Chapter 19: Coming to Recruit Laborers? We, the Villagers of Yulong, Patrol the Mountains

Du Cheng led a group of men down the mountain. They appeared somewhat dejected, seemingly caught off guard by how difficult a simple hunting trip had turned out to be.

"Is Chu Feng really that formidable? It seems he deserves to be the one eating meat," one remarked.

"Indeed. To have lasted three hours on that mountain and snatched food from the jaws of a 'big cat'—that’s no ordinary feat," another replied.

"On the contrary, his brother, Chu Long, is the real fool in my eyes."

As they chatted, the group entered the village, only to be immediately struck by the scene before them. A group of yamen runners holding torches stood waiting in the center of the village, flanking a man dressed in official robes.

"Officials! Quickly, bury the weapons in the snow!" Du Cheng warned. The villagers understood instantly, throwing their weapons into the snow and trampling them until they disappeared. If the officials discovered these, they would be in deep trouble—as the saying goes, "once the mud hits the crotch, it’s either dung or dirt."

Du Cheng and the others had hoped to slip away quietly to their respective homes, avoiding any contact with the authorities. However, Chu Long had been standing by the runners, watching the path down the mountain. Upon seeing them, he immediately shouted, "My Lord, they have arrived!"

At these words, all the runners looked up. The official in charge commanded, "Bring them all to me!"

Within moments, everyone, including Du Cheng, was rounded up before the official. Liao Zi'ang stood up, adjusted his cap, and sneered at the crowd, "A bunch of unruly peasants! Who gave you permission to climb Yulong Mountain?"

The villagers kept their heads low, tight-lipped and silent.

"No one speaking? Very well. Take them all to the jail for a proper interrogation!"

Liao Zi'ang had been in a foul mood lately. The borders were in a state of emergency, and the county magistrate was overwhelmed. As the assistant magistrate, Liao Zi'ang felt the immense pressure. While the village was being pressed for conscripts, they couldn't just grab anyone; the situation hadn't yet reached the point of forced recruitment, and seizing too many would risk a backlash from the populace.

Liao Zi'ang had been searching for legitimate excuses to press men into service. Convicts sent to prison were the perfect candidates—no one would protest if they were sent to the front lines. These villagers, having defied the ban to hunt on Yulong Mountain, provided the perfect pretext. If he delivered this many able-bodied men, the magistrate would surely be pleased and grant him a promotion. This was why he, an assistant magistrate, had traveled all the way to Yulong Village to handle this personally.

Panic set in among the villagers when they heard they were being taken to prison. Du Cheng stepped forward, pleading, "Sir, is this really necessary? We were only digging for wild vegetables and hunting because our families are starving. If you won't even let us find food, are you trying to starve us to death?"

"What does that have to do with me? The yamen has a strict regulation prohibiting entry to Yulong Mountain. Going up there is treated as treason. Who knows if you lot are colluding with the Great Xia? Take them away!" Liao Zi'ang had no intention of letting such a bounty of recruits go.

"Sir, isn't this going too far?" Du Cheng’s temper flared.

"What? Do you intend to rebel?" Liao Zi'ang sneered. He had anticipated this, which was why he brought twenty armed runners. These men were trained and carried blades; commoners were no match for them.

"On what grounds do you claim that climbing the mountain means colluding with Great Xia? Our village has never produced a traitor!"

"Is that so? Yet, reports claim that is exactly what you are doing." Liao Zi'ang glanced at Chu Long.

All eyes turned toward Chu Long, who hesitated, then quickly looked away, acting as if he were oblivious to the matter.

The commotion was loud, and despite the heavy snow and the deepening night, the women and children of the village emerged from their homes. Seeing the scene, they began to wail. "Sir, you cannot take them! If you take them, our whole village will starve!"

The village was small, and the number of able-bodied laborers was limited. Taking twenty men would mean the ruin of twenty households. But Liao Zi'ang cared little for that; his own career was all that mattered. "Enough chatter! Anyone who obstructs us will be taken as well!"

Under such threats, no villager was spared—except for Chu Long, who stood with Wei Xiaoxia in silence.

"Chu Long, you will suffer for this!" one villager spat. "If the Chu family is like this, it’s no wonder Chu Feng left you! You’re disgusting!"

Chu Long grunted, ignoring them, and turned to Liao Zi'ang. "My Lord, four more are missing."

"Oh? Who?"

"My younger brother—that brute who mistreats his family. You must not let him get away."

"Leave two men to wait for them. The rest of you, take these criminals away!"

Just as Liao Zi'ang prepared to leave, a voice rang out from the mountain path. "We did not go up the mountain to hunt, nor to collude with Great Xia! We went to capture Great Xia spies!"

The voice was loud, clear, and familiar. Chu Long froze and looked at Wei Xiaoxia, who wore an equally bewildered expression. It was Chu Feng's voice, but the words were utterly unexpected.

Liao Zi'ang, having intended to leave immediately, changed his expression. He knew this could no longer be handled lightly. The imperial court prioritized all news concerning Great Xia above everything else.

"Stop!" Liao Zi'ang commanded, his gaze cold. He wanted to see who dared to claim they were hunting spies. Deceiving an imperial official was a capital offense. Could a bunch of lowly peasants actually capture Great Xia spies?

As the figures approached through the darkness, Liao Zi'ang squinted. It was four people—two men carrying axes and wood-cutting knives, one carrying another on his back.

Liao Zi'ang scoffed, "Capturing spies? You have a lot of nerve. Do you know the consequences of lying to an official?"

Without a word, Chu Feng tugged on a rope, pulling another figure into the light. At the sight of the man’s attire, Liao Zi'ang recoiled behind his guards. The runners, too, scrambled in fear upon seeing a Great Xia soldier, their hands trembling until they noticed the man’s hands were tightly bound.

Chu Feng held two severed heads strung together on a rope. He stepped forward and said, "Sir, you are arresting these villagers because you think they are colluding with Great Xia. But I can prove that not one of them has done so. In fact, I can proudly tell you that we went up there specifically to prevent Great Xia spies from infiltrating our Great Qian. These are the proofs!"

He threw the heads to the ground; they were still wearing Great Xia caps. Behind him stood the captured Great Xia soldier. While heads might be forged, a live soldier could not be. When Chu Feng kicked the soldier to the ground, the man began to babble in a foreign tongue.

Liao Zi'ang realized the gravity of the situation. "This... this man..."

"I killed them," Chu Feng stated flatly.

"Return! Tell the magistrate! Hurry!" Liao Zi'ang shouted.

At that moment, every villager turned their gaze toward Chu Feng—a look filled with awe, fear, shock, and worship.