Chapter 1031: Chapter 1029: Complete Defeat

Midway, those who were tied up like dumplings and knocked out also started waking up one by one and quickly realized their predicament, instinctively wanting to shout and break free.

Unfortunately, those who tied them up were professionals; the more they struggled, the tighter the ropes became, almost cutting into their flesh.

They wanted to cry, but unfortunately, their mouths were stuffed with things, some with old socks, some with soft wood.

They could only squirm on the ground futilely, making muffled sounds.

The women of Yingzi Gully watched, feeling their hearts shatter.

Especially after the sun rose, the stones on the mountainside heated up, and those tied up and lying on the ground were baked by the heat from both above and below, sweat pouring from their bodies like a flood.

From last night until now, they hadn’t had a drop of water, and some were on the verge of collapse.

Finally seeing Wang Yongzhu come out, the women waiting at the cave could hardly contain their excitement, almost rushing over.

But the guards weren’t to be trifled with; the moment they flashed their sharp, gleaming knives, the women retreated.

Having been left hanging for so long, even the most foolish women realized that their families’ lives were now in the hands of these people.

So when they saw Wang Yongzhu’s figure, the women all dropped to their knees from a distance, pleading, “Please, Scholar’s Lady, spare us!”

“Please, Scholar’s Lady, show mercy and spare our husbands!”

“Scholar’s Lady, we know we were wrong!”

…

Wang Yongzhu quietly gave an order. Though she intended to teach Yingzi Gully a lesson, she never meant to take their lives.

Zhang Quan waved his hand, and someone brought two buckets of water, pulling out the cloth stuffed in each person’s mouth, giving them each a ladle of water, and then stuffing the rags back in.

After drinking some water, their complexions finally improved.

By now, even they were afraid, no longer trying to break free, sitting obediently on the ground, casting fearful glances at Wang Yongzhu and the guards.

Loo Xiaoshan wanted to step forward to speak, but his wife held him back tightly. He barely got free and hadn’t taken a step when he saw a group of people coming down the mountain path.

Straining to see clearly, this group looked rather disheveled, with soot-stained faces. Behind them stumbled a dozen or so even worse off, their hands tightly bound, each bearing injuries.

Especially those at the back, where two were carried back.

The path on that side led to Tea Mountain. Seeing these people, who didn’t understand that their attempt on Tea Mountain had failed?

People on the other side had long been on guard against them.

The entire plan was lost!

Those from Yingzi Gully, who were still holding on to a bit of hope, now understood the taste of despair.

Song Chongjin walked in last. He was relatively unharmed, aside from some dust on his clothes.

The people on that side saw the commotion at the cave entrance and realized last night had been just as tumultuous here.

Everyone was exhausted from a night’s work, but rest was out of the question; everyone understood this.

Those who attempted to set fire to the mountain were thrown to the ground, left to bake in the sun with the others.

Two among them were particularly badly injured, tossed onto the ground they only groaned twice before sinking back into unconsciousness.

Wang Yongzhu glanced at them: “Are they in mortal danger?”

Sun Qi disdainfully said, “Just a broken leg, a villain living a thousand years, these people are hardy.”

Given that, Wang Yongzhu left it alone; Sun Qi and his people had more experience handling these matters.

Carefully examining Song Chongjin and confirming he was unhurt, her heart was relieved.

Song Chongjin allowed Wang Yongzhu to assess him and even had the energy to say, “Fortunately, I didn’t fail! Not a single tea plant is missing!”

Seeing Song Chongjin’s lips so dry they were cracking, Wang Yongzhu couldn’t help but feel distressed, quickly calling people inside the wooden house.

Song Chongjin drank half a pot of tea in one go, soothing his parched throat slightly.

Sun Qi wasn’t so particular, gulping down a few ladles of cold water outside before coming in to report.

Last night was a harrowing night for them as well.

The bone whistle from Yingzi Gully wasn’t just a signal to those setting fires; it alerted them too.

In the darkness, unable to see people clearly, they could only rush to places where fire was spotted.

Perhaps the arsonists hadn’t expected people lying in wait here; initially, they hesitated, but someone shouted that since they’d been discovered, they might as well fight to the death.

That shout spurred the hesitant into desperation.

In the dark, while putting out fires and managing the arsonists, they were spread thin.

Fortunately, they had Song Chongjin.

Sun Qi, in recounting, looked at Song Chongjin with admiration, his eyes shining like little lamps.

Thanks to Song Chongjin’s intervention, otherwise the arsonists, divided into several groups, would have succeeded amidst the chaos.

In the night, due to the conditions, their comrades did get hit, but it wasn’t serious.

On the other hand, those setting fires ran into trouble with Song Chongjin’s intervention; among them, two with broken legs tried to escape, misstepped in the dark, and fell.

If they hadn’t returned at dawn to search again, those two might have ended up as wolf bait in the mountains.

As he spoke, someone came to report that Loo Xiaoshan and other uninvolved hunters were requesting an audience.

Wang Yongzhu pondered for a moment before letting them be brought over.

Loo Xiaoshan, Li Dashan, and a few hunters cautiously approached, their eyes filled with fear, especially when looking at Zhang Quan, Sun Qi, and particularly Wang Yongzhu.

They were no longer carelessly bold as before.

Seeing Loo Xiaoshan and Li Dashan, Wang Yongzhu got straight to the point, “What do you want to say? Speak directly!”

Loo Xiaoshan and Li Dashan exchanged glances, biting their lips, and finally spoke, “We just want to ask what the Scholar’s Lady plans for us.”

Li Dashan was also scared, recalling the tied-up crowd outside made his legs weak.

He couldn’t help but feel relieved that he had always stood by the Scholar’s Lady. Hopefully, hopefully, she wouldn’t take it out on him, though he was far from sure.

Wang Yongzhu looked at the nervous hunters and said directly, “All previous contracts are void. From now on, the twenty taels of silver given to you for settlement are written off. But regarding the houses, only those who didn’t get involved have their share; those who did, do not! We will send people to guard Tea Mountain afterward, and the remaining houses will be left for them to use.”

“Those who set the fires and attacked at night will be handed over to the authorities! As for the others, just forget it!” These were old, weak, women, and children; Wang Yongzhu wasn’t interested in quibbling with them.