Chapter 103: Each Trying Their Own Way

The note read: "Two hundred bandits disguised as villagers, led by General Lu, weapons hidden in the Water Shrine."

The handwriting was extremely scrawled, clearly written in haste. He Lingchuan sniffed the paper and detected the smell of rust. "It's blood," he said.

The few words were simple to understand, but their content was horrifying: The villagers were disguised bandits, their leader was General Lu, and they had hidden their weapons in the Water Spirit Shrine.

Madam Ying gasped, clutching He Chunhua's arm and whispering, "My lord!" Her panic was undisguised. Were they truly so unlucky that, during their rare overnight stay in the wilderness, they had stumbled directly into a den of wolves?

This information was explosive. Seeing the grave expressions on his father's and brother's faces, He Lingchuan's eyes darted around. "Father," he suggested, "why don't we strike first? It's only two hundred bandits; let's grab our weapons and deal with them!"

"Foolish!" He Chunhua glared at him. "Does 'two hundred' mean two hundred just because she said so? Are they bandits just because she called them bandits? Can the words of a mere village woman be taken as fact?"

He turned to his personal guard, Zhao Qinghe, and instructed, "Go discreetly to the Water Spirit Shrine. If there are weapons hidden there, ascertain their number."

Zhao Qinghe nodded and exited. This man was of average height and appearance, truly unremarkable in a crowd. He Lingchuan had never even noticed him before He Chunhua selected him for the guard detail. With Uncle Hao absent, He Chunhua entrusted such a critical task to Zhao Qinghe, showing both his understanding and trust in him. He Lingchuan realized once again how little he truly knew about his father.

Madam Ying whispered, "I saw a fierce glint in that man surnamed Lu's eyes; he truly doesn't seem like a good person!" He Lingchuan thought to himself, 'You were just planning to go with him to the Twin Moon Pool.' But he dared not voice that thought aloud.

About a quarter of an hour later, Zhao Qinghe returned, his face grim. "The shrine guardian went to relieve himself, and I took the opportunity to slip inside. Under the altar and in the inner room, hidden by drapes, were several chests. They were full of bladed weapons and axes, roughly one hundred and forty or fifty of them. They've been sharpened, used to kill, and reeked strongly of blood!" This corroborated Mrs. Zhu's blood message. After all, why would a village that specialized in farming and fishing possess so many murderous weapons? Zhao Qinghe added, "Oh, and the Water Spirit tablet was indeed broken into two halves."

Madam Ying's face turned pale. "If they're bandits, why didn't they flee when they saw the soldiers? Why pretend to be villagers and stay?" This was a question on everyone's mind. Xianling Village seemed to have too many mysteries.

"They have ill intentions," He Yue said, looking at his father and elder brother. "Mrs. Zhu mentioned there were two hundred bandits. No wonder there's an unusually large number of able-bodied men in this village."

"They haven't made a move, clearly waiting for an opportune moment to strike," He Lingchuan said, his expression subtly changing. He asked his parents, "Have you drunk any water in this house?"

"As soon as we entered, the host offered water to my lord. I made him discard it and boil fresh water, supervising the entire process," Steward Old Mo explained. "Later, when the servant women cooked, I also kept an eye on them in the kitchen. There should be no problem."

He Chunhua pointed at the blood message. "What concerns me is this: Is 'General Lu' a personal name, or does it specifically refer to a general surnamed Lu?" The implications of these two interpretations were vastly different. People number a hundred, all sorts exist. A bandit leader might have an obsession with official titles and enjoy being called 'General' — that's not too... No, something was definitely amiss.

"There's only one way to find out," He Lingchuan said, standing up. "I'll go find Mrs. Zhu."

"She's certainly under surveillance," Madam Ying said, puzzled. "How will you find her?"

"I'll find her just by taking a walk. The village is only so big; how long can it take to get from east to west?" He Lingchuan chuckled. "Besides, I already noted which house she entered earlier. It's not too far from here, just a dozen or so thatched huts away."

This boy was contradictory: sometimes meticulous, other times careless. Yet, he could even remember where that young woman lived. Madam Ying could only sigh. "Be careful!" She rarely showed such concern for He Lingchuan, who felt an unexpected warmth in his heart and nodded.

He Yue, however, interjected, "These people are biding their time. They either want to poison us or launch a sneak attack once everyone is asleep in the dead of night! It's already late; we should preemptively capture Lu Han now."

He Lingchuan waved his hand. "Calm down and wait for my return."

No one else was in the mood to eat, but He Lingchuan ate with gusto, shoveling rice and dishes into his mouth. After the brutal battle in his dream, he felt much calmer when facing crises. Madam Ying sighed. "You can still eat." She thought her son had a remarkably strong heart.

"Later, there might be a big task ahead. How can I have the strength if I don't eat enough?" He Lingchuan finished his meal in less than a quarter of an hour, wiped his mouth, and stood up. "I'm off. Delay might lead to complications."

He Chunhua watched his retreating back, nodded, and then sighed. Just as he was about to urge his wife and son to continue eating, an announcement came from outside: Zeng Feixiong had arrived. As the leader of the personal guard detachment, Zeng Feixiong was supposed to report regularly. This evening's events would undoubtedly involve him, so He Chunhua immediately called Zeng Feixiong in.

***

Mrs. Zhu's house was in the western corner of the village, actually quite a distance from where He Chunhua and his wife were staying. Her husband had died under mysterious circumstances, and her mother-in-law had gone mad upon waking, alternating between crying and laughing. The ruthless bandits, of course, couldn't leave a crazy old woman in the village to attract the soldiers' attention. They also killed her with a single strike, dumping her body in the lake to join her son. Her father-in-law, distraught and with the young children, had been taken away. So, Mrs. Zhu was now alone in her house.

She walked back with her head down when two soldiers approached, asking for some water. These soldiers were staying in the granary, unlike the officials who resided in private homes, so getting hot water wasn't as convenient for them. He Chunhua had already instructed the village chief to arrange food and water for everyone, but it wasn't ready yet. Drinking raw water could cause illness; it was best to boil it. They only drank raw water in the wilderness when there was no other choice.

"Please wait, I'll boil some water," she said, carrying some clean water to the back kitchen to heat it. The soldiers quickly said there was no need for such trouble. Waiting for hot water was inconvenient, and most people didn't have the patience. She absolutely refused to miss this opportunity. "It's fine, I'll need it for the evening anyway."

While they waited, the soldiers stood in front of the house. Perhaps noticing her good looks, they chatted with her for a few moments, and the atmosphere was quite amiable. However, Mrs. Zhu knew that the surrounding bandits were watching her every move. This was not a good time to ask for help or give a hint. She was secretly anxious, wondering if there was any roundabout way to communicate when, from not far away, a few urgent whistles sounded. The two soldiers heard them and went back to their duties, without even having time to drink the water. Mrs. Zhu was extremely disappointed.

Just then, a person suddenly emerged from the shadows behind her house! Mrs. Zhu nearly screamed in fright. The person pressed a hand over her mouth and nose with immense force, whispering, "Shut up, or I'll twist your neck! Understand?" When he spoke, his bad breath wafted onto Mrs. Zhu's face. She looked up and saw that the person was a burly man with a fat, fleshy face.

Mrs. Zhu nodded frantically. The fat man released her. "What were you just trying to do? You wanted to warn those dog officials, didn't you?"

"No, no! Not like that!" Mrs. Zhu shrank back. "The village chief and his underlings have been bullying me. They even beat me up three months ago. I... I just wanted to take this chance to vent my anger."