At the entrance of Su Qi'an's house in Dongshan Village, a large crowd had gathered, most of them villagers there to watch the commotion.
At the forefront, Qin Ziyin stood with her small face etched with anger.
Who would have thought that Guan Zhanggui, the coffin merchant, would be so shameless as to return openly and demand payment for the coffin?
Everyone present knew what Guan Zhanggui was thinking—he had noticed that Su Qi'an had been gone for three days and wanted to take advantage of the situation to extort some money.
Although everyone understood his motives, most of the villagers wouldn't step forward to intervene. For one, Guan Zhanggui had brought along some very different companions this time. Their ferocious appearances and the bandit-like aura they exuded made it clear that they were likely bandits from the mountains.
With this realization, the villagers maintained their usual principle of avoiding trouble when possible, keeping quiet and staying out of it.
However, this was no small matter. While most villagers could choose to remain uninvolved, as the village head, Old Li had no such option and stepped forward.
Village Chief Li stroked his graying beard with an expression of displeasure as he spoke.
"Master Guan, what is the meaning of your visit today? Didn't we settle this matter last time? Judging by your stance today, you don't seem inclined to resolve this peacefully."
"Although I may be old and frail, I am still the leader of this village. If I were to allow you to bully our villagers like this, I might as well give up my position as village head."
Village Chief Li's words left Guan Zhanggui momentarily stunned.
He knew all about Dongshan Village's recent troubles with a tiger coming down from the mountains, as well as Su Qi'an leading a group of hunters into the wild forest to capture it. He also remembered how his previous attempt to collect money had gone terribly wrong, with his nephew nearly losing his life and ending up with a severed arm, now bedridden.
That incident had been a direct humiliation to Guan Zhanggui. While he made his living selling coffins and had accumulated some wealth, he also prided himself on his reputation.
What did it matter if Su Qi'an was a scholar? In these times, scholars were a dime a dozen, and Guan Zhanggui couldn't swallow this insult.
To ensure this time went differently, Guan Zhanggui had spent a significant amount of money to hire some bandits from Dongzi Mountain to back him up. His plan was to secretly teach Su Qi'an a lesson. Who could have guessed that Su Qi'an would head into the wild forest to hunt a tiger and hadn't returned for three days? For Guan Zhanggui, this was a godsend.
He wasn't going to let this opportunity slip away. With Su Qi'an likely dead, this was the perfect chance to strike.
At first, everything had gone smoothly, including confronting Qin Ziyin. But then Old Li, who rarely stood out, not only backed Qin Ziyin but also made his position crystal clear. It seemed he was determined to protect her.
What had Su Qi'an done in just a few days to change Old Li's attitude so drastically?
Though Guan Zhanggui wasn't afraid of Village Chief Li, the man's position as village head still carried weight. If pushed too far, Guan Zhanggui might find himself in a difficult spot. Yet, if he were to back down now, he would lose face entirely.
After a brief silence, Guan Zhanggui clasped his hands toward Village Chief Li and said in a low voice, "Since the village head has spoken, I will respect your wishes. However, as a businessman, I have my own principles. Once something is sold, it cannot be returned."
"I don't wish to escalate matters, so let's settle this with five taels of silver. Then this matter will be resolved."
"Five taels! Isn't that just daylight robbery?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down. This has nothing to do with you. Don't bring trouble on yourself."
The crowd immediately erupted in murmurs.
Five taels of silver was an astronomical sum for the villagers, who would have to work half a year or longer to earn that much. A coffin's price, even at its highest, wouldn't exceed one tael, yet Guan Zhanggui had casually increased the price fifty-fold. It was outrageous.
Qin Ziyin's face turned ashen with fury as she retorted, "Master Guan, don't you think you're going too far? My husband may not be home, but the Su family is not one to be bullied!"
"Not one copper coin will you get from us, let alone five taels!"
"Exactly! Five taels? He must be dreaming. Don't worry, Sister Qin—we're here for you today. Not a single coin will be given."
"That's right! Just because there's no man in the house doesn't mean you can take advantage. Sisters, we must protect Qin Ziyin at all costs today."
Hearing Qin Ziyin's words, a few voices chimed in agreement. Shortly after, three to five women stepped forward from the crowd, shielding Qin Ziyin.
Qin Ziyin recognized them—they were the wives of the hunters who had gone with Su Qi'an into the wild forest and had yet to return.
Guan Zhanggui arched an eyebrow, clearly not expecting the usually gentle Su family's mistress to be so defiant. Moreover, she had rallied the hunter's wives to stand with her.
It seemed this would not end peacefully, but that suited Guan Zhanggui just fine.
The hunter's wives may have been tough, but they were no match for the bandits of Dongzi Mountain. If things went south, whatever happened wouldn't be his responsibility.
Guan Zhanggui glanced at Village Chief Li and shook his head. "Village Chief, you can see for yourself. I'm willing to compromise, but these women refuse. There's nothing more I can do."
At his signal, the group of over ten thuggish men stepped forward, cracking their knuckles with menacing expressions as they approached Qin Ziyin and the others.
Village Chief Li's face darkened as he stepped forward to intervene, but before he could act, he was kicked aside.
"Hmph, where did this old man come from? Get lost if you don't want to die!" one of the bandits sneered.
"Brothers, we rarely come down the mountain. What do you think we should do with these feisty little ladies?"
"Ha! Teach them a lesson, of course!" the others laughed uproariously.
The men began eyeing Qin Ziyin and the other women lecherously, their gazes like those of starving wolves.
As they reached out to grab them, an unexpected, gut-wrenching scream of pain erupted instead of the anticipated cries of terror.
Everyone froze and turned toward the source of the sound.
The lead bandit was curled on the ground like a shrimp, a sharp arrow having pierced straight through his arm and out his back.
Before the scream could fade, another arrow tore through the air and struck his forehead. His body went limp, and blood pooled around him.
The sudden scene left the villagers and even the bandits, who had been laughing moments ago, completely stunned.
The bandits quickly regained their composure and reached to grab someone as a hostage, but three more arrows flew in rapid succession, striking another bandit in the head, chest, and stomach. He collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
The remaining bandits, realizing the danger, scattered in all directions. But no matter how far they ran, arrows seemed to follow them relentlessly, like the scythe of death itself.
It was a one-sided slaughter. By the time the fifteenth arrow was fired, the last bandit fell with an arrow through the back of his head.
Though a few had survived the initial barrage, they were too injured to escape. The villagers, emboldened by a mysterious voice that had warned, "If they leave alive, your families will die tomorrow," stepped forward with shovels and hoes to finish the job.
With no choice but to protect their families, the villagers silenced the remaining bandits, ending the threat once and for all.
[--------------------------------------------]
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