Chapter 552: No Chickens or Dogs Left

Luosaihu stepped forward, clasped his fists toward Shatuke: "Thank you, Chief."

"Since the documents have been found, we'll set off now; we won't disturb you."

Shatuke nodded, about to hand over the document in his hand.

"Wait!" Tuan Tuan shouted, walked up to Luosaihu, her small face tense: "You know now, right? It's definitely not Xiao An'an who stole it."

Luosaihu froze.

Shougaoger scratched his nose embarrassedly: "We were too hasty, that's why we made a mistake."

"But it's also his fault; if he didn't usually steal things, we wouldn't have suspected him."

Tuan Tuan glared: "You were wrong, plain and simple—how dare you blame Xiao An'an?"

Shougaoger choked.

The few subordinates beside them glanced at each other and stayed silent.

Luosaihu took a deep breath, walked up to Kang An, clasped his fists: "Little brother, sorry, yesterday we were rash and used too much force—don't take it to heart."

Kang An stepped back, his lips moving, not knowing what to say.

Tuan Tuan tilted her head: "Then what?"

Luosaihu blinked: "What then?"

"Of course you must be punished for your mistake!" Tuan Tuan tilted her head at him: "You hit him—does saying sorry settle it?"

Shougaoger grew anxious: "Then what do you want?"

Tuan Tuan thought, then turned to Kang An: "Xiao An'an steals food because he has a big appetite and is never full, right, Xiao An'an?"

Kang An's face flushed, he lowered his head and gave two slight nods.

Daoba chuckled: "This kid really has a huge appetite."

Tuan Tuan turned to Luosaihu: "You should compensate him with a year's worth of food money—enough to fill his belly every meal."

Luosaihu's eyes widened instantly.

Daoba counted on his fingers: "Based on last night's meal, it's at least two hundred wen."

"He needs two meals a day, so over a year that would be—" he lifted his head to think, "—one hundred taels of silver."

He grinned: "My little ancestor isn't asking for more—just one hundred taels."

Luosaihu's face turned green: "One hundred taels isn't too much?"

Shougaoger objected: "We were just in a hurry, only hit him twice, didn't break his arms or legs—how could it be worth that much?"

Lu Qi drawled: "Does being in a hurry justify hitting people at random? If no harm came of it, does it not count?"

"Then if my lady demands you pay the silver and you refuse, I'll be in a hurry too—what then? Are you all willing to let me give you a sound beating?"

"Rest assured, I'm skilled—I guarantee I won't break any arms or legs."

Shougaoger: "……"

Xiao Er chuckled: "Brother Lu, that's very reasonable! If we're going to fight, count me in!"

Luosaihu's expression kept changing, wanting to say more, when suddenly a voice came from nearby.

"Good! This is fair, well handled."

Everyone turned to look.

The speaker was actually Shatuke! He had taken back the document from Luosaihu, held it to his chest, standing to the side watching with great interest.

Luosaihu, who had just opened his mouth, hastily closed it again.

Now that Shatuke has spoken, what can he say?

He gritted his teeth, pulled out a money pouch from his bosom, counted it, and handed it to Kang An.

Kang An stared blankly, afraid to reach out and take it.

Tuan Tuan snatched it away and shoved it into his hand: "Take it, Xiao An'an, what are you afraid of? This is their compensation for you—remember, from now on no one may hit you at will."

Kang An lowered his gaze to the money pouch in his hand, eyes brimming with tears, yet he gave Tuan Tuan a sweet smile.

Tuan Tuan likes seeing me smile! I won't cry.

Only then did Shatuke hand the document over to Luosaihu.

Luosaihu reached out, took it, and slapped Shougaoger on the back of the head: "Still looking? Hurry up and go!" He turned and left with his men.

Shatuke handed the remaining documents to a sturdy man behind him: "These documents belong to the government; hand over those two together with these papers to the authorities for legal processing."

"Chief! Spare our lives, Chief! If we go to the official office, we'll have no life left!"

The husband and wife shouted for mercy, but were quickly dragged out of the courtyard by several sturdy men.

Shatuke looked at the few people: "Please follow me."

A group followed him through several alleys, arriving at a corner deepest inside the fortress.

The earthen houses here look no different from others—all earth walls and wooden doors—but inside they are quite different.

Thick felt carpets cover the floor, vivid tapestries hang on the walls.

Several copper lamps polished to a shine, with a row of cushioned benches against the wall, piled with various cushions.

"Sit." Shatuke gestured with his hand.

The few people sat down, and Shatuke called out a few instructions.

Someone outside responded, and soon a few plates were brought in and placed before Tuan Tuan.

The plates were piled with assorted dried fruits, candied fruits, and several pieces of golden-orange pastries.

Tuan Tuan didn't stand on ceremony, reached out, grabbed a pastry, took a bite: "Delicious!"

She picked up a piece and offered it to Kang An: "Xiao An'an, try it!"

Kang An's face flushed, he reached out, took it, and took a bite.

Shatuke looked at him: "You usually look disheveled, but after this grooming you look much more spirited."

Kang An lowered their head and said nothing.

Shatuke stared at him: "Your eyes…… you're from the Western Regions, right?"

Kang An lowered their head even further.

Xiao Er clasped their fists and said: "I don't know what trouble the chief has run into, but you want my lady to help?"

Shatuke fell silent for a moment, then waved a hand.

Several attendants withdrew, closing the door behind them.

Shatuke spoke slowly: "This morning I woke up and found a bundle placed on the bed."

He paused: "The bundle was covered in blood."

Everyone's faces changed.

"I opened it and saw inside was the head of one of my subordinates."

"Ah?" The pastry in Tuan Tuan's hand fell onto the table.

Xiao Er quickly took a fresh piece and handed it to Tuan Tuan.

Daoba furrowed their brows: "Who did this? So bold!"

Shatuke took out a piece of paper from their lapel and placed it on the table.

Lu Qi reached out, picked it up, unfolded it, and read it in a low voice: "Within three days, find the Wu Jin Mud and place it on the table. Otherwise, kill everyone in the fortress, leaving not a chicken or dog."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Lu Qi looked up at Shatuke: "Wu Jin Mud? What is that?"

Shatuke leaned back in the chair, their gaze falling on the paper.

"It's a treasure from the Western Regions; I've only heard its name, never seen it."

"It is said to be as black as ink and as soft as mud; when exposed to fire it turns golden, able to fuse and reforge broken weapons without a flaw."

He paused: "Countries of the Western Regions have fought countless times over this."

Xiao Er and Lu Qi exchanged a glance, and both of their expressions shifted.

"If such a thing truly existed, restoring those keys would be a breeze."

"Who is seeking the Wu Jin Mud?"

Lu Qi steadied themselves: "This person, for the sake of the Wu Jin Mud, is surprisingly ruthless!"

Daoba scratched their head: "But where is this thing? How do we find it?"

Shatuke nodded: "I have no clue either, and I can't fathom why the attacker assumes I can find it."

His voice sank: "I thought my skills were decent, yet someone tampered with me in my sleep without my noticing."

"If this person wanted to take my life, it would be as easy as turning over one's hand."

He lifted his head to scan the crowd: "My life doesn't matter, but what about the old and young here? How could I stand by and watch them all die unjustly?"