Chapter 78: Beast

“It’s already quite good. Today, I had intended to kill half the people and leave the other half to work. Zheng Wenfu’s humility left me without an excuse, but this way, he won’t interfere with my business any longer.” Cai Cong spoke with a smile, evidently satisfied with the outcome. He was no bloodthirsty killer; sparing lives was best.

“Heh, sir, you may not know Zheng Wenfu well. His heart is wicked, his favorite tactic is to strike from behind. I fear…” Gongsun Neng’s face was full of concern, recalling how his own overconfidence had cost him dearly.

“No matter. He’s investigated me, so he won’t dare play any tricks behind my back.” Cai Cong replied, brimming with confidence.

“That’s not certain. In Zhengzhou, there’s nothing they dare not do.”

“And in Zhengzhou, there’s nothing I won’t dare do. If he tries to strike from behind, I’ll send troops to flatten the Zheng family—leave not even a chicken or dog alive.” Cai Cong drank a sip of water, his words icy and calm, making Gongsun Neng shudder. The Zheng family had finally met an unyielding and unreasonable adversary.

Under the night sky, several soldiers stood on the hill, accompanied by a man shackled with iron chains and holding a compass, gazing down under the moonlight at the land below. There were many such groups, all stationed near the gathering places of the common folk, watching from heights.

“How long are you going to stare? Have you figured anything out yet? If you keep dawdling, I’ll smash your head in with one punch,” a soldier snarled impatiently. The chained man, his face full of fear, glared back stubbornly, “If you think you can, come and do it. I’d rather go back to prison and wait for death.”

“Hmph, I won’t stoop to your level, you grave-robbing scoundrel. Find the water source quickly—this is a good deed that can lessen your crimes.” The soldier grumbled, restraining his irritation. Grave robbers disturbed ancestral graves and peace; once caught, they were condemned to death, with no sympathy from anyone.

No one could guarantee their own ancestral graves would never be robbed, so everyone despised such men. Were their skills not needed to locate water, these thieves would have been beaten to death long ago.

“Do you need to nag? We’re more anxious than you. There, there, and over there, and by that crooked tree at the village entrance—mark them all down.” The grave robber pointed out several spots, his tone surly.

“Just these places? Fine, I’ll call people to start digging right away.” The soldier scribbled in his notebook, ready to shout for workers to dig wells.

The grave robber grabbed him, looking at him as if he were a fool, “What are you doing? I told you to note them down, not dig right now! We must observe the soil and moisture when the sun rises tomorrow. Who told you that a glance is enough to tell if there’s water?”

That night, carriages and horses moved endlessly in and out of Zhengzhou. The heavens favored them, the bright moon blanketing the earth in a silvery veil. Countless people trembled at the sounds, fearing their own families would be targeted. Even Zheng Wenfu was startled awake several times, clutching his chest as he lay down.

At dawn, the villagers of Ma Jiang Village rose early. Dew still coated the leaves and bamboo, scraped off to give to the children to drink.

Chen Fengshi was up before anyone else, having been out for half an hour already. Her lips were cracked and dry, and she struggled to resist gulping down the last drops at the bottom of the bucket.

Each time she was about to drink, she restrained herself. She could endure a little longer, chew some tree roots later; but her child could not. Her husband had been beaten to death when he went to beg for water, her eldest son drowned upstream for stealing a drink; now only her daughter remained. She dared not let the girl die of thirst.

There were so many people in this world; she could not let every misfortune fall upon her family. Thinking of this, she averted her eyes from the meager water dampening the bucket bottom and hurried home.

Suddenly, she stopped. At the crooked tree at the village entrance, a crowd had gathered, and many villagers were hiding. Damn it, could the bullies upstream be here to torment them again?

Fury welled up inside her. Seeing her enemies, rage overtook her reason. She rushed to the village entrance, crying out, “You beasts, what more do you want? Our people survive only by chewing tree roots now. Are you here to steal even those?”

Someone glanced at her in puzzlement, then knelt on the ground to taste the soil, covered it with black cloth, watched for a while, and nodded, “This is the place—dig deep. There’s water five meters down.”

Chen Fengshi stood stunned, her mind buzzing. The words “water” echoed endlessly in her head.

“Are you from Ma Jiang Village? His Majesty the Emperor of Chang’an has sent Imperial Envoy Cai Cong to relieve the disaster. The geomancer has determined there’s a water source at your village entrance. Hurry and fetch your village chief.

Also, several of your villagers were killed by the landlords upstream. Bring their surviving relatives; Lord Cai has ordered me to investigate, so that justice may be done for them.”

Fang Yuan, seeing the foolish woman at the village entrance, spoke casually, and then noticed her grip on the bucket was so tight her knuckles had turned white, and her face was streaming with tears.

Suddenly, she hurled the bucket dozens of meters away, bent over, and with all her strength shouted, “The emperor has sent officials! We can finally seek justice and revenge! Waaaah…”

Fang Yuan was at a loss before the woman who suddenly squatted and wept, so he could only clasp his hands and turn to watch the craftsmen digging the well.

“I am Ma Jiang Village’s chief, Xiong Danio. I greet the noble lord, and beg him to stand up for us!” An old man with white hair ran over and knelt on the ground, followed by other villagers.

Fang Yuan quickly helped the old man up, smiling, “Lord Cai has already imprisoned all the offenders. I am here to investigate the incidents, and these men are here to dig the well. Are the families of the deceased present? Is there anyone who witnessed the events who can describe what happened that day?”

“There are, there are. You, hurry and fetch the people, and you rascals, go bring some benches—can’t you see the lord is tired from standing? Chen Fengshi, you speak first.” Xiong Danio barked at the villagers, and then turned to smile at Fang Yuan.

Chen Fengshi knelt immediately, recounting how her husband went to beg for water, was denied, then struck on the head and beaten to death with clubs; when he was brought back, his body was limp, bones shattered.

Fang Yuan cursed aloud at the tale. All men are born of mothers, all possess humanity, yet these beasts had none. He battled an urge to kill every upstream villain, and listened as she described how her son, parched with thirst, sneaked upstream for a drink, only to be found and drowned by several burly men. He was thrown back to the village entrance. These heartless brutes even boasted, “Your son was thirsty for water—so we let him drink. Look, his belly is full, round as a drum!” Then they laughed arrogantly and left.

“Beasts! Beasts! The lord said calamity can destroy humanity. I didn’t believe it, but how can people be so cruel? Brothers, draw your blades and follow me upstream—let’s slaughter every last one of them!” Fang Yuan shouted, eyes red, drawing his sword.

“Fang, stand down! The lord knew your temper would make trouble. If there’s killing to be done, it’s not for you to do. Sit and wait for the other bereaved and witnesses; once we know the facts, the lord will not spare their murderers.” Xu Jie called loudly. Fang Yuan was responsible for questioning; Xu Jie for record-keeping, and he had to keep an eye on these rough men. If he weren’t here today, the upstream villains would likely be wiped out.

The lord said calamity destroys humanity, but too much righteousness and blind rage can also rob men of reason. Under Xu Jie’s glare, Fang Yuan sheathed his sword and bit his lip, listening to the villagers’ lamentations.

After more than an hour, at the site where the well was being dug, someone suddenly shouted in delight, “Water! Water is coming out!”

Xu Jie was overjoyed, tossed his pen and sprinted a hundred meters. He saw a cool vapor rising from the pit, groundwater bubbling up through the mud, making it very turbid.