I am the Ruler of the Kingdom of Mysterious-Chapter 293 - 257: Subjugation

Du Xiaochuan took the money given by Ruan Shichun, and after leaving the village, he immediately went to the Luo Brothers’ stronghold, the largest force within Jinfeng Mountain.

Conveying Ruan Shichun’s willingness to surrender, Luo Danian immediately let his brother Luo Dayong bring fifty people to take over the Ruan Family’s village.

Du Xiaochuan originally planned to leave after delivering the message, but Luo Danian was worried that Du Xiaochuan would go elsewhere to deliver messages, so he detained Du Xiaochuan and had him lead the way to the Ruan Family’s village.

In the forest, Luo Dayong, wielding a large saber, grabbed the back of Du Xiaochuan’s neck and asked in an intimidating tone, "Are you really not setting me up? Why is it so quiet in this village, not even a lookout?"

Du Xiaochuan hadn’t mentioned that a Female Asura had come to the village, and now he dared not mention it even more, retracting his neck, he said, "Second Master Luo, I’m just a messenger, I really don’t know the specific situation."

The group spread out in the forest, hiding behind trees, observing the distant village.

After a while, they saw two people carrying hoes, driving a yellow ox out, heading towards the back mountain, without even closing the village gate, and the chevaux-de-frise were not set up correctly.

Luo Dayong scratched his head, "So casual? Why does it feel like a trap? Could they be ambushed inside the village?"

"No, everyone’s gone out to open up wasteland."

A sudden female voice came from beside Luo Dayong, startling him so much he almost jumped up. In his fright, he swung his saber and turned to run, only to find himself suddenly plunged into a dark place, all surrounding sounds disappeared, cold and silent, hair-raising.

Luo Dayong halted, trembling as he turned his head, seeing all his men bizarrely bound by red threads in various postures hanging under trees, struggling mightily, yet unable to make a sound.

A girl dressed in dark red attire, wearing a peculiar bronze mask on her face, leaned casually against a tree, her eyes indifferent as she looked at him.

"Who... who are you?" Luo Dayong’s legs trembled.

Sang Que, arms crossed, lifted her chin, pointing towards the distant village, "Over there, it’s mine."

Luo Dayong’s eyes shifted left and right, suddenly dropping his large saber, kneeling with a thud.

"Heroine, it’s our fault for not recognizing Mount Tai, we offended you. Please let us go like a fart. We’re all struggling to survive in these mountains, we can support each other in the future, or keep out of each other’s way. Whatever benefits you take the lion’s share, would that be alright?"

Sang Que stood up straight, adjusting her bronze mask. This mask was a souvenir she bought from a museum somewhere, brought it along with her this time.

"Go back and tell your Big Boss, before sunset tomorrow, either he comes to see me, or I’ll go find him. He decides himself."

Having said that, Sang Que waved her hand, and the night turned to day, everyone fell to the ground, crying out in pain.

Luo Dayong looked at Sang Que in disbelief, unable to believe she just let them go like this, but indeed, Sang Que showed no other intention.

Seeing this, Luo Dayong dared not stay for a moment longer, hurrying back to report.

This is a Yin Walker, killing them is like child’s play! A Yin Walker!

What she meant was simple, either the Big Boss leads his men to pay respects, or she will destroy their village—is there even a choice?!

"You stay!"

Sang Que called after Du Xiaochuan, who turned around stiffly, trembling all over, face pale.

"Heroine, it was all Ruan Shichun who forced me, it’s really not my doing..."

"Well done!"

"I really didn’t... huh?"

Sang Que’s sudden compliment left Du Xiaochuan dumbfounded, not understanding what she meant.

"Still three families left, right?"

Du Xiaochuan blinked in confusion, nodding foolishly, then quickly shook his head.

"Go, inform the other three families too, don’t bother with the government, it’s too far. After notifying them, come back early to till the land."

With that, Sang Que vanished right in front of Du Xiaochuan, who was on the verge of tears, what on earth does this mean?

...

When Sang Que went back to find Zhang Junyao, she was already on the verge of tears, frightened by the Yin Child. Though scared, Zhang Junyao still finished the drawing, though some lines were wavy, not straight.

Afterwards, Sang Que took Zhang Junyao to many places, surveying various terrains.

Overall, there are quite a few places suitable for farming within Jinfeng Mountain. Some mountainous areas could be leveled to make terraced fields.

There is also a rich resource of timber, and for the short term, there won’t be a shortage of it. There are many different kinds of trees, Sang Que had Zhang Junyao help draw them down to check later if there are any types of wood that are more valuable in modern times.

The largest river within Jinzhou, the ’Xuan River’, had its main stream intercepted by a dam, yet several tributaries still pass through Jinfeng Mountain, so water isn’t a problem. However, no one dares to draw water from the river except at noon, so they need to dig channels to lead the water out.

As long as the water flow is shallow and small, Water Ghosts won’t suddenly appear.

Sang Que also saw the other four villages within Jinfeng Mountain; they indeed weren’t small in scale and seemed wealthier than her own, at least with more people.

Sang Que didn’t disturb them, just observing silently and having Zhang Junyao make records before leaving.

Within Jinfeng Mountain lies a depression, a chaotic burial mound. Originally, it was a sunlit slope with ample sunshine, but all the villages burned their bodies here. Given the conditions, the bodies couldn’t be fully incinerated.

Over time, the chaotic burial mound became a place heavy with yin energy, surrounded by no trees, always clouded when the sun shines, keeping the burial ground shrouded, making it a possible place to raise corpses.

It wasn’t until nightfall that Sang Que brought the ravenous Zhang Junyao back.

As soon as they entered the village, Li Ping came to inform Sang Que that the men sent to deliver a message to the Zhang Family had returned, agreeing to ransom the person.

However, they couldn’t gather ten cartloads of grain and were willing to increase the ransom to five thousand taels, to be exchanged at the Little Stone Forest outside Jinfeng Mountain in three days.

"Your family can’t afford ten cartloads of grain?" Sang Que turned to Zhang Junyao.

Zhang Junyao frowned. Her family owned several grain stores; ten cartloads of grain normally wouldn’t be a problem for them. So the problem must be that something abnormal is happening outside, making it impossible to deliver the grain.

Zhang Junyao reacted quickly, with a merchant’s keen sense for the situation.

"Is something happening outside, is there a war somewhere?" Zhang Junyao asked.

Li Ping was somewhat surprised, "How did you know? Zhuzi returned from Pu’an County saying that rumors spread everywhere; Qinzhou’s border with Yunzhou has fallen, and there’s a rebel uprising in both east and west Qinzhou."

"Jinzhou is urgently mobilizing grain and troops, already rushing to aid Qinzhou. The grain price outside has multiplied several times, we might even be conscripted again, how can one live like this!"

Sang Que hadn’t expected the situation to escalate this way. If it hadn’t been for the absence of a Corpse Nest in Wangshan City until the end, all of Qinzhou might have fallen into the Ghost Opera Troupe’s hands by now.

Is the Ghost Opera Troupe aiming to overthrow the entire Xuan Dynasty? Their ambition is this big?

"I understand, please have the kitchen prepare us some food."

...

Over the next two days, the Big Bosses of the other three villages in Jinfeng Mountain came one after another to pledge allegiance, handing over money, grain, and men without Sang Que needing to say much.

Ordinary people are powerless against Evil Spirits of the Third Layer, let alone a Yin Walker of the Fourth Layer like Sang Que, and having such a formidable Yin Walker as their leader might just be their opportunity.

Only Luo Dayong, the one Sang Que first encountered, hadn’t shown up.

That afternoon, just when Sang Que wondered if the two brothers preferred to die than surrender and had fled, Luo Dayong arrived alone, shouting "help" from outside the village.

Sang Que went out to check, finding Luo Dayong covered in wounds, collapsing to his knees upon seeing her, begging.

"Heroine, please save my elder brother. A Red-clothed Female Zombie stormed into our village, many people died, that Zombie is too wicked. I barely escaped; my brother and the others are still trapped inside!"

Hearing this description, Sang Que suddenly remembered the Jumping Corpse clad in red that she and He Buning had subdued on Purple Clouds Mountain.