FID – Chapter 995

Chapter 995: When the Flood Hits the Dragon King’s Temple

On the straw mat, the two little ones’ view suddenly widened, and they looked around in bewilderment. After a brief moment of exploration, they immediately began to play with abandon.

Their tiny hands and feet moved rapidly; in an instant, they could crawl from one end to the other, babbling nonstop and occasionally giggling excitedly, full of delight.

“See? With the mat on the floor, they can play freely without worrying about falling. Isn’t this great? But look at you, you’re so angry your face has changed color.” 

The Empress Dowager snorted heavily, refusing to respond.

In the past, in the Yangxin Hall, she had let Badou and Hongdou play on a soft couch without ever letting them fall.

She just wanted convenience. Can taking care of kids ever really be convenient?

“Ah-ah—” The hem of her robe was grabbed by a tiny hand. The Empress Dowager looked down and saw little Badou holding onto her leg, wobbling as he struggled to stand!

Both elderly women’s eyes went wide. Grandma Liu, unable to hide her excitement, slapped her thigh. “Standing up! Aiyo! Just as I expected of my grandson, he is just as clever as our Nannan!”

“Ah! Look at Hongdou—Hongdou’s standing up too!” the Empress Dowager exclaimed.

The two little ones seemed to be competing. Neither wanted to be outdone. Whenever one did something, the other immediately mimicked the action, determined to prove they could do it too.

“Ah—” Seeing both elderly women looking her way, Hongdou grinned and plopped down on the straw mat with her little bottom.

“Hehehe!” Badou laughed, showing tiny baby teeth, and immediately tumbled down right after her.

The two old women exchanged glances, then couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Watching a child grow from a helpless newborn to rolling over, crawling, sitting, babbling, and finally standing—only someone who has been a parent could truly understand that deep sense of satisfaction.

Seeing the two little ones playing so happily, the Empress Dowager forced herself to ignore the patch of muddy ground next to the straw mat. A little dirt didn’t matter; they could just be washed clean after playtime.

From then on, the elderly women kept a close watch on the two little ones, making sure they didn’t shove their grimy little hands into their mouths.

From time to time, the courtyard echoed with the stern admonishments of the old woman. Phrases like ‘What kind of manners is this?’ drifted beyond the yard.

Meanwhile, Grandpa Liu, accompanied by Qin Xiao and Elder Jiu, went door to door around the village.

They gathered a few men of similar age, carried small folding stools, and headed straight to the big pagoda tree to start their mock battles.

Elder Jiu spotted a moment when no one was watching and quietly slipped away.

He loved drinking, not chess. Watching a few lousy players argue and turn red in the face over a single piece wasn’t nearly as satisfying as heading to the tavern and grabbing a jar of wine for himself.

But before he even reached the tavern, he heard shouting from across the river—and saw someone running quickly toward them.

“What’s going on?” Elder Jiu squinted. The runner looked familiar, he was from Xiapo Village.

“Elder Jiu, I’ll explain later. I have to warn the Liu family first. A group of people suddenly appeared over there. We don’t know what they’re up to, but the village chief guesses it’s aimed at the Liu family!” The man gasped for breath as he ran, then picked up speed again.

“Eh, Mr. Liu is right under the big pagoda tree. Go tell him directly!” 

Elder Jiu shouted as the man changed direction, racing toward the ancient pagoda tree.

At the base of the tree, Grandpa Liu had just begun a game of chess. The smoke of the opening moves hadn’t even drifted far when he heard panting approaching from a distance. “Elder Liu! A lot of people suddenly showed up at the entrance of Xinghua Village. They’re just guarding the village entrance. The village chief thinks something’s up. They might be coming for your family! I’m here to give you the warning—huff, huff, huff—”

“People guarding the village entrance?” Grandpa Liu frowned, forgetting about the chess game. “Where’s An Cai?”

“The village chief and his men are confronting them. They can’t drive them off, and they can’t fight them either. We don’t know who they are!”

Qin Xiao’s eyes flicked. “Have they set up two camps at the foot of the mountain at the village entrance?”

The man nodded. “Yes, two big tents.”

“That’s my escort team. There are quite a few of them. Bringing them into the village might disturb the peace, so I had them camp at the village entrance instead.”

“……”

The man stood there stunned. If that was the case, wasn’t this a case of a flood washing into the Dragon King’s temple—family fighting one’s family?

“We’d better hurry over and take a look. That old bastard An Cai has a heavy hand. Once he gets riled up, he’ll fight to the death. We can’t let them actually start a brawl!” Grandpa Liu wiped his face and dragged Qin Xiao toward the village entrance.

The other old men and several villagers who had been chatting under the tree all followed along.

When they reached the foot of the mountain on the opposite side of the Qing River, the sight before them was downright comical.

An Cai stood in front of the Xiapo Village villagers, his triangular eyes drooping sourly, his expression dark. Behind him, the villagers stood in a straight line, each holding a ‘weapon’ of some sort—hoes, iron picks, sickles, and even tridents. They were all raised and pointed at the row of burly men across from them.

“We’ve been around Cangwu Town for years, and we’ve never seen you strangers before. What are you doing barging onto our turf for no reason?”

“I’ve been watching you since last night. You’re just squatting here without a sound. What shady business are you plotting?”

“We’re asking your identity and you won’t say. Ask what you’re doing and you won’t say. Every question gets a blank look. Who’s supposed to believe you’re good people?”

“Listen here! Don’t think just because you can fight that we can’t deal with you! We’ve got people backing us too! Courtesy before force—if you still won’t talk, we’ll beat you till you’re spitting teeth all over the ground!”

Courtesy before force? Grandpa Liu nearly burst out laughing. From a distance, he was already grinning. “Alright, alright, stop putting on a show. They’re our own people!”

“Our own people?” The Xiapo villagers froze. “If they’re our own people, why didn’t they say so earlier? We’ve been asking them all morning, and their mouths were clamped shut like clam shells. They didn’t even fart out a word!”

Qin Xiao stepped forward, and the leader of the guards immediately saluted. “Elder Qin!”

These guards had all been personally trained by Qin Xiao. In the past they addressed him as General Qin, but after he laid down his armor, the title naturally changed to Elder Qin.

Seeing this, the Xiapo villagers finally believed it.

An Cai glanced at Qin Xiao, then asked Grandpa Liu, “And what sort of important person has come this time?”

“Heh, old fellow, your information isn’t very up-to-date this time?” Grandpa Liu stroked his beard proudly and patted Qin Xiao’s shoulder. “This is Qin Xiao, formerly stationed at the northwest border, a famed and mighty general!”

Clatter, clatter, clatter.

Sticks, hoes, and picks dropped to the ground one after another.

Everyone stared at Qin Xiao like they’d seen a ghost.

Qin Xiao. Grand General Qin!

In Nanling, even three-year-old children knew that name—he was Nanling’s war god!

And now he had actually come to Xinghua Village, and they had seen him with their own eyes?

“Really? Grand General Qin?”

Qin Xiao nodded, looking over the villagers. “I heard there was almost a fight. Is anyone injured?”

The guard leader immediately bowed. “Reporting to Elder Qin, we did not dare harm anyone. We only defended ourselves—”

“Aiyo! That explains it! No wonder those punches were so heavy. It turns out you’re General Qin’s men!”

“And that over-the-shoulder throw just now; my insides are still flipping! Aiyo, aiyo!”

The same villagers who moments earlier had been raring for a fight were now clutching shoulders, rubbing their chests and stomachs, groaning in pain.