Chapter Sixty-Six: Sighs of Pursuit

“All right, there’s no need for formalities here. The two of you take a few men each and head home to visit your families.” As Lin Hu and Tan Yue put on a calm front—though their darting eyes betrayed their excitement—Hu San saw through their thoughts at once. Smiling, he waved them off.

Hearing this, the two were visibly delighted. They quickly ordered a few other bandits to carry their belongings and dashed off into the crowd toward their families, uniting with them in joy and making their way home together.

Seeing this, Hu San felt a pang of bittersweet envy.

“Father, has everything been well at home lately?” Hu San managed a gentle smile for Old Hu.

“All’s well, all’s well. Your elder brother has married another wife, your sister-in-law is pregnant, and your mother and I are both in good health,” Old Hu replied, his arms trembling as he spoke, his gaze never meeting Hu San’s, mumbling almost incoherently.

“That’s good, very good. Father, let’s go home and talk inside.” Hu San had expected as much. With a wave of his hand, he summoned the bandits behind him to follow, and together with his father, he returned to the Hu household.

Once inside, Hu San realized that without noticing, the family had escaped their former poverty. The earthen house had been torn down and replaced by several large, bright tile-roofed houses. Though not lavishly decorated, they were spacious, clean, and sturdy, with high courtyard walls and well-kept furnishings.

As Hu San entered, he saw his elder brother commanding a crowd at work, many familiar faces among them—villagers lending a hand. Unbeknownst to him, the Hu family had become a prominent household.

In the main hall, a banquet was already set. His mother sat at the head of the table, casting frequent glances outside, while a few village women chattered with her, their manner overly deferential.

As Old Hu and Hu San entered, Hu Da’s eyes lit up, and he hurried over with a smile. “San’er, you’re back? Stay a few days this time, won’t you?”

“Fat Luo, take these brothers to the side room and see that they’re well looked after,” Hu Da called out, handling the situation with grace. Hu San was not surprised; his elder brother had always been this way, or he would never have become the family’s hope.

In the past, with no foundation, there was little he could do, but now, with Hu San as their pillar, how could he not make the most of it? Indeed, much of the family’s prosperity was due to Hu Da’s schemes. Since Hu San had left the year before, he hadn’t returned once—how could the family have improved so much if not for his brother’s leveraging of his reputation?

“You’ve all had a hard journey. Once the others arrive, gather together for some wine and food, but remember—not to excess or causing trouble. Understood?” Hu San’s tone was mild, and the bandits behind him responded in unison.

He glanced at his elder brother, whose slightly plump face showed a clear trace of fear. When their eyes met, Hu Da quickly lowered his head, not daring to meet his gaze.

After all, Hu San was now a formidable mountain bandit, holding the lives of thousands in his hands.

Helpless, Hu San went inside with his father and the others. His mother’s gaze, at least, was different from the others—giving Hu San some small comfort, though not much more.

Soon after, Hu Da brought over his pregnant wife and his new bride to meet Hu San. The pregnant one, his sister-in-law, had only met Hu San once before. At the sight of him, she lowered her head, trembling with fear.

As for the new wife, though she had some charm and wit, she was a village girl, after all, and dared not offend the mountain chieftain. She stood with head bowed, silent.

Hu San glanced at his sister-in-law’s belly, his eyes sharpening slightly.

Perhaps sensing his thoughts, Old Hu hurried forward and whispered, “She’s only two months along—it’s definitely our family’s child.”

At this, Hu San shook his head, ignoring the two sisters-in-law and asking, “Where are my younger brother and sister?”

“They’re playing at the neighbor’s. I’ll call them right away,” the second wife replied, darting out the door before anyone could direct her.

“How ill-mannered!” Old Hu snorted, displeased at her impropriety toward Hu San.

Hu Da looked awkward, rubbing his hands as he tried to smooth things over. “Come, let’s sit at the table.”

The family sat together. When the younger siblings arrived, they greeted Hu San as “Third Brother,” but were quickly sent away by Old Hu. The sisters-in-law helped with chores and did not sit at the table.

Only his mother, among the women, remained at the table, joined by Old Hu, Hu Da, and several village elders.

“Why aren’t the sisters-in-law and the younger ones at the table?” Hu San’s question brought the lively conversation to an abrupt halt.

“Women and children can eat apart; it’s the proper way,” Old Hu grumbled. Since the family’s rise, he valued propriety above all.

“But we’re all family—shouldn’t we be together?” Hu San smiled.

At once, Old Hu changed his tune. “You’re right, you’re right—it was my oversight.” He called the two wives and the younger siblings to the table, and no one mentioned propriety again.

After the meal, as the women cleared the table, Hu San and his father sat in the main hall. Suddenly, talk turned to his eleven-year-old brother.

After a moment’s thought, Hu San said, “He’s at the right age to begin training. If he stays in the village, it’ll only hold him back. I’d like to take him up the mountain, find someone to teach him to read and practice martial arts. What do you think, Father?”

“Wouldn’t that be too much trouble?” Old Hu’s face twitched with joy, but he voiced polite concerns.

“He’s my own brother—what trouble is there? It’s settled, then.” With that, Hu San decided his younger brother’s fate, and Old Hu did not object.

When it came to Hu San’s own matters, however, Old Hu hesitated, uncertain how to broach the subject. Now that Hu San had risen to such heights, many sought to ally with him by marriage, and he was certainly of age to wed. Old Hu had long considered this, hoping to arrange a match now that his son was home, but in the end, even as his father, he found the words hard to say.

The young man before him, though not deliberately imposing, exuded such authority that Old Hu could not bring himself to risk offense.

Hu San, intelligent as he was, easily discerned his father’s intentions. Yet as his skills grew, so too did his aspirations. He could hardly consider the village girls, or even the daughters of the kingdom’s noble families—who was to say he would find any of them worthy?

After some small talk, as dusk fell, Hu San made a round among the bandits drinking in the side room, then retired to his own quarters for the night.

Early the next morning, Lin Hu and Tan Yue came to pay their respects. Hu San joined them for breakfast, visited their homes, and brought gifts.

At midday, Hu San wandered the village, retracing the paths where he’d played as a child. After lunch, he insisted on leaving, despite his family’s pleas, and the villagers saw him off.

Bidding farewell, Hu San led his men from Langming Village, thus ending his homecoming.

This visit had left Hu San with a more complete, composed state of mind. Though emotionally he and his family had grown even more distant, the trip was not without gain.

At the very least, he was now certain: the simple life of a mountain villager, toiling by day and resting by night, was absolutely not for him.

After returning to the mountain stronghold and arranging for his brother’s future, Hu San left again.

Though he had not found the warmth he’d imagined at home, Hu San now realized just how crucial he was to the Hu family. He hardly needed to think about it: should he die, the family’s fate would be far worse than before.

“I don’t know why, but there’s been no movement from the Wolfheart Stronghold. Has the chief not emerged yet? No, this must be settled as soon as possible.”

At Wolfheart Stronghold, Hu San had his own spies, and information about the chief was not difficult to come by. He was well informed.

Even if he could not draw close to his family, Hu San was determined not to bring disaster upon them. Yet the other side’s inaction made him uneasy; it distracted him even from his inner cultivation. In this situation, he could only choose to act first.

With the formidable strength of his nine-man cadre and his own mastery of the fourth level of internal energy, Hu San believed that even if the chief had become a top-tier fighter, he could at least escape if not win.

Thus, without informing anyone, Hu San slung the Nine Ox Bow over his shoulder, gripped a fine steel saber, packed his belongings, and set off from Langya Mountain, heading straight for Wolfheart Stronghold.

Ten days later, by night, at the summit of Wolfheart Stronghold, Hu San peered cautiously from behind a massive boulder, surveying his surroundings.

He had expected infiltrating the stronghold would be simple—after all, he had lived there for years and knew the layout by heart. Yet upon arrival, he found things had changed.

Someone, during his absence, had completely rearranged the defenses: patrol schedules, hidden posts—all had been altered.

It might have been the third chief, or someone else, but the changes seemed calculated to thwart him.

Fortunately, Hu San’s skills had greatly improved, and as a former chief of the mountain patrol, with inside informants still loyal to him, he made his way up undetected.

But upon reaching the summit, he was stumped—he didn’t actually know where the chief’s quarters were.

It seemed that few in the entire stronghold truly knew where the chief resided.

“This is troublesome. Am I to search every corner?” Hu San rubbed his brow, momentarily at a loss.

Just then, he felt the black sword at his chest give a sudden twitch before settling down again.