A few days ago, Nurse Sun and an idle man from the village died at the mountain path entrance.
Apparently killed by supernatural forces.
Although the Chen Family is a gentry household, they are merely a branch of the Chen Clan of Linhe, and losing a martial artist comes at a high cost.
To fill the void in their defense, the Chen Family hired Hunter Gao as an instructor.
Unexpectedly, within just two days, Hunter Gao's home was burned to ruins, with no sign of life or body.
Their initial investment was a complete waste!
Moreover, the continuous incidents involving the Chen Family have greatly undermined their authority in the village.
"What's going on?"
A boy of about fourteen or fifteen in a strong uniform growled, "Did we encounter supernatural forces again?"
Steward Zhang shrank his head and dared not speak next to him.
Because this boy was none other than Chen Mingjie, the eldest young master of the Chen Family and the future patriarch.
Without Landlord Chen in the village, he was the one in charge.
"Why aren't you speaking?"
Chen Mingjie's spit sprayed onto Steward Zhang's face.
This young master's temper was quite violent, and he was venting his inner fear.
He had originally lived in the county, enjoying a life of comfort and honor.
Suddenly, the whole family moved to this remote mountain village, far from the city's prosperity and excitement, and his heart had long been stifled.
He didn't expect such a place to keep having weird incidents, with several people dying in just a few days.
Including two martial artists.
The pressure on Chen Mingjie can be imagined!
Steward Zhang replied with a bitter face, "Young Master, I have already sent someone to the county to report to the master. You should return to the ancestral home to rest, and leave these matters to me."
"Forget it."
Chen Mingjie waved irritably.
He actually didn't care much about Hunter Gao's life or death, but in front of so many people, his face was somewhat unsettled.
This Chen Family young master left angrily with his two younger brothers.
"Disperse, everyone disperse!"
As soon as the three young masters had left, Steward Zhang ordered the household servants to disperse the crowd: "There's nothing to see!"
The villagers scattered at once.
Woof woof!
At this moment, a big yellow dog suddenly jumped out from a nearby bush, barking loudly at Steward Zhang.
Steward Zhang was startled: "Where did this beast come from?"
A villager recognized it: "This is the dog raised by Hunter Gao!"
"Da Hu!"
Zhang Yuan, who had been mingling with the crowd watching the excitement, promptly called out: "Come over here!"
He was worried that if he didn't speak, Da Hu would be killed by the Chen Family's household servants.
That would be such a pity.
Hearing Zhang Yuan's call, Da Hu immediately ran over to him, wagging its tail affectionately.
The surrounding villagers saw this and none of them thought it was unusual.
Everyone knew that over the past few years, Zhang Yuan had been helping Hunter Gao, naturally becoming familiar with this watchdog.
Now that Hunter Gao's home was destroyed, most likely he was gone too.
Without Zhang Yuan, Da Hu had no path for survival.
Steward Zhang snapped out of it, glaring sinisterly at Zhang Yuan.
He let out a cold snort.
He simply didn't have the energy to bother with Zhang Yuan right now. Anyway, when Landlord Chen returned to take charge, there would be plenty of time and opportunity to handle this little upstart.
Zhang Yuan was able to smoothly take Da Hu back home.
Upon seeing Zhang Yuan return with the big yellow dog, Mother Zhang was quite surprised: "Yuanwa'Er, what happened?"
"Master Gao has had an accident."
Zhang Yuan explained briefly, then said, "I raised Da Hu, now that it has no home, I brought it back to raise it myself. It's good for guarding the house."
Mother Zhang sighed, "I didn't expect Master Gao to have an accident too; he was a good person."
Zhang Yuan always shielded his mother from worry, never sharing the grievances he faced while working for Hunter Gao at home.
And Hunter Gao indeed taught him quite a few hunting skills.
So, in Mother Zhang's heart, she was quite grateful to Hunter Gao: "Then keep the dog."
"Mm."
Zhang Yuan took down a piece of smoked meat hanging under the corridor eave, cut half of it, and tossed it to Da Hu to eat.
Da Hu swayed its head happily.
Zhang Yuan stroked its furry head and said, "Mother, I plan to buy a house in the county, so we can move to the city."
Mother Zhang was taken aback: "Move to the city?"
She wasn't an ignorant, simple-minded village woman and was well aware of the difficulty of purchasing a house in the county, so she incredulously asked, "Yuanwa'Er, how much silver taels will that cost?"
"I can earn the money."
Zhang Yuan said solemnly, "Mother, since Landlord Chen's family came, our village has been having one incident after another. And the Chen Family isn't a good crowd; if we continue living here, I'm afraid..."
What he was afraid of, he left unspoken, but these words easily stirred the fear within Mother Zhang's heart.
Mother Zhang wasn't too concerned about her own safety, but if it involved Zhang Yuan, it was entirely different.
"Since you've decided, Mother supports you."
She said resolutely, "But you must be careful, and do not take risks."
Zhang Yuan smiled, "Don't worry, I know my limits."
He patted the big yellow dog that was enjoying itself immensely: "I won't risk venturing deep into the mountains. Da Hu can help with hunting; as long as I spend more time, I can definitely save enough silver taels to buy a house."
But in reality, it was impossible, though Mother Zhang didn't know: "That's good then!"
Da Hu barked once.
Zhang Yuan patted its head, his thoughts drifting to Qianfeng Mountain.
The amount of silver coins he had saved was still far from enough to settle down and start a family in the county.
To earn more money, aside from taking dangerous risks, he could only seek opportunities in the mountains.
Fortunately, Zhang Yuan had already found a path before.
What he didn't expect was.
That noon, Chen Deping, Landlord Chen, returned to the village and summoned every household's villagers to the ancestral hall!
Upon receiving the village chief's notice, Zhang Yuan went over as the Zhang Family representative.
The ancestral hall of Chen Family Village was located in the village center and was an extension built on the ancestral hall of the Chen Clan of Linhe.
The two were inseparably linked.
For the hundreds of households in Chen Family Village, the ancestral hall was an indispensable existence.
Village members worshipped their ancestors and offered incense in hopes of the ancestral hall's protection, guarding everyone from supernatural forces.
Here, Zhang Yuan saw Chen Deping for the first time.
This landlord appeared to be in his thirties or forties, well-dressed with a sinister appearance, his eyes occasionally narrowing.
He gave off an impression of being inscrutable.
Beside Landlord Chen stood a muscular, imposing man in robust attire.
Zhang Yuan's heart tensed.
He immediately recognized that this was a formidable martial artist, stronger than Nurse Sun!
Without a doubt, this was the help Landlord Chen had brought from the county after receiving the news.
This also showcased his determination to take control of Chen Family Village.
Frankly, Zhang Yuan didn't quite understand why this gentry lord insisted on establishing a foothold in Chen Family Village.
Even at a significant cost, he remained undeterred!