The weak scholar in the end of ancient times

Chapter 45 Making trouble
Many poor people live in Luhua Lane in Bailu County, and they used to make a living by selling their labor and skills.

The world was in chaos and many surviving common people became coolies, but a few capable people emerged in Luhua Lane.

Yan Hu, a former militiaman, and his band of brothers gathered many young and strong men, forming a force that could not be ignored. They had a firm foothold in Bailu County, where power was shifting. When people mentioned Luhua Lane, they would mention Boss Yan.

It was just that not long ago, Boss Yan took people out to look for supplies and something went wrong. Luhua Lane became quiet and attracted the covetousness of various parties.

Early this morning, Boss Yan's widow and Boss Lin took a few brothers out of the city to pay their respects and returned in the evening.

Some people saw it, but didn't take it seriously. They thought that the people in Luhua Lane were losing their morale and wondered if they could get some benefits from it.

The carriage drove into the alley and stopped in a courtyard.

Mrs. Liang returned to the room and wiped a long lance there.

Long iron poles, weapons used in military formations, were not something that ordinary people could own in the past.

This was her father's weapon, with which he had won great military exploits. Later, her father was involved in a major case at the imperial court, and the whole family was in trouble.

She took the horse spear left by her father and hid her identity. Only the eldest brother Yan and the second brother Lin knew her identity.

Later, as the world descended into chaos, her identity as the daughter of a convicted official ceased to matter. The horse lance finally saw the light of day and was given to Boss Yan.

Even if most people can lift a long iron pole, they cannot move it, and if they do, they will easily become exhausted.

However, Boss Yan and Boss Lin were well-known among the local soldiers because of their bravery and strength.

Facing the evil plague and chaotic world today, facing those monsters full of evil spirits, it is more appropriate to use such long weapons.

Not long ago, Boss Yan encountered an accident and this horse lance was brought back by Lin Er.

She took out a lot of supplies and asked someone to clean the lance, drive away the evil spirits, and put it at home.

The candlelight flickered, casting shadows.

An old woman walked into the room carrying a food box, looked inside, and asked in confusion, "Why don't I see Xiao Xuan?"

She was asking about Yan Xuan, the son of Boss Yan and Madam Liang.

Madam Liang looked away from the horse spear, her voice calm, yet it seemed to conceal endless emotions:

"I'll ask my second brother and sister-in-law to take care of it for a while. I have some things to take care of here."

The old woman opened the food box and placed the bowls on the table. She asked, "You went out of town to pay respects today. Why are you back so late?"

Madam Liang said in a deep voice, "I was thinking about something there."

The old woman was full of concern: "You have to take care of yourself too. If Da Hu were still alive, he would definitely not want to make you sad and worried."

Boss Yan, Yan Hu, people close to him also call him Da Hu.

Mrs. Liang didn't look at the food on the table, the candlelight flickered in her eyes:
"These past few days I've been wondering why Da Hu and his friends encountered so many evil creatures even though they brought incense and herbs. Outsiders say they have bad luck, haha."

Mrs. Liang smiled with a chill in her voice and looked over.

"Da Hu is a rough but meticulous person. He might not care about small things, but when it comes to important matters, like his own life and the lives of his brothers, he's very cautious. After much thought, I think the only people who can make such a move, and the only ones who can make such a move, are those close to him."

The old woman who was fiddling with the food box paused and put it down in dissatisfaction: "Are you doubting me?!"

Mrs. Liang ignored her and continued, "Da Hu always said that Auntie was a miserable person. Her hometown was flooded and she was exiled here. She had no one to rely on. He always took care of her when he arranged work for her. Over the years, he has treated you as one of his own and even said that he would take care of you in your old age."

The old woman at the table lowered her eyes: "Da Hu has indeed done me a favor..."

"But some people don't remember!"

Madam Liang's eyes flashed with lightning: "Recently, there's a new face around the Third Brother. From the side, he actually looks a bit like you!"

The old woman's eyes were shocked: "This..."

Madam Liang said in a deep voice, "How about I send him to accompany you?"

The old woman came over in a panic: "Madam, listen to me..."

As he spoke, a sharp silver light appeared from his sleeve, but he was unable to pull it out.

A dagger pierced into her chest even faster.

The old woman's eyes were filled with shock.

Normally, I only know that this lady is always a little melancholy, but she is not picky about trivial matters. Even when Boss Yan is in power, she doesn't make things difficult for him.

No one knew that this person had such skills!
At this time, several figures walked into the room.

The old woman looked at Lin Erdang and several guards who came in, and instantly realized that something had happened! She was terrified and wanted to plead for mercy, but she had no chance.

Lin Erdang looked at the fallen old woman and the dagger in her sleeve that she had not had time to pull out.

This was the self-defense weapon distributed by Boss Yan to people he knew, but now it was being used by this old woman against my sister-in-law!

A worthy death!

Madam Liang did not look at the person on the ground any more, but said to Lin Er who came in:
"The third brother had been harboring ulterior motives for a long time. Your eldest brother once said he would give him one chance, but he ended up losing himself and seven of his brothers as well."

Madam Liang picked up the lance with both hands and handed it to Lin Er, tears and hatred filling her eyes.
"Execute the traitor! Comfort the souls of your elder brother and the brothers who died in vain! And fight for a future for everyone!"

……

After nightfall, the drawbridge in Bailu County was raised and the city gates were closed.

Those who went out to chop wood and those who did work all returned home to rest. They had a night to recover their strength and then wait until dawn the next day to start a new day of work.

In the past, after nightfall, everywhere was dead silent, but on this day, residents near Luhua Lane heard a lot of noise.

There seemed to be a fight going on over in Luhua Lane, and there was a lot of noise.

All the residents nearby kept their doors and windows closed.

Someone in Luhua Lane must be possessed by evil spirits!

Just waiting, from night to dawn, and from morning to noon, the most intense time had passed, and there was no sound of the monster's roar, but from time to time one could hear people shouting and screaming.

Still no one dared to check.

No matter how curious they are, those who have survived to this day have some self-control.

The Luhua Lane, which had been turbulent for a day and a night, became quiet.

In the room, Mrs. Liang took out a wooden seal.

This is the seal that Boss Yan personally carved for his son. It is an image of a tiger's head. It is not exquisite and the pattern is not vivid enough, but it carries extraordinary meaning at this time.

Mrs. Liang took the seal and printed tiger patterns on pieces of plain cloth.

When Boss Yan first got into trouble, she had doubts about the third brother and other people in the city who had intervened. Originally, if she wanted to survive, she could only endure it, but now she had another choice.

A choice that could change everyone's life.

Then there is no need to endure it anymore!
A seal half the size of a palm, stained with ink, was pressed heavily on another piece of plain cloth.

The next day, at dawn, Bailu County seemed to be still as usual.

The surviving county residents numbly repeated what happened the day before.

Nothing seems to have changed.

Just in the inconspicuous Luhua Lane, some people came out in groups of three or four from each house.

The head of each household took a stick of incense, lit it, and after worshiping the statue of the god, placed it in a large incense burner.

The agreed ceremony was carried out in silence.

The incense burner, which originally contained only incense ashes, was soon filled with incense sticks.

Then, Lin Erdang took out three large incense sticks, each of which could burn for three or four hours. They had found them in a temple before.

Mrs. Liang took a stick, lit it, and after worshipping the deity, placed it in the incense burner. She then asked her young son to do the same, holding the stick in his tiny hand.

Lin Erdangjia lit the last one and put it in.

Two strong men lifted the large incense burner and walked in front.

The ashes in the incense burner are filled with herbs, and the smoke from the burning incense will protect them and reduce the chances of evil spirits coming to them.

It doesn’t matter if a few evil creatures approach occasionally. The temperature is low now and they can be easily dealt with.

After the incense burner, Lin Erdang and Madam Liang followed.

There were many warriors standing on his sides and behind him, acting as guards and followers.

Following behind were people he knew from Luhua Lane, all of them were his family.

A group of people walked out of Luhua Lane and headed towards the city gate.

Nearby, someone who had gone out to chop wood early in the morning saw this and was so frightened that he just stepped out of the house and then retreated. After a while, he peeked out again.

Are there so many people over there in Luhua Lane?

What are you going for?

The city gate.

The guards stamped their numb feet.

Looking at the cloth shoes on their feet, they wondered when they could save up enough money to buy a pair of thicker cloth boots.

Today we have to collect more from the woodcutters and those who are out looking for food.

The higher-ups said to charge half, but isn’t the actual amount to be charged still decided by these gatekeepers?
They dare not take action against those powerful and influential people in the city, but the scattered county residents are their targets for making money.

What, you don’t accept it?
If you don’t agree, go and sue me!
See if those masters above pay any attention to you!
The temperature was low in the early morning of late autumn. They stretched their arms and legs, played with swords and guns, and chatted.

Although it was cold, I felt a little relieved when I thought that at this temperature, the monsters outside posed no threat and the chance of being possessed was greatly reduced. If I could get more benefits today, that would be even better.

"The higher-ups said that the group of people in Luhua Lane are going out to pay their respects today," said a guard.

"Going out again? Didn't they just go out?" another person said dissatisfiedly.

"Well, who knows? They're just too busy! Anyway, the higher-ups have given us a heads-up, so let's give them some leeway."

What I mean is, don’t get stuck asking for things.

Of course they won't be happy if there is no profit to be made.

When they thought of the horses and carriages that left the city that day, their hearts were filled with sourness and jealousy.

In terms of background, those people in Luhua Lane are even worse than them, yet they can even ride horses and carriages!
A bunch of untouchables, are they worthy? !
We'll see. Boss Yan is in trouble, and there was another fight in Luhua Alley yesterday. Who knows how chaotic things will get. Maybe it will soon be divided up by other forces in the city.

"In our Bailu County, it's not their turn to be arrogant!"

In Bailu County, in terms of power, apart from the county lieutenant, there are several other families. It would never be the turn of the untouchables in Luhua Lane.

"It's convenient, but it's okay to pick a few people and ask for something, right?"

"We'll just have to act according to circumstances. If there are only three or five of them, we can let them go. But if there are too many of them, we can't just let them go. Don't you agree..."

The guard who spoke widened his eyes and was so shocked that he almost bit his tongue.

The other guards followed the line of sight and their breath caught in their throat.

How many people are behind the smoke from the incense burner?

one hundred?
two hundred?

Or more?

No one rode a horse, no one rode in a carriage. They gathered together and came on foot.

Lin Erdangjia was clearly not riding a horse today, and he did not have a condescending look. He was just holding a long weapon and walking in front of the team at a leisurely pace.

The pressure on the guards was magnified several times, even dozens of times!

As long as you raise your eyes slightly, you can see the group of people following behind Lin Erdangjia.

There were young and strong people, as well as the elderly, the weak, women and children. They all had a plain cloth tied around their arms with some patterns printed on it.

Their eyes weren't empty; they were like silent fires burning within them. When they came together, they felt a suffocating weight.

Heavy, solemn, silent power.

A strong sense of oppression coming towards you, getting closer and closer!

The guard wanted to say those words, but at this moment he couldn't open his mouth.

It was as if a huge hand was pressing on their shoulders, and they dared not say a word.

He even took a step back to make way.

If someone is the first to retreat, then he will be the second and third.

Those in the team who were originally a little nervous, saw this scene, and the light in their eyes seemed to brighten several degrees.

When two sides meet on a narrow road, the momentum always rises and falls. When one side appears weak, the other side will only become more determined and stronger.

When the people in Luhua Lane reached the city gate, the guards who were originally standing at the city gate had already moved to the sides.

The scattered county residents who were watching nearby saw this scene and had all kinds of thoughts in their minds.

The people from other forces in the city who came to investigate also lost their minds at this time.

"What are they going to do?!"

"Hurry... hurry and report to the master! Something's happened! Those people in Luhua Alley are causing trouble!"

(End of this chapter)