Beginning with the Ubume Bird
Chapter 754 - Chapter 754 Chapter 43 Stirring Trouble in Living Fish Valley

Chapter 754: Chapter 43 Stirring Trouble in Living Fish Valley (Part 1) Chapter 754: Chapter 43 Stirring Trouble in Living Fish Valley (Part 1) Hong Liangyu left Creek Tower, hurrying along in the dim moonlight. Old, dry branches of trees lined both sides of the Official Road, continuous and crisscrossing. Initially, he could still see mountain martens and wild deer, and occasionally crows would circle overhead. But soon, all traces disappeared. As he continued, he encountered charred debris of broken bricks and tiles, and large patches of dark blood stains on the ground, but no bodies were to be found.

Suddenly, the earth on the Official Road trembled and the dry grass shook as more than thirty Cavalry came galloping towards him.

A chill wind that could pierce through bones slipped into Hong Liangyu’s collar. He bowed his head, crossed his hands and tucked them into his sleeves, and bunched up his neck, silently stepping aside off the road.

Unexpectedly, the leader of the group, upon seeing a tall figure by the roadside, blew a whistle, then reined in his horse. The troop of Cavalry followed suit, coming to a halt on the Official Road.

The leader appeared to be in his forties with tight, dark skin, sporting a warm hat and wearing a padded cotton horseman’s jacket. Besides the Bird Gun on his back, he also had two Western-made grenades hanging on each side of his waist.

“Tall man, how far is it to Creek Tower from here?”

Hong Liangyu looked up, “Eight or nine li.”

The leader asked again, “There’s a gentleman in the town named Xiao Donghe, do you know where his house is?”

“If you keep following the Official Road, sir, and head west at the two jujube trees, you’ll find his house marked by a door plaque with ‘Passing Fragrance of Eight Leaves’.”

“Hmm, you’re quite clear.”

Hong Liangyu replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, “I’m from Tang Family Village, working at Creek Tower charring coal. Xiao Donghe is my Master Dong. I received a letter from home during the day, saying my old mother is seriously ill. Master Dong granted me two days’ sick leave, and I dared not delay, so I hit the road immediately.”

The leader nodded contentedly and blew another whistle, upon which the troop of horses hurried off.

Seeing that the official soldiers had left, Hong Liangyu unconsciously quickened his pace. After pondering for a moment, he decided to abandon the Official Road and plunged into the vast wilderness.

After about half an incense stick’s time, the Cavalry leader suddenly pulled hard on the reins, followed by all the others, who were skilled riders, also pulling their reins quickly.

One of the riders asked softly, “Sir, what’s wrong?”

“Something’s not quite right. Ordinary people usually go out of their way to avoid officials, but that tall man just now was cool and answered smoothly. Tang Family Village has been afflicted by war, it’s rife with ghostly presences, and in broad daylight, one can see the undead. Even regular officials armed with Bird Guns dare not walk those roads alone, yet he dared to travel a night journey of over twenty li. He is certainly no good man; he might even be a spy from the Xiang Army!”

The attendant, recalling how that man was not afraid upon encountering the soldiers, also felt that the leader’s reasoning was sound. “Shall we turn back to chase him?”

“We have urgent military missions to attend to. We can’t afford to get side-tracked.” The leader called out two riders from the team, “You two go back, capture that man and rendezvous at Creek Tower. Be extra cautious on the way.”

The two riders acknowledged the order, turned their horses around to pursue Hong Liangyu, but after a long while on the Official Road, they saw no trace of him and had to return empty-handed to report back, which is another story.

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Upon arriving at Tang Family Village, every household’s door was tightly shut, the large street was desolate and quiet, with not a single light. However, each family had hung yellow talismans and Bagua mirrors to ward off evil spirits. The air was permeated with the scent of burnt joss paper, and freshly poured water in front of every home had already frozen into chunks of ice. Although it was not very auspicious, it still showed some signs of life.

Hong Liangyu identified the home of his brother Tang Yao, only to see a burnt husk of a house. Presumably, the believers of the Gospel Society who collected usury were seeking revenge, which made his face turn dark with anger.

He silently leaped into the yard of Tang Yao’s next-door neighbor, made his way to the bedroom, poked a hole through the window paper, and peered inside. He saw four people sleeping in the bed, a couple and two children, none of which were Tang Yao’s sister. After sneaking around and making sure no one else was there, he could no longer hold back. He tore a piece of black cloth from under his jacket and covered his face with it, then picked up a firewood cutter’s knife, kicked open the bedroom door, and before the four in bed could react, he held the knife to the man of the house’s neck.

“Don’t make a sound!”

The man trembled and was unable to speak, just pleading for mercy, but it was the woman, who had wrapped the two children tightly in blankets, who steadied her nerves and hesitantly asked, “Yao, is that you, Yao?”

Hong Liangyu said coldly, “Sister-in-law Mo, you took my money, but where did you send my sister to?”

“It’s a misunderstanding! Your sister left with the Xiang Army during the day; she left voluntarily, I couldn’t stop her. The twenty taels of silver you left behind, most of it is still here, she refused to take them. If you want, you can take them all.”

Hong Liangyu immediately pressed, “Left with what Xiang Army? Tell me everything!”

With that, he shook the rusty firewood cutter’s knife in his hand.

“A rebel Xiang Army came from Wuzhou some days ago, clashing fiercely with the government troops. A few days ago, the fighting reached here, and both the local militia and regimental commander were killed by the Xiang Army. The government troops, beaten by the Xiang Army, fled toward Creek Tower. Right, the Xiang Army killed the entire family of Landlord Hu, who collected usury from your family. Your family’s great enemy is gone. Unfortunately, the Gospel Society’s priest took advantage of the chaos to escape with his iron machine. They also released grain stores, offering extra rations to those willing to join the Xiang Army. Your sister left with them too, saying she wanted to revolt.”

Hong Liangyu was furious, “I’ve never heard of women revolting in all my life! If you had not mistreated my sister, why would she run away with strangers for some grain? You must have driven her away by treating her poorly!”

“It’s unjust! Unjust!” the woman cried in protest. “The Xiang Army truly does recruit women, I’ve seen it with my own eyes, hundreds of them! When I received your money, I honestly took care of her. Apart from providing her with food and clothes, I even added to her dowry. The remaining money is neatly packed, now buried under the ashes of the kitchen stove. When Landlord Hu’s servant came to intimidate us, I sent Yingying to her in-laws and adamantly denied everything, incurring his wrath! You’re accusing me with no basis, brother-in-law, this is a betrayal of your conscience.”

The woman spoke rapidly and urgently, her words coherent and reasonable, not seeming to be fabrications. Remembering his search through the house, where he indeed found many articles belonging to a young lady, Hong Liangyu began to believe her story somewhat.

He sullenly dropped the knife, stepped back a few paces, and gave the woman a bow.

“I must have been out of my mind just now, speaking nonsense. Sister-in-law Mo, please take no offense.”

The woman eyed Hong Liangyu somewhat hesitantly, as if truly seeing him for the first time. Feeling a bit more at ease, she ventured, “The Xiang Army left just today, heading south. I heard they plan to set up in Living Fish Valley. They have many people and horses, so they can’t travel quickly. Perhaps you can still catch up. I failed to take proper care of Yingying, so you can take the money buried under the stove as well.”

Hong Liangyu shook his head, “If what you said is true, and Yingying left the money with you, then your family should use it with peace of mind. If I, Old Tang, leave this time, I doubt I’ll ever return.”

He memorized the name Living Fish Valley, turned around, and left the courtyard. It wasn’t long before he vanished into the night.

Only then did the man lift his head to watch, asking, “Was that the nephew from the Tang family?”

After pondering for a while, the woman shook her head, “His voice doesn’t seem quite right.”

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