Chapter 148: Dog Eats Dog (Part 1)

Hearing the angry shouts of Old Wu and Gu Bei, the fierce bandits finally reacted.

They hurriedly rushed to Fang Xu's side, reached out, and tentatively felt his breath, only to find that Fang Xu was indeed completely breathless.

This left the bandit stunned for a moment, and he quickly reached out to check Fang Xu's heartbeat.

Now, even his heartbeat was gone—if this wasn't death, what was it?!

Terrified, the few bandits quickly untied his ropes. If Fang Xu were truly dead, they would be in unimaginable trouble.

Moreover, from the perspective of these bandits, Fang Xu was dressed like a mere scholar and possessed no means of putting up a struggle.

Could it be that a few big, burly men like them couldn't even subdue Fang Xu?!

Driven by this subjective assumption, the bandits loosened the ropes from Fang Xu's hands and feet, and then laid him flat on the ground.

Yet still, no one could detect any breath or heartbeat from Fang Xu, throwing the bandits into a panic.

After all, only by keeping Fang Xu alive could they use him to exchange for money!

One might wonder: if a death occurred, wouldn't it be simpler to just bury the body somewhere?!

In reality, if these bandits had chosen such ruthless, bandit-like methods, they probably wouldn't have survived until now.

They operated on a foundation of integrity, which was why they had managed to endure this long.

Furthermore, the young masters and ladies they had previously released chose not to expose their identities, as no one dared to risk the danger of retaliation.

This meant that even though Fang Xu and the others were hostages, they were hostages whom these captors dared not harm.

It was precisely because Fang Xu understood this principle that he chose to resort to such clandestine tactics.

"Damn it! Does anyone know how to practice medicine?!" Naturally, the bandits understood the stakes, but unfortunately, they only knew how to take lives, never how to save them!

"Big sir! Big sir! I am a physician! Let me try!" Hearing the furious barking of the bandits, Old Wu immediately shouted out.

Hearing this, Gu Bei cast a complex glance at Old Wu, clearly baffled as to when Old Wu had ever learned medicine.

Why had he never known about this?! Yet Gu Bei's mind still hadn't fully caught up to the situation.

"You actually know medicine?!" One of the bandits walked up to Old Wu, brandishing a long saber, and eyed him with a hint of suspicion.

After all, no matter how one looked at Old Wu's appearance, he didn't resemble a doctor in the slightest!

"Big sir! You must believe me! Since you have no other choice right now, why not let me give it a try, sir?" Old Wu said, putting on a fawning and cowardly expression as he looked at the bandit before him.

Gu Bei was utterly shocked by Old Wu's performance. Was this truly the same Old Wu he had always known?!

He looked wretched to the extreme right now, but soon Gu Bei caught on to what Old Wu and Fang Xu were actually plotting.

He couldn't help casting a reproachful look at Old Wu before quickly resuming an expression of anger.

Ultimately, wanting to avoid any flaws in their situation, the bandit was swayed by Old Wu's words.

Just as Old Wu had pointed out, they truly had no better alternatives at the moment. In the eyes of these bandits, after all, Fang Xu represented a pile of gleaming silver!

It would be a lie to say they wouldn't feel the heartache if he just died like this.

"Fine! But you brat better not try any tricks! Otherwise—humph!" The bandit threatened fiercely, brandishing his long saber. Old Wu nodded with a fearful expression on the surface, but inwardly, he was filled with utter contempt.

Old Wu then stepped up to Fang Xu's side, gazing down at the unconscious man, and hurriedly went to work.

However, the moment Old Wu touched Fang Xu's pulse, he froze completely.

Why was that? Naturally, Old Wu discovered to his astonishment that Fang Xu genuinely had no heartbeat or pulse!

"Damn it!" Old Wu cursed inwardly, his gaze instantly turning sharp as he looked down at the recumbent Fang Xu. He then crossed his hands and began rhythmically pressing down on Fang Xu's chest.

Next, Old Wu pinched the philtrum beneath Fang Xu's nose. Seeing that Fang Xu still showed no reaction after a long while, Old Wu genuinely began to panic.

The bandits, who had initially doubted Old Wu's medical skills, now saw his intensely serious expression and began to wonder if they had simply been too paranoid.

"Cough, cough!" Finally, under the full application of Old Wu's methods, Fang Xu managed to gasp for breath.

The bandits instantly lit up with excitement. After all, if Fang Xu remained alive, the benefits they could reap would naturally increase.

Yet they failed to notice Fang Xu flash a subtle look at Old Wu. Receiving Fang Xu's silent signal, Old Wu seized the moment while the bandits were distracted by their joy and instantly snatched the long saber from the hand of the nearest guard.

Before the bandit could even react, the blade came down upon his head.

Perhaps until the very moment of his death, that bandit never understood why he had been killed so suddenly.

Old Wu had no time to bask in his own triumph; he immediately charged toward the remaining stunned bandits. And how could these bandits possibly match Old Wu's prowess?

If these captors were like wolves in front of the other young masters, in front of Old Wu, they were merely lambs waiting for slaughter.

"Cough, cough! Leave one alive!" Fang Xu coughed softly, giving instructions to Old Wu, who immediately understood the boundaries.

In the end, only a single bandit remained alive, trembling with shattered courage.

After all, they were usually just all talk; when it came to real combat, they probably hadn't even seen blood before!

How could they possibly compare to a seasoned veteran like Old Wu who had survived the battlefield? Afterward, Fang Xu had Old Wu tie up the surviving bandit, intending to interrogate him about certain matters.

He then ordered Old Wu to untie the rest of the captives. Many of the young masters looked at Fang Xu with hopeful eyes, but Fang Xu completely ignored them.

Being met with such indifference from Old Wu and Fang Xu made the young masters anxious, to the point where they began to beg Fang Xu to save them.

From Fang Xu's perspective, he was certainly no demon.

However, both Gu Bei and Old Wu understood what Fang Xu's true objective was now. Since these young masters wouldn't dare expose their plight to their own families, why not extract a handsome profit from them instead?

One had to realize that the Great Qin Empire was currently in dire need of funds and grain! Yet in Fang Xu's eyes, these young men were merely small fry; the truly big fish were still waiting for him to cast his line.