Chapter Eleven: Terms

Just as Qi Jun had expected, everyone present was stunned into silence. Liu Qi and the others, who had been dejectedly preparing to leave, immediately changed their expressions and looked at Qi Jun with surprise and delight.

“I object!” Qi Feng rushed forward, grabbing Qi Jun’s sleeve and pleading, “Brother! Why should we give them any of this meat? We risked our lives for it!”

Liu Kui nodded in agreement, though he tried to suppress the longing in his heart. Of course, he wanted to taste the roasted meat, but he knew all too well how much hardship Qi Jun had endured to obtain it.

“Master Qi! Did I hear you right?” Liu Qi’s eyes widened in disbelief, wondering if he had misheard.

Hunger could easily make a person delirious, blurring the line between reality and hallucination. Lately, he had been so famished that he’d often see steaming white buns floating before him, only for them to vanish the moment he reached out. Hearing Qi Jun’s words, he even doubted his own ears.

“You heard me correctly! You can have some meat, but I have conditions!” Qi Jun gazed at the stupefied crowd, repeating his words slowly and clearly.

Qi Feng still looked uncertain, gripping Qi Jun’s sleeve and staring into his eyes, searching for answers.

“Xiaofeng, let go for now. I promise you’ll have meat to eat every day from now on!” Qi Jun patted his brother’s shoulder, making a solemn vow.

“Really?” Although Qi Feng was still a bit reluctant, he released his grip, trusting that his brother would never deceive him.

“Brother Jun, tell us what you want! I’d be willing to work myself to the bone for a piece of meat!” A villager about the same age as Qi Jun spoke up.

“That’s right! If we could eat meat every day, I’d even build you a monument!” a middle-aged man chimed in.

Liu Qi dropped to his knees again, shuffling forward in excitement and reaching for Qi Jun’s robe. “Master, I truly see the error of my ways! It was all my fault—I let my hunger cloud my judgment…”

Qi Jun frowned in distaste and stepped back a few paces.

Liu Qi, undeterred, kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead knocking against the ground. “Master, have mercy! If you would grant me even a bite of meat, I’d go through fire and water for you—”

“That’s enough, get up. Just agree to my conditions,” Qi Jun interrupted, unwilling to endure any more groveling or empty flattery.

“Then tell us! What are your conditions?” The villagers exchanged glances, and one of them couldn’t wait any longer.

Qi Jun, seeing the moment was right, stopped beating around the bush. “It’s simple—you just need to bring me a few things in exchange.”

At this, everyone fell silent. In these times, every household was stripped bare, their oil jars nearly licked clean. Anything of value had long since been traded for grain—what else could they possibly offer for Qi Jun’s meat?

Seeing their hesitation and sighs, Qi Jun smiled and continued, “What I want are all ordinary things, though gathering them will require some effort.”

At these words, hope rekindled in their eyes.

“Just tell us what you need! If it exists in Dongling Village, I’ll dig it up for you!” the man who had spoken earlier pounded his chest and promised.

“The first thing is high-quality cedar or birch wood—the best you can find…”

“Leave that to me!” the man interrupted excitedly, squeezing through the crowd and dashing off before Qi Jun had finished.

“And the second?” a youth, anxious not to be outdone, pressed eagerly.

“Don’t worry,” Qi Jun replied with a smile, seeing his anxiety. “There’s plenty I need. The second item is ox sinew!”

Liu Kui stroked his chin thoughtfully. When Qi Jun had asked for wood, he’d assumed he meant to repair the house, but with the mention of ox horns and sinew, he began to suspect Qi Jun’s real intentions, though he didn’t ask outright, waiting for the rest of the list.

The villagers were troubled—cattle were precious in this farming era, forbidden by the authorities to be killed, and few families had any to spare.

“I’ll get it!” a woman’s voice called from the crowd.

Qi Jun looked over and saw a woman raising her hand as she pushed forward. She had come along merely out of curiosity and hadn’t expected to be able to eat any meat, but upon hearing Qi Jun’s conditions, she agreed enthusiastically.

“Auntie, that won’t be easy to find,” Qi Jun cautioned. “Don’t let your pursuit of meat trouble others.”

“Oh, don’t worry! My brother-in-law works at the county slaughterhouse. I’ll ask him tomorrow!” she replied, excited.

Qi Jun nodded—her plan was possible enough—and agreed to the trade.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” the woman turned back, saying, “While you two were out, Aunt Zhao came by. She left a message for you!”

“Aunt Zhao was here?” Qi Jun paused, concerned. “What did she need?”

“It was nothing urgent. She said she’s going back to her family in Zhaojia Ditch for a while and asked you both to take care. She also left you some wild greens—they’re in your house.”

Qi Jun nodded in understanding. Aunt Zhao’s life in the village had not been easy, and as the village’s wild greens became scarcer, it was only natural she would return home to seek work.

Still, things would hardly be easier for her there, Qi Jun thought with a sigh.

As the woman left, someone in the crowd called after her, “Aunt Meng, you might be wasting your time! Ox sinew isn’t easy to come by!”

She paid no heed and quickly vanished into the night, leaving the others to laugh and then turn their attention back to Qi Jun, awaiting his next words.

“The third item is probably only owned by one person here,” Qi Jun said, eyeing the remaining crowd.

“What? What is it?”

“Don’t keep us in suspense! Who’s the only one with it?”

“Is it the clan elder?”

“Hah, our village is so poor—even the clan elder isn’t much better off than the rest of us…”

“I want bird feathers—wing feathers, to be exact,” Qi Jun announced before the noise could grow.

The villagers quieted instantly. Dongling Village was so poor they couldn’t even afford to keep chickens; wing feathers would only be found with Liu Biao, the village’s hunter. Qi Jun could have gotten them himself, but he was unwilling to go to the effort.

By now, Liu Kui had almost figured it out—Qi Jun wanted to make a bow and arrow. He looked at Qi Jun with newfound curiosity, surprised that a scholar would possess such skills.

Qi Feng, on the other hand, was completely baffled, unable to understand why his brother would trade their hard-won mutton for things that seemed so useless.

“Haha! I do have those things!” A wiry, dark-skinned man stepped forward, clasping his hands to Qi Jun. “I heard there was meat here and came to see for myself.”

Qi Jun returned the gesture. “The meat truly was hunted by my brother and me in the mountains outside the village.”

“Oh? In Dongling Village, only I have the skills for hunting, yet you—a scholar—managed it as well!” The hunter clasped his hands again. “I’d like to hear the tale! As for what you need, it’s no trouble; I’ll give you the feathers.”

Qi Jun didn’t conceal anything and briefly recounted their hunt for the crowd. The villagers looked at him with newfound respect, some feeling ashamed for having accused him of theft earlier.

The hunter, impressed and eager to befriend him, said, “A kill within thirty paces—truly skillful! I have plenty of wild pheasant feathers; I’ll fetch them for you tomorrow!”

“But you want these things to make a bow, don’t you?” the hunter asked.

Qi Jun smiled and nodded, admitting as much.

“I have bows at home—if you need one, just borrow it. Why go to all this trouble?” The hunter assumed Qi Jun wanted a bow for hunting, which was certainly more efficient than using spears.

“Thank you, Brother Liu!” Qi Jun replied, bowing. “But I have my own reasons.”

What Qi Jun actually intended to make was a crossbow. However, the laws of the Liang Dynasty forbade commoners from making them, so Qi Jun’s plan was risky. Apart from his brother, Qi Jun didn’t yet trust any of the villagers completely—if any starving villager reported him for a reward, his plans would be over before they began.

The hunter saw that Qi Jun didn’t wish to elaborate and said no more, nodding and taking his leave. Qi Jun watched him go, thinking the man had a touch of the wanderer about him; befriending him could only help with his plans.

“And the fourth thing?” Liu Qi was getting desperate, seeing others leaving with their shares of meat.

“This time, don’t compete with me!” Liu Qi shouted to the crowd around him.

Qi Jun laughed. “Go fetch water—fill all the jars in my house to the brim!”

“What?” Liu Qi was dumbfounded. The weather was sweltering, and not a drop of rain had fallen in Anqiang County for a whole month. Water was even more precious than meat.

Qi Jun was both making things difficult for him and genuinely in need of water. Not only he, but every household in Dongling Village had to walk long distances, searching every stream and crevice for enough water to get by.

People could go hungry for days, but three days without water and life was in danger.

“Come with me to the riverbank tomorrow—I’ll show you where to find water,” Qi Jun said to Liu Qi, then turned to the others, speaking with confidence.

His words left everyone stunned, and then a commotion rose again. Their hunger for meat was momentarily forgotten—if Qi Jun really knew where to find water, he had their full attention, though many looked at him with skepticism.

The severe drought plagued Dongling Village—not only had it withered their crops, but countless villagers had been displaced by the heat and lack of water. If Qi Jun could help alleviate that suffering, it would be a great blessing for the people.

Qi Jun hadn’t thought so far ahead. He simply wanted to do his best to solve this deadly problem.