Volume One, Chapter 10: A Bountiful Harvest

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Li Chen had already taken the hunting bow from his shoulder. There were simply too many people; if they all rushed him at once, it would be troublesome. He had to kill one as a warning to the rest.

Just then, the thunderous sound of hoofbeats rang out. A patrol of mounted government soldiers had arrived.

The moment the refugees saw them, fear flashed in their eyes. One after another, they sat back down, and no one dared stand again.

Which of these patrolmen did not have the blood of several refugees on his blade?

The refugees had long since been beaten into submission by slaughter.

“You starving wretches, you’d better behave yourselves! Anyone who dares move will be hacked to death!”

A burly man with a full beard reined in his horse and angrily pointed his whip at the refugees.

With Yu Qingwan beside him, Li Chen walked along the opposite side of the main road, his heart heavy.

In a chaotic age, refugees were worth less than dogs, and wandering souls were scattered by the merciless wind.

It was hard enough to stay alive. In an age of turmoil, staying alive was harder still.

At last, they reached the county town. The moment they entered, Li Chen distinctly felt Yu Qingwan relax.

When he turned to look, he saw a fine sheen of sweat on her forehead. He could not tell whether it came from the sun or from the fright she had just endured.

After another quarter of an hour, they finally entered the city proper.

Walking along the bustling main street, Yu Qingwan gazed curiously in every direction with her large eyes.

Though this northern county town could not compare with Liangjing, the former capital of Great Yan, it possessed a charm of its own.

Shop signs stood in rows along the roadside. Vendors cried out their wares, taverns hung out their pennants, and colorful banners fluttered above the establishments of singing girls. At first glance, it still looked like a peaceful and prosperous age.

No one would have guessed that this peace existed only because Northern Wild Goose Pass had held firm, shielding the region from calamity.

Once inside the county town, Li Chen found a tavern specializing in game and sold them his catch.

The region had been at war for the past six months, and nearly all the able-bodied hunters had been conscripted to serve at Northern Wild Goose Pass. As a result, taverns dealing in game had lost most of their supply, and business had become exceedingly difficult.

Every day, the proprietors of those taverns prayed for a hunter to come through their doors with wild game to sell. Otherwise, they could hardly keep their businesses open.

That was why Li Chen’s catch fetched such a high price. It earned him three strings of cash.

The two plump rabbits sold for one and a half strings, while the five large birds brought in another one and a half. Birds that size were not easily found.

After all, very few people possessed archery skills as uncanny as Li Chen’s.

Anyone capable of shooting like that would probably already have become an officer at Northern Wild Goose Pass.

The harvest was substantial, and his young maid-wife was delighted. She counted the three strings of cash again and again, then carefully placed them in the little bamboo basket, covered them with a scrap of cloth, and hugged the basket tightly to her chest. The sight amused Li Chen.

With money in hand, they were free to stroll about.

After wandering for half a day, they bought a single-wheel cart for carrying goods. Then Li Chen began his extravagant shopping spree.

He bought two sacks of brown rice and a sack of mixed flour, then purchased a heap of turnips and cabbages. In these war-torn times, such local vegetables were all they could get; produce from elsewhere simply could not be transported in.

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Halfway through their stroll, Li Chen happened to notice a salt shop ahead and gradually came to a stop.

All the salt shops in Great Yan were operated exclusively by the government, which selected licensed salt merchants through an auction system.

There was one salt shop per city, and salt shops were forbidden to sell beyond the city limits. The rule had been written directly into the law.

Staring at the shop bearing the sign “Lin Saltworks,” Li Chen fell into thought.

In Great Yan, refined salt was reserved for high-ranking officials and aristocrats. It was difficult to produce and available only in tiny quantities, so it never appeared on the open market.

If he could produce refined salt with ease, would he not be able to make a fortune?

For a commoner in a chaotic age, anyone who wished to gain power and influence first needed money and grain. That was the foundation of survival and security.

Only after that foundation had been firmly established could he advance step by step toward his grand ambitions.

Li Chen was a man of decisive action. Once he had made up his mind, he never hesitated or dragged his feet.

He reached directly into the young maid-wife’s bamboo basket, took out the money, and bought five pounds of coarse salt for a total of five hundred cash.

Fortunately, there were salt fields beyond the pass, so the price of coarse salt had not yet soared to the heavens.

After leaving the salt shop, Li Chen was about to continue onward when he sensed, faintly, that someone had been secretly following them all along.

Now, especially, the feeling had grown much stronger.

When he reached a street corner, he discreetly glanced back. His eyes narrowed at once.

Three men were following them from a distance. The leader was none other than Zhang Guang, who was glaring at him through the crowd with undisguised malice.

“Truly courting death.”

Li Chen’s gaze turned icy, but he remained calm and continued strolling with his young maid-wife.

When they reached a stall selling cooling tea, he bought her a bowl.

Then, as though suddenly remembering something, he took another string of cash from the bamboo basket and weighed it in his hand.

“We passed an arrow-maker’s shop just now. I forgot to buy some weapons for hunting. Drink your tea; I’ll be back shortly.”

“All right, husband.”

Yu Qingwan obediently agreed and stayed there to drink her tea.

However, when Li Chen left, she could not help lifting the scrap of cloth and counting the remaining money again and again, her heart aching with every coin.

In the end, she secretly took out one hundred cash and hid it in the little pocket sewn into her undergarment. She was not trying to keep a private stash; it was simply that her husband spent money far too freely, and she needed to save something for emergencies.

Li Chen knew nothing of her little scheme. He was preparing to deal with Zhang Guang.

He deliberately moved away from the busy streets, choosing increasingly secluded paths.

Before long, he spotted a dilapidated courtyard and walked inside.

The place had clearly been abandoned long ago. Even the window frames had been stripped away.

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There were no houses nearby. Li Chen stood in the courtyard and waited in silence.

A short while later, three figures appeared in the distance. They entered the courtyard and stopped opposite him.

The man in the middle was Zhang Guang.

When Zhang Guang saw Li Chen standing there so calmly, as though he had been expecting them, he could not help frowning. He stared at him intently, suspicion and uncertainty flickering in his eyes.

Had this boy noticed them long ago and deliberately lured them here?

Could there be an ambush?

But when he saw that no one else was nearby, then looked at Li Chen’s thin, frail frame, his confidence returned. His side had three strong, well-built men.

He gave Li Chen an ominous smile.

“Brother Chen, we meet again.”

“You’ve been following me all this time. What do you want?”

Li Chen’s hand was hidden inside his sleeve, already wrapped around the homemade short blade.

He discreetly surveyed the surroundings. The place was quiet, with no one nearby. It was an excellent place to kill.

“You little bastard, tell me—where is Tiger Boy? What happened to him?”

Zhang Guang slowly advanced with the other two men.

The men behind him looked murderous. Each rolled his wrist, revealing a dagger gleaming coldly in his hand.

Even so, Zhang Guang was puzzled. Had this boy grown a bear’s heart and a leopard’s gall?

Knowing that they meant him harm, why had he come here to wait for them?

“He robbed me of my grain and humiliated my wife. I killed him.”

Li Chen spoke flatly.

The single sentence left Zhang Guang stunned and furious.

In truth, he had merely grown jealous after seeing Li Chen make money from selling game and wanted to extort him.

As for whether Li Chen had really killed his younger brother—

How could this boy possibly have possessed such ability?

He had only been looking for an excuse to rob him.

But he had never expected the boy to admit it.

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