With the Blade

Chapter 309: Chapter 260: Wangyou Village

"What a bunch of..."

The elderly Yang Xuan angrily slammed the table, almost cursing on the spot. However, before the words could leave his mouth, he nearly choked with rage.

Fortunately, everyone rushed to help, pinching his philtrum and forcing medicine down his throat, finally allowing Old Yang to catch his breath.

By rights, Old Yang shouldn’t be angry. After all, these refugees finally had their own home, far away from the clamor of the world. In this haven created by Du Chengfeng, after wandering who knows how long, they’d finally found a place to belong. Able to retreat to the countryside and live in peace, their greatest wish was already fulfilled. From now on, all they needed to do was live well.

"Let’s call this place Wangyou Village then!"

After some discussion, the name "Du Family Fort" proposed by Old Yang was ultimately vetoed by Du Chengfeng. Compared to a name linked to a single family, Du Chengfeng felt that a name carrying everyone’s hopes was much better.

Wangyou, to forget worries, to forget troubles. As long as you return to this place called "home," all worries and troubles should vanish.

But will they really vanish?

Is having a prosperous land really enough to live in peace?

"Absolutely not!"

Du Chengfeng had the most authority on this matter.

Originally, Du Chengfeng hadn’t thought so far ahead. He believed that as long as he created a place where everyone could live, life would get better. If there was any workload, it would be building more houses and opening more fields. As long as crops were planted, everything would work out, or so he thought.

But soon, reality gave Du Chengfeng a harsh lesson.

Spring planting, autumn harvest, that takes at least half a year. During this interim period, do they really have enough stored food to eat?

"I... will go out for a while."

After assessing the villagers’ grain reserves, Du Chengfeng silently decided to go out and seek aid.

Of course, such begging would not be met with kindness. Faced with insults and scolding, Du Chengfeng could only regretfully eliminate several mountain forts altogether. After cleansing eight villages in two days, Wangyou Village’s food stores were finally sufficient to last until the next year.

Then, new problems emerged.

They had enough grain but not enough salt, nor cloth. Being in a valley, Wangyou Village had plenty of wood, but tools like hemp rope and metal tools like hoes and shovels were insufficient.

"There’s still tea, vinegar, oil, soy sauce, books for the academy, lambs for the pasture, medicinal soup for the old man, and candy for the children..."

The more he listed, the more Du Chengfeng’s scalp tingled. Establishing Wangyou Village was supposed to be the end, but who knew that more daunting tasks lay ahead.

Faced with the long list of needs, Du Chengfeng felt a splitting headache. He would rather face ancient strongmen than these endless demands.

Fortunately, he wasn’t working alone.

"Let me handle this!"

When Du Chengfeng was at his wit’s end, Old Yang Xuan volunteered.

After some discussion, Old Yang Xuan indeed seemed the most appropriate. Although the Yang family had declined, in earlier years, they did manage a fort, and many of the Yang family members had business experience. Getting what they needed from outside was certainly possible.

As for funds, that was easily solved. The loot from the eight mountain forts, along with the refugees’ original resources, was more than enough to purchase all kinds of living necessities.

But Du Chengfeng and Liu Bolun both felt a bit disappointed; this wasn’t quite the reclusive life they imagined.

Hoping to lead a good life, several trading groups set out with goods. Though they called it trade, they didn’t travel far, just gathering supplies from places a dozen miles away. According to Du Chengfeng, it was "no different from going to the store to buy a bottle of water," a simple transaction expected to take less than a day.

Yet this supposedly safe trading venture still hit a snag.

The trading teams left, but only a few donkeys returned. Seeing these bruised and battered old donkeys, everyone realized the seriousness of the situation. Furious, Du Chengfeng decided to go out once more; this time, however, his search was fruitless. Though he sacked several newly established mountain forts, there was no trace of the missing people.

Clearly, this wasn’t the work of local bandits. Some distant outlaws must have committed the robbery and fled immediately afterward.

Unable to find the culprits nearby, Du Chengfeng decided to search further. This time, he planned to bring along Xiao Cui to sweep the surroundings clean. Fortunately, not everyone was overcome by rage. After consulting Liu Bolun, Qian Yu, and the wooden craftsman Li, Yang Xuan finally stopped Du Chengfeng from heading out for revenge.

"This is a matter for the Yang family, and I will handle it... I’m old, but not so old that anyone can bully me!"

Old Yang Xuan assured them, pounding his chest in guarantee.

Primarily, this incident was an enormous embarrassment for the Yang family. During this time, everyone made significant progress in their endeavors—Du Chengfeng’s training ground was now active, Liu Bolun and Qian Yu’s revitalized academy echoed with the sound of reading, farmers were industriously opening fields, and Li the carpenter helped erect the village homes.

Only the Yang family seemed to be losing their prominence.

Hence, Yang Xuan took on the trading task; he saw it as an opportunity for the Yang family to restore their prestige. Otherwise, living on borrowed resources would lead to rapid decline—who could have imagined such a straightforward trade would cause such trouble, even costing the lives of many Yang family members.

But what truly angered Yang Xuan wasn’t just this setback.

It was discovering who the real culprits were.

"Dengzhou City... playing tricks right under my nose?"

Fixing his gaze toward the eastern city, the elderly Yang Xuan nearly crushed the armrest of his wheelchair.

"Robbing Wangyou Village’s goods and then demanding ransom from me? Do they truly think they can get away with this?"

"Are they really not afraid of death?"