Chapter 252: Northern Rong Enters the Village

She stared intently at Master Lu, eyes wide and unblinking, her tone more serious and solemn than ever before.

“Master Lu, we can trust you, right?”

It wasn’t just Li Xuemei. Everyone else looked at him with hesitation and uncertainty in their eyes.

Master Lu felt it was time to give these newly arrived villagers a proper lesson.

Let them see what it meant to have the blood and backbone of a Guanzhou man!

…

Grandpa Hu sent out his two grandsons.

Hu Er, along with the able-bodied men of the village, quickly gathered in the Yan Family courtyard.

Village Chief Luo was among them.

He stood silently, watching as Grandpa Hu called out names and assigned positions.

Da Tie looked at his grandfather with concern.

Village Chief Luo noticed his gaze and gave him a slight nod. “Pay attention.”

At that moment, Grandpa Hu looked over as well. The two old men’s eyes met in the air, and they gave each other a subtle nod.

Old comrades who had known each other for years.

There were things he couldn’t say outright, things he wasn’t sure he should say. As the village chief, the people trusted him and followed his lead. It was his duty to keep everyone safe.

He believed Grandpa Hu wouldn’t act recklessly. Something must have happened—something he didn’t know about—that made Grandpa Hu overturn his own decision and insist on wiping out those bastards.

Hu Er didn’t move to the front. He hid behind Qi Wu’s broad back, keeping himself well concealed.

Everyone else, intentionally or not, also blocked him from view—or more precisely, blocked the Iron Crossbow in his hands.

So far, Master Lu and his people seemed decent. Men with backbone could always earn respect.

But that wasn’t enough. The secret they were guarding concerned their entire families. They couldn’t just expose it to outsiders on a whim.

If the situation hadn’t been so urgent, Hu Er wouldn’t have wasted that perfect aim of his. They definitely wouldn’t have brought out the Yan Family’s Iron Crossbow.

Of course, the appearance of the Iron Crossbow also signaled the Yan Family’s stance.

That was the real reason Hu Er had managed to convince everyone to crawl out of the cellar.

To them, the Yan Family and Village Chief Luo were equally trustworthy.

“If we’re going to strike, we have to go all out. No mercy. Even if one of them escapes, it could bring disaster to the whole village!” Master Lu said earnestly, trying to hammer the point home.

Only now did he realize he might’ve been a bit reckless earlier.

These people weren’t born and raised in Guanzhou. Just facing six Northern Rong might be enough to scare the courage out of them.

He could only keep raising his voice, urging them to go all in, to fight with everything they had…

And the response he got was—nothing.

The more he talked, the more those young men seemed to find him annoying.

Master Lu: Hey! Don’t test my temper!

Yan Yu’s map had updated.

She slipped through the crowd of uncles and older cousins, shouting, “At their pace, they’ll be entering the village any minute now!”

Master Lu watched as that group of seemingly indifferent men suddenly sprang into action.

They scattered in groups of three or five, spreading out in all directions.

They hid behind doors, cart panels, even Da Tie’s cooking pot, moving with surprising speed.

Master Lu: Huh. Didn’t expect them to move this fast.

Also, why are they all listening to a kid?

The thought flashed through his mind, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it. He quickly joined his brothers and nephews in hiding.

The most prominent spot in the village was the Yan Family home beside the large stone in the center.

A house of blue bricks and stone tiles—one of a kind.

The entire village was laid out with this house as the center, spreading outward.

Master Lu figured the intruders would likely head there.

But the real ambush wasn’t set at the house. It was on the path leading into the village.

There were elderly, women, and children in the village. If they could deal with the enemy at the entrance, they had to do it. Letting them into the village was the last resort.

After giving her warning, Yan Yu obediently returned to the cellar.

Daya, visibly nervous, pulled her close.

Feeling her elder sister trembling slightly, Yan Yu nestled into her arms, letting her hold her tight.

With a soft, warm little sister in her arms, Daya’s cold limbs slowly warmed again.

…

Hu Er paired up with Qi Wu.

“Qi Wu, don’t just block arrows later. Make sure you block me too. Don’t let them see what I’ve got in my hands,” Hu Er instructed.

“I know,” Qi Wu replied, standing behind a door panel.

It was one of the Yan Family’s two front doors.

Where others needed two people to lift it, he could handle it alone.

Master Lu knew full well the strength of the Qi brothers. He’d seen the three of them work before. They ate a lot and had the muscle to match. Qi Wu’s task was crucial, but not too dangerous.

He wasn’t meant to strike first.

His job was to cut off the enemy’s retreat.

The six figures came down the mountain, muttering among themselves, then started heading toward the village.

They were cautious, scanning their surroundings as they walked. The eerie silence of the village made them uneasy.

Then something unexpected happened—they stopped outside the village.

Master Lu grew anxious.

Hu Er narrowed his eyes, considering whether to fire a shot.

“Ahem… Where are you from? You’d better leave. There’s a plague in our village. You don’t want to catch it.”

Something no one expected happened.

The six Northern Rong didn’t enter the village.

Village Chief Luo suddenly stepped out, hunched over, head bowed, leaning on a stick, looking feeble as he tried to shoo them away.

Everyone held their breath.

Seeing someone appear, the six visibly relaxed.

One of them stepped forward to speak.

“Elder, we got lost in the mountains and seem to have taken the wrong path. Do you know where we are? How far is it from Shanguan Village?” The speaker’s Guanzhou dialect was impressively fluent—smoother even than Village Chief Luo’s.

“Shanguan Village? Never heard of it. Can’t you understand what I’m saying? Get out of here, quick! This village has an outbreak going on, and you still dare to come? Are you trying to die?”

The man hesitated, then asked, “We heard there was an outbreak around here too. Is it really that bad? What happened to your villagers…?”

Village Chief Luo let out a long, weary sigh. “They were all taken away by government officers. No idea if they’re alive or dead. Just a few of us old bones left behind, barely scraping by.”

“You folks… are you newly registered refugees?” the man asked, probing cautiously.

A flicker of something dark and sharp flashed in Village Chief Luo’s eyes.

Northern Rong? How does he know so much?

“Yeah, we barely made it out of the famine. Thought we’d found a way to survive… but in the end, sigh…”

“Elder, since the village is empty now, would it be alright if we stayed for the night? We’ll head out first thing tomorrow to figure out how to get back.”

Village Chief Luo gave a bitter smile. “Do as you please. This old man doesn’t have many days left anyway. Can’t manage much anymore, can’t care even if I wanted to.”

He turned and shuffled back inside, each step slow and labored.

“This village has an outbreak. We should get out of here, fast,” someone whispered.

“Tu Tuobu, how many times have I told you? Speak in Guanzhou dialect!” the man snapped, scolding sharply.

Then he patiently explained to the others, “The villagers were all taken away by the authorities. There might still be some household records they didn’t have time to collect.

With those, we can go anywhere in the Guanzhou region without trouble.

It’s worth the risk. Besides, we’re strong and healthy. As long as we’re careful, we’ll be fine.”

(End of this chapter)