Chapter 44: Why is Fate So Unjust

Qin Lu found Jiang Yi to be quite an interesting person; he was completely devoid of false modesty and cared only about how much bounty he could secure.

Actually, such a mindset was entirely understandable. After all, he was risking his life by cooperating with the government to eliminate the members of the Fire Lotus Cult.

It was only right for the government to offer a bounty, which would be distributed based on everyone's individual performance.

"Your bounty will not be shortchanged, but can you give me the blueprints for crafting these two items? If I hand the blueprints over to the Commander, I can earn a hefty sum of money. Also, give me the black powder as well."

Jiang Yi pondered for a moment. The three-eye matchlock and the fire lance were limited in destructive power and short in range.

Due to the limited skills of the local craftsmen, they were also somewhat crudely made.

During this period, he had personally crafted three flintlock pistols.

Only Jiang Yi, Shen Rong, and Wu Shimiao knew about them; they had not been shown to anyone else yet.

"Once I receive the money, I will hand over the blueprints. I certainly won't sell them if the price is too low."

Jiang Yi believed there was still room to bargain with the government officials to extract as much money as possible.

"I will relay this matter to the Commander. Just wait for the news."

"Then I shall wait. Now that the Fire Lotus Cult bandits have been repelled, we should head up the mountain before dark."

If the Fire Lotus Cult members were to launch another attack, Jiang Yi and his companions might not be able to retreat unscathed.

Having suffered such heavy casualties, the Fire Lotus Cult would undoubtedly send thousands of people to exact revenge.

It was truly disappointing that the garrison troops within Hanyang City refused to sally forth and wipe out the cultists.

Perhaps in the eyes of those officials, the lives of the wealthy elite within the city walls were the only ones that mattered.

With various villages now invaded by the Fire Lotus Cult, sending messengers to contact other settlements at this moment was extremely dangerous.

After making brief preparations, Jiang Yi and the others ascended the mountain together.

Shortly after they reached the outskirts of Niutou Mountain, night fell.

Shen Rong had no heart for anything else today. Standing on the hillside all day, she had been worried every single second.

In her heart, she silently prayed for Jiang Yi's safety, hoping he would return to Niutou Mountain unharmed.

"It's already dark. Let's go back. He will definitely be safe."

Wu Shimiao comforted Shen Rong, firmly believing that Jiang Yi possessed the fortune to turn danger into safety.

He found Jiang Yi to be very clever, and his martial arts skills were no less than his own.

Shen Rong felt a lingering sense of inferiority. "I am not clever, nor do I know martial arts. I cannot be of any help to my husband."

If not for the sudden and fierce upheaval caused by the Fire Lotus Cult, she and her husband would have lived an increasingly prosperous life.

Every day, she studied characters under her husband's guidance, looking forward to bearing him children in a couple of years.

"Don't overthink it. The imperial court has already dispatched troops as reinforcements; by then, Xiao Yi won't need to be involved anymore."

At that exact moment, a great commotion arose from the temporary settlement, which Shen Rong and Wu Shimiao both heard.

Jiang Yi led Chang Youliang and the others back to the temporary camp, where he found the people of Funiu Village arguing with residents from other settlements.

"What are you arguing about? It's so late, why aren't you going back to rest?" Jiang Yi demanded in a stern voice.

The crowd instantly quieted down, though the villagers of Funiu Village wore aggrieved expressions.

"They are telling us to vacate our space. When we refused, they just kept making a fuss and wouldn't leave."

An elderly woman from Funiu Village complained in tears, terrified that the arrival of outsiders would threaten their safety.

A massive boulder blocked the southern approach, serving as a natural stone gate that shielded them from the threat of large wild beast incursions.

The villagers of Daze Township had taken a liking to their temporary dwellings, which was why the two sides had started quarreling.

"Which township and village are you from?" Jiang Yi asked.

"We are from Dayun Village in Daze Township. With a plot of land this large, you should at least share some of it with us."

The speaker was an elderly man who, along with his fellow villagers, had endured unimaginable hardships to reach Niutou Mountain.

"Why should we give it to you? Do you not understand the principle of first-come, first-served?"

Seeing that Jiang Yi had returned, the villagers of Funiu Village regained their confidence.

"There is no extra vacant land here for you to live on. You had better head over that way instead."

Jiang Yi pointed toward the southwest, where a small patch of open ground lay.

He was at his wits' end; he had risked his life fighting cultists all day, only to return and have to deal with trivial domestic disputes in the village.

The villagers of Funiu Village gathered around, attempting to drive the newcomers away.

Shen Rong and Wu Shimiao hurried over as well, finding the two sides at a complete deadlock.

"It's already pitch dark, and you want to chase us away. Isn't that a bit too heartless?"

The elder from Dayun Village felt that the people of Funiu Village were not only unreasonable but also completely devoid of empathy.

"You are simply making an unreasonable scene. You refused to settle down elsewhere during the day, and now that you have nowhere to live, it only proves that your village head and township magistrate are utterly incompetent."

The villagers of Funiu Village felt fortunate that Jiang Yi had properly arranged their living quarters.

They harbored deep resentment toward Zhao Shengkui; as the magistrate of Shuangma Township, he had abandoned his duties and fled with his family to live safely inside the city.

Living in the city was indeed safe, and everyone knew that those who resided within the city walls were wealthy and powerful.

"How about this? You may stay here for the night, and tomorrow you can go find somewhere else to build temporary shelters."

Jiang Yi realized they had a point; after all, it was so late, and wild beasts in the mountains were extremely active at night.

Most of the villagers from Dayun Village were the elderly, the weak, women, and children. If they encountered wild beasts, the casualties would undoubtedly be catastrophic.

"If we let them stay here, what happens if they refuse to leave?"

"It's nighttime now, and the mountain beasts are out foraging. Sending them off to live elsewhere right now is extremely dangerous, and we cannot give people a reason to call us heartless."

Jiang Yi was not purely soft-hearted; rather, he was taking the reality of the nocturnal dangers into account.

It was acceptable for the villagers of Dayun Village to stay here temporarily, but they would have to fend for themselves regarding food and lodging.

This was already showing utmost benevolence toward people from another village. If they continued to make unreasonable demands, it would cross the line.

"Very many thanks! We will go look for a place to stay tomorrow. Thank you for taking us in!" The elder expressed his gratitude to Jiang Yi and the others.

"You will have to handle your own food and shelter. After all, everyone has been having a hard time lately."

Jiang Yi did his best to help the people of Funiu Village, but he was powerless to assist the elderly, weak, women, and children of other villages.

Having resolved the conflict between the two parties, Jiang Yi took his wife back to their tent.

Shen Rong lifted the kettle off the stove, poured some cold water into a wooden basin, and added hot water to it.

"My husband has worked hard all day. Go wash up first. What would you like to eat? I'll go make it for you."

"If we have noodles, cook a bowl for me."

"We do. I made some noodles the past couple of days and let them dry. At home, we also have cured fish, cured pheasant, and mutton."

"If there is Chinese cabbage, make a soup with it."

Making soup with meat would take too much time, and he was ravenous right now.

"There is cabbage. I'll make it for you right away."

Shen Rong placed the pot back onto the stove, stoked the fire to make it burn brighter, and poured water into the vessel.

With her back to Jiang Yi, she peeled the leaves off the Chinese cabbage and placed them into the basin to wash.

"Did the garrison troops from Hanyang City come out today? You can't just be expected to keep fighting the Fire Lotus Cult on your own."

Shen Rong was deeply dissatisfied with the performance of the Hanyang garrison; they were clearly capable of defeating the Fire Lotus Cult, yet they remained holed up inside the city.

"The garrison troops didn't come today. They are waiting for reinforcements from the imperial court."

Those officials were probably brimming with suppressed anger and were just waiting for an outlet.

"We ordinary folk usually live law-abiding lives. Such a massive bandit rebellion has broken out in Hanyang City, and it is we common people who suffer."

The more Shen Rong thought about it, the angrier she became. Those wealthy and powerful people remained safely inside the city, enjoying their leisurely lives.

Meanwhile, the commoners outside the city lived in constant terror every day, with some forced to flee into the mountains for refuge.

"Why is our life so difficult? Will my husband have to leave Niutou Mountain again tomorrow?" Shen Rong could not help but shed tears.

She only wanted to live a peaceful life with her husband and had no desire to be entangled in the struggles of various factions.

"I won't leave Niutou Mountain these next few days. I will wait until the imperial reinforcements arrive."

Hearing that Jiang Yi would not be leaving Niutou Mountain, Shen Rong immediately felt a sense of relief.

With her back turned to Jiang Yi, he could not see her weeping.