Martial Arts: I Have a Wilderness World-Chapter 39: Helping Neither Side

After a bit of family chatter, Cheng Zongyang urged the two elders and his two aunts to go get some rest.

Once only his two uncles remained in the main hall, Cheng Zongyang finally got to the point, offering a slight smile.

"Eldest Uncle, Youngest Uncle, this whole room smells of medicinal wine. Your nephew isn’t a fool. Why don’t you tell me what’s going on? Otherwise, I won’t know what to tell my parents."

Zhou Hansong and Zhou Hanchang exchanged a glance, their hearts filled with relief.

With a son like this, their sister truly had nothing to worry about.

"It’s nothing major."

Zhou Hansong no longer treated his fifteen-year-old nephew like an ordinary child; he had long since started treating him as an adult.

They had all seen his growth over the past few years.

"Today’s chaos was expected..."

Zhou Hansong lowered his voice slightly and began to explain everything.

He recounted it all, from people from other villages entering their own, to refugees attacking the village. As for the injuries sustained while protecting their home, he mentioned them only briefly before moving on.

Cheng Zongyang listened intently, his expression growing more and more grim.

After hearing his eldest uncle’s story and learning their injuries were not serious, he finally relaxed and asked another question.

"The people who attacked the village, were they from the villages near the County Town?"

Zhou Hansong was taken aback for a moment, then replied, "That’s right. You figured it out?"

Cheng Zongyang nodded. "Yes. When I heard that people from the east side, from River Pool, and from Shuikou were coming to Golden Bridge Village to loot, I guessed this might be the case. It seems the villages near the County Town have likely all been plundered."

Zhou Hanchang also spoke with a grave expression, "One village robs another, and then another robs them. If this continues, no one will be left standing."

Cheng Zongyang thought for a moment, then asked, "Eldest Uncle, did the village head of Shuikou Village have anything to say?"

"The village head?" Zhou Hansong sighed. "His family was the first to suffer. Everyone assumes the village head’s family is rich and has plenty of grain, so the refugees looted them clean. Fortunately, no one was hurt."

"Yang’Er, this is the first time, but it won’t be the last." Zhou Hansong’s expression was serious as he gave a solemn warning, "Tell your parents to be prepared!"

Cheng Zongyang nodded.

The village had poor access to news and was unaware of the situation outside.

’Looks like I’ll have to make a trip to the county seat to check on things,’ he thought. ’Time is precious; I can’t just wait for complete chaos before we start preparing.’

With that thought, he stood up and spoke to his two uncles.

"Eldest Uncle, Youngest Uncle, if anything seems wrong, pack your important belongings and move over to my place. My parents and I will make arrangements. Remember, as long as you’re alive, anything is possible."

Zhou Hansong clapped his big nephew on the shoulder, gratified. He smiled and said, "Don’t worry. We know what to do."

Afterward, Cheng Zongyang declined their invitation to stay, shouldered his empty basket, and left without disturbing the light-sleeping elders.

The two brothers watched their nephew leave, their eyes fixed on the torchlight until it disappeared around a bend in the road. Only then did they go back inside and shut the courtyard gate. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Just then, Mrs. Ye of the Zhou Family came out, draped in a thin shawl. "Why didn’t you have Yang’Er stay the night?" she asked.

Zhou Hansong shook his head. "He has a mind of his own. We couldn’t persuade him."

Mrs. Xu of the Zhou Family added, "My sister-in-law sent over twenty catties of rice, twenty catties of flour, and two catties of brown sugar. That’s far too much."

Zhou Hanchang sighed. "It’s a token of our younger sister’s goodwill, so let’s just keep it. Alright, let’s go in and sleep. We need to get up early tomorrow to pack up our things and get ready."

Hearing this, the two women panicked and looked toward their respective husbands.

Zhou Hansong nodded as well. "Prepare early. Yang’Er was right. We don’t have to hope for the best, but we must prepare for the worst."

"Then... then where will we go?" Mrs. Xu of the Zhou Family asked, her eyes turning red.

"Don’t ask so many questions. When the time comes, there will be a place for us."

Zhou Hanchang frowned but didn’t scold his wife. Who wouldn’t panic at the thought of suddenly having to flee their home and hearth?

The lamp was extinguished, and darkness once again enveloped the house.

「Golden Bridge Village, Cheng Family Residence.」

Cheng Guanghai and Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family sat in silence. They had even blown out the oil lamp.

The entire house was so quiet that not even the chirping of crickets could be heard.

After an unknown amount of time, a long sigh broke the silence, followed by a low voice.

"My dear, why didn’t you agree? While Golden Bridge Village seems harmonious, only we outsiders know how exclusionary the Jin clan really is."

"Now there’s a chance to cooperate. This could keep us from being used by the village head as... as... cannon... cannon... What was that word Yang’Er used?"

"Cannon fodder," Cheng Guanghai supplied with a sense of resignation.

"That’s it, cannon fodder. Look at my memory." Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family clapped her hands and continued, "So, Li Ming’s proposal is actually beneficial for us."

Cheng Guanghai waited for his wife to finish, then remained silent for a few more moments.

’My wife is quite clever, even though she never attended a private school. If she had, she’d probably be even smarter.’

She had heard their conversation from the inner room and was able to grasp some of the pros and cons, unlike other village women who understood nothing.

Still, he finally spoke, stating simply:

"My dear, this morning, we refused the village head. If we side with the two big families, the Lis and the Chens, do you understand what that means?"

Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family fell silent. At last, she nodded and said somewhat helplessly:

"But compared to the Jins and their ways, they are our only choice."

Cheng Guanghai rose, sat next to his wife, and put an arm around her shoulder, comforting her.

"I understand what you’re thinking. You want to keep our family safe. But some things aren’t as simple as just making a choice."

"The Jins are selfish, but at the very least, they have to maintain appearances. Otherwise, the entire village will turn against their clan. After all, we are also part of Golden Bridge Village, aren’t we?"

"But do you think the Lis and the Chens aren’t selfish? Even our own family has its own selfish interests."

"Although those two families are cooperating, they’re still no match for the Jins."

"In times like these, everyone is just trying to get by. Who would really risk everything for someone else? Just watch, their alliance is bound to fall apart sooner or later."

"We rejected the village head this morning. If we join the Chens and the Lis now, we’ll have made a true enemy of him. Rather than be caught in a dilemma, it’s better to help neither side."

"Then... our family will be alright, won’t we?" Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family asked worriedly.

Cheng Guanghai continued to reassure her, "We’re just one household. Our presence or absence won’t make a difference. Besides, Yang’Er and I are both experienced hunters. If anyone wants to mess with us, they’d better not be afraid of an arrow from the shadows!"

At that, Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family finally felt at ease.

"Yang’Er has been gone for so long. It seems he’s staying the night over there," Cheng Guanghai said, changing the subject to stop his wife from thinking too much.

Sure enough, the moment her son was mentioned, Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family seemed to become a different person. She murmured:

"It’s almost midnight. Normally, he should have been back by now."

"You go to sleep first. I’ll wait a while longer. If he’s not back after midnight, he must be sleeping over at his grandfather’s..."

On the northbound country road, Cheng Zongyang, having extinguished his torch, traveled by the faint moonlight.

He wasn’t heading home. Instead, he was taking the country path to check on the other villages and, while he was at it, head toward the County Town to find out more about the refugees.

He knew he wouldn’t be able to get into the town at this hour, but his main goal was to gather information about the refugees.

Knowing your enemy and knowing yourself is crucial.