Chapter Twenty: Shadows of Bandit Suspicion

Lin San packed up his belongings and hurriedly set off.
The donkey cart was already loaded to capacity; he needed to get back to the city as quickly as possible to sell the goods.

After he left, Qin Zhen began to focus intensely on the infrastructure of the small fishing village.
Walls of earth rose up, surrounding the village. At the base of these walls, trenches a meter wide and a meter deep were dug, leaving only a few openings for entry and exit.
Wooden posts were set up as barricades beside the openings, guarded by members of the village security team. Three four-meter-high watchtowers stood beside the low walls, offering a clear view of the village and the surrounding landscape.

The fishing village was on flat ground, with no natural defenses to rely on, so Qin Zhen could only make basic defensive preparations to protect the village as much as possible.

“You know, this really makes the village feel much more open!” The old village chief walked with Qin Zhen, nodding in approval. “Only problem is we don’t have enough people. If we had a few more, it’d really start to feel like a proper town!”

At the village entrance, Chen Shu was leading the security team in spear training.

Calling them spears wasn’t entirely accurate, as the Empire strictly controlled iron goods, and ordinary people couldn’t get their hands on them. The security team could only practice with sharpened wooden sticks.

There weren’t many in the security team, just over a dozen men, arrayed in three rows on the open ground, repetitively stabbing at the air.

Using modern special forces training methods on civilians in this world was hardly appropriate.

After careful and realistic discussion between Qin Zhen and Chen Shu, Qin Zhen set the training principles for the security team: first, every day, no matter the weather, run fifty li through the mountains; second, practice with wooden spears.

Mountain running was to build physical strength, and spear practice was so the villagers could learn basic combat skills, so they wouldn’t be helpless if confronted by enemies.

Chen Shu once suggested teaching the security team to use wooden crossbows.

Qin Zhen rejected the idea.

First, making wooden crossbows was quite complicated. Counting the original crossbow and the two repeating crossbows Qin Zhen possessed, there were only three in total—not nearly enough.

Second, the crossbow was Qin Zhen’s only true weapon—a means of survival.

The security team had just been formed, far from trustworthy enough for Qin Zhen to hand over his lifeline weapon.

“Kill!”

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To Qin Zhen’s surprise, Li Han, that simple-minded lad, was also trailing the security team, practicing with a wooden stick.

He craned his neck and howled loudly.

“What are you yelling for?” Chen Shu slapped Li Han’s head, scolding, “Anyone who knows us can see we’re training, but anyone who doesn’t would think we’re staging a rebellion! Kill, kill, kill! What, you really think we’re soldiers now?”

Qin Zhen walked over, smiling. “Aren’t you in the fishing team? Why aren’t you helping Liu Quan with the nets? What are you doing here?”

“I lost in a fight last time. I need to practice, so next time I won’t get beaten like a fool again!” Li Han replied in his deep, muffled voice.

“A fight? What fight?” The old village chief looked both surprised and puzzled.

The conflict with Scar Brother had been kept strictly secret by Qin Zhen’s orders; the villagers knew nothing.

Seeing Qin Zhen’s discomfort, the old chief immediately sensed something was up, and began to advise anxiously: “Zhen, when you’re out in the world, patience is key. Don’t get into conflicts, and never be aggressive! Who knows what sort of people are out there? We can’t afford trouble.”

“Should good people just let themselves be bullied?” Li Han protested, recalling the moment Fish Head knocked him down with a stick. A trace of ferocity crossed his honest face: “I say we should be tougher than anyone! If someone dares to steal from us, I’ll kill him with this spear!”

This made the old chief furious.

Li Han was too simple-minded to listen, so the chief stopped arguing and pulled Qin Zhen aside, repeatedly warning him. Only after Qin Zhen promised not to risk the villagers’ lives did he finally relax.

After the chief left, Qin Zhen found Chen Shu.

“I think Li Han makes a good point. From today on, the fishing team—including myself—will train with you.”

“So the chief’s advice went in one ear and out the other,” Chen Shu joked.

“I listened, that’s why I’m doing this.” Qin Zhen replied seriously, “The world outside is dangerous. If we don’t learn to defend ourselves, we won’t even be able to run when trouble comes! The villagers trust me enough to follow me out there; I have to bring every single one of them back.”

With that, he picked up a wooden stick and joined the training, mimicking the others.

Chen Shu was moved by this, but quickly steeled himself, adopting a strict demeanor: “All of you, take this seriously! Train hard! Stop whining like a bunch of women! Swing your spears ten thousand times—no food until you finish!”

Under the setting sun, young and old alike sweated and trained, their bodies glistening in the light, drawing shy glances from the village girls and lively commentary from the women.

“You have to admit, Qin Zhen isn’t old, but he’s quite handsome! He must be strong in bed—I wonder if Juan can handle him.”

“Men are all like that! Who hasn’t been in their prime? Give it a few years and he’ll lose his edge.”

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“Third Aunt, you can’t say that! Not everyone’s like your man. I bet Qin Zhen’s as vigorous as a tiger—he’ll need dozens of wives to be satisfied!”

The women of the village spoke with such bluntness that even Qin Zhen, thick-skinned as he was, felt a bit embarrassed.

Just then, a sharp sound came from the village watchtower.

A villager on guard blew the wooden whistle frantically, shouting, “There are people in the woods! Lots of people!”

The cry echoed through the village, throwing every household into chaos.

“Who would be running through the woods at dusk?” Li Han wondered. “Could it be bandits?”

At his words, the villagers’ panic deepened.

The fishing village had been raided by bandits more than once. Those scoundrels stole everything—grain, clothes, women—anything they fancied.

Whenever the bandits came, the villagers had no choice but to flee into the woods, hiding until the bandits left before returning home.

“Run!” The old chief shouted from a high spot, preparing to lead everyone in abandoning the village as usual.

“We can’t run!” Qin Zhen called out, “There’s grain and cloth in my warehouse, and the loom is still outside! If we run, we’ll lose everything!”

Despite his words, in the face of life and death, no one listened.

Villagers scrambled to flee, even some security team members slipped away.

“Let’s run too,” a security team member whispered, his legs trembling and face pale.

“Run for what! Do you know if there are bandits hiding in the woods? How many people have died over the years—bitten by snakes, dragged off by bears?” Qin Zhen gritted his teeth and shouted, “If you have the guts, follow me! Our village must be defended by our own hands!”