Grass and mustard reign supreme

Chapter 12 The Secret You Shouldn't Hear
The arrival of Yi She and his group only slightly delayed the team's camping process.

As the sun began to set, the campsite was finally set up.

As a steward, Yi is only slightly inferior to Suo Chanzhi in this team, so he naturally deserves to have a large tent.

The tent had just been set up when Leopard Head Cheng Dakuan came to request an audience.

He was the commander of the Yu family's wedding procession, and he and Yang Can, the best man, were one civil official and the other military officer in the team.

Logically speaking, since Yi She, as the representative of the Yu family, had come to take charge of the overall situation, there was no reason not to see him.

However, when the message was sent in, Steward Yi only uttered two words: "Not to be seen."

Leopard Head was stunned, standing there dumbfounded, at a loss for what to do.

Even though he was just a rough martial artist, he knew exactly what Deacon Yi's attitude meant.

In the end, are they going to make an example of me?

At this moment, Yang Can walked towards the main tent of Yi She, or more precisely, towards Leopard Head.

"Mr. Yang!"

"Mr. Yang!"

Whenever they encountered Yang Can's Yu family members on the road, those who were in a hurry would stop to make way for Yang Can, showing the utmost courtesy.

Those who were cooking would drop the firewood in their hands, immediately stand up, and greet Yang Can warmly, giving him a respectful look.

Although Yang Can's actions in confronting the Suo family were based on somewhat dubious reasons, they did give the Yu family, who had been feeling aggrieved, a chance to vent their anger.

Despite the fact that Leopard Head had previously led them in a fierce battle with the Suo family, even if the fight was intense, it was still a matter between the servants of the two families.

Mr. Yang's challenge to the Suo family is something they can't help but admire.

Yang Can nodded to each of them and slowly walked to Leopard Head's side.

Leopard Head clenched his fists, still standing there straight, his face indescribably ugly.

"Da Kuan, why are you here?"

Upon hearing Yang Can's words, Leopard Head slowly turned his stiff neck and forced a smile at Yang Can.

“Master Yang, Steward Yi… he refuses to see me.”

Leopard Head tried hard to appear carefree and to make his tone somewhat self-deprecating.

But as soon as he finished speaking, he almost burst into tears, his voice tinged with a hint of grievance.

This burly man, despite his rugged appearance, was indeed somewhat sentimental at heart.

Yang Can asked in confusion, "Deacon Yi, why won't you see me? You are the commander of our eldest son's guards. Don't you want to hear what you have to say about the young master's death?"

"Ha ha……"

Leopard Head gave a bitter laugh; of course he understood such a simple truth.

Yang Can pondered for a moment and said, "Since Steward Yi refuses to see you, perhaps it's because the matter you committed is too serious, and Steward Yi can't cover it up."

Leopard Head said in grief and indignation, "The young master is dead, which is of course a huge matter, but... although I am responsible for failing to protect my master, there were reasons for it."

Yang Can sighed and said, "If someone of higher status than Deacon Yi has already convicted you and there is no room for reconciliation, then Deacon Yi naturally has no need to see you again or listen to what you have to say."

Upon hearing this, Leopard Head turned ashen-faced.

The only person with a higher status than Steward Yi could be the clan leader.

Although the senior deacons of external affairs are also divided into first, second, and third ranks, this is only based on their strength and status in the eyes of the clan leader.

They are not subordinate to each other.

Leopard Head's gaze was like a dying ember, slowly turning gray.

"Da Kuan, if you want to live, there is only one way now..."

Leopard Head trembled and asked urgently, "What method?"

Yang Can glanced around, said nothing, and strolled leisurely past Leopard Head.

Cheng Dakuan was stunned for a moment, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration and hurriedly chased after him.

……

After settling in, Steward Yi ordered his men to bring the bandit to the capital.

Accompanying Steward Yi in interrogating the bandits were Granny Tu and Yang Can.

Cheng Da Kuan brought some guards to be responsible for perimeter security.

Yi She was a retainer of the Yu family. If he didn't even know the details of the person who killed the young master, and only brought the person back to Phoenix Manor, then he was derelict in his duty.

If the clan leader has to do everything personally, then what's the point of having you?
As the representative of the Suo family, Granny Tu was naturally required to be present during this interrogation.

The bandit was hanging from a large tree at the foot of the mountain. Judging from his appearance, he was about thirty years old.

His forehead was covered with dried blood clots mixed with his tangled hair, and half of his right ear was missing, but it was an old wound.

The cut under his ribs was from the attack on the camp a few days ago.

By this time, Steward Yi's guards had already subjected him to several rounds of torture, leaving him with numerous wounds that were a horrifying sight.

The bandit, panting heavily, revealed a set of uneven, yellow teeth: "Please...please...give me a quick death, and I...I'll give you my life in return."

His voice was extremely weak, and he did not receive proper treatment after being injured.

Now he has suffered many tortures, and the fingernails of all ten of his hands are bloody and turned outwards, with more than ten tree branches stuck in his body.

The branches were all taken from the trees and broken off without even being sharpened; they were driven into his body with thorns still attached. A burly man who was administering the torture wiped the blood splattered on his face and turned to report to Yi She: "Deacon Yi, this thief is very stubborn and won't give in."

"It's alright, then continue with the torture."

Yi She said calmly, "There are many people who are not afraid of death. But very few who can endure torture."

Yi She lifted his robe and sat down imposingly on a large rock, looking at the bandit: "I hope I can broaden my horizons today."

The bandit gave a bitter laugh, his voice extremely hoarse.

"No... I refused to confess, it's just that even if I did confess... it wouldn't have mattered."

The bandits of Longshang had neither a fixed residence nor a fixed leader.

What kind of people can I recruit?

There are many bandits in Longshang, but their groups are all small.

This is because the Longshang region is sparsely populated, and the people there live by plundering. If there were too many people, it would be impossible for them to survive.

Therefore, the bandit gangs in Longshang were all very small, and there were even many lone swordsmen.

In such places, it's unrealistic to establish a mountain stronghold; the only option is to commit crimes while on the move, and the gang must be small.

However, precisely because Longshang is a vast and sparsely populated area, people mostly live in groups, and the caravans that come here for business are also protected by a strong force.

At this point, if the target is a tough nut to crack, the bandits have to temporarily "team up" together.

The bandits who make up the large gangs also include smaller groups and lone swordsmen; they are a group of temporarily assembled teams with extremely complex composition.

This is exactly what the bandit was describing.

Yi She said, "You don't need to worry about that. You just need to tell me who sent you."

The bandit said weakly, "We...we're just bandits, we only rob and plunder, do we need...someone to assign us tasks?"

Yi She laughed heartily and slowly stood up: "The Suo family is marrying off their daughter, and the Yu family is welcoming the bride. Which of these parties is someone you mere bandits can afford to offend?"

Even if you didn't scout things out beforehand and weren't aware of our strength, seeing such a large guard should have made your decision clear, right?

Yi She slowly walked up to the bandit, lifted his chin with his riding whip, and said in a deep voice, "I'll ask you one more time, who exactly ordered you to come here?"

The bandit laughed bitterly, "I...I really have nothing to say. Just kill me."

"Death is not scary, because if you hold on until you die, you've made it to the end."

Yi She stared into the bandit's eyes and sneered, "But the pain of torture has no end!"

Yi She slowly stepped back a few paces and gently waved his hand.

A guard brought over a bucket of water mixed with honey and poured it over the bandit's head with a "whoosh".

The bandit was already covered in wounds, and after the honey water was poured on his wounds, various insects and ants from the surrounding grass crawled onto him in no time.

Soon, the bandit's eyes widened and he began to tremble violently.

He writhed and thrashed like a fish on a hook, emitting inhuman howls.

Finally, even Yang Can, the bystander, couldn't bear the piercing screams any longer, and the bandit, his eyes rolling back and his whole body trembling, collapsed.

"I'll talk, I'll talk, please give me a quick death, give me a quick death."

Yi She waved his hand, and two guards each brought a bucket of river water, splashing it onto the bandits with a "whoosh".

The bandit temporarily relieved his near-madness and began to breathe heavily.

Yi She stood in front of the bandits again and calmly said, "Speak. As long as you tell me, I will give you a quick death."

The bandit, barely breathing, said, "It was...it was Yu Huanhu from the second branch of the Yu family..."

"Shut up!" Yi She's expression suddenly changed.

Before she could hear clearly, Granny Tu instinctively stepped forward and asked, "Steward Yi, what did he say?"

Yi She did not answer. He hurriedly stepped forward and tore a bloodstained strip of cloth off the bandit with a "hiss".

Yi She didn't mind the filth; he quickly rolled up the strip of cloth, pinched the bandit's cheeks, and stuffed the cloth into his mouth.

"Someone, give him the best wound medicine. Make sure he reaches Tianshui alive!"

Yi She gave the order in a stern voice, the muscles at the corners of his eyes twitching with uncontrollable excitement.

Granny Tu asked in confusion, "Steward Yi, what did he say?"

Yi She did not answer, but instead ordered sternly, "Apply medicine and bandage his wounds immediately."

The guards agreed and immediately got to work.

Yang Can's position wasn't exactly close, but it wasn't far either.

He was positioned further away than Granny Tu, but whether intentionally or unintentionally, he was standing downwind.

The evening breeze blowing through the mountains was a little stronger at this moment, and although the bandit's voice was weak and feeble, he still heard the three most crucial words.

Yu Huanhu!
Yang Can had only been Yu Chengye's advisor for a little over six months, and he had never met Yu Huanhu.

But he had long heard of Yu Huanhu's great reputation.

Yu Jia is a name that everyone and everything has to deal with.

Yu Huanhu, the head of the second branch of the Yu family, the younger brother of the head of the Yu clan, and the second master of the Yu family.

This is... an uncle killing his nephew?
Yang Can was also greatly shocked!

PS: Congratulations to Brother Han on becoming the Alliance Leader! I'll get up first thing tomorrow morning to kill Old Butcher! ^-^
(End of this chapter)