Chapter 188: Chapter 166: After Rain Comes Sunshine, In Chaotic Times People Are Like Grass

Let’s analyze the source text first to understand its context:

[Step 1: Contextual Analysis]

Literary genre: This appears to be a Chinese web novel (xianxia/wuxia genre) - a martial arts fantasy story.

Language style: The language is narrative fiction with dialogue, featuring martial arts combat and fantasy elements. It has somewhat formal narrative prose mixed with colloquial dialogue.

Tone: The tone is dramatic, with elements of action, violence, and some political intrigue. There are scenes of combat aftermath and discussions of strategy.

Plot keywords: martial arts, mountain bandits, escape, wealthy merchants, rescue, battle aftermath, rain, journey

Characters:

- 武良辰 (Wu Liangchen): Male protagonist, skilled martial artist who defeated enemies and rescued merchants

- 二丫 (Erya): Female character, seems to be romantically interested in Wu Liangchen

- 张武 (Zhang Wu): Male, a wealthy merchant who was saved by Wu Liangchen

- 丛博 (Cong Bo): Male, deceased antagonist, was the Seventh Village Chief from Cyan Cloud Mountain

- 白老头 (Old Man Bai): Male, appears to be traveling with Wu Liangchen and Erya

Setting: A small town called Xiaodian Town, with references to Cyan Cloud Mountain, Huai Mountain, and Dinghai City

[Step 2: Integrated Translation and Polishing]

Now I’ll translate the text while applying all the specified rules. I’ll pay close attention to the glossary terms, ensure natural-sounding English, and maintain proper formatting.

Let’s begin the translation:

The first part of the story describes the aftermath of a battle where Wu Liangchen has defeated some bandits/enemies, and the wealthy merchants of the town are cleaning up bodies. Zhang Wu shows gratitude to Wu Liangchen for saving them.

Wu Liangchen enjoys a meal prepared for the now-dead Cong Bo while instructing the merchants to handle the remaining enemies scattered throughout the town. The merchants gather their household guards to kill all remaining bandits from Cyan Cloud Mountain.

After the cleanup, Wu Liangchen advises the merchants to leave town since Cyan Cloud Mountain will retaliate. He refuses their offer to stay and protect them, revealing his name before departing. The merchants recognize his name as the one who caused great upheaval in Dinghai City.

Wu Liangchen returns to a carriage where Erya (who appears to be romantically interested in him) and an old man are waiting. They rest until the heavy rain subsides, then begin their journey south, passing through the mostly abandoned Xiaodian Town as they head toward Huai Mountain.

The story ends with a scene shift to the main camp of Cyan Cloud Mountain, where the news of Cong Bo’s death has just arrived, and the village chiefs are gathering to discuss the matter.

Now I’ll ensure all glossary terms are properly handled and that the translation reads naturally.

These wealthy merchants, normally pampered and refined, had now cast aside all pretense of civility, rolling up their sleeves and bending over to transport corpses.

Although their expensive clothes were stained with blood, the group showed no signs of complaint and instead worked with remarkable diligence.

After all, compared to the threats they had just faced, this physical labor was nothing.

In fact, having been so severely oppressed by Cong Bo and his subordinates for so long, these wealthy merchants felt utterly delighted seeing their corpses, making the work almost enjoyable.

Soon, all the bodies in the restaurant were cleaned up.

Then Zhang Wu, his clothes completely soaked, approached Wu Liangchen who was eating at one of the tables, and respectfully said:

"Sir, everything you ordered has been completed."

Earlier, he had been thrown out of the window by Cong Bo and thought death was certain, but was caught by a shadowy figure who then charged into the building.

At that moment, Zhang Wu thought a deity had appeared, and knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.

It wasn’t until later, hearing the continuous sounds from inside and summoning the courage to look, that he discovered his savior was a handsome young man.

As for Cong Bo who had oppressed him, he had already died by this young man’s blade.

From that moment, he regarded the young man as his lifesaver and second parent, which explained his respectful demeanor.

Wu Liangchen’s chopsticks moved without pause, devouring the food on the table like a whirlwind.

After half a night of intense fighting, he was genuinely hungry.

So the feast Cong Bo had meticulously prepared now benefited him instead.

"I’ve eliminated all the thugs in and around the restaurant. What remains are those scattered throughout town, and I’ll leave them for you to handle."

At this, Wu Liangchen looked up at Zhang Wu and the wealthy merchants behind him.

"Don’t tell me you don’t have household guards."

Zhang Wu immediately nodded in agreement, "Of course. I’ll gather them right away."

The other wealthy merchants also understood that this was a critical moment concerning their families’ survival, so they all left without hesitation to summon their people.

Soon, the restaurant was empty except for a few young servants specifically left to attend to Wu Liangchen.

Outside, the rain continued relentlessly, as if the sky had sprung a leak.

But this was also the perfect opportunity to strike.

The Cyan Cloud Mountain thugs scattered throughout Xiaodian Town were either drinking with women or sound asleep, completely unprepared.

So when the household guards of these wealthy merchants burst into their lodgings, the thugs were still in a dazed state. By the time they understood what was happening as blades approached, it was already too late.

"Spare—" When the last thug, his face filled with terror, begged for mercy only to have his skull smashed by an axe, all of Cyan Cloud Mountain’s forces in Xiaodian Town had been completely uprooted.

By then, less than an hour remained until dawn.

After completing this task, the wealthy merchants didn’t return home but instead went back to the restaurant.

Looking at these pale-faced men with excitement in their eyes, Wu Liangchen, now satisfied with food and drink, slowly stood up.

"Good. At least you’ve proven your worth through action, making my rescue worthwhile."

"However, I’ll be leaving soon, and Cyan Cloud Mountain won’t easily give up this strategic chokepoint. If I were you, I would temporarily retreat and leave this troublesome place."

Hearing that Wu Liangchen was leaving, the wealthy merchants all became somewhat panicked.

They had just decisively eliminated all the remnants of Cyan Cloud Mountain because they had Wu Liangchen, a top martial arts expert, backing them.

Now that he was leaving, these wealthy merchants felt like they’d lost their backbone and became quite anxious.

Zhang Wu stepped forward first and said: "Sir, could you stay and protect the people of this town? We would certainly treat you well."

"Yes, young hero, if you’re willing to stay, we can discuss whatever price you name."

At once, all the wealthy merchants began clamoring.

Wu Liangchen merely smiled faintly at this. "Staying is impossible. I have my own matters to attend to. Besides, even if I stayed, what good would it do? In a few days when Cyan Cloud Mountain mobilizes their forces here, wouldn’t you still have to flee?"

Hearing this, the group of wealthy merchants sobered considerably.

Indeed.

No matter how strong this young man might be, they faced a major power. How could one person possibly fight against such odds?

Seeing the now-silent group, Wu Liangchen shook his head slightly, knowing they were reluctant to leave their homeland and the wealth they had accumulated with such difficulty.

But this was no longer his concern.

He had originally come to kill Cong Bo, and saving these people was merely incidental.

So whether they stayed or left was their decision now.

While Cyan Cloud Mountain was still unaware of what had happened, his priority was to quickly leave this dangerous place with Erya and her father and return to Huangpu Guard.

Thinking this, Wu Liangchen turned to leave.

At that moment, Zhang Wu suddenly called out: "Sir, could you at least tell us your name, so we know who saved us!"

This reminded the group, and they all echoed the sentiment.

"Yes, at least tell us your name!"

Without turning his head, Wu Liangchen said calmly: "My name is Wu Liangchen!"

With that, he leapt into the curtain of rain and disappeared.

"Wu Liangchen! Is he the young hero who once turned Dinghai City upside down?" someone exclaimed in surprise.

"Who else could it be but this young master? No wonder he was so formidable!" another marveled.

Zhang Wu solemnly gazed in the direction Wu Liangchen had gone, then suddenly turned and left.

Previously, he had harbored some illusions about Cyan Cloud Mountain, believing that if this mountain bandit group wanted to succeed, they would at least consider their reputation.

But reality proved he was overthinking it.

So after this painful lesson, he hesitated no longer and immediately packed his belongings to flee.

Seeing him leave, the others also awakened from their daze and dispersed.

It was now around six or seven in the morning, but because of the thick rain clouds blocking the sky, the eastern horizon was only slightly brighter, casting a dim light over the landscape.

The rain continued steadily, completely submerging the low-lying areas. Despite it being summer, the temperature was quite low, and even hiding in the carriage, Erya still felt the cold penetrating to her bones.

She hadn’t slept all night, occasionally lifting the curtain to look outside, hoping to quickly catch sight of that familiar figure.

Though she repeatedly told herself that Brother Xiaowu would be fine, she couldn’t help worrying.

After checking outside countless times, she finally glimpsed a figure in the distance approaching at incredible speed.

Despite the great distance, with a girl’s intuition about her beloved, she recognized the figure at a glance, and her tense nerves immediately relaxed.

"Brother Xiaowu is back!" Erya exclaimed joyfully, picking up a dry towel as she waited.

When Wu Liangchen returned to the carriage, Erya immediately handed him the towel.

"Brother Xiaowu, dry your hair first so you don’t catch cold!"

Wu Liangchen smiled, taking the towel and wiping his hair.

"Good. The matter has been handled. We can set off after the rain subsides a bit."

"Mm-hmm, here, have some wine to warm yourself up." Erya barely registered what Wu Liangchen had said.

At that moment, her whole heart was focused on her lover, worried he might be exhausted or cold.

The old man, however, faintly detected the smell of blood, but after several days together, he had grown somewhat accustomed to it and didn’t ask questions.

The father and daughter hadn’t eaten breakfast, and having a hot meal during this downpour seemed like a luxury.

Fortunately, they had plenty of wine in the carriage, and since they couldn’t travel anyway, the three of them drank some alcohol with dried beef as their breakfast.

The rain continued until midday before gradually weakening, and the water accumulated on the official road didn’t recede until the afternoon.

Luckily, the hills here were covered with gravel, otherwise going downhill would have been difficult.

Wu Liangchen fed the two horses with black beans, then laboriously descended the hill onto the main road.

By then, the rain had stopped and the sky cleared, with the setting sun painting the clouds in the sky with a myriad of colors, creating a beautiful spectacle.

The roadside foliage was lush and green, with crystalline droplets slowly gathering together before suddenly falling from leaf tips, startling away a dragonfly.

The croaking of rain frogs blended together, forming a chaotic sea of sound.

Seeing this scene, Erya couldn’t help but exclaim: "What a beautiful view."

Wu Liangchen smiled, "Indeed!"

Then the carriage creaked forward, heading directly south.

When they passed through Xiaodian Town, they found few people remaining.

The collective death of Cyan Cloud Mountain’s thugs and the mass exodus of wealthy merchants were too significant to keep secret from the residents.

Even the slowest person knew something major had happened, so they all hastily fled together.

The only ones remaining were elderly people who couldn’t travel.

However, since these people had nothing worth taking, Cyan Cloud Mountain probably wouldn’t trouble them.

Looking at the chaotic streets, where many shoes had been lost in the panic, Wu Liangchen couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

’Truly, in chaotic times, people are as insignificant as grass!’

Then he whipped the horses forward, quickly passing through Xiaodian Town before turning onto an official road, heading straight for Huai Mountain.

Less than a day after they left Xiaodian Town, messengers arrived and discovered the situation. Especially after finding that even the Seventh Village Chief Cong Bo had been killed, they immediately reported the situation upward, subsequently causing a massive uproar.

The main camp was located on a flat area halfway up Cyan Cloud Mountain, surrounded by steep terrain and encircled by green mountains—a rare and valuable location.

After years of development, the main camp had grown increasingly vast, with complete facilities including barracks, an armory, granaries, and more.

It could truly be called a large military camp.

At this moment in the meeting hall, all the village chiefs had gathered, creating a very lively atmosphere.