Chapter 217
Chapter 217
Ji Si dropped the corpse before them.
“Human Gu.”
Jiang Yunsui began gesturing and chattering about how they had encountered and fought it.
The patrol stared in confusion.
They had not met a single Human Gu yet, but this man and a little girl already had.
At the sight of the corpse, they turned pale with horror.
It even wore the clothing of a mountain tribesman.
“Th-this is Human Gu!”
One man’s voice trembled.
The chief had explained their danger, but that disaster happened three hundred years ago. A distant legend could not compare to seeing the horror in person.
“You can’t even tell who this was!”
“Human Gu are this terrifying?”
“Urgh…”
Most of its skin was gone, with bone exposed in places. The brutal sight made inexperienced people vomit.
Jiang Yunsui’s childish voice warned, “Don’t touch it if you have any wounds. You’ll be infected.”
Everyone instantly retreated.
They did not want to become that!
Ji Si resumed dragging the corpse toward the stockade.
“Hurry and notify the chief.”
At dusk, the villagers were summoned again.
The chief placed the Human Gu in the center for everyone to see.
“This is a Human Gu. If it scratches or bites you – or if its blood touches an open wound – you will be infected!”
Some people began vomiting.
It was tragic and revolting.
“Heavens, how could this happen?”
“It’s horrible. I don’t want to become that. What can we do? Will Human Gu attack our stockade?”
Panic spread.
“Don’t be excessively afraid,” the chief said. “Human Gu poison can be suppressed as long as it hasn’t reached the final stage.”
He brought Ji Yan’an forward again.
“As I said, the physician under Young Master Ji has already developed a way to suppress the poison. Given time, he will surely find a complete cure!”
The chief gave everyone hope. With the corpse before them, the mountain people looked at Ji Yan’an gratefully.
Ji Yan’an stepped forward.
“Human Gu have reached the nearby mountains. They do not tire or feel pain. They are agile and strong. If we want peace, everyone must reduce unnecessary trips outside beginning today.”
“Patrols will have ten people each. No one moves alone. Shifts change every two hours. Everyone else must spend time training. If you remain helpless, encountering a Human Gu means waiting to die.”
His voice was not loud, but the crowd was silent, and the able-bodied adults stood in front.
“From now on, my subordinates Nanmo and Song Yue will teach everyone martial arts.”
Song Yue was the deputy captain of the guards.
The chief glanced at the Young Master and sighed inwardly.
Hopefully, they would succeed.
Everyone cooperated once Ji Yan’an made the arrangements, especially after witnessing Nanmo’s and Song Yue’s skills.
Their crude hunting techniques were nothing in comparison.
Everyone wanted to become stronger.
The women were not idle. Meals for the patrols and trainees were prepared communally.
Ji Yan’an also asked them to continue weaving. The mountain cloth and dyes were distinctive. Later, he would open the trade routes.
Children trained too. Work in the fields was not neglected either. Ji Yan’an paid refugees to harvest the grain so the mountain people could focus on training.
During this period, two Human Gu approached the stockade.
Only after facing them did the people understand their power.
Ten people struggled to control one. No one dared imagine a mass attack.
Ji Yan’an remained in the stockade for some time, training people, buying their cloth, and offering financial support. Without anyone realizing when it happened, his influence became immense.
Even the chief consulted him on many matters.
Other nearby stockades encountered Human Gu as well. They had not been as vigilant or decisive as Qingxi Stockade. Many had never seen Human Gu and underestimated them, suffering heavy losses.
After learning what Qingxi had done, their chiefs came to discuss solutions.
One day, Lin Zheng gathered every chief together.
“Brothers, Qingxi Stockade remains safe thanks to Young Master Ji. You’ve seen our patrols and how much their skills have improved. All of it is because of him.”
Ji Yan’an calmly endured their scrutiny.
“This… this is merely a child!”
Had old Lin Zheng lost his mind? This youth plainly was not one of their people, yet Lin Zheng allowed him into such an important meeting.
Ji Yan’an asked, “Do you know the present condition of Fengchuan County?”
Everyone exchanged looks and shook their heads.
Handling the Human Gu had consumed them. Who dared travel to the county? They rarely descended the mountains even normally.
The merchants who bought grain had not arrived this year either.
“According to my current information,” Ji Yan’an said, “five villages have been attacked. Nearly a hundred people are dead, and that is only what I’ve confirmed so far.”
“The number infected continues to rise. Even county runners and household troops have been bitten, killed, or poisoned.”
“The government now understands the danger and recognizes that the poison spreads like a plague. Those infected have been driven outside the city.”
Ji Yan’an calmly sipped his tea before continuing.
“Government officials fear for themselves. They will not send troops to solve the mountain people’s problem. We must rely on ourselves.”
“Only my people can currently fight Human Gu, and only my people can suppress the poison.”
“Gentlemen, am I now qualified to sit here?”
He spoke without haste. Though young, he yielded nothing before these old foxes and instead controlled the room.
What could they say?
If they claimed he lacked qualifications, they would likely be invited to leave and fend for themselves.
After a long silence, someone asked, “What do you want?”
The clever among them knew he intended more than merely helping them resist Human Gu.
Ji Yan’an’s lips curved.
“I want to unite all the mountain tribes.”
Their stockades lay scattered, large and small, near and far.
The mountain population numbered only four or five thousand, and relationships between communities varied.
Unifying them would not be easy.
Some agreed. Others refused.
“We’ve lived in our stockades for generations. Why should we move?”
“Exactly. No place is as comfortable as home.”
“Consolidating our scattered strength will minimize casualties,” Ji Yan’an explained.
“I am not asking you to abandon your homes. Once the Human Gu crisis is solved, you may return.”
Someone objected, “Easy to say. Even if we move here, where will we live? What will we eat?”
Ji Yan’an had considered all of this.
He raised a hand. Guards carried in a chest and opened it, revealing silver ingots.
“I purchased a tract of land.”
He indicated it on a map. “The area is broad and open. Guard the roads and send patrols. Human Gu will have nowhere to hide and can be discovered immediately…”
Jiang Yunsui sat quietly to one side holding a boiled egg. She occasionally took a bite, then looked at Ji Yan’an.
Little Mushroom felt proud.
Her Young Master was amazing – clever and persuasive.
Look. Those old men were nearly convinced.
Ji Yan’an had plainly prepared in advance and arranged every detail within a short time.
“When mountain people remain scattered, so does their strength. Human Gu are roaming everywhere, and their numbers are clearly increasing. You can manage patrols briefly.”
“But humans need rest. Can any of you guarantee you won’t grow exhausted? Once tired, how much chance will you have against Human Gu? They never tire.”
Lin Zheng added, “Old brothers, Young Master Ji is right. United, we can help each other if large numbers appear. Our nearest stockades are an hour apart. By the time news reaches us and we arrive, it’ll be far too late.”
More chiefs wavered.
“Why are all of you fussing so much?!”
A rough-looking man slapped the table and rose.
“What’s there to hesitate about? Young Master Ji makes sense. He helps us, pays for houses, and trains our people. Why refuse?”
A shrewd chief said, “Because he gives too much!”
He studied Ji Yan’an. “Young Master Ji isn’t one of us. Why help us so generously? I don’t believe blessings fall from the sky.”
Ji Yan’an smiled. “Do you want to change your circumstances?”
Song Jin stepped forward with a half smile and stabbed directly at their sorest points.
“Medicinal herbs, cloth, game… You provide the finest goods and never receive a fair price.”
“When you clash with people below the mountains, you rarely receive fair treatment.”
“Your children receive no true education. Scholars neither want nor deign to teach them. Generation after generation, none of your people can become officials. You will remain at the bottom forever.”
Song Jin knew exactly how to make them uncomfortable.
These truly were the problems that plagued the mountain tribes.
“Great Liang is in chaos. Why not take a chance and win a future for your descendants? Do you want every generation trapped in the mountains, suppressed and sinking into despair?”