Chapter 71: Chapter Seventy-One Send Someone to Keep a Close Eye on Her

Chapter 71: Sending Someone to Watch Her Closely

"My goodness, that Niu Sanwa looks decent enough, yet who'd have thought he'd do such a thing? He'd even go after a pig—what kind of sick obsession is that?"

"They say it took several people working together to pull him away from that sow, and even then he wasn't willing and wanted to keep going."

"Niu Sanwa wasn't like this before, could he be possessed?"

The village was small, and any trivial matter could spread from one end to the other in no time. Niu Sanwa's scandal had spread like wildfire within less than an hour, buzzing with notoriety. Even the next day, many women were still pointing and gossiping in front of his house.

Old Niu was so furious he nearly had a stroke and gave him a severe beating. His mother, heartbroken, cried, made a scene, and even threatened suicide by hanging to stop Old Niu from hitting him. Overwhelmed with anger, Old Niu accused her of spoiling their son, and Niu Sanwa's mother instantly turned fierce, grappling with him. His two older brothers, too ashamed to intervene and feeling utterly humiliated, stood silently in a corner watching.

The whole family was in an uproar, providing yet another spectacle for the villagers to laugh at.

This time, Niu Sanwa's family had truly lost all face and respect, and they felt too ashamed to stay in the village any longer. Within a couple of days, they sold off their fertile land and house, took the money, and moved away.

As the mastermind behind it all, Wei San felt no remorse about this. If Niu Sanwa hadn't harbored malicious intentions, he wouldn't have ended up disgraced and ruined.

People are forgetful. A few days after Niu Sanwa's family moved away, the topic gradually faded, only occasionally brought up as dinner-table gossip and mockery. It had no impact on Wei San's life.

Wei San continued as usual, learning from the neighboring aunt how to make clothes for the baby. In just a few days, he had gone from knowing nothing to being skilled enough to make a full set of baby clothes by himself.

Today, he made a small cotton-padded jacket and crocheted a pair of woolen shoes with a plum blossom pattern. With this set, he had made five or six sets of baby clothes in total, just enough for changing and laundering.

Wei San gave the leftover fabric and wool to the aunt next door as a token of gratitude for teaching him how to make clothes.

Wei San wrapped the newly made baby clothes in cloth and left the aunt's house. Not long after stepping out, he saw two unfamiliar men walking toward him from a distance.

Both were dressed in black martial attire, and though they tried to appear relaxed, the fierce, battle-hardened aura from years of hardship was unmistakable.

They didn't look like simple villagers but more like assassins or covert guards who had crawled out of piles of corpses.

Wei San's eyes darkened slightly. He lowered his head, drew his shoulders in, and tried to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.

His steps quickened imperceptibly as he approached his own courtyard gate. Unexpectedly, the two men noticed him and caught up in a few strides, blocking his path.

"W-What do you want?"

He cowered, clutching the cloth bundle in his arms, his fingers curled tightly, pretending to be terrified and frightened.

Wei Jiu, in disguise, scrutinized him carefully without detecting anything amiss, then exchanged a glance with An San beside him.

An San squinted with a smiling expression and apologized, "Sorry to scare you, little lady. We'd like to ask you about someone."

As he spoke, he took out a scroll from his sleeve, unfurled it, and handed it to Wei San. "Have you ever seen this person?"

The person in the scroll was none other than Wei San himself.

Wei San thought, as expected. He pretended to examine it, then tilted his head as if thinking and recalling before shaking his head apologetically. "I've never seen him."

An San produced another scroll, this one depicting an eighty-year-old woman leaning on a cane.

"What about this one? Have you seen her?"

Wei San continued shaking his head, though inwardly he was alarmed. He hadn't expected them to have uncovered so many clues. It was probably only a matter of time before they traced it back to him.

He couldn't stay in this village much longer. Wei San made up his mind: he would pack tonight and leave tomorrow, the sooner the better.

An San, still unwilling to give up, pressed, "Think carefully again?"

Logically, since Wei San had last disappeared just ten *li* outside this village, someone should have seen him.

The little lady seemed frightened, shrinking back a step, her lips trembling slightly as she warned, "I've never seen these two people. If you keep pressing me, I'll scream for help!"

His voice rose sharply, immediately attracting the attention of several passing villagers. Seeing the villagers gathering with unfriendly expressions, An San and Wei Jiu had no choice but to leave.

"Are you alright, Qiu Niang?"

Second Master Liu stepped forward to check on him, turning to watch Wei Jiu and the other man walk away. Seeing they showed no intention of turning back, he turned to Wei San and advised, "See, I told you there've been a lot of outsiders lately, and it's suspicious. You must be careful. If anything happens, be sure to shout loudly. The villagers will definitely come to help you."

Second Master Liu's words treated him as one of their own. Though Wei San had only been in this small village for a little over a month and was, strictly speaking, an outsider himself, his appearance and pitiable background made the villagers fear he'd be bullied with no one to rely on. They often protected him as if he were a local.

A warm feeling spread through Wei San's heart, and the smile in his eyes grew more genuine and soft. He replied gently, "I've got it, Second Master Liu. Thank you for your concern."

Second Master Liu smiled back and urged him to hurry home.

After saying goodbye to Second Master Liu, Wei San immediately began packing as soon as he returned home.

When he arrived, he had only brought money and two sets of clothes. Now, packing up, he realized he had unknowingly gathered many things during his stay, most of them prepared for the upcoming birth of his child.

This past month had been the most relaxed and joyful period in his over twenty years of life. He didn't have to practice killing techniques daily to complete missions, didn't have to rush around risking his life for his master's orders or tasks, and didn't have to worry about whether he'd live to see the next day.

Like the villagers here, he could farm a couple of acres of land, raise some chickens and ducks, be self-sufficient, and only worry about how to raise his child well. Even without much money, life could be happy and fulfilling.

There was nothing bad about such a life.

He lowered his gaze to his round, prominent belly and slowly placed the half-folded clothes back in their original spot.

Suddenly, he wasn't in a hurry anymore. Those two covert guards clearly hadn't recognized him, so he was still safe for now. Besides, if he vanished immediately after they questioned him, wouldn't that just confirm that Qiu Niang was him?

Wei San thought it over and decided it was better not to act rashly. Who knew how many eyes were secretly watching this village? He couldn't risk exposing himself before the covert guards even came for him.

Having figured this out, Wei San focused again on playing his role as the young widow. Meanwhile, in Prince Xian's residence, Wei Zheng smashed another white-jade teacup.

This time, it was aimed at An San.

"Every time, it's 'no clues,' 'no clues.' If there are no clues, why come back to see me?"

An San's forehead was gashed open, blood streaming down in two lines along his jawline, dripping steadily. He didn't dare utter a word in his own defense, afraid of angering his master further.

Since Wei San left, the master's temper had grown more volatile day by day. No matter how angry he'd been before, he had never resorted to directly throwing things at people—at most, he would have them report to the disciplinary hall according to camp rules.

After venting his anger, Wei Zheng calmed down, closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose, and leaned back on the couch.

He let out a heavy sigh and softened his tone slightly. "I'm tired of hearing 'can't find him.' From now on, if there are no clues, go to the disciplinary hall yourself. No need to come see me."

An San lowered his head and acknowledged the order, then stood up and left to report to the disciplinary hall.

Wei Jiu initially meant to follow but suddenly remembered something and paused.

"Is there something else?" Wei Zheng noticed his hesitation, half-opening his eyes and straightening up.

After leaving the village, the more Wei Jiu thought about it, the more he felt something was off. That peasant woman gave him a familiar feeling, but if she were Third Brother in disguise, the two were completely different in appearance, deportment, and movements. He thought he might be overly sensitive, but adhering to the principle of rather suspecting a thousand than letting one slip away, he hesitated before speaking up. "The peasant woman we saw today felt a bit strange to me."

"Oh? Tell me more." Wei Zheng's gaze instantly sharpened like a knife. Wei Jiu was the one who had immediately seen through his disguise as Wei Liu. If even he thought someone was suspicious, then there must be something wrong.

Wei Jiu voiced his doubts and described the peasant woman's physical description in detail.

"You're saying she's also pregnant, about how many months along?"

Wei Jiu replied, "Probably around five or six months."

Wei Zheng abruptly stood up and took a few steps, then felt his reaction was too strong—that peasant woman might not be Wei San after all. But he didn't want to miss even the slightest clue, so he immediately said to Wei Jiu, "Send someone to keep a close watch on her. Remember, don't alert her."

"Yes, Master."

After dismissing Wei Jiu, Wei Zheng couldn't sit still. It had been too long since he'd seen Wei San, and even the slightest hint of news about him made him restless.

By his calculations, Wei San should be nearly seven months pregnant. Carrying such a large belly, all alone out there—could he take care of himself? What if something happened and there was no one around to help?

He paced back and forth, hands clasped behind his back, growing more anxious with each thought.

He couldn't wait any longer. He changed his clothes, put on a human-skin mask, and left the manor under cover of night.

Following the route Wei Jiu had described, Wei Zheng made his way to the small village ten miles outside the capital.

It was already past 9 PM, the time known as Xu Shi. Most farmers turned off their lights and went to bed after dark, leaving the entire village pitch black, too dark to see your hand in front of your face.

In the darkness, a shadowy figure crept along dragging something as it moved stealthily toward the woodshed behind Wei San's house. Not long after, it scrambled away into the darkness.

Less than a quarter of an hour after it left, flames began to flicker in the woodshed. Thick black smoke billowed upward, and the fire burned fiercely, soon spreading to the front courtyard and igniting the pitch-black night.

An elderly woman from next door, who had gotten up in the middle of the night, drowsily saw the towering flames and jolted awake in shock. She yelled in panic, "Fire! Someone, come quickly!"