Suddenly granted freedom, Chen Laoda did not immediately reveal his thoughts. Instead, he moved his limbs a little, wiped the mud off his face, and shot a gloomy glare at Mu Qing.
A Biao was frightened to death; he did not expect Zhang Fang to let Chen Laoda go. His legs went weak, and he fell to the ground, landing painfully against a rock, letting out a yelp: “Ah—”
Chen Laoda’s gaze immediately shifted to A Biao, a cold smile spreading across his face.
Zhang Fang, with a frosty tone, informed him, “I can let you go, but I can also take your life right now. Don’t even think about seeking revenge against anyone present.”
Chen Laoda looked at Zhang Fang in astonishment, sensing a deeper meaning in those words. Did Zhang Fang deliberately let him go? This kid wasn’t foolish, was he?
Ignoring Chen Laoda’s probing gaze, Zhang Fang called out loudly, “Everyone, get to work! Chop wood and build rafts. We need to survive together!”
Hao Zhuang sighed and raised his knife, shouting along, “Get to work, chop wood, and build rafts! Survive together!”
Seeing this, the other officers had no choice but to cooperate. After all, they were indeed trapped; if they did not take action to save themselves, they would all drown when the water rose! When reapers came for their lives, they would not care if they were officials or criminals; they would collect lives without hesitation! Thus, everyone had to put aside their grudges, temporarily forget their identities, and work together to escape.
A Biao approached Zhang Fang with a pale face, his teeth chattering, his words unclear.
“Y-Young Master, are we really just letting them go?”
Zhang Fang patted A Biao on the shoulder, soothing him, “Don’t be afraid. Stick with me, and they won’t dare to harm you.”
A Biao had begun to cry, but the continuous rain washed away the few fresh tears he had.
Looking at everyone, Zhang Fang commanded, “Form groups of five. Men will chop wood, while women and children will build the rafts!”
The Lin family members were trembling, huddling together. Lin Zheng had already begun to feel feverish, his head pounding, yet he still managed to stumble over to Zhang Fang’s side, pleading with a pained expression, “Young Master Zhang, why did you let that gang of mountain bandits go? Now it will be hard to catch them! What if they retaliate against us?”
Zhang Fang had already explained the reasoning before and was unwilling to entertain Lin Zheng’s concerns further. He turned his attention to organizing the groups and assigning tasks.
The mountain bandits shot Zhang Fang looks filled with hostility, wishing they could chop him and A Biao into pieces. Zhang Fang was utterly unfazed by these people, calmly delegating tasks while warning the mountain bandits, “If you refuse to cooperate, this will be your graveyard! We are all criminals; what is there to fear in death? If I am buried here, I have family who will come to collect my body. But you will become wandering souls, and your remains may one day be used by other beasts as toys!”
This group was both furious and frightened, glaring at Zhang Fang.
After assigning the tasks, Zhang Fang began to take action, no longer paying attention to the mountain bandits.
Fortunately, the supplies he had purchased were abundant, and many items could be utilized. The wagon could also be dismantled and used as a small boat. Zhang Fang took out everything he could use.
Everyone worked tirelessly, and after half a day’s labor, they managed to create eight usable wooden rafts. Including Zhang Fang’s dismantled cart, there were a total of nine rafts ready for use.
As night approached and the rain continued to pour, everyone was exhausted, hungry, and cold, leaving the mountain bandits too weary to cause trouble.
Mu Qing, Chang Bao, and Yuan Juan gathered quietly around Zhang Fang, whispering, “Young Master Zhang, why don’t we quietly leave while they are asleep?”
Hao Zhuang and Shi Houde were standing close to Zhang Fang and nodded in agreement, saying, “That sounds feasible!”
Zhang Fang looked inscrutably at the group of mountain bandits. It was impossible for them to leave quietly because the bandits had turned the completed rafts into a temporary shelter from the rain. If they started to move, the noise would surely alarm the others. What’s more, their numbers were far inferior to that of the bandits, plus there were the Lin family, who were a burden, and those children of Mao A Niu. If a fight broke out, they would undoubtedly be at a disadvantage.
It was indeed possible for just the six of them to sneak away, but Zhang Fang’s conscience wouldn’t allow him to do that. Leaving the Lin family aside, he couldn’t abandon the children of Mao A Niu, who had followed him all this way.
“If we are to leave, we leave together. We will depart at dawn tomorrow,” Zhang Fang stated as he pulled out some soaked dry rations to share with them, instructing Mao A Niu to distribute some food to the Lin family members.
Lin Zheng, receiving the food, staggered over weakly and said, holding his head, “Young Master Zhang, I think I might have a fever; I feel awful all over. Do you have any medicine?”
Zhang Fang indeed had brought some medicine with him, given to him by Prime Minister Zhang when he left the capital.
He found the medicine and gave Lin Zheng two pills, then went out to inquire whether anyone else was feeling unwell or had a fever. Whether they were officials, criminals, or even those mountain bandits, anyone suffering from illness and fever received Zhang Fang’s medicine.
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