Abandoning literature for martial arts, starting by unleashing the beauty's bow.

The next day, every household in Mao'er Village lit their oil lamps.

Zhao Dagui and Zhao Tianming arrived at the Lu family's residence again.

This time, they were received by Lu Fengnian; neither Liu Yunjuan nor Lu Xiaoyu were in the main room.

"Your mother should have told you about the bumper harvest, right?" Zhao Dagui said softly.

Lu Fengnian nodded without saying anything.

Zhao Tianming bowed slightly to Lu Fengnian and said earnestly, "Fengnian, what happened before was wrong of our Zhao family. I apologize to you."

Please, please help me save my Gang'er.

Lu Fengnian slightly raised his eyelids, "Although our Lu family are outsiders, we have a deep affection for Mao'er Village."

"The water source is crucial to the livelihood of our entire village next year; I certainly can't stand idly by."

Upon hearing these words, both Zhao Dagui and Zhao Tianming breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhao Dagui was visibly excited. "Since Fengnian has agreed, I'll go door-to-door tonight and gather all the able-bodied men in the village tomorrow for another battle with Shangjie Village!"

Lu Fengnian shook his head. "Tell me first, what kind of troublesome figures are on the other side?"

Zhao Dagui turned his gaze to Zhao Tianming.

Zhao Tianming blushed. "He's just a young man who somehow learned a remarkable skill with rapid-fire arrows. He can shoot three arrows in one go without missing a single one. He's incredibly skilled."

Lu Fengnian asked, "Is this person from Shangjie Village?"

Zhao Dagui nodded. "Yes, it is said that he was originally an orphan from Shangjie Village. He went out to beg for food for several years and only returned a few months ago. I don't know where he learned such amazing archery skills."

Lu Fengnian frowned slightly, then asked, "What's his name?"

"Yang Kai."

Zhao Tianming clenched his fists. "Both Tong'er and I were wounded by his arrows."

Lu Fengnian pondered for a moment, "What do the people from Shangjie Village want to do by kidnapping Zhao Gang and the others?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tianming blushed.

Zhao Dagui coughed lightly. "What else could it be? Shangjie Village was always suppressed by our village in the past. Now that they have finally turned the tables, they are naturally showing off and detaining our people in an attempt to humiliate Mao'er Village."

Lu Fengnian took in Zhao Tianming's reaction, slightly raised his eyelids, and slowly swept his gaze across the faces of Zhao Dagui and Zhao Tianming. "I hope you two will tell me the truth. Only if you tell the truth can I better solve the problem."

Zhao Dagui was clearly embarrassed and turned his gaze to Zhao Tianming.

Zhao Tianming swallowed hard, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Lu Fengnian smiled slightly, "It seems there must be some hidden story behind this matter. If you don't want to talk about it, I won't force you."

Just as Zhao Dagui was about to speak, Lu Fengnian stood up and said, "It's getting late, you two should go back."

Zhao Dagui and Zhao Tianming both changed color.

"Fengnian, don't be angry. Can't I talk to you?" Zhao Dagui quickly replied.

Lu Fengnian's smile remained unchanged. "The reason why Zhao Gang and the others were kidnapped is actually not important. I have some things to take care of now, so I won't keep you company any longer. You can go back first."

However, you can rest assured that I will handle the dispute with Shangjie Village over water resources.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dagui and Zhao Tianming both breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhao Dagui smiled broadly, "Fengnian, we'll be waiting for you near the riverbank early tomorrow morning."

Lu Fengnian nodded and made a gesture of inviting him to dinner.

Zhao Dagui and Zhao Tianming then left the Lu family home after saying goodbye to Liu Yunjuan.

…………

The next day, early in the morning.

Lu Fengnian carried his hunting bow out the door and slowly walked upstream along the small river at the entrance of the village.

The riverbed was dry, with only some shallow or deep puddles that had not yet dried up completely.

After walking about two miles, the river forked, and a dike was built across the fork.

The river flows towards Mao'er Village on the left side of the dike, and towards Shangjie Village on the right side.

At this moment, the left side of the embankment has been blocked, and all the water in the river is flowing towards Shangjie Village.

On the embankment, a dozen or so men were guarding the area. Some carried hunting bows, some held machetes and hoes, and others carried gongs.

They were all from Shangjie Village and were responsible for guarding the embankment.

On the left side of the embankment, in a grove of trees, dozens of people were gathered, each carrying various weapons. The leaders were Zhao Dagui and Zhao Tianming.

The dispute between Mao'er Village and Shangjie Village over water resources dates back nearly a hundred years and has spanned two generations.

Previously, the river that nourished the two villages had always had a plentiful flow of water.

The two villages lived in peace, maintaining friendly exchanges and occasionally forming marriage alliances between villagers.

However, more than a hundred years ago, the terrain upstream suddenly changed, resulting in a significant reduction in the amount of water flowing to Mao'er Village and Shangjie Village.

As a result, during the dry season, the water supply could not meet the needs of the two villages, and the two villages began to argue over the water issue.

Arguing didn't solve the problem, so they ended up fighting.

At first, both sides were relatively restrained, but once blood was drawn, things spiraled out of control.

As the fighting continued, the two villages became sworn enemies.

Several county magistrates of Qinghe County have tried to mediate the conflict between the two villages, but often the mediation only lasts for one year and cannot be resolved for the next.

Over time, Qinghe County stopped interfering with the water dispute between Mao'er Village and Shangjie Village, leaving them to resolve the issue themselves.

…………

As Lu Fengnian approached the woods, Zhao Dagui and Zhao Tianming led a group of men from Mao'er Village to greet him.

"Fengnian, you've arrived! We're confident we can breach the riverbank and reclaim the water today!" Zhao Dagui said with a beaming smile.

Zhao Tianming called Zhao Tie over and said, "Tie'er, cooperate well with Feng Nian today and make sure to suppress Yang Kai from Shangjie Village."

As long as Yang Kai is suppressed, the others in Shangjie Village are no threat.

Of Zhao Tianming and his three sons, two were injured, one was captured alive, and only Zhao Tie remains capable of fighting.

Zhao Tie looked visibly ashamed when he saw Lu Fengnian.

Blushing, she nodded.

On the distant riverbank, the men from Shangjie Village noticed the unusual activity from Mao'er Village and became alert, turning their gazes toward the woods, ready for action.

Zhao Dagui counted the number of people. "Almost everyone's here. Let's get started. Before Shangjie Village can react, let's take control of the riverbank in one fell swoop."

The group of men were eager to get started and were ready to take action.

Lu Fengnian shook his head. "Don't make any rash moves. I'll go take a look first."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked surprised.

Zhao Dagui quickly spoke up: "Fengnian, Yang Kai's archery skills are superb, and they have a lot of people on their side. You can't be careless. If you get injured too, we won't have a chance to turn the tide."