Chapter 68: Xiangzi's Gains!
Mao Fugui, seeing the awkward expressions on everyone's faces, felt a bit embarrassed himself and hurriedly explained, “Master, it’s not that I don’t want to test the musket myself. It’s just that my eyesight hasn’t been good these past few years—I’m afraid I’d let you down…”
“But please don’t worry, Master. Xiaocao has been helping me test the muskets since she was twelve. Her marksmanship is even better than mine…”
As Mao Fugui spoke, Mao Xiaocao finished preparing the musket, only needing to light the match to fire.
With everyone’s attention on her, Li Yuanjing said, “Begin.”
Soon, someone placed a sturdy wooden stake about seventy paces ahead.
In Da Qian, a pace was long—about a meter and a half—so the distance was nearly a hundred meters.
Though a bit nervous under so many watchful eyes, Mao Xiaocao’s hands remained steady. She quickly lit the match, raised the musket, and took aim at the stake.
Bang!
A crisp crack of gunfire echoed. A hole suddenly appeared in the middle of the stake, and a large chunk splintered off.
“Heavens! That’s accurate…”
“This young girl, at such a tender age, how remarkable—one truly cannot judge by appearances…”
The crowd erupted in astonished exclamations—even Zhao Zengjin was stunned, staring in disbelief.
It was his first time witnessing the power and terror of a musket, and he finally grasped just how dangerous that night by the Yishui River had been…
Li Yuanjing’s spirits soared.
He hadn’t expected the musket to be even more effective than imagined!
Judging by this, he couldn’t say for sure how it would fare against armored soldiers, especially those in elite gear, but against bandits, it would certainly make them beg for mercy.
Just then, several crows noisily settled in a tree not far away.
Li Yuanjing said, “Xiaocao, let’s see if you can hit a live target for everyone.”
“Alright,” Mao Xiaocao replied, saying no more, and began reloading, tamping, and pouring powder—following each step methodically.
Bang!
Without much delay, Mao Xiaocao once again decisively pulled the trigger.
Caw caw caw!
Startled, the flock of crows scattered, but the largest, the leader, tumbled lifelessly from the branch.
Someone immediately rushed to retrieve it.
Soon, the crow was brought before Li Yuanjing and the others.
“Hmm…”
Everyone, Li Yuanjing included, couldn’t help but feel their scalps tingle.
The crow’s body was half destroyed, beyond words to describe…
And the distance—if not a hundred meters, then at least eighty or ninety!
“Excellent!”
“Excellent!”
“Excellent!”
Li Yuanjing’s spirits soared, and his gaze toward Mao Xiaocao changed.
No wonder the wise say: “Seriousness is the most attractive quality.”
At this moment, though Mao Xiaocao was the same plain and slightly grubby girl as before, in Li Yuanjing’s eyes, she looked more pleasing than ever.
He promptly rewarded Mao Fugui and his two children with two taels of silver, and gave Mao Xiaocao an additional two taels herself.
The others looked on with envy—they hadn’t expected such generosity from Li Yuanjing toward the Mao family…
Li Yuanjing then addressed Mao Fugui, “Uncle Mao, now that I’ve seen this musket’s effectiveness, I’m reassured. In the next few days, take your time making them. Don’t work yourselves to exhaustion—your health comes first. But, you must still ensure quality and quantity, understood?”
Overjoyed, Mao Fugui hurriedly led his children to kneel and kowtow in thanks.
Watching this scene, Li Yuanjing let out a silent sigh.
He’d already noticed Mao Fugui’s eyes were clouded, the mark of cataracts—a common affliction for people of his age.
Alas, even as a man from another world, Li Yuanjing had no way to cure such an illness. All he could do was lighten Mao Fugui’s workload and hope to find a skilled doctor in the future.
…
The successful test of the first musket, and especially Mao Xiaocao’s remarkable marksmanship, filled Li Yuanjing with confidence.
Yet his excitement was short-lived, for news soon came from the village elder: that scoundrel, the Third Chief, had returned!
When Li Yuanjing arrived at the thatched hut, the Third Chief was leisurely sitting inside, drinking tea—tea he had evidently brought himself.
“Master Li, how are things progressing? You should know, Lord Feng is running out of patience!”
Seeing Li Yuanjing approach, the Third Chief sneered as if Li Yuanjing were an ant he could crush with a flick of his finger.
Li Yuanjing humbly pleaded, “Third Chief, please grant me a few more days. I’m doing all I can to raise the money. At most, three to five days—I swear on my life, I’ll gather it for you…”
Seeing Li Yuanjing so abject, the Third Chief’s sneer deepened. “Fine.”
“Master Li, I’m not an unreasonable man. After all, we’re neighbors here. I’ll give you three more days!”
“But—”
“If you can’t come up with the silver in three days, don’t blame me for what happens next!”
…
After sending off the skinning devil that was the Third Chief, the village elder gnashed his few remaining teeth in fury, cursing, “Yuanjing, how can we let that brute have his way? If we do, there’ll be no life left for the hundreds in our village!”
A cold, calm smile crept onto Li Yuanjing’s lips. “Uncle, don’t worry. He won’t be strutting around for much longer.”
…
After soothing the old village chief, Li Yuanjing was about to vent his anger by digging trenches when Zhang Kun hurried over.
Leaning close, Zhang Kun whispered, “Master, there’s great news!”
“Xiangzi has been watching closely these past two days and found a lead!”
“That Third Chief’s trusted man—his brother-in-law, no less—has been having an affair with a widow named Zhang in Tieniu Town. Tonight, he’s expected to spend the night at her house…”
“Oh?” Li Yuanjing’s brows knit, then relaxed.
He tossed Zhang Kun a shovel. “Come, Brother Zhang, let’s work.”
Zhang Kun was momentarily stunned, but said nothing more, joining Li Yuanjing in earnest labor.
…
Night fell.
Among the wild mountains, a fierce wind howled.
Though no snow fell, the savage north wind drove the villagers indoors, unwilling to face its knife-like chill.
It was the same in Tieniu Town.
“Humming at sister’s red lips, oh how red those lips are…”
In a small alley on the eastern side of Tieniu Town, a burly, drunken, and disreputable man swaggered along, leering and singing a bawdy tune.
“Don’t move!”
“Move an inch and I’ll skin you alive!”
Just as he reached to push open a door, a sharp hatchet pressed to his throat.
In an instant, a bright red line appeared on his neck, blood welling up unstoppably.
The man was terrified, his drunkenness vanishing as he begged, “Please, good sirs, let’s talk this out. My brother-in-law is the Third Chief of Cold Mountain—if you hurt me, he’ll be furious…”
“Third Chief of Cold Mountain?”
From the shadows stepped a tall figure, sneering, “It’s your Third Chief I’m after!”
Without another word, Li Yuanjing drove a heavy kick into the man’s stomach.
Before the man could even scream, a powerful hand clamped over his mouth.
With a gesture from Li Yuanjing, several figures sprang forth, and a sturdy sack was pulled over the man from head to waist.