"Come here and escort these four fellows back to the Eastern Depot!"
A large crowd had already gathered at the city gate, watching the spectacle. Lai Yifa waved to the throng.
The onlookers were bewildered. Then, several burly men pushed their way out from the crowd and cupped their fists in greeting towards Lai Yifa.
"Yes, Director!"
"Spare us! Lord, spare us!"
The guard whose finger had been severed was dragged away, his arms held by two men.
"My lord, I am wronged, I am wronged!"
"My lord, it was all Zhang San's idea. It has nothing to do with us!"
"Please, my lord, have mercy, please have mercy!"
The remaining three guards kowtowed repeatedly, begging for mercy.
As for whether the people from the Duke's mansion had the authority to deal with them, no one dared to ask such a foolish question.
These three guards were also subdued by the men from the Eastern Depot. One of the guards whispered a few words into Lai Yifa's ear, relaying the city gate guards' testimony truthfully.
"Oh!"
"You have such a hobby? Grant him his wish!"
Lai Yifa looked at one of the three guards with a cold smile in his eyes.
"Yes, Director!"
Before the guard could react, he was grabbed by the Eastern Depot guards and dragged to the corner of the city wall, where there was a pile of dog feces!
"Hehehehehe, kid, let's make sure you eat it properly!"
"That money was lent to Old Man Mo by the Duke. You dare to lay your hands on even the Duke's business? Then you shall eat it first as a gesture of respect!"
After speaking, the guard picked up a piece of dog feces with a stick he found on the ground and shoved it into the guard's mouth.
The guard tried to struggle, but he was held firmly by the other two guards.
One of the guards stared into his eyes: "Cooperate honestly, don't make me resort to force! Otherwise, if this stick goes in, will it damage your throat? Only heaven knows!"
Looking at the stick covered in dog feces, the guard wished he could slap himself. Why had he said anything about eating dog feces earlier!
But seeing the three Eastern Depot guards glaring at him like hungry wolves, he could only brace himself and force his mouth open, enduring the nausea.
"Ugh~!"
The entire process was extremely unpleasant, and even the three Eastern Depot guards recoiled in disgust as they released him.
After he had consumed the entire pile of dog feces, the four city guards were directly escorted back to the Eastern Depot.
Lai Yifa then comforted Mo Di for a while before leaving the crowd.
Mo Di, looking at the retrieved copper coins, his eyes filled with tears, bowed deeply in the direction Lai Yifa had left.
He murmured, "A good life, a good life is coming! Duke, rest assured, I will use this money to do business properly and return the principal and interest, not a single penny short, next year!"
Those who had been following Mo Di, coveting the copper coins on his person, looked at each other.
"Are we still going to make a move?"
"Move your grandma! Didn't you see the fate of those city guards? Let's go, let's disperse!"
"Exactly, I don't want to eat dog feces!"
After a brief discussion, one group dispersed.
Another group quietly followed Mo Di.
"Boss, are we really going to do this?"
"What are you afraid of? The people from the Duke's mansion are gone. Let's follow quietly, find a secluded spot, take the money, and leave Shenyang, right?"
"Yeah, that's ten guan of money. Each of us five can get three guan!"
"Second brother is right, keep it down and follow."
Ten guan of money, it sounds like a small amount.
But in this era, a family of four might only spend three to five guan a year!
If they pulled off this job, it would be enough for the brothers to live it up for ten days to half a month.
However, they failed to notice that Lai Yifa, who had seemingly departed, had somehow turned back.
And he was followed by a group of Eastern Depot agents.
Lai Yifa was recruited by Fang Er precisely for his freakish hiding abilities. With careful planning and catching others off guard, those petty hooligans who were eyeing Mo Di's money could never have discovered them.
After Mo Di entered Shenyang, he meandered through the streets, heading towards his home.
The dozens of pounds of copper coins on his shoulders felt no weight to him, a former blacksmith.
He turned into the alley ahead, and after passing through it, his home was not far away.
This alley was located a bit northeast of the eastern part of Shenyang city. It was quite secluded, and usually, very few people passed through, except for the residents.
Those following Mo Di surveyed the surroundings of the alley, and the leader's face broke into a triumphant smile.
"Hahahaha~~ Brothers, make your move! Don't let the fat sheep escape!"
"Yes, boss!"
This group consisted of five young thugs. Two of them rushed out, blocking Mo Di's path.
"Old man, hand over your money and get lost!"
One of them pointed at the copper coins on Mo Di's shoulder and said sinisterly.
"Halt! Let go of that old man!"
Suddenly, a man's voice echoed from the entrance of the alley. Everyone turned to look, and the leader's face immediately darkened.
"Damn it, is this a case of wolves preying on wolves?"
At the entrance of the alley behind them stood over a dozen people armed with sticks. The leader was a bald man carrying a staff that reached his eyebrows. The leader couldn't believe for a moment that these people had come to rescue the old man.
Therefore, there could only be one explanation: these people were here to rob them!
The bald man pointed his staff at the leader, and the dozen or so people behind him immediately charged forward.
"Brothers, forget about this old man for now, let's take down these bastards!"
"Damn their ancestors, don't think you can bully us just because you have more people! Let them see the skills of our Five Ghosts!"
The leader reached behind his waist, drew a boning knife, and began to brandish it wildly at the oncoming crowd.
He even let out strange growls of "Hoo hoo hah!"
However, his words did not receive a response. When he turned around, he felt an urge to curse.
His four subordinates had already slipped away.
Vaguely, he could still hear his four fleeing brothers cursing him as an idiot~~~
"Clang~~"
The leader decisively dropped the boning knife and looked at the group of ruffians in front of him with a fawning expression.
"Uh, my mother is calling me home for dinner. You guys can take care of this fat sheep."
Mo Di, carrying the copper coins, watched the scene unfold. Instead of being nervous, he grinned.
"Hey! Old man, why are you grinning like that? Quickly put down your copper coins, and we'll spare your dog's life!"
The bald man's staff pointed directly at Mo Di as he continued to advance.
The bald man's subordinates had already surrounded Mo Di and the leader, their makeshift weapons pointed at them, ready to strike at any moment.
"Oh oh oh oh~~ What a lively scene!"
"Do you gentlemen mind if this Director also joins the fun?"
Mo Di laughed even louder.
The leader and the bald man both paused, then looked towards the sound.
They saw Lai Yifa sitting on the roof of a house on the side of the alley. He sat on the ridge, his gaze fixed on the people in the alley, his face full of mockery.
On either side of him stood twenty to thirty Eastern Depot agents armed with Yun Er-style firearms. The muzzles of their guns were aimed directly at the bald man's group.