As Guo Baiyu and Zhao Renshu, now convincingly disguised as Captain Kang's scouts, approached the bandit camp, two figures immediately rushed towards them, swords glinting ominously in the dim light of the campfires.
"We were ordered by Captain Kang to see Boss Ji," Zhao Renshu announced in a deep, authoritative voice, his hand resting casually near his disguised weapon.
A hulking figure emerged from the shadows. "That's me," Boss Ji boomed, his eyes narrowed, assessing the newcomers.
Guo Baiyu cleared his throat, stepping forward with an air of refined composure. "There's a post on the hill," he stated, his voice calm and precise. "Captain Kang wants you to rest there. The money will arrive in two days."
Zhao Renshu, playing his role with malicious glee, sidled up to Boss Ji, a crude, eager grin on his face. "Boss Ji, I heard from the last person," he began conspiratorially, his voice dropping slightly. "You'll let us sleep with any woman, correct?"
Boss Ji threw his head back and laughed, a loud, vulgar sound that echoed through the camp. "Once we get there, you two can choose any man or woman you want!" he roared, pleased by their apparent eagerness.
"Thank you so much, Boss Ji!" Zhao Renshu said, his voice dripping with feigned gratitude. "When I return to Captain Kang, I'll definitely put in good words for you... Plus, I'll help by asking for higher pay per person. How's that?" He smiled broadly at Boss Ji, a glint of something dangerous in his eyes.
"Good man. Good man," Boss Ji guffawed, clapping Zhao Renshu heartily on the shoulder before taking a swig from his wine bowl.
The outpost they arrived at was a desolate, dilapidated place. Most of the houses had collapsed into ruins, their timbers rotting. Only four houses still stood in good condition, though they too were thick with dust and barely inhabitable. The prisoners, their faces numb with exhaustion, were roughly dragged into the open space where a forgotten well stood.
Boss Ji and his two "new" soldiers sat at a crude table, eating.
"Men, let us have fun tonight!" Boss Ji roared, his voice laced with anticipation. "Drink as much as you can while we wait for Captain Kang!"
"Boss Ji, can we pick first?" Guo Baiyu interjected smoothly, pouring more wine into Boss Ji's bowl, his eyes subtly raking over the weary prisoners.
"It has been four years..." Zhao Renshu murmured, a calculated sigh escaping him, playing the part of a man long deprived.
"Go for it!" Boss Ji waved a dismissive hand, laughing loudly, oblivious to their true intent, and drank his wine.
With a shared, almost imperceptible glance, the two men rose. They walked slowly, deliberately, around the huddled prisoners twice, their eyes scanning, searching, until they finally stopped directly in front of Ping'an. She sat among the other women, her head bowed, seemingly lost in despair.
"We pick her," Zhao Renshu stated, his voice carefully neutral, pointing a finger at Ping'an. He glanced at Guo Baiyu, a flicker of apprehension in his eyes, but Guo Baiyu did not meet his gaze. Zhao Renshu leaned in, his voice barely a whisper, "Baiyu..."
Boss Ji, his eyes clouded by drink and lust, looked at Guo Baiyu. "You?" he slurred, a hint of surprise in his voice. Guo Baiyu was a refined beauty, and Zhao Renshu, though coarse, was also handsome.
Gou Baiyu said firmly, "I pick her." He pointed to a little girl about eleven or twelve years old.
The girl Ping'an was sitting next to, began to cry, her small voice trembled. "No... Jiejie help me..." she whimpered, clutching at the woman beside her.
The woman, stripped to the waist, her breasts exposed from Boss Ji's earlier assault, looked at Guo Baiyu with desperate, pleading eyes. "No, leave her alone!" she begged, sobbing, her voice hoarse. "She's a child. Please... take me... take me! Leave her alone!" Her raw desperation was heart-wrenching.
Boss Ji watched their exchange, then threw his head back, laughing a loud, mocking, cruel laugh. "Ha... ha... ha.... You both spent so long, but in the end you chose the ugliest one and a child!" He looked at Guo Baiyu, a sneer twisting his lips. "No matter how bad I am, I will not hurt a child. You are a real monster!" He chuckled, finding their choice utterly despicable, yet amusing.
Zhao Renshu scoffed, a dark amusement in his tone. "I haven't tried an ugly woman yet."
"Untie them!" Boss Ji commanded, clearly intrigued by their twisted choices.
One of the men quickly untied Ping'an from the main rope, then freed the little girl. The bandit handed one end of the rope to Guo Baiyu and the other to Zhao Renshu. "Enjoy," he sneered, a dirty expression twisting his face, clearly expecting a crude display.
"Thank you, Boss Ji," Zhao Renshu drawled, his voice laced with mocking politeness.
Then, with a shockingly lewd gesture, Zhao Renshu put his right arm around Ping'an's waist and, with his left hand, brazenly squeezed her left breast. All the men, including Boss Ji, erupted into raucous laughter, pointing their fingers at them, their faces contorted in grotesque amusement. Ping'an, her face a mask of controlled fury, swung her left elbow back, landing a sharp blow on Zhao Renshu's right upper abdomen. He let out a low grunt, a genuine gasp of surprise escaping him. Guo Baiyu, a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes, scoffed softly, then led them purposefully into the nearest, dark bedroom. The old man, a fellow prisoner, shook his head sadly, his gaze filled with sorrow as he watched them disappear.
The two men quickly closed the door behind them, the sound of the latch clicking ominously. Ping'an, her hands still bound by the rope, stood protectively in front of the little girl. They slowly backed away from the door, a silent, tense retreat.
Ping'an took a good, scrutinizing look at the two men. They were almost the same height, she noted, the man with the longer, scraggly beard a couple of inches taller than the one with the short, choppy beard. Both men were similarly built, broad-shouldered beneath the soldier's tunics. She was trapped in this room, with nowhere to hide or escape. Her heart hammered against her ribs as she stood there, looking at the two bearded men, who were slowly, deliberately, walking towards her and the little girl. One of the men, the taller one, smirked, a cruel smile spreading across his face, and his eyes held a predatory glint.
The two men took off their rough armor and placed it on the crude table, the metallic clatter echoing in the small room. Then, they walked slowly, with an unsettling purpose, to the bed, towards Ping'an and the girl once again. The two men stood right in front of Ping'an and the little girl. Then the man with the longer beard pulled Ping'an into his arm, his grip surprisingly gentle beneath its feigned roughness, and kissed her on the lips.
Ping'an remained outwardly calm, her voice steady despite the terrifying situation. "Are you two really going to rape us?" she asked, her eyes piercing the man with the long beard.
The man with a long beard smiled, a cold, predatory smile. "Of course," he drawled, his voice low and menacing.
"I love my lovers very much," Ping'an continued, her gaze unwavering. "One of them is a jealous type. Are you afraid?"
The man with the longer beard shook his head, a dismissive smirk on his face. "No."
"When someone kisses me, he doesn't like it," Ping'an probed, looking at the man with the shorter beard.
The man in the shorter beard subtly shook his head, a faint, almost imperceptible tremor.
The man with the long beard chuckled, a rough, theatrical sound. "I don't care. He is not here. After I have done things with you, he may not want you anymore. Ha...ha...ha...ha...ha... Ha..." He stroked his fake beard with his right hand, his eyes glinting with malicious intent. "Now, do you want to let me? If you let me, then we are making love, but if you don't let me, I will force myself on you."
"Okay," Ping'an said, her voice surprisingly calm. "I'll sleep with you two. You leave the little girl out."
The man with the long beard was genuinely surprised, his cruel smile faltering slightly. "What? That's it? But you said you love your lover very much. Why change your mind?" He shook his head, feigning disappointment.
Ping'an ignored him, her gaze fixed on the man with the shorter beard. She drew his face closer with her tied hands, a subtle, almost imperceptible motion, and then kissed him.
Ping'an licked her lips, a teasing, knowing smile playing on them. "Honey?" She then turned and stared directly at the man with the long beard, a silent challenge in her eyes. Then, with a fluid motion, she turned back and reached out to the man with the short beard, her voice low and intimate. "Baiyu, untie me."
Guo Baiyu, a flicker of tenderness in his eyes, quickly untied Ping'an's hands and discreetly handed her the whip, which had been concealed beneath his clothes. She turned around, a defiant smirk on her face, and looked at Zhao Renshu, who was still sitting on the bed, stroking his fake beard, a wide, amused grin plastered on his face. Guo Baiyu then walked to the bed and gently untied the rope that bound the girl's wrist.
"Don't be afraid," Guo Baiyu murmured softly to the terrified child, his smile warm and reassuring. "Big brother won't hurt you."
"How do you know?" Zhao Renshu questioned Ping'an, genuinely surprised, his voice a low rumble. "Our disguises were perfect!"
"Are you kidding?" Ping'an scoffed, a playful roll of her eyes. "Your disguise has two errors."
"Really? How?" Zhao Renshu demanded, thumping the bed twice in mock frustration. He pointed an accusatory finger at Guo Baiyu. "I know it must be Baiyu!"
"Me? How?" Guo Baiyu countered, a slight frown on his face.
"This is because of your fair and handsome face!" Zhao Renshu insisted. "I told you to put more mud on your face and make it darker, but you refused! You said your skin might become irritated!"
"Random mud can cause skin irritation!" Guo Baiyu protested, genuinely annoyed.
"The second mistake is your decent manner," Zhao Renshu insisted, his eyes twinkling.
"I think it was your childish attitude that gave yourself up," Guo Baiyu retorted, a smirk playing on his lips.
Just like in Peach Blossom Valley, the two men began to argue again, their voices rising in playful contention.
Ping'an stood between the two men, a fond exasperation on her face. "Stop!" she commanded, her voice firm. "Other people might fall for your disguises, but not me. The two mistakes you two made are your eyes and your smiles." She smiled at them both, a tender, knowing expression, and then hugged them, wrapping her arms around their waists. "It is the feeling I get when you two are by my side, and the way your eyes look at me."
Zhao Renshu patted her back. "Well, well, well," he drawled mischievously. "I was thinking you really wanted to sleep with that guy."
"Remember that guy is you," Ping'an sighed, pulling away from their embrace, a playful warning in her eyes. "Next time, if you grab me in public again like that, I will chop off that hand."
"How am I going to hold you with just one hand?" Zhao Renshu joked, already anticipating their next cuddle.
"Don't worry," Guo Baiyu replied smoothly, a smirk on his face. "I'll hold her in your place."
"Enough," Ping'an said, rolling her eyes. "What's the plan?"
"The plan is to wait," Guo Baiyu replied calmly.
"If you two have a chance, please cut off that Boss Ji's head," Ping'an requested, her voice suddenly serious.
"If I cut off his head," Zhao Renshu said, a calculating gleam in his eye, "you spend one entire day with me without him." He pointed a finger at Guo Baiyu.
"We spent two and a half years together without Baiyu," Ping'an countered, a hint of sadness in her voice. "Isn't that enough?"
"An entire lifetime is still not enough," Guo Baiyu murmured, his eyes full of tenderness. He kissed her gently on her lips.
Zhao Renshu grunted, clearly annoyed. "She's asking me, not you!" He pulled her back into his arms and kissed her, a possessive gesture.
The two were about to argue again, their playful bickering echoing in the room, but the painful screams erupting from outside the room stopped their tongues abruptly.
"Here is our opportunity," Guo Baiyu said, his voice instantly serious.
"It's time to move," Zhao Renshu declared, his eyes hardening. He turned to the little girl, his voice gentle but firm. "Hey, kid, stay here and don't leave until we say so."
The girl nodded, wide-eyed with fear and a dawning sense of hope.
Guo Baiyu, Zhao Renshu, and Ping'an walked out the door, their expressions grim. Boss Ji and his men were writhing, screaming in pain, clutching their abdomens, their faces contorted.
"What happened to us soldiers?" Boss Ji gasped, his voice choked with agony.
"It may be the wine," Zhao Renshu said innocently, a devilish smirk playing on his lips.
Boss Ji sweated profusely, groaning in pain. "But you two drank the wine too, and you two are okay! How?"
"Says who?" Zhao Renshu chuckled, a dark humor in his voice. "We didn't drink any. We only poured the wine for you."
"How much did you pour?" Guo Baiyu asked Zhao Renshu, a hint of exasperation in his voice.
Zhao Renshu scratched his fake beard. "I remember I poured a lot into the wine," he mumbled.
"I told you to just put a little bit," Guo Baiyu sighed, shaking his head.
"You bastards, you poisoned me!" Boss Ji screamed, his voice hoarse with rage and pain. "I am going to kill you two!"
Zhao Renshu and Guo Baiyu completely ignored Boss Ji. They turned to each other and calmly continued their conversation.
"I poured all the ten bags you gave me into the wine," Zhao Renshu stated proudly.
"This poison causes internal stomach bleeding, and the host will bleed to death within an hour," Guo Baiyu explained, a note of disbelief in his voice. "Why did you pour all ten bags?"
"Do you really want to show sympathy for these men? Really?" Zhao Renshu raised his voice, a hint of challenge in his tone.
"Hey... Hey..." Boss Ji weakly called out, fading.
Zhao Renshu was still ignoring Boss Ji. "What is the name of this poison anyway?" he asked Guo Baiyu.
"A thousand needles stab as one," Guo Baiyu replied.
Zhao Renshu burst out into laughter, a wild, unrestrained sound. "Who the hell came up with that name?"
"The inventor," Guo Baiyu replied dryly.
Zhao Renshu, still laughing, shook his head. "Because the poison causes stomach bleeding, it should be called 'Stomach Bleed'!" He scoffed, then said quietly, "A Thousand needles stab as one." He burst out laughing again, finding the name ridiculous.
"We didn't do anything to Captain Kang," Boss Ji whimpered, clutching his stomach. "Why did he poison us?"
Zhao Renshu looked at the prisoners, then at Boss Ji, his face devoid of sympathy. "People like you shouldn't be alive," he stated. "We never said that we work for that Captain Kang. You assumed we were."
"I have not wronged you!" Boss Ji insisted, his voice weakening.
Zhao Renshu's gaze hardened as he looked at the prisoners, then back at Boss Ji. "You are lucky you have not wronged us," he said, his voice chillingly cold. "How about the people who were wronged by you? Do they want revenge?"
The young woman who had been stripped bare, still top naked, slowly stood up, her body trembling, but a flicker of grim resolve in her eyes. She picked up a discarded sword. Guo Baiyu, seeing her vulnerability, took off his outer robe and quickly covered the half-naked woman, offering her a shred of dignity.
Tears streamed down her face, but her voice was strong, filled with a burning hatred. "I want revenge." She walked towards Boss Ji, the sword held tightly in her right hand, her steps unwavering.
Boss Ji, vomiting blood, slowly dragged his butt back, clutching his chest. With a desperate, final surge of energy, Boss Ji suddenly let go of three small daggers, each the size of two fingers, throwing them with surprising speed. Guo Baiyu, who was standing behind the young woman, saw the daggers flash. He instinctively pushed the woman away from danger. He dodged two daggers, but the third, glinting wickedly, hit the right side of his upper left chest, sinking deep.
"Baiyu!" Ping'an screamed, her voice a raw cry of anguish. She rushed towards him, her heart in her throat.
The woman, fueled by a lifetime of suppressed rage, screamed, charging the sword into Boss Ji, stabbing him repeatedly in the chest. Boss Ji, his body convulsing, was still not dead. His eyes, wide and horrified, stared at them, a vague, gurgling sound escaping his blood-filled mouth, his speech vague due to excessive bleeding from his nose and mouth.
"Bastard," Zhao Renshu snarled, his gaze burning with fury, turning to Guo Baiyu, concern etched on his face.
"Don't touch it," Guo Baiyu gasped, his voice strained, stopping Ping'an from touching the dagger. "Release the prisoners and let us leave this place now. They will die within an hour."
Boss Ji coughed, a wet, rattling sound, mixed with a chilling, dying laugh. "Ha... ha... ha.... You will die too!" He laughed harder, coughing up more blood, his body spasming.
Zhao Renshu unsheathed his sword, his movements a blur of terrifying speed. He flew at Boss Ji and, with one swift, brutal stroke, cut off Boss Ji's head. Boss Ji's head fell from his body, thudding on the ground. Zhao Renshu then mercilessly cut all the ropes, releasing all the prisoners.
"Renshu," Guo Baiyu said with a faint, pained smile, his speech slowing, "now is your turn to carry me on your back. I can't feel my left leg."
Zhao Renshu smiled at Guo Baiyu, a worried glint in his eyes that quickly turned to playful exasperation. "You sure know how to take advantage of people." He untied the sword scabbard and handed his blood-soaked sword to Ping'an. With Guo Baiyu now on his back, the lovers walked out the front door, leaving the carnage behind.
From behind them, Boss Ji's dying men wailed, "Please save us! Give us the antidote!" Their pleas, however, fell on deaf ears.