Chapter 67: Chapter 59: Completely Unhinged (Part 2)
Still need to find more materials to help his brother Du set up the stable.
"Anything left..."
Thinking this, Li the Carpenter instinctively looked towards the storeroom.
Suddenly, a piece of wood shot out of the storeroom, leapt onto the courtyard wall, and started running.
But before the piece of wood could leap over the wall, Li the Carpenter had already thrown a branch that hit the wood square on its "head."
"If it’s poplar, it can probably do for now, anyway, it’s just for covering the stable."
Thinking this, Li the Carpenter continued scanning.
No more wood pieces ran over, leaving Li the Carpenter, who had prepared to labor leisurely, slightly disappointed. But then again, how could great things happen like wood growing legs and running over — fortunately, he just knocked down a piece of escaping poplar wood, and there were some leftover materials in the courtyard.
Two small and one large, although not the best materials, together with these scraps, the stable could be built.
"As long as a little repair is done..."
Saying this, Li the Carpenter carried his axe and walked over.
"First remove the branches..."
"Dad!"
Just as the axe was about to fall, Li the Carpenter suddenly heard a familiar call.
This caused his movement to suddenly halt.
"Who called me?"
Li the Carpenter couldn’t help being a bit confused.
It should be the children calling him. He remembered, it was two kids calling him, these little rascals were noisy... oh right, his wife was calling him too, but where was his wife? And where were those two kids?
"Dad! Let go! Quickly put that thing down!"
"Dear! Wake up! Wake up!"
Familiar voices hovered near his ears, seemingly close, but Li the Carpenter couldn’t see where his wife and kids were at all — he could only see the scraps surrounding him, as if intending to bind him completely.
Of course, Li the Carpenter couldn’t just sit there waiting for death. He had dealt with wood all his life, how could mere wood claim his life?
Li the Carpenter raised the great axe.
But there was water dripping onto him.
It should be the sap of the trees, Li the Carpenter thought, as unseasoned wood tends to have this situation, though compared to sap, these water droplets seemed clearer — if he had to compare it to something, it resembled human tears more.
Wood can cry? Grass and wood have feelings?
Li the Carpenter never believed this, after all, he himself was a woodworker, believing in such things would just be tormenting oneself.
But, he thought of his children.
His two little rascals were almost as tall as these two pieces of scrap wood now. In a few more years, they would definitely become good helpers, allowing his wife to have some ease — to ensure the family could live well, he had long made up his mind, even if it meant sacrificing his life...
"...Wait?"
Li the Carpenter suddenly felt a bit dazed.
"Sacrificing... life? When did I swear such an oath?"
Li the Carpenter vaguely recalled something.
Yes, sacrificing life, he indeed did so. It was at the most critical moment, at the scariest time, to protect his family and children, he reached out to touch something he should never have touched... Wait, what was that thing?
"Clang—"
The ancient great axe fell to the ground, and the redness in Li the Carpenter’s eyes gradually faded away.
He finally saw his wife and children.
And those in the courtyard, his just-completed "works."
...
...
...
"So, this is your reason for lighting a fire in the courtyard?"
Du Chengfeng dismounted and looked at Li the Carpenter, who was throwing human-bar stools into the fire, scratching his head.
He hadn’t expected that those twenty-something scouts could sneak up to Yang Family Fort, nor did he expect that these elite scouts under He Xiqing had merely harassed a few households and were all cleanly killed by Li the Carpenter, and even turned into a kind of... works.
Although he couldn’t really appreciate these masterpieces, he had to admit, what Li the Carpenter created using the remains of the grassland people were quite performative art.
"Besides, weren’t you squeamish about blood?"
"No longer squeamish."
Li the Carpenter, covered in wounds, shook his head with a bitter smile.
"After all... well. These things can’t be taken out, so I can only burn them in the courtyard. Come help out."
"Why not just chop them up and burn them?"
Seeing Li the Carpenter limping, Du Chengfeng simply cut through the stool with a blade.
"Moreover, how could these things be burned in the courtyard? I should call the Yang family people over..."
"Forget it."
Li the Carpenter waved his hand repeatedly.
It’s not that he doesn’t need it, but he’s already called them, and the result is clear, all the young men in the village aren’t too keen on helping transport these ’foundation materials’— Actually, if it were just corpses, they wouldn’t be unwilling to help, but Li the Carpenter processed these building materials too well.
Du Chengfeng thought a moment, and simply let Li the Carpenter give up the slow burning method.
After greeting Li, who gathered his family’s valuables, Du Chengfeng lit a fire and burned the entire courtyard along with the bodies inside.
"As for the new place, live next to me. Be nice to have a neighbor, a perfect mutual lookout."
This is indeed a good lookout, simply because when Du Chengfeng touched the battle axe earlier, he could sense something.
To his surprise, this ancient great axe, originally left for Li the Carpenter to use in a desperate fight, truly acknowledged Li, who was timid and even squeamish about blood.
Which means, besides himself, the entire Yang Family Fort now possessed a second person who could harness the Evil Qi of weaponry.
Though it surprised Du Chengfeng, it also made sense. After all, Li the Carpenter, although never practiced martial arts nor fought, his determination to fight to the death for his family was far more unwavering than any aggressive bravery.
Perhaps that’s why the ancient great axe acknowledged Li the Carpenter.
Because this time, the one wielding it wasn’t just a warrior, but also a husband, a father.
Of course, having Li the Carpenter take on He Xiqing might be unlikely, but to deal with the ordinary grassland barbarians, this great axe would be more than enough. With Li the Carpenter, a familiar neighbor nearby, Du could rest easier even during the day.
Moreover, Li the Carpenter brought him something important.
"These are the curved knives from He Xiqing’s scouts..."
Since touching these twenty-something curved knives, Du Chengfeng realized these knives were completely different from those in his stockpile.
While the knives were indeed the same type, compared to ordinary iron, these newly obtained curved knives could be considered seasoned veteran’s weapons.
Importantly, the owners of these curved knives should have been released from Ji Town.
As the saying goes, when times are favorable, heaven and earth work in unison.
Not only did Li the Carpenter turn out unharmed, becoming an additional support, after acquiring these weapons, Du Chengfeng gained further insight into his enemies.
"He Xiqing, is it?"
Waking up in the moonlight, Du Chengfeng picked up a curved knife.
"Let me see, what are you up to lately?"
Saying this, the grassland curved knife was placed onto a wet Grinding Stone.
