Chapter 133: Chapter 112: Cleaning Up the Aftermath
Translator: 549690339
After carefully considering the situation and confirming that he was not in immediate danger, Lu Yuan let go of his worries and stopped dwelling on the matter.
His gaze then shifted to the corpse on the ground, and a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.
Although he wasn’t in any immediate danger, this guy had still brought trouble upon himself, planting a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment.
He snorted coldly.
Lu Yuan didn’t bother arguing with a corpse. He just drew out the Long Sword from his waist and began to fiddle with the white-robed man’s collar.
Since he knew that this guy was from the Five Poison Sect, he naturally didn’t dare to touch the corpse like he used to do.
Members of the Five Poison Sect liked to dabble with poisons and insects, and they were all experts in scheming against others.
Even the martial art experts in the Jianghu could lose their lives if they were not careful with the sect’s tricks.
With a gentle flick of the Long Sword, Lu Yuan imbued it with his inner strength and quickly tore open the corpse’s clothes in just a few strokes.
At that moment, a sharp sound rang out, and a sense of danger surged upon him.
Lu Yuan’s reaction was quick. With a single step, his body instantly leaped several meters away.
Only when he retreated did he notice a thumbnail-sized green spider in mid-air trying to entangle him.
Looking at the spider’s bright color and ferocious teeth, he didn’t need to think twice to realize that this was definitely a deadly poison.
If Lu Yuan hadn’t been cautious and directly touched the corpse, he would have been ambushed by this little creature hidden in the collar.
“These guys who play with poisonous insects are all dirty-minded,” he thought.
Lu Yuan felt fortunate, then with a swipe of his sword, a sword energy burst out, instantly smashing the little green spider into mush.
After dealing with the poisonous creature, he cautiously approached the corpse again, becoming even more wary.
He delicately continued opening the white-robed man’s clothes. After confirming that there was nothing like a secret book or scroll on the body, he no longer continued his search.
Although there might still be some good things hidden on this old, toxic body, Lu Yuan didn’t want to bother with it at the risk of getting exposed to the poison.
Glancing at the corpse on the ground, he grabbed a candle from the room, poured the oil on the body, and threw the candle. Suddenly, the raging fire burned.
Since he had to conceal his true strength, he could not leave even the corpse behind.
Otherwise, who knew if the Five Poison Sect might have some means to deduce his true strength from the wounds on the body?
The world of martial arts was full of strange techniques; it was best to be cautious and not take any chances.
While he was busy destroying the evidence, the fighting outside the village was gradually coming to an end as well.
After the massacre, over seven hundred men in the village capable of holding a weapon had died. Among them, those who practiced martial arts and possessed inner strength were all eradicated without exception.
Without these men, Bai’s Miao Village would be crippled even with the remaining two to three thousand inhabitants.
Although they harbored deep resentment and hatred, they could no longer stir up any trouble in the face of the authorities.
Although this method was cruel, considering that those who died could potentially become part of a scheme to kill him under the instigation of the Five Poison Sect, Lu Yuan didn’t care.
His own life was paramount.
The presence of that white-robed man in the village proved that these villagers were not innocent.
If they chose to be someone else’s tools, they had to be prepared for the risk of being destroyed.
“Gather the valuables from the village, then set off for the next one,” Lu Yuan instructed his subordinates as they gathered before heading out of the village.
In the next two days, Lu Yuan led the county soldiers to raid and sweep the remaining two Miao villages.
After clearing out the backbone forces and men from the villages, he took the soldiers back to the county town.
However, while many people were killed this time, the loot was meager. The total was just over 20,000 silver taels, only one-tenth of that seized in the county town.
No wonder the Miao people wanted to rise up in rebellion; living in such poverty, who wouldn’t want to make a fortune?
Upon returning to the town, he gave the army a bonus and then granted them a long vacation.
Since being conscripted, the soldiers had been training non-stop and had marched hundreds of miles. Upon arriving in Wugang County, they were engaged in frequent battles.
People were not made of iron.
After so much fatigue, they needed some rest.
Back at the county government office, Lu Yuan met with Sun Siwen to discuss the progress and gains of the recent battles.
When they met, the County Magistrate was gathering his subordinates to discuss the restoration of the town and local construction projects.
After several months of turmoil, Wugang County had suffered one disaster after another.
First, they were plundered by the Sheng Miao people from the mountains, resulting in over a thousand deaths. Later, gangs in the city fought for territory, leading to another round of arson, murder, and plunder with another few hundred deaths.
But then, Lu Yuan led the troops to clean up the local gangs, killing even more people.
In the end, more than 2,000 people died in the city.
For a small town with a population of just four to five thousand, more than half were now empty.
What was worse, Lu Yuan had eliminated the large families and gangs in the city. Although they tyrannized the people in their daily lives, they were responsible for the city’s various businesses and overall operation.
With these people gone all of a sudden, the shops and markets in the city were left without people to run them.
It was fine if other businesses could not be started for now, but rice and salt shops had to remain open at least!
So, out of helplessness, Sun Siwen had to urgently order his subordinates to open these essential shops and then deal with other matters one by one.
During the two days when Lu Yuan was busy suppressing bandits, his good friend was also restless, working tirelessly to the point of not even being able to get a good sleep.
“So, the Miao people outside the city are no longer a threat?” Sun Siwen finally revealed a hint of a smile upon hearing Lu Yuan’s account, having maintained a serious expression for days.
The last unstable factor in the county had been eliminated.
Wugang County would now be able to maintain stability for an extended period.
As long as they could maintain stability, they could slowly overcome the hardship, no matter how difficult life was at the moment.
“That’s right. The Miao people have lost an entire generation of strong men. Without these adult men, they won’t be able to cause any trouble for at least a decade or so,” Lu Yuan confirmed..