Encountering Enemies

Neither of his uncles would give up the tools they depended on for their livelihood. They loaded all their hoes and farming tools onto the carts, along with their pots, bowls, and utensils.

Seeing his uncles load the farming tools they treasured onto the carts, Wenlong could only sigh helplessly and let them have their way.

He helped his grandmother into a cart, then told his uncles to travel through the night toward the Wen clan's Ancestral Grounds.

They could not move quickly while driving the carts at night. With only torchlight to guide them, they had to proceed cautiously.

By daybreak, both the people and the horses were exhausted, so they had no choice but to stop and rest.

Everyone ate some dry rations. More importantly, the horses were worn out too.

Only after a long rest did everyone climb back into the carts. His two uncles took the reins, and they slowly continued onward.

Just then, two swift horses came racing toward them. Upon reaching the two carts, the riders kept circling them.

After a while, the men on horseback finally spoke. "Stop! Stop the carts!" They drew their broadswords and pointed them straight at his two uncles driving up front.

Ah, I never thought someone would recognize the horses after all. These two must be from the Kai clan. Wenlong felt helpless, but he could only play things by ear.

As soon as the carts stopped, his uncles reached for the farming tools to use as weapons. Afraid they would get hurt, Wenlong hurriedly stopped them.

The men on horseback waved their broadswords and shouted, "Everyone in the carts, get out! Hurry up, or don't blame me for getting rough!"

Wenlong stepped out of the cart and said, "Gentlemen, what is this about? We still have a journey to make."

"Hmph... a little brat like you has a journey to make? Where did you get those two horses? If you don't explain yourselves, none of you will be going home today." Both men spoke viciously, pointing their broadswords at Wenlong and the others.

Seeing that things were taking a bad turn, Wenlong gave Shitou a meaningful look. Shitou had grown up with him; how could he fail to understand? They had long since learned to work together as though their minds were linked.

Shitou already had a small stone gripped tightly in his palm. The instant Wenlong's shoulder moved, his stone flew from his hand and struck the burly man nearest him squarely in the temple.

Before either man understood what had happened, they had already fallen from their horses. Wenlong and Shitou immediately lunged forward, each pressing a dagger against one fallen man's neck.

Standing on the carts, his two uncles were so stunned that their eyes widened and their mouths hung open. For a moment, they simply stood there without moving.

Wenlong shouted, "Uncle, Second Uncle, come tie them up!"

Only then did his uncles snap awake as though from a dream. They hurriedly found ropes, bound the two men securely, and tossed them into a cart.

By then, his grandmother was already trembling with fear inside the cart. Wenlong hurried over to comfort her.

Although his uncles had many questions, this was not the time to ask them. They took the reins and picked up the pace.

Wenlong and Shitou led over the two Kai clansmen's horses, swung into the saddles, and caught up with the carts, escorting his grandmother onward.

They encountered no one else along the way and reached the Wen clan's Ancestral Grounds without further trouble.

The Wen clansmen were already waiting at the entrance. Long'er's mother was overjoyed to see her mother and two younger brothers. She stepped forward and embraced her mother, sobbing all the while.

At that moment, his two uncles dragged the two bound Kai clansmen out of the cart.

"Father, I'll leave these two Kai clansmen to you. Put them to work building the walls and farming the fields. If they make any suspicious moves, execute them immediately," Wenlong said fiercely.

The Wen clan patriarch looked at the two bound men and nodded. "Long'er, you did the right thing. Take them to the woodshed first and keep them under strict guard."

The other clansmen answered and surged forward to lead the two men away. Once the captives had been secured, Wenlong entered the village with his clansmen.

When his aunts heard that grain had been delivered to their birth families, tears filled their eyes as they looked gratefully at Wenlong. "It was only right," he replied, then ran off in embarrassment.

House construction began within the Ancestral Grounds. The fields were neatly laid out, but the place had gone without repairs for so long that it had fallen into utter disrepair. Wenlong silently resolved to make the Wen clan flourish again.

In the days that followed, Long'er's father led the clansmen in building the walls and reclaiming large stretches of farmland. Once the fields yielded a harvest, they would no longer have to fear going hungry.

At first, the two captured Kai clansmen refused to behave and tried to escape. But cowed by the Wen clansmen, and with their hands and feet shackled in iron chains, they could only obediently work.

As time passed, the Wen clan's Ancestral Grounds gradually came to life. The walls rose higher and higher, and crops were planted in the fields.

Throughout this process, Wenlong continued entering the secret passage in the Ancestral Grounds to cultivate, while the clansmen diligently practiced martial arts in their spare time.

He knew that a long road still lay ahead, but as long as the Wen clan stood united as one, there was no hardship they could not overcome.

Once his grandmother's family had settled in, his two uncles helped build the walls and plant crops, and joined the martial arts practice in their spare time.

With the food shortage eased, happy smiles began appearing on the clansmen's faces. The clan was moving toward a better future again, and everyone had regained confidence.