Old Cui shook his head, clutching his head. He was still reeling from the ordeal. His family had been perfectly fine this morning, but by evening, everything had changed. His wife was dead, his daughter was gone. He'd thought his sister, whom he hadn't heard from in over ten years, was coming back, but instead, she brought with her a bloody massacre.

Chen Shou could only watch silently. Could he possibly tell them that this was due to their connection with powerful figures in the capital, and that they were being retaliated against?

The village head routinely searched the Cui family's house and found a clue: a knife left behind by a man in black.

“Sir, Brother Cui, Second Brother Cui, Aunt Cui, and I will probably have to spend the night at the village head’s house. Those people are very likely to return in the middle of the night. It’s not safe for us to stay here.” Chen Shou stepped forward and secretly slipped a silver note into the village head’s hand from his pocket.

In this remote and impoverished mountain village, the village head was the highest-ranking official, commanding dozens of yamen runners. He was considered the wealthiest and most powerful person in the village.

“Alright, you have a point. I, the village head, can’t just watch you all be in danger. Come back with me. These dead bodies will have to stay here. Tomorrow, the eldest son of the Cui family will give them a proper burial.” The village head had never received such a large sum of money before, and he was overjoyed. He also felt sympathy for the Cui family’s plight.

"I'm not leaving. My wife and daughter are here. I'm not going anywhere." Boss Cui had completely broken down. When he was fighting the man in black earlier, he was only holding on out of sheer willpower. Now, he was facing the harsh reality.

“Brother Cui, look at your aunt and your brother. Aren’t you going to take care of them? What if those people come back? Let’s go and find refuge with the village head.” Chen Shou was anxious, but he also understood that it was difficult for a person to control themselves when faced with such a sudden family tragedy.

However, his words still had an effect. No matter what the eldest son of the Cui family was like, he would not disregard Aunt Cui and his younger brother.

"What about them? We can't just leave their bodies here exposed. Someone has to guard them." Old Master Cui couldn't bear it. His wife and daughter, who were still alive and well, who could smile and cry for him, were gone just like that. How could he not break down?

"Sir, could you please have the village coffin shop send four coffins over immediately? We need to find a proper burial place for the deceased." Chen Shou then produced another silver note.

"That's not difficult, Hua Zi. Go to the old coffin maker's place and tell him to bring out all the family's savings, take a few brothers, and bring over four coffins. "When the village head has silver notes, everything is easy to handle."

After arranging for the deceased, Cui Laoda gradually calmed down. Cui Da Niang had fainted from shock, and Cui Lao Er had fainted from excessive blood loss. Now, he was the only one in the Cui family who was conscious.

The village head sent people to carry away the two unconscious men. Chen Shou and Cui Laoda followed behind, and they all went to the village head's house, which was the wealthiest family in the small village.

The village head, having received the silver, naturally wouldn't neglect them. He had people settle Aunt Cui and Second Brother Cui in, and also arranged sleeping places for Eldest Brother Cui and Chen Shou.

"Brother Chen, tell me, who did my sister offend? Why are they trying to kill us?" Old Master Cui was determined to avenge his wife and daughter. What kind of man would not even try to find out who his enemies were after his wife and child died?

Chen Shou didn't want to tell this honest farmer too much, but now that his wife and children had died, it seemed a bit cruel not to tell him.

“Brother Cui, your sister used to serve in the palace as the wife of the current Fourth Prince, Ulanara. I don’t know what your sister found out about her, but now this wife and my master, Niohuru, are completely at odds. I don’t know why, but Ulanara wanted to kill your sister, so your sister called my master to save you. Unfortunately, I arrived too late,” Chen Shou said.

“Ulanara clan??” Old Cui kept repeating this ancient Manchu surname.

“Brother Cui, these people are high-ranking officials and nobles of the court, people that neither you nor I can afford to offend. The Ulanara family has been granted the title of ‘Duke of England’ by the Emperor,” Chen Shou said.

"I have to find out who killed my wife and daughter. Whether or not I can avenge them, I swear I will get justice for them in this lifetime." Old Cui may not have known that he could never avenge his wife and children, but his words were remembered by Chen Shou.

“Brother Cui, I think we should leave as soon as possible after we bury them tomorrow. These people are not ordinary servants; they all know martial arts. I’m afraid they might come back. Even if we leave, we must do it secretly and absolutely not take the road at the village entrance. They might be lying in ambush there waiting for us,” Chen Shou said.

“Yes, I’ll go with you. I’m going to see my sister. I’ll take Mother and the second son with me too,” Old Master Cui said.

“Of course, all of you, leave. You can’t stay here any longer,” Chen Shou said.

"Brother Chen, now that we're in the capital, are we allowed to see my sister more often?" Old Master Cui said.

"Well, all I know is that Aunt Cui is coming to the Fourth Prince's residence. Our Consort is always kind and gentle, and she will definitely let you and your brother meet," Chen Shou said.

“We’re going to the capital, but we don’t know what we can do. We can’t just stay cooped up in the house all day,” said Old Cui.

“Brother Cui, don’t worry about that. There are plenty of opportunities in the capital if you want to get things done. Besides, Aunt Cui will be serving the concubine from now on, so she will definitely think of you,” Chen Shou said.

That night, neither Cui Laoda nor Chen Shou could sleep. Whenever Cui Laoda fell asleep, he would dream of his wife and daughter being brutally murdered, while Chen Shou, having never experienced such a thing, also slept restlessly.

Meanwhile, the group of men in black did not leave. They merely lurked around the Cui family's residence. Once everyone in the village had left, they returned. However, there was not a single person left in the Cui family's courtyard. Only the four lonely coffins stood there, looking eerie under the pale moonlight.

"Boss, how about we go to the village head's place?" the man in black said.

“No, the master ordered that we must not alert the authorities. Forget it, let’s ambush them on the only road they can take out of the village. They’ll have to leave eventually. Then we’ll ambush them halfway.” The leader of the men in black said.

The hawks in the mountain village cried out in the pitch-black night, but these elusive men in black were demons who had emerged from a battlefield of carnage. Trained as killing machines for a full five years, they had no fear of the dead.

The five men disappeared into the darkness like owls, leaving only four black coffins in the courtyard.