Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 78 Internal Response
In the dead of night, everyone in Peijia Village, young and old, was asleep, and all was peaceful.

A figure quietly pushed open the door and left the thatched hut.

The other refugees in the room, exhausted from a day's work, were fast asleep. One of them, hearing a noise, mumbled, "What are you doing?"

The figure paused: "I'll be right back after I relieve myself."

The half-asleep man grunted an "oh," turned over, and went back to sleep. Some time later, the door opened again. The refugee who had gone out to relieve himself had returned.

The next day, the displaced people went to work in the fields as usual. While resting to drink water, the thin man went to Feng Chang's side and whispered a few words: "...Old Fan is acting strange."

“He followed us down the mountain that day. We don’t know his true identity or background. He’s been almost silent these days and seems honest. But he’s sneaked out of the house twice in the middle of the night. Last night he went out and didn’t come back for more than half an hour.”

Feng Chang didn't turn around to look for Lao Fan's whereabouts. His expression remained unchanged, and his lips moved slightly: "Keep an eye on him. Let me know if there's anything unusual."

In the afternoon, Feng Chang went to the training ground and quietly reported the matter to Pei Qinghe.

Pei Qinghe was not surprised. The refugees in the mountains came from all walks of life, and many of them were complete strangers; their names and identities could be fabricated. It was not surprising that one or two treacherous spies were mixed in.

She took drastic measures from the start, intimidating all the refugees. The refugees had just begun to enjoy a stable life with enough to eat and wear, and they didn't want to leave, much less die. The shrewd ones would secretly keep an eye on suspicious people around them.

"Hold your positions and don't alert them." A cold glint flashed in Pei Qinghe's eyes. "Keep an eye on them for a while longer."

A few nights later, a dark figure stealthily slipped out of the house, hurried out of the village, and headed west.

About three miles outside the village, the dark figure stopped, looked around, let out a long breath, reached a tree, took out a hemp rope from his pocket, and wrapped it around the tree twice.

After finishing all that, the shadowy figure breathed a sigh of relief, smiled silently, and revealed a set of yellow teeth.

Just as the shadowy figure was feeling smug, a familiar girl's voice suddenly came from behind: "Old Fan, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

Old Fan felt as if he had been struck by lightning; his body went numb instantly, and a chill ran from his spine to his head. He didn't dare turn around to argue and immediately took off running.

Whoosh!
I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my left leg.

Old Fan let out a scream and fell heavily to the ground, blood streaming from his nose, and stars flashing before his eyes. The intense pain caused tears and snot to flow from his eyes, blurring them.

Footsteps approached unhurriedly, and the face of the Grim Reaper appeared above: "Light the torches, I'll get to the bottom of this right here."

Pei Yan and Pei Yun each lit a torch and stuck it between the trees. The man who shared a room with Lao Fan also arrived and stood with Feng Chang.

The thin man was even angrier than Pei Qinghe. He stepped forward and kicked Lao Fan hard, cursing, "Pah! You deserve to be cut into a thousand pieces!"

"Sixth Sister fed us, clothed us, and gave us clean houses. Without Sixth Sister, we would have all frozen and starved to death during those days of heavy snow. How dare you betray Sixth Sister!"

Old Fan's left leg was pierced through by a sharp arrow, and then he was kicked in the wound, causing him unbearable pain and screaming in agony.

It's clear that it's not a tough nut to crack.

Pei Qinghe stepped forward and coldly asked, "What's your surname and name? What's your background? Tell me honestly, and I'll give you a quick death."

Old Fan's lips trembled, as he tried to say something harsh. The next moment, a flash of light appeared, and his right leg was severed.

Another earth-shattering scream rang out.

Old Fan almost fainted from the pain.

"I'm giving you one last chance. Do you want a quick death, or to be sliced ​​to pieces?" The torchlight illuminated Pei Qinghe's murderous eyes: "Who sent you as an informant?"

Pei Qinghe raised the long knife in her hand. Old Fan's skull seemed to explode, and he screamed and begged for mercy: "I'll talk! I'll talk!"

"My surname is Fan, and I'm from Langya Village."

“Our boss has long coveted Peijia Village. However, Black Bear Stronghold was destroyed, and the Beiping Army’s flag is planted at the entrance of Peijia Village. Our boss dares not make any rash moves.”

"During the New Year, a large group of refugees from the mountains wanted to come down to Peijia Village. The eldest brother sent me to blend in with the refugees and go down the mountain to find out the situation in Peijia Village..."

Old Fan's right leg was severed and his left leg was pierced by an arrow, leaving him with no chance of escape. Under the intense pain, he spilled everything out like beans pouring from a bamboo tube.

“I use hemp rope to send messages. I sneak here at midnight, wrap the hemp rope around the tree twice. The next day, my accomplices will take a look from afar.”

"The two circles indicate that Peijia Village is not to be trifled with and should not be visited."

Pei Qinghe asked, "What signal is it to take action?"

Old Fan's pupils dilated, and he didn't answer immediately. Pei Qinghe sneered, and with a flash of her long sword, Old Fan's left arm was gone.

The thin man was so frightened that his legs trembled.

Feng Chang felt a chill run down his spine, but his feet remained firmly planted on the ground.

Gu Lian smelled the thick stench of blood without fear, her eyes flashing with excitement and fervor.

Pei Yan and Pei Yun were already used to it and didn't react. They each stared coldly at Old Fan, who was covered in blood. Old Fan was soaked in sweat and writhing in pain: "Hanging the hemp rope between the branches and letting it hang down means you can start doing something."

"Where is Langya Village located?"

"From here we enter the mountains, it takes five and a half days to walk up the mountain."

How many people are in the village?

"There are over three hundred bandits, more than Black Bear Stronghold. The leader has a scar on his forehead, nicknamed Scarface Wolf. He's ruthless and even more skilled than Black Bear. Wolf Fang Stronghold is located in a secluded spot; without a guide, outsiders have no idea where it is..."

Pei Qinghe kept her word, and after getting all the answers she needed to know, she promptly delivered a fatal blow to Lao Fan.

The next day, an old man, covered in blood, was found hanging under a tree north of the village.

The four team leaders, Pei Jia, Pei Yi, Gu Lian, and Feng Chang, each led a group of people to "observe" the scene up close.

"Everyone can see that this old Fan is an inside man sent by Langya Village."

"He mingled among the crowd, secretly sending messages to Wolf Fang Village, telling them to come and kill our people and steal our food."

"This time, it was Wang Erhe who discovered and reported the news in time, and made a great contribution. The Sixth Miss said that it would not implicate everyone, and she would even reward Wang Erhe with a bag of grain."

The thin Wang Erhe received the thick grain sack from Feng Chang, his face beaming with joy and excitement.

Don't underestimate this bag of grain. In times of famine, a bag of grain could be exchanged for two young women. It could even drive starving refugees to fight to the death.

More importantly, Wang Erhe, who discovered and reported the crime, saved everyone's lives and was richly rewarded. The positive encouragement and inspiration from this incident far outweighed the terror of Lao Fan being killed and hanged from the tree.

As the refugees tilled the fields, they secretly kept an eye on those around them, secretly hoping that they might be able to do the same as Wang Erhe, capturing an inside man and making a great contribution.

……

(End of this chapter)