Chapter 401: Chapter 388: Really No Other Way (Extra Chapter)

The legendary skill of scaling walls and mounting roofs.

Cool!

Experiencing the lightness skill that she had longed for from childhood, which could only be seen in TV series, Zhuang Qingning felt exhilaration oozing from every pore.

Even as Chu Jinman securely set her on the ground, she felt somewhat weightless, riddled with a sense of surrealness.

For a moment, she actually forgot to remove her arm from around Chu Jinnian’s neck.

Only upon the arrival of Fan Wenxuan and the others, who were asking Zhuang Qingning if she was fine, did she manage to shake herself out of her daze. She hastily withdrew her hand, responding awkwardly to their warm concern.

Fortunately, in the eyes of everyone present, Zhuang Qingning had just undergone a dangerous ordeal. Hence, they regarded her aberrant behavior as relatively normal and did not take it to heart.

Realizing that Zhuang Qingning was not hurt, and was not overly frightened by the scare, the burden of concern was finally lifted from the hearts of Fan Wenxuan and the others.

They quickly fetched some warm water and cakes for Zhuang Qingning to take a bite and suppress her shock.

“First Young Master,” Jing Zhao wrapped him in his overcoat.

Chu Jinnian quickly donned the coat. Taking a glance around, he saw the villagers nearby, who were also somewhat excited because the rescue had gone smoothly.

Finally, he asked aloud, “Who made the gunpowder just now?”

No one in the crowd answered, but Banqing pulled forth a lanky man, “First Young Master, it was him.”

After she finished speaking, she addressed the man, “You needn’t be afraid. Despite my master’s intimidating aura, he’s quite good-natured. Since you’ve offered significant assistance and saved Miss Zhuang, my master will surely reward you accordingly.

The man who was brought forward seemed quite timid. He dared not to lift his head and repeatedly bent over saying, “It was only right… saving lives… it’s all good, whether I’m rewarded or not…”

“Your skill in making gunpowder is indeed not bad. Who taught you? How many years have you been at it?” chu Jinnian asked.

“I taught myself, I taught myself… I was a mischievous child… I began to fiddle with these things… so then I learned to make fireworks and firecrackers and help with fishing and mining… I’m flattered by your praise…” The man continued to respond while keeping his body lowered.

“Since you’ve been at it for so many years, you must know what kind of objects to blast, and how much gunpowder to use. You hadn’t inspected the condition of the rocks on the mountaintop, yet you were certain that the quantity of gunpowder would be just right to blast open the mountaintop without injuring the person inside the cave?”

A chill flashed through Chu Jinnian’s eyes.

This…” The man’s head was almost hidden inside his clothes as he began to stutter. “I… 1… I’ve known Cuiwei Mountain since childhood… I’m very familiar with it… the amount of gunpowder was certain not to be wrong… certainly not…”

“Wasn’t it your gunpowder that rescued the person just now? Why are you now questioning my calculation of the amount of gunpowder? Are you discarding me after making use of me?”

But I used only twenty percent of your gunpowder just now.”

Chu Jinnian squinted his eyes, “Considering the amount of gunpowder you provided, if it was all used, not only would the entire cave collapse, anyone inside would surely die. Even the people here would be injured. Surely you, with your longstanding experience in making gunpowder, would not be unaware of this?”

“Yet you still provided so much gunpowder. What was your motive? Was it to save people, or…”

“Was it to kill?”

With each question from Chu Jinnian, his voice grew louder, and the chill in his tone became more and more intense.

His powerful aura, initially dispersed, now concentrated on one spot, bringing an uncomfortable chill to the atmosphere.

The once argumentative man was now visibly trembling. Unable to stand up any longer, he fell to his knees.

“Noble man, spare me… I had no other choice…”

“Having striven for half my life, I’ve never earned any significant money. My family has been living in poverty. I can’t afford to buy new clothes for my child during New Year. My wife ran off with another man. My mother fell sick. The medicine alone costs three taels a month!”

I had no alternative but to accept other people’s money. You really can’t blame me… I truly had no other choice…”

The man sobbed bitterly, repeatedly bowing his head hard against the ground till he was bleeding. It was an utterly pitiable sight.

Yet, Chu Jinnian remained unmoved, his eyes becoming even colder.

Because you have no choice, you want to trample on someone else’s life to make a living?

There is no such logic under the sky.

Chu Jinnian did not wish to waste any more words with him. He simply waved his hand at Jing Zhao and said, “Take him away for questioning, see what else you can find out.”

“Yes.”

Having understood the entire sequence of events from Chu Jinnian, Jing Zhao did not want to speak to this malevolent individual. He merely hauled the man up with one hand, summoning the villagers to bind and remove him for interrogation.

As for the remaining villagers who had come up the mountain to assist, they were momentarily at a loss.

At first, they were angry at Chu Jinnian, accusing him of ingratitude, as he started picking on the man who had helped with the gunpowder right after being rescued. They were just about to speak up for the poor man when Chu Jinman promptly rebutted their accusations with a thorough and valid explanation. More importantly, that man had admitted his actions and confessed to accepting bribes with an intent to harm.

The villagers, who led simple and straightforward lives, were at a loss whether to admire Chu Jinnian’s sharp wit or to curse the man with ulterior motives.

“I am grateful to everyone for their help today. Please accept this humble token of my gratitude, and don’t hesitate to use it for tea.” said Chu Jinnian, expressing his thanks to the villagers. He then signaled Banqing to take over.

Banqing then distributed the money.

Each person received a broken piece of silver, approximately two taels.

For their minimal effort of carrying a few rocks down the mountain and standing idly by, they were rewarded with an amount equivalent to half-year’s, or even more than half-year’s income.

The villagers happily accepted the silver and offered unending thanks to Chu Jinnian.

Chu Jinnian did not engage in any further pleasantries with the villagers but simply let Banqing handle matters. He then, accompanied by Fan Wenxuan, led Zhuang Qingning down the mountain.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, they took a carriage to Qingzhuyuan. “It’s late now. You may as well stay at Qingzhuyuan tonight. I have already asked a female doctor to come over and give Miss Zhuang a thorough examination,” proposed Chu Jinnian, “Furthermore, the Mid-Autumn Festival is only a few days away. Why not have dinner with us at Qingzhuyuan today as our token of gratitude for your care of Mr. Fan and Jinzhou all this while.”

Especially, we want to thank you for saving Jinzhou’s life today.

While at the cave, she had already applied medicine to Jinzhou’s visible wounds. But the unseen ones on his back were painful, probably due to the bruising from the fall. They didn’t know if there had been any internal injuries or fractures, hence it was indeed advisable to have a doctor give him a thorough examination to be on the safe side.