"But if the aunties want to leave, let them go free. Those who stay and don't remarry will receive support from the Lineage from now on. But the Wen children cannot change their surname. That is the Lineage's bottom line," Wenlong added, unable to keep his mouth shut.
Long'er's mother said nothing, merely nodding. These matters fell to her, after all. She was the matron who managed the Lineage's affairs.
Still, she remained deep in thought. Yes, she herself felt that she had shown far too little care for her widowed sisters.
Without Long'er's reminder, she would never even have thought to ask whether her widowed sisters were happy.
Wenlong did not dwell on it. He turned and went to the Secret Passage to cultivate. His thoughts returned to medicine, a matter that concerned the very lifespans of his clansmen.
It seemed he needed to devote some time to studying medicine. His ancestors had left behind plenty of medical books, and he had only taken out a small portion for Linzi's mother to study.
Thinking of how short the average lifespan was in this world, he knew he had to master medicine for his clansmen's sake, and for his parents as well.
While Wenlong immersed himself in studying medicine, Wen Family Village and the Huaxia Sect bustled with activity.
Following Wenlong's plan, Wen Tiancheng arranged for the clansmen to assign the slaves their work. Responsibility for each project was also divided up, and the plans were put into practice smoothly.
That day, Wen Tiancheng brought his male cousins to the Huaxia Sect to take on disciples. Shitou and the others would lead their martial arts practice from then on, while their masters would provide guidance at regular intervals.
Seventh Uncle also recruited people to learn smithing, taking several sturdy youths as his apprentices.
Linzi's mother took on several young girls as apprentices as well. The boys preferred to learn smithing. Once they mastered it, they could forge weapons-a fine trade to have.
What they did not know was that those who studied medicine here would one day become physicians whose services were all but impossible to secure.
Still, Linzi's mother had her own standards when choosing apprentices. She did not accept just anyone.
Meanwhile, Long'er's mother was even busier, acting as matchmaker for all the adults in the Lineage. The work sent her spinning in circles, and sometimes she simply could not keep up.
After all, she was the Lineage's chief steward. She had to help manage everything the Lineage head could handle, and she had even more responsibility for the things he could not.
Even Wenlong's maternal grandmother could not bear to watch her working so hard and often came to help run errands.
As for Wenlong, who only had to move his lips to send everyone else running their legs off, he spent so long studying in seclusion in the Secret Passage that none of his clansmen caught so much as a glimpse of him.
Inside the Secret Passage, Wenlong immersed himself in the world of medicine. Under his diligent study, those obscure, difficult medical principles gradually became clear.
Many days later, Wenlong brought Little Flower to the Huaxia Sect. He saw Shitou leading the youths in martial arts practice, and they were making a respectable showing.
"Little sister, do you want to learn martial arts?" Seeing Little Flower watching everyone practice with interest, Wenlong could not help asking.
How could Little Flower possibly refuse? She immediately said she wanted to learn. "Go on, then. I'll take a look around here and bring you home in a little while."
With her brother's permission, she dashed straight to the front and began copying everyone's movements. Wenlong could not help smiling at her adorable appearance.
He toured the classroom, the medical room, and the Smithy. Though they were rather crude, he was satisfied overall.
Then he found Wen Tiancheng. "Father, you need to arrange a proper schedule for the students. For example, martial arts in the morning, book learning at midday, and other skills in the afternoon. That way, the teaching won't descend into chaos."
Wen Tiancheng readily agreed. "That's a good approach. Very good. Now that all the construction projects and farmwork have started, though, we don't have enough slaves."
"We can capture some more slaves. Have Seventh Uncle prepare the shackles. I'll take care of it," Wenlong said confidently.
"It's not that I don't believe you, but the Kai don't dare come out anymore. Surely you aren't going to Wan Family Town to capture people?" Wen Tiancheng could not imagine how his son intended to do it. Capturing the hundred-odd slaves they already had had taken considerable effort.
Seeing that his father did not believe him, Wenlong could only explain, "Spring plowing is almost here. Our old fields are so fertile that they can't possibly leave them uncultivated. We'll capture the people who stole our land."
The place where the Wen had once lived was some distance from Wan Family Town. If they captured the Kai who went there to farm, they would be long gone by the time the rest of the Kai realized what had happened.
"Good. That's a fine plan. Let them learn that our land isn't so easy to steal," Wen Tiancheng praised.
According to Wenlong's plan, he also needed to make another trip to Wan Family Town to haul away the Kai's grain before spring plowing began.
The aunties' natal families were now steadily joining Huaxia Village. As the population grew, their grain supplies would dwindle. It was best to prepare in advance rather than let the relatives who followed them here go hungry even after arriving.
That was the last thing Wenlong wanted to see. With his current abilities, saying that taking their grain from Wan Family Town was as easy as plucking something from his own pocket was no exaggeration.
He brought no one else on this trip. Mounting a swift horse, he set out for Wan Family Town alone.
Following his usual routine, he harvested the wealth of the Kai's rich households. Grain, cloth, and treasure vaults were all his main targets.
After Wenlong's repeated operations, the Secret Passage in the Ancestral Grounds was filled with treasure, while the Wen granary and the Huaxia Sect's granary were both packed with grain.
Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. In a few days, he would organize a group to capture slaves on the Wen's former land near Wan Family Town.
The plan was to select ten youths from the Huaxia Sect, primarily those who were better at archery. The ten chosen youths were therefore made to practice shooting at moving targets every day.
Wenlong closely monitored these ten youths' training at the Huaxia Sect. Their improvement was clear, and their shots grew increasingly accurate.
Several days passed, and the day to capture slaves arrived. The ten youths were split among three groups, with youths from the Wen joining them to bring their total to thirty.
Wenlong led the thirty youths, each carrying a powerful bow on his back and a broadsword at his waist. Black cloth covered their faces, leaving only their eyes exposed. They set out under cover of darkness and quietly took up concealed positions near the Wen's former fields.
Behind them, members of the Wen brought horse-drawn wagons to provide support. As they approached their destination, they drove the wagons into the wooded hills and hid them.
From his hiding place, Wenlong spotted members of the Kai arriving to work the fields. Before they could spread out across the farmland, the three groups of youths had already surrounded them on three sides.
Realizing their predicament, the Kai trembled in terror at the sight of the powerful bows. Some had already begun to flee.
At Wenlong's command, the youths swiftly drew their bows and loosed their arrows, all aimed at the fleeing figures. The fleeing Kai fell one after another, while the rest stood frozen, not daring to move.
The youths threw them ropes and ordered them to bind themselves. Wenlong also remained on guard against anyone lashing out and injuring them.
Once the captives had bound themselves, the youths went forward and tied them up again. Safety came first, and this was more secure.
After all, the youths were no match for adults in close combat. Only Daniu had the strength to overpower an ordinary adult.
Nearly a hundred Kai men and women were brought to the roadside near the hidden wagons. Only then did the Wen waiting to receive them drive the wagons out.
All the newly captured slaves were herded into the wagons. Wenlong and his men guarded the rear, shooting anyone who tried to escape on sight.
They brought the captured slaves safely back to Wen Family Village. Although the operation had ended without disaster despite its dangers, it also made Wenlong realize that he needed to act with greater caution in the future.
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