The dozen or so people were clad in thick, long robes, their heads adorned with large leather hats, and their faces hidden behind ferocious-looking masks. They carried a large wooden box—one meter tall, one meter wide, and over two meters long—as they arrived at the entrance to the mountain valley.
Sui Donglan quickly burrowed into the bushes, covering her mouth. Tears streamed down her face as a warm, yellow liquid gushed down her trouser legs.
CLANG!
A few burly men set the large wooden box on the ground. They opened the lid, turned a crank, and a Big Horn, eighty centimeters in diameter, rose from inside the box.
The burly men glanced around, apparently checking if anyone else was nearby.
Sui Donglan bit her lip, remaining silent.
"Fortress Lord Zhou, are you at home?" Luo Dagui was calling out.
Suddenly, a voice boomed from the Big Horn, the vibrations making Sui Donglan’s chest ache.
Sui Donglan recalled the massacres committed by Flying Eagle Mountain; the sound had always been this loud, enough to scare people to death.
The gushing stopped.
"Fortress Lord Zhou, yesterday you discussed extending the payment deadline with me, and I agreed. I haven’t killed any of your people today!
But we need to be clear. You said you wanted to delay—how exactly do you propose to do that? You can’t produce ten thousand Ocean Dollars, but surely you have three thousand, right? Let me take three thousand today!"
Upon hearing this, the eyes of the Home Cultivators inside the fortress lit up.
Just as everyone was rejoicing, they heard a shout from outside the gate: "Fortress Lord Zhou, still no answer? Then I won’t be so polite!"
The Home Cultivators inside were terrified. Yet, no matter how scared, they remained in their houses, preferring to be crushed to death by falling rocks rather than abandon their homes.
Ma Dingfu stood silently in the middle of the road, waiting. He knew stones would be falling soon.
After a long wait, no stones fell.
Ma Dingfu was puzzled, and so was Luo Dagui standing outside the gate.
"I’m really not going to be polite now!" he bellowed again. Someone behind him turned the crank on the box, and the sound became much louder than before.
After a long time, still, no stones came.
Luo Dagui began to panic, realizing something might have gone wrong.
"Enough, Fortress Lord Zhou! I don’t want to spoil the harmony today. Three thousand Ocean Dollars—I’ll come for them tomorrow. In a few more days, I’ll come for another three thousand. If you keep stalling and refuse to pay, then we’ll revert to the old rules: one head from you people each day!"
Fortress Lord Zhou finally spoke, his voice amplified: "Cannon Head Luo, you’re vicious! I, Zhou, am afraid of you. Tomorrow, I will have the three thousand Ocean Dollars delivered to you."
The Home Cultivators inside the fortress were dumbfounded.
Sui Donglan was also puzzled. She had always assumed Fortress Lord Zhou negotiated with Luo Dagui face-to-face, but she hadn’t seen Fortress Lord Zhou anywhere; she had only heard his voice.
Luo Dagui waved his hand, signaling for his men to leave quickly.
Sui Donglan breathed a long sigh of relief, thinking this disaster had passed.
CLATTER-CLANG, CLATTER-CLANG!
Hearing the clattering, Sui Donglan wet herself again.
Li Banfeng arrived before them, a sack on his back, shaking a rattle-drum.
"Don’t be in such a hurry to leave," Li Banfeng said, earnestly trying to negotiate. "Let’s discuss this further. One head a day is too many. How about one every two days?"
Luo Dagui was startled and shouted, "Who are you?"
"A Peddler!" Li Banfeng replied with a smile. "I see the people in Iron Gate Fort are honest folk, not very good at negotiating. I’ll bargain on their behalf. One head every two days—what do you think?"
Luo Dagui said nothing, but the dozen or so burly men beside him all drew their Weapons.
Li Banfeng grinned. "Since you’re not saying anything, I’ll take that as a ’yes’. Go on, count them. See how many days these heads will cover!"
He tossed the sack to the ground, and eleven human heads spilled out.
Li Banfeng added, "One every two days, that covers twenty-two days. Cannon Head Luo, my accounting is correct, isn’t it?"
Luo Dagui shouted, "Get him!"
The dozen or so burly men charged at Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng swung his Sickle at one man’s face. The man leaned back sharply to dodge.
Li Banfeng twisted his wrist, and the Sickle swept out horizontally, slitting the man’s throat.
Li Banfeng called out loudly, "Open the gate! Let’s fight them!"
He was close to the Big Horn, which was still amplifying sound. Everyone inside the fort heard Li Banfeng clearly: he was calling for them to open the gate.
Wu Yongchao heard it clearly from inside his house.
The House Spirit said, "When he first said he’d call for the gate to be opened, I thought he meant our house gate! Who knew he meant the fort’s main gate? What should we do?"
That was the stubborn conviction of a Home Cultivator.
"No! Don’t be rash! Watch out for your Fortress Lord!"
"I have to open the gate for him!" Wu Yongchao declared, then rushed outside, heading straight for the boiler room.
Ma Dingfu was startled and yelled, "What do you think you’re doing?"
"Open the gate! Fight the bandits!"
"No! I’m telling you, this is wrong! Without the Fortress Lord’s command, no one is allowed to—" Ma Dingfu trailed off, quietly following Wu Yongchao, a dagger clutched in his hand.