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

It was already dawn when they returned to Tianma Village. They tallied the spoils, recorded them, and put them into storage. This operation was quite fruitful: 13,400 yuan in legal tender, 3,100 silver dollars, and 173 jin of opium. Unexpectedly, Gou Mao found a bunch of rare items at the bathhouse counter: pocket watches, pens, incense burners, gold and silver bracelets, gold and silver hairpins, and even two revolvers! Unfortunately, there were no matching bullets.

These items are likely used by smokers to pay off their debts, but it's unclear how many puffs they're worth.

They dug a pit in a ravine outside the village, poured in quicklime and water, and only felt relieved after watching the clumps of tobacco completely dissolve under the swirling lime. Luckily, the quantity wasn't too large, otherwise the process would have taken a long time.

Everyone was exhausted after working all night. They ate something simple and then fell into a deep sleep.

……

The market in Qili Township was bustling with noise early in the morning as news spread rapidly, and soon everyone knew about the bathhouse.

"Have you heard? The bathhouse was vandalized last night! More than a dozen caregivers are dead, and their bodies are piled up in the yard. It's terrifying!"

"I heard that Manager Li, who was smoking inside last night, was locked in his room. This morning, he peeked through the crack in the door and fainted on the spot. The Lu family's servants had to carry him back!"

"Serves him right! Why is he out smoking in the middle of the night instead of sleeping at home? His pastry shop will be ruined sooner or later!"

"Obsessed with opium, he can't care about his business anymore! His whole family is a pitiful sight!"

"That guy surnamed Lü must be furious this time, right? So many people died, and there was opium and money inside. This time he's probably going to suffer a serious blow!"

"Serves him right! It's good that he's furious! Not only did he act as a dog for the Japanese, but he also sold opium and harmed the people. He deserves his bad luck!"

"I wonder who helped us get revenge. If we find out, we'll definitely bring a generous gift and come to thank them! That feels so good!"

"No way! I want to go set off some firecrackers to celebrate!"

"Yes, yes, yes, it's time to celebrate! I'll set off firecrackers too!"

Soon after, the market was filled with the crackling sound of firecrackers. This caused a great stir, and the merchants who were usually bullied by the man surnamed Lü started to set off firecrackers to celebrate. The whole market was like a New Year celebration!

Inside the opium den, Lü Hongzhong stood grimly in the courtyard, six bodyguards standing silently a short distance behind him, and Butler Fu bowing before him. The opium smokers from the previous night, except for two unconscious ones, knelt trembling before him, a pile of corpses nearby.

"Speak! Who did it?" Butler Fu demanded in a deep voice to the group of smokers, his tone chilling.

"Manager Fu, Chairman Lü... I really don't know anything about last night! Old Hu and I were smoking on the kang (heated brick bed). When we were almost finished with our pipe, someone knocked on the door. The shop assistant went out to check and didn't come back in. We were half asleep and didn't pay any attention. We only found the door locked when we woke up this morning! We even saw a corpse in the yard through the crack in the door. We were terrified... We have no idea what happened..." Manager Liu of the general store said, trembling.

"Yes, yes! We had no idea what happened. These guys haven't come back in since they left..." Hu the tailor chimed in.

"Just like them, I had no idea what was going on..."

"I do not know either……"

"I don't know, I really don't know..."

The others chimed in, saying, "What terrible luck to run into this while smoking opium! I should have taken it home to smoke!"

"Did you hear anything unusual? It's impossible for so many people to have died without making a sound!" Bodyguard Feng Er stepped forward and asked.

"Sounds?..." The general store owner, Liu, and the shopkeeper, Hu, exchanged a thoughtful glance. With so many people dying outside, they should have heard something, but at the time they were only focused on enjoying themselves and didn't notice anything else.

"I think so! The guy went out and heard a soft 'poof' sound..."

"Yes! It was a 'poof' sound! I think I heard it too..."

"Later...later there was a 'woofing' sound, like a dog barking before it bites someone..."

"A dog barking?..." Bodyguard Wang Er fell into deep thought.

Just then, a waiter handed a list to Butler Fu, whose expression changed drastically upon seeing it. He quickly went to Chairman Lü and handed the list over.

Lu Hongzhong was shocked when he saw the list. He turned and hurried to the room at the far end. That was the room where the coffins were kept. Two workers were standing beside the coffins, the lids wide open, but the room was completely empty!

"This... which bastard even dared to raid this place!..." Lu Hongzhong was furious. The opium in the coffin was a brand new shipment he had just brought back from the county, worth 20,000 silver dollars! How could he not be heartbroken to see so much of his goods disappear without a trace?

"Investigate! We have to turn the entire Qili Township upside down to find this shipment! There's no way such a large quantity of goods could have gone unnoticed. If we find him, he'll be torn to pieces!" Lü Hongzhong said through gritted teeth.

He didn't care about the lost silver dollars, nor did he need to worry too much about the opium in the cabinet. But the contents of the coffin were new goods that had cost him half his fortune! He had originally been counting on this batch of goods to make a fortune, but he never expected that even though it was hidden so well, it would still be found!

"Yes! I'll send all the servants out right away and make sure we get the goods back!" Knowing the importance of the goods, Steward Fu quickly gathered his servants to gather information.

"Wang Er, you're an expert, what's your opinion on this?" After the butler left, leaving only him and the bodyguard in the room, he finally spoke up to ask.

"The wounds on those corpses were arrow wounds, all fatal at close range! This shows they were completely unprepared during the attack. The killer either used a very powerful bow and arrow, or was someone they knew!"

"It's very likely that the dog's sense of smell played a role in finding this place. The 'woofing' sound from the smoker's mouth was the alarm signal that the dog had found something."

"Based on the above two points, I suspect these people are not ordinary thieves, but more likely skilled archers!" Wang Er analyzed.

"Companions? ... In Qili Township, no one else does this except us, so where did these competitors come from?" Lu Hongzhong asked, puzzled.

"What about the other towns and townships?" Wang Er reminded him.

"Hmm?...You mean Xiahou Town?...Only Cao Jiagui does this in Xiahou Town. We all maintain a good relationship with the chairman, so he shouldn't be targeting me. He doesn't have a team skilled in archery either...?" Lü Hongzhong was even more puzzled.

"I don't know about that. Why doesn't the chairman send someone to investigate? Wouldn't it be better if nothing's wrong?" Wang Er suggested.

“Hmm!...You make a good point! Here’s what we’ll do: take ten silver dollars from the account and go to Xiahou Town for two days to find out the situation before making any further plans,” Lü Hongzhong said.