Chapter 110: Pig Cage And Gold
Several days later, late at night, Yongning Riverbank.
Heavy rain had fallen all day, turning the riverbank into a muddy mess.
Everyone from Lin Mansion trudged through the mud holding torches, arriving at this place.
Concubine Li, dressed in rough hemp clothes, had her hands and feet bound and strung onto a pole, with people carrying the ends like they were lifting a New Year pig, bringing her to this spot.
The group fell silent, reaching the shore and taking out a prepared pig cage, stuffing Concubine Li inside.
Perhaps realizing what being stuffed into the pig cage meant, Concubine Li’s eyes filled with terror, her body twisting nonstop, refusing to go in.
Five or six servants around her exerted all their strength but still couldn’t force her in.
Lin Zhili frowned upon seeing this and urged, “Hurry up!”
“Yes!”
The servants went all out, forcing Concubine Li into the pig cage.
The pig cage was woven from bamboo strips with many barbs on the edges, and soon several wounds appeared on Concubine Li’s body.
Fresh red blood flowed from her wounds, contrasting starkly with her snow-white skin and the black mud, a shocking sight.
Concubine Li steeled herself, swallowing all the mud from her mouth, then cried out shrilly, “Mother!”
The scene was too miserable; the surrounding servants felt a chill all over and developed sympathy, stopping their hands in unison and looking toward Lin Zhili.
Lin Zhili angrily said, “What are you looking at me for? Stuff her in!”
“Ah—” Soon wounds covered Concubine Li’s legs, body, arms, and face, making her look especially wretched, tears streaming endlessly as she cried blood tears.
“Mother! Mother save me! Mother!”
The servants really couldn’t bear it and stopped again, looking toward Lin Zhili.
Veins bulged on Lin Zhili’s forehead, his face flushed red as he cursed angrily, “A bunch of useless trash, can’t even handle one woman!”
Lin Zhishu had long been scared limp on the ground, staring at Concubine Li like he had seen a ghost, trembling like chaff, lips mumbling but unable to utter a word.
Lin Zhili steeled himself and said coldly, “Break her hands and feet, then it’ll be easy to stuff her in, right?”
“This?” The servants exchanged glances, their eyes full of evasion.
Furious, Lin Zhili picked up the bamboo pole used to carry Concubine Li and struck at her arm.
“Pa!”
The bamboo pole hit Concubine Li’s left hand gripping the pig cage, and her five tender white fingers immediately became bloody.
Concubine Li let out a piercing scream of agony and retracted her hand.
Lin Zhishu’s face twitched, his body shuddering as if the blow had landed on him.
Lin Zhili caught his elder brother’s reaction from the corner of his eye, a look of satisfaction on his face, then he raised the pole high again and struck at her right hand.
“Stop.”
Lin Jiren sighed deeply.
“Father!” Lin Zhili looked surprised and quickly turned around and urged, “This woman had an affair with Elder Brother, violating morals and ruining the family reputation. Keeping her will only tarnish our door; we can’t be soft-hearted!”
Lin Jiren said nothing.
Lin Zhili added, “Elder Brother, isn’t that the truth?”
Lin Zhishu snapped out of his daze, nodding hurriedly and kneeling before his father. “This woman didn’t keep to her wifely virtues; she deserves… deserves to be drowned and done with!”
“Hehehehe… Kill you all, kill you all…” Concubine Li suddenly giggled again.
Her laughter echoed on the Yongning Riverbank, eerily chilling; the surrounding servants retreated several steps upon seeing this.
Lin Jiren stared at the Yongning River, not looking at Concubine Li’s wretched state, and sighed, “Our Lin Clan has passed down farming and studying as family tradition for over four hundred years unbroken, all thanks to doing many good deeds. Though this woman deserves death, she shouldn’t die so cruelly. Skip the pig cage dunking.”
“Father!”
“Father!”
The two sons cried out in shock, one after the other.
“Tie stones to her feet and sink her directly into the river.”
Lin Jiren continued, and the two sons breathed a sigh of relief.
Lin Zhili stared at Concubine Li and taunted, “Giving you a quick death— you’re getting off easy.”
“Hehe… Kill you!” Concubine Li grinned maniacally, her bloody left hand trembling nonstop, fingers extended like a knife, gesturing at the necks of the Lin father and sons.
Seeing the mad woman’s deranged state, Lin Zhili suddenly felt a chill, as if a steel knife was really at his neck.
Lin Zhili grew even angrier and shouted loudly at the servants, “Didn’t you hear? Tie stones and sink her in the river!”
The servants complied, found stones, tied them on, then took Concubine Li to a high spot where the water was deep enough to drown her.
Concubine Li kept giggling coldly, her gaze sweeping back and forth between the Lin father and sons, icy and venomous.
Lin Zhili felt chilled by her stare and cursed, “Keep staring and I’ll dig out your eyes!”
Lin Jiren stared at the river water and said, “Enough, she’s a dying person—let her keep some dignity.”
“Sink her in the river!” Lin Zhili ordered upon hearing this.
The servants pushed Concubine Li into the river and threw the stones down.
With the stones weighing down her ankles, Concubine Li sank quickly.
Lin Zhili stood on the riverbank the whole time, watching Concubine Li’s eerie smiling face submerge into the river bottom, a string of bubbles from drowned lungs rising; Concubine Li vanished from the world from then on.
Lin Zhili felt a faint unease in his heart, but seeing his elder brother’s terrified look instantly filled him with pleasure.
Indeed, the most satisfying thing in the world is revenge.
“Let’s go.” Lin Jiren sighed deeply, telling Lin Zhishu, “You and the others go back first.”
Lin Jiren then said to his second son, “Accompany Father for a stretch.”
“Yes!” Lin Zhili’s face flushed red, his body trembling with excitement; he gave his elder brother a contemptuous glance.
Lin Zhishu’s face was full of fear, shock, and unwillingness.
……
At this time, on the opposite shore of Yongning River, beside an unremarkable fishing boat.
A figure emerged from the water—it was the already-dead Concubine Li.
Then another figure surfaced and said lowly to the people on the boat, “Help me get her up.”
Several people came off the boat and clumsily pulled Concubine Li’s body aboard.
Bai Langzai complained lowly, “Elder Sister, the helmsman told us not to stir up trouble.”
“This isn’t stirring up trouble; she’s already a dead person.”
Bai Qing gripped the deck with both hands and leaped aboard like a porpoise, splashing a spray of water from her clothes.
“Lay her flat on her back, bring a towel. Bai Langzai, get Doctor Su’s trauma medicine. A Qi, go watch those two surnamed Lin and see what they’re up to! Everyone, put on your face masks!”
“Yes!”
On the fishing boat, everyone busied themselves.
Bai Qing knelt beside Concubine Li, one hand on her lower abdomen, the other striking hard.
“Thump!”
Concubine Li’s body jolted hard, some river water spilling from her mouth and nose.
“Thump!”
Another heavy punch, Concubine Li’s body curled sharply, more water flowing out.
After several times like this, Concubine Li suddenly coughed hard, spewing large amounts of mud and river water from her mouth and nose.
“She’s awake!” Bai Langzai said joyfully.
Bai Qing quickly helped her up and patted her back forcefully; Concubine Li vomited the water accumulated in her stomach, her mind gradually clearing.
She looked up and scanned her surroundings, seeing many unfamiliar faces, then grinned weirdly, about to giggle when Bai Qing covered her mouth, pressing her down on the deck with a dagger at her throat.
“We’re good people; we saved you. If you want to live, keep your mouth shut.”
Concubine Li didn’t know if she understood, her beautiful eyes curving into crescents, full of smiling intent.
Bai Qing tentatively loosened her hand slightly; Concubine Li made no more eerie noises, just saying lowly, “Kill them, kill them all!”
Bai Langzai frowned, “She’s really gone mad?”
“Kill them all… wuwuwu, it hurts…” Concubine Li whimpered again.
Bai Qing took a towel from a crew member and wiped her dry, then took the medicine from Bai Langzai.
“It’ll hurt a bit; endure it.” Bai Qing applied the medicine after speaking.
Concubine Li was deranged but obedient, enduring without a sound, just crying nonstop.
A crew member sighed upon seeing this, “Pitiful, a perfectly fine person ruined.”
After applying the medicine, Bai Qing wrapped her wounds with cotton cloth, but with so many large and small wounds all over her body, she could only bandage the vital spots.
Then she brought some rough cloth clothes for Concubine Li to wear, helped her into the cabin, and laid her on the bed.
Concubine Li muttered curses about killing one moment, then pitifully cried about pain and called for Mother the next.
Bai Qing finally settled her and walked out of the cabin.
Bai Langzai said solemnly, “We can’t take this person back to the island!”
Bai Qing: “I know; we need to find a way to place her.”
At this moment, a splash came from the water by the boat; a man leaped from the water onto the boat—it was A Qi, the crew member Bai Qing had sent earlier.
Bai Qing went up, handed him a towel, and asked, “How’d it go?”
A Qi wiped his hair messily and said, “Just as the helmsman guessed—the two surnamed Lin went up the mountain.”
Bai Qing asked, “Which direction?”
“East, Nine Peaks Mountain.”
“Set sail and follow!”
……
Late at night.
Nine Peaks Mountain.
Lin Jiren and his son Lin Zhili walked along the mountain path, with no sign of people around, only distant owl cries like a baby’s wail.
Lin Zhili’s mind was full of Concubine Li’s eerie smile when she sank into the river; traversing this desolate mountain now made him terrified, limbs weak.
“Father, why are we going up the mountain?” Lin Zhili asked tremulously.
“To visit graves.”
Lin Zhili felt a cold wind blow, chilling him to the bone; he stared at his father’s back, suspecting Father might have been possessed by Concubine Li, while eyeing handy stones by the path.
Lin Jiren’s voice came again: “How much silver is left in the mansion?”
Lin Zhili answered honestly, “Only some loose silver; the large silver chests were all taken by thieves.”
For a moment, the two fell silent, climbing quietly, adding to the eeriness.
Lin Zhili mustered courage to break the silence: “But Father, rest assured—the fields are still ours. Worst case, raise the tenant rent a bit. Our family’s tenant rent has always been low; a slight increase shouldn’t cause complaints from tenants.”
“Late autumn is approaching; once the northwest wind stabilizes, the fleet should head south to sea. Is the money for going to sea ready?”
Lin Zhili thought for a moment and said resolutely, “We’ll have to raise the tenant rent a bit more. With the mansion robbed this year, the tenants should understand.”
Besides hiring crew members and repairing the hull, the bulk of sea trade capital was for buying goods.
Raw silk, porcelain, silk—these all had to be bought from other merchants, and a large sum for purchases had to be prepared every year before sailing.
Lin Jiren said, “Money for goods, rebuilding the manor, compensation for guards—none are small amounts. Relying on raising tenant rent won’t cover it.”
Lin Zhili gritted his teeth: “How about sending fewer ships to sea this year?”
“Then wouldn’t our Lin Family truly fall into ruin as others say?”
“Does Father have a way?” Lin Zhili detected something.
“Up the mountain first, pay respects to the ancestors.” Lin Jiren said no more and walked on silently.
Lin Zhili then recognized this as the path to the Lin Clan ancestral graves, his heart stirring as he understood Father’s intent, quickening his steps to follow.
The father and son walked a long time, finally reaching the mid-mountain graveyard.
Lin Jiren walked slowly to the depths of the graveyard, stopping before a large grave mound, pulling a brocade box from his bosom, opening it to reveal three incense sticks and a fire starter.
Lin Jiren placed the brocade box on the ground, lit the fire starter with a blow, lit the three incense sticks one by one, bowed respectfully holding them, inserted them into the incense burner before the grave mound, and kowtowed.
Lin Zhili followed suit.
What was a solemn ancestral worship felt eerie in the pitch-black night.
After the worship, Lin Jiren got up, went to the nearby woods, groped around, and retrieved a shovel and a pickaxe from a weed pile.
Lin Jiren handed the shovel to his son.
Lin Zhili took it, seeing the shovel covered in rust, left here who knows how many years.
“Father, we should’ve brought a new shovel.”
Lin Jiren smiled bitterly: “Silly child, bringing a shovel up the mountain—others would know what we’re up to.”
Lin Zhili’s heart tightened.
“This shovel and pickaxe were placed here by Father five years ago at Qingming ancestor worship; I thought we’d never need them… Sigh! Anyway, start digging.”
Lin Jiren led his son to a low grave mound.
The tombstone was covered in moss, the inscribed words blurred, unknown how many years had passed.
The Lin Clan had so many graves; less important relatives buried there, even clansmen sometimes couldn’t distinguish them.
Thus over the years, no one paid attention to this low grave mound.
“Get to work; finish before dawn.” Lin Jiren spat on his palms and began digging the grave.
Lin Zhili grabbed the shovel and shoveled down.
Half a shichen.
The father and son collapsed exhausted on the ground, faces and bodies caked in mud, hands red and swollen.
Yet the grave mound was only half dug open.
Lin Zhili panted roughly, “Father, why did the ancestors bury the silver… so deep…”
Lin Jiren smiled bitterly: “From hardship to opening up the wilderness. Our Lin Clan ancestors built the family business with such difficulty; they probably never imagined descendants so useless they couldn’t even dig a low grave mound.”
Lin Zhili encouraged his father: “Father, don’t say that—these manual labors are for servants. We pass down farming and studying as family tradition; our precious bodies are for studying and doing business.”
Lin Jiren sighed and said no more, silently picking up the pickaxe.
After digging a while longer, Lin Zhili said, “Father, is the silver below left by our ancestors? It’s been over four hundred years now, right?”
Lin Jiren wiped sweat from his forehead with his forearm, rubbed his waist with the other hand, and said, “This spot was told to me by your grandfather; successive Lin Clan chiefs passed it down orally. Whether it’s from four hundred years ago, only heaven knows.”
“Thump!”
A dull thud; Lin Zhili’s shovel hit something. He exclaimed joyfully, “Father, I hit it!”
“Keep your voice down!”
Ignoring his hand pain and dirtying his clothes with mud, Lin Zhili reached into the dirt, clawing it away with both hands.
A wooden box emerged, the wood mostly rotted; a light touch made it crumble.
Inside the box were two pottery jars, gaps filled with dirt; the jar mouths carefully sealed, so old the sealant material was unrecognizable.
The two pottery jars didn’t look big, but Lin Zhili couldn’t lift them despite trying hard.
“Father, these jars are so heavy!” Lin Zhili said.
Lin Jiren, supporting his old waist, came to help, but even together they couldn’t budge them.
“Father, inside… it couldn’t be gold, could it?” Lin Zhili whispered extremely low.
Gold was dense; only full of gold would jars this size be so heavy, worth successive Lin Clan chiefs guarding the secret.
Lin Jiren smiled broadly, rubbing his waist: “Father doesn’t know, but these two jars aren’t that big—if only silver, it’d be too little.”
Lin Zhili suddenly thought of something and asked urgently, “Father, did the ancestors leave only this one treasure?”
“What, not enough?”
“Our Lin Family has lasted four hundred years, prospered several times—not likely just this much.”
“Ever since our family handled maritime transport, at peak we had over a hundred thousand taels in the silver vault—ever thought to leave some for descendants?”
Lin Zhili was speechless.
The two rested silently a moment, encouraged each other, and tried lifting the jar again—still immovable.
A thought flashed in Lin Zhili’s mind: “Could it be the ancestors don’t want us father and son to take this treasure?”
Lin Zhili suddenly thought of the miserably dead Concubine Li, a chill rising inexplicably; his hand slipped, and he fell backward onto the ground.
“Ouch!” Lin Zhili cried out in pain.
“Son, what happened?”
“I twisted my foot!”
Lin Zhili’s twist was severe; his ankle visibly swelled, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
“Son, endure it; once we take the ancestors’ treasure back to the mansion, we’ll get the best doctor to treat you!”
“Only by enduring the greatest hardships can one become superior!” Lin Zhili gritted his teeth, tore a sleeve strip, bound his ankle, struggled to stand on one foot—but fell heavily again.
Lin Jiren wiped sweat from his face with his forearm, thought a moment: “Son, wait here a bit; I’ll find a tree branch for you to lean on.”
This was the Lin Clan ancestral graves, often cleaned—no weeds, let alone branches; Lin Jiren had to go to the distant woods.
Lin Zhili nodded emphatically: “Father, go quick and come back.”
“Mm.”
Lin Jiren’s figure gradually vanished into the woods.
With his father gone, the barren mountain felt even more desolate and lonely.
“Gugugu~”
An owl cry came from the woods, like a baby’s wail or mocking laughter.
Lin Zhili suddenly recalled Concubine Li’s mad giggling.
“Hehehe… hahaha… Kill you!”
“Who?”
Lin Zhili turned in panic; nothing around, just owl cries in the woods—it was his imagination.
He had misheard.
Lin Zhili clenched his teeth, sweat flowing into his eyes; he didn’t dare wipe, staring wide-eyed everywhere.
“Who? You—wu…”
Lin Zhili whipped around; in that instant, he seemed to hear his father’s voice, but it was too short; he wasn’t sure if it was hallucination.
Terrified, he froze in place, motionless, staring in the sound’s direction, not daring to blink.
After some time, he tentatively whispered, “Father?”
Voice like a mosquito.
He took a deep breath, mustered courage: “Father?”
No response, the barren mountain silent.
“Father, where are you?” Lin Zhili’s voice carried a sob.
“Patta!” A faint footstep sounded.
“Father, is that you?” Lin Zhili said joyfully.
No response.
The footsteps were light, not Lin Jiren’s heavy tread—it was a woman’s steps!
By moonlight, he saw a slender figure emerge from the woods, in rough hemp clothes—Concubine Li’s build.
Lin Zhili’s eyes nearly popped, mind shaken; his heart nearly jumped from his throat in fright, but as if paralyzed, he couldn’t move, staring dazedly as the figure approached step by step.
“Concubine Li.” Lin Zhili’s voice shook uncontrollably, words incoherent, “It was Elder Brother who harmed you… your parents were forced to death by my father, the poison was from the steward… I didn’t, it wasn’t me…”
Lin Zhili’s face twisted in terror; by moonlight, he clearly saw the face—it was the river-sunk Concubine Li, who else?
“Pfft!”
A cold knife stabbed cleanly into his belly, withdrawn; Lin Zhili’s strength drained from limbs, eyes wide open in death.
Bai Qing flung blood from the blade, carefully wiped it with Lin Zhili’s clothes, and sheathed it.
From the woods, several crew members dragged Lin Jiren’s corpse out, placing it with his son; both father and son wore the same shocked expression.
A Qi asked, “What about the bodies?”
Bai Qing pointed to the grave mound where the pottery jars were buried: “Isn’t there a ready pit? First move out the jars, then bury the bodies.”
Two crew members complied, supporting one jar.
“One, two, up!”
With a shout, the jar was steadily lifted out and set aside; the other jar followed.
The crew member dusted his hands: “It does have some weight, but one person could lift it. Those two surnamed Lin really were useless.”
Bai Qing said, “They are manor masters after all. Check what’s in the jars—if it’s two jars of copper coins, this trip was for nothing.”
Bai Langzai bent down to remove the jar seal.
The pottery jar was sealed tightly, layer upon layer with cloth, string, yellow mud, etc.
When reaching the last layer, Bai Langzai said, “Careful.”
He then lifted the cloth; everyone covered nose and mouth, stepping back a bit.
Though unable to see inside, under moonlight, golden light faintly emanated from the jar mouth.
After confirming safety, everyone crowded close, unanimously showing mesmerized looks, golden light reflected in their eyes.
It was a whole jar of gold!
By the bright moonlight, the jar was full of finger-thick gold bars, stacked in lattice patterns, packed tight.
Gold itself doesn’t glow, but under moonlight, this jar of gold shone scorchingly!
Bai Qing replaced the seal, blocking the tempting golden light.
“Time to work.” Bai Qing eyed the Lin father and son’s bodies.
The crew members snapped back, took shovel and pickaxe, enlarged the pit; soon a large pit was dug.
The two bodies were tossed in; everyone filled the soil together.
In half a shichen, the grave mound was as good as new.
The crew members used shovel and feet to tamp the grave, fetched loose soil and rotten leaves from the woods to cover new earth traces, finally sprinkling water to mimic a day of rain.
After covering up, no flaws were visible at a glance.
Finally, the crew tossed the shovel and pickaxe off the cliff, covered ground bloodstains with loose soil, and cleared their footprints.
The crew members carried the two jars of gold, withdrawing from the graveyard together.
Back on the boat, Bai Qing had Bai Langzai place the jars in the cabin, then said coldly to the crew, “Don’t forget the helmsman’s rules—whoever dares touch the jars, don’t blame me for being merciless!”
All crew knew the Bai siblings’ prowess and didn’t dare object.
……
Next morning, upstream on Ling River, a fisherman’s home.
The householder had just risen when he saw a masked woman sitting in the room.
“Awake?” Bai Qing picked up the teapot, pouring water for the couple, acting naturally as if it were her home.
The couple’s hearts sank, thinking: give the water bandits the boat if they want; shouldn’t have greedily taken that silver—now they’ve come for our lives.
Pitifully, the two had labored half a lifetime without a son or daughter; well, dying like this spared future grief.
“Drink water.” Bai Qing smiled.
The couple shakily lifted the cups, spilling most before drinking.
Bai Qing said leisurely, “I’m here today to entrust something.”
The householder said, “Great King, speak; this old man won’t refuse.”
He winked at his wife; she understood, fetched the loose silver from selling the boat from under the bed, and placed it on the table.
Bai Qing slowly shook her head: “I want you two to help care for my younger sister.”
“Younger sister?” They then noticed a woman by the table, sitting on the floor instead of the stool, wearing men’s clothes, face and hands covered in freshly scabbed wounds as if from torture.
Looking closely, the woman was about twenty, with fair tender skin, refined features, charming brows and eyes, perfectly proportioned figure—a real beauty, not resembling the water bandit queen at all.
But the Great King called her sister; the old couple didn’t dare question.
“Hahaha… Dead, all dead! Hahaha…”
The woman on the ground kept muttering about death and killing, making the couple’s scalps numb.
Bai Qing explained: “Her mind is gone; inconvenient for river life, so entrusting her to you two. Treat her like your own daughter—no locking or abusing, and don’t let her be bullied.”
Bai Qing took Concubine Li’s hand and handed her to the couple.
“From now on, they are your parents, got it?” Bai Qing said softly.
“Hahaha, Mother… Mother, it hurts.” Concubine Li giggled maniacally then sobbed.
The woman gently patted her back to comfort.
Bai Qing picked up a heavy bundle from the ground, opening it to reveal fifty taels of loose silver—exchanged from crew with a high-grade South Pearl.
“Take this silver, hide it well, as expenses for caring for my sister.”
“How can we?”
Bai Qing smashed the cup on the ground upon hearing.
“Whoosh!”
“Pa!”
A crossbow bolt shot in from the door, nailing into the hall wall.
Bai Qing said, “I operate around Ling River; every few months, I’ll check on my sister secretly. If you mistreat her, the next bolt takes your heads!”
The couple was scared silent.
Bai Qing rose and returned to the boat by the river.
Bai Langzai stowed the crossbow and said, “Elder Sister, it’s useless. In this world, good people and madmen can’t survive; giving so much silver might harm them instead.”
Bai Qing said leisurely, “Lives are earned oneself; this family will find their way. I’m no saint—this world no one can help another; just seeking peace of mind.”
“Miss Bai, isn’t it time to set sail to sea?”
“Not urgent; the helmsman said catch a boatload of fish first!”
“Got it!”
