Orchard.
Xu Chuan watched in silence from the shadows, with no intention of intervening.
Perhaps I overestimated this danger. Not a single person has died, Xu Chuan thought to himself, then shook his head with a chuckle. Not entirely. If my Xu Family hadn't been prepared, the Xu Family Mansion itself might have been fine, but quite a few guards would likely have died, and the orchards and farmlands everywhere would have suffered enormous losses as well.
On second thought, the divination's prediction of great misfortune was broadly correct.
He had initially thought several Houtian Peak experts might appear, yet not a single one had shown up.
"I wonder how the other places are doing?"
Seeing that only a handful remained, Xu Chuan suddenly stepped out and called, "Everyone, stop."
"Father?"
"Patriarch."
Xu Mingyuan and Xu Mingxian walked to Xu Chuan's side, while the other guards cupped their hands in salute.
"Where is your den? Take us there."
"Yes, yes, yes! We'll take you there at once."
Seeing a chance to live, the final two men immediately dropped to their knees and kowtowed, leading Xu Chuan and the others onward.
Not long after they left,
the encirclements at the other locations also came to an end. It was a resounding victory.
More than half an hour later,
they arrived at a large residence in Huanxi Village, fifty or sixty li east of Dongxi Village.
Piles of grain were stacked in the corners of the main hall, along with fruits, vegetables, and game.
"Xu Family Head, seeing how cooperative we've been, please spare our lives. We were captured by those bandits too. They were powerful, and we had no choice but to obey their orders."
The two men repeatedly slammed their heads against the floor, humbling themselves into the dust.
"Under