Chapter 36: When Luck Arrives, Iron Turns to Gold; When Luck Departs, Gold Turns to Iron

Jiang Guang and his companions exchanged glances, then, without a word, charged toward the few men who carried the distinct air of professional soldiers, hacking at them with their blades the moment they closed in.

They focused on taking prisoners if the opponents did not resist, but if they fought back, they were dispatched with a single strike.

In no time at all, seven or eight men were bound on the ground. As for the others—ragtag remnants who looked more like displaced refugees with no real combat prowess—they had long since scattered in a chaotic retreat.

Yun-ge'er continued his bluffing, and before long, he heard the enemy in the distance shouting that government troops had arrived and urging everyone to run. Clearly, the area where Jiang Guang and the others were positioned had descended into total chaos.

Yun-ge'er felt a sense of accomplishment; it seemed his experience with tabletop war games was paying off.

"Yun-ge'er, what should we do now?" Le Dan had returned, gripping his broadsword again. Having tended the fires so intensely earlier, his face was streaked with soot, making him look somewhat charred.

Le Dan had initially been skeptical of Yun-ge'er’s impulsive plan, but the results had been unexpectedly brilliant. Regardless of whether it was divine foresight or sheer luck, fortune was clearly on their side today, so following the boy's lead was the only logical choice.

Yun-ge'er looked behind him to see Gouzi, who was even holding a small knife and gazing at him with anticipation. Looking at the others, even people like Headman Lü were gripping their farming tools, eager to join in. They weren't fearless, but tonight had gone too smoothly. They had been terrified by Chen Mugen’s warnings about the high-status figure behind this, but it turned out to be nothing. Who wouldn't enjoy a battle where everything went their way? Besides, it was just a matter of shouting and waving flags, and Yun-ge'er might even reward them afterward—why not?

Yun-ge'er, possessed of a boundless curiosity and the adrenaline of his first real-life encounter, waved his small hand and chirped, "Let’s go!"

Though everyone deferred to him, he was still just a toddler. Once he gave the order, Le Dan scooped him up into his arms and strode forward. Yun-ge'er cast a helpless glance downward; so much for the commanding presence of "Commander Yun."

As they walked, some panicked individuals fled toward them. However, they were surrounded by a formidable group; while the locals like Headman Lü were just making up the numbers, Le Dan and the others were physically imposing and carried swords at their waists. Most of those running away would scream in terror and veer off the moment they saw the group, some even collapsing to their knees to beg for mercy.

In the firelight, Yun-ge'er could see that these people were no different from refugees, all gaunt and sallow-faced. The only distinction was that this group consisted entirely of able-bodied middle-aged men, with no elderly, weak, or crippled among them.

Yun-ge'er frowned. Instead of letting Le Dan’s men draw their blades, he ordered them to continue shouting that those who surrendered would be spared. Human nature being what it is, once a few people knelt, even those further away began to drop to their knees, trembling.

"Ouch, it hurts!"

In the midst of the chaotic scene, a shrill cry of pain suddenly rang out. Le Dan and his men, sharp-witted as ever, immediately turned their gaze toward the source.

Deng Qiang, who had been quietly following the group, displayed a boldness far beyond his years. The moment he heard the cry, his blood surged to his head. A big fish!

Griping the broadsword Jiang Guang had given him, Deng Qiang bolted toward the sound.

Crossing a small earthen mound, he spotted a man in long robes slumped on the ridge of a nearby field. One of his feet was firmly caught in an animal trap. It had clearly been set by the villagers to protect their crops and had been forgotten after the harvest. The man had cried out once, but now, despite breaking into a cold sweat from the pain, he was clamping his hand over his own mouth.

It was just bad luck that Le Dan’s group had been nearby to tie up the surrendering refugees, and they had heard his cry clearly.

Before the man in the robe could dislodge the trap, he looked up to see a youth standing in the firelight like a god of war, raising a broadsword to strike. Terrified, he lost control of his bowels.

"Hmph." The man heard the youth sneer, but the blade did not cleave him in two; instead, it was pressed horizontally against his neck.

"Don't move! Tell your men not to move!" Deng Qiang pressed the blade against the man’s throat, drawing a thin line of blood.

The man gasped for air, trembling violently. "I... I won't move. They... they are the Envoys of No-Grain. They won't act without instructions. Little General, please, be careful, the blade is too sharp."

As the man tried to plead further, he saw a group of fierce-looking men sprinting toward him, including Jiang Guang, who had been cutting his way out of the main hall earlier, still reeking of blood. The man shook like a leaf, sweat pouring down his forehead.

At the same time, the aura of fortune swirling above his head—which had been fully ignited that night—began to churn violently. A grey, giant rat form within the aura thrashed about until it let out a phantom wail and vanished, unable to maintain its shape. As the manifestation dissolved, his fortune poured out like water from an opened sluice. Within moments, the dense aura was nearly gone, leaving only a few thin, wispy strands of vitality.

"When luck comes, iron turns to gold; when luck departs, gold turns to iron"—that was his state now. No one noticed that he suddenly looked as if he had been struck by a grave illness, his spirit drained, leaving him to look at Le Dan and Jiang Guang with hollow, fearful eyes.

When they arrived, Jiang Guang and the others didn't approach immediately, but hesitated and stepped back. Then, they casually removed their outer robes and wiped the blood from their faces with clean cloth.

In a daze, the man in the robe saw a two-year-old child.

"Is Yun-ge'er alright?" Jiang Guang, having made himself look less terrifying, walked up and lifted the boy to inspect him.

The heavy scent of blood made Yun-ge'er feel nauseous and uncomfortable, and his complexion turned pale. But he held it in. He looked at the unlucky man on the ground and asked, "Who are you?"

The man was stunned to realize that this group of fierce men took orders from a two-year-old. He hesitated, perhaps thinking he could deceive the child. Deng Qiang didn't hesitate, pressing the blade forward and slicing a deep cut into the man’s neck, sending blood streaming down to soak his shoulders.

Deng Qiang didn't feel afraid; on the contrary, his face flushed, his pupils dilated, and his hands trembled with excitement.

Yun-ge'er observed Deng Qiang’s reaction. He thought to himself that while he didn't fully believe in Old Li’s talk of reading people’s fortune, he had traveled enough to have a sharp eye for character. Looking at Deng Qiang, he realized the boy was quite well-suited for this.

Yun-ge'er himself felt ill, and he was glad he hadn't eaten much earlier.

"What is this sect of yours? How many people have you swindled? Confess everything!" Yun-ge'er tried to look stern. It was hopeless, though; with his chubby, two-year-old face and his high-pitched, childish voice, anything he said sounded like he was just acting cute.

The man in the robe didn't dare hesitate now. "My name is Ma Yi, a Junior Master of the No-Grain Sect. Please, little master, don't kill me. I handle all the proselytizing and charity work for the sect here in Liang Province. I am the only Junior Master; if I die, the Grand Master will certainly send someone to investigate. It won't hurt you, but it will be a nuisance. If you spare my life, I can give you all the gold and silver the sect has raised in Liang Province."

Yun-ge'er realized he had stumbled upon a cross-provincial fraud ring. Jiang Guang heard Ma Yi’s babbling and, after a while, told Deng Qiang to keep watch while he took Yun-ge'er a few paces away to chat.

As it turned out, Jiang Guang had heard of the No-Grain Sect. They had been active for years, targeting the wealthy by offering "healing" in exchange for donations. They supposedly worshipped the "No-Grain God," a deity that consumed only pure energy instead of grains, thereby preventing all illness. The Grand Master claimed to possess a portion of this "pure energy," which, when administered, would cure any disease. They frequently frequented the mansions of high-ranking officials to solicit funds.

Yun-ge'er listened with a strange expression. Other scammers at least burned yellow talismans for people to drink; these people gave "pure energy"? How was that different from air? Who were the fools buying into this?

Jiang Guang laughed at Yun-ge'er’s skepticism and explained that the sect didn't just target the rich; they also preyed on starving refugees. They preached that by joining, one would never need to eat again, as they could live off the air. However, because the sect was famous, many other charlatans had popped up, hoisting the sect's banner to gain legitimacy.

Jiang Guang had initially assumed this was just another small-time fraudster using the name, but he never expected to catch a "big fish"—a legitimate Junior Master. The sect was organized under three Grand Masters, with fifteen Junior Masters overseeing the fifteen provinces. They generally operated independently, only answering to the Grand Masters.

It was a strange coincidence: Gouzi was from Ludi-xia Village, and this Junior Master just happened to be stationed there. Yun-ge'er had come on a whim, bringing Headman Lü and his men after leaving Long County. Tonight, as they arrived, the moon had been obscured, and they had snuck in through Gouzi’s secret path, catching the lax winter guards completely off guard.

Many were still fleeing toward the outskirts of the village, where another of their men was waiting to intercept them, so they would likely catch a few more.