Encirclement Village

After leaving the blacksmith shop, Xiang Yang hurried all the way toward the county town's north gate. But as he walked, his steps grew slower and slower. In the end, he stopped in the middle of a small street, standing there blankly like an idiot amid the endless stream of passersby.

"Fuck, am I brain-dead? First I have to leave the county town, then go to Encirclement Village, then leave Encirclement Village for An Qinglong's estate. How much walking is that? I haven't even learned Divine Steps Shifting Form yet. By the time I get there, I'll probably be exhausted like a dead dog, without an ounce of strength left."

This was another world resembling ancient China. There were no four-wheeled automobiles as transportation, not even bicycles. Crossing the county town and heading into the countryside on his own two feet, Xiang Yang felt the odds of ending up crippled were even greater.

Besides, he was still wearing a constable's official uniform. Wasn't that practically a spotlight? If he really showed up in Encirclement Village like this, he would definitely cause a stir. Once An Qinglong's men caught wind of it, they would surely make a move.

With that thought, Xiang Yang turned around. He first went home and hid away the silver he had gained, then changed out of his uniform into a set of light brown coarse cloth clothes. After carefully washing the bloody smell from the blade of his Wild Goose Feather Saber, he finally left for the horse market in town.

Though it had the word "horse" in its name, the horse market was actually a gathering place for livestock trading. Cattle, sheep, pigs, mules—everything could be found there. The stench inside was terrible, and mosquitoes and flies buzzed chaotically through the air. It could be said that anyone with even a little status was unwilling to come here.

Normally, the horses at the market were not rented out. Even if they were, they would only be rented to wealthy households. But once Xiang Yang displayed his Wild Goose Feather Saber and constable's badge, claiming he had official business to attend to, the horse's owner had no choice but to rent him one. He could only lead out a short-legged horse for Xiang Yang.

In appearance and quality, it was certainly inferior to Lord Zhou's Yellow Dappled Horse. But Xiang Yang was not picky. He only needed it to travel and save his legs some effort, so why fuss over it?

Swinging himself onto the horse, Xiang Yang looked at the owner's worried, frightened face and smiled. "What are you scared of? I'm on official business. If anything really happens, the yamen will compensate you for your losses."

With that, he raised his riding whip. With a crack, the short-legged horse began clopping forward, its four hooves flying. It was indeed faster than traveling on two legs.

It was nearing noon. Xiang Yang bought two meat buns from the street, eating as he traveled while considering how he should act once he arrived. At the very least, he could not simply charge in and fight head-on.

"According to that Little Knife Society man, the estate outside Encirclement Village is generally where they keep people trafficked within the last three months. There's an eighty-percent chance Mr. Lan's son is inside.

"On the surface, it is a place that collects and gathers grain, vegetables, and fruit. But behind the estate, they built a cellar for hiding people. How am I supposed to get in?"

The weather in June was not yet too hot. As he traveled through the outskirts, a fresh breeze swept by, carrying the fragrance of earth, flowers, and grass. Butterflies with patterned wings fluttered up and down on both sides of the road, giving the journey a unique pleasure.

Encirclement Village was the largest cluster of villages outside Anyuan County's town walls. Its population exceeded two thousand, and that had been the registered figure four years ago. By now, the number could only have risen, not fallen.

Leading the short-legged horse, Xiang Yang entered the entrance to Encirclement Village amid the astonished looks of the villagers. After asking someone for directions, he went straight to the village chief's home.

"Young man, what do you want with this old man?"

At the entrance of a large courtyard enclosed by high walls, an old man with graying hair and beard was peeling fruit and shaking a sieve in his hand. He looked at Xiang Yang with some surprise. The young man was fair and clean-cut, handsome and pleasing to the eye, but the weapon in his hand was no mere prop. The old man did not know where he came from.

Xiang Yang smiled, took out his constable's badge from his robes, and waved it before the village chief. Then he lowered his voice. "Village Chief, I'm a constable from the Anyuan County Yamen. I've come to your Encirclement Village this time to handle an official matter. I would like to ask you about a few things, and I may even need your assistance. Would that be convenient?"

When he heard Xiang Yang say he was a County Yamen constable and saw that the badge was genuine, the village chief's expression eased. He nodded and invited Xiang Yang to lead his horse into the courtyard—though only into the courtyard.

Xiang Yang did not dare reveal everything. He merely gave a general explanation that the case was connected to Anjia Manor several li beyond Encirclement Village, hoping to learn some specific information about Anjia Manor from the village chief.

The village chief hesitated, then had Xiang Yang take out his constable's badge again so he could inspect it carefully. Only then did he speak, pride glinting in his eyes.

"I told the people at the yamen long ago that there was definitely something fishy about Anjia Manor. Who doesn't know what kind of person An Qinglong is? ..."

The village chief was also a chatterbox. Perhaps because of his age, he prattled on with a whole pile of nonsense before finally getting to the point, giving Xiang Yang a deeper understanding of Anjia Manor.

"There are actually seventeen men there. And that's not all—more than a dozen scattered households near the estate also depend on An Qinglong's estate for their living. If there's the slightest whisper of trouble, they'll definitely notify the people inside beforehand. Good thing I didn't act rashly."

After thinking for a while, Xiang Yang had the village chief prepare two baskets of red dates for him. He temporarily left the short-legged horse at the village chief's home, hung the Wild Goose Feather Saber beneath the baskets, and dressed himself as an ordinary farmer before swaying unhurriedly toward Anjia Manor with the pole across his shoulders.

Since Anjia Manor was a collection and transfer point for the crops of nearby farmers, the simplest and most effective way to enter openly was to disguise himself as a farmer looking to sell goods. The only concern was that Xiang Yang was an unfamiliar face.

But Xiang Yang had prepared for that as well. He had gleaned quite a bit from the village chief, and he could easily pass himself off as a poor young man coming to seek refuge with relatives. Surely those people would not drive him away merely because they had never seen him before.

And as long as he entered the estate, with his martial arts and the Wild Goose Feather Saber in hand, how things would go would no longer be up to them.

Xiang Yang knew perfectly well that arresting or killing people was secondary in this operation. The main thing was finding Mr. Lan's only son. What he feared was alerting the enemy too soon, causing them to move the boy away before he even entered the estate. That was why he had gone to such lengths to take this roundabout approach.

On the gravel path leading from Encirclement Village to Anjia Manor, a youth in cloth garments carried two baskets of red dates, swaying as he walked. Every so often, he stopped to wipe the hot sweat from his forehead with the white towel draped around his shoulders, then continued onward. He looked exactly like an honest, simple farmer who tended crops and waited to make money from them.

On a rolling rise beside the path, a rough-faced man weathered by wind and frost lay flat on the ground resting, using a banana leaf over his head to shield himself from the sun. Hearing footsteps, he started and quickly rolled over to sit up. With one hand shading his brow, he spotted Xiang Yang traveling below and saw the direction he was heading. A trace of suspicion appeared on his face. What was this man here for?

"Kid, stop! What are you doing here?"

His shout was mixed with a burst of barking. At the same time, two more men emerged from behind the rough man, each leading a vicious dog. Drool dripped from their mouths as they stared at Xiang Yang and barked wildly.