That day, a band of the ‘Righteous’ Army came to the Peach Grove.

Seeing the grove, they formed evil ideas and tried to forcibly seize it under the pretense of requisition.

“Young Master, this peach grove was passed down from my ancestors! You can’t do this, Young Master!”

“Get lost!”

An Long was knocked to the ground by several soldiers.

Aqing, just returning from the mountain, saw this and widened her eyes in shock. She cried out and hurried forward.

“Dad!”

But before she could reach her dad, she was blocked.

“What are you doing! Let go of me! Let go of my dad!”

The leader looked Aqing over and said, “This girl has some looks.”

Hearing this, An Long’s eyes bulged. “No!”

“Shut him up!”

Several soldiers punched and kicked An Long, then stuffed something into his mouth to silence him.

Aqing struggled. “Stop hitting my dad! Stop!”

“Mmh, mmh, mmh…”

Held down by several men, An Long couldn’t move at all. Veins bulged on his forehead, but he was powerless.

The leader stepped forward and pinched Aqing’s chin.

“Not bad, not bad.”

He chuckled. “Tie her up and take her back.”

Someone next to him asked, “What about her father?”

The leader just waved a hand. “Find a spot and bury him.”

The army was a mess, always harboring those who disobeyed orders secretly. This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. It was sheer lax management that emboldened them to commit such acts of forceful seizure and robbery.

An Long suddenly surged with strength and broke free from his captors.

“Beasts!!!”

He charged forward, trying to fight them with just his fists.

“Schiiing!”

The sound of a sword leaving its scabbard rang out.

“Thunk.” 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The sword pierced through An Long’s chest.

Aqing’s eyes widened. “Dad!!!”

An Long looked at Aqing, struggling to speak. “Little sister…”

As he uttered those two words, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes slowly closed.

The man pulled back his sword, frowning. “Bad luck!”

“Dad! Dad!!”

Aqing screamed. She stared at the man before her. “I’ll kill you! Kill you all!!”

“Take her away.”

Aqing was dragged off, and peace gradually returned to the front of the Peach Grove.

The leader looked around the grove and couldn’t help but smile. “The supervisors are watching closely lately. Don’t breathe a word of this. This peach grove is worth a fortune. Sell it off, and riches and honor will be ours.”

“Don’t worry, Big Brother.”

“Stick with us, you’ll eat meat. Just follow the rules.”

…

Yan Huanglou hadn’t set up his stall for quite a few days.

Things were tense lately in Qingshan City.

He had already buried the silver he’d hidden deep in the mountains, keeping only a little back—just one or two liang—so as not to arouse suspicion.

When the soldiers came for his place, he put on a show. He took a few kicks, but thankfully, they were fooled.

“Hmph, two liang and three qian,”

scoffed the ‘Righteous’ soldier looting his place. “Pretty rich, for a rat.”

“Master, please leave a coin for this old man.”

“Get lost!”

The soldiers left, taking all the plundered silver.

The order from above was to take six out of every ten, but many, especially outside the city walls, greedily took more. They felt brazen, knowing someone higher up had winked at them.

Yan Huanglou watched the soldier leave with the silver.

His woeful expression instantly turned calm. He spat. “Pah. Damned ‘Righteous’ Army.”

“Thank heavens old man here’s clever.”

Yan Huanglou sniffed. His silver was all buried behind the mountain. He wouldn’t dig it out until peace returned.

He sighed, muttering to himself. “This world…”

“Chaos again.”

…

After days of plunder, the city slowly quieted down.

Gradually, a few wine taverns dared to open their doors.

The streets regained a little life, though quite different from before, patrolled now by groups of ‘Righteous’ soldiers, carrying an air of grim readiness.

It was at least just patrolling, and no one dared to cross them.

Still, the women of Qingshan City stayed hidden indoors, too nervous to come out.

In the days after the plunder ended, Yan Huanglou returned to Qingshan City.

Truth was, the area outside the wall was far more dangerous than inside.

As for a place to stay…

After the looting, Qingshan City had plenty of empty houses, hastily abandoned.

He found a vacant spot easily enough.

Waiting a few days for the worst to blow over, Yan Huanglou reopened his Tea Stall.

Though a few soldiers still showed up to drink tea without paying, Yan Huanglou didn’t mind. A few pennies weren’t worth risking his life.

Managing to scrape together a little silver was good enough.

…

BANG!!

In the Manor of Prince Yu, Yan Ruchu slammed his palm onto a table.

“How dare they!”

Yan Ruchu roared. “Committing evil right under my nose! Find out! Not a single one gets away!”

“Yes, Young Master!”

Everyone in the Main Hall trembled.

Once outside, the old man’s face turned stormy.

“Pack of mangy curs! Truly tired of living!”

Suddenly, turmoil erupted again in Qingshan City.

The ‘Righteous’ soldiers involved in the city’s plunder raids were arrested en masse. Even several officers weren’t spared.

In barely three days, fear spread through the army.

The old man reported. “Young Master, they are all captured. Three hundred and two in total. How shall we deal with them?”

“So many…”

Yan Ruchu was stunned, then rage flooded him.

He forced some calmness down. “Leave me for now.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

The old man withdrew.

Yan Ruchu rose and entered the study beside the hall.

Inside, a man with a brush stood waiting, dressed like a scholar, with a gentle expression. He cupped his hands when Yan Ruchu entered. “Your Highness.”

“Master Zhu.”

Yan Ruchu addressed him and sat, recounting the matter.

After listening, Master Zhu asked, “What is Your Highness’s will?”

Yan Ruchu replied, “These are tense times. The Prince of Xiang’s army will arrive at our gates soon. The three hundred mustn’t be killed outright; that would spell disaster.”

Master Zhu questioned, “His Highness already knows the path. Why seek this student?”

Yan Ruchu stated firmly, “The ringleaders must die. I seek Master Zhu’s counsel: by what method should they be killed to best serve as a deterrent?”

Master Zhu pondered deeply.

“There is one method.”

“Share your wisdom, Master Zhu.”

The next day, seventeen men hung from tall gallows on Qingshan City’s side street.

Their bodies were coated thickly with syrup. Yet they couldn’t move. Swarming ants and insects covered them from head to toe. Struggling was futile.

The old man observed. “A fine method, Young Master.”

Yan Ruchu decreed coldly, “After they cease breathing in a few days, let their bodies slowly rot, stink, and be utterly devoured by flies and maggots. Let the bones show. No one touches them until everything… every last scrap… is eaten clean.”

“I want every soul in this city to witness… how they become a pile of bleached bones!”