Chapter 69

Chapter 69

After that, Xie Licheng kept sending more people in, one after another, but the child Cui Niang was looking for still wasn't among them, and her condition was clearly getting worse by the day.

Chen Yaosan was worried she couldn't take much more, so he had two people take her to his place to rest. Around that same time, Xiao Zhuang was tired too, so he went back with her to get some rest.

Xiao Zhuang was just a little kid—he hadn't slept since last night, so yeah, he was pretty sleepy by then.

Chen Yaosan figured that since Cui Niang wasn't doing well, he'd have Xiao Zhuang go with her to his place, just in case something went wrong while she was resting.

Honestly, Cui Niang wasn't about to off herself. She still didn't know if her kid was alive or dead, so there was no way she'd do something like that now.

Plus, the kid Xie Licheng had brought back was still with her, and she didn't want to be all dramatic about life and death in front of a child like that.

So for now, she was holding it together pretty well. She held Xiao Zhuang's hand in one hand and the young man's in the other, and headed to Chen Yaosan's place to rest for a bit.

She knew she couldn't break down now—she had to keep up her strength to keep waiting for her child.

She'd actually wanted to go out and search herself, but once she learned how things worked here, she realized you couldn't just leave whenever you wanted.

To make sure the secrets here didn't get out to the wrong people, and to keep Xie Licheng and everyone else safe, Xie Licheng didn't just take people out of here casually.

In the afternoon, Gu Zhangyuan showed up at the village with the Gu family's servants.

Since Xie Licheng hadn't come to get him, he figured something must've happened. And once he got back to the village with his people, he saw that yeah, something had definitely gone down.

Gu Zhangyuan swung by the farm, called Xuan Cui and Yuan Qiao out, stashed the stuff he'd brought, and then led the Gu family servants to help out.

Xie Licheng had brought in a lot of people this time—mostly young men, women, and kids—and they all looked like they'd been through hell.

Seeing them, he felt a mix of heartbreak and rage. Even as he worked, he couldn't help secretly wiping at his tears.

But knowing there was still a ton to do in the village, Gu Zhangyuan pulled himself together and kept everyone moving.

They worked until evening, and then Gu Zhangyuan took Xuan Cui and Yuan Qiao back to the farm for a bit.

After a quick rest, he took them out to the orchard to pick fruit, planning to give some to the newcomers.

Those people didn't have any food, and the villagers could only spare so much.

He figured the farm had plenty of fruit, and it'd be a waste to let it rot, so why not share some?

That way the fruit wouldn't go bad in the orchard, and they'd be helping out the poor newcomers—two birds, one stone.

While Gu Zhangyuan was out picking fruit with the two, Xie Licheng sent two more people into Peach Blossom Village, then started hauling in supplies.

There wasn't a single living soul left in Master Cao Ba's compound, so he could start gathering supplies.

This time Xie Licheng wasn't working alone, so they were able to gather supplies a lot faster.

Everything Liu Xiaoyuan and Han Xihe scavenged got piled up in the courtyard where they'd first come in.

When Xie Licheng finished his sweep and came back, he'd suck everything into his pocket dimension in one go.

Ever since they found out what Master Cao Ba was really into, Liu Xiaoyuan and Han Xihe had no qualms about hauling stuff out of there.

Every last thing in that place was built on the blood of regular folks.

As the ones who'd been trampled on, being able to turn around and strip these bastards' place clean didn't make them feel guilty at all—it felt damn good.

None of this stuff should stay with those people—it should go to the ones who'd been pushed around.

With that in mind, even though they were dead tired, they suddenly didn't feel so worn out.

Swords, knives, rice, flour, oil, grain, tables, chairs, stools, potted plants, beds, bedding, clothes, shoes—they hauled it all out like crazy.

Xie Licheng had originally turned his nose up at this stuff, but once he saw they'd worked hard to haul it all out and pile it together, he figured sorting it would be a pain.

So instead of bothering to sort through it, he just scooped it all up at once.

Everything got stashed in the village. Once they'd stripped the place bare, Xie Licheng led them back.

When Xie Licheng got back, Gu Zhangyuan was already handing out fruit to the newcomers.

The fruit from Xie Licheng's farm was big, plump, and juicy, and since it was hot as hell—perfect fruit weather—Gu Zhangyuan's timing couldn't have been better. Everyone could snack and cool off a bit.

As soon as he heard Xie Licheng was back, Gu Zhangyuan quickly passed the fruit-giving job off to one of the village women.

When Gu Zhangyuan walked over with Yuan Qiao, Xie Licheng was chilling with Liu Xiaoyuan and the others in front of that big pile of supplies.

That pile had been sitting there the whole time, and none of the villagers dared to touch a thing in it.

Every time Xie Licheng brought stuff in from outside, they'd only touch it if he specifically said it was for them.

This time there was a ton of stuff, and a lot of it looked pricey. Even though everyone's eyes were practically glued to it, not a single person dared to go near it.

Right then, Xie Licheng was sitting in a big old armchair, shirt off because it was way too hot.

An older woman had brought some water and wanted to wipe the sweat off his face and chest.

She was a mother herself. Xie Licheng hadn't rested since yesterday, and looking at him reminded her of her own boy—it made her heart ache.

She figured that at her age, it wouldn't be inappropriate for her to look after him a little. But before she could even make a move, Yuan Qiao came hurrying over.

Yuan Qiao smiled and thanked the woman on Gu Zhangyuan's behalf, then took the basin from her.

Yuan Qiao said, "My master is Master Xie's husband. Something like this is better left to him."

The woman saw Gu Zhangyuan coming, gave a knowing smile, and took off.

Yuan Qiao grabbed a clean handkerchief, dipped it in the water, and handed it to Gu Zhangyuan.

Gu Zhangyuan smiled, a little embarrassed with so many people watching. But since everyone was acting like it was no big deal and nobody was leaving, he had no choice but to suck it up and step forward.

He took the handkerchief and told Xuan Cui, who'd followed him over, "Go back to the farm and bring your master a bowl of hot soup."

Xie Licheng said, "No need. I already ate out there." He'd grabbed food from the farm twice while he was out. Neither he nor those two young guys were hungry right now.

Seeing that he really wasn't hungry, Gu Zhangyuan motioned for Yuan Qiao to fan Xie Licheng from the side.

Yuan Qiao pulled out a little folding fan and stood off to the side, gently fanning Xie Licheng.

Then Gu Zhangyuan took the handkerchief and started carefully, gently wiping the sweat from his face.

Xie Licheng was a rough-and-tumble guy—he'd never been treated like this before.

Someone fanning him, and his husband personally wiping down his face and body.

He wasn't quite used to it, and he also didn't want to smell the fragrance of other guys.

The other guy in question was Yuan Qiao. It was hot, and Yuan Qiao had also put on some incense.

He was standing nearby fanning him now, and with each wave of the fan, the scent naturally drifted over.

It wasn't that Xie Licheng disliked his scent—he just didn't want to smell other guys' fragrance when he already had his own husband.

So Xie Licheng spoke up: "You don't need to fan me anymore. Go take a break over there."

Xie Licheng's words were clearly shooing him away. As it happened, Yuan Qiao didn't want to serve Xie Licheng either, so he ran over to the pile of supplies and asked, "Young master, how should these things be handled?"

Xie Licheng was enjoying his husband's face-wiping service and replied with his eyes closed, "Take some people to sort things out and set them out by category in the village."

Yuan Qiao acknowledged the order and started bustling around with a few strong villagers.

Gold, silver, and jewels in one pile; clothes, shoes, and socks in another; then bedding and gauze curtains...

That pile was huge, and sorting it all out would take a while.

Gu Zhangyuan rolled up his sleeves, wiped Xie Licheng's face first, then his upper body. He had never done these things before, but now that he had a husband, he had learned a bit and was gradually becoming skilled at doing them.

In the past, Gu Zhangyuan couldn't understand why he'd have to take care of and serve a husband.

He figured, since they had servants, why should he do such things himself?

Now that he truly had a husband, and someone he loved, he discovered that he could do it—and he was happy to do it.

After Gu Zhangyuan finished wiping Xie Licheng's upper body and washed his hands, he noticed Xie Licheng's chapped lips and said worriedly, "Didn't we agree not to pick fights with them?"

Xie Licheng: "The one who came after us was just a rogue. He was by himself."

"So... so what's the situation now?"

Not only had he taken in a bunch of people, but he'd also piled up a ton of supplies over there.

Xie Licheng said helplessly, "I originally wanted to help Liu Xiaoyuan find his family, but unexpectedly, as I searched... I stumbled on some Master Eight's hideout."

Gu Zhangyuan also felt helpless. "Did he do something wrong, and you got mad and took out his hideout?"

Xie Licheng nodded. Seeing no one was looking their way, he brought Gu Zhangyuan's hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to it.

Gu Zhangyuan's face flushed red. He quickly glanced around to make sure no one had seen what Xie Licheng just did, then gently pinched Xie Licheng's arm in pretend annoyance.

Before Xie Licheng could continue teasing his husband, Xuan Cui came over from the village with a bowl of hot water. Xie Licheng took it, drank, then answered, "Yeah, they all deserved it."

Since they deserved it, there was nothing more to say.

Gu Zhangyuan knew Xie Licheng well. He had killed many people, but he never killed the innocent, and he would even rescue the elderly, the weak, women, and kids.

If he said those people deserved to die, then they certainly weren't decent folks.

Seeing he'd recovered a good deal of strength, Xie Licheng stood up and began distributing the supplies.

He first walked over to the gold, silver, and jewels and asked Yuan Qiao to fetch a chest.

He said to Gu Zhangyuan, "Pick out a few things you like first."

He didn't plan to keep all of these things; he would leave some for the orphans.

Among these children, many had been trafficked into Wencheng from elsewhere.

Xie Licheng couldn't help them find their families one by one.

He could only continue heading south, and if he happened to encounter their families, he would help; if not, they'd just have to chalk it up to bad luck.

To make sure these kids could survive, he figured it was best to give them some silver. It would be best to let them go live in a town or city. Anyway, they couldn't stay in Taohua Village to fend for themselves.

In the future, Taohua Village would become a mess, and many people would be sent here. Kids without adults to look after them shouldn't stay here.

Gu Zhangyuan didn't really want those things. In his eyes, they weren't just worldly goods; they were bought with other people's women, male consorts, and kids.

Xie Licheng could tell what he was thinking and still urged him to keep one or two items.

These things were Master Cao Ba's loot. Xie Licheng had saved so many people—even if there was no credit due, there was hard work. He figured it was fine for him and Gu Zhangyuan to keep a few things.

Because without Xie Licheng, not only would that loot never be recovered, but the captives would also continue to suffer. Once Wencheng went to hell, the captives might even get killed.

Xie Licheng owed nothing to those captives. On the contrary, he was the one who'd put in the work and resources to save them, and now he was providing them with a safe place to stay. He was only taking some compensation for his hard work, not hoarding all the wealth. He felt he was already a real saint.

Xie Licheng: "Pick some. Consider it your pay for today's hard work."

Gu Zhangyuan thought it over and picked out a few items.

After Gu Zhangyuan chose, Xie Licheng took half of what was left.

He had the Gu family servants haul their stuff away, then he began distributing supplies to everyone in the village.

First, he gave to Liu Xiaoyuan and Han Xihe, who'd worked the hardest. Those two had put in serious work following him this time.

Xie Licheng said to them, "Pick three things each from here."

Han Xihe asked right away, "Anything I want?"

"Yeah, you two worked hard. This is your reward."

Hearing this, Han Xihe didn't hold back anymore.

He stepped forward and chose three items. The first two were made of gold, and the last one was a jade bracelet.

Gold was worth a lot; he planned to use it to buy a house and some land.

The jade bracelet was to court a wife. At his age, he was about to start looking for a match.

After Han Xihe picked, Liu Xiaoyuan stepped up, looking a bit shy.

He took a gold ingot, a jade bead bracelet, and then a fine inkstone.

Xie Licheng was surprised and asked, "You want to be a scholar someday?"

Liu Xiaoyuan nodded. "I want to study, but that can wait. For now, I still want to follow you."

Even if he became a scholar, he couldn't be a weakling without the strength to lift a chicken.

He wanted to be proficient in both literary and martial arts—only then could he be truly useful.

Xie Licheng praised him, "Hmm, ambitious. Once more people come here, we should be able to find a teacher. Then you can study."

Whether civil officials or military generals, each had their own advantages. They already had a few military generals here, and indeed, they needed to train up some civil officials.

When they left with their items, Xie Licheng let the few villagers who had worked the hardest since yesterday each pick one valuable item.

Eight people were found in total, and Chen Yaosan was among them.

When the village chief came to pick his item, he said to Xie Licheng with some shame, "I'm really getting old, I can't quite manage them anymore. Savior, why not take this opportunity to replace the village chief?"

Xie Licheng nodded at this, looking at the increasingly aged village chief and saying, "Why don't you move to town, sir?"

The village chief quickly shook his head at this, "No need, this place is just fine. I belong in these mountains, and I'll grow old here too. Also, I'm still not quite at ease about this place, I want to stay and keep an eye on things."

Xie Licheng didn't push it and let him do what he wanted.

Then he looked at Chen Yaosan, "How about you become the village chief from now on?"

Being village chief was bound to be a headache, and he'd be stuck in this place in the future.

Previously, Chen Yaosan had been alone, but now he not only had Xiao Zhuang, he was probably going to live with Cui Niang too. Xie Licheng wondered if he'd be up for it.

Chen Yaosan said, "Alright, I'll take care of this place."

Xie Licheng glanced at him, "You sure you want to do this?"

"Isn't that what you wanted?"

"I do want you to do it, because right now you're the only one who can keep them in line. But if you don't want to stay in the village, you can turn me down if you want."

Chen Yaosan shook his head, "I like the village a lot too. I'll be the village chief."

By the way, Chen Yaosan asked, "Cui Niang's child... haven't you found him?"

Xie Licheng shook his head at this, "I took people out to search twice, but didn't see any sign of that little boy. Make sure to comfort her when you get back. I'll probably stay in Wencheng for a few more days, and if I come across her child, I'll bring him back if I find him."

Chen Yaosan quickly said, "Thanks a lot, boss."

Because Chen Yaosan had taken on the heavy responsibility of the village, he couldn't keep living in that remote little courtyard.

As village chief, it was best to live near the center of things. That way, if anything happened, he'd be the first to know. Since Xie Licheng was currently in the village, he figured he'd use this chance to move.

While Chen Yaosan was moving, Xie Licheng packed the remaining gold, silver, and jewelry into a box, and took Liu Xiaoyuan to check on everyone in the village.

He counted how many kids had no parents, used the leftover gold and jewelry to buy them a big house in town, and also bought them four mu of farmland just outside town.

From now on, they'd live in town, plant crops on the four mu of land, and shouldn't go hungry in the winter.

After taking care of the kids' situation, Xie Licheng started dealing with the leftover supplies.

What was left was mostly rice, flour, oil, clothes, bedding, and furniture.

Xie Licheng didn't really care about any of that, so he decided to hand them out to the villagers.

The past couple of days, everyone in the village had been busy too, and a lot of families had chipped in food.

They hadn't been there long and didn't have much money or food to spare.

Now they had to help others too, so their own homes were probably struggling.

Xie Licheng handed out the rice, flour, and oil first. Newcomers and old villagers alike, every household got a share per person.

Then he moved on to clothes, bedding, furniture...

By the time everything was handed out, it was already the next morning.

Xie Licheng was really worn out this time. After all that, he was about to head back to the farm to rest.

Just then, Chen Yaosan came over carrying a little boy. This little boy was the same kid Xie Licheng had carried in earlier.

The kid had been fine when Cui Niang took him, but later when Cui Niang realized Xie Licheng hadn't found her child, she completely fell apart, and she didn't have it in her to take care of the kid anymore.

With no one looking after him, the kid felt totally out of place and scared, and couldn't help but cry.

Chen Yaosan looked scary and had no clue how to calm a kid like that. Since the kid was asking for Xie Licheng anyway, he just brought him over.

Xie Licheng looked at the kid, totally speechless. He wanted Chen Yaosan to find some mom or dad to take the kid in.

A lot of families in the village had lost kids, and this one was pale and cute, so plenty of families would probably want him.

Even if no one wanted him, he could go to town with the other kids.

But the kid wouldn't settle for anyone but Xie Licheng, and would just cry silently otherwise.

In the end, Xie Licheng had no choice but to carry him back.

He gave the kid access to the farm. Once back, he had Xuan Cui watch the kid for now, then he went back to the bedroom at Xiyuan to rest.

When Yuan Qiao saw the kid being brought back, he couldn't help whispering to Gu Zhangyuan.

"Master, what's your husband thinking? Why'd he suddenly bring back a kid?"

Gu Zhangyuan ate a lychee and said nonchalantly, "Probably felt bad for the kid, and since he's well-behaved, he's keeping him at the farm for now."

Yuan Qiao peeled a lychee and said quietly, "But... you two haven't even slept together yet, and he's already bringing back some random kid. Is he trying to say he wants a kid?"

Gu Zhangyuan gently shook his head, "I don't think he likes kids. He probably brought the kid back because he's cute and likable."

Hearing that, Yuan Qiao got even more worried, "How can that be?! If your husband's taken a shine to some other kid, when his own kid comes along, won't that be a problem?"

Gu Zhangyuan couldn't take it anymore. He looked up at Yuan Qiao, saying, "That kid isn't from some side piece, and he was kidnapped by those bad people. You can't be that petty."

Yuan Qiao was being petty mainly because Xie Licheng had let Xuan Cui into the farm first, and it took a while before he was allowed in.

But this kid, who just showed up, got in so easily.

This was the farm, after all, where only Xie Licheng's most trusted people got in.

He felt like Xie Licheng treated him special, and worried he'd threaten the standing of his master's future kids.

Now that his master had scolded him, he figured he was being paranoid.

Xie Licheng slept straight through till the next morning. When he woke up and saw his handsome husband next to him, he couldn't help leaning over and sniffing at him.

Gu Zhangyuan woke up from all the fussing, blushed, and pushed him off a few times. Seeing that Xie Licheng was getting in the mood, he put up a weak fight and let Xie Licheng undo his clothes.

Xie Licheng had only meant to sniff and steal a few kisses from his pretty husband. But his husband was so obedient, he couldn't help getting bolder.

Xie Licheng undid Gu Zhangyuan's shirt, pulling the collar down off his shoulders.

He kissed his pretty husband for a bit, then got annoyed by his long, gorgeous hair.

He sat up, pulled off his belt, and meant to tie back Gu Zhangyuan's long hair with it.

Gu Zhangyuan said, clearly displeased, "I don't want to use this."

Xie Licheng and Gu Zhangyuan were like a rough, unromantic lout paired with a fussy, high-maintenance scholar.

One was so careless he bordered on crude.

The other was so particular he came off as finicky.

Gu Zhangyuan slowly swept his long hair back over his shoulders, lying against Xie Licheng as he tugged his open robe shut a little.

Seeing him still pulling his clothes closed, that reserved look on his pretty face, Xie Licheng, being a real jerk, grabbed and yanked with one big hand, ripping the beauty's clothes clean off.

Gu Zhangyuan cursed, "You shameless bastard!"

Xie Licheng, eyes half-lidded, openly admired the view while brazenly saying, "If I had any shame, how would I knock you up with my kid?"

When Xie Licheng pressed down on him again, Gu Zhangyuan asked him in a small, aggrieved voice.

"Is being with me just so I can have your baby?"

"No, haven't we already talked about this?"

Xie Licheng wasn't particularly fond of children. If anyone wanted a child more between the two of them, it was definitely Gu Zhangyuan.

Xie Licheng said, "I said that just to tease you, to bully you."

Gu Zhangyuan understood now and muttered a soft curse about how wicked he was.

But when Xie Licheng grabbed his legs, he still willingly wrapped himself around him.

After all, even if he could be a bit wicked at times, this was the person he wanted.