Vol. 1 - Ch. 91 - Clan Mission

Although these small villages don’t have many people, together their number is tens or even dozens of times greater than the Chen clan. 

While the Chen clan is dominant and no one dares to resist, Chen Xingzhen believes that a clan establishing itself in Chaotic Burial Mountain should plan carefully. This method of exhausting resources and losing the people’s support is not appropriate.

Besides, with the clan’s current strength, they can use their power alone to attract villagers to join them. But first, the clan’s reputation must be spread. Chen Xingzhen already has a plan in mind.

The next day, many villagers gathered at the Chen clan market, making it quite lively. Various hawking sounds rose and fell.

“Grain, high-quality grain, three catties of rice for one cattie of meat!”

“Fresh venison, five pairs of straw sandals for one piece!”

“Ironware only exchanged for animal skins…”

On normal days, there wouldn’t be so many villagers trading here. But winter had come, the fields were frozen, and planting was impossible. As for hunting, it was even more dangerous—only a few martial artists dared to venture into the treacherous Chaotic Burial Mountain, let alone ordinary people.

This time of year, the market was always the busiest. Many villagers came to trade items they didn’t need to get what they could use to make the winter more comfortable. Unfortunately, only bartering was allowed, and often, they didn’t get exactly what they were looking for. They’d grown accustomed to it, though, after living this way for so long.

Still, their trading time was limited. If they waited too long, heavy snow would block the roads to nearby villages, and the market would gradually close.

“Hey, isn’t that Yi Hu? I heard he recently became a servant of the Chen clan and is living well.”

“Indeed.”

“Didn’t Tian Meng also become a servant? Why haven’t we seen him lately?”

Yi Hu—a servant in Chen clan clothing, now bearing the name Chen Yi Hu—walked proudly through the market, trailed by two lower-ranking servants. 

He could feel the villagers’ envious glances as he passed, and his head lifted slightly, a sense of clan pride spreading across his face. But then he remembered the task the clan had assigned him, and his expression turned serious.

This is my first task as a servant, he thought. I must complete it well to gain the clan leader’s approval.

Taking a deep breath, he called out, “Fellow villagers, I, Chen Yi Hu, I'm here on behalf of the Chen clan to announce two things.”

The crowd gathered closer, curiosity lighting their faces. Despite their status, Chen Yi Hu’s clothes and confident manner made him seem impressive.

After a moment, he continued, “The first thing comes directly from our clan patriarch, Chen Xingzhen. Starting today, the market will be open to everyone for free. This winter, the Chen clan will no longer collect the head tax from you.”

Cheers erupted. While the head tax wasn’t much, the villagers valued every bit they could save, especially with winter coming.

Chen Yi Hu raised his voice above the noise, “The second thing is that, considering the difficult living conditions of the villages around Chaotic Burial Mountain, our patriarch has decided to distribute two catties of rice to each person in every village.”

The crowd fell silent, stunned. It took a moment before an elderly man with a slightly stooped posture spoke up.

“Yi Hu, is this true? You’re not deceiving us, are you?”

“Master Qiang, every word I’ve said is true,” he replied confidently. “If you doubt me, you may ask the clan. The rice will be delivered in a few days.”

Though he spoke with conviction, doubt lingered in the crowd’s eyes. After all, the other great families had never shown such generosity.

Yi Hu looked around and decided not to explain further. In a few days, the truth would speak for itself. Instead, he continued mingling with the villagers, talking of the Liu clan’s fall and assuring them that, under Chen clan rule, their lives would only improve.

Rumours had already spread, but many were still unaware that the Liu clan had truly fallen. Now, they listened with anxious expressions.

As his task drew to a close, Chen Yi Hu began his walk back to the clan, the two servants trailing him.

One of them spoke up, “Brother Yi Hu, why do you think the clan is doing this? Why distribute so much rice to the nearby villagers?”

“Right,” said the other. “So many villages—it’ll take a lot of rice. It could feed my clan for years.”

Yi Hu stopped, turning to face them with a serious expression. 

“Don’t speak out of line. Remember the third rule of being a clan servant: we do not discuss clan affairs. If you don’t want this position, don’t drag me down with you.”

Their faces went pale. Without skills beyond farming, they knew they’d struggle to survive the winter without the clan’s support.

After scolding them, Yi Hu walked on, though he shared some of their confusion. Even he didn’t fully understand why the clan was making such a costly gesture. Still, he trusted that the clan leader must have his reasons.

In his mind, a new thought took shape: I needed to prove myself, to become a martial artist with the clan’s support.

…

Meanwhile, in the clan hall, Chen Tianjing questioned Chen Xingzhen, 

“Clan leader, they’re just villagers. Do we really need to waste so much grain on them?”

The others, including Chen Tianlu, nodded, equally puzzled.

Chen Xingzhen met their gaze calmly. “Of course it’s necessary.”

He gestured to the map spread across the table. 

“With the Li and Liu families gone, our clan’s territory has expanded. Even if we don’t plant blood rice, we still need significant manpower for our fields. 

“If we establish this relationship now, many will willingly work in our fields by next year. And by giving them rice, we’ll secure their loyalty. Then we can lease fields to them and build a productive relationship.”

The room fell silent as his reasoning settled over them.

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