Chapter 86 - 87: Blocking the Way

Chapter 86: Chapter 87: Blocking the Way

Village Chief Shi still remembered Lan Yun. ’This man is no good,’ he thought. ’Looks like he’s trying to use us as scapegoats again.’

"So it’s him," Shi Dayong said scornfully. "That kid offended the Lord Prefect of Dao City with his lies. Why else do you think he’s sprawled out over there?"

"You people are kind, I’ll give you that, carrying him all this way without even knowing what kind of trash he is."

Wu Changping said, "That’s not what Brother Lan told us. He said your people found a water source but abandoned you all because you’re old and infirm. They wronged you, so there’s no need to keep their secret."

"A secret?" Village Chief Shi scoffed. "We’re just ordinary refugees. What kind of secrets could we possibly have?"

"Besides, we aren’t hiding anything. A group ahead of us already took a batch of refugees to find water. If you don’t believe me, you can find out just by asking anyone."

"The reason we stayed behind is that many of us were separated from our families and are waiting for them by the city gate."

Lan Yun propped himself up. "You must be hiding a secret! How else have you been able to conjure water out of thin air this whole time? Everyone’s looking for a water source, yet somehow only your people managed to find a huge lake. Who would believe there’s nothing fishy going on?"

Village Chief Shi replied, "That’s because we people from Bainiao are diligent. We searched a wide area, so naturally we were rewarded for our efforts."

"Besides, it’s a massive lake. Do you think ordinary folk like us could just conjure it out of thin air? If we really had that kind of power, why would we have fled our homes to begin with?"

"Exactly! As if abandoning our homes to flee a famine is something to be proud of. Only people like you would spin such lies, tricking these good men into being your free labor," Shi Wenshan chimed in. He’d long since grown tired of Lan Yun’s act and decided to dig a pit for the father and son.

Wu Changping and his men started to waver. "So you didn’t deliberately hide the lake’s location?"

Village Chief Shi pointed to the well-trodden path on the mountain. "How could we possibly hide that? The path is perfectly obvious. You could find it yourselves even without a guide."

"You must have just arrived, right? If you’d been here a few days earlier, you’d have already made a round trip for water by now."

Wu Changping ground his teeth. "We arrived the day before yesterday. We happened to ask his family for directions, and they were so enthusiastic, so generous, sharing this huge ’secret’ with us. In return, we promised to bring them along on our way."

If the men helping to carry him hadn’t started complaining today, he never would have come to confront the leader of the group up ahead.

Village Chief Shi said, "Now that you understand the situation, could you please clear the path?"

Wu Changping immediately stepped aside. His companions followed suit, clearing the path they had been blocking.

＆

"Do you have anything to say for yourselves now?" Wu Changping demanded, glaring down at the Lan family.

"They’re lying! Before, whenever their group ran short of water, more would just appear out of thin air! We don’t know where they hide the containers, but we’re telling the truth!" Lan Yongnan insisted, clutching the foot he’d injured when he was dropped.

"Then if you claim they wouldn’t take you to the water source, how do you explain this path?" Wu Xiaomao clutched his growling stomach. "I wasted all my strength carrying you people. You’re going to compensate us."

"But we had an agreement! You were supposed to take us there, and we promised we’d make it worth your while," Lan Yun said, struggling to sit up as he tried one last time to persuade them.

"Make it worth your while?" Wu Xiaomao sneered, looking the family of four up and down. "In your sorry state? You’re probably even poorer than we are. We’ve seen you fighting over a single grass-root biscuit. You’ve got some nerve making empty promises like that."

Mrs. Lantian clutched her chest and shrank behind Lan Yongnan. She’d told her husband and son all along this was a bad idea. ’It’s over,’ she thought, terrified. ’Are they going to attack us?’

The thought had barely crossed her mind when Wu Changping, completely ignoring the onlookers, began to rummage through the family’s bundles. He carelessly flung aside the clothes he pulled out, tossing anything useful to his men behind him.

"What do you think you’re doing?" Lan Yongnan cried out in alarm. "Is there no law?"

"The law?" Wu Changping didn’t even pause. "Don’t forget, we’re refugees. We’re beneath the notice of the rich and powerful. Who do you think gives a damn whether we live or die?"

"These roads are filled with people like us. Have you seen a single government official bother to ask what’s going on?"

"I suggest you be smart about this and hand over your valuables to compensate my brothers for their trouble. If you don’t, and I have to find them myself... well, don’t blame me for not being gentle."

Hiding behind Lan Yongnan, Mrs. Lantian trembled uncontrollably, clutching his arm. "What are we going to do? What are we going to do?"

"Quiet," Lan Yongnan hissed at her. He then addressed the men, "Brothers, please, stop searching! Those two bags contain women’s personal things. You don’t want to dirty your hands."

"Look, I have an ancestral Jade Pendant here. Please, take it as payment for your troubles."

With that, he fumbled inside his robes, pulled out a White Jade Pendant, and reluctantly offered it up with both hands.

Wu Changping snatched it from his hand and held it up to the sunlight. "This piece of junk? Is this supposed to pay for food and drink?"

He tossed it callously in his hand. "If this were a piece of gold, that might be a different story. Maybe we’d let you off. But you think you can get rid of us with a worthless piece of rock? You’re really underestimating us."

Just then, Lan Tian spotted He Tuping passing by with He Tuliang on his back and pointed at him excitedly. "He’s our relative! And he’s part of their Bainiao group! If you don’t believe me, ask him! I wasn’t lying about anything!"

He Tuping was speechless. ’Who the hell is your relative?’

He Tuliang quickly turned his head the other way. He had suffered his punishment alongside that man, and the sight of him brought back the humiliating memory. ’What rotten luck, running into him here of all places.’

Wu Changping’s gaze swept over Gu Yuanfeng’s group before he walked over and blocked their path.

"Well now, running into relatives and not even stopping to say hello."

"We don’t know them. What is this nonsense about relatives?" Mrs. He Zhou wasn’t cowardly like the Lans; after all, she was surrounded by her fellow villagers.

Besides, she didn’t recognize any of these men. Blocking people’s path in the middle of the road like this meant they were surely up to no good.

"My younger sister married the youngest son of the Gu family," Lan Yun interjected. "That makes us relatives by marriage through your daughter-in-law, doesn’t it?" Even though Lan Yun didn’t actually know Gu Yuanfeng, he hoped that by clinging to this connection, he could push his troubles onto them.