Chapter 44: Deterrence

Wang Guihe narrowed his eyes slightly, handed the red-cloth parcel to one of his sworn brothers beside him, and then, suppressing his rising anger, glared at Huang Chengyin.

"I was wondering who it could be! If it isn't Young Master Huang. What gives you the nerve today?"

"Don't come any closer! Take another step forward... and I'll blow your brains out!"

Huang Chengyin held the rifle with an awkward posture. Even Jiang Xiaodao could tell he was completely unaccustomed to handling firearms.

Seeing this, Old Master Huang turned ashen, his face draining of all color, and he barked sternly, "Chengyin, have you lost your mind? Put the gun down right now! Put it down!"

Ignoring the blood smeared across her face, the old madam rushed over to Wang Guihe and pleaded, "Brother Guihe, my son is just young and foolish. Please... you mustn't hold it against him!"

Jiang Xiaodao could not comprehend it.

Why had they possessed a gun all along yet failed to produce it sooner?

For the Huang family, however, their current manpower was simply insufficient to clash head-on with the bandits.

They had intended to buy as much time as possible, pool a hefty sum to purchase weapons and ammunition, and only completely break ties when the timing was ripe.

Yet Wang Guihe was no fool. Construction of the Huang family's earthen stronghold had caught his attention early on. His visit today was intended to extort a massive sum from them, cutting off the financial source that allowed the family to protect themselves.

Huang Chengyin was not acting purely on impulse either. He knew all too well that if this small pouch of gold bullion was taken from their home, they would have no surplus funds left to buy arms and ammunition.

"Mom, stop begging him! He's the one driving us into a dead end!"

"You unfilial wretch! Shut your mouth this instant!" Old Master Huang bellowed.

Though the muzzle of the gun was pointed straight at him, Wang Guihe showed not a trace of panic as he advanced step by step.

"Young Master Huang, you've really grown some spine! Where'd you buy that gun? Can an arm meant for holding a writing brush even handle a rifle barrel?"

"Don't come any closer! I'll really shoot, I'm warning you, I'll really shoot!"

Huang Chengyin fumbled with the bolt. Whether due to overwhelming nervousness or sheer unfamiliarity, it took him three or four frantic tries before he managed to chamber a round.

At the sight of this, the surrounding bandits let out a series of derisive chuckles and raised their own rifles in synchronized unity.

Until Wang Guihe walked right up to him, pressing his own chest against the muzzle of the gun, Huang Chengyin still could not bring himself to pull the trigger.

At that moment, Jiang Xiaodao became certain that this young master would never fire.

Wang Guihe sneered. Seizing the moment while Huang Chengyin was still dazed, he suddenly thrust out his left arm to swat the barrel aside and violently clamped his right hand down on Huang Chengyin's wrist.

The entire sequence felt to Huang Chengyin like a fleeting dream. The instant he blinked and opened his eyes again, the rifle had already been snatched away by Wang Guihe.

"Young Master Huang, did you really think holding a piece of iron in your hand would make you a bandit? Did you think a gun is like the thing between your legs, something you instinctively know how to use the moment you're born?"

The men burst into raucous laughter, mocking the young master without restraint.

Huang Chengyin's face was chalk white as he loathed his own incompetence, loathed his own cowardice.

He could claim he hadn't shot out of concern for his family's safety, but in his heart, he knew that even if he were completely alone, he might not have had the courage.

Aiming for the head, he might miss; aiming for the torso, he couldn't guarantee a fatal shot.

It was precisely through this agonizing hesitation and agonizing calculation that he had forfeited the initiative and allowed his weapon to be stripped away.

Huang Chengyin could not fully articulate the underlying reason, but he simply felt that Wang Guihe was somehow invincible; a bullet could never kill him, and attempting to use him as a hostage was nothing more than a delusion.

In short, this man was entirely beyond the power of ordinary mortals to resist!

Witnessing everything before him, Jiang Xiaodao suddenly began to understand what his father had told him earlier.

A gun could indeed induce fear, but true deterrence was never as simple as merely possessing a firearm.

The exact same weapon, placed in the hands of different individuals, carried vastly different degrees of intimidation.

And because of this, he gradually understood why the children imprisoned in the human livestock room never dared to run away.

Old Master Huang and the old madam finally breathed a sigh of relief, hurriedly chiming in, "Chengyin! Hurry up and apologize to Brother Guihe!"

"No need," Wang Guihe waved a hand dismissively, then turned his gaze back. "Old Master Huang, where are the rest of your family's guns hidden?"

Old Master Huang hesitated for a moment before finally capitulating in a low voice.

"In the cellar in the back courtyard."

"A few of you, go search the cellar!" With that, Wang Guihe flashed another smile at the Huang family. "Old Master Huang, firearms aren't toys to be played with casually. If you aren't careful, they tend to go off unexpectedly. It's much safer to let me keep them for you!"

Old Master Huang felt like he had swallowed Coptis chinensis—bearing bitter agony without any way to voice his grievances—and could only nod in helpless defeat.

A short while later, two of the bandits returned to the front courtyard.

"Boss, there aren't many—just five rifles!"

Wang Guihe's expression darkened.

Five rifles. Add another five to that, equip a few sturdy family retainers, and use the earthen stronghold as a base—this place would instantly become an impregnable fortress!

In this day and age, weapons were everywhere. Straggling soldiers, greenwood outlaws, and foreign merchants all had ways to acquire and traffic in armaments.

Fortunately, they had discovered this in time; otherwise, the Huang family certainly would never have paid another dime in protection money.

"Old Master Huang, it looks like you were planning to set up shop on your own."

"Brother Guihe, you've misunderstood. These guns... we bought them for you! We were counting on your protection in the future!"

Wang Guihe smiled faintly. "Since you've put it that way, if I didn't accept them, it would show a complete lack of respect for you."

Swallowing his humiliation, Old Master Huang nodded. "Only right... only right."

Wang Guihe picked up one of the rifles at random, pulled back the bolt, and asked, "Does this gun of yours work well?"

"That... I wouldn't know. I've never tried it."

"Good! Then let me test it for you!"

"Ah?"

Before the Huang family could react, Wang Guihe suddenly raised the rifle and aimed straight at Huang Chengyin's head.

"No!"

The old madam let out a piercing shriek, her agonizing howl making the ensuing gunshot sound all the more jarring.

In an instant, a mist of blood erupted, chaos broke out, the livestock in the lean-to panicked in terror, and the Huang family dissolved into a chorus of wailing.

A black hole appeared between Huang Chengyin's eyebrows as the back of his skull shattered into a bloody crater, brain matter spattering everywhere. His entire body pitched backward and crashed to the ground, twitching twice before finally falling still.

"Chengyin! My son!"

"Wake up, my boy!"

Wang Guihe slung the rifle over his shoulder with a flick of his wrist and said coldly, "Old man, if I ever see another gun in your house again, don't blame me for throwing away our friendship! Lads, pull back!"

With that, he vaulted into the saddle, reined his horse around to face Jiang Chenghai, and cupped his fists. "Brother, let's move out. Sorry to have dragged you along for this trip. Once we're back at the main camp, the two of us are going to drink until we drop! Big nephew, what's wrong? You weren't scared, were you? Hahaha!"

Jiang Xiaodao kept his gaze locked immovably on the corpse on the ground, never blinking once throughout the entire ordeal.

Jiang Chenghai was quite satisfied with his son's reaction. He casually patted the boy's shoulder and murmured, "See that? When you truly need to kill a man, you don't need all that idle chatter."

Jiang Xiaodao nodded in silence, deep in his own inscrutable thoughts.

Gong Baonan happened to be standing nearby. He tilted his head slightly, cast two glances at the boy, and for reasons unknown, gently shook his head.