Chapter 49 Rearguard Action

Jiang Xiaodao was feeling quite pleased.

It was not because of the wishful "agreement" between him and the little girl, but simply out of pride for his own word-and-deed consistency. He now strutted about with a swagger, feeling that he was quite the man, big or small.

As for the promise of a lifetime together, walking hand in hand into old age, it never even crossed his mind.

Marry her if that’s how it is—what’s the big deal!

Below her knees, the little girl had no legs, making carrying her an arduous task that relied entirely on gripping her arms and brute force. It was no easy feat for Jiang Xiaodao to carry her, and the little girl’s arms were chafed and aching. The two of them were as awkward as awkward could be.

As they stepped out the door, Gong Baonan was leaning against the wall, asking with a cold scoff, "Do you intend to carry her all the way to Fengtian like this?"

Jiang Xiaodao tilted his head and replied, "Isn't there a donkey cart!"

Hearing such a prompt and straightforward answer, Gong Baonan understood that this kid wasn't just acting on a whim to save someone. Though his thoughts weren't entirely thorough, he wasn't completely without a plan.

After settling the little girl comfortably, Jiang Xiaodao drove the donkey cart into the center of the courtyard and then returned to the human-trafficking room.

Guan Wei met him with a question, "Clear them all out?"

"Of course!"

Jiang Xiaodao remembered Wang Guihe's words: they were walking a narrow path, and if business wasn't handled cleanly, a wolf would end up tailing them from behind.

His old man, Jiang Chenghai, had also warned him: the more fearful you are, the more ruthless you must be.

Guan Wei, however, grabbed Jiang Xiaodao's wrist and said, "Xiaodao, times are chaotic right now. If you fire a couple of shots in the middle of the night, no one will care to meddle. But if you treat a gun like firecrackers, the commotion will be too big, and we won't be able to cover it up!"

"Bah! I wasn't planning on using a gun!"

The C96 pistol his old man had given Jiang Xiaodao originally had ten bullets. One was chambered to test Jiang Xiaodao's nerve; one was used up hunting a roe deer on the mountain; and two had just been fired into Gouzi.

He now had six bullets left, and Jiang Xiaodao certainly couldn't bear to waste them on Old Madam Feng.

"Then what do you plan to do?" Guan Wei asked.

"Use a knife!"

"I know, but the problem is these kids..."

Guan Wei frowned. To be honest, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Though both were acts of killing, using a knife and using a gun were two completely different matters.

Even executioners who carried out the law of the land still held a sense of awe for life and death when wielding a blade.

In contrast, killing with a gun was simply too easy.

Jiang Xiaodao looked at the bunch of kids. Though he felt hatred in his heart, he couldn't bring himself to do it either.

"Then you do the old lady in first, and just lock these brats in here to fend for themselves... Besides, they... they don't want to go out anyway!"

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Feng immediately wailed, "Little Brother Jiang... what are you doing? I really don't understand, what deep hatred or bitter grudges do we have between us? Why do you insist on pushing me to my death? I'm just an old woman in the human-trafficking trade, how could I possibly ever retaliate against you?"

"When you were in the human-trafficking business, you should have expected this day!"

It didn't stem from justice; merely out of basic humanity, Jiang Xiaodao felt not a shred of sympathy for Old Madam Feng.

Yet these children...

"Sixth Uncle, why don't you do it!"

Guan Wei's eyes widened, and he hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no, no, Xiaodao, didn't you say you wouldn't need me to get my hands dirty!"

"Sixth Uncle is despicable and shameless, so such a wicked deed is best suited for you."

"No, no, no, Xiaodao, you are cold-blooded and ruthless. How could I dare steal the spotlight from you on such an atrocious act?"

"You do it, Sixth Uncle!"

"You do it, Xiaodao!"

"Enough, stop bickering!"

The voice came first, followed by the person. Gong Baonan crossed his arms, leaning against the doorway, and sighed, "The two of you go find Old Cui right now, I'll handle the cleanup!"

Hearing this, Guan Wei immediately clapped in praise, "Number Seven, it has to be you! I could tell all along, among all of us, you're the real beast!"

Jiang Xiaodao also felt a bit sheepish, so he walked over, wanting to butter him up with a few flattering words, "Seventh Uncle..."

"Get the hell lost!" Gong Baonan barked angrily, "A pair of useless wastes baring your teeth like stray curs, what big shots are you trying to pretend to be!"

This time, Jiang Xiaodao rarely held his temper, but as he left, he still refused to give Seventh Uncle a pleasant look. Muttering under his breath, he returned to the courtyard and drove the donkey cart out onto the street.

Seeing this, Guan Wei merely flashed a cheeky grin and said, "Number Seven, thanks for the hard work," before following Jiang Xiaodao toward the railway shantytown in the west of the city.

After the two left, Gong Baonan stood rooted at the doorway, scratching his head and sucking in his breath as he looked at the women and children inside the room, feeling immensely conflicted himself.

Seeing that he was dawdling and refused to strike, Old Madam Feng thought there was still room for negotiation, and she stood up tremblingly.

"This brother... could you, could you please pass a word to 'Sea Eagle Owl' for me..."

It would have been better if she had kept quiet, but with this chatter, Gong Baonan only felt his heart grow more irritated and chaotic. With a sudden, fierce sweep of his hand, a crisp *swish* rang out. No one knew what hidden blade he kept in his sleeve, but Old Madam Feng suddenly felt a chill at her neck. Instinctively reaching out to touch it, her fingers brushed against a hot, sticky liquid. Lowering her head to look, it was, of course, blood!

The old woman's eyes bulged wide open as she tried to speak, but only a gurgling sound came from her throat. Every time she attempted to open her mouth, fresh blood surged back up from her exposed windpipe. She knelt on the ground, struggled for a brief moment, and finally drowned in her own blood.

The children immediately burst into loud, wailing cries, sobbing bitterly, "Mom! Mom!"

"Stop your damn howling!" Gong Baonan stepped forward, delivered a few fierce kicks, and barked a stern command to silence them.

The group of children could only shrink back, casting fearful, sideways glances at Gong Baonan as they begged for mercy.

"Uncle, don't hit me, I was wrong! Don't hit me!"

"Dammit all!" Gong Baonan cursed, his mind in complete turmoil.

Several times he wanted to step forward and end the lives of these children, but just as many times he lost his nerve and backed away.

After wrestling with himself for a long time, Gong Baonan let out a long sigh, reached deep into his inner pocket, and fumbled around, searching for goodness knows what.

Thinking he was about to draw a weapon, the children cried out in terror, "Uncle, don't hit me! Don't hit me!"

"Shut up!" Gong Baonan extended his hand. In his palm lay none other than a few silver Dragon dollars. "Take this money. Whether you live or die is up to your own fate!"

Just as he was about to toss them away with feigned nonchalance, he suddenly felt a pang of heartache. After a moment's thought, he took back a few silver dollars, traded them for copper coins, weighed them in his hand for a moment, and muttered, "This should be just about enough."

The children on the ground blinked at him, even pushing back the money they had extended their hands for. They had never seen anyone like this.

"What are you staring at? Little brats shouldn't always be thinking about spending money, you need to be thrifty! Being so profligate makes it easy to learn bad habits, you know?"

Gong Baonan shot them a disdainful glare, tossed the copper coins onto the ground, and then turned around, walking away from Shopkeeper Feng's residence without ever looking back.

The children sat in a daze for a moment. Then, remembering their deceased "mom," they crawled over in tears once more, shaking her and crying out.

The space of a cup of tea later.

Crying until they were somewhat exhausted, the children felt their stomachs rumble with a chorus of groans, which suddenly reminded them that they hadn't yet eaten dinner.

Thus, clambering over one another, they dragged their crippled bodies and crawled toward the doorway.

Perhaps they had suffered too much torment; clearly, both Gouzi and Old Madam Feng were already dead, yet when they reached the threshold, not a single one of them dared to be the first to crawl outside.

After hesitating in this tangled dilemma for a moment, a faint rustling sound of clothing whipping in the wind suddenly whispered through the courtyard.

Followed closely by approaching footsteps. As the children raised their heads, they saw an unfamiliar yet hazy figure blocking the doorway.

Too frightened to make a sound, the hairs on the children's bodies stood on end all at once. They felt as though the figure before them was growing larger and larger, as if it would fill the entire room, until it swallowed them up completely.

Deep in the night, something seemed to be flowing, the sound very faint, yet spilling everywhere...