Chapter 82: Cunning Villagers in the Mountains

Yan Yu’s flushed cheeks gradually faded. The first thing she did was shove the kitten into her mother’s arms.

She quickly climbed up to the top bunk and retrieved the small bow and bamboo crossbow her father had someone make for her.

Holding the small bow herself, she handed the bamboo crossbow to her eldest sister, then called for her older brother to take down the hoe and rake tied to the cart.

The villagers, initially bewildered, watched as this little girl darted about organizing things.

Quickly, they too retrieved their own tools.

The children followed suit. Small bows and bamboo crossbows were practically standard for village kids, while older boys like Er Tie wielded full-sized bamboo crossbows like the adults.

With weapons in hand, the entire group’s morale shifted dramatically.

While they anxiously waited on one side, on the other, Yan Huaiwen was riding his family’s ox for the first time, finding it quite steady.

Sanbao controlled the pace so that the men walking alongside could keep up.

Yan’s second brother, uneasy about his elder brother’s safety, considered for a moment and said, “Big Brother, don’t go forward right away when we arrive. Let’s first check if they have bows or crossbows.”

Long-range weapons were too dangerous, especially with his brother sitting on an ox—an obvious target.

“Besides us, only the official army would have this many bows and crossbows,” Yan Huaiwen said calmly.

The very weapons his brother and the villagers had crafted were what gave him confidence.

“Don’t panic!” Seeing his younger brother’s tension, Yan Huaiwen reassured him gently. “They’re probably just some local villagers from the mountains.”

If they were real bandits, they wouldn’t be holding wooden sticks—they’d have real weapons.

As they drew closer, the two groups finally came face to face.

Er Tie and San Tie could see the other party, and the other party, naturally, saw the boys running back and forth in excitement.

Realizing they had been spotted, they weren’t worried—this was a narrow pass, and they had the numbers to hold their ground.

Their only concern was that the other side might get scared and retreat, making all their efforts pointless.

Once both sides got a good look at each other, the men blocking the valley entrance began to stir.

“They… what are they holding?”

“Weapons… made of bamboo? And bows!”

“Dear heavens! Could they be government soldiers here to wipe us out?”

“What nonsense! We’re not bandits—why would they come after us? And these people don’t look like soldiers. Look at their clothes, just common folk.”

“What if they’re disguising themselves?”

“Think about it—if they were really soldiers, would they be riding an ox? Wouldn’t they be on horses?”

“What do we do, Uncle An? What now?”

Uncle An, having seen a bit of the world, managed to stay calm.

Noting that the man on the ox looked like a scholar, he took a deep breath and asked, “Sir, are you planning to pass through here?”

Yan Huaiwen fixed his gaze on him, his heart relaxing slightly.

“Yes, we are just passing through.”

“This mountain belongs to us. If you want to cross, you can’t go for free—you have to leave something behind.”

A group of people behind him gathered their courage and added:

“This is our mountain; outsiders can’t just enter.”

“Right, you can’t pass for free—pay a toll!”

“If you don’t have money, grain will do.”

“We charge per person—kids pay half.”

Not just Yan Huaiwen, but his second brother also understood now.

These were just a bunch of opportunistic villagers blocking the road.

All they had were wooden sticks, not even one with an iron tip.

And yet, they dared to try robbing travelers?

“You claim this mountain is yours—do you have a deed?” Yan’s second brother now understood that simply living in the mountains didn’t mean you owned them.

Land and forests required legal deeds for ownership.

The villagers exchanged awkward glances. No one had ever asked them this before.

Usually, travelers would just ask how much they wanted—if it was reasonable, they’d pay; if not, they’d turn back.

They weren’t heartless bandits—they had never harmed anyone.

“If you don’t have a deed, how can you claim the mountain is yours? Do you expect the mountain to respond when you call it? Get out of the way! We have more people than you—we could easily take you down.”

“We’ve counted your numbers—who are you trying to scare? We’ve got plenty of men, and this isn’t even our full force yet!” one of the younger villagers shouted, waving his wooden club.

Qi Wu stepped forward, standing in front of Yan’s second brother. He swung his wooden stick, generating a powerful gust of wind.

The men opposite shrank back instinctively.

Qi Da and Qi Si stepped up as well.

Then the Luo brothers, the Hu brothers…

They completely surrounded and shielded Yan Huaiwen and his second brother.

This group was visibly taller than the villagers—at least half a head taller on average. The first three men who stepped out were outright giants.

Their clubs whipped through the air with a force that was downright intimidating.

That kind of blow would hurt. A lot.

Yan’s second brother, standing on tiptoe, could tell they were already scared.

He had an idea.

“Listen, neighbors, think carefully—if we fight, you won’t stand a chance against us. See these bamboo crossbows? You won’t even get close before we turn you into pincushions.

We’re not afraid to take on wild boars head-on—what makes you think you’re any scarier?

We’re just passing through—we’re not here to take your mountain. What’s the harm in letting us through? You really want a fight?”

“Hu Er, show them.”

Hu Er, with a grim expression, raised his crossbow and fired.

Whoosh!

The bamboo arrow embedded itself in the ground—right between the feet of the young villager who had been yelling the loudest.

He froze.

It was too fast—he hadn’t even had time to react.

“Deer Boy!” “Deer Boy!”

“Are you okay?”

“Say something!”

The group shouted in concern.

After a long pause, the young man stammered, “I… I’m fine?”

Even he wasn’t sure.

His hands trembled as he pulled the bamboo arrow from the ground.

His face went pale, and he fell silent.

That one shot completely broke the villagers’ morale.

They were used to hunting—they had set traps and fired bows before. But that level of precision? If that shot had been aimed at a wild boar, it wouldn’t have stood a chance.

They had wooden clubs, but the travelers had them too. More than that, they had bows and crossbows—and those crossbows were much faster than ordinary bows.

How could they possibly win?

Even if they had more people, it wouldn’t matter.

Especially since every able-bodied man from their village was already here.

Uncle An sighed, about to tell them to just let the travelers pass.

But before he could, the scholar on the ox spoke:

“Neighbors, we mean no harm. We just want to pass through and ask for some information.”

“What do you want to know?”

“We’ve heard that Leshan Prefecture has many bandits in the mountains. We’re heading north and worry about the journey ahead. We’d appreciate any guidance.”

Uncle An thought: If you know there are bandits, why are you heading deeper into the mountains? Are you stupid?

After a moment of consideration, he said, “If you want to pass, we won’t stop you. But ahead, the road gets rough. If you hear one good piece of advice, you might turn back and take the official road.”

Yan Huaiwen smiled slightly. “Would the official road really be safer?”

Uncle An hesitated—he couldn’t honestly say yes.

The roads of Leshan Prefecture were likely even more dangerous than the mountains.