Chapter 30
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As the sun sets in the west, it dyes the sky with a red glow.
Beneath the flying birds, the ground is scattered with dust from withered grass. Amidst the emerging chill of autumn, figures were running or riding horses silently through the desolation.
As the wind blew across the fields. From a distance, someone saw these figures and quickly crouched down to hide. They watched as the figures swiftly passed by the west side of the village, then dropped their hoes, and ran towards the village.
Upon entering the village, they shouted: “The bandits are coming down——”
People from every household came out one after another, and the farmers who were returning home also hurried over. Their faces all turned pale with fear.
“Everyone, don’t panic!” A man named Chen Tai stepped forward, putting down his hoe, his voice trembling slightly.
“Are they coming towards our North Village?”
The breathless person shook his head and pointed toward the village entrance in the south: “The bandits from Crow Beak’s Ridge in the north came down, and I saw them heading straight for the Lu Family Village.”
The people of North Village let out a collective sigh of relief but then started to stir with agitation.
“The people in Lu Family Village will suffer now.”
“…Today, the matchmaker went there to help with a marriage proposal and was chased back. Now there’s going to be a good show to watch.”
“That’s because your daughter isn’t that attractive…”
Amidst the chattering, Chen Tai suddenly slammed his hoe down, causing a loud clang. “Stop talking!!!”
The surrounding people fell silent and looked at the man.
“Old Chen, what do you mean by that?!” Someone asked.
Chen Tai tightened his grip on the hoe, scanning the faces around him, and lowered his voice. “If we’re here gloating about their misfortune, what if the bandits come to our village next?”
“That shouldn’t happen… Once those bandits have looted enough, they’ll naturally return to the mountains.”
“Stop saying such frightening things. You’re not thinking well!”
Chen Tai was more anxious and thoughtful than the others, his voice trembling as he shared his concerns.
“It’s true that they will eventually return to the mountains, but what if something happens next year? Besides, we should remember those who helped us. Not long ago, the Lu Family Village shared half of their winter rations with us. We can’t just stand by and watch them suffer.”
Although the people of North Village were rough and illiterate, they still understood the truth. They fell silent, exchanging looks with one another.
Some expressed their worries: “Even if we go, we have no weapons…”
“A hoe or a carrying pole can still be used. Our village has many people, and with the help of the Lu Family Village, we should be able to scare them off.”
Soon, the village chief arrived, and everyone looked to him for guidance. After a moment, the village chief nodded in agreement: “Old Chen has a point. Lu Liangsheng and the chief registrar have a mentor-student relationship, so it’s only right that we help.”
“Since the village chief has spoken, everyone go back and grab your tools!”
“…Act fierce and at least try to scare this group of mountain bandits off!”
“Let’s go!”
With the decision made, the village of over forty households, nearly a hundred people of all ages, men and women, old and young, all gathered with hoes, carrying poles, and hatchets. They assembled at the village entrance and marched forward, shouting and making a commotion.
Five or six miles away, a group of over thirty bandits, led by Liu Erlong, were watching the mountain village bathed in the sunset glow from across the river.
Leaning down to pat his horse’s mane, Liu Erlong turned to Lu Erlai, asking: “Is this the place?”
Lu Erlai nodded quickly, approaching to hold the reins flatteringly and pointing towards the village.
“Report back to Second Master, this is the place. The several hundred taels of silver are in Lu Liangsheng’s house, and there are one or two taels in other households.”
Liu Erlong waved his whip, smacking Lu Erlai’s hand away from the reins, and grinned widely, his face twisted in a fierce smile.
“With someone like you in the Lu Family Village, it’s truly a curse of your ancestors’ eight generations.” He raised his arm, drawing his steel saber from his waist, his voice suddenly sharp.
He pointed the tip of the saber towards the mountain village.
“Plunder the whole village. Take away all the grain and valuables! If they resist, kill them——”
The group of over thirty bandits swiftly crossed the river and surged forward with murderous intent. A pile of stones in front was trampled under the advancing shadows, scattering apart.
The invisible spiritual energy suddenly broke off…
In the distant county town, in a quaint courtyard located on the edge of the city, someone’s eyelid twitched as they looked southward.
“…Desires should not be pursued, ambitions should not be fulfilled, and joy should not be extreme…”
In the courtyard under the camphor tree, an elderly man in a plain blue robe held a book in one hand. His voice was deep and powerful, but the evening breeze blowing the fallen leaves onto the pages interrupted him.
The old man raised his gaze and looked at the young man on the stone bench across from him. He tapped the book gently on the young man’s head. Lu Liangsheng turned around quickly and stood up, bowing respectfully.
“Teacher…”
Across from him, Wang Shuhua had a serious expression and clasped his hands behind his back.
“Listen to the teachings of the sages. Do not waver in your heart. Since it is getting late, just stay in this small courtyard for the night and return early tomorrow morning.”
Lu Liangsheng walked around the stone bench and took a step back. “Teacher, there are urgent matters at home. I need to return quickly and will not trouble you further.”
“At this late hour…” The old man, already stern and upright, glanced at the darkening sky and nodded. “Very well. Since you are eager to return, go quickly before it gets completely dark. However, once you are back, study diligently. If you have any questions, come to the city to find me. Teacher will register you for the child scholar exam next year.”
“Understood.”
Lu Liangsheng respectfully bowed again, took his book, and left the courtyard. As he exited, his expression turned cold. He mounted his old donkey and reached into the cloth bag on the donkey’s side, retrieving a toad.
“Master, I just felt that the formation at the Lu Family Village suddenly broke.”
The Toad Daoist, who had been asleep, was awakened by the jostling. He waved his webbed hand. “It’s probably just children playing around… We’ll find out more when we return.”
Lu Liangsheng felt uneasy, but with the distance being too great, he could only proceed as he was. As he exited the city gate, he found a secluded spot, drew a talisman, and placed it on the underside of his old donkey. He made a series of hand gestures and activated a spell of shrinking the ground into inches.
The soldiers at the city gate thought they were seeing things. Rubbing their eyes, they watched as the figure on the donkey seemed to blink out of sight, disappearing in the blink of an eye, vanishing into the crimson evening haze.
“Is this… an expert…”
“No, wait! The Head Constable Zuo has been searching for Daoists who practice such spells. We need to report this immediately!!”
As the twilight faded into night, the glow of the sunset over the distant western mountains subsided. Nightfall descended, and the Lu Family Village at the foot of Qixia Mountain began its usual evening routine. Smoke rose from chimneys amidst the sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking. Lu Xiaoxian was calling the hens back into their coop, while Li Jinhua, not cooking, was quietly observing the kitchen. Seeing nothing unusual, she gritted her teeth and hurried to her son’s room.
After all, the ghostly green face she saw that night had been in Lu Liangsheng’s room. The woman stealthily pushed open the door, and inside, everything seemed unchanged except for a chilly atmosphere, likely due to the room being empty.
“There’s nothing different. Even if my eyes deceived me, the matchmaker shouldn’t have been frightened for no reason…”
As she mumbled, Li Jinhua turned to leave but suddenly stopped. Trembling, she turned her head and glanced at the wall. The portrait of a beautiful woman in flowing long sleeves was exactly the same as the one she had seen that night.
Realizing this, Li Jinhua was so frightened that her teeth started chattering. Then… the beauty in the portrait’s lips curled into a smile.
The woman’s eyes widened in shock.
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