Chapter 97: A Fire that Dispels the Darkness
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
Song Yu was suddenly awakened from his deep sleep by the heavy, oppressive smoke filling the air.
“Boss, Boss, something terrible has happened!”
The door was forcefully kicked open, and Song Yu’s eyes shot open in alarm. As soon as he opened his eyes, he was engulfed by thick smoke billowing in from all directions, which immediately triggered a severe bout of coughing.
“Cough, cough, cough, what’s going on?” Song Yu, already drained from both mental and physical exhaustion over the past few days and having barely rested, struggled to speak between his coughs. “Did the royal troops set the mountain on fire?” He hurriedly dressed and rushed outside.
In the past, there had been several attempts by the royal forces to launch fire attacks on the mountain, but the strategic alliance between Fufeng Mountain and Fufeng Village had always succeeded in repelling these government troops by using the lives of hundreds of villagers as a bargaining tool.
The royal court, which prided itself on its ethical stance, would supposedly never disregard the well-being of its citizens.
Just as Song Yu was preparing to use the same strategy again, he caught the look of sheer panic on his assistant’s face, mixed with outright terror.
“Boss, it’s Fufeng Village—they’ve set it on fire! The fire started right in the center of the village!” The man’s voice trembled as he spoke.
The fire had already consumed many in Fufeng Village, including the elderly, women, and children.
Song Yu stopped dead in his tracks, shocked. This could not be the work of the kingdom’s soldiers. He stepped outside, and looking up, he saw the sun completely obscured by the dense smoke; his visibility was so poor he couldn’t even see his own hands. A profound sense of dread took hold of Song Yu as he grasped the scale of the devastation.
“Is there a way to draw water to fight the fire?” Song Yu immediately thought of the few water sources on the mountain.
His deputy, between his own coughs and gasps, his eyes red and watering as he clutched a damp towel, replied, “The water sources have dried up overnight. And the fire—it’s surrounded us; there’s no way out.”
The third-in-command, with bandaged hands, ran over frantically. “The storehouse, the storehouse has been emptied!” His announcement sent a shockwave through the group.
“What happened? No one ascended the mountain last night! Could someone from within have colluded with them? How else could the fire have started from all sides and our storehouse be emptied?” The deputy, overwhelmed by anger and confusion, exclaimed.
All of our possessions, all the treasures of Fufeng Mountain!
For some reason, Song Yu’s thoughts drifted to a girl with a naive, innocent smile. “Was Lu Chao Chao sent away from the mountain?”
“She was sent down. I personally escorted her to the city gates and left swiftly,” the deputy confirmed confidently.
Song Yu had no time to dwell on this further. “Fufeng Mountain is beyond saving. Quick, take our brothers and descend the mountain!”
The entire mountain was engulfed in flames, offering no safe refuge. And the situation in Fufeng Village was even more dire. The screams and wails sounded like those from hell itself.
On the other side of the mountain, Xuan Yin, dressed in sturdy attire, held Lu Chao Chao in her arms, accompanied by seven or eight young women, some clutching their malnourished daughters. Their expressions were calm, like still waters.
“Do you… do you need to rest? Your feet are bloodied from the rocks,” Xuan Yin whispered to a woman.
When Xuan Yin had first arrived at the mountain, she quickly realized the village’s deceitful nature and lack of genuine industry. The village sustained itself by tricking outsiders. Most of the women had been kidnapped. Those who tried to escape were brutally subdued until they complied. If they continued to try to escape, they were chained at the village entrance as objects for the men’s personal amusement and pleasures.
Daughters were merely traded or sold for dowries, viewed only as objects for barter. Sons, in contrast, were valued by the village. Generation after generation, these sons grew up to become the primary perpetrators of abductions, a vicious cycle where abductors had once been victims themselves, becoming desensitized and transformed from the oppressed to the oppressors.
A frail girl clung to her mother, her eyes wide with fear. “They won’t come after us, will they?”
“Of course not. Even if they did… there are wolves outside waiting. Escaping only makes them prey to wild beasts.”
Whimpers and soft sobs filled the air as the group moved forward.
“I… I was just helping a pregnant woman get home, why did she knock me out and kidnap me?” A woman sat on the ground, pounding the earth with her fists, her face a mask of despair and anger.
“I was just taking a lost child home… Why do this to me?”
“I was walking down the street, and then suddenly, I was knocked unconscious…”
The sounds of sobbing rose one after another as they all cursed the injustices of fate, the utter lack of humanity in Fufeng Village, and lamented their own good intentions.
“Why, why do this to me? What did I do to deserve this? To be plunged into hell, why?!”
“What’s the point of living anymore? Having been abducted into Fufeng Village, my reputation is ruined, and even if I return, it will only be to hang myself.” The faces of the women were pale, marked by the shadow of death.
Everything they had endured, even if they escaped, would only leave deep, enduring scars.
“Won’t… Somebody knows what they did,” Lu Chao Chao murmured while nestled in Xuan Yin’s arms. “They will all die…” It was the first time she had spoken at length, her words slightly halting but clear enough for everyone to understand. “Wah, will not let go, not a single one!” Lu Chao Chao’s eyes blazed with resolve.
She had accrued significant merit and was able to discern the good and evil in people. The only goodness in Fufeng Village lay with those present. How ironic, even the children were perpetrators.
“If you’re afraid to go home, you can follow me. I can’t promise wealth, but ensuring you have food and clothing is within my power,” Xuan Yin offered warmly, holding Chao Chao tighter.
If not for Chao Chao, she would have faced the same cruel fate. Originally a princess designated for a diplomatic marriage to North Zhao, Xuan Yin had been unloved at home and had taken her older sister’s place in the marriage arrangement. Before even reaching the capital, she had exchanged clothes with a maid to explore the cities of North Zhao but was abducted the moment she stepped outside.
Lu Chao Chao extended a small hand to the women on the ground. “Welcome back to the world of the living.” Her words were gentle yet firm, filled with resolve.
With just those few words, she brought them back from the brink of despair. Everyone knelt and paid their respects to Lu Chao Chao, who did not refuse, understanding that this gesture could help soothe their troubled hearts.
“Let’s move quickly; someone will meet us at the foot of the mountain,” Xuan Yin urged, carrying Chao Chao and leading the way towards the mountaintop.
While Fufeng Mountain was engulfed in flames, Lu Chao Chao’s face remained calm. The cries for help and the agonized screams amidst the fire did not disturb her composure. Despite her youth, she was not naïve. She was determined to dispel the darkness before her.
At the foot of the mountain, Madam Xu stood in the cold wind, her eyes red and swollen with tears. Seeing Lu Chao Chao, she burst into tears.
“Chao Chao! Chao Chao…” Madam Xu rushed forward, her body chilled to the bone, embracing her lost daughter and weeping bitterly. “My Chao Chao, you’ve suffered so much. I should die for not protecting you… It’s all my fault, letting you be abducted, letting you suffer. Chao Chao, you’ve lost so much weight…” Madam Xu held her tightly, never wanting to let go.
Chao Chao pinched the tight clothes around her waist and smiled sheepishly. Unlike what others think, she had a blast in the past few days. In addition, she also emptied the gold treasury of Fufeng Mountain, making her quite wealthy.
“Quick, capture Song Yu.”
At the foot of the mountain, Song Yu stared intently at Lu Chao Chao. Behind her innocent, joyful smile was a backdrop of fiery destruction. Fufeng Mountain had fallen.
Oops, bad dad, I’m off to fatten the home. Your turn to tremble!
Huh, the story seems skipped.
nope, author just didnt think it through when writing. give the author some slack since its her first time writing