One Hundred and Twenty: The Second Opening

The two brothers watched as Zhang Xuan took out the small knife from his waist and glanced at the back of the trafficker running away. They both assumed Zhang Xuan wouldn’t let the trafficker go and were expecting to see him collapse not far off. But to their surprise, Zhang Xuan merely glanced once, then used the knife to scrape at the chicken, feeling a dirty spot that no amount of wiping could remove. Reluctantly, he cut it off, thinking, “If I eat less, so be it.”

The older brother, agitated, grabbed Zhang Xuan by the collar and shouted angrily, “Why didn’t you kill him? How could you let him go? Don’t you know he’s a human trafficker? Don’t you know the terrible things he’s done?” The younger brother timidly stepped aside and tugged at his elder brother’s sleeve.

Zhang Xuan patted the hand gripping his collar without resisting, simply looking at him and saying, “I know he’s a trafficker. I also know you just barely escaped from their clutches. But why should I kill him? I have no right to decide someone’s life. I have no grudge with him. If you want to kill him, go ahead—I won’t stop you.”

“You… why let him go? He’s just…” The older brother turned toward the departing trafficker’s figure, then collapsed weakly to his knees. The younger brother placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder.

Zhang Xuan stood there holding the chicken, watching their expressions. “Let me tell you something: a true man’s knees are worth gold. What kind of man falls to his knees so easily?”

The older brother glanced back at Zhang Xuan and snorted coldly. Seeing this, Zhang Xuan could only shrug helplessly. It seemed the saying “a true man’s knees are worth gold” was yet to come into their lives.

“What are you two planning to do next? Maybe—”

Before Zhang Xuan could finish, the older brother snapped fiercely, “Mind your own business!” Then he lowered his head.

“Well, you could come with me,” Zhang Xuan said quietly, barely audible, almost only to himself, shrugging in resignation. Sometimes kindness is treated like donkey’s liver and lungs. Here was a perfect example.

“Brother, let’s keep running. That man has gone back, and more will come looking for us. If we don’t run far and hide, I’ll be caught again. If that happens, who knows what tortures await us,” the younger brother tugged at his elder’s sleeve.

The older brother frowned slightly but stood up. Having escaped once, he was determined never to return to that nightmare place.

“Listen, I can give you a chance to take revenge on those who caught you. But there’s one condition: after you take revenge, you follow me. In other words, if I help you get even, from then on, when I tell you to go east, you must not go west. You must obey my orders unconditionally. You don’t really have anywhere else to go, so why not consider it?” Zhang Xuan tried to coax them like a big gray wolf.

The older brother was unimpressed by Zhang Xuan’s proposal, but the younger brother’s eyes lit up. He stepped forward eagerly: “Are you serious? You can really help us take revenge?”

Hearing this, the older brother quickly pulled his brother aside. “Zheng’er, are you crazy? You actually believe him?”

“I’m not crazy. I’m quite clear-headed. Where else can we run? Even if we manage to escape, what will we eat? What will we do? If we get caught again, what then? Don’t forget what they did to us when they first caught us. Brother, unless we run so far that they can never find us, we have nowhere to go.”

“Do you really trust someone about your age? Even if he managed to subdue one of those chasing us by luck, do you think he has the ability to lead us to our revenge? Aren’t you afraid he might lead you into a fire pit?” The older brother couldn’t believe his usually smart younger brother would trust some kid like this.

“I trust him. I’m taking a gamble. I bet he will help us get revenge. And whether or not he succeeds, I plan to stick with him.”

The older brother stared at his brother for a long moment, then finally spoke. “Fine, do as you please. I hope this time you’re right.”

The two brothers debated for a long time, and Zhang Xuan didn’t get close enough to listen. If he had known the younger brother saw so much potential in him, had such insight, and was so determined to cling to him, he might have marveled: could this be my “king’s aura”? No, rather, my “overlord’s presence”? Just a little display, and people want to follow me.

“Have you finished discussing? What’s your decision?” Zhang Xuan recalled the words he had prepared a few days ago to persuade promising young men to join him. Now, they finally had a use.

“We agree to follow you,” the younger brother said, “but we hope that one day, you will help us take our revenge. Also, if we ever feel you lack the ability to lead us, we will leave. Do you agree?”