Er Hu's House

Qian Yun, who was walking beside her, gently touched the back of her hand. Hu Liena shook her head and managed a faint smile to show him she was all right.

Seeing this, Qian Yun said no more. He turned and waved to the Spirit Hall members behind him, urging them to keep up.

Along the way, more and more former residents of Beast King Village recognized Hu Liena and her companions.

Their reactions varied. Some greeted her warmly, but most merely glanced at her with indifference as they passed.

As she set foot once more on the village path she had been away from for so long, she was surrounded by familiar faces and familiar scenery. Everything felt both familiar and strange.

Hu Liena followed Aunt Wu's brisk stride in silence. A casual glance to the side made her stop in her tracks.

Qian Yun turned to look as well. He furrowed his brows, thinking for a moment, then immediately recognized the place. That small courtyard, with its charred, withered tree, was the home where Hu Liena had lived ever since she was little!

Hu Liena stared blankly, lost in thought. Before her eyes lay a familiar scene. The stone platform was where Grandpa Village Chief loved to sit. After finishing his work, he would always rest there and light his pipe, savoring a smoke. Looking at it, Hu Liena could almost smell the acrid tobacco of her memories.

"Grandpa, it stinks! It smells awful." Little Hu Liena, dressed in a floral skirt, covered her nose in disgust and complained through her pinched voice.

Whenever little Hu Liena complained, Grandpa Village Chief would always laugh and beg for mercy, claiming he would take just one last puff. And she would always leave him with the same warning: "I'll believe you one last time."

That well belonged to A-Qiang. Whenever they needed water for washing clothes or cooking, he would use his strong arms to haul up bucket after bucket.

"Heh." For some reason, she suddenly laughed. Her steps faltered, as though she no longer needed to think or hold herself back. Hu Liena followed the stone path from her memories, walking slowly forward.

She walked quietly, her hard boots pressing into the grass with a soft hiss, like spring shoots pushing through the earth.

Outside the gate, Qian Yun and Aunt Wu watched in silence. No one wanted to disturb her. This time belonged to her.

"Ah." Aunt Wu sighed softly and turned away, unable to watch any longer. "You're Qian Yun, right?"

Qian Yun came back to himself and nodded. "Yes, Aunt Wu. What is it?"

Aunt Wu looked up to meet his gaze. Her yellowed eyes were full of warmth. "You and Xiao Na have known each other for a long time, haven't you? I know what she's like. If you were just friends, she wouldn't be so close to you. I think you must mean something very special to her, don't you?"

"I..."

Aunt Wu gently raised a hand to stop him. "You don't need to rush to confirm or deny anything. The way two people get along, what they feel for each other—that can't be explained in just a sentence or two, can it?"

Qian Yun seemed to want to speak, but stopped himself. At last, he turned his gaze to Hu Liena's back and slowly nodded. "Yes."

At that, Aunt Wu smiled easily. "Heh, don't let an old woman like me rambling on make you overthink things."

She gently rested her rough hand against Qian Yun's back and said softly, "Go on."

Qian Yun looked at Hu Liena's back once more, newfound resolve in his golden eyes. He walked over and stood beside her. As though sensing him, Hu Liena leaned her slender frame against Qian Yun's shoulder, which was no broader than her own.

The two stood there for a long time before finally bringing themselves to leave the little courtyard. Then they continued after Aunt Wu, heading for Er Hu's house.

Even without Aunt Wu to guide them, they could have found Er Hu's house easily by asking any villager. It stood out far too much to miss.

Fountains played across the broad, verdant lawn, their streams rising and falling. The mist hanging in the air caught the sunlight and formed a rainbow.

Beyond them stood a three-story house, its walls an ivory white and its exaggerated arched roof covered in gold.

There were no vegetable plots around the house, as there were around an ordinary villager's home. Instead, row upon row of fruit trellises lined the grounds. A stable stood not far from the house, where two glossy-coated horses grazed leisurely.

This looked less like a house in a small village and more like a residence fit for a wealthy young lord.

Qian Yun looked at it all and shook his head repeatedly. Er Hu's family had gone overboard. Even if they had money, they didn't need to flaunt it like this.

Hu Liena's face was icy as she nodded with a sneer. She had expected no better from Er Hu's family, but she hadn't thought they would show off so shamelessly. They might as well have written "we exploit the villagers" across the front of the house!

"Aunt Wu, with Er Hu acting so arrogantly, aren't the villagers upset?" Hu Liena managed to keep her composure. She knew she had to understand the situation before confronting them.

Aunt Wu sighed. "Ah, Xiao Na, you know what things are like in our village. Back then, the funds Spirit Hall allocated really were put to good use.

"But making their family the village head was a choice born of necessity. After all, they're the only family in the village with a Spirit Master now."

Hu Liena and Qian Yun listened quietly.

"While the village was still being rebuilt, Er Hu's family had already become the village head. The first thing they did was join with several neighboring villages to impose what they called unified management. In other words, from then on, anything earned from hunting or farming had to be sold through them. No one was allowed to sell it on their own. Then they would distribute the money."

Aunt Wu didn't spell it out, but the results were plain to see: this so-called unified management benefited Er Hu's family and no one else. The other villagers likely received only a tiny share.

"Has no one done anything about it?" Qian Yun asked with a frown. Since Spirit Hall was in charge of rebuilding Beast King Village, there was no reason they shouldn't know what was happening here.

Aunt Wu replied helplessly, "Some people have reported it, but this is still within the Heaven Dou Empire. Spirit Hall can't do much. Besides, after that fire, the village was already left with very few people. As time passed, everyone settled into just getting by."

"...All right. Aunt Wu, go back and get some rest. The rest is up to us." Qian Yun spoke to Aunt Wu. Since Er Hu's family ruled the village with an iron fist, it would be best for her to keep her distance.

Aunt Wu considered it for a moment, then nodded. "I know you're capable now, but don't push yourselves too hard."

Qian Yun nodded. Only then did Aunt Wu shake her head and leave. Perhaps even she, who had long kept out of the world's affairs, knew that Beast King Village was about to change again.

Hu Liena had already strode ahead, her face grim. Qian Yun shook his head and followed.

As Hu Liena stepped across the smooth, solid paving stones, the anger in her heart grew hotter and hotter.

Back when Grandpa Village Chief was still alive, everyone in the village stood together, and neighbors treated one another kindly. How had it come to this lifeless, fractured state?

And now they had joined with other villages to squeeze the ordinary villagers, while the village head lined his own pockets.

She strode briskly up the steps, grabbed a chair from the side, and hurled it with all her strength. The iron chair crashed into the lavishly decorated hall.

Amid the deafening crash, Hu Liena's furious shout rang through the hall.

"Er Gou and that old bastard—get your asses out here!"

Her enraged yell echoed through the hall. After a brief silence, a head appeared over the railing on the second floor. When he saw who was downstairs, his furious expression froze, then turned visibly delighted. But the moment he spoke, he nearly sent Hu Liena into a rage.

"W-wife?!"

Hu Liena looked at the stupid expression on his lecherous face. Blood rushed to her head, and she blurted out, "You little Er Gou, screw your mother! Who the hell's your wife? I'm your wild daddy!"

Despite being insulted, Er Hu only grew more delighted, drool hanging from the corner of his mouth.

There was no mistaking it. Only Hu Liena would dare call him Er Gou.

"What's all that noise? Which blind bastard dares curse me? Drag him out and feed him to the dogs!" A burly, heavyset middle-aged man came out, his face dark with anger.

Er Hu didn't even look back. He just gazed dreamily at Hu Liena downstairs. "Dad, don't say that. Xiao Na's back!"

Before his father could react, he hurried outside.

His father, Da Hu, frowned and thought for a moment. "Xiao Na...? Which Xiao Na?"

He peered carefully with the beady eyes buried in the folds of his chubby face. At last, he remembered.

Oh, that Xiao Na! She was still alive. So why had she come back?

In the blink of an eye, Er Hu had hurried down several steps. His foot slipped, and he nearly fell flat on his face. He grabbed the railing and awkwardly steadied himself, then went right back to gazing at Hu Liena. She was the woman he had longed for day and night.

Hu Liena was much prettier now than when she was a child. She was more beautiful, and her face and figure had begun to take on the shape of a mature woman. Add to that the look of disgust she wore, as though he were garbage... She was so beautiful, unbelievably beautiful!

He wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth. After finally managing to tear his gaze away, he glanced down at his robe and quickly put on an apologetic smile. Then he turned aside and started straightening his appearance.

Hu Liena took a deep breath, forcing down the urge to attack him on the spot. She sneered, "Er Gou! I'm not here to catch up with you. If you know what's good for you, get rid of that so-called unified management of yours! Don't make me get physical and turn this into an ugly scene for everyone."

Before Er Hu could speak, Da Hu, who had been watching coldly, objected. He snorted. "Hmph! Xiao Na, all you do is call yourself 'this old lady' and call him Er Gou. You think you can call Er Hu 'Er Gou'? You should call him Big Brother Er Hu. And you should call me Village Chief!"

"Bah! As if you deserve it, you old bastard. When my grandpa was alive, you behaved like my obedient little boy. You think you can throw your weight around just because you're older?"

"You!" Being cursed out by a younger woman in front of his own son was more than anyone could stand. He rolled up his sleeves and prepared to teach her a lesson.

Seeing this, Er Hu hurriedly grabbed him and smiled placatingly. "Dad, don't stoop to arguing with a child. You're the village head now. You can't go around fighting people like you used to. Leave her to me."

Da Hu pulled free of Er Hu's grip and snorted.

That was right. He was the village head now. He had to mind his standing; he couldn't go around getting into fights like some street thug.

He sneered. "You insulted me, but I'm magnanimous enough not to hold it against you. After all, I'm your elder. I watched you grow up. Are you really going to fight me too?"

Hu Liena thought, You bet I am!

Then another clear voice came from the doorway. "She may not be in a position to fight you, but I can do it for her!"

Da Hu and Er Hu turned toward the voice and saw a handsome, black-haired young man with golden eyes walking in against the light. Both of them stared at him in confusion. Who was this?

But the next moment, sharp-eyed Da Hu's already small eyes went wide. He had spotted the group behind Qian Yun—or, more precisely, the Spirit Hall emblem on their chests.

He dared not delay. He hurried forward, bending his heavyset body as he bowed. "Greetings, honored members of Spirit Hall."

"..."

A silence so complete you could hear a pin drop followed. Then Hu Liena gave a contemptuous laugh. "Heh, there's no need for such a grand bow. Get up."

Da Hu's heart lurched. He stiffly straightened, only to see the Spirit Hall members standing motionless behind Qian Yun and Hu Liena, like machines.

Even a dull-witted man like him could tell that something was wrong. Were this young boy and Hu Liena both high-ranking members of Spirit Hall?

Qian Yun shook his head and turned to look at the only Spirit Master left in Beast King Village, Er Hu.

The man had big hands and feet, a stubbly beard, and wore a rather ornate moon-white robe.

His appearance, however, was truly hard to praise: yellowed hair, protruding buck teeth, and somewhat haphazard features. Paired with his lean frame, the luxurious robe made him look downright lecherous.

Hu Liena said coldly, "Er Hu, I don't want to repeat myself a third time. I came back for five things."

Er Hu nodded dumbly. Though the young woman before him was still the girl he remembered, she was no longer someone he could afford to offend.

Hu Liena raised one finger. "First, I'll make amends for the mistakes my grandfather made. I'll put up fifty thousand gold coins. Every household in Beast King Village, no matter how many people live there, will receive four hundred gold coins in compensation. If that isn't enough, you'll make up the difference."

Da Hu sucked in a sharp breath. Beast King Village had only one hundred and thirty households now. Fifty thousand gold coins was an enormous sum; even divided among the families, it would amount to over three hundred and eighty gold coins apiece. But Hu Liena was offering each household four hundred coins... The shortfall would have to come out of their family's own pockets!

"You're asking the impossible... No, this is outright robbery!" Da Hu shouted, trying to sound tough.

Hu Liena narrowed her eyes. A chilling aura radiated from her. "I didn't ask what you think. I said you'll do it, so you'll do it!"