I used the Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) to fight the Japanese.

That's right, the two of them spent the night at Zhang Youcai's house. When Zaohua heard that they were going to steal medicine from the Japanese hospital, she became anxious. "You're really bold to steal from the Japanese camp!"

“Manxin is injured and needs penicillin to save his life. The Japanese have suffered heavy casualties this time. As long as we keep an eye on those wounded Japanese soldiers, we will definitely be able to find penicillin. Don’t try to persuade us otherwise. The Mo Dao Regiment also needs some medical personnel. We must make up for this deficiency this time,” Mancang said.

"But... sigh! Since you've thought it through, I won't try to persuade you anymore. I just want to go with you! If we can find a place where the Japanese can treat their injuries, it will be easier for me, a girl, to do things! You can't refuse!" Zao Hua made up her mind to go with them, after all, it would be easier for her to do things in the hospital since she was a woman.

"This...do your parents agree? Girl, you haven't been back for years. It wouldn't be good to make them worry as soon as you come back! Don't worry, the two of us are enough. The more people who go to steal, the easier it is to be exposed!" Mancang still didn't want her to go, after all, the more people there were, the greater the risk of being exposed!

"Well... okay! But you have to promise me you'll be careful! And I'll rejoin the team as soon as you guys come back!" Zao Hua said.

This time, Mancang didn't object. After the three of them finished eating, the two brothers went to their guest room to rest. Of course, they weren't really going to rest; the Japanese hadn't returned yet, and they needed to keep an eye on the movements on the street. But their smoky, disheveled appearance wouldn't do; they had to tidy themselves up properly.

After a while of fussing, the two emerged refreshed and strolled around the city gate.

Not far from the city gate, there was a pavilion where several old men sat chatting, fanning themselves with banana leaf fans.

"Have you heard? Today, someone fought with the Japanese in Yuguan Town! They killed a lot of Japanese soldiers!"

"Killed a lot of Japanese soldiers? How is that possible? Were Japanese soldiers so easy to kill?"

"That's right! The Japanese soldiers are far more powerful than ordinary civilians; even the regular army is no match for them! I heard that on average, killing one Japanese soldier requires the loss of two or more Nationalist soldiers!"

"Of course it's true! My nephew came back from there this afternoon and told me that he saw it with his own eyes! There were a lot of Japanese soldiers lying in the fields. Their weapons had all been taken away. Many of them were disemboweled and their limbs were missing. It was a terrible sight!"

"Huh?... Good riddance! All the Japanese devils should be dead!"

"I haven't heard who did it. Who has such great ability?"

"The Mo Dao Group! The people of Yangshuzhuang all say it was a group of young men called the Mo Dao Group who did it! They were using bows and arrows and long swords! But we've never actually seen them."

"Really? That thing can kill Japanese soldiers?"

"Of course! The key to fighting the Japanese is people. If you have guts, you can kill the Japanese with a kitchen knife! If you don't have guts, even with airplanes and cannons, you'll still be chased around by the Japanese!"

"What kind of group is this Mo Dao Regiment? Is it a guerrilla force?"

"It's hard to say! Nobody had ever heard of a Mo Dao (陌刀) group before!"

"Who cares what kind of regiment it is? As long as it can fight the Japanese, it's a good regiment!"

The group became more and more excited as they talked, as if they were about to chat all night long!

Life is so hard for people in this era; even the slightest bit of good news can make them so excited that they can't sleep.

Just as all the shops on the street were closing, the city gates opened, and a troop of Japanese soldiers slowly walked in. Each soldier was wrapped in bandages; some carried stretchers, others limped in, supporting each other. Many more were shirtless, and the smell of disinfectant wafted from them. Several medical personnel in white coats followed the stretchers, their hands constantly busy with something.

"Baka! What are you looking at? If you keep looking, you'll all die!" a Japanese officer shouted at the old man under the pavilion.

The old men dared not make a sound and quickly got up to go home. At the same time, the shops on the street hurriedly closed their doors, fearing that they would be targeted by the Japanese.

The Japanese soldiers walked for quite a while before crossing the street. The two brothers, Mancang and Manxiang, emerged from a passage and followed the Japanese soldiers at a distance.

"Brother, why are the Japanese soldiers only coming back now? Haven't we all gotten home by now?"

"They were afraid of losing face after the defeat! Looks like the fire at Laohekou was quite successful! Look at the bundles those people are carrying, they must be full of ashes!"

"Huh?...Even the Japanese have moments of shame? They're usually so fierce and menacing, but it turns out they're too ashamed to show their faces after a defeat!"

"This isn't something to be proud of! Come on, the whole new penicillin supply depends on them!"

The Japanese soldiers returned so late partly because they were afraid of losing face, but more importantly, they were cleaning up the mess. Just treating the wounds of so many people kept them busy for quite some time. And cremating all those corpses, separating the ashes, and labeling them all took time.

Unlike the Mo Dao gang, who just pack up their spoils and leave, how carefree!

Soon the two followed the Japanese soldiers to South Street and watched them enter a small courtyard. After the Japanese soldiers closed the door, the two pretended to be drunk passersby and walked past the gate. They saw a plaque that read "Huichuntang" hanging behind the courtyard gate.

"Damn it! So the Japanese devils took over 'Huichuntang' to treat their wounded! I wonder if the original doctors are still around?" Manxiang cursed angrily.

"It's hard to say! The Japanese definitely have medics too, and they certainly have plenty of the penicillin that Manxin needs. Let's go check the roof of that house, and if possible, strike while the iron is hot and get our hands on some penicillin!" Mancang said, pointing to a courtyard next door.

"Alright!" Manxiang agreed and the two walked towards the back of the courtyard. When they reached the back wall and saw that no one was around, they climbed onto the roof and hid behind the ridge to observe the neighboring courtyard.

The courtyard was brightly lit and filled with hospital beds, each occupied by a wounded Japanese soldier. Many others had moved chairs to sit in the courtyard and were waiting for the doctors to treat them.

Several medical personnel were busy in the courtyard, checking wounds, applying medicine, giving injections, and bandaging. More than two hours later, the wounded soldiers sitting in chairs were treated and they opened the courtyard gate and limped away. The courtyard finally became a little quieter!

The two men, their bodies numb from lying on the roof, exchanged a glance when they saw that the yard was finally quieter, and prepared to make their move.

Quietly descending from the rooftop to the next room, I heard two women talking through a lit window.

"Finally some peace and quiet! When will this end?!"

"Just hang in there! The Japanese devils have been taking over our Huichuntang clinic and nothing's been good for us! We're treating Japanese traitors and collaborators all day long, and sometimes I even start to wonder if I've become a traitor myself!"

"Don't think like that! Master was killed because he refused to treat the Japanese soldiers! What can we two women do? Life is hard for everyone these days!"

"I keep dreaming about my master lately! He's pointing his finger at me and scolding me..."

"Me too……"