Were the murderous bandits still lurking nearby?
He Chunhua had naturally seen the signs as well. He raised a hand in a signal to stay on alert, and the soldiers of the Auxiliary Army drew their weapons and spread out in all directions.
Madam Ying and the other dependents quietly fell back.
The tension in the air mounted.
Just then, the door of the tallest, largest, and most brightly lit house opened with a sudden creak.
A figure stepped out onto the threshold and called out, "Who goes there?"
It was a woman. Draped in a snow-white cloak, she had a face fair as a hibiscus, willow-leaf brows, and a fiery red coral hairpin set into her dark, cloud-like hair.
The officers were astonished. She was a striking beauty, and her voice was soft, sweet, and possessed a subtle resonance.
A desolate mountain, a village of the dead, and a stunning, vibrant beauty.
Lu Xin had little reaction, but his companion, the great black wolf, moved in front of He Yue, baring its teeth in a low growl.
It clearly sensed a threat.
He Chunhua halted and furrowed his brows. "That should be my question. Call forth your ambushes; the stench of blood cannot be concealed."
The beauty wagged a single slender finger. "The villagers were already dead when I arrived. It was certainly not my doing."
"Where are the bodies?"
"Moved around back. We dug a large pit and were preparing to bury them." The woman gave a sigh. "I am hardly made of stone."
He Chunhua cast a glance at Zhao Qinghe, who immediately circled toward the back of the village. He Chunhua asked again, "Who exactly are you? State your affiliation, lest there be an unfortunate misunderstanding."
"My surname is Li. I hail from the national capital, and I am the master of Songyang Mansion."
The moment the words "Songyang Mansion" were uttered, both He Chunhua and his son were taken aback. He Chunhua turned to look at He Lingchuan, an inquiring look in his eyes.
He Lingchuan could only shrug and spread his hands, then told Maotao to hurry to the rear of the column to fetch someone.
Before long, Zhao Qinghe rushed back and murmured to He Chunhua, "My lord, there are indeed dozens of corpses piled on the hill behind the village, and a pit is partly dug into the earth. Furthermore, I scouted the surrounding woods, and there are no ambushes. Her people should all be inside these houses."
If they were bandits, they would typically kill without bothering to bury. He Chunhua's expression softened, and his gaze toward the woman turned milder. "I am the Chief Administrator of Xiazhou, He Chunhua. Seeing lights on our way, we came hoping to seek lodging. Earlier, our scouts went ahead and found a horrific scene here."
Just then, someone hurried over from the rear of the Auxiliary Army. Upon catching sight of the beauty, he immediately stepped forward and bowed with utmost deference. "Li Fubo pays his respects to Your Lordship!" He then turned to He Chunhua and introduced, "Lord He, this is the master of our Songyang Mansion!"
It was none other than the master armorer of Songyang Mansion and the dedicated smith of the broken saber, Li Fubo.
He Lingchuan silently cupped his own chin.
*Your Lordship?*
*This is the Marquis of Songyang? The master of the artifact sect Songyang Mansion?*
*Why did no one mention from the very beginning that the Marquis of Songyang was a woman?*
With Li Fubo verifying her identity, He Chunhua cast aside his reservations and bowed with sincere courtesy. "So you truly are the Marquis of Songyang! Please forgive He's offense."
After exchanging polite pleasantries, the Marquis of Songyang stepped forward casually, followed by two maidservants. "I will take you to inspect the corpses. Please follow me." She casually knocked on the doorframe. "Come on out, all of you."
The doors of the other houses opened one after another, and more than thirty people emerged, bowing to her. He Lingchuan noticed that half of them had a sharp gleam in their eyes, clearly possessing cultivation or martial prowess.
"These are all my subordinates. Earlier, I instructed them to stay inside and not cause trouble," the Marquis of Songyang explained. "When you ascended the mountain, we had already spotted the lanterns of your convoy."
He Chunhua nodded, understanding that this was her tactful way of saying she had wanted to avoid unnecessary conflict.
The group walked to the rear of the village.
More than forty corpses lay upon the ground. Just as the scouts had reported, there were men, women, old, and young. Madam Ying took only a single glance before turning away, not daring to look again.
He Lingchuan, Wu Shaoyi, and the others stepped forward to inspect the remains. They found that most of the fatal wounds were on the chests and throats.
"The hearts and livers are gone, and some even had their kidneys removed," Wu Shaoyi said, looking back. "The wounds were not left by sabers or swords. They look more like they were made by a crane-bill pen."
The killer had chiseled an opening into each victim's chest and extracted the internal organs.
The Marquis of Songyang added, "The money, goods, and grain in the houses were not touched."
"Then it is most likely not the work of bandits." When bandits raided a village, those two things were all they cared about.
He Lingchuan pulled open the upper garment of one corpse and pointed out the wounds around the heart for everyone to see. "There are four chisel marks here, all near the heart, but only the last one struck the heart directly. It is evident that the killer was quite inexperienced."
Having served as a patrol guard in the Panlong dreamscape and captured monsters seven or eight times, he had accumulated some insight into such matters.
*A novice killer?*
While bandits also went through a learning curve from clumsy to proficient, it was impossible for an entire den of bandits to use crane-bill pens, was it?
Compared to sabers and swords, that was a very obscure weapon.
He Chunhua pondered aloud, "Monsters?"
The Marquis of Songyang looked thoughtful. "Ever since the Emperor's Flowing Dew descended a while back, the wilds have not been peaceful."
The emergence of the Emperor's Flowing Dew was a blessing for living creatures, but fortune and misfortune always walked hand in hand. In the aftermath of the dew, newborn monsters became restless and easily brought calamity upon the realm, posing a grave challenge to human order and governance.
Even the Panlong Wasteland of ancient times had been so; how could Great Yuan hope to avoid it?
Wu Shaoyi also remarked, "The villagers were murdered ten to twelve hours ago. The killer has likely moved far away by now."
"Since we are taking shelter in their dwellings tonight, it is only right that we lay them properly to rest." The Marquis of Songyang gestured with her hand, and her men came forward carrying hoes and shovels.
He Chunhua nodded. "Indeed it is."
The frozen earth was hard, so Zeng Feixiong detailed a dozen soldiers to help dig and bury the dead, and sent out two squads of soldiers to take turns patrolling the vicinity.
The Marquis of Songyang, meanwhile, returned to the village alongside He Chunhua and the others.
The open ground outside the village was flat and level, and the Auxiliary Army was currently pitching tents and lighting fires there. With dependents included, the force now numbered over six hundred people, far too many for the village cottages to accommodate.
Having followed He Chunhua from the west all the way to the north, this column was accustomed to braving the elements. They used windproof sheepskin tents, which kept out the cold wind far better than cloth. He Chunhua had also arranged to purchase warming sacks through military supply contacts in Shihuan City; their design was similar to the sleeping bags He Lingchuan knew from his past, providing excellent insulation for sleeping outdoors in autumn and winter.
A campfire was naturally indispensable as well. The men went into the woods to gather dry branches, and soon a blazing fire was roaring.
As for the lodging arrangements for the others, the head steward, Lao Mo, naturally took charge of that. He Chunhua told him, "We will only occupy the three small cottages on the west side."
The Marquis of Songyang waved her hand. "How could that do? Let the Auxiliary Army take all the village cottages. We have our own accommodations."
Where would their other accommodations be? Was Songyang Mansion going to pitch tents as well?
The Marquis of Songyang walked to the east side of the village, paced about an open space, and nodded. "This spot will do nicely."
Then, from an unseen place on her person, she brought out a palm-sized model of a courtyard and set it on the ground. She first peeled away the talisman paper affixed to it, retreated a hundred paces, and then clapped her hands with a low cry: "Grow!"
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the toy-like miniature courtyard swiftly expanded, like a balloon inflating.
In just a few breaths, it turned into a full-sized courtyard. High walls and black gates framed a two-story pavilion, and the tip of a pine tree peeked out from above the wall.
The toy had become real.
The Marquis of Songyang stepped forward and pushed open the courtyard gate. Glancing back at He Chunhua with a smile, she said, "Let us speak inside. It is far too cold out here."
This sight was so extraordinary that a stir rippled through the crowd.
Even He Chunhua looked visibly moved. "Hiding Mount Sumeru within a mustard seed... to think I would witness this divine art again today!"
He Lingchuan explained to him, "Father, Sun Fuping's walnut boat was acquired from the Marquis of Songyang. He borrowed it and never returned it, and in the end, it fell into your hands."
Realization dawned upon He Chunhua. "So it was Songyang Mansion's signature craft all along! No wonder!" Why had this boy never mentioned it before?
The Marquis of Songyang cast a smiling glance at He Lingchuan.
The father and son entered the courtyard, accompanied by Zhao Qinghe, Wu Shaoyi, and several guards.
"Madam, the charcoal fire in the cottage is lit." Head Steward Lao Mo wanted to guide Madam Ying into a village cottage to rest, considering the weariness of travel. But Madam Ying looked at the courtyard, heard the laughter drifting from inside, and immediately shook her head. "I'm going in to have a look as well. Qian-ma!"
The party passed through the black gates and saw an enclosed courtyard of around eighty square meters. In the corner stood a tiered rockery, craggy, slender, and perforated with hollows. Beside the rockery grew a gnarled, peculiar pine, its crown already catching the drifting snow in the wind.
Two palace lanterns cast a warm yellow glow, and the wind seemed to slow by half a beat the moment it entered the space.
Beneath the eaves of the pavilion, a wintersweet tree was in full, cheerful bloom.
The snow fell without a sound, and the small courtyard was quiet and elegant, as though secluded from the world. If one did not climb up to peer over the wall, who could have guessed that outside lay a bleak mountain and a dead village?
Stepping inside the pavilion, a wave of warmth washed over them. Four braziers placed in the corners kept all the chill firmly outside the door.
Coming in from the ice and snow, everyone breathed a long sigh of relief.
Madam Ying remarked with a smile, "Carrying such a treasure with you, the Marquis of Songyang truly knows how to enjoy comfort."
"I am accustomed to traveling about on business, and having it saves a great deal of trouble."
The two maidservants behind the Marquis of Songyang stepped forward, took everyone's cloaks, and served hot tea.
Only then did He Chunhua introduce the people beside him to the Marquis of Songyang one by one.
When he introduced He Lingchuan, the Marquis of Songyang gave a slight nod. "Thanks to the eldest young master, I was able to acquire a spirit artifact."
"Exchanging a spirit artifact for a master armorer's accompaniment is hardly a loss."
The Marquis of Songyang smiled. "When the young master has free time, I would like to examine that broken saber."
He Lingchuan naturally agreed. She was the master of Songyang Mansion; her skill in blade forging could hardly be lower than Li Fubo's.
When He Chunhua introduced He Yue, the Marquis of Songyang smiled and said, "Two or three years ago, I had already heard of the Little Prodigy of Qiansong Commandery. It is rare good fortune to meet you in person today."
He Yue flushed bright red and stammered, unable to find his tongue, entirely stripped of his usual calm and poise in receiving guests. He Lingchuan found the sight quite amusing.
Once everyone was seated, He Chunhua inquired about the Marquis of Songyang's destination. After all, they were already more than four hundred li from Shihuan City, where the odds of bumping into an acquaintance were slim.
"I have business in Taobin City, and after that, I will head north to Yufen City to collect several treasures and discuss a business deal."
"Yufen City?" He Chunhua calculated the distance in his mind. "That is already within Xiazhou's borders." It seemed to be in central Xiazhou.
"Indeed, this trip will take me as far as Xiazhou." The Marquis of Songyang took a sip of hot tea. "I intend to establish a branch of Songyang Mansion in Yufen City, so I must confer with the local officials."
She continued, "The situation in the north is tense, and Songyang Mansion has taken on the responsibility of forging weapons for the royal court. By establishing the branch early, the transport of future military supplies will be far more nimble and flexible, taking up less of the court's transport capacity."
"Splendid, truly splendid!" He Chunhua clapped his hands. "Your Lordship has thought this through with great foresight. Why not establish the branch in Dunyu, the provincial seat of Xiazhou, to facilitate overall coordination?"
Hearing this, Madam Ying's expression shifted slightly, her heart filling with intense displeasure.
Chapter 202