Chapter Ninety-One: Meeting the Moment

News of Qi Jun’s return spread quickly through the village, and Liu Kui and the others at once summoned every villager to the open ground at the village entrance.

The women Qi Jun had rescued from Panlong Ridge also gathered off to one side, whispering among themselves. In every one of their eyes there was unmistakable concern, and longing for him.

Since the previous day, when the city gate had suddenly been shut for no apparent reason and the common people forbidden to enter or leave, and when the county soldiers and bandits had unexpectedly joined forces in an attack, a dark cloud of unease had settled over every villager’s heart.

In ancient times, city gates could not be opened and closed at will. There were strict hours for both opening and shutting them.

When A Xin took Mr. Tian to the prefectural city, they had missed their time on the road. By the time they arrived, the gate was already closed, and they were forced to spend the night in a small village outside the walls.

There is an old saying about desperate tricks and cunning thefts, which comes from the tale of Lord Mengchang of the state of Qi. When he was detained while on a mission to Qin and finally managed to flee to Hangu Pass, he found the gate shut and could not get out. Under Qin law, the gate would not open until the crowing of the rooster, so one of his retainers imitated a rooster to trick the guards into opening the gate, and they escaped that way.

So the sudden, unexplained closing of Anqiang County’s gate was, to the villagers, a matter of grave concern.

When the villagers who had hurried over saw Qi Jun standing atop the great stone, their hearts immediately settled somewhat.

Though the sight of the bandages wrapped around his face made them worry for him, as long as Qi Jun stood there, they felt they had the strength to face whatever came.

“Master Qi, what happened to your face? What on earth has gone on in the county?” one villager asked anxiously.

“They’ve shut the gates in the county. Could it be war?” Aunt Meng had recently heard a great many rumors, and she too was deeply alarmed by the closure.

“Master, tell us quickly. What are we supposed to do?”

“I knew it had to be those Qiang people again. We should pack up and flee while there’s still time!”

Qi Jun raised a hand for silence. Just as he was about to speak, his eyes swept across the crowd and caught sight of Yun Fei, who was helping the clan elder toward them from the rear.

The moment Yun Fei saw Qi Jun’s face, the joy she had been wearing at once changed.

She did not know what Qi Jun had gone through to end up injured like this. In an instant, tears misted her eyes, and there was nothing in them but distress and concern for him.

But she said nothing. Supporting the clan elder, she walked to the front of the crowd and looked up at Qi Jun with a faintly reproachful expression.

The clan elder’s arrival brought the villagers fully to order. One by one, they greeted him and then naturally stepped back to give him room.

“Master Qi, nearly all the men, women, old, and young of our Dongling Village are here. You’d best tell us what this is all about. We may be relying on you,” the clan elder said, leaning on his cane with both hands as he faced Qi Jun.

“I think everyone already understands that the county must have had some major incident, since the gates were shut so suddenly. But exactly what happened inside the county, I can’t say for certain yet. My guess is that something may have happened at the county soldiers’ camp.” Qi Jun paused, then went on, “This is a special time. Whatever has happened, from this moment on everyone must stay on guard and maintain strict vigilance at all times.”

He had intended to tell them as well that he had been attacked by county soldiers beneath the city wall, but when he saw Yun Fei, he decided to keep that to himself.

It seemed that every time he came back and saw her, he was always wounded. Qi Jun let out a quiet sigh. He did not want to burden her heart with still more worry.

Low murmurs began to stir among the crowd, but Qi Jun saw no sign of panic on the villagers’ faces. Having weathered several bandit raids before, they had already grown accustomed to situations and moods like this.

“Master, just tell us plainly what we should do!” Liu Kui called out loudly, unable to hold himself back.

“For safety’s sake, I think it would be best if everyone moved into the mountains for the next two days. Biao and I will first find a way into the city to gather news, and then we can make further plans.” Faced with this unknown upheaval, even Qi Jun was somewhat at a loss.

“Master, take more men with you. The ones under Liu Biao are all quick-witted. With me and the blacksmith here, the villagers won’t come to any harm.” Liu Kui thumped his chest and glanced at Liu Fuyuan. Arms folded, Liu Fuyuan seemed to be thinking over something, then silently nodded.

Under the coordination of the various team leaders, the villagers began moving in an orderly fashion.

“Biao, what about the things we brought down from Panlong Ridge?” Qi Jun asked in a low voice when he reached Liu Biao’s side.

“Master, don’t worry. Those are our most precious possessions. The county soldiers left behind by Captain Sun were watching them closely. Yesterday, with the situation so urgent, I had men lead them to hide everything in the mountains.” Liu Biao said this with confidence.

Learning that the money and goods brought down from Panlong Ridge were also safe, Qi Jun finally felt somewhat relieved. What worried him now was the situation inside the county.

“I wonder what on earth happened to Sun Jiu and the others...” Qi Jun murmured, gazing toward Anqiang in thought. Turning back to Liu Biao, he said, “I remember that when Mo Daogu attacked us, we seized a fine horse. Arrange for one of our men to ride to the prefectural city and report Anqiang’s situation to the prefectural commandant.”

“The horse was taken by Liu Kui. I’ll go ask him for it now.” Liu Biao nodded and had barely taken a few steps away when he seemed to remember something. He turned back with a somewhat awkward expression and said to Qi Jun, “Master, the horse is still there, but the bandits we captured last time...”

“What happened to the bandits?” Qi Jun froze, already sensing their fate from Liu Biao’s tone.

“You said that after the fight at Panlong Ridge we were to hand them over to the authorities in exchange for silver. But later, when you were wounded by the bandits’ poison arrow in the mountains and almost didn’t make it, everyone grew furious with those bandits and never sent them to the authorities...”

“So... what did you do with them?”

“Well, not much... it was just that Brother Kui refused to let them have any food, and in the end they all starved to death...” Saying this, Liu Biao worried that Qi Jun might be angry, so he hurriedly added, “Actually, there was no way around it. Back then we could barely feed ourselves, let alone look after them...”

Hearing this, Qi Jun let out a sigh and patted Liu Biao on the shoulder. He knew that Liu Kui had been forced into it, and besides, he had no mind at the moment to concern himself with how many bandits had starved to death.

Liu Biao had long felt that starving prisoners to death was a matter of conscience and reason, and because he had failed to carry out Qi Jun’s orders, he had been carrying a sense of guilt.

He had kept the matter buried in his heart, never sure whether he ought to speak of it. Now, taking the chance to confess, and seeing that Qi Jun did not blame him, he immediately felt a great weight lift from his chest.

“Give these things to that brother as well, and make sure he sets out at once.” Fearing that the prefectural commandant might not readily believe the message, Qi Jun also removed his identity tally and camp token and handed them to Liu Biao.

Liu Biao gave an acknowledgment, knowing the matter was urgent and not daring to delay. He took the items and hurried off.

Watching the villagers, old and young, carrying their belongings and moving toward the back mountain, Qi Jun could not help but feel a surge of bitterness and helplessness in his heart.

The largest bandit gang in Anqiang had clearly been wiped out. He was about to be promoted to county commandant, and he now had considerable wealth and manpower at his disposal. Yet the people of Dongling Village still had to live like this, forever hiding and fleeing, forever anxious and afraid.

This unremarkable corner of Great Liang was changing under his efforts, but it seemed the villagers’ lives had hardly changed at all.

Qi Jun clenched his fist, silently vowing that from this day forward, scenes like this must never be allowed to happen again.