Now that all the criminals had been subdued, the village chief finally calmed down. In all the years he had lived, he had never seen such a major event. Thankfully, everyone had managed to keep their lives.

The village chief picked twelve young men, planning to escort these bandits to the town together. He also intended to take Xia Hehua and Wei Laotai along for the authorities to interrogate, in case they too were accomplices. Their village could not keep those two people any longer.

At this time, the Feng couple also came over. Hua-ger supported his own mother, and when everyone saw the Feng family approaching, they all fell silent.

Old Man Feng had also gone to the back mountain earlier, but because of his age, he had been assigned to patrol the village with the others. He had not known all the twists and turns of the situation until someone told him later.

Old Man Feng stepped forward and grabbed Wei Er by the neck. “Give me back my Ye-ger, give me back my Ye-ger!”

His voice was so mournful that it brought tears to the eyes of those who heard it. Seeing that Wei Er was about to be choked to death, someone hurriedly pulled him away.

Although the villagers usually liked to gossip, there were no truly wicked and evil people among them. Everyone hated this group of criminals to the bone.

The Feng family had already known their ger might be in grave danger, but they had always held onto a shred of hope. Now that things had settled down, perhaps the person could still be brought back. When they heard the bad news, they could not accept it at once. While crying, they directly fainted, and the crowd hurried to carry them home.

Hua-ger also cried so hard he could not stand, and two women supported him away.

He Dazhu and the others helped Old Man Feng up. “Uncle, get up, don’t hurt your body.”

Poor Old Man Feng, over forty years old, is now sending off his black-haired child as a white-haired man. Sitting on the ground, he cried and slapped his thighs. “My Ye-ger, my Ye-ger, Heaven cannot tolerate this, Heaven cannot tolerate this!”

Dong-ger and Shi Niang also came over, holding their child, standing silently beside Lin Yu. Lin Yu wiped his tears — the Feng family was truly too pitiful.

Old Man Feng crawled up and knelt on the ground, banging his head hard. “I beg you all, please help us bring Ye-ger back, I beg you all!”

“Uncle, hurry and get up, get up! What are you doing!”

Wei Qingshan stepped out. “I am willing to go.”

“I am willing to go too!”

Many people in the crowd echoed. That Aozi Mountain was the bandits’ lair, far from here, and who knew if they might run into other bandits and criminals on the way? But seeing Wei Qingshan step forward, many others also stood out. Today, Wei Qingshan had, with his own strength, killed the bandit chief. Everyone admired him greatly, and only then did they dare to follow along.

“I thank all of you, thank you all!” Old Man Feng knelt on the ground, knocking his head over and over.

The village chief sighed and had people take Old Man Feng away first.

Lin Yu had cried until his eyes were red, and even He Dongdong beside him kept wiping his tears. He Dongdong tugged at his sleeve. “Yu-ger, come back with me first.”

Wei Qingshan also looked over. “Wait for me to return.”

Lin Yu nodded. At this moment, the village chief was preparing to take people to town, and everyone else was also getting ready to go home.

Someone came running over in a panic. “Village chief! People are coming from outside!”

“What! Could it be another group of bandits?”

“No, no, it’s people from the imperial court!”

Everyone was startled by this breathless announcement. They had just fought fiercely with this group of bandits, and many had been injured. If another group came now, what would they do?

At that moment, a military officer in armor rode over on horseback at full speed. “Who is the village chief?”

Frightened, the crowd all backed away. Wei Qingshan also stood guard beside Lin Yu, while the village chief, trembling with fear, stepped forward. “—I am the village chief.”

Behind him followed a troop of soldiers, looking to be over a hundred in number. Every one of them bore signs of long travel, with dust on their bodies, and some still had fresh blood on their hands.

At the head of the troop was a bearded general in a red cape, riding a dark red horse. He reined in his mount and called out, “Hey, Shuan-zi, don’t scare them.”

The officer jumped down from his horse. “Village chief, was it your people who killed that group of bandits?”

“Yes… Yes, it was the villagers of our village.” The village chief was so frightened that his voice trembled. His legs nearly gave out, and he almost knelt on the ground.

“And that bandit chief, Zhu Daoba—who killed him?” The leading general looked toward the crowd that had yet to disperse.

The crowd parted to make way, and Wei Qingshan appeared from the back. Lin Yu clutched tightly at Wei Qingshan’s sleeve, afraid something bad might happen. They were just ordinary commoners — if they had done something wrong in the eyes of the authorities, what if they were punished?

Wei Qingshan patted Lin Yu’s hand. “It’s fine.”

He stepped forward, cupped his fists, and said, “It was me.”

The military officer sized him up from head to toe. “A promising young man indeed! What’s your name?”

“Wei Qingshan.”

“I am Yue Zhonglang. Good lad — this general lost three or four brothers to this gang of bandits while pursuing them all the way here. I didn’t expect this bunch to fall into your hands instead.” Yue Zhonglang patted Wei Qingshan on the shoulder. “Not bad, much better than those who tremble and stammer when they see me.”

Wei Qingshan’s brows furrowed slightly. Lin Yu, watching, felt alarmed in his heart — Wei Qingshan’s shoulder was injured. What if that pat made the wound bleed again?

Yue Zhonglang pointed to the few people tied up. “These were all that were captured alive?”

“Yes, we were planning to send them to the magistrate.”

“All right, no need for you to make the trip. This general will take them there for you.”

Wei Qingshan raised his hand and knelt. “I ask the general to decide for us.”

The others also knelt one after another. “General, please decide for us!”

Yue Zhonglang helped Wei Qingshan up. “Why is that?”

Wei Qingshan explained the ins and outs of why this gang had charged straight into their village. Yue Zhonglang was a man of straightforward temperament; as he listened, his brows furrowed deeply. He hadn’t expected there to be such a reason behind it. “Bring them forward!”

His soldiers brought the few prisoners up. In a rage, Yue Zhonglang kicked Wei Er squarely in the chest. “So you’re that Wei Er.”

With one kick, Wei Er spat blood and collapsed to the ground, unable to get up. Xia Hehua let out a terrified scream.

At this moment, Wei Laotai was also frightened, fearing she might be beheaded. “Qingshan, Qingshan, I’m your mother — save your mother!”

Yue Zhonglang looked at Wei Qingshan. “You’re both surnamed Wei— he is your brother?”

“Yes.”

Yue Zhonglang’s gaze toward Wei Qingshan held a trace of displeasure. Although Wei Qingshan had slain the bandit chief, this Wei Er was a vicious and malevolent man. The fact that he was brothers with Wei Qingshan inevitably left a bad taste.

Lin Yu, who was constantly keeping an eye on Wei Qingshan, noticed the general’s displeasure. His heart tightened — everyone in the village knew the inside story, but outsiders didn’t. He feared that Wei Qingshan might be implicated because of Wei Er’s actions.

Lin Yu bit his lip and stepped forward. He Dongdong tried to pull him back by the arm, but couldn’t stop him. This Zhonglang General was clearly a high-ranking officer and looked like someone not easy to deal with.

Lin Yu knelt forward. “My lord, there is more to this matter.”

Wei Qingshan looked at him. “Go back.”

“And who are you?”

“This commoner is Wei Qingshan’s husband.”

“Stand up and speak.”

Wei Qingshan helped Lin Yu up. Lin Yu’s fists were clenched so tightly that his palms were sweating. Summoning his courage, he told how Wei Qingshan had been mistreated in the Wei family and that the two families had severed ties long ago. “My lord, the severance document is still in my home. My husband has absolutely nothing to do with this matter.”

“That wicked woman! Men, give her twenty lashes first — and beat Wei Er’s wife as well.”

“Yes, sir!”

The adjutant beside him took a horsewhip and lashed down hard. The two women screamed miserably, and everyone present felt their hearts greatly satisfied.

Seeing that the Zhonglang General no longer intended to vent his anger on Wei Qingshan, Lin Yu breathed a sigh of relief. He edged closer to Wei Qingshan and clutched tightly at his sleeve. His body was now trembling slightly. Wei Qingshan instead reached back and held his little husband’s hand. “It’s all right. We’ll go home in a while.”

Lin Yu gave a slight nod. Right now, he only wanted to hurry home.

Yue Zhonglang patted Wei Qingshan’s shoulder again. “I wasn’t wrong about you — you’re good soldier material. Would you be willing to follow me into the army?”

Lin Yu’s head shot up. Wei Qingshan reassuredly squeezed his little husband’s hand. “This commoner only wishes to live a peaceful life with his husband.”

“Fine then. Lao Tzu still wanted you to follow me into the army. But yes — with a husband who protects you like this, it’s better than following Lao Tzu to the frontier.”

Someone had brought over a stool, and Yue Zhonglang sat down boldly. “Since this Wei Er has a legal case with your village, this general will settle it for you. Call the victim over — I will execute him right now!”

Wei Er hadn’t expected to lose his life today. In terror, he wet himself. “My lord, spare me, spare me! Help, help! I was wrong, I was really wrong!”

“Now you know you were wrong? Can those people whose lives you took come back to life?”

From the crowd came a chorus of shouts. “My lord, be just! My lord, be just!”

Yue Zhonglang snorted and waved his hand. “I’m just a rough soldier — I don’t care about ‘just’ or ‘unjust.’ This Wei Er is simply too vile.”

The Feng family members were brought over again, and they knelt before Yue Zhonglang, crying out their grievances. Wei Er was dragged forward.

“Wei Er, do you have anything to say?”

Knowing he would not live much longer, Wei Er lowered his head and let out two cold laughs. “Mother, mother… mother.”

Wei Qingshan stood to the side with Lin Yu. “Go home with Yueniang first. I’ll be back in a while.”

Lin Yu nodded and left with Yueniang, and those in the crowd who had children or were timid also hurriedly left.

He Dongdong walked part of the way with Lin Yu, “Yu-ger, I was scared to death. How big an official do you think that Zhonglang is? Is his position bigger than the county magistrate’s? I heard the county magistrate is still a ninth-rank official.”

Lin Yu shook his head. “I don’t know.”

How could ordinary commoners like them possibly know? Just now, when that Zhonglang asked Wei Qingshan questions, he had been truly startled. If Qingshan had wanted to follow along, he wouldn’t have stopped him, but he would have been very sad.

He Dongdong let out a sigh. “You’re really amazing. I go weak in the knees just seeing an official, and you even dared to step forward.”

Lin Yu only slightly shook his head. He had only been afraid that Wei Qingshan would be implicated. He had been on edge all day today, and feeling a little drained of energy, he said a couple more words to He Dongdong and then went home.

Now that the imperial court’s people had come, the village could be considered peaceful again, and probably within a radius of a hundred or so li, there wouldn’t be any bandits left.

Next to the ancestral hall, Wei Er was calling out for his mother, and Yue Zhonglang waved his hand, having people drag the half-dead Wei Laotai over. “Speak quickly.”

Wei Laotai was now scared out of her wits, her only thought being whether she could keep her life.

“Mother, come closer, I have something to say to you.”

“Son, if you have something to say, then say it.”

“Mother, come a little closer, I don’t have the strength now.”

Wei Laotai crawled over, and Wei Er stared at her fixedly. “Mother, a little closer still.”

Wei Laotai propped herself up to listen, and Wei Er suddenly bit down on her ear, then spat it out with a “ptoo.” Wei Laotai clutched her head and rolled on the ground in pain.

Wei Er threw back his head and laughed. “Mother! If you had been willing to take out the rice back then, how could your son have ended up like this? You ruined me! You ruined me!” After saying that, he rushed headfirst toward the ancestral hall’s doorway and died on the spot.

The crowd watching sighed in pity. This Wei Laotai was truly hateful—hoarding grain in secret from her own family, forcing Wei Er to become a bandit. This family had brought their fate upon themselves.

Yue Zhonglang also sighed at the sight. In this natural disaster, human nature was laid bare; the pitiful always had something detestable about them.

The Feng family, seeing their enemy dead, cried as they kowtowed to Yue Zhonglang to express their thanks. Yue Zhonglang waved his hand for people to send them back.

He had spent the better part of this year suppressing bandits, eating and sleeping in the open along the way. Who could have thought he would run into such a case here? Even he couldn’t help but sigh.

“Enough, enough. Since the bandits of Aozi Mountain have been wiped out, this general will take his leave first and not disturb you further.”

The village head nervously held up a bundle and came forward. “L-Lord, this is Wei Er’s stolen silver.”

“That’s fine. Keep it to comfort the villagers or give to the victims.”

“Silver stained with human lives…” The village head felt the silver burn in his hands. Who would dare to spend this money? “The F-Feng family doesn’t want it either.”

Wei Qingshan stepped forward and said, “Why not donate it to the orphanage in town?”

Only then did Yue Zhonglang accept it. “That’s a good idea. Better than giving it to the authorities, where it might disappear. I’ll deliver it personally. Rest assured, I won’t pocket it.”

Everyone praised the general’s righteousness. Yue Zhonglang took the remaining five captured bandits and left. The bandits in Xinglong County had been mostly eradicated, and in a few days, he would be able to return to the capital to report.

The village head, along with a few young men, carried Wei Er’s body to the back mountain. The group planned to dig a pit and bury all the back mountain bandits together. On the way, someone asked, “What kind of official is a Zhonglang General? Is he bigger than our county magistrate?”

“A proper fourth-rank official,” Wei Qingshan replied.

“Ah! My heavens, such a high-ranking official! Our county magistrate is only ninth rank!”

The village head was also startled when he heard this. He had thought this was just one of the county magistrate’s subordinates, at most a small official. He hadn’t expected him to be even higher than the county magistrate. Thinking about it now still made his legs weak. He had been an ordinary commoner all his life—when had he ever seen such a high official?

After a day of chaos, everyone’s hearts had been on edge, but now the village was quiet, with few sounds of people.

That night, Lin Yu leaned close to Wei Qingshan. Wei Qingshan patted him. “It’s all right now. Were you scared today?”

“A little. I was only afraid this morning that something might happen to you.”

“It’s all over now.”

“I heard that Wei Laotai hid the grain inside the bedding, which forced Wei Er to become a bandit. Sigh… under a natural disaster… But it’s just a pity for the Feng family. When you go tomorrow, be careful on the road and come back early.”

“He got what he deserved. When the villagers had nothing to eat, they had even stripped bark from elm trees, but he only wanted wealth.”

Early the next morning, Lin Yu got up, made breakfast, and packed dry food and water for Wei Qingshan. It was said that Aozi Mountain was a day’s journey from here, so returning would be tomorrow’s matter.

Wei Qingshan took the dry food, slung his machete over his back, and left. The Feng family already had people waiting. Old Man Feng kept thanking him repeatedly. This time, seven or eight people were going; once everyone had arrived, they prepared to set out.

He Dazhu suddenly thought of something. “If we find him, how are we supposed to bring him back? We’re all men here, and Ye-ger is still an unmarried ger, this…?”

Right now, they didn’t even know if they could find him on Aozi Mountain. But even if they did, bringing him back like that would be, more or less, disrespectful.