Chapter 071

Chapter 071

In Lingshui Village, all the villagers, after finishing their household chores, had arrived early at the northwest corner of the Xiao family's residence, waiting for news from Xiao Zhen and his group.

Not far away lay the bodies of nearly two hundred mountain bandits who had attacked last night. Though they no longer moved, they resembled dead wolves, still causing unease in the hearts of the villagers.

"How come they haven't returned yet? Could something have happened?"

"Don't worry; it's over fifty miles, with mountains to enter and exit. It takes three or four hours just to travel back and forth, plus they had to fight the bandits."

"Can they succeed? What if the bandits leading the way send signals to their hideout? Like whistling to indicate the presence of enemies."

"Enough with the questions. It’s useless to ask so much. You’re making me annoyed."

Xiao Mu and Sun Xinghai stood side by side under the shade of a tree, both looking equally grave.

Suddenly, a villager sent to scout the river mouth hurried back on a donkey. Upon arriving, he fell off the donkey and knelt on the ground before the anxious crowd, his eyes filled with tears as he reported: "They're back, but only with four donkeys. Second Master Xiao, Fifth Master, and Second Master Sun are walking, leading the donkeys. Second Lady is sitting on one, and another person is lying down, but I can't tell who it is..."

Silence fell around them.

When they left, there were two hundred young men riding donkeys and horses, but now only four donkeys and five people had returned.

Could it be as they feared?

Some people collapsed to the ground, while others rushed toward the river mouth in disbelief.

At first, only a few people went, but gradually, everyone, whether crying or not, followed.

He Shi, Xiao Yuchan, and A Fu were among those running. A Fu, her mind unsettled, returned to the West Court of the Xiao family and relayed the news to Lin Ningfang and Liu Chu, who were standing guard by the wall.

Lin Ningfang felt relieved when she heard that Tong Sui was safe, but thinking about the possible fate of the other villagers, her heart sank again.

A Fu cried, "I wonder if the person lying down is Third Master..."

Even though Third Master had countless faults, he was now their master and support. If Third Master were gone and the lady had no children, would the Xiao family still keep them?

Lin Ningfang looked at her tear-stained face and lowered her eyes.

Beside her, Liu Chu took a step back, leaning against the wall, pale-faced.

Regardless of who the person lying down was, the Xiao brothers were still missing one. It could be Xiao Yan or Xiao Ye, or even both of them might not have returned.

What about the others? Sun Dian and the other brave young men from the village?

Liu Chu couldn't wait any longer and ran out.

The vast Xiao family compound was left with only Lin Ningfang and her maid.

At the river mouth, the villagers finally saw Xiao Zhen and the others, dispiritedly walking along the riverbank. Except for Tong Sui, all the men, whether standing or lying down, were covered in blood, including the donkeys whose fur was stained and matted with dried blood.

"Father!"

Sun Wei rushed forward, kneeling before Sun Xinghai and wailing, "Father, Eldest Brother is gone. Apart from us, none of the other brothers made it..."

Sun Xinghai stumbled and sat on the ground.

He Shi screamed and rushed forward, lifting the face of the man lying on the donkey. Seeing it was her other son, she first laughed through her tears, then worriedly turned to Xiao Zhen, "What happened to Third Son?"

Xiao Zhen said, "Third Brother lost too much blood and fainted."

He Shi immediately called for her husband to check on their son.

Xiao Shouyi didn't move, his trembling hands supporting the elderly patriarch, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the surviving young men. "How could this happen? Was the plan exposed?"

Sun Wei wiped his eyes and said angrily, "Everything went according to plan at first. We killed Kong San and made him pretend to rest in the donkey cart. Gao Cunzhi impersonated Kong San and tricked the bandits into opening the gate. Unexpectedly, there was a trap ahead of the canyon, which the survivors deliberately hid. As soon as we entered, many fell into the traps, killing and injuring over a hundred. The commotion alerted Kong Da and the others, who prepared defenses. Our remaining brothers fought fiercely, killing about two hundred bandits. When we couldn't fight anymore, Second Brother Xiao captured Kong Da and exchanged him for our escape."

Some villagers noticed a bloody head hanging from Xiao Zhen's donkey. After hearing Sun Wei's explanation, they realized it belonged to the gang leader.

Xiao Zhen knelt before the patriarch, bowing his head. "Grandfather, it's my fault. If I had been more cautious, our brothers wouldn't have died so tragically."

Xiao Mu's lips trembled as he raised his hand.

Seeing this, Xiao She rushed over and hugged the patriarch's arm, sobbing, "Grandfather, don't blame Second Brother. He fought hard to avenge our brothers. Those three hundred bandits suffered just as much. If we had any strength left, we could have killed them all!"

After hearing the battle details, most villagers, except those mourning their lost relatives, tried to console the patriarch.

The plan to attack Imprisoned Dragon Ridge was excellent, and the hardest part—the stone gate—was successfully breached. The traps were a cunning move by the bandits, something Xiao Zhen and his group couldn't have anticipated. Despite their injuries and blood, they managed to kill over two hundred bandits and capture the gang leader. The village couldn't ask for more.

Xiao Mu, unable to strike his grandson, mournfully cried to the sky, "It's my fault for underestimating the enemy, leading to the loss of two hundred young men. I, Xiao Mu, cannot face my fellow villagers anymore!"

His cry triggered a wave of tears among the villagers. Xiao Yuchan and Liu Chu held Tong Sui, mourning the death of Xiao Ye. Mianmian and Qi Yao also wept uncontrollably.

Tong Sui buried her face in Liu Chu's shoulder, knowing that Xiao Ye and the others were alive, but feeling the genuine sorrow of the villagers.

Although Sun Xinghai had lost his eldest son, as the Village Headman, he had more important matters to attend to.

Mounting his donkey and taking the head of Kong Da, Sun Xinghai set off with two Sun family members toward the county seat.

In the county office, Magistrate Liu Ying was calculating the summer tax revenue when he learned that Sun Xinghai, the Village Headman of Lingshui Village, had brought the head of the Imprisoned Dragon Ridge gang leader. Liu Ying was stunned and rushed out without even putting on his official hat.

Sun Xinghai knelt and recounted the tragedy, emphasizing the heavy casualties among the villagers.

Liu Ying offered some consoling words and confirmed, "Are you sure Kong Da and his brothers are dead, and the gang has less than a hundred members left?"

Sun Xinghai replied, "Yes, it should be correct."

Liu Ying needed to see the bandits' corpses himself. He immediately ordered two hundred... five hundred militia to accompany him. Half rode horses, half ran, and they headed to Lingshui Village in a grand procession.

By mid-afternoon, the sun was scorching, and the bandits' bodies began to emit a faint odor.

Liu Ying covered his nose with a handkerchief and walked to Kong'er's corpse, recognizing the face that bore a striking resemblance to Kong Da. The corners of his mouth curled up beneath the handkerchief. Good, the three most formidable leaders of the bandits were gone, leaving only a bunch of rabble. He could confidently report to the court that the bandit gang had been eradicated, using the heads of the Kong brothers as proof.

As he was basking in this thought, a cold voice suddenly came from behind him: "Sir, there are less than a hundred bandits left. This humble subject implores you to capitalize on this victory and wipe out the mountain bandits completely. If you do not mind, we are willing to lead the way for you."

Liu Ying turned around in disbelief.

Xiao Zhen and Sun Wei stood with several dozen young men who had regrouped, each holding a wooden spear.

Liu Ying carefully examined the spears and noticed that some had worn tips, while others showed clear marks of being hacked by the bandits' sabers. With a look of disdain, he asked, "Last night, did you kill those bandits with these homemade wooden spears?"

Sun Xinghai explained beside him, "Indeed, due to the horrific incident in Pine Village last time, I led the villagers to craft these wooden spears for self-defense."

Liu Ying nodded in approval. "Good job. Had you not prepared in advance, another tragedy might have occurred last night."

One tragedy was enough to make him anxious; another massacre would surely cost him his official position.

Sun Xinghai looked dejected, showing no joy at being praised by the magistrate.

Seeing that they had finished speaking, Xiao Zhen spoke firmly, bowing slightly. "We implore you, sir, to dispatch troops to eliminate the bandits and rid us of this scourge!"

The other young men echoed his plea.

Thinking of the two stone gates blocking the entrance to Imprisoned Dragon Ridge, Liu Ying did not want to make another fruitless trip in the sweltering heat. He rebuked them sternly, "When and how to deal with the bandits is something I, as the magistrate, should decide. This disaster happened because of your reckless actions. I haven't even punished you yet, and now you're telling me what to do?"

Sun Xinghai quickly defended the young men: "Sir, they are just eager to avenge their fallen comrades. Please don't hold it against them."

Liu Ying snorted and glanced at the bandits' corpses. Considering that Lingshui Village had traded two hundred lives for four hundred bandits, it seemed like a fair exchange.

With this threat removed, Liu Ying was quite pleased. Feeling good, he didn't want to quarrel with the villagers and promised, "Rest assured. Right now, I am busy collecting summer taxes for the court. Once this is done, I will find an opportunity to finish off the remaining bandits."

Xiao Zhen and the others had no choice but to step back.

Liu Ying ordered his men to cut off Kong'er's head, while the rest of the bandits were taken to the riverbank to be burned.

Sun Xinghai bowed and led them to rest under the shade of a tree, cautiously asking, "Sir, considering our village sacrificed so many brave men to eliminate the bandits, can the court provide some compensation to their families?"

Liu Ying scoffed, "You still have the nerve to ask? As the Village Headman, you should have stopped them last night. It was your ambition that led them into the bandits' trap."

Sun Xinghai was filled with regret and tears flowed down his face.

Knowing that the Village Headman had lost a son, Liu Ying softened his stance. Thinking about how Lingshui Village had helped him achieve a significant victory with those crude spears, he conceded, "Fine. Given that your village killed a batch of bandits, the merits and demerits cancel out. I won't pursue your responsibility. As for the families of those brave men, they can pay one-tenth less in summer taxes this year, as a form of compensation from the court."

Sun Xinghai smiled bitterly, thinking that a life was worth only a tenth reduction in taxes, which shouldn't have been collected in the first place.

With the matter settled, Liu Ying returned to the county town with the able-bodied men.

Sun Xinghai mustered his strength to console the villagers before returning home, exhausted.

He lay on the bed, not wanting to talk to anyone.

Sun Wei quietly entered, closed the door, and whispered something in his father's ear.

Sun Xinghai sat up abruptly, eyes wide open. "What did you say?"

Sun Wei smiled apologetically. "I was afraid you wouldn't act convincingly in front of the magistrate, so I waited until now to tell you."

Sun Xinghai felt a mix of joy, shock, and fear, then suddenly remembered the actions of Old Master Xiao by the river earlier that morning.

He gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly, "This old rogue acted more convincingly than I did!"

At the Xiao residence,

Huo Shi, Xiao Yuchan, Liu Chu, and the children were still mourning Xiao Ye.

Tong Sui, having stayed up all night, was persuaded by the elder to go back to her room to rest.

Tong Sui was indeed tired and didn't want to dirty the northern room's bed, so she lay down on the southern room's bed fully clothed.

Xiao Zhen returned and couldn't find her in the northern room, so he came to the southern room.

Tong Sui pretended not to notice and continued lying down.

Xiao Zhen sat beside her and whispered, "I brought over the birthday gift Fourth Younger Brother prepared for you."

Only then did Tong Sui open her eyes.

Xiao Zhen held his right fist in front of her. "Fourth Younger Brother said this gift is very precious, so don't lose it."

His tone was playful, but Tong Sui simply stared at his clenched fist.

Xiao Zhen opened his hand, revealing a golden bracelet—a bracelet made of golden wheat stalks that looked genuinely precious.

Tong Sui finally smiled again.