress bandits.

No, if he’d known he’d face Li Gui as squad leader, he wouldn’t have taken the job at all.

Despite his bravado, Qian Ketong was terrified. When the fight broke out, he could barely summon a fraction of his strength. His body stiffened, his limbs grew weak, and his defenses faltered. Within a few moves, Li Gui’s blade sliced diagonally across his shoulder, cleaving him in two.

Nearby, the clerks struggled against Li Gui’s guards. Seeing their courageous squad leader fall, they were thrown into chaos. The timid fled at once, then others followed—disorder spread like wildfire.

The rout was complete. Even the few skilled clerks who tried to turn the tide were powerless.

But when they turned to escape, they found their retreat blocked: from the woods flanking both sides, groups had emerged, lining up behind them and sealing off any path of flight.