Chapter 18: Great Fury

Three days later, Leping County.

An autumn afternoon, the weather was fine, the wind was gentle, and the sky was high and clear.

The Iron Warehouse courtyard of the Hundred Weapons Hall was located behind Xingye Ward. A straight loess road led directly to the entrance of the warehouse, wide enough to accommodate two large wagons driving side by side.

This road had been built with the Hall's own funds; it was solid and of better quality than the roads in front of the county magistrate's office.

At this moment, a convoy consisting of twelve large wagons was parked at the entrance of the Iron Warehouse.

Over twenty gray-clad apprentices were unloading iron materials weighing twenty to thirty catties each from the wagons and carrying them into the courtyard. After being weighed in sequence, a dozen more apprentices in the courtyard moved them into the building for storage.

Two bookkeepers in long robes stood to the side, holding registers and verifying the quantity and quality of the delivered iron.

Although many people were involved in unloading the iron, everything proceeded in an orderly fashion under the direction of two yellow-clad apprentices.

They were the disciples of the manager, Sun Guanghe. Aged around twenty-five or twenty-six, they were only yellow-clad apprentices, but they held high status in the Hall, second only to Manager Li and Zhang Jinkui, and were in charge of all matters regarding the Iron Warehouse.

An hour later, as the iron on the wagons was nearly finished being unloaded, the two yellow-clad apprentices stopped talking and stood to the side, chatting and laughing.

One of the tall apprentices said, "Why hasn't the convoy returned yet? It's been seven days. By rights, they should have been back yesterday."

Another apprentice with a horse-like face leaned against the wall and said lazily, "How should I know? It's probably because the mountain paths are difficult to navigate. They were heading deep into the Chiman Mountains; even with a guide, it's easy to lose one's way."

"True. Maybe they'll be back tomorrow. But without the guards, we'll have to lead the night patrols ourselves. What a damn misfortune!"

The tall apprentice was cursing under his breath when his gaze suddenly froze. He blinked and looked into the distance, asking in confusion, "Don't those two beggars look a bit familiar?"

Hearing this, the horse-faced apprentice turned to look.

Two beggars, dressed in tattered rags that were nearly turned into strips of cloth, with hair as messy as weeds and faces covered in dust and grime, were walking toward them in a wretched state.

The horse-faced apprentice frowned and shouted, "You two beggars, get lost! Are you blind, daring to come to Xingye Ward—"

"Senior Brother Hu, it's me, Zhao Shan!"

One of the "beggars" called out in a hoarse voice. The horse-faced apprentice squinted to look closer, and the rest of his sentence was swallowed back down. He rushed forward a few steps.

"Oh! Junior Brother Zhao! And... Junior Brother Chen! How did you two end up like this?"

The tall apprentice also rushed forward, arriving before the two "beggars" and exclaiming, "Junior Brother Zhao, Junior Brother Chen! What... what happened?"

These two wretched "beggars" were none other than Chen Yuan and Zhao Shan.

Zhao Shan said in a raspy voice, "Something happened to the convoy. The Black Wind Bandits are lawless; they killed people and robbed the goods. Junior Brother Chen and I were lucky enough to escape. Quick, take us to see Manager Sun!"

Upon hearing this, the two yellow-clad apprentices felt as if they had been struck by lightning, their expressions changing drastically.

The horse-faced apprentice's face scrunched up, looking quite comical, as he said urgently, "Master has been waiting for the convoy to return these past two days. I'll take you there right now!"

"Don't rush!"

The tall apprentice intervened, turning to grab a gray-clad apprentice and ordering, "Go quickly and bring two cups of water!"

Senior Brother Hu nodded repeatedly. "It was my oversight. Junior Brothers, drink some water first to calm down, then we will go report to Master."

After drinking the water, Zhao Shan and Chen Yuan followed the two men toward the front of Xingye Ward.

Along the way, the two men asked various questions. As Zhao Shan and Chen Yuan gave a brief account of the events, both apprentices were struck with horror.

Soon, the four arrived at a large four-entry courtyard within Xingye Ward. Two majestic stone lions stood on either side of the main gate, and a massive plaque bore the words "Sun Manor" in flowing calligraphy.

Senior Brother Hu went in first to announce them, after which Zhao Shan and Chen Yuan entered the courtyard and proceeded to the main hall.

A plump, prosperous elderly man in his fifties sat in a grand armchair; he was Sun Guanghe, the manager of the Hundred Weapons Hall in Leping County.

Seeing their tattered appearance, his expression changed, and he asked, "What exactly happened? Speak quickly!"

With a hint of weeping in his voice, Zhao Shan said, "Manager Sun, the Black Wind Bandits are too bold. They killed people and robbed the goods. Only Junior Brother Chen and I escaped. The others... they were all left in the mountains!"

*Crack!*

With a squeeze of his left hand, the armrest of the grand armchair shattered into pieces.

Standing to the side, Senior Brother Hu showed a look of grief and regret.

That was a sandalwood chair he had spent dozens of taels of silver to buy for Manager Sun; it was even an antique from two hundred years ago. Manager Sun usually cherished it dearly, and it was truly a pity to see it suffer such a disaster today.

However, Manager Sun had no time for such trifles. He barked, "Speak! What happened in detail!"

Zhao Shan trembled all over and hurriedly recounted the sequence of events.

"When the convoy entered the valley, the Black Wind Bandits were already there. Junior Brother Chen and I were following at the rear of the convoy, waiting to unload. Then, for some reason, chaos broke out at the front. Master rushed toward us, shouting that Xie Quan had broken through to the Inner Strength stage and that the Black Wind Bandits were killing people and robbing goods, telling us to flee for our lives."

"What? Inner Strength? Impossible!"

Sun Guanghe cried out in shock, and then, with a *crack*, he crushed the other armrest of the chair. Senior Brother Hu's long face twitched again.

Zhao Shan stopped. Sun Guanghe took a deep breath and waved his hand. "Continue!"

Zhao Shan then said, "Junior Brother Chen and I followed behind Master as we fled out of the valley. That Wu Dong led men to pursue us and killed Senior Brother Zheng. Jiang Feng was behind them and shot Senior Brother Wang. Master was also hit by an arrow from that Jiang Feng, but he used a sleeve arrow to wound Wu Dong's arm and led us two out. But Wu Dong, along with three Bone-Refining bandits, pursued us relentlessly. Master told us to run for our lives while he stayed behind to cover our retreat. We fled into the mountains..."

*Thud!*

A delicate, exquisite white porcelain teacup was thrown to the ground, shattering into pieces.

Manager Sun roared, "Abandoning your Master to save yourselves? You two have quite the nerve!"

Zhao Shan showed a look of remorse and whispered, "A Master's command is difficult to defy..."

"You still dare to make excuses!"

Manager Sun already had a surge of pent-up rage, and hearing this made him even more furious as he rebuked Zhao Shan.

Chen Yuan stepped forward and said loudly, "Master said that even if we didn't run, we would be dead. By escaping, we could at least bring news to the Manager. We didn't want to run, but Master gave the order, and we dared not disobey!"

He looked aggrieved, his eyes brimming with tears that looked as if they were about to fall at any moment.

Zhao Shan was even more tearful. "I... I have failed Master, but a Master's command is difficult to defy!"

Manager Sun's expression softened slightly. He sighed. "Continue. And then?"

He had long heard of Chen Yuan's reputation for being blunt and honest, and Zhao Shan was also famously upright and dutiful. Hearing them say this, he believed them about seventy to eighty percent.

Zhao Shan wiped the tears from his face and said, "Then we ran for our lives. We even lost our way in the middle. Fortunately, we met a hunter who pointed us in the right direction, allowing us to make it out. But all our silver and belongings were lost in the mountains. We could only stop at a roadside inn to beg for some coarse flour cakes to fill our stomachs. Not daring to delay, we rushed all the way back to report the news to the Manager..."

Zhao Shan's voice gradually lowered. Manager Sun had finally regained his composure; though his expression remained irritated, he was no longer in a state of violent rage.

He asked about several details, and Zhao Shan answered them all fluently, with Chen Yuan occasionally adding a few words from the side.

Finally, Manager Sun sighed, stood up, and walked to the two of them. Ignoring the dirt on Zhao Shan, he brushed his shoulder and said gently, "Manager Li has followed me for many years. I am deeply pained by his misfortune. If he is still alive, I will certainly do everything in my power to save him. If he has met with disaster... I will certainly avenge him, Manager Zhang, and the guard unit."

As he spoke, he turned to Chen Yuan, looked him up and down, and said, "I have long heard that you two are loyal and hardworking. Go back and rest well for a few days. After this matter is settled, the Hall will be short-handed, and I will have important tasks for you... Oh, and do not spread word of the convoy's situation."

Upon hearing this, both Zhao Shan and Chen Yuan looked profoundly grateful.

After Manager Sun offered a few more words of comfort, he allowed Senior Brother Hu to lead the two away.

As Senior Brother Hu escorted them to the gate, he sighed, "This world is becoming more and more chaotic..."

Zhao Shan's expression was somber. "Senior Brother Hu, Junior Brother Chen and I must go to Master's residence. We shall part ways here."

Then, the two bid farewell to Senior Brother Hu and headed toward the Li Manor.

Zhao Shan looked left and right. Seeing no one on the road, he whispered, "Junior Brother Chen, thanks to your foresight in preparing these stories in advance, we didn't leave any flaws."

Chen Yuan looked straight ahead and said calmly, "It was merely being prepared for any eventuality. Manager Sun is as meticulous as a needle; he certainly won't believe everything, but since our reputations for being honest and dutiful are well-known, he shouldn't have too much suspicion."

Zhao Shan gave a bitter smile. "Honest and dutiful? Heh..."

They remained silent for the rest of the journey. When they arrived at the Li Manor, their appearance as wretched beggars startled the gatekeeper, who rushed inside to report.

A moment later, the gatekeeper came out to lead them into the manor and toward the main hall.

Sitting in the hall was a plump, beautiful woman in her forties; she was Manager Li's wife, Lady Zhang.

Seeing their wretched state, Lady Zhang's face changed drastically, and she asked with a trembling voice, "How did you end up like this? Where is your Master? Where is he?"

Zhao Shan hesitated for a moment and whispered, "The convoy met with an accident. We managed to escape, but Master... he did not come back."

Lady Zhang cried out, "What are you saying? My husband is a highly skilled martial artist; how could something happen to him?"

Zhao Shan recounted the entire story. Lady Zhang's beautiful eyes clouded with mist, and two lines of tears flowed down her face as she asked, "Did your Master leave any words for us?"

Zhao Shan said sorrowfully, "Master said..."

"Where is my father? I want my father! Father, where are you? Father!"

Just then, a burst of crying rang out from outside the main hall, followed by Li Ying'er rushing straight in, accompanied by a gatekeeper from the Li Manor.

Lady Zhang hurriedly wiped her tears and scolded, "Who gave you permission to disturb the Young Mistress?"

The gatekeeper stammered, "The Young Mistress instructed me to inform her if I saw the Master or if the Master's disciples returned to the manor..."

"Speak quickly! Where is my father? Where is he?"

Before the gatekeeper could finish, Li Ying'er lunged toward Zhao Shan. Ignoring the dirt on him, she grabbed him by the collar.

Zhao Shan took a step back and glanced at Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan acted as if he saw nothing, merely standing to the side with a look of grief, showing no intention of helping him out of the situation.

Zhao Shan could only brace himself and say, "Junior Sister, Master stayed behind to cover our retreat. He must have fallen into the hands of the bandits..."

"Nonsense!"

Li Ying'er shrieked, "My father is highly skilled in martial arts! It's impossible for something to happen to him! Impossible!"

Left with no choice, Zhao Shan had to recount the entire story.

Lady Zhang, whose heart was already breaking, heard the tragic news once more and could not help but burst into uncontrollable sobs.

Upon hearing it, Li Ying'er became even more furious. Her left hand gripped Zhao Shan's collar while her right hand struck his chest violently, as she screamed at the top of her lungs, "Why weren't it you who stayed behind to cover the retreat? How could my father give his life for two peasants like you? It must be that you were cowards who feared death, leaving my father behind to run yourselves away! Give me back my father's life!"