Chapter 32 Leave No Survivors

Liu Zongmin picked a yam from the fire and tossed it to Li Yi.

Li Yi peeled it and took a bite. It was bitter and astringent, making him long for the taste of roasted sweet potatoes.

After eating the yam while it was still hot, his body warmed up, and his hands no longer felt stiff.

"Brother Li Yi, earlier Brother Li mentioned you'd offended the county magistrate—what happened there?" Liu Zongmin asked curiously.

Li Yi brushed the snow off his clothes and recounted how the Ai family had oppressed him. When he spoke of Magistrate Yan Zibin colluding with the Ai family, Liu Zongmin's face was filled with anger. And when Li Yi described how he had berated Yan Zibin, produced evidence to silence him, and forced the Ai family to admit their wrongdoing, Liu Zongmin cheered with satisfaction.

He gritted his teeth and spat, "Those corrupt officials and wealthy bullies—there's not a good one among them."

"Brother Liu, why do you insist on opposing the authorities?" Li Yi asked.

Liu Zongmin lowered his head, clearly recalling something painful. After a while, he spoke in a low voice, "When I was five, my father was hounded for taxes by the authorities and hanged himself in despair. Our house and land were seized by officials and local gentry. My mother and I became beggars, with nowhere to go. One winter, my mother gave me the last piece of bread, and when I woke the next morning, I found her dead from starvation by my side."

At this, tears welled in the eyes of the burly man, showing how deeply this memory pained him.

Li Yi stepped forward and patted his shoulder, sighing, "No wonder you hate the authorities so much. To have suffered such misfortune..."

Liu Zongmin's eyes blazed with hatred. He sneered, "This time, when they tried to extort more taxes and donations, I refused and called on many people to resist. They paraded me through the streets to shame me, hoping I'd give in. But I'd rather die than let them win. I wish I could eat their flesh and drink their blood!"

Li Yi could hear the burning resentment in Liu Zongmin's voice.

No wonder, in later years, when Li Zicheng was at his wit's end, Liu Zongmin would kill his own wife to spur Li Zicheng on to break out and rally again.

Looking at Liu Zongmin, Li Yi asked, "You just barely escaped with your life, and you still dare defy the authorities?"

Liu Zongmin glared. "Why not? At worst, I'll come back as a hero in another eighteen years."

Li Yi shook his head and said gravely, "And what will that accomplish besides throwing your life away?"

"You called on everyone to resist the taxes, but the authorities can always find a pretext to parade you through the streets. If you die in prison, the others will only grow afraid and agree to pay. Wouldn't your death be in vain?"

"And the corrupt officials who orchestrated this will remain untouched, perhaps even prosper, go on to oppress more people, and drive more to their deaths."

"So your death would be meaningless in the end—just an example to cow the rest."

Li Yi laid out the harsh reality for Liu Zongmin.

Liu Zongmin had only acted out of anger, never thinking it through. Now, understanding this, his expression turned sour.

"If that's how it is, I should just kill those corrupt officials myself—that would at least feel satisfying!"

"Perhaps you'll get your wish today," Li Yi replied with a faint smile. He stood and walked over to the mule cart, gazing into the distance.

Liu Zongmin looked up and saw seven or eight archers approaching quickly. They wore gray robes under red cotton armor, felt hats on their heads, and each carried weapons—they were clearly up to no good.

At their head was Inspector Xu, whom Li Yi had seen before at the checkpoint, and behind him, the archer whom Li Yi had offended by rescuing the charcoal seller and his daughter.

Inspector Xu waved, and the men spread out, moving into a semicircle to surround them.

"Master Xu, it's that boy there who humiliated me. I saw him bribe Secretary Zheng to release Liu Zongmin," the archer who had clashed with Li Yi said, making everything clear.

Inspector Xu glared at Liu Zongmin, his face fierce. "Liu Zongmin, you assaulted officials, resisted taxes, and insulted the magistrate. Now you dare to break out of jail and flee? Surrender at once!"

Liu Zongmin replied, "Secretary Zheng released me. Does that mean you'll arrest him too?"

Inspector Xu sneered, "That's not what Secretary Zheng said."

A bad feeling crept over Liu Zongmin as he looked at Inspector Xu.

With a mocking grin, Inspector Xu continued, "Secretary Zheng claims your companion here forced and bribed him, and then bribed Gao Yigong to get you out."

"That scoundrel!" Liu Zongmin seethed with rage.

"Secretary Zheng specifically instructed me to bring back your head for the reward. Dead men tell no tales," said Inspector Xu, stroking his sword hilt with a cruel smile.

As the archers closed in, Liu Zongmin clenched his fists.

He stepped forward and said loudly, "I'll go with you. Just don't trouble my friend here."

The archer who bore a grudge against Li Yi piped up obsequiously, "Master Xu, that boy looks like a pauper, but he spent six or seven taels of silver shopping in town."

Inspector Xu nodded, his smile broadening. "So he turns out to be a fat sheep. As usual: kill them, and sell off their goods."

With that, he drew his sword and barked, "Leave no survivors!"

Liu Zongmin, full of indignation, said to Li Yi, "Run! I'll hold them off—don't worry about me!"

Hearing this, Li Yi couldn't help but laugh.

Liu Zongmin, anxious and bewildered, wondered how he could laugh at such a moment.

"Hide yourself. Leave this to me," Li Yi said, stepping forward.

The archers, already itching for action, surged ahead. A burly archer thrust a spear at Li Yi with a vicious glare.

Li Yi wasted no time. He gripped his Tiger Fang spear and swept it sideways, meeting the spear head-on. The burly archer felt his arm go numb—the spear wrenched from his grasp. Shocked, before he could react, the cold gleam of Li Yi's spear pierced his throat, blood spurting and staining the snow.

The archer's eyes widened in disbelief as he collapsed.

Inspector Xu was stunned—this was his bravest subordinate, and he hadn't even survived a single exchange.

"Li Yi, you've dared to kill a government agent. Aren't you afraid of being wanted by the authorities?" he shouted.

Li Yi sneered, "As long as I kill you all, no one will know."

The words chilled the hearts of the archers.

"Kill him!" Inspector Xu roared.

The archers rushed in.

"I'll help you, Li Yi!" Liu Zongmin shouted, face flushed with fury, swinging an iron hammer as he charged.

Li Yi swept his spear, forcing the archers back. The spearpoint plunged into the campfire, sending burning logs flying. The archers yelped as they were scorched, chaos breaking out among them.

Li Yi seized the moment. He stepped forward, spear thrust out, piercing another archer's chest.

In a life-or-death fight, there was no room for hesitation. His spear struck ruthlessly. His footwork shifted, sweeping the spear tip to slice open another man's throat—the blood sprayed, leaving only a resentful corpse.

Inspector Xu, seeing three of his men fall in an instant, was shaken to the core.

Realizing he could not let Li Yi run rampant, he charged in with his sword, slashing viciously at Li Yi's back.

Li Yi sidestepped, twisting his waist and spinning the spear shaft to force back the archers, then kicked Inspector Xu in the chest.

But Inspector Xu was no ordinary foe. He swung his sword at Li Yi's head, hoping to kill him even at the cost of injury.

Li Yi was not about to let him succeed. He spun the spear shaft, striking the sword. Inspector Xu's palm throbbed with pain—he realized Li Yi's strength was immense.

Seeing Li Yi's kick incoming, Inspector Xu, in desperation, grabbed a nearby archer and pulled him in front as a shield.

It happened to be the same archer who had clashed with Li Yi.

Li Yi's powerful kick sent the archer flying into Inspector Xu, knocking him to the ground. Inspector Xu felt his right leg break under the weight, pain shooting through him.

When he managed to get up, the archer who had shielded him lay on the ground, chest caved in, blood streaming from nose and mouth—life already gone.

The sight made Inspector Xu break out in a cold sweat, grateful just to still be alive.

He had served in the army for over twenty years, fighting on battlefields and ambushing caravans, but never had he met an opponent like Li Yi.

It felt as if he faced not a young man, but a living demon, a killer without mercy.

Meanwhile, Liu Zongmin, wielding his iron hammer, was locked in combat with another archer. Though strong, his hammer was slow; he was soon wounded, struggling to hold out.

Li Yi, having fought hard to recruit this talent, would not abandon him.

Without hesitation, Li Yi stepped forward, swept his spear in a crescent, scattering the remaining attackers. As an archer was about to strike down Liu Zongmin, Li Yi's spear pierced the man's throat.

Li Yi drew back his spear, blood spraying onto Liu Zongmin's face. Liu Zongmin looked up to see the archer's wide, resentful eyes, then glanced at Li Yi, spear in hand, expression cold.

Was this still the humble, gentle Li Yi?

Of the eight fierce attackers, only three remained.

The surviving archers, terrified, tried to back away.

Inspector Xu, pale with fear, wanted to flee, but his broken leg made escape impossible.

So he could only brandish his sword and shout, "No retreat! Anyone who runs, I'll kill him myself!"

The archers, cowed by Inspector Xu's sword, wore looks of terror.

Li Yi ignored them—these men were no longer a threat.

He tore a strip from his clothing and began binding Liu Zongmin's wounds. But the injuries were deep, and the dark blood kept flowing, soon soaking through the cloth. This filled Li Yi with anger, his eyes hard and cold.

He picked up his spear and strode toward the remaining archers.

Seeing Li Yi's grim and murderous expression, the archers finally broke, fleeing in all directions with cries of terror.

Inspector Xu struck down one of his own, but the other archers ran faster.

Li Yi chased after one, his spear flashing, piercing the fleeing man's chest and tossing him aside.

Amid the corpses of his men, Inspector Xu gripped his sword, glaring coldly at Li Yi. But the trembling of his body and the rigidity of his face betrayed his terror and despair.

Li Yi slowly approached, his eyes like ice.

"What do you want, Li Yi? Money? Women? I can give you anything—just spare my life," Inspector Xu begged, his arrogance gone, voice hoarse with fear.

Li Yi shook his head, tightened his grip on the spear, and fixed Inspector Xu with a cold stare. "Have you forgotten what you said at the start?"

Inspector Xu tried to speak, but in the next instant, the spear tip stabbed up through his jaw. His eyes widened as he collapsed heavily to the ground.

Li Yi flicked the blood from his Tiger Fang spear, crimson splattering onto the white snow.

"No survivors," Li Yi murmured.

At that moment, the howling wind seemed to die away.

Liu Zongmin gazed at the corpses scattered across the ground, his expression complex as he looked at Li Yi.

All these archers were former border soldiers, tyrants in Mizhi County whom none dared provoke. Yet in less than half an hour, Li Yi alone had wiped them all out.

Had he not witnessed it himself, he would never have believed it.