Seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune: Starting with death row inmates

Dogtooth Mountain, as its name suggests, is characterized by its jagged, rugged terrain.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter." The short sound of hooves echoed from the valley, and two figures, one black and one red, were rapidly approaching the foot of the mountain.

From the watchtower, the bandits on guard immediately spotted the two uninvited guests and loudly demanded, "Who goes there?"

"Remove your armor quickly, show your face." Qin Pi uttered a coded phrase familiarly, and the bandits above immediately trembled, respectfully calling out, "Master Qin."

The henchmen guarding the gate greeted Qin Pi with utmost respect, saying, "Master Qin is back!"

"Master Qin, please dismount!" A fawning man knelt down beneath Qin Pi's horse to serve as his stool.

"Get out of my way, I have legs." Qin Pi kicked the bandit who was kneeling on the ground and offering to be his stool. "Go help my brother off his horse, he's weak."

The bandits then noticed Shen Chen behind Qin Pi and rushed to help him off his horse, saying, "Sir, please be careful not to fall."

Shen Chen did indeed need someone to help him at this moment. He hadn't ridden a horse much before, and his body was really weak. After riding for a day and a night, he felt like his thighs were about to turn into sticks.

As the bandits helped Shen Chen up, they bombarded him with questions about his background: "What is your surname, sir?"

"My surname is Shen."

"Are you in the same cell as Master Qin?"

I guess so.

"Hehe, you're really lucky. Master Qin must have gone to a lot of trouble to get you out here, right?"

Shen Chen smiled but didn't explain anything: "Indeed, I was able to escape thanks to Brother Qin."

The defenses of the Dogtooth Mountain stronghold were extremely formidable. The entire area around the stronghold was riddled with traps, and a deep ditch was dug around the sharpened bamboo walls. Only a wooden bridge led into the stronghold.

"Lower the bridge! Master Qin is back!" a henchman shouted from the other side of the chasm.

A wooden bridge on the opposite bank was slowly raised and lowered, steadily spanning the chasm.

Qin Pi led Shen Chen into the mountain village. The village was peaceful and quiet. Some people were forging iron, and others were leading oxen to plow the fields. If it weren't for the tattoos that criminals had on everyone's bodies, it would have been an ordinary village.

"Boss Qin!" Several men greeted Qin Pi from a distance.

Qin Pi patted Shen Chen on the shoulder: "Come on, let's go see the brothers in the mountain stronghold."

A moment later, five men sat down on the ground by the roadside and began to talk loudly.

A thin man wearing a headscarf smiled and said to Qin Pi, "We were just about to go to the jail to rescue you, but we didn't expect you to fight your way out of there yourself. Master Qin, your skills have improved recently."

"Hehe, my kung fu hasn't improved much, I just met a benefactor." Qin Pi patted Shen Chen's shoulder, cleared his throat, and solemnly said, "Let me introduce my new sworn brother, 'Ghost Calculator' Shen Chen, to all of you brothers."

Uh, I don't really like this nickname...

With an awkward yet polite smile, Shen Chen greeted the three bandits: "Greetings, esteemed brothers."

The three of them then introduced themselves to Shen Chen, calling themselves "Iron Arhat Chen Tie".

"Mighty Boxing King II"

"The Sky-Soaring Monkey Waits for the Bright Day."

Shen Chen suddenly felt that the nickname Qin Pi had given him was not bad. When he heard the words "Skyrocket," he almost couldn't suppress his smile.

"It's an honor to meet you." Shen Chen politely clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute.

Wang Er sized up Shen Chen, then hesitantly asked, "Judging from what Master Qin said, it was Brother Shen who rescued him from prison?"

Faced with Wang Er's question, you choose—

[Good fortune: A humble answer, emphasizing the importance of the Qinpi (a type of bark), auspicious.]

[Unfavorable divination: Answer truthfully, emphasizing your own importance. Your description makes several people suspect that you deliberately cooperated with the government during the escape, using Qin Pi to sneak into the mountain stronghold. Ominous.]

Shen Chen smiled and said, "That's not the case. We're cooperating to survive. Without Master Qin, I wouldn't have been able to escape on my own."

He then briefly recounted how he helped Qin Pi escape from prison, but focused more on Qin Pi himself, emphasizing his role in combat: "Fortunately, Master Qin knocked out the man, and with me, we crawled into a wine barrel and followed the Semu people's caravan out of the city..."

"Master Qin is both wise and brave, truly remarkable." All three looked at Qin Pi with admiration. Based on Shen Chen's description, Qin Pi truly deserved the title of "both wise and brave."

Qin Pi waved his hand: "The idea was all from Brother Shen, I'm not that smart."

"Master Qin is too modest." The others took it as Qin Pi being modest and laughed, "The chieftain must have already heard the news of your return. He will prepare a welcome-back feast for you later."

"Alright, let's go see the chieftain first, we'll talk later." After saying goodbye to the others, Qin Pi and Shen Chen headed to the high-rise building where the chieftain lived.

"Brother Shen, have you heard of the name of the chieftain of Dog Tooth Mountain?" Qin Pi asked.

Shen Chen had seen the wanted posters in the county many times. The chief of Quanya Mountain, Hu Mazi, was nicknamed "Sun-Swallowing Dog". It was said that he had three heads and six arms, a mouth full of fangs, and his face was covered with pockmarks.

He told Qin Pi the rumors, and Qin Pi laughed and said, "It's not that strange. The chieftain is just an ordinary person. He was a scholar in the county in his early years, but his family fell into poverty and life became increasingly difficult... Later, he was bullied by a local tyrant, and in a fit of rage, he killed someone and became an outlaw..."

Upon hearing this, Shen Chen couldn't help but sigh, "If there were a peaceful life to live, who would want to become a bandit?"

Qin Pi nodded: "That's exactly right."

He said, "Our stronghold has over a thousand people, with eighty-seven minor leaders and twelve major leaders. Brother Shen, do you know why I personally took you to see the chieftain?"

Shen Chen knew perfectly well what was going on, and he smiled and said, "Could it be that Brother Qin wants to recommend me to be the chief?"

"Dream on," Qin Pi laughed and scolded. "You think you can be my equal just by entering the stronghold? If you want to be a leader, you'd better at least be on the list of heroes."

"I'd like you to start as a small leader, managing seven or eight people," Qin Pi said. "Brother Shen, with your intelligence, I'm certain you'll be on the list of heroes in three to five years."

Is this a curse that I'll definitely become the most wanted criminal within three to five years?

Shen Chen mentally complained, and then followed Qin Pi into a house that was clearly one floor higher than the surrounding houses.

"Brother Hu, I'm back!" Qin Pi shouted as soon as he entered the door.

Four men were sitting in the room. The one in the main seat in the center was a fair-skinned, handsome middle-aged man. Upon seeing Qin Pi, he asked calmly, "Heh, Seventh Brother, long time no see. How was it in prison?"

Qin Pi gave an awkward laugh: "It really doesn't feel good."

"Hmph, they won't listen to me. They'll only learn their lesson after experiencing the hardships of prison." Hu Muzhi sneered, then turned his gaze to Shen Chen next to Qin Pi. "And this is?"