Chapter Sixty-Seven: A Qualified Worker

Within the mountain stronghold, Drill Mountain Earth Dragon sat proudly at the head of the table, watching his underlings bustle about, preparing a feast to welcome new brothers.

Barrels of fine wine were carried in, and dishes so sumptuous they had never dared dream of before were laid out on the long table. Drill Mountain Earth Dragon felt that life could offer nothing more; what else could one ask for?

A month ago, this so-called stronghold of his didn’t even have a decent building; he and his brothers, like stray dogs scrounging for scraps in the county town, huddled in their hovels, sleeping through the days. It wasn’t that he was lazy, but hunger gnawed so fiercely that even the smallest movement made it worse.

Though life had always been hard, at least, as mountain bandits, they could lead their men to any village and scrounge up something to eat. Even if there wasn’t real grain, a thick porridge of wild vegetables and grass seeds could barely fill their bellies.

But ever since the one-eyed Golden Eagle, the head of Breakcliff Mountain, fell, the smaller bands of mountain bandits nearby had all tucked their tails between their legs, terrified of crossing Lord Dangyang’s retainers and meeting with total annihilation.

Now, rumors abounded outside. Some said all the bandits of Breakcliff Mountain had been beheaded; others claimed those unfortunates had been sent to the border army; the wildest rumor of all was that Lord Dangyang, obsessed with alchemy, had turned several hundred bandits into immortal elixirs!

Whatever the truth, after crossing Lord Dangyang, not a single mountain bandit from Breakcliff Mountain had dared show their face in Dangyang County again.

He had thought Lord Dangyang would, like the great men of old, take advantage of the victory over Breakcliff Mountain to kill or subdue the surrounding strongholds, making himself the overlord of all mountain bandits in the area.

But no one expected that after wiping out Breakcliff Mountain, Lord Dangyang’s men would simply fade away, with no further action.

Some of the other gangs couldn’t bear the hunger and sneaked down the mountain for food, scraping by. Drill Mountain Earth Dragon, however, was different—cautious to a fault, and sworn brother to the leader of Second Gully. He knew full well that the men of Second Gully had vanished mysteriously as well!

This proved that Lord Dangyang’s men hadn’t been idle—they were simply discreet, leaving no trace.

This realization left Drill Mountain Earth Dragon on edge day and night. He’d rather starve than end up a headless corpse at the hands of Lord Dangyang’s retainers.

It wasn’t that he had any great backbone, nor did he bear a grudge against Lord Dangyang; he simply understood that whoever succeeded Breakcliff Mountain, becoming the greatest bandit leader for miles around, would still need underlings.

So Drill Mountain Earth Dragon endured with his brothers, hoping Lord Dangyang’s men would eventually stake their claim, so he could lead his men and submit.

After all, what did it matter where one played the bandit? This so-called chieftain’s title meant little to him. If he could become a minor leader under Lord Dangyang, wouldn’t that be better than scraping by as a starving chief?

But he never imagined that, after waiting so long for Lord Dangyang’s invitation to join, it would be the Zhou family who came seeking an alliance.

The Zhou family spoke glowingly, but Drill Mountain Earth Dragon was shrewd—he understood their intentions at their very first meeting. The Zhou family would provide men and money, and simply use his reputation as a front for their dealings.

Of course he agreed! Only a fool would turn down such a windfall.

As for the Zhou family calling the shots from now on—he didn’t care in the least. He’d only wanted to be a pawn fostered by Lord Dangyang anyway; now, as a puppet, a nominal chief, what more could he ask for?

It wasn’t until he reached an agreement with the Zhou family and received those gleaming weapons that Drill Mountain Earth Dragon realized the truth: the Zhou family, too, had thrown in their lot with Lord Dangyang!

Otherwise, why would Lord Dangyang’s men help the Zhou family wipe out Breakcliff Mountain?

The rich and powerful always care about appearances. Lord Dangyang didn’t want to sully his hands with bandit affairs, so the Zhou family acted as his agent, handling the dirty work.

Once this dawned on him, Drill Mountain Earth Dragon was so excited he nearly jumped for joy. It seemed he could live out his days as a well-fed, secure chief after all.

In Dangyang County, Lord Dangyang was the greatest noble on the official stage, while the Zhou family was the local tiger, with the most men, the most land, and the deepest roots.

With these two powers secretly fostering bandits, even the county magistrate would think twice about interfering, and the local garrison wouldn’t dare launch a raid.

The fortune-teller Sun Mazi in the county town had told him this year would bring a great upheaval—fail to weather it, and he’d die; survive, and fortune would pour down like rain.

Sun Mazi truly had a touch of the supernatural!

Pleased with his good fortune, Drill Mountain Earth Dragon waited patiently for the Zhou family’s men to arrive. They were due by midday, just in time for everyone to feast and drink their fill.

But before the Zhou family’s men appeared, Drill Mountain Earth Dragon and his fellows heard shouts and the clash of weapons from the forest not far away!

That was the only route up the mountain.

The bandits exchanged uneasy glances, unable to guess what was happening.

Fortunately, the commotion didn’t last long—by the time it took to drink a cup of tea, all was quiet again. Most likely, the Zhou family’s men had run into some fools who didn’t know better… Time to make a good impression!

Drill Mountain Earth Dragon was keenly aware of his role: he was just a hired hand; the Zhou family were the true masters. As for Lord Dangyang—he neither knew nor cared. Only a fool lives long.

Eager to impress his future patrons, Drill Mountain Earth Dragon and his men, freshly dressed and gripping the new weapons provided by the Zhou family, charged out of the stronghold. Whether or not the Zhou family had already dealt with the troublemakers, as loyal henchmen, they must show their willingness to rush to the rescue.

As a subordinate, Drill Mountain Earth Dragon was competent enough—but as a bandit, his mind ran in far too many circles for his own good.

Old Wu, originally planning to ambush the routed soldiers with his hunting party, saw this as a gamble—that Drill Mountain Earth Dragon’s men wouldn’t react quickly enough to catch him in a pincer.

But Drill Mountain Earth Dragon, desperate to show off to his new backers, reacted so swiftly that Old Wu thought he’d lost his bet.

Luckily, the routed soldiers they ambushed were so weak that most of the fight was spent rounding up prisoners. Irritated, Old Wu left a few men to guard the captives, then led seventy hunters straight toward the onrushing Drill Mountain Earth Dragon.

Damn you, today your sixth uncle will make sure none of you blind fools escape these mountains alive!