Vol. 1 - Ch. 95 - Apology

When the ten or so villagers saw Chen Qinghe and Chen Qingmeng standing at the door, a hint of surprise flashed in their eyes. These two didn’t look like bad people. 

But the old man’s pleading voice and the young girl’s cries painted a different story, hinting at some crime. Seeing the damaged door, it was easy to imagine what had happened.

“Beasts! What have you done?” a middle-aged man holding a wooden stick demanded, his teeth clenched in anger.

“We came to deliver food,” Chen Qingmeng replied promptly, setting the sack of grain, which had fallen, back onto the cart to keep it from getting dirty.

“You call this delivering food?!” The other villagers, clearly furious, looked ready to pounce. To them, this seemed no different from outright robbery.

Chen Qinghe was momentarily stunned, unsure how to explain the situation. But to keep the villagers from acting rashly, he began circulating his blood energy and, with a swift kick, shattered a large stone by the door into several pieces! 

Feeling a twinge of pain in his foot, he maintained a composed expression, doing his best to emulate the calm indifference he often saw from his elder brother Qingyu.

Fortunately, he was at the middle stage of Body Tempering; otherwise, breaking the stone might not have been possible. The villagers, who had been ready to attack, froze at the sight of this display. They looked at Chen Qinghe with disbelief, and any notion of aggression quickly dissipated.

The middle-aged man leading them stared, wide-eyed. 

“A martial artist?”

Seeing that the situation had stabilised, Chen Qinghe spoke calmly. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am Chen Qinghe of the Chen clan. Today, I am here under the clan leader’s orders to deliver grain to you all. As for what just happened—it was a misunderstanding.”

“That’s right! Just a misunderstanding,” Chen Qingmeng added, nodding.

Chen Qinghe and Chen Qingmeng’s calm demeanour planted doubt in the villagers’ minds. Besides, the large amount of grain on the cart didn’t seem like something that could have come from the old man’s house.

“Everyone, make way! The village chief is coming,” someone announced.

An elderly man soon arrived, panting as he made his way over. Although he hadn’t yet seen the scene, the other villagers had described it to him in detail. Upon spotting the cart loaded with grain and the two young men, the village chief quickly intervened.

“Move aside! What are you doing? These two are from the Chen clan; they’re here to deliver food!”

At his words, the old man from the wooden house stepped outside, his wary expression softening when he realized that the two at the door were merely young men. Still, one couldn’t blame him—he had heard banging on his door and shouts to open up, and fear had naturally kept him from answering.

The misunderstanding was soon cleared up. After several villagers apologized, Chen Qinghe graciously accepted, admitting he may have acted a bit recklessly himself.

Before long, Chen Qinghe and Chen Qingmeng distributed grain among the villagers. They’d brought a substantial amount, and since Stone Village only had around ten households, there was still plenty left. After consulting with Chen Qingmeng, they quickly distributed the remaining grain as well.

To compensate for the damaged wooden door, Chen Qinghe gave the old man and his granddaughter some extra grain. While distributing the grain, Chen Qingmeng also took note of the number of people and households in the village, just as the clan leader had instructed.

By the time they finished these tasks, night had fallen.

“Are you young men leaving already? It’s so late—why don’t you stay here in Stone Village for the night?” the village chief offered warmly. 

“Though we don’t have much, we can provide you with a simple meal. You must be hungry after such a long day.”

Hearing that they were about to leave, several other villagers also urged them to stay. Faced with such warm hospitality, Chen Qinghe and Chen Qingmeng hesitated, their stomachs growling in response. 

Martial artists consumed food quickly, and after a day of travel and work, they were indeed hungry. Moreover, with darkness settling in, they both felt inclined to accept.

“Young friends, we didn’t treat you well earlier. Please, stay the night as a gesture of our apology,” the village chief said with a sincere smile.

With his kind persuasion, Chen Qinghe and Chen Qingmeng agreed to stay for the night. They were indeed hungry, and sharing a meal wouldn’t hurt.

…

Back at the Chen clan’s estate, Chen Tianjing was pacing with worry. 

“Chief, how are they doing? Where are they now?”

The other clan members had already returned, but there was still no sign of Chen Qinghe and Chen Qingmeng. With little choice, he approached the clan chief.

“Don’t worry,” the clan chief assured him. “I consulted the Divine Tree and the tribe’s elders. They’re not in any danger and seem to have settled in a village.”

Hearing this, Chen Tianjing’s worry faded. Since the Divine Tree had offered its guidance, there should be no issue. However, he resolved to give the boys a stern talking-to when they returned.

“Tianjing, how has the situation been these past few days?” Chen Xingzhen, the clan chief, asked.

Chen Tianjing promptly replied, “Chief, based on recent reports, there are thirty-eight villages of various sizes near Chaotic Burial Mountain. The largest village has forty households, while the smallest has just eight. Altogether, there are about fifteen hundred people. We’ve distributed over three thousand catties of grain so far.

“In several of the larger villages, we discovered a few Body Tempering martial artists…”

Chen Xingzhen nodded. The numbers were within his expectations. The Chen clan’s name was gaining recognition among the nearby villages, which would greatly aid the clan’s future development.

As for the presence of martial artists in these villages, it wasn’t surprising, provided they held no ties to the Li and Liu families. The few martial artists they’d discovered had only accidentally reached Body Tempering, without formal techniques to advance further.

When asked whether the clan should accept these martial artists, Chen Xingzhen’s answer was firm. “No.”

The Chen clan valued blood relations. To ensure the clan’s longevity, high-ranking martial artists needed to come from within. Although bringing in outsiders could quickly strengthen the clan, this would compromise loyalty and, in the long run, hinder the clan’s growth.

However, when the clan grew stronger, they could consider recruiting guards or experienced martial artists to train the younger clan members. For now, the family wasn’t ready, so there was no need to rush.

Later, Chen Xingzhen summoned Chen Tianjing and others to gather more details. When he learned that many clansmen had benefited from the grain distribution, he couldn’t help but smile. 

Before long, they could arrange for the nearby villages to host a matchmaking conference. Given the improved conditions of the clan members, he expected that many people would be interested.

[A/N: Originally it was two catties per household, but now it has been changed to one catty per person.]

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