Chapter 42: Stepping Forward

The Ax Gang had come to the village.

This worry had taken root in Li Mu’s heart several days earlier. In these troubled times, it was far too difficult for ordinary folk. The county town was infested with gangs, and commoners had no way to deal with them at all. They suffered oppression in every way, with their very lives hanging on the whim of a gangster.

Uncle Jiu had been hunted into Woniu Mountain, and as time passed with no word from him, it was likely he had escaped with his life. No matter how things stood, the Ax Gang had well and truly incurred Uncle Jiu’s wrath. If they couldn’t find him soon... the leaders of the gang would hardly dare to sleep with both eyes closed.

To be targeted by a true martial artist… no one could rest easy.

If Li Mu were the second-in-command of the Ax Gang, he too would do everything possible to flush Uncle Jiu out. And what means could he use? Only the family. Use the family to force Uncle Jiu to show himself!

When the Ax Gang hadn’t appeared in the last few days, Li Mu had relaxed a little, thinking that matters of the underworld would stay within the underworld, that even these gangs had some code against involving innocents. But now it seemed… he had been naïve. In a life-and-death struggle, who cared about rules?

Li Mu’s face darkened to the extreme, his mind spinning furiously. The Ax Gang’s power was undeniable—one of the four great firewood gangs of Wugong County, with at least several hundred, perhaps a thousand members, and even martial artists among their ranks.

Just imagining such a colossal force inspired a suffocating sense of dread. If the gang truly meant harm to Aunt Jiu, what could he do about it?

A cascade of thoughts flashed through his mind, but in the end, only one answer remained—run!

Take Aunt Jiu and flee.

Escape into the western mountains.

Or rather, to another county.

No, in truth, only another county would do. The western mountains teemed with wild beasts, and perhaps even demons; if they went in, never mind whether the Ax Gang could find them, just surviving in the deep forest would be a challenge for the two of them.

If they encountered a wild animal, they would likely perish in an instant.

He was only a village herdsboy, and Aunt Jiu but a peasant woman; neither of them had the skills to survive in the wild mountains.

So, their only option was to flee to another county.

The good news was that the Li family’s village lay by the river, and the villagers owned boats. If it truly came to fleeing, as long as they reached the boats, the Ax Gang would find it difficult to pursue them.

And once in another county, the Ax Gang might not wield such influence… After all, if Wugong County had so many gangs, surely the other counties did as well?

And those gangs would hardly tolerate the Ax Gang’s reach extending into their own territories.

Besides, their main motive for targeting Aunt Jiu was to use her as leverage to force Uncle Jiu out; Aunt Jiu herself wasn’t important to them.

If they truly escaped, the gang might not even pursue them so doggedly.

That was the sliver of hope.

But even so, there were many problems. For one, to leave one’s home was to become worthless. That was true even in his previous life; in this world, it was all the more so.

The situation in Wugong County was evidence enough of how hard life was here. Gangs, villages, all sorts of tangled relationships—only with backing could one survive.

In a strange county, unfamiliar with the people and the place, if anyone took a fancy to them, death was almost certain.

And even if they died, there would be no one to stand up for them. After all, the authorities cared for nothing here.

Who would risk themselves for an outsider?

Life on the run would bring endless troubles: food, clothing, shelter, every aspect. For now, he still had a little over a hundred taels of silver, so they could get by for a short while. But that money was a danger in itself—if anyone realized he was carrying such a large sum, and it was just him and Aunt Jiu, it would almost certainly lead to robbery and murder.

Hadn’t Li Erqi and Li Sanba been proof enough of that? And they were fellow villagers!

How much less could one trust strangers?

People in these times had no scruples when it came to outsiders!

Though he had the Demon Diagram, so he wasn’t entirely defenseless, the aftereffects of using it were severe...

He knew in his heart that, should they flee, the road ahead would be fraught with peril—survival would be a slim hope at best.

But if they did not flee, what then?

This was the Ax Gang!

Li Mu’s expression shifted wildly; ever since Fourth Uncle Li had mentioned the gang’s arrival, his mind had been racing, paying no attention to the conversation around him.

No matter how he turned it over, the only path to survival was to leave.

He could not let Aunt Jiu fall into the Ax Gang’s clutches.

He could not stand by.

Although, strictly speaking, this matter had little to do with him, Uncle Jiu had never treated him poorly, and Aunt Jiu had treated him like her own child!

Now, even knowing it might cost him his life, he could not simply look away.

If he did, even if he survived, he would never be able to face himself again.

Sometimes, one must act, no matter the cost.

Even if it meant near-certain death.

With that thought, Li Mu had made up his mind.

Go!

Take Aunt Jiu and leave!

No matter what happened to Uncle Jiu, he had to get Aunt Jiu to safety first.

As long as he was careful and relied on his Demon Diagram and his horseshoeing skills, even in a strange county, they would not be entirely without hope.

But if the Ax Gang caught them, their fate would be decided by the whims of others.

Li Mu had no intention of entrusting Aunt Jiu’s life to the possible mercy of gangsters.

Just as this decision solidified in his mind, Fourth Uncle Li tugged at his sleeve.

Li Mu snapped back to himself.

“Fourth Uncle—” he began.

But Fourth Uncle Li, his face grim, said, “Come, let’s go to the village entrance. The Ax Gang is already at the head of the village.”

Li Mu’s heart gave a jolt. He turned and realized he must have been lost in thought for too long; only he and Fourth Uncle were left in the room, the other villagers who’d come with them nowhere to be seen.

As he opened his mouth to speak, Fourth Uncle Li was already turning to Aunt Jiu and Sixth Aunt and the others, who looked utterly at a loss.

“You stay here. Don’t go outside,” he instructed.

Their faces were drawn, but they nodded quickly.

With that, Fourth Uncle Li dragged the protesting Li Mu outside, hurrying toward the village entrance.

When they reached the village head, Li Mu finally came to his senses, about to speak.

But at that moment, an angry voice resounded from the entrance. Instinctively, he looked over.

“The code of the underworld forbids dragging family into it!”

“The Ax Gang is a big name in the county—don’t you have any bottom line at all? Can’t find your real target so you harass innocent villagers?!”

“As for Jiu-ge’s business, I, Zhao Liu, have no say, so I’ll let that be. But I’ll say it here and now: none of you are to touch Jiu-ge’s family! If you do, don’t blame Old Zhao for throwing out the rulebook and going after your families in turn!”

“If you don’t believe me—try it!”

Outside the village, a crowd had gathered.

One group, dressed as woodcutters with axes at their waists, about twenty or thirty strong, were clearly from the Ax Gang.

On the other side stood a black-faced man, broad and burly, flanked by a band of equally imposing men. Their eyes were fierce, and they stood boldly, blocking the Ax Gang from entering the village.

Seeing Li Mu’s confusion, Fourth Uncle Li whispered, “That Zhao Liu is one of your Uncle Jiu’s men, very close to him. I’ve seen him at the firewood market with your uncle… Didn’t I tell you before, the Qinghe Gang has kept quiet, but it’s only Uncle Jiu’s men who’ve been stirring things up? Zhao Liu leads them!”

“He’s a man of deep loyalty… I’d guess Uncle Jiu really did make it out. The Ax Gang aren’t satisfied, so they’ve come here to block the way, hoping to use Aunt Jiu to force Uncle Jiu out…”

Fourth Uncle Li spoke through gritted teeth. “The Ax Gang, those butchers! They have no code at all!”

Li Mu’s face darkened at these words, his eyes fixed on the woodcutters.

Aunt Jiu…

No matter what, he could not let anything happen to her!

“What do we do now? Can Zhao Liu drive them off?” Li Mu asked in a low voice.

Fourth Uncle Li frowned at this, glancing strangely at Li Mu. “Why should Zhao Liu be the one to drive them off? If they’ve come to make trouble in Li Family Village, it’s up to us to face them… Here they come.”

At that moment, a commotion arose behind them. Li Mu turned—and was taken aback.

A crowd of villagers was marching out from the village, swelling toward them in a mighty wave.