Section 346: The Small Village
When they returned to the village, Old Man Broken Cart was warmly greeting the villagers. Clearly, Ye Zhong and Rui Bing's timely intervention and rescue had quickly earned them the villagers' acceptance. Some of the older women held Rui Bing's hands, chatting with her intermittently. Rui Bing's normally ice-cold face was slightly flushed; she kept her head down, wearing an embarrassed expression.
Seeing Ye Zhong return, Rui Bing hurried over to him.
Ye Zhong shook his head. "He got away, but I managed to hit him once."
Rui Bing couldn't help but feel a little surprised. She knew better than anyone how skilled Ye Zhong was. For the opponent to actually escape from him meant he truly had some capability. Moreover, she knew Ye Zhong's combat style – he would never rest until the enemy was completely eliminated.
Noticing Rui Bing's puzzlement, Ye Zhong said, "He disappeared as soon as he entered the jungle. I found it strange too."
A young man nearby chimed in, "You must be facing a Child Snatcher for the first time. They are extremely adept at concealing themselves. The more complex the environment, the more effectively they can utilize their skills." The villagers had witnessed Ye Zhong's abilities, and everyone looked at him with respect.
"Oh?" Ye Zhong couldn't help but ask, "What do these Child Snatchers do?"
Almost all the villagers showed astonishment. One of them asked curiously, "You don't know about the Child Snatchers?"
Old Man Broken Cart quickly rushed over, laughing heartily to smooth things over. "My friends here have lived in remote areas since they were young. They really don't know much about the outside world. Ah, what can I do? They insisted I bring them out to see the world, haha, so I had to oblige. If they seem ignorant about anything, please don't take it personally."
The villagers then understood. One older man with a weathered appearance laughed heartily, "Haha, you're too polite. If it weren't for you all this time, those Child Snatchers would probably have succeeded. This young man's skills are truly excellent, even better than I was in my youth. And this young lady is quite impressive too."
Old Man Broken Cart explained to Ye Zhong and the others, "The Child Snatchers have been around for decades. No one knows exactly who they are or what kind of organization they belong to. They secretly abduct children with potential from all over. No one knows where these children end up. Every year, a number of children go missing. These Child Snatchers are all incredibly skilled. Many people don't understand why they abduct children. If they openly recruited disciples, countless parents would probably send their children to them."
"That's right!" The older man sighed. "With their skills, if they were to recruit disciples, countless people would be scrambling to get in. There's even a saying among people: a child noticed by the Child Snatchers must have exceptional aptitude. Their judgment is very sharp. I never thought there would be children in our village that the Child Snatchers would find appealing." Having said that, the older man looked intently at Ye Zhong.
"Hehe, congratulations to your village. When these two little ones grow up, your circumstances are bound to improve. Ah, it's a pity we have matters to attend to, otherwise, taking on disciples like these two would be ideal." Old Man Broken Cart politely declined.
The older man couldn't hide a trace of disappointment, but still said genially, "Haha, they will have their own destinies; it's not for us old folks to worry too much. Looks like you've been traveling for a long time. Please, come inside and rest. Have some water, and we two old men can have a good chat."
Old Man Broken Cart smiled, "Good, good! It's been a long time since I've been out and about. I don't know how things are outside now. It's a good chance to learn from you, old brother!"
The villagers were very enthusiastic, crowding around Ye Zhong's group as they entered the village.
Looking at the dilapidated houses, Ye Zhong and the others were speechless. They finally understood just how low the level of productivity was that Old Man Broken Cart had mentioned. They almost felt like they had entered a primitive society. There was no trace of any modern technology to be seen. Primitive fishing nets, harpoon-like spears only seen in history museums, wooden chairs, coarse pottery bowls and basins, and the lamps on the walls burned fish oil, emitting a faint, pleasant fragrance upon entering the house.
What caught Ye Zhong's eye the most were the wall bricks of the house. They were all made of bluish stone, with clear cut marks still visible. These bricks had been completely cut by hand from larger blocks of bluestone. How much manpower must that have taken? Ye Zhong finally understood why it was said here that everything was based on individual strength.
Whoever made these bricks was certainly no amateur. Simply relying on brute force to split bluestone wasn't easy.
The women brought bowls of water and enthusiastically handed them to everyone. Ye Zhong took a bowl and took a small sip. Although it had a slight earthy taste, it was exceptionally clear and sweet. Without thinking, Ye Zhong drank it all in one go. The others did the same, finishing their bowls in one breath. The women who had brought the water beamed with joy, very pleased.
Old Man Broken Cart chatted with the villagers nearby.
"Old brother, are the Child Snatchers' activities so rampant now?" Old Man Broken Cart asked.
"This is the first time we've encountered such a situation here. If not for your help, those two children would probably never see their parents again. The major clans have tight security now, so they've turned their attention to small villages like ours. Ai, it's also our fault for being useless. If we had one or two experts, we wouldn't be so passive. We'll have to send these two kids to a major clan later; staying with us has no future," said one of the elders.
The surrounding villagers all showed expressions of shame.
Old Man Broken Cart quickly comforted him, "Old brother, don't blame yourself. These things can't be forced. Fortunately, everyone was vigilant, otherwise, even meeting us wouldn't have helped."
"Recently, nearby villages have suffered similar incidents. The Wang Clan has notified all the surrounding villages, so we were somewhat prepared. Ah, we'll send these two to the Wang Clan in the next couple of days. The Wang Clan has many experts; they can learn some skills there. Children noticed by the Child Snatchers won't lack for someone willing to take them," another villager added, though he seemed slightly resentful that Ye Zhong hadn't taken the two children as disciples. Children noticed by the Child Snatchers had excellent aptitude and were ideal candidates for disciples.
Old Man Broken Cart looked somewhat embarrassed. "They are still young and aren't thinking about taking on disciples yet."
The eldest elder scolded displeased, "A Wei, watch your words!"
The villager who had just spoken blushed bright red, realizing the impropriety of his words.
"It's alright, it's alright, we're just chatting casually," Old Man Broken Cart quickly smoothed things over, then changed the subject. "Might I ask, old brother, which Wang Clan are you referring to? I remember there was no Wang Clan here when I came thirty years ago."
"So, brother, you were here thirty years ago? No wonder. We moved here twenty years ago. The original villagers had already left; I don't know where they went. The Wang Clan moved here the year after we arrived. They are a major clan, you know? I heard they have 800,000 people. Don't know why they moved here. They rarely interact with us villagers nearby. But since they moved here, the area has become much quieter. No one dares to cause trouble around here anymore, and our lives have improved a lot," the elder villager said.
Old Man Broken Cart was slightly surprised. "Oh, such a large clan, 800,000 people? That's really not small."
"Exactly! The Wang Clan has produced experts generation after generation. Last time, a bandit group of over 300 people drifted near here. The Wang Clan only sent fifty men and wiped out all three hundred, leaving none alive. Their methods were ruthless, sparing no one. We specifically went to Wild Ox Ridge; there's a very large burial mound there. But it was also after that incident that no bandits dared to come again," one villager said, gesturing animatedly.
Old Man Broken Cart couldn't help but frown. Dealing with such a major clan required extreme caution.
Seemingly noticing Old Man Broken Cart's concern, the elder villager said, "Don't worry. The Wang Clan generally doesn't pay much attention to outsiders. As long as you don't provoke them, nothing will happen. And the Wang Clan people are quite friendly. If we need their help with something, going to them for assistance usually works out. Moreover, the Wang Clan's estate is the largest market within a three-hundred-kilometer radius. Whatever you want to buy, you can definitely find it there. If you want to sell something, the Wang Clan's purchase prices are relatively fair, much better than those unscrupulous merchants. Since the Wang Clan moved here, we always take our goods to sell at the Wang Estate."
"That's good, that's good." Old Man Broken Cart nodded repeatedly. "It seems the Wang Clan is quite decent. Some major clans can be really domineering."
Just then, a man's clear voice sounded from outside the door: "We heard your village encountered Child Snatchers. Wang Meng of the Wang Clan, along with four others, have been dispatched to offer assistance."
Speak of the devil, the Wang Clan had arrived.
The elder immediately went outside. Five men stood lined up outside the village. What surprised Ye Zhong and the others most was that each of them carried cold weapons. All five wore identical blue training uniforms, looking impressive and full of heroic spirit.
From Ye Zhong's perspective, he could tell these five men's skills were not to be underestimated.