Chapter 25: Tools of the Trade!

"Hahahaha!" Zhao Dabao couldn't help but burst into laughter.

His eyes held a hint of ferocity. "150 taels of silver! You certainly have the nerve to ask for it! Go ask Sun Zhi—he’s been the village head for so many years; does he even have any way to come up with 150 taels of silver?" Zhao Dabao’s voice was laced with mockery.

"It doesn't matter," Lu Chuan replied, his voice gentle and his manner amiable. "If Zhao Family Village can't pay, that's fine too. You can sign an IOU stating that as of today, you owe our Shuangshui Village 150 taels of silver, with monthly interest of three percent, until the debt is paid in full."

To Zhao Dabao, however, his tone sounded unprecedentedly arrogant.

"Lu Chuan! Your wishful thinking is a bit too clever. If you have the guts, just kill us all!" Zhao Dabao stood tall, chest puffed out, looking like a hero who would rather die than submit.

*Clap, clap, clap...*

Lu Chuan applauded, a look of admiration in his eyes. "Good, very good! I truly admire people like you who aren't afraid of death."

Lu Chuan turned to Li Yanjun beside him and asked after a brief pause, "They broke into my home armed, with the intent to rob. According to the laws of the Great Xia Dynasty, how should they be sentenced?"

"Well, execution by beating with a heavy staff," Li Yanjun replied after a moment of thought.

"And if, in the process of defending myself, I accidentally killed a few of them, would I be in trouble?" Lu Chuan tilted his head, continuing his inquiry. He wasn't entirely clear on the laws of the Great Xia, so he needed to be certain before acting. There were ways to play within the rules and ways to play outside them. Since he didn't want to become an outlaw in the mountains, he had to play within the framework of the law for the time being—and carefully, at that, lest Zhou Tong find a handle to use against him.

"This..." Li Yanjun scratched his head awkwardly. "I... I'm not sure!"

"Alas!" Lu Chuan’s voice was filled with regret. If that was the case, it was truly hard for him to do anything further. It wouldn't be worth it if he ended up getting himself into trouble!

"At any rate, causing injuries shouldn't be a problem," Li Yanjun added.

"Truly?"

At that instant, Lu Chuan's eyes lit up.

"Lu Chuan!" Zhao Dabao, seemingly sensing the murderous aura radiating from Lu Chuan, gritted his teeth. "150 taels of silver is impossible! I’ll say it again: you wanting to hunt in the mountains is your own business! Our Zhao Family Village has never interfered!" Zhao Dabao said, clearly unwilling. "Why should we pay this 150 taels?"

"Oh? So now it's not an interference, and now it's our freedom?" Lu Chuan curled his lip. "I recall someone earlier swearing that it was the hunting ground of Zhao Family Village. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought the entire Bing Prefecture belonged to the Zhao family!" Lu Chuan’s eyes were filled with mockery.

Li Yanjun seemed as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately kept his mouth shut.

"Before, we were wrong; we were too arrogant. We can compensate for your losses, Little Brother Lu!" Zhao Dabao had no choice but to concede. 150 taels of silver! It wasn't that Zhao Family Village couldn't afford it, but if they paid it, they would be essentially ruined, and he would have no prestige left in the village.

"I am willing to offer 10 taels of silver!" Zhao Dabao gritted his teeth and said. This was the absolute limit of his means.

Lu Chuan was stunned. *Damn! Zhao Family Village is wealthy! A man like Zhao Dabao just happens to have ten taels of silver on him when he goes out!* Lu Chuan narrowed his eyes, calculating in his mind. He figured this was probably all the money Zhao Dabao had.

"And these weapons of yours—they all stay here!" Lu Chuan’s eyes darted around as he spoke coolly. "These are evidence of you coming to my home to bully me! I want to take them out from time to time to look at them and remind myself!"

"Don't push your luck!" Zhao Dabao’s eyes were filled with rage. "These are how we make our living!"

Lu Chuan tilted his head and suddenly laughed, turning to Li Yanjun. "In this day and age, to think there are still people who don't eat with chopsticks and bowls!"

"..." Li Yanjun looked at Lu Chuan in a daze, feeling a bit awkward. The joke was a bit cold, so he didn't know if he should laugh.

"Tch, how boring."

After saying that, Lu Chuan turned back to Zhao Dabao. "I want your 'tools for making a living.' What are you going to do about it? Do you really think I'm some kind of saint?"

A flash of murderous intent crossed Lu Chuan's eyes. Zhao Dabao, who often trekked through the mountains and forests, sensed it instantly and broke into a cold sweat. Lu Chuan was truly intending to kill them.

"Give them up!" Zhao Dabao gritted his teeth. "Everyone, strip off your gear!"

The men from Zhao Family Village looked at each other, but finally nodded and unloaded their equipment, including bamboo armor, seven wood-chopping knives, six hunting bows, and several long poles. The poles were also specially made and served many purposes. It had to be said that the men of Zhao Family Village were indeed well-equipped, and with their division of labor and coordination, they were like fish in water in the mountains.

"Good!" Lu Chuan nodded. Looking at the pile of items, he paused and asked, "You may go. The grudge between us is settled for now."

"Thank you!" Zhao Dabao’s mouth twitched. He wanted to throw out some harsh words, but he felt a chill in his heart. He knew that Lu Chuan had truly been ready to kill. If they had been even one step slower, they might have died there. The men of Zhao Family Village helped each other and slowly limped away.

Li Yanjun looked at Lu Chuan in surprise. "Brother Chuan, you’re amazing! And Sister-in-law, how did you shoot so accurately?"

"No matter how accurately I shoot," Su Ruan said with a radiant smile, "I'm not as accurate as my husband."

Lu Chuan looked at Su Ruan and chuckled. "I have to say, you hit the nail on the head with that one!"

Su Ruan didn't quite understand, but she stood by his side, looking well-behaved.

Lu Chuan took three taels of broken silver from the ten and handed them to Li Yanjun. "Take this to the village head. Tell him this is compensation from Zhao Dabao for his losses..."

Then, he took out another two taels of silver and handed them to Li Yanjun again. "You've worked hard running back and forth. Keep this money. Times are tough at your place, and you have a wife to support. Take it to the market, buy some grain, and get through the year first!"