New house completion day
After Wang Fugui and his men fled in disarray, the small courtyard at the foot of the mountain returned to tranquility, with only the aroma of meat, blood, and earth remaining.
Ling Zhan gave Shen Yan no chance to catch her breath.
The key points of the "reinforced door frame and barricade" blueprints were conveyed through a stream of consciousness and then given to him.
He then pointed to the tasks of tanning hides and processing pig tendons, before turning and walking towards the half-built thatched shed that was still relatively intact.
[Zero, structural optimization. Materials: Existing wood, vines, thatch, and pigskin to be tanned.]
Ling Zhan ordered that safe housing was the top priority for survival.
[Solution: Reinforce the northwest corner column, replace the main beam (using logs from the wild boar bone area), install a vine framework with thatched pigskin walls, double-layered thatched roof, and reinforce joints with pig tendons...] Zero instant response.
Thus, Ling Zhan transformed into a humanoid infrastructure machine:
First, reinforce the pillars: sharpen wooden wedges and drive them into the weak points, then bind them with vines and mud.
Next, the main beam was replaced: the heavy log, which even Shen Yan and Hu Zi couldn't lift with one hand, was precisely erected.
Next, she weaves the framework: the vines flutter in her hands like silk threads.
Finally, we took the older children into the mountains to collect thatch, harvesting it precisely without any guidance. The wild boar bone knife cut the grass as if it were a sickle.
Shen Yan watched the bustling "infrastructure construction frenzy".
Then he glanced at the abstract drawings on the ground, the slippery pig tendons, and the pungent pig skin, and his head throbbed with disbelief.
Nitrogenate?
I've only ever heard of that in storytelling! It's not even salty!
His "peacock" tendencies resurfaced; he disliked dirt and tried to shirk his responsibilities.
"Dog Egg! Stinky! Watch Daddy's 'Snake Wrapping Around the Finger'!" He picked up a pig tendon and wrapped it around his finger, but the more he wrapped it, the more tangled it became.
"Daddy's stupid!" "You're so stinky!" The children mocked mercilessly.
"It's powerful... Ouch!" Shen Yan was in pain from the tightness of the tendons.
Ling Zhan and the older children returned with grass. She glanced coldly at Chen Yan's "street performance" and the untouched pile of pigskins, her brows furrowing.
"What are you doing?" The voice was chilling.
With a forced smile, Shen Yan hid his hand and said, "Teach...teach the kids how to handle materials! It's fun and educational!"
Ling Zhan ignored him and picked up a bloodstained pigskin: "Saltpeter, salt."
"Wife... saltpeter is expensive, and we don't have enough salt... how about we just dry it and make do?" Shen Yan tried to deceive him.
[Zero, alternative solution.]
[Wood ash and saltpeter method: Wood ash + urine, repeatedly pounded. Time-consuming, moderate effect.] Zero provided the answer.
Ling Zhan's gaze swept over Shen Yan and the children: "Wood ash, yes. Urine, yes. Collect the wood ash. Boil water."
She pointed at Chen Yan, "You, pee."
Shen Yan's face turned green! "In...in front of the child...I'm alone too..."
"Mobilize the masses." Ling Zhan's tone left no room for argument.
Sinking...despair...disgust, forced to begin the most "smelly" nightmare of my life:
With a flushed face, he collected "raw materials" under the curious and disgusted gazes of the children, the pungent smell making him feel like he was about to ascend to heaven.
Mixing, soaking, stirring... and finally, pounding and kneading for a long time amidst the fishy smell, while gagging and muttering:
"A lifetime of illustrious reputation... playing with urine and rubbing pigskin... alas..."
"Harder. Didn't you eat?" Ling Zhan's devilish voice pierced his ears. Shen Yan shuddered, treating the pigskin like Wang Fugui's face, and punched it hard!
Under Ling Zhan's efficient command and Shen Yan's forced hard work, the project progressed rapidly:
The pig tendons were quickly transformed into ropes to bind the key points.
After initial tanning, the flavorful pigskin, covered with vines and skeletons, forms the inner layer of the wall.
The roof was covered with thick thatch, and pig tendons were used as steel bars for reinforcement.
The new door frame was made from scraps of felled logs, which Ling Zhan lifted with one hand and embedded with a "bang".
Finally, simple barricades were erected, creating a formidable deterrent.
As the sun set, the newly renovated thatched cottage was completed!
With a sturdy structure and thick walls, it truly provides shelter from wind and rain.
The children cheered and rushed in, rolling around excitedly. This was their first real "home"!
Chen sat slumped on the new threshold, looking at the children's smiling faces, smelling the fresh grass and earth that overpowered the lingering smell of pigskin, and a strange sense of satisfaction welled up inside him.
Ling Zhan walked to the front of the house, examined the roof, and pressed his finger on the key binding point.
Shen Yan's heart leaped into her throat! A bad premonition! She scrambled forward, not daring to grab his legs, and pleaded, "Wife! Have mercy! It's a new roof! The child needs to sleep peacefully! Please don't remove the tiles today! I beg you!"
Ling Zhan looked down at his handsome face, which was covered in dust and fish, and then at the thick roof, remaining silent for a few seconds.
Shen Yan thought there was hope...
Ling Zhan suddenly pointed his finger at the "perfect redundancy point" marked with zero.
It was a patch of newly grown, tender green thatch tips, standing out starkly against the withered yellow.
“This place is ugly,” she declared calmly.
A light hook of the finger—
With a sharp "rip," the tender green leaf was precisely "peeled off."
Ling Zhan held it in his hand, waved it in front of Shen Yan, then threw it on the ground and crushed it.
"If you don't discipline them for a day, they'll climb onto the roof and tear off the tiles."
"Even one piece counts."
Shen Yan stared at the broken grass on the ground, the tiny hole in the roof, and Ling Zhan's expressionless face. A lump formed in her throat, turning her face red with anger, and she let out a mournful wail: "Heavens! My roof! Not a single piece is spared!!"
The children peeked out, as if it were a normal occurrence.
Tiger patted his father on the shoulder: "You'll get used to it. Mom says it's called a sense of ritual!"
Bean sprout: "Remove a tile, and you'll have peace for the whole year!"
Da Niu: "Dad, you can rest assured about Mom's cooking."
Daya: "I'll go find some more hay tomorrow morning."
The little girl sucked her finger: "Daddy, don't cry, the tiles... smell nice!" She loved the smell of fresh grass.
Shen Yan: "..." Your father's future is in grave danger!
Night falls, a campfire burns in the new house, and a safe location is calculated by Zero.
The children huddled together on thick straw mats, covered with wild boar hides that had lost their nitrate smell, and drifted into sweet dreams—the first safe and warm night since their displacement.
I felt weary of guarding the gate, listening to the sound of breathing, looking at the thick roof missing only a small patch of grass, touching my chapped hands, my feelings were complicated.
Violent, cold-blooded, unreasonable, and prone to destruction... but she keeps her word: the children are well-fed and live in a safe house.
He sighed, turned over, and muttered to the moonlight, "A tile...okay...it's better than tearing down the roof beams."
The new house was completed, and the first tile was successfully "offered to heaven".
Feeling weary and lost: What lies ahead?
Before he could dwell on it for long, the peace lasted only a few days before new troubles arrived.
That morning, Ling Zhan led the children to clear wasteland behind the house, using stone hammers to break rocks and wooden sticks to break up hardened soil.
Chen Yan took the children to the stream to tan new leather; of course, the taste remained the same.
He tried to make pig tendon bows for the children, but his clumsy hands slapped the backs of their hands, and the children cried out in pain.
Alert blares: [Warning! High-threat target approaching! Direction: Main village road. Quantity: Eight. Energy: Four low (villagers), two medium (trainees), one high (early Qi Condensation stage). Emotion: Malicious, greedy, and arrogant. Weapon: Iron ruler, chain, waist knife. Association: High-energy individual's characteristics resemble the 'Black Tiger Gang'.]
Remnants of the Black Tiger Gang? Collusion with the government? Ling Zhan's eyes turned cold.
The group swaggered to the foot of the mountain: Qian Youcai, a wealthy gentry in a silk robe; Wang Fugui, a man filled with resentment; three yamen runners, led by Qian Gui, a tax collector with triangular eyes; and two fierce thugs, including Zhao Biao, a scarred man—Ning Qichu, Zhao Kui's cousin.
Wang Fugui pointed at the new house and the reclaimed land: "Master Qian! Lord Qian! These scoundrels have forcibly occupied the mountains and forests, destroyed the land's veins, built houses illegally, resisted taxes, and assaulted officials! They've colluded with mountain bandits (referring to boar hunters)!"
Qian Youcai greedily surveyed the now-leveled land and the sturdier new house, and said to the tax collector in a condescending tone, "Nephew, this group has an unknown origin and has forcibly occupied the land and resisted the law. They should be heavily taxed and severely punished!"
The tax collector, with an air of authority, shouted: "Listen up, you people in the shed! I, the tax collector, am a powerful one! Pay your taxes now! Otherwise, I'll take your shackles and confiscate your property!"
The oppressive aura made the little one tremble and shrink back in disgust.
Deeply resentful and devastated: government officials + local bullies + the Black Tiger Gang! A death warrant!
Tiger, now 12 years old, glared at Zhao Biao with eyes wide open, grabbing a makeshift wooden bow and a sharp stone, his eyes filled with the menacing malice of a wolf cub! He remembered the Black Tiger Gang's grudge!
Bean Sprout, 11 years old, is the second oldest: like an eel, he hides behind rocks, grips sharp stones, and waits for an opportunity to strike. He has a set of tricks he learned on the streets.
Da Niu and Da Ya, aged 10 and 9 respectively, were pale-faced and biting their lips. They quickly hid the little child behind the threshold and stood guard with fire sticks in hand!
The older children found cover, grabbed sticks and stones, tense but not afraid—fear was useless! There was no way to run! They had to fight!
Ling Zhan led the children who had been clearing the land to move out, and then targeted Zhao Biao.
Zero confirmation. [Target: Zhao Biao; Energy Source: Zhao Kui. Threat: Host can handle.]
Upon seeing Ling Zhan, the tax collector's initial amazement turned to greed: "Ling! Kneel down! Forcibly occupying property, resisting taxes, and assaulting officials—what is your crime?!"
Wang Fugui and Qian Youcai chimed in.
Zhao Biao crossed his arms and placed his hand on his knife, staring at Ling Zhan like a venomous snake: This cold, beautiful woman, whom my cousin couldn't handle and even lost his life because of? That's it?
Ignoring the noise, Ling Zhan asked Zhao Biao directly, "The Black Tiger Gang?"
Zhao Biao grinned maliciously and drew his knife: "You little wench, have sharp eyes! Hand over your money and grain, woman! Kneel and beg for your life! Otherwise..."
A cold glint pierced Ling Zhan's heart! Ruthless and swift!
"My lady, be careful!" Shen Yan stopped in surprise and picked up her staff.
"Mother!" Tiger raised a stone to smash it!
In a flash! Ling Zhan charged forward to meet the blade! [Zero! Prediction! Weakness: The wrist holding the blade!]
[The right arm's shoulder well (肩井) is the power point! The wrist's Shenmen (神门) is the control point! Optimal: Intercept the shoulder well (肩井) and use a reverse joint lock to seize the wrist!]
Just as the blade touched his body, Ling Zhan twisted his body like a willow catkin to avoid the sharp edge!
Right hand, like a venomous snake, grips the wrist at the Divine Gate! Left hand, like a knife, plunges viciously into the Shoulder Well!
"Snap!"
"Ugh!"
A series of cracking sounds and agonizing screams erupted! Zhao Biao's right arm went numb and ached with excruciating pain! His wrist shattered, his heart pounding! The knife fell!
Ling Zhan used the momentum to throw Ling Zhan over his shoulder!
"Bang!!!" Zhao Biao slammed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust! In his struggle, his tattered straw sandal slammed into his chest! His ribs groaned!
"Slow. Weak." The cold verdict was pronounced. With a slight effort from his toes, Zhao Biao screamed in agony, losing his ability to function.
Instantly destroyed! In the blink of an eye!
The entire room froze! A chill ran through them! The tax collector's iron ruler trembled, money sifted like chaff, and even Wang Fugui peed his pants. Chen Yan stood there dumbfounded.
Tiger exclaimed excitedly, "Mommy is awesome!"
Bean Sprout Huan: "Well done!"
The little boy peeked through the crack in the door, oblivious to his fear. Ling Zhan's cold gaze swept across the entire scene, his foot grinding harder as Zhao Biao screamed in agony, freezing the image of the tax collector in his mind:
"Tax?" That word struck me like a hammer blow!
The tax collector's legs went weak and he screamed, "Assaulting...assaulting an innocent citizen! Resisting taxes is a crime! Seize her!"
He ordered the bailiffs. Seeing Zhao Biao's miserable state and Ling Zhan's icy gaze, the bailiffs trembled and dared not move.
"waste!"
The tax collector pointed at the children, saying, "Lock up that scoundrel and the little brat! Let's see if she rebels!"
If the yamen runners are granted a pardon, they will fiercely attack the weak!
"Let's see who dares!" Shen Yan hastily grabbed a wooden bow and held it horizontally as a weapon, his handsome face contorted with rage. "Touch the child, or I'll fight you to the death!"
"Protect your sister-in-law!" Tiger threw a stone to shield the little child!
"Beat the bad guys!" Bean Sprout threw stones at the yamen runners.
"Forehead!"
"Ah!" the constable roared.
The older children screamed and picked up sticks and stones, surrounding Chen Yan like bristling little beasts, forming a small defensive line!
He was fearless and intimidated the yamen runners!
"They've rebelled! Beat them to death!" the tax collector exclaimed, jumping up and down.
The bailiffs raised their iron rulers, the child screamed, and the boy, his eyes wide with disgust, resisted fiercely—
A ghostly figure appeared between the two constables! Ling Zhan arrived!
His feet were still on Zhao Biao, while his hands moved with lightning speed, weaving through the patterns of flowers!
"Snap! Snap!"
A bone fracture accompanied by a agonizing scream! Both wrists shattered! The iron ruler fell to the ground! The constables retreated like trash.
His icy gaze pierced the three tax collectors: "Taxes? No. You can ask the county magistrate for them."
He moved away from the unconscious Zhao Biao and approached the three of them step by step!
"Do you understand?"
"A monster...a demon!" Wang Fugui cried out in despair and fled! Qian Youcai, his soul flying, scrambled to his feet, shouting, "Nephew, run!"
Tax collectors abandoned all their authority, screaming and throwing off their hats as they ran wildly!
The three men led the villagers away like stray dogs, leaving behind two yamen runners clutching their wrists and howling in pain, and the unconscious Zhao Biao.
Ling Zhan reached the eaves and raised his finger to hook the unrelated protruding thatch knot.
"Swoosh." A piece of grass was plucked off and thrown at Zhao Biao's face. He calmly declared, "If you don't discipline someone for a day, they'll be climbing on the roof and tearing off the tiles."
"Grass clippings count too."
Shen Yan and the children looked down at the ground, at the scum and bits of grass trampled under Ling Zhan's feet...
Shen Yan slumped to the ground, wiping away sweat: "Terrifying... a single tile, a clump of grass... all were weapons... Fine... whatever makes you happy..."
Tiger puffed out his chest and spat as he ran away, yelling, "Pah! You bad guy! If you come any closer, Mommy will beat you to death!"
Bean Sprout grinned as she picked up the yamen runner's iron ruler: "Mother! Sell it for money?"
Daya hurriedly led the little child back into the house, the whole ordeal as dramatic as a farce.
Ling Zhan ignored the chatter and focused his gaze on Cangwu City.
The Black Tiger Gang's troubles are far from over.
She kicked the unconscious Zhao Biao and ordered Shen Yan: "Tie him up and hang him from the tree at the village entrance."
“Tell the guy surnamed Qian,” she pointed to the barricades at the entrance, her voice icy, “to use these to ‘collect taxes’ next time he comes.”
In the early morning in Kaoshan Village, smoke curls from the chimneys of new houses made of broken tiles.
A small gap in the roof, where grass has been pulled up, and a person hanging from an old locust tree at the village entrance, have become the new daily sights of this remote mountain village.
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