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墨書 Inktalez
As twilight descended, Changping Village lay in eerie silence.
Xu Yan casually walked into a house at the village entrance. Inside, there were four Paper Figurines displayed. A child stood at the door, a couple was busy in the kitchen, and an elderly man lay on the bed.
The Paper Figurines were exquisitely crafted, lifelike with distinct features, their vibrant clothing catching the eye. When touched, they felt undeniably like paper, with no abnormalities.
Xu Yan asked Chen Maoliang, "Do you know which paper shop made these Paper Figurines?"
"There are a total of seventy-three paper shops in Changde, and if the price is right, any of them could create such Paper Figurines. I had someone investigate the type of paper used for these; all shops have it in stock. One hundred and five Paper Figurines is no small order. Even the largest paper shop in the county would need ten days of relentless work to produce this many high-quality ones. Upon reviewing their ledgers, they have never received such a large order since opening."
Xu Yan nodded slightly, surveying the surroundings. The household was orderly, with valuables intact; several neighboring houses were similar.
Xu Yan pondered: This could not be the work of Bandits. They typically raided villages for money and livestock, yet none of these possessions were missing.
Did they intend to capture laborers or beautiful women to serve them? But what would they want with an elderly man and a child? Even so, if Bandits had come to abduct people, there would surely have been some commotion; yet neighboring villages five miles away remained unaware... Thus, it was certain that the villagers of Changping had left on their own accord. But why?
Where had they gone after leaving?
This village was nestled against a mountain, with only one road leading out—one end leading into the mountains and the other heading towards Xiawa Village and onto the main road. A group of over a hundred people passing through Xiawa Village Entrance would not go unnoticed; could it be that the entire village fled into the mountains?
As night fell, a bright moon rose in the east. Liu Fengling ordered soldiers to guard the entrance to the main road and led Xu Yan and others to stay overnight in Xiawa Village.
Though Xiawa Village was small, its residents were quite prosperous. The village head, Zhao Dehui, had already cleared out a courtyard at his home for the guests to rest.
After dinner, Xu Yan summoned Zhao Dehui and asked, "Both Changping Village and Xiawa Village are located in the mountains. I noticed that the residents of Changping Village are quite prosperous. What is the reason for this?"
Zhao Dehui replied, "What you may not know, my lord, is that in our two villages, the men do not farm and the women do not weave. We rely on the treasures of the mountains. The mountain behind us is called Golden Buddha Ridge, a place of great fortune. It produces a type of mineral sand that, when refined and mixed with ordinary iron ore, can be used to forge high-quality weapons. The men of the village enter the mountains to collect sand at the end of April each year and return in mid-August to pay their tribute to the court. In return, the court provides silver, allowing our village to go without labor for an entire year."
"I have heard of this before in my youth, but I did not expect it to be here. Why doesn’t the court establish a department to mine such precious mineral sand? Wouldn’t that prevent bandits from coming to seize it?"
"The mineral sand in this mountain can only be found by our villagers, and it is extremely rare—something that can be encountered but not sought after. If the court were to set up a department for mining, it would not only waste manpower and resources but also cut off our villagers' livelihood. Bandits have caused trouble before, but ever since County Magistrate and master Chen took office, all the Bandits within a hundred miles of Golden Buddha Ridge have been eradicated. Any remaining stragglers pose no threat, and our village's strong men are more than capable of handling them. Both villages have watchtowers at their entrances with guards on duty day and night; if anything unusual occurs, they will sound the alarm."
After Zhao Dehui left, Xu Yan pondered: It is now mid-April, close to the mining season. Could it be that the villagers of Changping have gone into the mountains early? But why would even the elderly, women, and children go into the mountains? And why leave behind Paper Figurines…?
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