Excitement

Wenlong turned and instructed Shitou to have the clansmen send carriages to pick everyone up. To guard against any mishaps, they had to send scouts ahead to gather information.

They also needed clansmen to escort them. After all, the convoy could not travel fast, and if they ran into members of the Kai family, disaster would strike.

Shitou left to carry out his orders, while Wenlong and the others took Xiao Tie into the city to have his injuries treated.

Wenlong and the others spent the night resting at an inn in the city. The next day, they brought food and made their way to the Little Broken Temple.

By then, the Little Broken Temple was packed with people and filled with noisy chatter. Only when they saw Wenlong arrive did things quiet down considerably.

"Young master, we've gathered seventy-three people in all, young and old. Most are children. Would that be too many?" Grandpa Zhang felt uneasy, afraid Wenlong would object to the number.

"It's all right, Grandpa Zhang. Don't worry. We'll take everyone in. Have something to eat first." With that, Wenlong had Wenzhu and Wenye hand out the food.

Before long, Shitou and the clansmen arrived with more than ten carriages.

Grandpa Zhang helped maintain order, arranging for everyone to board the carriages in turn. It took quite a while before they were all seated.

To be safe, Wenlong had Shitou send clansmen ahead to scout the road again. Only then did the grand procession of carriages set off toward Wen Family Village.

Fortunately, the journey went fairly smoothly. When everyone arrived at Front Mountain, several simple houses had already been built there.

The Wen clansmen had also brought winter clothes to ward off the cold, along with provisions. Steaming rice porridge and buns had already been prepared in the large pots.

The people they had rescued looked at everything before them, their eyes brimming with grateful tears, and dropped to their knees to thank Wenlong and the others.

Wenlong hurried forward to help them up. "Grandpa Zhang, arrange for some people to cook especially for the children. There'll be plenty of food. Whatever else you need, we'll send someone to bring it."

Grandpa Zhang looked around and saw that all the household necessities had been prepared. Warm quilts lay on the beds, and everything they needed for daily life was there.

He felt even more grateful to Wenlong. They finally had a secure place to live, and no longer had to fear anyone starving or freezing to death.

Wenlong also explained to Grandpa Zhang that the slaves working here were enemies who had killed members of the Wen family, which was why they had been captured and enslaved.

A squad from the Wen family watched over the slaves as they worked every day, so Grandpa Zhang and the others could rest easy. Grandpa Zhang said he would organize the youngsters to help keep watch too.

After settling everyone in, Wenlong led the clansmen back to the village.

The next day, the clansmen gathered once again in the clan's meeting hall to discuss their upcoming plans.

The clan head, Wen Tiancheng, first invited everyone to offer their views. Wenlong spoke up. "The New Year is almost here, but construction of the wall on Front Mountain must not stop. We need it in case the Kai family attacks. The village patrols must stay alert too."

Seeing that the clansmen all agreed, Wenlong thought for a moment. "From now on, Front Mountain will be called the Huaxia Sect, and our clan's future totem will be the dragon. For now, we'll only use the name among ourselves, without announcing it to outsiders, because we aren't strong enough yet."

For a time, silence fell over the hall. Only after a long while did waves of cheers erupt. Seeing that their clan had such grand, far-reaching plans, the clansmen were thrilled.

Although Wen Tiancheng was the clan head, his prestige fell far short of his son's. The clansmen had seen everything Wenlong had done for the clan and remembered it in their hearts.

Just as everyone's spirits were soaring, a clansman suddenly rushed into the meeting hall.

Panting for breath, he said, "Bad news! Kai family scouts have been spotted around Front Mountain!"

The atmosphere instantly grew tense. Wenlong's brows knitted tightly, and he made an immediate decision. "The village patrols must strengthen their patrols and vigilance around Front Mountain at once, to guard against any further moves by the Kai family."

Wen Tiancheng also rose to his feet and said solemnly, "Don't panic, everyone. We've already made preparations."

Wenlong continued issuing instructions. "Send another squad of our best fighters to follow the scouts in secret and find out what the Kai family is doing. At the same time, speed up construction of the wall."

The clansmen left to carry out their orders, each attending to his duties. Wenlong knew full well that the Kai family would not let matters rest. The appearance of these scouts might only be a prelude.

He silently swore that he would make sure Wen Family Village planted its feet firmly on this land.

Wenlong thought it over. They could not let the scouts escape, or there would be no end of trouble later. Keeping them here would be safer.

"Eldest Sister, Second Sister, Brother Shitou, Brother Daniu, come with me to hunt down the Kai family men." With that, Wenlong took the lead and rushed toward the stables.

They all mounted their horses and swiftly rode out through the village gates toward the foot of Front Mountain.

At that moment, two Kai family men on horseback had discovered signs of human activity at Front Mountain. Rather than going up the mountain and alerting anyone, they were about to return and report.

Then they saw five swift horses galloping toward them from nearby. They were instantly frightened out of their wits.

They hurriedly urged their horses into a desperate flight. If we don't leave now, we're dead! But how could their horses match those already charging at full speed? In the blink of an eye, their pursuers closed in.

Wenlong was in the lead. With a flick of his hand, two stones struck the fleeing Kai family men squarely. Both immediately fell from their horses, screaming in pain.

"Go catch those two horses. I'll deal with these two." Wenlong dismounted and pressed his dagger against one of the Kai family men, while Wenzhu held her longsword against the other man's throat.

"Talk. How many of you came? If you refuse to speak, you'll be the one suffering." Wenlong coldly questioned the Kai family man lying on the ground.

"Just the two of us. We only arrived a little while ago." The man could barely spare a thought for the pain from his fall, terrified that Wenlong would slit his throat.

Still taking no chances, Wenlong reversed his grip and plunged his dagger into the man's thigh. The man let out a long, agonized scream and writhed without stopping.

"Tell the truth. The next thrust will take your head." Wenlong's threat remained icy.

"I'm not lying! Don't kill me! I've told you the truth!" Faced with Wenlong's vicious expression, he was afraid of dying too.

After handing the two Kai family men over to the clansmen who arrived behind them, Wenlong still felt uneasy. He activated his mental power to scan the surroundings and only returned to the village after finding nothing unusual.

The next morning, Wenlong looked at Little Flower and said, "Little Sister, I'm taking you out to play. I have a huge surprise for you."

"Yes, Brother! Where are you taking me?" Little Flower was delighted to hear that her brother was taking her out to play. In her heart, he was the best person in the whole world.

Front Mountain was close by, but Wenlong did not want Little Flower to tire herself out climbing it. He mounted his horse and lifted her up to sit in front of him, then rode along at a leisurely pace.

When they reached the place where Xiao Tie lived, Little Flower's eyes widened. To her disbelief, everyone she saw was someone she knew.

The moment Little Flower dismounted, she threw herself into Grandpa Zhang's arms and began to cry. "Grandpa Zhang, I thought I'd never see you again."

Grandpa Zhang smiled and comforted her, telling her that from now on, they could see each other every day. Xiao Tie came over to comfort her too, and through her tears, Little Flower asked whether his injuries were any better.

Her little friends were terribly envious of Little Flower. She wore beautiful new clothes, with little gold bracelets on her wrists, a gold necklace, and gold hair ornaments.

Wenlong had given her all of those. He had only one younger sister, so of course he would dress her up like a princess.