Who’s Behind the Scenes?

 

Brother Dao wasn’t foolish; once he sobered up and saw that the newcomer was Boss Jing, he understood what was happening.

 

Realizing he had been careless, he had thought that scrawny guy had passed out and wouldn’t remember anything. However, it seemed the guy had remembered. Nevertheless, it didn’t bother him much. He heard that Boss Jing was just a lucky nobody, lacking any significant background.

 

Even if he boasted about having business dealings with the Huang family in the capital, apart from the shopkeeper Huang of Jixiange Pavilion, he hadn’t seen him interacting with anyone from the Huang family. Even the buying and selling were done with the local workshops in the village. The title “Huang family in the capital” was probably just a cover he bought from the shopkeeper Huang.

 

“Isn’t this Boss Jing? How’s the ice cream business?” Brother Dao  was a tough character, not forgetting to provoke even while tied up.

 

“Not bad, at least better than your current situation,” Jing Yi said, completely unaffected, smiling.

 

“Spit! Don’t flatter yourself! Hurry up and let me go, or you won’t be able to walk away!” Brother Dao blustered.

 

“Hmm? I’m so scared. I thought you only had these few weaklings under you. How am I supposed to let you walk away? Thinking your boss will come to rescue you? Who’s your boss?” Jing Yi deliberately emphasized the word “boss.”

 

As expected, he got agitated. “What boss! It’s just business, money talks!” After a moment, he added, “Don’t provoke me. Do you think I’ll spill the beans? Spit!”

 

“Not talking?” Jing Yi was content; revealing things so easily would have been disappointing. Without wasting words, he grabbed Brother Dao’s arm, twisted it forcefully, producing a “crack” sound. The right shoulder joint had dislocated, and although both arms were bound, the right shoulder looked deformed. His screams echoed in response.

 

Others in the room were surprised, including Jing’s people, but Jing Yi remained unfazed, providing no explanation. He casually remarked, “Whoever wants to leave can guard the main gate.”

 

After the initial shock, everyone realized that Jing Yi was dealing with a villain, an enemy, so any trace of sympathy was thrown out. Of course, no one volunteered to guard the main gate; they all knew it was an excuse Jing Yi had found.

 

After the initial intense pain, Brother Dao, pale and sweating, glared at Jing Yi. “Daring to act when you know I have someone behind me? If you have the guts kill me today, or else…”

 

Jing Yi, indifferent to his threats, replied,”You’re indeed loyal, wholeheartedly devoted to your master. Why would I want to kill you? The Jing family upholds the law and is law-abiding citizens.”

 

“Then do you know who gave the orders?” Jing looked at his subordinates.

 

Terrified, they vigorously shook their heads, indicating they had no idea. They were scared stiff, disavowing any knowledge. Brother Dao, witnessing this, was infuriated.

 

Jing Yi remained unperturbed, leisurely sipping the sour plum soup from a bamboo tube he brought himself, courtesy of Chuxia. Then, efficiently, he dislocated his other shoulder.

 

“Ahh!” Brother Dao, overwhelmed by pain, couldn’t care less about what Jing Yi was saying. His entire focus was on the excruciating pain in his shoulders. He couldn’t bear it and quickly shouted, “I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you!”

 

“Hmm? Don’t say it!” Jing Yi said, taking a piece of cloth from the table and stuffing it into his mouth. “I don’t feel like listening right now.”

 

Jing Yi, lounging with one leg crossed over the other, accompanied by Brother Dao’s muffled cries and the trembling, pale lips of Knife’s subordinates, began to speak again.

 

“I have another effective way to make someone confess. It’s been a while since I’ve tried it on someone.”

 

Saying this, Jing Yi took out a specially crafted small knife from his pocket, the one he had customized for Chuxia’s self-defense. He had another at home, waiting to be used when Xiao Shu was old enough to play with it.

 

“See this knife of mine? Just a gentle stroke on your body, not too deep, and the white flesh will turn out. If it’s not deep enough, we can use our hands to pry it open. By then, fresh red blood will ooze out slowly. How long do you think it will take to bleed out? Many can’t withstand it and spill the beans before the blood dries up.”

 

“Not thrilling enough, huh? Doesn’t live up to your reputation right? How about adding some salt to spice it up? You think it might dry up a bit faster?”

 

Now Brother Dao couldn’t bear it any longer. Realizing that Jing Yi wasn’t just threatening him, he, disregarding his dislocated shoulders, staggered and knelt before Jing Yi, incessantly kowtowing. The other four thugs, realizing the situation, also knelt down, knocking their heads on the ground, crying and begging for mercy.

 

“Tsk! Boring! I came up with three or four good methods, and you can’t even handle one. I thought you had more backbone. Tedious.” Jing Yi rolled his eyes, feigning boredom.

 

Then, his gaze shifted to  Steward Tong, who smartly stepped forward and removed the cloth from Brother Dao’s mouth.

 

“It’s Steward Liu from the Liu family!” As soon as the cloth was removed, he loudly shouted.

 

Liu Gui! Him again!

 

The men from both the Jing and Lin families exchanged glances, their faces turning grim. New grievances mixed with old resentments, intensifying their hatred.

 

Jing Yi narrowed his eyes, an aura of dark clouds surrounding him. Nobody knew what he was thinking at that moment.

 

However, this wasn’t the right place for discussion. Brother Dao’s cries continued, “Boss Jing, I’ve told you! Hurry up and put my arms back! Do it quickly!”

 

Jing Yi tapped his ear, unmoving, “I didn’t promise you anything. I said I’d release you if you spill the beans about the mastermind.”

 

Saying this, he took out a piece of paper and had Dongshan begin reading.

 

“On July 28th this year, you, together with three of your men, assaulted Chen Jiawen, a student at Qingfeng Academy, in the Yinger Alley, causing him severe injuries and unconsciousness. You then proceeded to rob him, taking a total of two taels of silver.”

 

“On June 14th, you and two others, on the outskirts of the town’s south gate, took advantage of the sparsely populated evening to rob Boss Wu, the pancake vendor, of three taels of silver, brutally injuring him in the process.”

 

“On June 5th, you and three others sneaked into the home of a widow in the town under the cover of night, robbing her of eight taels of silver and attempting to commit heinous acts. When her mother-in-law intervened, you pushed her, causing her to faint after hitting the door frame. Her life or death is uncertain, and you stopped only because you feared exposure.”

 

“On May 17th, you dispatched four men to the nearby official road to rob villagers of their grain. In three days, you robbed five households of a total of six hundred catties of grain.”

 

…

 

One crime after another was listed, the atrocities of these individuals too numerous to record.

 

While not guilty of major crimes such as murder or arson, these heinous acts wreaked havoc on numerous families.

 

Old Boss Wu, who was robbed and beaten, has yet to recover; the widow’s family, though her mother-in-law escaped major harm, now lives in destitution, almost resorting to drowning themselves with her unborn child and grandson. The villagers whose grain was robbed are also facing difficult times.

 

There were many more incidents like these within the past year, and these were just the ones Jing Yi learned through inquiries. There were undoubtedly more unreported, including those from previous years, which had not yet been compiled. However, knowing it directly from the criminals’ mouths made things clearer, didn’t it?

 

“Steward Tong, Renhe and Renyi, please have these few sign as witnesses. It will help when we go to the yamen.”

 

As soon as they heard about signing, Brother Dao and the others vehemently resisted. Ignoring his pain, he started cursing again, “You bastard! You want to report me to the yamen! Hah! Dream on! If you have the guts, compare yourself to the Liu family?!”

 

“Whether I have the guts or not, you and the others will find out soon enough.”

 

Jing Yi looked at the four, who resisted fiercely when their hands were pressed to sign. Brother Dao, in particular, seemed to forget the pain of his injuries, continuing his tirade, “You son of a bitch! You think you can go to the yamen and accuse me? Hah! Wishful thinking! Look at yourself first! Do you have the ability to compete with the Liu family?!”

 

“I’ll show you whether I have the ability or not.”

 

Jing Yi started provocatively sowing discord, knowing these were all bullies who feared the strong and preyed on the weak. When push came to shove, abandoning their “big brother” wasn’t surprising.

 

“How many of you really understand his accomplishments? Now is your chance to confess. At the yamen, perhaps you can get a reduced sentence. After all, you were forced into this. If you don’t confess honestly, I might let you experience what he is feeling now.”

 

“I’ll talk! I was forced. In November last year, he told me to lure a well-off man from home to the gambling den…”

 

“I was forced too! In September last year, he admired a girl in the western part of town…”

 

“And also! In the winter two years ago, near the festival season, he took on a job and asked us to discredit a restaurant, claiming there were bugs in their food!”

 

…

 

With this, without Jing’s instruction, Dongjiang and Gao Kun started writing. Previously puzzled why Jing Yi asked them to bring paper and pens, now they understood. Big brother was truly wise and foresaw each step in advance.

 

Dongjiang, the planner, and Gao Kun, the obsessive-compulsive one, both admired and diligently learned from big brother.

 

By the end, not only others but even Jing Yi was stunned. If one person committed a crime a hundred times worse, and another committed a hundred crimes each a little less severe, who was more despicable and deserved to die?

 

Jing Yi didn’t know, but he knew he wanted all of them to disappear from this world.

 

After an hour, Dongjiang and Gao Kun filled three whole pages, thoroughly documenting every detail. The people in the room were all filled with indignation; who didn’t have parents, children, relatives, and friends? The mere thought was stifling!

 

“As soon as it’s dawn, we’ll report to the authorities.”

 

After saying this, Jing Yi popped Brothrr Dao’s shoulders back into place with two crisp movements and went to rest in the yard. He had to stay calm; he couldn’t afford to let himself go berserk and implement vigilante justice.

 

No, calm down, control yourself.

 

He picked up the sour plum soup made by Chuxia and took a sip.