141. Two Wooden Cabins

Zhang Xuan covered his mouth and nose, unable to endure the foul stench. He hurriedly retreated and glanced at the malodorous wooden cabin nearby. Deciding it was best to hold off, he resolved to regroup with Yang Zaixing and the others first, planning to investigate the two cabins only after the human traffickers had been dealt with.

Just as Zhang Xuan turned to head toward the front gate to meet up, he saw the group approaching. Seeing them, he stood his ground and waited. He noticed Old Man Tong and Uncle Yang were among them, which suggested that things had gone smoothly at the front gate as well. It seemed the stronghold’s defenses were pitifully inadequate; they had clearly never anticipated an enemy raid. Zhang Xuan made a mental note: when he eventually established his own camp, he would have to enforce strict defensive protocols. Rotating patrols every hour would be mandatory, and he would definitely add hidden sentries to prevent "experts" like himself from infiltrating. If a raid were to occur due to his own negligence, he wouldn't even know where to begin weeping.

As the group drew near, Yang Zaixing asked in a low voice, "Xiao Xuanzi, what are you doing here? Didn't you go to find where the traffickers were resting? Did you fail to find them?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head. "I found them, right there!" He pointed to the two cabins a short distance away. "But everyone inside is asleep. I don't know if these guards are just incredibly incompetent. I did so much preparation and even entered with a 'death before return' mentality, but it turns out I didn't need to!"

Yang Zaixing relayed Old Man Tong’s earlier deductions to Zhang Xuan, who suddenly had an epiphany. It appeared he had watched too many television dramas. In those shows, no matter how large a stronghold was, there were always patrols at night—though, of course, many of those sentries often met untimely ends. Still, not everyone possessed such a high level of vigilance, and this wasn't a formal military campaign after all. In short, television was misleading.

"By the way," Zhang Xuan continued, "I was planning to head to the front gate to discuss how to deal with the traffickers in these cabins. I peeked inside; they’re all asleep. It was too dark to see exactly how many, but judging by the snoring, there should be about ten people in each cabin."

Old Man Tong pointed to two other cabins nearby. "What about those two? Did you check if there were any traffickers inside?"

Zhang Xuan followed his gaze. "I just came from those. One is locked, and I have a feeling there’s something valuable inside. Once we’ve taken care of these traffickers, I’ll go pry it open and clear out everything." He could already imagine himself being so weighed down by the loot that he couldn't walk.

The others watched his greedy expression but chose not to burst his bubble. Seeing their lack of response, Zhang Xuan lamented that they didn't understand the hardships of managing a household. He might have to support many "gold-devouring beasts" in the future, and how could he manage that without money? Then again, how could they have his perspective? After all, he was a product of the twenty-first century. "As for the other cabin," he continued, "I didn't go in. As I got close, I smelled a foul, rotting stench that made me want to vomit. I couldn't stand it! One of you can check it if you can stomach it. Wait—a rotting stench? No way!" As he spoke, his expression turned grave, and he looked toward Old Man Tong and Uncle Yang.

Noticing his gaze and guessing his thoughts, the two men’s faces darkened. "You all wait here. Brother Yang and I will go check that cabin; don't follow us. Let’s go, Brother Yang. I hope it isn't what we fear."

Uncle Yang nodded, grabbed a torch, and followed Old Man Tong toward the cabin emitting the foul gas.

Yang Zaixing, noticing Zhang Xuan’s heavy expression as he stared after them, asked, "Xiao Xuanzi, what could be in there? Why did your expressions change so suddenly?" Yuwen Chengdu and Yang Hu also stepped closer, having clearly noticed the shift in their demeanor.

"I don't know. I just have a rough guess. The smell is like rotting animal carcasses, but there shouldn't be that many stored here! I hope it's just wild game they hunted from the mountains, forgot to process, and let rot." As he spoke, he prayed his theory was correct. Upon hearing the implication behind his words, the three men felt a surge of indignation and glared at the cabins where the traffickers were sleeping. Those damned scoundrels.

Old Man Tong and Uncle Yang reached the door and pushed it open. By the light of the torch, they finally saw everything inside.