From Hoarding to Time-Travel: My Supplies Saved Him

Chapter 493: Chapter 494: When in Rome, Do as the Romans Do

Jin Qianqian had also learned some moves from computer videos in her space, but she had no practical combat experience. In her view, they were just fancy but impractical techniques, only good for exercise.

Since she was here, she had to adapt. Besides, with some self-defense skills, she wouldn’t hold anyone back if trouble arose.

Ancient Wen Heng naturally wouldn’t restrain her. "If you want to learn, then learn! Just don’t come crying to me when you turn into a tomboy."

Jin Qianqian asked, "You’d mind?"

Ancient Wen Heng immediately pulled her into his arms and whispered in her ear. He only laughed and jumped away when Jin Qianqian playfully reached up to tug his ear.

Once she had an idea, Jin Qianqian would naturally stick to it. Every day, she led the old maids and servant girls in the courtyard, endlessly practicing a few lethal moves in the backyard. This attracted Gu Benluo and Gu Ben Can, who had just learned to walk, to follow behind and mimic their movements.

Catching Gu Ben Can stumble, fall, and then get back up to continue out of the corner of her eye, a smile flashed in Jin Qianqian’s eyes. ’No wonder Brother Zhou thinks so highly of these two boys. Perhaps they really are cut out for martial arts.’

But when she thought of her husband’s expectations, she pushed the thought from her mind.

In her husband’s words, the two boys had to take after their father and establish a scholarly aristocratic family in the future.

On a large stretch of wasteland west of Lu City, a large group of people were squatting and pulling weeds.

Not far away, other men stood watching, whips in hand. If they spotted anyone slacking off, the whips in their hands would crack down without mercy.

"Lord Shan, why hasn’t the Prince come to rescue us yet?" Mr. Lang counted the days on his fingers. So much time had passed, yet there was no news at all.

Some time ago, new captives were still being brought in, but for over a month now, there hadn’t been a single one.

"Didn’t you already send Ling San back?" Mountain Leader didn’t stop working. If he did, the whip would probably land on him.

He was now starting to believe the new Magistrate was right. ’Suicide is for cowards. As long as I’m alive, anything is possible. I have to survive so I can get my revenge on these people.’

He also knew their captors were constantly trying to brainwash them, talking up the various benefits of living for the sole purpose of getting more work out of them.

At first, some couldn’t accept it and caused trouble, but they walked a path of no return.

Who knew their captors wouldn’t even let them be after death? Citing the principle of "making full use of everything," they buried the bodies in the flowerbeds as fertilizer, right in front of everyone.

He glanced down at his skeletal frame and silently quickened his pace. ’I have to live. I refuse to become fertilizer for this soil.’

"Yes! But he must have gotten away, or we would have seen him here by now." Mr. Lang couldn’t figure it out either. ’Logically, the reinforcements should have arrived. What could have gone wrong?’

Mountain Leader looked around. "No matter what, all we can do now is wait. Don’t forget, when the autumn harvest comes, some people will get antsy."

The harvest on the island is limited, after all. If they didn’t find a way to get grain from here every year, they wouldn’t be able to survive at all.

Mr. Lang asked, "Are you saying we have to farm here for several more months?"

It was bad enough not to have enough to eat, but they were also being worked to death for these people.

In their words, if we don’t "return" all the grain we’ve plundered over the last few decades, we can’t even dream of leaving.

How could so few of us ever accomplish such a massive task? We couldn’t pay it back even if we spent our whole lives here.

Besides, why should we? It wasn’t just us who enjoyed the things we brought back. Everyone in the island country is responsible.

Mountain Leader said, "That depends on how you look at it. I think what these people say is right: where there’s life, there’s hope."

"If our men break through one day, that will be the day we turn the tables. When that time comes, I’ll make damn sure these people get a taste of the suffering we’ve endured."

Mr. Lang retorted, "That’s just an excuse they use because they’re afraid we’ll kill ourselves. They want to keep us alive to work for them. You think they’ll really let us go back?"

"I just don’t know when these Rong Dynasty people got so cunning."

Mr. Lang voiced his deepest worry, "For them to be treating us so ruthlessly now, they must be holding a trump card."

"Some bastard must have sold us out. They actually have a geographical map of our territory, and I even saw that the landing points were marked on it."

Mountain Leader narrowed his eyes at Mr. Lang. "What are you trying to say? Are you suspecting me?"

Mr. Lang snorted. "Use your head. If I suspected you, would I be telling you this?"

Mountain Leader saw a whip cracking in the distance and quickly shuffled forward, continuing to pull weeds. "You’ve been talking for a while, just spit it out. You know I’m a straightforward guy, not like you with all your twists and turns."

Mr. Lang also moved a step forward. "I know many of the men here are your subordinates. We have to use this time to root out the traitor. Otherwise, if he leads their army to the island, we will be damned for all eternity."

Ever since Mr. Lang saw the geographical map and the ship navigation map that day, he had been in agony.

His kinsmen were on the island. He had to stop these people from getting there, no matter what.

"Are you saying the problem is with one of my men?" Mountain Leader forcefully threw the weeds he had pulled down in front of Mr. Lang.

"What do you think you’re doing? Get back to work, or you’ll get no wild vegetable buns today." A guard cracking his whip came up behind them.

This was a post he had pulled strings to get. ’My own family died at the hands of these bandits. When I first arrived, I wanted nothing more than to take my whip and flog every single one of them to death. But the leader was right. Death would be too easy for them; it would be a release. Only by torturing them slowly could victims like me get a sliver of justice.’

Seeing the men obediently squatting and pulling weeds again, he sneered, "A bunch of spineless wretches, indeed."

Mountain Leader and the others were furious but dared not speak. They had talked back before, even resisted. In the end, not only did they end up covered in whip marks, but afterward, their captors would viciously rub salt water on their wounds, claiming it was to "help them apply medicine."

They didn’t even dare to think back on those creative forms of torture now.

So, no matter how much hatred they felt in their hearts, they had to drag their heavy bodies to work hard every day.

Once the guard had walked away, Mr. Lang, his head still bowed as he pulled weeds, said, "I’m not saying I suspect your men specifically. Everyone here is a potential suspect."

"Especially that Tian Er. He and his group were the first ones captured. If not for that, you wouldn’t be suffering like this."