James Brooks grabbed Henry Clark in one swift motion, as if picking up a real mouse.

　　"White Mouse, tell me, why did these river bandits kill George White but not you?! Did you join them?!"

　　"I... I, I..." Henry Clark said, "They were going to kill me, but just as they were about to do it, you all came and saved me."

　　"Is that so? I thought you were called White Mouse just so you could fit in with those Eighteen Freaks of Jiangpu." James Brooks said, "My Lock-Life Golden Spear just doesn't cut it, unlike you guys—mice, snakes, fish, and all that."

　　"They... they already have a mouse. Since they have a mouse, they... they didn't want me. Brother, can you please put me down?"

　　Just as James Brooks was about to let go, John Foster strode over and grabbed Henry Clark by the neck, lifting him up again.

　　Henry Clark's face turned bright red, full of pain.

　　"Divulging military secrets after being captured is a capital offense, do you know that?" John Foster said coldly.

　　Henry Clark was being choked so hard he couldn't speak, looking like he was about to die.

　　Suddenly, someone said, "Can you let him unlock my shackles first before you strangle him to death?"

　　John Foster turned to glance at William Thompson, seeming a bit annoyed.

　　William Thompson held a piece of wire in his hand and said again, "I've tried for a long time, but I can't open them. You said you'd unlock them for me once we crossed the Yangtze."

　　"We haven't crossed the Yangtze yet," John Foster said. "We're still on the south bank."

　　Even so, he let go and dropped Henry Clark.

　　Henry Clark coughed for a long time before saying aggrievedly, "I'm not even an official... I haven't received a single copper coin in military pay... Besides, those river bandits didn't ask about any military secrets, they just asked about what happened with me and William Thompson in prison..."

　　John Foster said coldly, "Cowardly and afraid of death. If it happens again, I'll make you wish you were dead."

　　Henry Clark clutched his collar, shrank down and squatted on the ground, replying meekly, "I won't dare, I won't dare."

　　William Thompson, on the other hand, knew that John Foster never really intended to kill Henry Clark.

　　All in all, saying a few more words could do a favor and let Henry Clark suffer less, a win-win situation he was willing to take...

　　Over there, John Foster ordered the soldiers to move all the goods back onto the boat, then took James Brooks out with him again.

　　Henry Clark watched John Foster's back, let out a long sigh of relief, and sidled up to William Thompson, asking in a low voice, "What are they going to do?"

　　"Don't worry about it, just unlock my shackles."

　　"Alright..."

　　William Thompson watched Henry Clark's movements carefully and asked, "Can you teach me?"

　　"This..."

　　To be honest, Henry Clark didn't really want to teach him. This was a skill passed down in his family for generations—how could he just teach it to someone else?

　　But seeing the sharp look in William Thompson's eyes, a sharpness mixed with a thirst for learning, and thinking that Lü Bingxiong and Pang Tianlu were both gone, and that of the friends who had been in prison together, only he and William Thompson were left, Henry Clark was moved and shared the key points of lockpicking.

　　William Thompson pondered carefully, practiced for quite a while, and finally put the chain away.

　　After waiting a long time, John Foster and James Brooks finally returned.

　　From afar, James Brooks's loud voice could be heard.

　　"Hey, those river bandits dare to call themselves descendants of Granny She? Even my master never dared to claim to be a successor of the Yang Family Spear, for fear of disgracing his ancestors..."

　　Henry Clark muttered under his breath, "Isn't that the truth? With that 'Eight Beauties Welcoming Spring' embroidered on your body, if I were your master, I'd beat you to death."

　　Soon, John Foster and James Brooks came in.

　　James Brooks was holding a bundle in his hand, with blood dripping from the bottom.

　　It was clearly a severed head...

　　...

　　This northbound group had thirty-two people when they set out, but by the time they reached the Yangtze, nine were already dead.

　　Besides George White and the crossbowman who died today, the bodies of seven others, including Jiang Xing, had been thrown into the Yangtze by the river bandits.

　　John Foster found some of their clothes and set up a grave behind the water stronghold.

　　He also dug up the grave of "Water Earthworm" Old Six, and lined up sixteen river bandit heads in a row.

　　Then, James Brooks opened the bundle he had brought back and took out another head.

　　"This is Wang Tai, the tax squad leader. He colluded with the river bandits and got you all killed. My brother and I took his head to honor our fallen brothers..."

　　Hearing this, William Thompson couldn't help but look at John Foster.

　　John Foster had his back to him, looking like a praying mantis.

　　But at that moment, William Thompson felt the ruthlessness in John Foster... Suffer a loss, and you have to go back and take the other guy's head—what kind of mentality is that?

　　"Vicious."

　　...

　　That night, the river boat drifted down the Cihu River, entered the Yangtze, and rowed toward the opposite bank.

　　On the boat, James Brooks's booming voice rang out.

　　"If you ask me, it's great for us to follow the big brother! Doing big things with a bang! If we die, big brother will avenge us! Hahaha..."

　　But Henry Clark looked at the moon over the river, feeling nothing but endless sorrow.

　　"Great, my ass..."

Chapter Ten: The Bronze Medallion

　　After crossing the Yangtze, William Thompson and his group of twenty-three traveled for another four days and arrived at Luzhou.

　　Luzhou was more or less the same as the modern city of Hefei, and at this time was quite an important strategic stronghold.