Chapter 18

The matter was quickly clarified.

Once involved, Bao Chū would go into a frenzy, but he also had another principle.

Not to kill those who were already dying.

The long-sword wielder who had been pierced in the abdomen by Qin Yu’s spear was honored to be the only living witness to this principle.

Qin Yu had only asked a few casual questions.

Unexpectedly, Fan Jian had actually told the truth.

On that day, when Qin Yu was hunting the wild boar king, a leopard had interfered, and later, three hunters appeared.

These three hunters were Fan Jian’s retainers.

Huyang and Wudang were not adjacent; although both counties belonged to Nanyang, one was in the southwest and the other in the northeast, with a considerable distance between them. Fan Jian led a group of retainers from Fan Family Manor on this long journey, mostly for a leopard’s gallbladder.

It was said that the favorite granddaughter of Fan Ren, the eldest son of the Fan family, was ill, and a renowned doctor had prescribed a formula that required a fresh leopard’s gallbladder as the key ingredient. Fan Ren had encountered difficulties in purchasing the medicine in Huyang and had offered a substantial reward, but after many days, he still had no suitable one. His younger brother, Fan Jian, volunteered to go out and hunt for it.

After much searching and inquiring, they finally saw the leopard’s spotted tail the day before. The three retainers, eager to establish their merit and not taking the local hunters seriously, decided to seize the leopard. However, the wild boar king was fierce and strong, and in the end, only two of the three men and two dogs managed to escape.

These two survivors, upon returning, did not dare to tell the truth. They claimed that they had already hunted the leopard but were robbed by the local hunters, who also killed their companions and the dogs.

Before the dynasty was established, the Fan family had been a powerful force in Huyang, dominating the area. After following Liu Xiu to establish the empire, they had ruled Nanyang for over ten generations and dominated Huyang for two hundred years, known for their arrogance and tyranny.

The night raid on Bao Village by the Fan family’s servants was, therefore, not surprising.

On their journey south, they had already massacred several similar small villages, just to obtain the rare medicinal herbs that might be in the hunters’ homes.

If Bao Chū and Qin Yu’s group were slightly weaker, they would have met the same fate of being massacred and the leopard taken.

After Qin Yu finished asking, he sighed deeply. The country was in disarray, and the gentry were committing evil deeds—this was a true portrayal of the chaotic end of the Han dynasty!

The three parts of regret and unease in his heart instantly vanished.

Such habitual and unrepentant tyrants should all be killed!

Bao Chū did not kill the white-clad long-sword wielder but did not treat him either, leaving him to lie in the snow, watched by his hunting dog Ruhua, until he froze to death.

While burying the white-clad knife wielders from Huyang in a pit, Qin Yu suddenly thought of the group of black-clad knife wielders on Xianshou Mountain.

Although their attire and origins were different, and their weapons and tools varied, they were equally tyrannical and cruel, capable of wiping out entire families.

Why could these wealthy and powerful people so arrogantly assume that everyone else was their prey?

※※※※※※

In Qin Yu’s private room, the three brothers gathered.

Bao Chū and Qin Yu sat opposite each other, while the youngest brother, Zhang Ren, huddled in the far corner of the heated brick bed, forming a tripod.

On the low table, four items were placed.

A golden-handled short knife; a sleeveless half-length gray leather coat; a white jade ring; and finally, a bamboo scroll.

Qin Yu praised, “Good brother, you’ve looted the bodies? So many items.” He picked up the short knife, “Wow, so heavy, is it really made of gold?”

Bao Chū frowned and glanced over.

Zhang Ren said, “These items belonged to the two leaders, the ones who were involved in the drug trafficking. There were also some jewels and herbs. The others didn’t have anything valuable. By the way, Second Brother, there are two characters on the scabbard, what do they mean? I don’t recognize them.”

Qin Yu lifted the short knife and saw two engraved clerical script characters on the scabbard. He examined them by the oil lamp and hesitated, “Surprisingly, they say ‘imperial gift’? This knife might have some history.”

“Imperial gift?” Zhang Ren was very interested, “Does that mean it was a gift from the emperor?”

“Maybe.” Qin Yu drew the short knife and felt the blade, somewhat disappointed, “The handle is gold, but I thought it might be a solid gold knife. Brother, it’s yours. Hey, it’s quite sharp, perfect for cutting pork.” He sheathed the knife and threw it to Bao Chū.

Bao Chū caught it, had no objections, and hung it on his waist.

Zhang Ren saw his two elder brothers staring at the gray leather coat and explained, “This coat is made from some unknown animal skin. It’s very thin but very sturdy. My black crossbow couldn’t even pierce it from forty steps away.”

Bao Chū glanced at it and said, “It’s too small, I can’t wear it.”

“I don’t want it either, Little Brother, you can take it.” Qin Yu was a bit reluctant to wear clothes from a dead person. Besides, he wore a family-inherited black leather coat of good quality, so he didn’t want to change.

“I’ve got something else, I don’t need the coat.” Zhang Ren raised his right hand.

Qin Yu saw that his right thumb was wearing a strange bronze ornament, which looked like a ring with a half-circular cover on the back of the finger and a slight protrusion on the front.

Bao Chū asked, “You use a black crossbow, why do you need this bronze finger guard?”

The finger guard, pronounced ‘she,’ was a tool for archery, similar to the later Ming and Qing dynasty扳指 (archer’s ring).

Zhang Ren said, “Elder Brother, I also want to practice archery. Although the black crossbow is convenient, its range is too short. It would be a disadvantage in the future when following Second Brother into battle.”

“Little Brother has a good heart.” Qin Yu smiled, thinking, “Does he know he will become a famous general in the future and is preparing now?”

Yes, he should say that he hopes to become a famous general and is now preparing.

The three looked at each other, no one wanted the leather coat.

“Why don’t we give this leather coat to Master?” Qin Yu suddenly had an idea.

Bao Chū and Zhang Ren looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

“Don’t tell him where it came from, just say... we hunted the wild boar king and had the best skin tanned and sewn by our adoptive mother, and we are presenting it to Master.” Zhang Ren blinked and whispered.

“Little Brother, you have a good idea. This task is yours.” Qin Yu happily patted his younger brother’s shoulder.

Zhang Ren grimaced and reluctantly agreed.

Bao Chū thought, “Although Master doesn’t hunt, his eyes are sharp. How could he not recognize the quality of the leather and the craftsmanship? But this coat could be useful for Master’s protection and warmth.”

Qin Yu knew that Bao Chū and Zhang Ren couldn’t read, so he reached out, took the bamboo scroll, and opened the cloth wrapping it. After a quick glance, his expression changed.

This bamboo scroll was actually a letter.

Fan Ren, the head of the Fan family in Huyang, representing the three major families of Huyang—Fan, Feng, and Yu—wrote a secret letter to the governor of Changsha, Zhang Xian. The letter stated that the gentry of Nanyang had made a decision to follow Zhang Xian’s lead. The required money and grain had already been purchased near Jiangling and would be secretly transported to Changsha soon, hoping that Zhang Xian would send troops to escort it.

Qin Yu thought, “According to the retainer, Huyang is east of Xinye, far from Changsha. Why would the gentry of Huyang try to please the governor of Changsha?”

Zhang Ren rolled up the leather coat and picked up the ring, “This white jade ring, Second Brother, do you want it?”

Qin Yu took the ring from his hand.

“Yes, this item is key to a transaction, I’ll keep it for now.”

...

After dividing the loot, Zhang Ren pouted, clutched the leather coat, and went up the mountain to deliver the treasure.

Bao Chū got up to check if his subordinates had thoroughly destroyed the evidence.

Qin Yu returned to his room and continued reciting the Jade Sword Heart Sutra.

At dawn, Zhang Ren had already returned to Bao Village.

Bao Chū was already asleep but was woken up by Zhang Ren’s uncontrolled knocking, cursing and groggily getting up. Qin Yu, who was already in a side-lying breathing state, quickly came out.

The three brothers gathered again, and Zhang Ren looked a bit nervous.

“Master said that the Fan family of Huyang is not an ordinary gentry. He wants Elder Brother to escort our adoptive mother to Changsha Yiyang early tomorrow for safety.” Both he and Qin Yu were orphans and had recognized the old lady of the Bao family as their adoptive mother.

Qin Yu and Bao Chū exchanged glances. Bao Chū frowned slightly and said, “I’ll go prepare.”

“Master wants Elder Brother to take all the villagers with you. This move is permanent, and the land there is more fertile.” Zhang Ren added.

Bao Chū nodded.

Although Bao Village was small, it had about ten households and dozens of people, mostly the elderly, sick, and disabled, with only seven or eight able-bodied men. However, most of these men were skilled farmers, strong but not martial artists, and due to nutritional issues, their night vision was poor. Therefore, Bao Chū had a rule that they were not to leave the village at night without his permission.

“I’ve caused trouble for my brothers.” Qin Yu felt uneasy, thinking that if he hadn’t hunted the wild boar king, this wouldn’t have happened.

Bao Chū shook his head, unconcerned.

“It’s not Little Brother’s fault. Those people were already on their way here, and they would have attacked the village regardless. Besides, we’re tired of living in Wudang Mountain, and living in Jiangnan would be nice.”

He stood up and went to pack.

Seeing that Zhang Ren was still sitting, Qin Yu knew he had more to say and remained silent.

Zhang Ren leaned close to Qin Yu’s ear and whispered, “Master said that your letter is very important and useful. He thinks it would be best if you go to Jiangling to see if you can take it away.”

Qin Yu was surprised; although he was quick-witted, he hadn’t thought of this.

“Yes, to establish my own faction, I need money and grain to gather brave warriors. Master is indeed cunning and experienced.”

“This plan is excellent!” Qin Yu was invigorated and jumped up, “We’ll leave as soon as it’s light.”

“Great!” Zhang Ren stood up happily, “Master said I should accompany Elder Brother. He has already sent a message to the Qin family in Wuling, and we can meet up in Jiangling. The token and password are like this...”

“Got it.” Qin Yu nodded, hesitated, “But if we all leave, who will take care of Master?”

“After giving me the instructions, Master left from the back of the mountain.” Zhang Ren spread his hands, “But he did wear the leather coat, and it fits him well!”

Qin Yu laughed.

“Master’s final instruction was for you to remember your aspirations and never waver.”

Qin Yu was solemn, bowed his head, and said, “Yes, I will follow Master’s command.”

“No more.” Zhang Ren clapped his hands, eyes full of curiosity, “Second Brother, what are your aspirations?”

Qin Yu looked at Zhang Ren, knowing that the young brother was still too young to understand what Master had said.

“To sweep away the filth and revitalize the Han dynasty.”

Zhang Ren’s mouth dropped open, thinking, “Second Brother is so unapproachable, saying things we can’t understand.”

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