Volume One: Carefree Journey Amidst Indistinguishable Paper Leaves Chapter Eighty-One: The Mountain Beast

Yang Ning, with the air of a precocious youth, said, “Many times, what we hear is far less reliable than what we see with our own eyes. Though sometimes even our eyes can deceive us, it is still better than relying solely on hearsay. We are far from the capital and everything we know about the fief comes from others’ mouths. Now that we are here in person, what we see ourselves is surely more accurate than what we might merely hear at the old manor.”

Gu Qinghan could not help but nod in agreement. “You’re right, Ning. It’s my negligence—if not for you, I’d still be kept in the dark.” Her beautiful eyes flashed with anger. “Tomorrow, I must question the chief steward thoroughly. How did Jiangling end up like this?” Suddenly, something occurred to her, and her gaze softened with a wry smile as she looked at Yang Ning. “Ning, let me ask you—where did you learn your skills?”

“What skills do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb with me,” Gu Qinghan retorted with a hint of annoyance. “Who taught you martial arts? Surely it wasn’t Duan Canghai and the others, instructing you in secret?”

Yang Ning dreaded such questions from Gu Qinghan and could only reply vaguely, “I was born into a martial family. It’s nothing unusual to know a bit of kung fu.”

“Then why didn’t I know about it?” Gu Qinghan frowned. “A few years ago, I urged you to train with the guards at the Marquis’s estate, but you showed no interest. Why is it now that you suddenly possess these skills?”

As Yang Ning pondered how to offer a convincing explanation—knowing full well that Gu Qinghan was not easily deceived—Han Yi arrived to invite them to dinner, providing a much-needed diversion.

In the village, it was customary that women did not dine at the same table as male guests. Fortunately, Gu Qinghan was dressed as a man and was able to join the meal. The farmhouse meal was simple, yet the table was filled with a variety of dishes, and Han Yi had also invited several respected villagers to join them.

At the table, gratitude towards Yang Ning was expressed repeatedly. The wine served was homemade rice wine, and its flavor was quite pleasant. Having witnessed Yang Ning’s abilities, the villagers were full of praise and talk soon turned to Steward Luo and the others, with many believing that Steward Luo would not let things rest.

“Rest assured, Steward Luo won’t be arrogant for much longer.” Yang Ning sneered. “I’ve heard that the Marquis of Brocade has already sent someone to Jiangling. Once the events here are reported, Steward Luo will have to face the consequences.”

Han Yi shook his head. “My young friend, even if someone from the Marquis’s household does come, do you really think they’ll stand up for us? Steward Luo is a servant of the Qi family; surely they won’t punish their own man on behalf of a few poor villagers.”

Gu Qinghan replied solemnly, “Han Yi, as I said before, the Qi family is not one to bully the weak. The Marquis of Brocade is surely unaware of what has transpired here—had he known earlier, things would not have come to this.”

Han Yi was puzzled by Gu Qinghan’s repeated defense of the Marquis and her certainty. He finally asked, “Why are you so sure? Steward Luo did have a point—without the Qi family’s approval, how could he and his men act so brazenly?”

“Han Yi, as the head of the village, you deliver grain to the Qi family every year, do you not?” Gu Qinghan inquired.

Han Yi nodded. “That’s right. Our land yields a fixed amount of grain each year, barring natural disasters. Every year, we personally deliver the quota to the Qi family manor to be weighed and tallied.”

“As far as I know,” Gu Qinghan continued, “the one responsible for tax collection in Jiangling’s fief is the chief steward at the Qi family manor. I heard you mention that the Marquis has been collecting forty percent of the harvest as tax, when it used to be only twenty. Was it the chief steward who told you this directly?”

“Chief Steward Qi?” Han Yi gave Gu Qinghan a suspicious glance. “Do you know Chief Steward Qi?” In his mind, he wondered at this person’s repeated defense of the Marquis and her apparent knowledge of Jiangling’s tax affairs and the chief steward—could it be that these two had ties to the Marquis?

Though the manor was managed by the chief steward, this was not common knowledge among the villagers. Most simply toiled and paid their taxes, without concerning themselves over who was in charge. As the village head, Han Yi had dealings with the chief steward each year and was naturally aware of his position.

Now growing wary, he spoke with increased caution.

Just then, a shrill cry sounded from outside: “It’s found! The beast that stole our chickens is found—it’s hiding up in the mountain!”

The voice was piercing, and Han Yi sprang to his feet, as did the others. Han Yi told Yang Ning, “You two keep eating; we have matters to attend to.” Without further explanation, he hurried outside, followed by the other villagers, leaving only two elderly men behind.

Hearing the commotion outside, Yang Ning couldn’t help but ask, “What’s happened? What did they find?”

“The beast that’s been stealing chickens,” one old man explained. “Lately, chickens in the village have been disappearing for no reason—more than ten have gone missing. There aren’t usually any wild animals in the back hills, and we’ve never seen any wolves. At first, we thought someone was stealing them. So a few nights ago, we set up a watch to see what was happening. That night, we finally saw a shadow slip into the chicken coop. A group went after it, but the creature was so quick, no one saw clearly if it was a wolf or a wild dog.” He took a sip of wine before continuing, “It was covered in black fur—no matter how fast they chased, they couldn’t catch up. Some said it ran faster than a rabbit, and others claimed it ran on its hind legs, like a person.”

“What?” Yang Ning was taken aback. “It ran on its hind legs?” He thought this odd—while there were animals that could stand on two legs, for one to run so quickly that way was exceedingly rare. He wondered if it could be a monkey.

“You must have been seeing things,” remarked the other old man. “I’ve lived a long life and never heard of a beast that runs on two legs.”

“That’s not certain,” the first old man argued. “Several people saw it; they couldn’t all be mistaken.” He turned to Yang Ning. “A few days later, the creature came to the village again. We were ready for it, but still it got away. At least everyone saw it run into the back hills. The village youths searched the hills all day, but found nothing. The mountain is big, but not so big we could search every inch.”

Yang Ning asked, “There aren’t any wild animals in those hills?”

“There used to be some wolves and wild boar, but in lean years, the villagers hunted them out to survive. The mountain is neither small nor large, but all the big game was hunted out years ago. For the past decade, there’s been nothing but snakes, insects, rats, and ants. So when a chicken-stealing beast appeared, of course we couldn’t let it go. There aren’t many chickens in the village, and each is precious. Losing more than ten has been heart-wrenching. If we don’t deal with it soon, even our cows and sheep may not be safe,” the old man explained.

Yang Ning’s curiosity was piqued. He turned to Gu Qinghan. “Third—third brother, wait here for me. I’ll be right back.” Before Gu Qinghan could protest, Yang Ning darted out the door faster than a rabbit.

At the head of the village, more than twenty young men had gathered, carrying five or six torches. One of them was excitedly telling Han Yi, “This time, the beast won’t escape. We had people lying in wait at the foot of the mountain. When it slipped into the hills, we shadowed it quietly. It thought it was safe, but we kept it in sight and have now found its lair—a cave in the mountains. I’ve already posted men at the entrance; it’s not getting away now.”

Han Yi said, “All the able-bodied men, come with me. That beast is quick—if we’re not careful, it’ll escape. Let’s surround the place tightly and see where it can run.” With a wave of his hand, he led the group around to the back of the village and up into the hills. Some carried hoes, others wooden clubs, all looking fierce and determined.

Yang Ning, curious about what kind of animal it could be, followed behind the crowd.

They reached the foot of the mountain, and the messenger led the way. Though the hill was not high, its terrain was rugged and tangled with old vines and trees. The villagers spread out, climbing for some time until, halfway up, the guide called out, “There it is!”

As they approached, they saw three men already waiting. One, excited by the arrival, called out, “It’s in the cave. We’ve been guarding the entrance, and it hasn’t dared to come out.”

Yang Ning went up to take a closer look. On a steep cliff face, thick with withered vines, a patch had been pulled aside to reveal a pitch-black cave entrance, silent and still within.

“Are there any other exits? Could it escape another way?” Han Yi peered into the darkness, suspicious.

“We’ve checked the area—this is the only entrance, and it’s a dead end,” replied one of the guards. “We threw some stones in earlier and heard it cry out.” As he spoke, he picked up a fist-sized stone and hurled it into the cave. At once, a strange wailing sound echoed out. The man laughed, “Hear that? It’s inside.”

“Bring some dry wood,” Han Yi ordered, experienced in such matters. “Set a fire at the entrance. The smoke will drive it out.”

With so many hands, the villagers quickly piled a heap of dry wood at the mouth of the cave. Han Yi instructed, “Form two circles around the entrance. The beast is fierce—it could injure someone, but don’t let it escape.” Taking a torch, he set the wood alight.

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There will be another update around midnight tonight—please stay tuned!