Chapter 106: Searching for a Solution “Two hundred brigands as villagers. Their leader, General Lu. Weapons hidden in water shrine.”
The words were scrawled in haste, the strokes shaky and uneven.
He Lingchuan lifted the note to his nose. A metallic tang pricked his senses. “Blood.”
The message was short, plain, and horrifying. The villagers were impostors. Their leader was called General Lu. The blades were hidden inside the Water Spirit Shrine[1].
Madame Ying gasped, clutching at He Chunhua’s sleeve. “Oh my!”
Her alarm burst forth without disguise.
They truly were quite unlucky. On the one night they stopped to lodge in relative wilderness, they had walked straight into a den of wolves?
The revelation was tumultuous. He Lingchuan glanced at his father and younger brother’s grave expressions, then his eyes gleamed. “Father, why don’t we strike first? If there really are only two hundred brigands, then we can take them apart before they move!”
“Fool!” He Chunhua shot him a glare. “Just because she said there are two hundred, you believe there are two hundred? She says they’re brigands, and you believe her just like that? You’d trust a random woman’s word for truth?”
He turned to his personal guard. “Zhao Qinghe, slip into the Water Spirit Shrine. See if there are weapons, and count how many there are.”
Zhao Qinghe nodded silently and departed.
Of middling height and looks, he was the sort of man who blended seamlessly into a crowd. He Lingchuan had barely noticed him before. For his father to entrust such a critical task to him in Uncle Hao’s absence showed that he deeply trusted the man.
Once again, He Lingchuan realized how little he truly knew about He Chunhua.
Madame Ying whispered, “That Lu fellow’s eyes gleamed with cruelty. He didn’t look like a good man at all!”
And yet earlier, you’d been ready to follow him off to admire the so-called Twin Moon Bay. He Lingchuan dared not say it aloud.
A quarter-hour later, Zhao Qinghe returned, face grim. “I managed to slip into the shrine when the shrinekeeper went to take a piss. Beneath the altar and behind a curtain inside, several chests are hidden. The chests were packed with blades and axes, and I roughly counted there to be about a hundred fifty. All of them have clearly tasted blood, the stench of slaughter still clings to them.”
That was proof enough of Mrs. Zhu’s bloody warning. How could a farming and fishing hamlet possess such a stockpile of murderous weapons?
Zhao Qinghe added, “And the Water Spirit Tablet really was broken in two.”
Madame Ying turned pale. “If they are brigands, why didn’t they flee at the sight of armed soldiers? Why pose as villagers and stay?”
The same question troubled everyone present.
Immortal Spirit Village was riddled with mysteries.
“Regardless, they clearly have no good intentions,” He Yue muttered, glancing at father and brother. “If Mrs. Zhu’s words are true and there are two hundred of them, then no wonder there are so many unusually able-bodied men about.”
“They’re keeping silent because they’re waiting for the right moment.” He Lingchuan’s face hardened. “Father, Mother, did you drink the water in this house?”
“The moment we arrived, the host offered some,” Old Steward Mo replied. “I made him empty the pot, wash it, and boil new water under my eye. Afterward, when the maid cooked, I kept watch in the kitchen. It should be safe.”
He Chunhua tapped the blood-written note. “What troubles me is this ‘General Lu.’ Is that just a self-claimed title or a title he’s been given?”
The difference was vast.
Men came in every shade. Brigand leaders often liked to be called generals, but this was just too...
No, something’s really wrong here. “Well, there’s only one way to know for sure.” He Lingchuan rose. “I’ll go find Mrs. Zhu.”
“She’s definitely under watch.” Madame Ying asked curiously, “How are you going to reach her?”
“I’m just going to take a stroll and find her. The village isn’t that big. How long can it take to cross from east to west?” He Lingchuan grinned. “Besides, I already saw which house she entered earlier. It’s not far from ours. It’s just a dozen or so huts away.”
This boy, he’s careless in most things, yet he can remember where a strange young widow lives? Madame Ying could only sigh. “Be careful!”
It was rare for her to show concern for He Lingchuan. A warmth stirred in his chest, and he nodded.
But He Yue said, “These people haven’t moved because they’re waiting for the right moment. They’re either waiting to successfully poison us, or to strike after midnight when most are asleep! It’s already late. Why not seize Lu Han first?”
He Lingchuan waved a hand and said, “Be patient. At least, wait till I return.”
No one had the appetite to eat. Only He Lingchuan shoveled down his food, chopsticks flashing. Since that nightmarish battlefield in his dreams, he felt he could face any crisis with calmer nerves.
Madame Ying sighed. “How can you eat at a time like this?” Truly, the heart of this eldest son of hers was too big.
“What if there’s a fight later? Gotta eat to have strength.” He devoured the rest of his food that it was like it had been swept away by the wind. He then wiped his mouth, stood up, and said, “I’m going. Delaying things will only breed danger.”
He Chunhua watched his son’s retreating back, nodded once, and sighed. He was about to urge his wife and younger son to finish eating when Zeng Feixiong arrived, announcing his presence from outside.
As the leader of the guards, he came at set times to report. With matters so grave, He Chunhua immediately summoned him in.
* * *
Mrs. Zhu’s house lay in the western corner of the village, not at all near the lodging of the He Family.
Her husband had died under mysterious circumstances; her mother-in-law had awakened only to go mad, wailing and laughing until the brigands silenced her with a blade and cast her into the lake to join her son.
Her father-in-law, dazed and hollow-eyed, had been led away together with her small children.
So now the house held only Mrs. Zhu.
She lowered her head and walked home. Two soldiers, quartered in the grain sheds, stopped her to beg a drink of water. Unlike the officials lodged in cottages, they had no easy access to hot water. Though the village chief had been ordered to arrange for it, the arrangements were not yet in place.
Drinking raw water meant sickness. Hence, it was best to boil it, but in the wild, men often swallowed cold water when forced.
“Please wait just a moment. I’ll quickly boil some,” she said, carrying water to the back kitchen. The guards waved their hands, as if to say that there was no need for her to trouble herself, but she insisted, “It’s fine. I’ll need some myself later anyway.”
So, they waited at her door. Seeing her youthful beauty, they struck up a conversation.
However, Mrs. Zhu knew the brigands’ eyes were on her every move. This was no time for an outcry, nor a time for a desperate hint.
Her heart ached with anxiety. She searched for some roundabout way to pass a message when sharp whistles pierced the night. The two soldiers rushed off before the water was even hot.
Disappointment sank in her chest.
Just then, from the shadow behind her house, a figure lunged out.
She nearly screamed, but the intruder’s hand clamped over her nose and mouth, grip like iron. A foul stench of breath washed over her as he growled in her ear, “Stay quiet, or I’ll snap your neck! Understand?”
Mrs. Zhu nodded frantically.
The fat man released her. “What were you up to just now? Trying to pass a warning to those dog officials, weren’t you?”
“No, no! I wasn’t!” Mrs. Zhu shrank back, her voice trembling. “The village chief and his lackeys have bullied me again and again. Three months ago, they even beat me half to death. I only thought... maybe this was my chance to vent a little hatred.”
1. This should be the same as the Immortal Spirit Shrine mentioned in Chapter 105. ☜