Chapter 207: Deserted Mountain Reveals a Beauty

Are the murderers still hiding nearby?

He Chunhua naturally saw it as well, raising his hand in a defensive posture. His support contingent drew their weapons and spread out in all directions.

Lady Ying and the other family members quietly retreated.

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

Just then, the tallest, largest, and brightest-lit house suddenly creaked open.

Someone stepped out and asked, “Who's there?”

To their surprise, it was a woman, wearing a snow-white cloak, with a beautiful, lotus-like face, willow-leaf eyebrows, and a fiery red coral hairpin in her raven-black bun.

The officers were greatly surprised. It was a beauty, with a soft, sweet, yet slightly magnetic voice.

A vibrant beauty in a desolate mountain and a deserted village.

Lu Xin showed no reaction, but its companion, the large black wolf, stepped in front of He Yue and bared its teeth, letting out a low growl at the beautiful woman.

It clearly sensed a threat.

He Chunhua stood his ground, frowning. “That's what I should be asking. Let all the hidden soldiers come out. The smell of blood can't be concealed.”

The beautiful woman raised a finger and wiggled it. “When I arrived, the villagers were already dead. I didn't kill them, you know.”

“Where are the bodies?”

“They've been moved to the back, where a large pit has been dug for burial,” the woman sighed. “I'm not heartless.”

He Chunhua gave Zhao Qinghe a meaningful look, who immediately circled around to the back of the village. He Chunhua then asked, “Who exactly are you? Please state your identity to avoid any misunderstanding.”

“My surname is Li. I'm from the capital, and I'm the head of the Songyang Manor.”

At the mention of “Songyang Manor,” both He Chunhua and his son were startled. He Chunhua turned to look at He Lingchuan, his gaze questioning.

He Lingchuan could only shrug and spread his hands, and immediately told Maotao to go to the back of the contingent and fetch someone.

Not long after, Zhao Qinghe rushed back and whispered to He Chunhua, “My Lord, there are indeed dozens of bodies piled up on the back hill, with a partially dug pit nearby. Also, I've scouted the nearby woods, and there are no hidden troops. Her people must be inside these houses.”

If they were bandits, they would most likely kill but not bother to bury. He Chunhua's expression softened, and his gaze toward the woman became gentler. “I am He Chunhua, Governor-General of Xiazhou. I saw your lights while passing by and hoped to find lodging. My scouts went ahead and found the scene here quite dreadful.”

Just then, someone from the rear of the support contingent hurried forward, and upon seeing the beautiful woman, immediately stepped forward to bow with great respect. “Li Fubo greets Your Grace!” Then, turning to He Chunhua, he introduced her, “Governor He, this is the Lord of my Songyang Manor!”

It was indeed Li Fubo, the exclusive blacksmith for the Broken Blade and Grand Master Craftsman of Songyang Manor.

He Lingchuan silently cupped his chin.

Your Grace?

This was the Marquis of Songyang? The master of the Tool Sect's Songyang Manor?

Why had no one told him that the Marquis of Songyang was a woman?

Since Li Fubo had identified her, He Chunhua set aside his reservations and sincerely greeted her, “So it truly is the Marquis of Songyang! Please forgive my previous offense.”

After an exchange of pleasantries, the Marquis of Songyang strode out, followed by two maids. “I will take you to inspect the bodies. Please follow me.” She then casually tapped the doorframe and said, “Everyone, come out.”

Doors of the other houses opened one after another, and over thirty people emerged, bowing to her. He Lingchuan noticed that about half of them had bright, sharp eyes, clearly indicating they possessed cultivation or martial arts skills.

“These are all my subordinates. I instructed them to stay inside and not cause any trouble,” the Marquis of Songyang said. “We already saw the lights of your convoy when you came up the mountain.”

He Chunhua nodded, knowing this was her polite way of saying “to avoid conflict.”

Everyone walked to the back of the village.

Over forty bodies lay on the ground, and just as the scouts reported, they included men, women, the elderly, and children. Lady Ying took one look and turned away, unable to bear seeing more.

He Lingchuan, Wu Shaoyi, and others stepped forward to examine the bodies, and found that most of the fatal wounds were on the chest and throat.

“The hearts and livers are gone, and some even had their kidneys removed,” Wu Shaoyi turned back and said. “The wounds weren't made by swords or blades; they look more like a crane-beak pick.”

The perpetrator had chiseled an opening in the victims' chests and extracted their internal organs.

The Marquis of Songyang added, “The money, valuables, and food in the houses were not taken.”

“Then it was most likely not the work of bandits.” Bandits raiding a village would only want those two things.

He Lingchuan pulled open the upper garment of one of the deceased and pointed to the wound on the chest for everyone to see. “There are four chisel marks here, all near the heart, but only the last one struck the heart chamber directly. This indicates that the culprit is very inexperienced.”

Having served as a patrol officer in the Coiling Dragon Dream Realm and captured monsters seven or eight times, he had gained some experience.

An amateur killer?

While murderers, even bandits, go through a process from being unskilled to proficient, it's unlikely that an entire group of bandits would all use crane-beak picks, is it?

Compared to swords and blades, this is a very unconventional weapon.

He Chunhua pondered, “Monsters?”

The Marquis of Songyang mused, “Since the Imperial Nectar appeared ten or twelve days ago, the mountains and wilderness haven't been peaceful.”

The appearance of the Imperial Nectar is a blessing for all living beings, but blessings and misfortunes always go hand in hand. After the Imperial Nectar, new monsters become restless, easily causing havoc, and the human governance order faces a great challenge.

If even the Coiling Dragon Wasteland of old was like that, how could the Great Kite Kingdom be spared?

Wu Shaoyi also said, “The villagers were killed ten or twelve hours ago. The perpetrator has likely already left.”

“Since we are staying in their homes tonight, we should properly bury them.” The Marquis of Songyang waved her hand, and her subordinates came over with hoes and shovels.

He Chunhua nodded, “Indeed.”

The frozen ground was too hard. Zeng Feixiong also assigned over a dozen soldiers to dig and bury the bodies, and dispatched two groups of soldiers to patrol the vicinity in shifts.

The Marquis of Songyang then returned to the village with He Chunhua and the others.

The open ground outside the village was flat, and the support contingent was setting up tents and starting fires there. With the entire army and family members numbering over six hundred, the village houses could not possibly accommodate them all.

This contingent had followed He Chunhua from west to north and was accustomed to roughing it and sleeping outdoors. They used wind-resistant sheepskin tents, which provided better protection from the wind than cloth tents. He Chunhua had also arranged for someone to purchase warming sacks from the military quartermaster in Shihuan City. Their design was similar to the sleeping bags He Lingchuan knew, and they offered excellent insulation for sleeping outdoors in autumn and winter.

Of course, a bonfire was essential. Everyone went into the forest to gather firewood, and soon a large one was blazing.

The accommodation arrangements for the rest of the personnel were left to Old Mo, the housekeeper. He Chunhua told him, “We'll only take the three small houses on the west side.”

The Marquis of Songyang waved her hand, “How can that be? All the village houses are for your support contingent. We have other arrangements for lodging.”

Where could their other lodging be? Was Songyang Manor also going to set up tents?

The Marquis of Songyang walked to the east side of the village, found an empty patch of ground, looked around, and said, “This spot is just right.”

Then, she produced a palm-sized model of a courtyard from somewhere, placed it on the ground, first peeled off a talisman from its top, then stepped back a hundred paces, and finally clapped her hands, letting out a low cry, “Grow!”

Before everyone's eyes, this toy-like small courtyard rapidly expanded, like an inflating balloon.

In just a few breaths, it transformed into a normal courtyard, with high walls, a black gate, and a two-story building within, and the tip of a pine tree visible above the wall.

The toy had become real.

The Marquis of Songyang walked forward, pushed open the courtyard gate, and looked back at He Chunhua with a smile, “Let's go inside to talk. It's too cold out here.”

This scene was so extraordinary that it caused a stir among the crowd.

He Chunhua was also moved, exclaiming, “To hide Mount Sumeru in a mustard seed! To witness this divine skill again today!”

He Lingchuan explained to him, “Dad, Sun Fuping's walnut boat was obtained from the Marquis of Songyang. He borrowed it and never returned it, and it eventually ended up with you.”

He Chunhua suddenly understood, “So this is the Songyang Manor's signature skill! No wonder!” Why hadn't this boy mentioned it before?

The Marquis of Songyang glanced at He Lingchuan with a smile.

The He father and son entered the small courtyard, accompanied by Zhao Qinghe, Wu Shaoyi, and their guards.

“Madam, the charcoal fires are ready in the houses.” Old Mo, the housekeeper, wanted to lead Lady Ying into the village houses to rest, as they had traveled far. But Lady Ying looked at the small courtyard, then heard laughter coming from within, and immediately shook her head, “I want to go in and see as well. Nanny Qian!”

Everyone passed through the black gate, and saw an eighty-square-meter courtyard inside. In a corner was a miniature rock garden with craggy, porous rocks, and beside it, a gnarled, unusual pine tree whose branches were beginning to catch the falling snow.

Two palace lanterns cast warm, yellow halos, and the wind seemed to slow down by half a beat as it entered.

Under the eaves of the small building, a full tree of wintersweet was in joyful bloom.

Snow fell silently. The small courtyard was elegant, as if isolated from the world. Unless one peered over the wall, who would know that outside lay a desolate mountain and wild village?

Stepping into the small building, a wave of warmth washed over them. Brazier fires in the four corners kept the cold at bay.

Entering this place from the icy wilderness, everyone let out a long sigh of relief.

Lady Ying smiled, “Carrying such a treasure with her, the Marquis of Songyang truly knows how to live comfortably.”

“I'm used to traveling a lot, and this saves me a lot of trouble.”

The two maids behind the Marquis of Songyang came forward, took everyone's cloaks and mantles, and served hot tea.

He Chunhua then introduced the people by his side to the Marquis of Songyang one by one.

When he introduced He Lingchuan, the Marquis of Songyang nodded, “Thank you, Young Master, for helping me acquire a spirit artifact.”

“Trading one spirit artifact for the company of a Grand Master Craftsman is certainly not a loss.”

The Marquis of Songyang smiled, “When Young Master has a moment, I'd like to see that Broken Blade.”

He Lingchuan readily agreed. This person was the head of Songyang Manor, and her skill in blade forging should certainly not be inferior to Li Fubo's.

When He Chunhua introduced He Yue, the Marquis of Songyang smiled, “I heard tales of the little prodigy from Qiansong County two or three years ago. It's a rare pleasure to finally meet him today.”

He Yue's face flushed red, and he stammered, unable to speak, losing his usual calm and poised demeanor when interacting with people. He Lingchuan found it amusing.

After everyone was seated, He Chunhua inquired about the Marquis of Songyang's destination. After all, they were over four hundred li from Shihuan City, making an encounter with an acquaintance highly unlikely.

“I'm going to Taobin City for some business, and then further north to Yufen City to pick up some treasures and discuss a deal.”

“Yufen City?” He Chunhua mentally calculated the distance. “That's already within Xiazhou.” It seemed to be in central Xiazhou.

“Yes, this journey takes me furthest into Xiazhou,” the Marquis of Songyang took a sip of hot tea. “I intend to establish a branch of Songyang Manor in Yufen City, so I need to speak with the local officials.”

She continued, “The situation in the north is tense, and Songyang Manor also bears the responsibility of forging weapons for the royal court. If I establish a branch there first, military supplies can be transported more flexibly and freely later, reducing the royal court's logistical burden.”

“Excellent, truly excellent!” He Chunhua clapped his hands. “Your Grace's foresight is commendable. Why not establish the branch in Dunyu, the capital of Xiazhou, for easier coordination?”

Lady Ying's expression subtly changed upon hearing this, and she felt a great displeasure.