“Dongdong!”
Guan Xiaorou quickly supported Tang Dongdong, preventing her from falling.
“Brother Feng, you must save Xiaobei!” Tang Dongdong grabbed Jin Feng’s arm, pleading.
“Don’t worry, I will bring Xiaobei back!” Jin Feng patted her shoulder and turned to Monkey. “Tell me what happened, now.”
Monkey didn’t dare withhold anything and quickly recounted the events.
“The Zhou family has some nerve, kidnapping someone in broad daylight!” Qing Muluan slammed the table, fuming. “Master, I’ll go to Guangyuan and demand answers from the Zhou family!”
“It might not be the Zhou family,” Jin Feng said, shaking his head slightly.
“Master, isn’t it obvious?” Qing Muluan argued. “Xiaobei beat their third young master a few days ago, and now she’s been kidnapped. Who else could it be?”
“That’s exactly why I think it might not be them,” Jin Feng explained. “The Zhou family’s motive is too obvious. Everyone would suspect them first. Zhou Changlin, as Guangyuan’s top cloth merchant, isn’t that foolish. Even if he wanted revenge, he wouldn’t act so quickly.”
“That makes sense…” Qing Muluan scratched his head. “But if not the Zhou family, who else?”
“How would I know?” Jin Feng frowned, his mind racing to consider potential enemies.
“What do we do now, Master?” Qing Muluan asked.
“What else? Go to Guangyuan and rescue her! Whoever dared to kidnap Xiaobei, I won’t let them off!” A glint of menace flashed in Jin Feng’s eyes as he spoke coldly. “Fire the signal arrow, summon all the veterans!”
*Whoosh!*
A sharp whistle shot into the sky from Jin Feng’s courtyard.
Hundreds of metres away, Zhang Liang was eating.
Now, as the veteran overseer, with Man Cang as Jin Feng’s apprentice managing the smelting workshop, the Zhang family’s life had transformed. They ate three meals a day, with meat every day.
Man Cang’s once-emaciated sister had gained weight, becoming a chubby girl. Lin Yunfang, previously unable to conceive due to malnutrition, was now pregnant, as was Man Cang’s wife.
This life was beyond their wildest dreams before.
All this was thanks to Jin Feng.
So, Zhang Liang’s mother prayed towards Jin Feng’s house every morning, constantly reminding her sons to repay him.
When the signal arrow sounded, the family’s faces changed.
Zhang Liang and Man Cang, key aides to Jin Feng, knew the arrow meant an emergency, summoning veterans, female soldiers, and the guard team immediately.
It was already night. Why summon them now?
Zhang Liang dropped his chopsticks and rushed to the courtyard.
Man Cang limped after him.
Both looked up at the night sky.
“Man Cang, can you tell where it came from?” Zhang Liang asked.
“No,” Man Cang shook his head.
Not only Jin Feng’s house had signal arrows. Night patrols and stationed veterans and female soldiers carried them too.
The mountains echoed, making it hard to pinpoint the source.
Not just them, other veterans, female soldiers, and villagers still awake craned their necks, staring at the sky.
Then, another whistle pierced the air.
This time, everyone saw clearly.
“It’s from Master’s house!” Man Cang’s eyes widened, and he limped towards Jin Feng’s house as fast as he could.
Zhang Liang was faster, grabbing a long sword from the wall and sprinting off.
Though Jin Feng hadn’t told the villagers the arrow’s purpose, he hadn’t ordered secrecy either. In a small place like Xihewan, with many in the guard team, most villagers knew about the arrows.
But they’d never heard one before. Now, thinking Jin Feng was in trouble, the village panicked.
On the way, Zhang Liang met many people, veterans, guards, and villagers.
Some, barely dressed, ran shirtless.
Villagers without weapons carried kitchen knives, sickles, or rakes, rushing to Jin Feng’s house.
By the time Zhang Liang arrived, the female soldiers had assembled in the open space by Jin Feng’s gate.
More people arrived, filling the area, their torches lighting up the surroundings.
Jin Feng had notified the textile factory to keep night-shift workers away, or there wouldn’t have been enough space.
“Old Zhou, what’s going on?”
“No idea. I was about to sleep when I heard the noise from Brother Feng’s place. Sounded like the signal arrow Tiger mentioned, so I came.”
“Same here. That sound was loud.”
“Doesn’t look like anything’s wrong. Could Brother Feng be joking?”
“Are you blind? The female soldiers are assembled. Something’s definitely up.”
“The village chief’s here! Chief, do you know what’s happening?”
“No clue. Can’t you see I just got here too?”
As confusion reigned, Jin Feng stepped onto a wooden platform.
No need for a gong, the crowd fell silent.
All eyes turned to Jin Feng.
Seeing the dense crowd, Jin Feng felt a surge of warmth.
He’d fired the arrow to summon the veterans, but nearly the whole village had come.
It showed his efforts for Xihewan weren’t in vain. When he needed help, people were willing to come.
“I meant to call Brother Liang and the others, but I didn’t expect everyone to show up,” Jin Feng said from the platform, bowing to the villagers. “Sorry for disturbing you so late.”
“Brother Feng, it’s only right,” a villager called out.
“Brother Feng, why summon the veterans so late? Is something wrong?”
“Third, mind your business. Don’t pry.”
“Hey, I was just asking.”
“Ask what? If Brother Feng wants you to know, he’ll tell you. If not, it’s not your place.”
The villagers chattered.
“Brother Feng, the village depends on you. No need for formalities,” the village chief said, stepping forward to quiet the crowd. “What’s happened? If you can share, tell us. If we can help, we’re happy to.”
“Right, I may not have much, but I’ve got strength. Just say the word, Brother Feng.”
“Me too!” the villagers echoed.
“It’s like this. You all remember Factory Manager Tang’s sister, the girl called Xiaobei,” Jin Feng said. “She’s been helping me in the county town. Everything was fine, but this morning, she was kidnapped on the street. I’m rushing to save her, so I fired the arrow.”
The crowd erupted at his words.
