Chapter 24: Two Paths!

"Nonsense!"

At that moment, one of the young men from the Zhao family stood there, frozen in place, his face flushed with fury. "We only slapped Sun Zhi once! How could his legs ache and his body go stiff?"

Lu Chuan spread his hands. "Perhaps it is due to his advanced age and weak constitution. It is not entirely unreasonable for him to suffer such symptoms."

Having said this, Lu Chuan suddenly began to laugh. "In that case, I must trouble you all to wait here until Uncle Sun recovers. Once you have offered your apologies, you may leave."

Zhao Dabao’s mouth twitched violently. A flicker of resentment danced in his eyes. Seemingly caught off guard by Lu Chuan’s total lack of deference, he let out a cold snort. "Lu Chuan, are you truly going to burn every bridge? We are all hunters; we will inevitably cross paths on the mountain. I do not believe there will never come a time when you need help."

As he spoke, a sinister gleam flashed in Zhao Dabao's eyes, yet Lu Chuan caught it clearly. Lu Chuan sneered; he cared nothing for Zhao Dabao’s threats. If he lacked even this small measure of capability, how could he dare to provoke these men? It was not that he was incapable of killing; he simply chose not to.

Just as Zhao Dabao suggested, far too many hunters died in these mountains these days—one more or one less would hardly be noticed. As long as the deed was done with enough discretion, there would be no problems.

"Is that so?" Lu Chuan asked with a smile. "If such a time truly comes, even if you, Hunter Zhao, wanted to help me, I would not dare to accept your hand!"

Zhao Dabao’s expression shifted between rage and uncertainty. He knew full well that Lu Chuan was mocking him. After a moment of silence, he said, "Lu Chuan, we concede on this matter. Tell us how you wish to resolve it; we are willing to offer compensation."

Zhao Dabao knew that staying here indefinitely was not an option, but fighting was equally unwise. Thus, he had to swallow his pride for now and find a way to settle the score later.

"The people of Zhao Village have been hunting on our village's mountain for quite some time. Shouldn't you offer something to show your respect to the village chief?" Sun Zhi was hiding in the back, but he was never one to take a loss. Though he appeared simple and honest, how could a man who had held the position of village chief for so long be entirely devoid of cunning?

To put it bluntly, the reason he had not stepped forward was that he was not suited for bargaining. Haggling with the hunters of Zhao Village would only damage the relationship between the two villages. If it truly escalated and reached the county authorities, the hunters from Zhao Village might even turn the tables on them. Lu Chuan, however, was the perfect negotiator. If he could squeeze some benefits out of Zhao Village, all the better. If not, it was no great loss—after all, these resources had never truly belonged to Shuangshui Village to begin with.

As the saying goes, the hearts of scholars are often filled with darkness.

Lu Chuan did not hold back. "Reasonably speaking, you have occupied our back mountain for three years. Let’s do this: I won’t push you too hard. Every month, you shall pay fifty catties of meat to Shuangshui Village as a leasing fee. For three years, at six hundred catties per year, that comes to eighteen hundred catties. Provide this, and our past grievances will be wiped clean. From here on out, we go our separate ways."

Lu Chuan curled his lips and said calmly, "What do you think?"

"Impossible!" Zhao Dabao stared at Lu Chuan in a rage. "Lu Chuan, do not think we are afraid of you! We are willing to show sincerity, but do not push your luck!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Chuan grew interested. "Oh? I never imagined that Hunter Zhao would even know the phrase 'pushing one's luck'."

He lowered his head for a moment, then continued, "How about this? Since you say I am pushing my luck, then from today on, your Zhao Village hunting team will be disbanded, and the forests near your village will be placed under the jurisdiction of Shuangshui Village. No one is to hunt there without permission. I will provide you with fifty catties of meat every month, without fail. If you agree now, you can take fifty catties of meat with you immediately. How is that?"

A mocking smirk played on Lu Chuan’s lips. He knew Hunter Zhao would never agree.

Venturing into the mountains was dangerous, but the rewards were abundant. Even on a bad month, one could easily secure two hundred catties of meat. It was precisely because of this that the people of Zhao Village had fared so well during this famine year; almost every household had meat on their table.

There was no way around it. Even if the people of Shuangshui Village wanted to emulate them, they were not a single-clan village. The households were not unified, and there were very few skilled hunters among them. They had organized a few times, only for the efforts to collapse into petty infighting.

"You... you are dreaming!" Zhao Dabao was momentarily speechless, glaring at Lu Chuan with hatred. Then, as if struck by a thought, he added, "Even if we were willing to cede the land to you, does Shuangshui Village have enough hunters? Do you really think you alone can manage this entire mountain?"

Zhao Dabao’s eyes bulged with rage.

Lu Chuan shrugged. "That is not for you to worry about. I have laid out two paths for you; how you choose is up to you."

Zhao Dabao took a deep breath, trying to steady his ragged breathing. "Eighteen hundred catties is impossible. First, we don't have that much. Second, we never intended to monopolize this mountain. It was your own lack of hunters that prevented you from entering the forest. You cannot blame that on us."

Zhao Dabao clenched his fists tightly, attempting to reason with Lu Chuan.

"How rare, you are actually reasoning with me!" Lu Chuan chuckled. He pursed his lips and paused before saying, "One thousand catties. Provide that, and we will call it even today. From now on, when we meet on the mountain, it will be by our own merit."

Lu Chuan’s voice was cold. Zhao Dabao took another breath. "Impossible. We haven't been on the mountain for a long time, so we don't have that much game."

"That is fine," Lu Chuan said, baring his teeth in a brilliant smile. "You can pay in cash. Currently, the price of meat is about one hundred and fifty cash per catty. For one thousand catties, you only need to produce one hundred and fifty taels of silver, and this matter will be settled. How about it?"

Lu Chuan looked at Zhao Dabao, wearing what he considered to be a warm and genial smile.