Chapter Sixteen: Disappearance

“Uncle Liu, you needn’t say such things. I am a native of East Ridge Village, and it is only my duty to help the village in times of trouble!” Qi Jun clasped his hands respectfully to Liu Kui and the villagers gathered behind him, offering the salute of a scholar.

“Where’s Liu Qi? Tell him to come out and apologize to the young master!” Liu Fuyuan rose, frowning as he searched the crowd, but Liu Qi was nowhere to be seen.

“Hey, has anyone seen Liu Qi? When did that scoundrel slip away?” Liu Kui looked around as well, only then noticing Liu Qi’s absence.

Qi Jun was momentarily surprised, but paid it no mind. He had never regarded the likes of Liu Qi as worthy of much concern. Waving aside Liu Kui, Qi Jun strode quickly to the pile of iron parts, knelt, and began to examine them one by one.

“Master, though I forged these according to your drawings, I fear my craftsmanship may not be up to the mark…” Liu Fuyuan watched Qi Jun nervously, standing beside him like a student awaiting a teacher’s review.

Though he prided himself on his skills as the village blacksmith, he had poured his heart into forging the items Qi Jun required.

“Excellent! Thank you for your hard work, Master Liu!” Qi Jun set down the iron pipe with satisfaction.

Liu Fuyuan’s skills, though far inferior to what Qi Jun had seen in his previous life, were more than sufficient for building the well Qi Jun had designed.

The villagers, invigorated and refreshed, shed their earlier fatigue. Under Qi Jun’s guidance, they enthusiastically installed the iron components Liu Fuyuan had crafted.

Before long, the riverbank was crowded with villagers carrying pots, pans, and bowls. At the moment water flowed, someone ran excitedly to spread the news throughout the village.

Everyone’s gloom and sorrow vanished, dispelling the silence and heaviness that had lingered since the drought began. Joy and festivity filled the air like a holiday celebration.

Soon, a pressure well stood before the villagers, upright like an armored sentinel on the dry riverbed. Qi Jun pressed down firmly, and cool well water gushed forth as if by magic.

The crowd erupted in endless cheers. Led by Liu Kui, several sturdy villagers rushed forward, hoisting Qi Jun high in the air. Many onlookers wiped their eyes, uncertain whether from tears or disbelief.

“The elder is here!” someone shouted from the crowd. The cheers gradually subsided as the villagers stood respectfully, all looking in the same direction.

Qi Jun, clutching his chest and breathing heavily, felt his heart race from the excitement of being tossed up and down by the men.

By torchlight, Yun Fei helped the silver-haired elder to the center of the crowd.

Qi Jun straightened his attire and quickly bowed to the elder.

“Child, there’s no need for such ceremony. Let me pay you my respects!” The elder stepped forward, folding his hands solemnly as he bowed deeply to Qi Jun.

“Elder, you mustn’t!” Seeing Liu, the clan chief, trembling as he prepared to bow again, Qi Jun hurried to stop him, signaling to Yun Fei and Liu Kui.

Yun Fei smiled warmly, her gaze full of admiration and approval for Qi Jun.

Liu Kui moved to support his father, but the elder stopped him with a glance.

“The villagers have suffered drought for so long! Sir, please don’t be so modest!”

Previously, the clan chief had only addressed Qi Jun’s father as ‘Sir,’ respecting him as a scholar. When Qi Jun’s father was killed by bandits while procuring food for the village, the clan chief visited but only sent Liu Kui to pay respects, feeling it improper for an elder to bow to a young man.

Yet only a few days had passed since their last meeting, and now his attitude and understanding of Qi Jun had completely changed. At this moment, he felt it would be worth kneeling before Qi Jun.

“Elder, your praise is too much!” Qi Jun felt embarrassed by the lavish compliments. “In truth, even this well water may not last. Next, I plan to build a water cellar, so that—”

“Good! Good! We’ll do as the young master says!” Before Qi Jun could finish, the clan chief eagerly agreed, turning to Liu Kui, “Write it down! Write it all down! Henceforth, follow the young master’s instructions in everything!”

Liu Kui nodded quickly; truthfully, even if his father hadn’t instructed him so, he would have done the same.

Liu Kui filled two large buckets with well water, hoisted them, and took them to Qi Jun’s home. The other villagers lined up joyfully under the elder’s watchful eye.

“How long has it been since the village has been so lively?” The clan chief squinted, stroking his beard, moved by the jubilant scene before him.

Unbeknownst to them, a pair of eyes hidden in the darkness watched from the high ground across the riverbank, full of malice.

“Heh, Liu Kui, oh Liu Kui! I treated you like a brother, but you treat me like a dog!” The man muttered through clenched teeth, slamming his fist into the dirt before him. “Just you wait!”

The pain from his bleeding mouth made him gasp, and the viciousness in his gaze only deepened.

The villagers, using water instead of wine, celebrated around the bonfire on the riverbank. Qi Jun noticed several young village girls giggling and whispering, stealing glances at him.

Qi Jun smiled and shook his head, marveling at the vividness and wonder of the moment.

“Brother Jun, you’re the village’s most eligible bachelor now!” Yun Fei emerged from the crowd, glanced at the village girls, then smiled at Qi Jun, “So, which one will you marry?”

“What do you mean, ‘which one’?” Qi Jun was caught off guard by her question.

“I mean, you—” Yun Fei shot him a look, her cheeks flushed in the firelight, and though she seemed about to say something more, she held back.

Qi Jun smiled and didn’t press further. The two stood side by side, watching the flickering bonfire and the lively crowd, immersed in the atmosphere.

“Yun Fei! Help your grandfather home!”

Liu Kui’s call broke their peaceful moment. Yun Fei turned and looked deeply at Qi Jun, then answered softly and reluctantly walked away.

Qi Jun watched Yun Fei vanish into the crowd, his heart pounding, his soul stirred. He understood Yun Fei’s feelings.

Back in the house, Qi Jun and Qi Feng saw off the last villagers who had come to express their thanks.

By then, the floor was piled high with wild vegetables. Though Qi Jun insisted on not accepting gifts, the villagers simply left them behind. The drafty walls had been patched with wooden boards, and even the jagged stones at the doorstep had been dug up and flattened.

For half the night, the villagers found their own ways to express gratitude. Though every household was poor, their simple warmth deeply moved Qi Jun.

The brothers smiled at the basins and jars filled with water, boiled a pot for washing, and then lay down to rest.

With the water shortage solved, the next concern was how to feed everyone.

Qi Jun pondered this as he drifted off to sleep.

“Young Master Qi!”

Before dawn, Qi Jun was roused from sleep by someone calling him. Though he recognized Liu Kui’s voice, he felt a bit annoyed.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes and sat up, sighing softly.

But when he heard Liu Kui’s next words, his heart broke out in cold sweat.

“Something’s happened!” Liu Kui burst in, pushing open the door. “The clan chief and Yun Fei are missing! They didn’t come home last night!”

“What? They didn’t return?” Qi Jun immediately got up, pulled on his clothes, and quickly recalled the last time he saw them.

“Don’t panic, don’t panic…” Though Qi Jun tried to remain calm, he couldn’t deny a selfish hope that Yun Fei would be safe above all.

Qi Jun took a deep breath to steady himself. “Do you know where they were last seen?”

“I’ve asked everyone. Only Liu Biao saw them last!” Liu Kui hurriedly shared what he knew. “Last night, Liu Biao went into the mountains to set traps, and on his way down, he saw Liu Lai with them heading toward the woods west of the village!”

“Liu Lai?” Qi Jun’s heart sank with a sense of foreboding.

Liu Lai was an obscure idler in the village—why would the clan chief and Yun Fei be with him?

Qi Jun knew Liu Lai not only loafed about, but had been beaten by villagers for repeated theft. But the clan chief, remembering Liu Lai’s orphaned childhood, had always tolerated him.

“Where’s Liu Biao?” Qi Jun asked.

“He set out at dawn with others to search the western woods.” Liu Kui slumped against the wall, eyes bloodshot.

“I should have escorted them home last night! I shouldn’t have…” Liu Kui berated himself in regret. “Young Master Qi, please, you must think of something! Yun Fei lost her mother early—if anything happens to her, I’ll never forgive myself!”

Qi Jun watched the burly man sobbing in despair and felt deeply troubled. He splashed cold water on his face, striving to think clearly.

“I shouldn’t have…” Liu Kui sank into guilt, pounding his head.

Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, he sprang to his feet.