Eating people

Tenant farmers and laborers harvesting crops were everywhere in the fields.

Because of Wang Biao, the Wang Family had lost three hundred and sixty mu of land, and the savings they had accumulated over many years were almost entirely exhausted.

After learning his lesson, Wang Biao had mended his ways in earnest. Lately, he had been following Wang Jinshan, taking the household laborers into the hills and fields. He had been tanned dark and lost a considerable amount of weight.

At that moment, he and several laborers were bundling straw in the fields, preparing to carry it home for firewood or sell it to farmers for shelter against wind and rain.

Just as Wang Biao was busy bundling straw, several sturdy men came along the field ridge. They knocked Wang Biao unconscious with a club and kicked the laborers to the ground. After leaving a note, they threw Wang Biao onto a horse-drawn cart and quickly vanished from the fields, heading toward the distant mountains.

"Young Master Wang has been abducted!"

"Someone save him! Mountain bandits have abducted Young Master Wang!"

Someone came to his senses and shouted to those nearby.

Many people were busy in the fields. When they heard the shouting and saw those vicious men, none dared step forward to stop them.

"Master Chen, it looks like the mountain bandits have come down to eat people."

Xu Laiyi spoke in alarm.

He had accompanied Chen Qing on an inspection, overseeing the laborers plowing and turning the fields to ensure that the thousand-plus mu of freshly harvested paddies could be planted with rice seedlings by the end of the month.

"Tell the master at once. Have him take precautions."

Chen Qing spoke.

"Yes."

Xu Laiyi dared not delay. He immediately ran back and told Zhang Laochong and the others that Wang Biao had been abducted by mountain bandits while working in the fields.

At the time, Zhang Laochong was leading his three sons and several sturdy hired hands in putting the sun-dried rice into the family granary.

They all paled in shock upon hearing that Wang Biao had been abducted by mountain bandits near Little Moon Mountain.

"They truly recognize neither law nor heaven, coming right into the fields to eat people. I wonder whether Brother Wang can withstand this blow."

Zhang Laochong sighed.

"The bandits know it's harvest time. Coming down to eat people now, they're clearly determined to devour the Wang Family."

Zhang Da shook his head and sighed.

Every bountiful harvest year, bandits and robbers would come down from the mountains to collect grain, and every household would stand ready. Usually, everyone banded together and left a few shi of rice outside their doors for the bandits and robbers to take, and they could generally coexist without incident.

Suddenly coming down from the mountains to eat people like this did not happen often.

But whenever it did, the families being eaten either refused to ransom the captive or paid a painful price.

The Zhang Clan had many family members, with a group of laborers and hired hands around them, so ordinary mountain bandits were reluctant to provoke them. The Wang Family had fallen on hard times, with Wang Biao their only remaining male descendant, so it was understandable that the mountain bandits had targeted them.

But to be safe.

Zhang Laochong still sent Xu Laiyi to the county town to tell Zhang Lingfeng what had happened and ask him to send some men back, in case Chen Qing alone could not hold the bandits in check.

Before dusk, Xu Laiyi drove an ox cart into the county town and delivered the news to Zhang Lingfeng and Zhang Pingping.

Both siblings were shocked to learn that Wang Biao had been abducted by bandits from the mountains.

"Given Master Wang's temperament, he'll probably sell his land to ransom Wang Biao. But if he does, the Wang Family will collapse completely."

Zhang Pingping offered her assessment.

Once, the Wang Family had held over a thousand mu of rice paddies that the Zhang Clan envied, as well as control over several water sources. Often, the Zhang Clan had gone along with the Wang Family's wishes. Who could have imagined that the Wang Family would fall on hard times in little more than a year?

"Hei Hu, Sun Yan, go back with Old Xu. Don't return until I tell you to."

Zhang Lingfeng was worried about his family.

"Yes!"

That night, Xu Laiyi drove the ox cart back to Zhang Family Gully with Hei Hu and Sun Yan. Both had already attained Ming Jin and, like Chen Qing, were Guo Wei's disciples who trained in the inner courtyard. This rare reunion gave them plenty to talk about.

"With Wang Biao abducted, that girl Wang Fang should show herself."

Zhang Pingping spoke.

Wang Fang was meticulous and extremely vindictive. The siblings had remained on guard against her, but had been unable to find her. Moreover, the Wang Family had given them a courtyard residence, leaving Zhang Lingfeng ill-placed to take further action against them.

He had never expected Wang Biao to get caught up in something like this again.

The next day.

Zhang Lingfeng went to the martial arts school to train. When he returned at noon, he found another person at home: Wang Biao's younger sister, Wang Fang, who was sitting with Zhang Pingping.

Seeing him return, Wang Fang rose gracefully and bowed. "Greetings, Master Zhang."

Zhang Pingping gestured for Zhang Lingfeng to look at the note on the table.

Wang Fang had brought it.

"Great Saber Hong."

Zhang Lingfeng saw the signature at the bottom of the note.

"If you can rescue my brother again, Master Zhang, our Wang Family is willing to offer seventy percent of our remaining land in compensation."

Wang Fang spoke.

"As far as I know, Great Saber Hong has been wanted by the authorities for years. Why come to me instead of reporting this to them?"

Zhang Lingfeng frowned.

Great Saber Hong was a Dark Force martial artist who maintained a band of robbers and roamed from place to place committing crimes. Everyone in Baiyang County clamored for his capture, yet everyone feared him.

"If the authorities could help, how would my brother have been abducted by Great Saber Hong in the first place?"

Wang Fang spoke self-mockingly.

"If even the authorities can't resolve this, what ability or merit do I have?"

Zhang Lingfeng sighed.

"If you can rescue my brother, our Wang Family is willing to give you eighty percent of our remaining land without charge. You may do whatever you wish with me as well."

Wang Fang knelt.

"If I rescue your brother, how many people will your Wang Family have left?"

Zhang Lingfeng asked.

Wang Fang froze. "Counting me, my sister-in-law, and my father, only four or five!"

"With a mere four or five people, can your Wang Family hold on to the remaining twenty percent of your land?"

Zhang Lingfeng sat down as he spoke.

Wang Fang closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to the ground. "We are willing to offer ninety percent of our land in compensation."

"Sister, get up."

Zhang Pingping hurried to help Wang Fang to her feet.

Zhang Lingfeng examined the note closely. Great Saber Hong demanded fifteen hundred taels of fine silver, to be raised within three days and delivered to Shrimp Gully. Otherwise, they could wait to collect Wang Biao's corpse.

Previously, because of Wang Biao's imprisonment, the Wang Family had lost three hundred and sixty mu of prime rice paddies. They still had over seven hundred mu of fertile farmland. Selling those holdings would be enough to raise fifteen hundred taels.

But looting a burning house and throwing stones at someone down a well were in everyone's nature. Desperate to rescue Wang Biao, the Wang Family clearly could not raise so much silver in such a short time.

Zhang Lingfeng sighed inwardly. If Wang Jinshan had a few more sons, he would not have to smash his pots and sell the iron for a single Wang Biao. This was the importance of having many descendants.

If Zhang Erxi, Zhang Sanfu, Zhang Da, or he himself, Zhang Fugui, Zhang Fukang, or any of their other cousins had been abducted by Great Saber Hong, Great Saber Hong would never have dared demand such a price.

Because, for the continuation of the lineage, Zhang Laochong could choose to abandon one of them if necessary.

"Great Saber Hong is a desperate outlaw. Rescuing your brother from his hands won't be easy. So regardless of the outcome, if I succeed, you'll honor our agreement; if I fail, you'll give me fifty percent of the land."

Zhang Lingfeng spoke.

"All right."

Wang Fang clenched her fists, but she had no other choice.

"Draw up the contract!"

Zhang Pingping immediately arranged for Tang Baihu to go to Zhang Family Gully and inform Zhang Laochong, having him find Wang Jinshan to draw up a contract and transfer fifty percent of the land to the Zhang Clan first.

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