In times of chaos and famine, I traded one pound of rice for two royal flushes.

A quiet riverbank at night.

Qin Shaolang first took the corpse out of the bag, then used a machete to make a horizontal cut in the abdomen and chest cavity of the corpse, and then cut numerous slits in the corpse's skin. Only then did he put the corpse and the stones that had been prepared beforehand into the sack.

If this is not done, once the corpse begins to decompose, a large amount of gas will accumulate inside, resulting in a gigantic appearance.

At that point, it won't be something that a few stones can hold down.

Dumping corpses in rivers is also a technical job.

After all, he was a military doctor and was very familiar with these things.

After the body was thrown into the river, Qin Shaolang washed his hands and, on his way back, carefully sorted through the memories left behind by his predecessor.

Zhao Quegou was a local hoodlum. Based on his predecessor's memories, Zhao Quegou had some connection with the leader of a mountain stronghold a dozen miles away. His job was to lend and collect loans in the village.

With someone backing him up, he naturally acts arrogantly.

Zhao Quegou wasn't followed by many thugs; there were only six in total.

Scarface is the most loyal henchman; the other five only joined in the last few months and are not considered core members.

The original owner didn't have many memories of this part, so Qin Shaolang didn't get enough useful information.

I returned home.

Su Jin was comforting her younger sister Su Tang when she suddenly heard a noise outside. She quickly grabbed the hoe that was beside her, which was her only weapon.

Before she could even get ready, Qin Shaolang's shout came.

"Don't be nervous, it's me."

As Qin Shaolang pushed open the door and entered, Su Jin finally relaxed and leaned the hoe back against the bedside.

"I heard noises outside the house earlier, but they didn't dare to come in. I don't know what they were doing."

Qin Shaolang frowned.

"How long ago was this?"

Su Jin pondered for a moment.

"About half an incense stick's time."

Calculating the time I left, the people outside were clearly sent by Zhao the Crippled Dog to gather information. If I chase after them now, I'll definitely find their hiding place!

Qin Shaolang immediately turned around.

"Stay home and cook the wild vegetables and game I brought back. I don't want to come back from work hungry."

Watching Qin Shaolang leave, Su Jin's embroidered eyebrows furrowed tightly.

Although only she and her younger sister Su Tang were in the house tonight, and the two frail women could not withstand any storms or hardships, she felt incredibly at ease after Qin Shaolang said those words.

It seems that his existence possesses a mysterious magic.

Even now, he remains extremely "straightforward and inflexible," offering not a single word of comfort or even telling her what he was going to do.

Yet it was precisely this seemingly cold and indifferent person who gave her a strange sense of security.

It seems he will have everything sorted out tonight.

Then she returned safely.

……

Under the dark night sky, Scarface hurried along, leaving a rustling sound on the grass.

Behind him, shrouded in darkness and obscured by roadside obstacles, Qin Shaolang followed like a ghost.

In the military, even military doctors must participate in training and cannot slack off.

In some aspects, the requirements are even higher than those for ordinary soldiers.

With a solid foundation, even though Qin Shaolang was physically weak, he was still far superior to the people of the Great Wei.

Scarface remained completely unaware of the pursuit.

Half an hour later, Scarface "led" Qin Shaolang to a dilapidated temple halfway up the mountain.

Qin Shaolang quietly crept to the dilapidated corner of the wall and looked into the ruined temple.

Zhao Quegou sat alone by the fire, while his five henchmen stood in a neat row at a distance. The cold night wind made the five of them shiver, but they didn't dare to even breathe loudly.

Clearly, his "divide and conquer" strategy when Zhao Quegou left had some effect.

"You bunch of useless trash! Have I ever treated you badly? When I have a bite to eat, I've never skimped on a sip of soup for you! Today I'm in trouble, and you bastards are the ones who run away first!"

Zhao the Crippled Dog grew angrier as he spoke, glaring fiercely at the five men.

"What a bunch of ungrateful wretches!"

Even from this distance, Qin Shaolang could clearly hear Zhao Quegou's scolding.

After looking around, Qin Shaolang secretly crept up to the broken wall.

Upon arriving here, the sounds inside the house gradually became clearer, and he was able to glimpse the situation inside.

Scarface is reporting to Zhao the Cripple.

"Brother Zhao, I just checked. Qin Shaolang didn't do anything else, he just cleaned up the body."

After waiting a moment, Scarface spoke again.

"These idiots are all the same; they always just accept their fate when they're bullied. Brother Zhao is definitely overthinking things."

Zhao the Crippled Dog sneered.

"What do you know? Back when I was still in the mountain stronghold, I met the chief, who came from a military background. Once, after he killed someone, he immediately wiped the blood off the knife and rinsed it with water, cleaning it very carefully. I suspect Qin Shaolang also came from a military background, otherwise he wouldn't be so careful with his knife."

Scarface sat down right next to the campfire, full of curiosity.

"What happened today was indeed a bit strange. That kid suddenly dared to challenge us. I don't know what got into him. Brother Zhao, do you remember before we went to Old Zhang's house, we also went to Zhou Ersha's house? We insulted his wife in front of him and humiliated that idiot to the extreme. He got angry, and the situation was very similar to today."

"However, my brother managed to quell the matter with a single rebuke that time. It's quite unusual that Qin Shaolang dared to make a move."

Suddenly, Zhao the Crippled Dog had a plan and gave the order.

"Let him be smug for a couple of days. Don't bother him during these two days. Go to the stronghold and report that you've encountered a tough opponent. You don't need them to send anyone to help you. Just have them send some officials over. With us as witnesses, all you need to do is find the body and we can lock him up in the dungeon."

Scarface was utterly confused.

"Brother Zhao, wouldn't it be simpler to have the bandits kill him to establish our authority?"

Snapped!

Zhao the Crippled slapped Scarface on the head.

"You don't know anything!"

"Everyone knows we have a stronghold backing us, so most people wouldn't dare to mess with us. This time, we'll spend some money to get the officials to support us and convict Qin Shaolang in front of everyone. After that, who among these villagers will dare to look us in the eye? They might even be vying to invite us to their homes to help their wives have some fun."

Upon hearing this, Scarface suddenly realized what was going on and gave Zhao the Cripple a thumbs up.

"Brother Zhao's brain is really sharp! How come I didn't think of that? We have connections in both the legal and illegal worlds, so who would dare say a word against us when it comes to collecting interest?"

As they were talking, Zhao Quegou suddenly noticed the five thugs standing there, and a surge of dissatisfaction welled up in his heart.

"I was being completely open with you guys, and you all ran away faster than rabbits! From now on, you'll be the last in line for all the good things!"

The thugs finally breathed a sigh of relief and immediately began to flatter him.

"Brother Zhao is truly brilliant and resourceful. He came up with a way to deal with Qin Shaolang in no time. We could never come up with such a brilliant idea in our entire lives."

Another person also offered a compliment.

"Your brain looks like it's been kicked by a donkey. Comparing you to Brother Zhao is an insult to him."

These five men were trying every possible way to curry favor with Zhao the Cripple, showering him with compliments.

"Brother Zhao, calm down. We didn't bring any weapons today, did we? Just give the order, and I'll go to the backyard, grab some, chop that kid up, and then rip out his heart and lungs for you to drink with!"

……

As Qin Shaolang listened to these people's plans, he couldn't help but feel a sense of感慨 (gan3kai3, a complex emotion encompassing both admiration and reflection).

Mountain bandits roamed freely, and officials colluded with them.

This world is definitely not going to get any better.