Chapter 21: The Hidden Hole

Song Luyuan scratched his head again, clearly confused.

What did “all” mean?

He just didn’t get it.

“The scattered little trinkets everywhere, the laughter of different children, and here.”

Song Xian pointed to three distinctly different-sized footprints on the floor.

“There are too many flaws—you’ve already been exposed. But if you hadn’t brought up the Huang Family Children on that cloth strip, we wouldn’t have guessed it was them. Alright, call them out quickly.”

Fang Xiaoyuan hung his head, utterly dispirited.

He thought he had been careful enough to stay hidden, but he hadn’t expected there to be so many slip-ups.

Song Hancheng frowned:

“Hurry up and go.”

Only then did Fang Xiaoyuan push aside the wardrobe’s partition, revealing a concealed earthen hole inside.

The hole was round, about a foot and a half at its widest point, barely enough for a small, skinny child to crawl through.

An adult like Song Xian could never fit inside.

“You all come out!”

Fang Xiaoyuan shouted into the hole, his face set as if ready to die.

Song Xian was amused by the small expression on his face and gently patted his cheek.

“It’s okay. Let’s figure out what happened and find a way to solve this together.”

Song Hancheng looked at Song Xian.

He really was patient and gentle with all the children.

One by one, five children crawled out of the hole, all covered in dirt and grime from head to toe.

Seeing unfamiliar adults in the room, they were terrified and huddled tightly together in the corner.

The five children were about the same age—three boys and two girls.

All bore wounds, which looked like whip marks, some old and scarred over, others fresh with scabs just fallen.

The scars crisscrossed densely across their limbs and backs, countless in number.

“What happened to these wounds?”

Song Xian suddenly realized a grave problem.

“Are you really all Old Man Huang’s children?”

The five kids drew even closer, some burying their faces, showing only their backs to the adults.

They trembled in fear, not daring to utter a single word.

Fang Xiaoyuan answered for them:

“Yes, but we’re all adopted children.”

“The Law of Filial Piety says that a father killing his son is no crime. That sick Old Man Huang deliberately adopted them so he could abuse and humiliate them at will. Even if he beat them to death, it would still be considered family affairs. No one else could interfere or catch him in the wrong.”

He paused.

“They couldn’t bear the torment, so they dug a hole with their bare hands and secretly escaped from that den of wolves.”

“A month ago, I found them while chopping firewood in the mountains. Sister Hua was burning up and had fainted. So I brought them all back.”

After Fang Xiaoyuan confessed, he nervously glanced at Song Hancheng.

He was actually very afraid of Song Hancheng but still stubbornly raised his chin, speaking with unwavering determination.

“I know they are Old Man Huang’s children. Bringing them home might cause trouble, but I couldn’t just abandon them in the wild.”

“I take responsibility for my actions alone. I can take care of them.”

Song Luyuan laughed heartily.

“You brat, don’t talk big. If you could really take care of them, would we be stuck here? The trouble you’ve brought isn’t something you can handle alone. Old Man Huang already made it clear—anyone who steals or hides his children will face Collective Responsibility. The whole village will be punished.”

Song Luyuan sighed and, turning his back to Song Xian, suddenly darkened his expression and leaned close to Fang Xiaoyuan’s ear to whisper.

“You know our village can’t withstand an investigation.”

The Imposing Pressure from a true martial expert instantly made Fang Xiaoyuan short of breath, cold sweat breaking out all over his back.

“Your act of charity is commendable.”

Fang Xiaoyuan slowly exhaled, his heart easing slightly.

“But blind goodwill without ability will only drag innocent people down and get them killed.”

His heart rose again in fear and anxiety.

“Do you think we see you as just a child, that one mistake can be forgiven? Do you? Do you think my elder brother and I can’t tell you’re an adult?”

Each of Song Luyuan’s words struck Fang Xiaoyuan like a heavy hammer, pounding fiercely into his heart—especially the last sentence, shattering it to pieces.

“I-I… you all…”

Fang Xiaoyuan stammered as if struck dumb, unable to speak properly.

Song Luyuan might be clueless about many things, but as a martial man, he was best at reading a person’s bone structure to judge if they were suitable for martial training.

Fang Xiaoyuan’s stature was clearly dwarfish, his bones long since fully grown.

If even he could see this, there was no way his discerning elder brother couldn’t.

The only people who truly treated Fang Xiaoyuan as a child were probably their pure-hearted, kind father.

Song Hancheng crossed his arms, watching the tense exchange between Song Luyuan and Fang Xiaoyuan with calm detachment.

The trouble caused by the Second Brother should be handled by the Second Brother—it was only right. After all, he had helped deal with such things once before.

Tears spilled from Fang Xiaoyuan’s eyes in large drops.

In panic, his only beacon of hope was Song Xian.

Crying, he ran back into Song Xian’s arms, sincerely apologizing and begging for forgiveness.

Song Xian patted Fang Xiaoyuan’s back, soothing him gently for a long while.

When he saw no improvement, he turned to Song Luyuan with slight annoyance.

“What did you just say to him? You scared the kid like that?”

Song Luyuan chuckled lazily, his rough voice carrying a hint of nonchalance.

“Warned him to behave in the future. To cause such a big fuss at such a young age, using scary threats—what’s he going to do next?”

Song Xian met Song Luyuan’s eyes.

Just as Song Luyuan thought Song Xian might scold him, Song Xian nodded in approval.

“A sapling that isn’t straightened young will grow crooked later. Your Second Brother is saying this for your own good.”

Song Xian ruffled Fang Xiaoyuan’s hair.

“From now on, learn well from your First Brother Song and Second Brother Song. Don’t go astray at such a young age.”

Fang Xiaoyuan thought:

“They’re clearly scarier than me!”

Before long, Chen Changgui, Li Chunhua, and village doctor Uncle Zhang arrived.

The three helped Song Xian check the children’s bodies and change their clothes.

Song Hancheng and Song Luyuan leaned against the courtyard wall, waiting.

Song Hancheng popped a peppermint candy into his mouth.

“Look at the people you’ve gathered—chaotic and unruly.”

“First Fang Dashan, now Fang Xiaoyuan—no discipline, no respect.”

Song Luyuan nervously rubbed his nose.

“It’s not like we had many options on such short notice.”

“Hey, what are you eating? Smells so sweet! Share some!”

Song Luyuan reached out for Song Hancheng’s candy.

“Clean your butt first.”

Song Hancheng didn’t hesitate and tucked the candy safely into his chest.

Song Luyuan groaned miserably.

How unlucky he was!

When he had candy, the brothers snatched it away.

When the brothers had candy, none was given to him.

Song Xian couldn’t help but feel nauseated and went to vomit for a while.

Only after washing up in the kitchen did he come out again.

Song Hancheng and Song Luyuan knew Song Xian couldn’t stand to see children abused.

Every time he saw it, he couldn’t help but vomit, so they gave him space to recover quietly.

At that moment, Li Chunhua, Uncle Zhang, and Chen Changgui came out of the house, cursing nonstop.

“That Old Man Huang is a filthy beast. How could he treat children so cruelly?”

Uncle Zhang shook his head, sighing.

“Why do these poor kids always suffer in this world?”

“The collapse of ritual law, the chaos of the times—survival of the fittest. The worst evils of human nature are unleashed. Children are the weakest of the weak and suffer the most.”

Li Chunhua sighed and glanced at Song Xian, who was wiping his hands.

She leaned close to Song Hancheng and whispered,

“I heard that over in Ping’an Commandery, they’ve resorted to cannibalism. The Yongzhou Commandery looks peaceful on the surface but is already roiling beneath. When does the young master plan to act?”

“Soon.”

Ping’an Commandery was at the northernmost edge of Li Country.

The climate was cold with many grasslands, and it snowed for half the year.

In chaotic times, survival there was harsh, and the people’s lives even harder.

Compared to that, Yongzhou Commandery was fertile and far better off—a land everyone was vying for.

Song Hancheng said to Song Xian as he approached,

“We’ve decided to send these five children to Moon Shadow Manor. They’re currently recruiting kids to learn martial arts. Uncle Zhang has some connections with the Manor Lord, so it should work out.”

Uncle Zhang stroked his beard with a confident smile.

“Don’t worry, my face is big. The Manor Lord of Moon Shadow Manor will definitely agree.”

The reason he was so confident was because the Manor Lord was right here in front of him.

The Manor Lord of Moon Shadow Manor himself—Song Luyuan.

Suddenly inspired, Song Luyuan grabbed Song Xian aside and whispered with a big grin.

“When we go to ask for help, shouldn’t we bring a gift as a matter of etiquette?”

Song Xian nodded.

“I heard the Manor Lord loves sweets. If Father makes some candies as gifts, he’ll definitely be pleased and treat those poor kids even better.”

Song Xian thought Song Luyuan’s idea made perfect sense.

Uncle Zhang would take the children to Moon Shadow Manor the next morning.

Song Xian hurried home to make fruit-flavored candies, finishing them just past midnight and handing them over to Song Luyuan.

Overjoyed with two packs of candy in hand, Song Luyuan said goodbye to Song Xian and left, only to return immediately, jumping back through the window into the room he shared with Song Hancheng.

Standing by Song Hancheng’s bed, Song Luyuan proudly shook the two large bags of candy.

“Look, who’s got more? I have more than you!”

Song Hancheng, just awakened, blinked groggily.

“You’re going crazy over this in the middle of the night?”

“Then what else?”

Song Luyuan smugly waved the candies.

“Second Brother, stealing two packs of candy—that’s not honorable. Can you eat it with a clear conscience?”

Song Luyuan froze, suddenly realizing these candies were a hot potato.

Song Hancheng immediately took the two bags and said,

“I’ll take the blame for this. Go to sleep.”

After speaking, Song Hancheng rolled over, turning his back to Song Luyuan.

The two candy packs were tucked safely inside the secret compartment of the bed—no one but him could open it.

Realizing too late, Song Luyuan was furious.

“Give them back! Give them back!”

“If you keep yelling, I’ll tell Father you’re lying to him and see if you get candy next time.”

Song Luyuan immediately covered his mouth and went silent, face bright red.

He was about to burst with frustration!

How could his big brother be so ruthless!

The next morning, Baige took Song Jimin to Li Chunhua’s house—one to do needlework, the other to study reading.

Song Hancheng, together with Uncle Zhang, also left to take the children to Moon Shadow Manor.

Song Xian mended the children’s silk robes and casually placed the strange oval-shaped small bone on the table.

Song Luyuan carried wood planks and stones over to the Bathhouse Hot Spring and ran back to notify Song Xian.

“Father, we can start construction now.”

“Good.”

Song Xian immediately went outside.

Before leaving, Song Luyuan glanced at the little bone on the table out of curiosity and picked it up for a closer look.

“It kinda looks like a whistle.”

He blew on it once but heard nothing, tried a few more times, still nothing, then put the little bone back on the table.

The Bathhouse Hot Spring project was not large but tedious.

They first had to cut down surrounding trees, clearing a path to set up fences and wooden walkways.

In the morning, Song Xian was responsible for chopping trees while Song Luyuan dug out roots.

In the afternoon, Song Luyuan had work on the dock, so Song Xian stayed behind to level and compact the ground.

The sun was blazing, especially harsh in the afternoon.

After working for an hour, Song Xian was sweating all over, his face sunburned bright red.

Time for a break.

He found a shady spot downstream by the creek and dug a small water pit.

Stripping off his clothes, he sat in the water, closing his eyes comfortably.

Whoosh—

A sudden breeze brushed his face, making Song Xian involuntarily sigh.

So refreshing!

“Brother, you disappeared for two months. You finally blew the Bone Whistle, and I found you.”

The sudden male voice startled Song Xian.

Opening his eyes, he saw a young man dressed in emerald green standing before him, almost blending into the lush forest.

The man resembled Li Xinzhi, with black hair and emerald eyes, his features even more refined and handsome than Li Xinzhi’s.

Song Xian hurriedly covered himself with his clothes.

Xia Xuehou chuckled and sat boldly on the nearest riverbank.

“Why so formal? I’ve seen you naked before. Don’t forget, we even had a contest over who was bigger.”

Song Xian instinctively glanced at Xia Xuehou’s certain area.

He did want to know who was stronger.

But no matter who was objectively bigger, in his mind, he was always the greatest.

No arguments allowed!

Seeing Song Xian still silent, Xia Xuehou grew a little impatient.

“It’s been two months without a word. You’ve become a tight-lipped hermit. Hey, how’s your mission going? Did you kill those three?”