Chapter 40
With a heart weighed down by frustration, guilt, and self-blame, Su Wangchuan stood guard through the entire night.
No new threats appeared in Blackstone Village.
At daybreak, the village chief immediately arranged for someone to contact the county yamen. On one hand, it was to inquire about the whereabouts of Zhao Heiniu and the other search teams; on the other, it was to report the murder case that had occurred in Blackstone Village.
The county yamen was extremely sensitive to incidents involving bandits attacking villages. They dispatched a constable from the yamen, accompanied by two others, to investigate the matter.
“This brute with the face full of flesh is a wanted criminal from our county yamen—Hong Dabiao. He has at least a dozen lives on his hands. He raped, kidnapped, and committed every evil imaginable. I never expected him to end up dead in your Blackstone Village. You can cut off his head and exchange it for the bounty at the yamen. If I remember correctly, his bounty is around twenty taels of silver.”
“And these four as well—they’re also on the wanted list, worth between five and eight taels each…”
The constable from the county yamen, Chen Shangyong, was visibly surprised. He knew Blackstone Village’s situation well.
These bandits had roamed for years and possessed a certain degree of cunning and ability. With Zhao Heiniu absent from the village, Blackstone Village had still managed to take down this group of bandits—it was unexpected.
“Our village lost several capable men…”
The village chief did not bring Su Wangchuan forward. He was worried that the county yamen might forcibly conscript Su Wangchuan again at such a time.
Chen Shangyong nodded.
“Village Chief, please accept my condolences.”
“How about this—I'll take these heads back to clear the wanted notices from the registry. As for the bounties, I’ll make another trip later and personally deliver the silver to you.”
“Thank you for your trouble, Constable,” the village chief said quickly, expressing his gratitude.
Chen Shangyong smiled.
“Blackstone Village helped us eliminate five wanted criminals. That’s a big help to the county yamen. This little effort is nothing worth mentioning.”
“Oh, right…”
“The people who went missing from the county seat—we actually have news now.”
As he spoke, Chen Shangyong lowered his voice and said to the village chief,
“The missing individuals have all perished in the Iron Mine mountain area. Our team found their bodies in the iron mine and even clashed with the killer, but in the end, the culprit escaped.”
“The killer is that powerful?”
The village chief’s eyes filled with shock.
“Yes,” Chen Shangyong nodded. “Reportedly an Upper-Grade Martial Artist. We also have martial artists on our side, but the other party was determined to break through and flee. Once he escaped into the deep mountains, there was nothing we could do.”
At this point, he explained further:
“To prevent the culprit from holding a grudge against nearby villages, our team returned to Huishui County early. Right now, the County Magistrate is worried that the culprit might invade the county seat during winter. The hunters drafted from each village have all been requisitioned to remain in the county seat for the time being. They probably won’t be able to return anytime soon.”
“As long as they’re alive, that’s good. That’s good…”
The village chief let out a long breath of relief.
The thing he had feared most that night was Zhao Heiniu and the others meeting their end in the mountains. That would have dealt an unbearable blow to Blackstone Village.
As long as they were alive, there was still hope they could return.
“However,” Chen Shangyong added, “Village Chief, you still need to be careful.”
“These bandits were all affiliated with Blackwind Stronghold. Especially Hong Dabiao—he ranked among the top twenty. Now that his attempt to raid Blackstone Village failed and he hasn’t returned to the mountains for a long time, Blackwind Stronghold may send people to investigate. You must raise your guard.”
The village chief asked,
“Could we ask the County Magistrate for leniency and let Zhao Heiniu and the others return? If they come back, our village would have a much better chance. Otherwise, we truly won’t be able to hold on.”
“They can’t return right now,” Chen Shangyong explained. “If the culprit discovers that Blackstone Village was involved in operations against him, with the strength of an Upper-Grade Martial Artist, he alone could easily slaughter your entire village. At times like this, keeping Zhao Heiniu and the others in the county seat is actually a form of protection for you.”
“Upper-Grade Martial Artists are arrogant by nature. They usually won’t take the initiative to attack ordinary villagers.”
“…”
The village chief had no words in response.
“Alright. Once Zhao Heiniu’s assignment at the yamen ends, we’ll immediately let them return to the village. Village Chief, I wish you good luck.”
Chen Shangyong had his men cut off the five wanted criminals’ blood-soaked heads and took them away.
After seeing off the yamen officials, the village chief returned to the Blacksmith Shop and found Blacksmith Sun and Su Wangchuan. He relayed the information Constable Chen had revealed, then said,
“Constable Chen warned us that tonight, Blackwind Stronghold may send scouts. We need to make preparations in advance.”
“…This never ends,” Blacksmith Sun said grimly. “Four capable men died yesterday, and one hunter was crippled. Right now, we only have seven militiamen and five hunters left who can fight. Counting Wangchuan, that’s thirteen people total. Those miners—at best, they can wave spears to scare people. They’ve never taken a life. How are we supposed to get through Blackwind Stronghold’s threat? Should we ask nearby villages for help?”
“The capable men in nearby villages have also been requisitioned by the county yamen. They can barely protect themselves—how could they support us? We can only rely on ourselves,” the village chief said. “The best option is to hold out until tomorrow. When Constable Chen delivers the bounty for the five wanted criminals, we’ll use that silver as a reward. With heavy rewards, there will always be brave men. Maybe we can last until Captain Zhao returns.”
“That’s all we can do,” Blacksmith Sun said, his brows knit tightly. “I’ll continue forging armor-piercing arrows here. To deal with these bandits, we must use the sharpest weapons and hit them hard from the very beginning. The moment we show the slightest weakness, they’ll swarm in and devour our village completely.”
Throughout the conversation between the two, Su Wangchuan remained silent.
Only after the village chief left, and his master urged him to continue forging Hundredfold Steel Arrowheads, did he finally speak.
“Master!”
“Is Blackwind Stronghold really that formidable?”
“Blackwind Stronghold is the largest bandit stronghold in Huishui County’s territory. It’s said that three of their leaders are genuine, ranked martial artists. Under them, they’ve gathered a group of bandits who burn, kill, rape, and plunder without restraint. We don’t know their exact numbers, but there have been several instances where they even attacked Huishui County itself. Tell me—are they formidable or not?”
Su Wangchuan sucked in a cold breath.
“So strong? Master, doesn’t that mean our village has no hope at all?”
“Don’t worry,” Blacksmith Sun said. “The leaders of Blackwind Stronghold are only interested in Huishui County and those big, fat targets. They don’t have the time to bother with poor villages like ours. Only the small leaders’ subordinates occasionally come down to raid for money, grain, and women. Hong Dabiao was just one of those under a small leader.”
“Hong Dabiao’s disappearance will at most alarm that small leader, who might bring a few dozen people down the mountain.”
“Given the current circumstances, they probably won’t dare to make a huge move.”
Blacksmith Sun seemed to have dealt with Blackwind Stronghold before. In a deep voice, he concluded,
“My guess is that they’ll either send a few scouts today to gather information, or they’ve already figured out our situation and will strike directly at the village tonight to avenge Hong Dabiao. We should prepare more armor-piercing arrows.”
CLICK HERE to Rate/Review