Chapter Sixteen: This Path I Forge, This Tree I Plant!

“This road was made by me, this tree was planted by me! If you want to pass, pay the toll!”

At Chen Tong’s command, the mountain bandits immediately let out a sharp, piercing howl, like a pack of fierce tigers springing from the forest, instantly appearing to block the caravan’s path.

The caravan’s horses reared up in fright, neighing wildly.

The caravan’s guards quickly drew their weapons, surrounding their leader and the goods protectively.

The caravan leader was a middle-aged man, sporting a twirled mustache and sharp, shrewd eyes.

His face flickered with a slight change in expression but he quickly regained composure. Following the usual protocol when dealing with bandits, he pulled out a heavy pouch of money from his bosom, offering it with a forced smile.

“Brave heroes, this is a small token from us. We hope you’ll show mercy and let us pass.”

“Traveling is hard for everyone; please grant us this convenience.”

As he spoke, the man carefully extended the pouch towards them.

Chen Tong nodded slightly, signaling his men to accept the money.

But then, his gaze sharpened, locking onto the caravan leader as he loudly asked,

“What exactly are you carrying in these carts? Are there any other valuables hidden away? Don’t think you can fool us.”

His voice echoed through the valley, filled with an unquestionable authority.

The caravan leader’s heart tightened; beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, but he forced himself to remain calm and quickly explained,

“Honorable hero, most of the goods are common cloth and porcelain—small-scale trade items, nothing particularly precious.”

“This trip is merely to earn some hard-earned money to support our families.”

While speaking, he cast subtle glances to his guards, signaling them not to make any rash moves.

Chen Tong slowly paced around the caravan’s wagons, meticulously inspecting every corner.

He occasionally ran his hand over the tarps and leaned in to smell the cargo.

Afterward, he returned to the caravan leader and studied his expression once more.

Though the guards gripped their weapons tightly, their faces revealed more anxiety than aggression.

The leader’s eyes met Chen Tong’s without evasion, appearing truthful.

After a moment of thought, Chen Tong declared loudly,

“Today, we’ll let you go—for now. But if I catch you hiding anything in the future, it won’t be settled so easily! Next time we meet, it won’t be this small amount of money that settles it.”

The caravan leader, as if granted a great pardon, hurriedly nodded and bowed, saying,

“Yes, yes, thank you, brave hero, we dare not deceive you.”

He then urged his caravan forward. The horses galloped swiftly under the crack of whips, kicking up clouds of dust.

The bandits watched the caravan disappear into the distance before gathering around Chen Tong.

“Master Xie, you’re really letting them go just like that?” one bandit asked reluctantly.

Chen Tong smiled and replied, “Our goal this time has been met, and it seems they truly had nothing to hide.”

“If we push too hard, we might stir up trouble. We’ll have plenty of chances; next time we’ll target a more suitable haul.”

Leading the bandits, Chen Tong carried their newly acquired loot in triumph as they marched back to Black Wind Village.

Along the way, they chatted and laughed, hopeful that this haul would make village life easier—though none suspected greater troubles lay ahead.

Upon returning, Chen Tong stood at the village square, surrounded by his men, preparing to publicly tally their plunder.

He eagerly opened the money pouch, expecting gleaming silver or strings of copper coins—but was met only with a pile of scattered small silver fragments.

“What... why is it all just broken silver bits?” a bandit muttered, puzzled.

Chen Tong’s expression darkened instantly. Frowning deeply, he picked up a piece of the fragmented silver, a foreboding unease rising in his chest.

He quickly opened the pawnshop interface in the system to check its value. The result made his face grow even grimmer.

“Damn it!” Chen Tong cursed under his breath.

“This broken silver is practically worthless at the Jingbao Pawnshop—one tael of silver is only worth seven coins!”

Remembering how much effort and risk they had taken for this loot, only to receive so few system coins now, Chen Tong felt a surge of frustration.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he turned and handed all the broken silver to Xie Qingshuang, saying,

“Chief, please distribute this money to everyone.”

Xie Qingshuang looked surprised and quickly asked,

“Brother Xie, this was your hard-earned loot—why hand it all over to me to distribute? And there doesn’t seem to be much money here. What’s going on?”

Chen Tong sighed helplessly and briefly explained the low value of the broken silver.

Then he spoke frankly, “Chief, this time we underestimated things.”

“Next time we rob a caravan, we must demand copper coins. Copper coins are worth more and can be exchanged for more of what we need, which will better support the village’s development.”

Xie Qingshuang nodded thoughtfully, saying,

“Brother Xie, your foresight is commendable—it was my oversight.”

……

Since the poor exchange value of the broken silver from their last raid at the Jingbao Pawnshop, Chen Tong had been simmering with regret.

So Black Wind Village began hurriedly planning their next heist.

Chen Tong put great effort into the preparations.

He recalled purchasing protective gear and safety helmets for their main workforce and thought these might serve as excellent disguises.

Thus, on the day of the operation, everyone from Black Wind Village donned safety uniforms and helmets, looking like a group of laborers rather than fierce bandits.

They concealed themselves early along a well-traveled caravan route, the dense foliage on both sides providing perfect cover.

The group held their breath, eyes fixed on the distance, awaiting their prey.

Finally, the clear ringing of bells approached, and a caravan slowly came into view.

Though modest in size, the caravan’s goods appeared quite valuable, stirring excitement among the hidden bandits.

As the caravan entered the trap zone completely, Chen Tong gave the signal. Like tigers leaping from the mountain, the bandits erupted from their hiding places, quickly encircling the caravan.

Gripping their weapons tightly, their fierce demeanor chilled the caravan members despite their laborers’ attire.

“This road was made by me, this tree was planted by me! If you want to pass, pay the toll!” Chen Tong shouted loudly, his voice reverberating through the valley.

The caravan’s leader was a middle-aged man with a goatee. His face went pale instantly.

But years of experience on the road quickly brought him calm.