Chapter 100: Family

The bandits opened the large boxes on the carts, emptied out the miscellaneous goods, and then loaded the corpses inside.

Even then, twenty to thirty corpses still couldn't fit.

The remaining survivors stood in the open space, trembling like sick chickens. The bandits ordered them to clean up the aftermath, digging up the blood-soaked earth and throwing it into the lake.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, the clearing by the lake was spotless again, except for the small mountain of corpses piled at the edge.

A bandit suddenly pointed at the lake and exclaimed, "Someone escaped!"

Everyone's gaze shifted to the water, where they indeed saw a man escaping in a boat. He had likely seized the opportunity during the chaos to run to the water's edge, hide in the tall grass, and untie a small boat.

Carried by the wind, the small boat quickly moved away from the shore.

On the shore, Ms. Zhu bit her lip. She recognized the retreating figure as her husband.

The man rowed strenuously, heading toward the center of the lake.

A little further, and he would be safe. He planned to go to the nearest town, report to the authorities, and beg the soldiers to kill those bastards!

However, he soon heard laughter from the shore. Looking back, he saw the bandits pointing at him, showing no tension whatsoever, but instead chatting and laughing raucously.

Were these bastards out of their minds?

Only a few breaths later, the calm lake water suddenly erupted with a splash.

The boat capsized.

The person on board was gone.

Ms. Zhu clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a scream, while her mother-in-law fainted outright.

After violently swaying, the small boat astonishingly righted itself, but it was now solitary and empty.

The ripples quickly reached the shore and then vanished.

In the span of just a dozen breaths, the lake water became smooth as a mirror once more.

The villagers on the shore were dumbfounded, utterly bewildered by what had just occurred.

The bandits then walked to the waterside pier, untied a dozen boats, loaded all the boxes onto them, and then steered the boats toward the center of the lake to sink the boxes.

They, too, were on the water, yet they appeared relaxed, chatting and laughing, remaining completely unharmed.

The boxes, containing both bodies and large stones, sank decisively to the bottom.

As for the corpses piled on the shore, the bandits tossed them all into the water.

Soon, one floating corpse after another vanished, as if dragged to the bottom of the lake by something unseen, never to reappear.

A few ripples and strings of bubbles appeared on the water's surface, before it returned to perfect calm.

By then, the bandits had seized children from every family, and the area was filled with wailing.

The village chief slowly regained consciousness. The moment he opened his eyes, he was so terrified that a lump of phlegm caught in his throat. The caravan leader patted his shoulder and said, "Cooperate fully, and you won't die. Do you understand?"

The village chief nodded frantically.

"I forgot to ask, do you have any children under eleven?"

The village chief nodded again.

The caravan leader smiled, "Then I'm relieved."

He coughed twice forcefully, then, smiling, addressed the remaining survivors: "From now on, we are your family! As long as you play your part in this act, you will live, and you'll get your children back — your living children, dear families!"

Two quarters of an hour later, two bandits discovered Ms. Zhu hiding in the ancestral hall and dragged her out.

"It's getting dark. We're not going to spend the night in the wilderness, are we?" Madam Ying lifted the bamboo curtain of the carriage to look at the sky, her voice filled with worry.

The mountain scenery was beautiful, but it grew tedious after a while. After a full day of traveling through the stuffy, damp mountains, she now yearned for nothing more than a hot bath.

"Perhaps," He Lingchuan said, leaning back against a soft pillow opposite her. The carriage was small, and with his long limbs, it was difficult for him to find a comfortable position. "I hear there are many blind caves deep in the mountains. If you dig in the right spot, we might have roasted bear paw tonight."

Madam Ying replied, displeased, "You have your own horse. Why are you still cooped up in here?"

"Second Brother also has a horse, and isn't he here too?" Riding a horse was too bumpy and, after a long time, chafed one's inner thighs, so He Lingchuan naturally preferred the comfortable carriage.

He Yue cleared his throat lightly. "The mountain road is muddy, which has delayed our journey. The guide says Immortal Spirit Village is just ahead; we should reach it in at most one or two quarters of an hour."

He Lingchuan sounded a little disappointed. "It seems we won't be having roasted bear paw tonight."

He Yue smiled. "Big Brother can go hunting in the mountains himself."

He Lingchuan pouted, propping his head as he gazed at the darkening sky outside.

These past few days, he hadn't managed to dream of the Coiling Dragon Wasteland. His days were nothing but endless travel, which he found utterly boring.

The Broken Blade seemed to know his impatience, yet it deliberately withheld his wish.

Beside him, Madam Ying and He Yue were discussing trivial matters, all concerning their plans after arriving in Xia State.

Madam Ying preferred the warmer east and hoped to purchase a desirable large mansion in Dunyi City, the capital of Xia State. She planned to furnish it beautifully and then hire seventeen or eighteen servants, and so on.

He Lingchuan suddenly shushed them, interrupting their conversation. "Don't make a sound!"

"Why are you trying to scare people?" Madam Ying glared at him. With over three hundred guards outside, she wasn't easily intimidated.

"Something isn't right," He Lingchuan said, his expression grave. "At dusk, weary birds return to their nests, but why is the forest so unnaturally quiet?"

In the evenings, when birds return to their nests, the trees and forest should be abuzz with chirping, a clamor that could rival a neighborhood argument and be several times louder.

When did the mountain forests they were passing become so utterly silent?

Only the rhythmic sounds of hooves clopping and carriage wheels rumbling created a sense of unease. Madam Ying swallowed hard. He Yue was about to speak when Zeng Feixiong's large face suddenly appeared outside the carriage window.

"Madam, Young Master, Immortal Spirit Village is just ahead."

Madam Ying peered out. Ahead lay a large lake, clear as a mirror, with the indistinct silhouettes of houses visible along its shore.

They had arrived, so what was there to be uneasy about?

She exhaled, having almost been startled by her mischievous eldest son.

Passing through the half-harvested wheat fields, the procession soon arrived outside the village, and all the riders dismounted.

He family father and son, along with Zeng Feixiong, stepped forward. Soon, someone from the village emerged to greet them.

He Chunhua produced his Imperial Order tablet to declare his identity and explain their need for lodging, while Butler Old Mo paid the lodging fee. The Imperial Order tablet confirmed He Chunhua's official status, so the village chief readily agreed. The tall man beside him introduced himself as the village chief's nephew, Lu Han.

Lu Han, smiling broadly, explained that there weren't enough houses in the village, so the soldiers could spend the night in the threshing ground and granary behind the village.

The officials and their female dependents, naturally, would be housed in the village cottages.

By then, it was already dark, and warm light filtered through the window paper of every house, suggesting typical, cozy village life.

The He family, Zeng Feixiong, and others were given the best available housing. The villagers brought them food, but their expressions were timid, their gazes especially shifty. Madam Ying kindly tried to make small talk with the hostess, but the woman answered only one out of every three questions, her reluctance clearly visible.

Her husband then clicked his tongue and scolded her, "How do you speak to noble guests? You ignorant woman!" He then turned to Madam Ying with an ingratiating smile. "She's never left the mountains; she's just a bit unsophisticated. Please don't mind her!"

Madam Ying waved her hand, gave them two ingots of silver, and then said to He Chunhua, "The night is cold and the dew is heavy; the guards also need hot water and hot food."