Chapter Twenty-Eight: A Rich Harvest

Lin Feng felt a tremor in his heart, yet his tone remained defiant. "As a citizen of Great Qi, I have always been law-abiding. Magistrate Feng can testify to that."

Lin Shize retorted, "Don't bother using Feng Mu's name to intimidate me; he is likely already headless by now."

Lin Feng’s face turned pale, and his frame swayed. He discreetly gestured to the guards behind him. Suddenly, a row of archers appeared on the walls of the Lin estate, and arrows rained down toward Lin Shize.

Lin Shize sneered; he had known Lin Feng would not surrender without a fight. He raised his shield to deflect the incoming shafts, and without needing an order, his soldiers drew their bows and returned fire. After two volleys, seven or eight guards had fallen, and no one dared to show their heads above the wall again.

With the enemy suppressed, Lin Shize led a squad of soldiers, long sabers drawn, toward the wall. The front line of soldiers pressed against the base of the wall, kneeling and interlocking their hands to form a step. Lin Shize leaped onto their hands and, propelled by their thrust, vaulted over the wall.

As he landed, a guard charged, swinging his blade in a desperate attempt to catch him off balance. Lin Shize dodged with lightning speed and swept his own blade outward.

*Splut!*

Blood sprayed like a fountain as a headless corpse thudded to the ground. A second guard rushed him, but Lin Shize parried the blow and kicked out with his right foot. *Bang!* The guard was sent flying, howling in agony.

Behind him, soldiers poured over the wall, cutting through the guards like wheat. To them, these defenders were mere child’s play. Those who could fled, and as the main gates were breached, arrows continued to rain down, turning the estate into a slaughterhouse.

The old fox, Lin Feng, had long since vanished. Lin Shize cut his way toward the back courtyard, beheading any guard who dared to resist. As he kicked open the rear gate, dozens more rushed forward, but Lin Shize stepped into the fray, his blade flashing as his soldiers poured through the gap he created.

Within minutes, only a few guards remained, trembling in terror before these harbingers of death. Lin Shize pointed his blood-stained blade at them and commanded, "Either get out, or die!"

*Clatter!*

The guards dropped their weapons and scrambled out of the courtyard on their hands and knees.

Lin Shize kicked open the door to the main room. Lin Feng stood inside, wearing a pack, clearly prepared to flee.

"Lin Shize, I can give you money—a great deal of money—if you just let me go," Lin Feng pleaded.

Lin Shize chuckled. "If I kill you, that money will be mine anyway."

"That is only the money in the treasury," Lin Feng countered. "I have a secret chamber where I’ve kept my lifelong savings. Let me go, and once I am safe, I will tell you where it is. I won't go back on my word."

Lin Shize gestured to his own face. "Do I look like a fool to you? Besides, there is someone else who knows about your chamber."

Steward Lin stepped forward from behind him, bowing respectfully. "The secret chamber is beneath the bed in Lin Feng's bedroom."

Lin Feng realized then how he had been undone. "You ungrateful wretch! I treated you well, and this is how you betray me?"

The steward sneered. "Treated me well? You made me do all the dirty, exhausting work, and when it came time to run, you wanted me to stay behind and die for you. Is that your idea of treating me well?"

Lin Feng looked at Lin Shize. "You dare to employ a turncoat like him? Why not keep me instead? I know many things; I can be of use to you."

Lin Shize shook his head. "You are a venomous snake. If I kept you, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night. I told you all this just to see if you had any tricks left up your sleeve. Now, you can die."

Lin Feng tried to speak, but the steward lunged forward with a roar, plunging a dagger repeatedly into him. Only when Lin Feng finally breathed his last did the steward collapse, trembling, before Lin Shize.

Lin Shize patted his shoulder. "Do not worry, I will not kill you. From now on, you are the master of the Lin estate. I will send two men to assist you in managing it. As long as you work well, I will treat you fairly."

The steward’s dull eyes gradually brightened. He had expected to be silenced, and his attack on Lin Feng had been a desperate act of vengeance. He hadn't expected such a sudden stroke of fortune—he had leapt from a servant to the master of the house.

He kowtowed heavily. "The Lin estate has many other properties in the county. I will see that everything is settled properly."

Lin Shize nodded, satisfied; it was always easier to work with a smart man. As he prepared to leave, he asked, "I never asked your name."

The steward paused. "My name is Lin Guangyao."

"Lin Guangyao—to bring glory to your ancestors," Lin Shize remarked. "You shall surely do so."

The wealth of the Lin estate showed Lin Shize what a true land-grabbing miser looked like; the gold, silver, jewelry, and coins alone filled an entire horse-drawn carriage. It was enough to fund the entire construction of Yingling Village.

When Lin Shize returned to the village with his troops, Liu Wu approached, looking as though he had something to say but hesitating.

"What is it?" Lin Shize asked.

"Wanqing greets Commander Lin." Before Liu Wu could answer, a graceful figure approached.

"Miss Wanqing, what brings you here?"

Wanqing bit her lip, looking at Lin Shize. "Commander, Feng Mu is, after all, my elder. Could you... could you spare his life?"

Lin Shize was taken aback; he had forgotten that Wanqing was Feng Mu's niece. "Military orders are strict. I am sorry."

Wanqing smiled bitterly. "The state has its laws, and the family has its rules. I would never make things difficult for you, Commander. I only ask that you allow me to accompany my elder on his final journey, to fulfill my filial duty."

This was a request Lin Shize could grant. "Old Liu, send men to protect Miss Wanqing."

"Thank you, Commander," she said.

Watching her leave, Lin Shize sighed. She was a woman of truly tragic fate. Three days later, Feng Mu was beheaded in the camp on Zhang Jiawen’s orders. Wanqing collected his remains and buried them west of Yingling Village, marking the grave with an anonymous stone. Lin Shize had a small hut built there so she could observe the mourning period.

The early spring breeze turned gentle, like a mother’s touch upon the face. The residual snow of winter had not yet fully melted; water trickled from the eaves, while the remnants of snow in the ditches held their ground. In the distance, the mountains loomed through a thin mist, their peaks already tinged with a faint, budding green.

*The light spring rain moistens like cream, and from afar, the grass seems to paint the earth, though up close, it is nowhere to be seen.*

Ever since Lin Shize had broken his troops into smaller units, the bandits for hundreds of miles around had been utterly devastated. Even the local thugs and tyrants in the villages had vanished, and the entire border region had become more peaceful than ever before.

"Boss! Good news, incredible news!" Li Gui burst in, breathless.

"What good news? Did you finally win over the Widow Li?" Lin Shize teased.