Chapter 396: Exterminating Pests

“What? It’s them!?”

“…”

Upon hearing Da’ertu’s words, the herdsmen were stunned.

“Da’ertu, you must provide evidence for your claims, or otherwise this is defamation,” the team leader, Batu’ge’er, quickly stepped forward, grabbing Da’ertu by the collar and warning him sternly. Shui Miao was a god of wealth—an enormous conglomerate that had come knocking on their door to establish a dairy group here, with investments amounting to hundreds of millions. Many places had been trying hard to attract such financial giants to boost their local economies, but hadn’t succeeded. Da’ertu’s words could easily provoke the conglomerate, so Batu’ge’er urgently warned him.

Da’ertu, grabbed by the collar by Batu’ge’er, could barely breathe.

Shui Miao got out of the car and asked what was going on.

Batu’ge’er immediately pushed Da’ertu aside, smiled apologetically, and said in his stiff Mandarin, “Nothing, nothing at all. Da’ertu has a high fever and is talking nonsense. His mind is muddled—he broke his own yurt and came here to stay. I was just about to drive him away.” After saying this, Batu’ge’er quickly dragged Da’ertu away. At around forty years old, Batu’ge’er was in his prime, and Da’ertu had no strength to resist. As Da’ertu tried to speak, Batu’ge’er grabbed him, clamped his mouth shut, and forcibly carried him off under his arm.

Batu’ge’er also signaled to the villagers to leave together.

Seeing Batu’ge’er angry, everyone was frightened, but thinking that their livestock were gone and they would have no way to survive, the herdsmen refused to leave and wanted to get to the bottom of things.

As the crowd refused to leave, Batu’ge’er was about to get angry when Shui Miao spoke again, “Team Leader, since you’re here once, don’t rush off. Let everyone stay. We know something about last night’s events, and now that everyone is here, let’s just clarify everything.” Shui Miao turned around and asked Lin Xue to fetch the surveillance equipment and told Sister Tang and the others to prepare lunch.

“Hehe, Mr. Chen, thank you for your kind invitation, but I have other matters…”

Batu’ge’er was very surprised—he hadn’t expected such a wealthy boss to treat him with such respect.

“Not at all, not at all. The team leader is clearly a man of integrity, and I especially like making friends with upright people.” Shui Miao stepped forward, grabbed Batu’ge’er’s hand, “Team Leader, please do me the honor. Let’s chat a bit, and I have a few things I’d like to ask about as well.”

“Mr. Chen, feel free to ask, but I think we should skip the meal, hehe… We’re really not presentable enough for such an occasion!” Batu’ge’er’s honest face showed a genuinely sincere expression. He knew his place, but this very statement reflected his attitude toward the wealthy.

“Hehe, if the team leader looks down on me that much, then forget it.”

Shui Miao, understanding Batu’ge’er’s character, shook his head with a smile, let go of his hand, and walked into the yurt alone.

“No, no, that’s not what I meant… Mr. Chen, how dare I look down on you?”

Batu’ge’er panicked and quickly explained, his already stiff Mandarin becoming even more awkward.

Shui Miao reached the entrance of the yurt, turned around, smiled at Batu’ge’er, and said, “If that’s not what you meant, then come in and sit down. I mean it sincerely. Da’ertu, you come in too.”

After Shui Miao turned and entered the yurt, Batu’ge’er whispered a threat to Da’ertu, “If you dare to talk nonsense again and drive away the god of wealth, I’ll definitely report you to the higher-ups and have you thrown into jail. See who will take care of your grandson then.”

Da’ertu was stunned, not expecting Batu’ge’er to take such a stance.

The other elderly herdsmen were also confused, and everyone entered the yurt. Xiao Shuang took the children to Sister Tang and gave them food.

Lin Xue turned on the surveillance camera and played the recorded footage.

Seeing the video, Batu’ge’er, Da’ertu, and the others were instantly shocked.

Batu’ge’er suddenly grabbed Da’ertu by the neck and cursed him in Mongolian. The other herdsmen also began to guess what had happened and pointed fingers at Da’ertu, shouting at him. Shui Miao quickly stepped forward to stop them. At this moment, Da’ertu was stunned and no longer had any intention of trying to seize the yurt and drive Shui Miao and the others away.

Shui Miao calmed Batu’ge’er down and asked everyone to be quiet.

Then, Lin Xue stepped forward to explain the situation and asked everyone about Baierma.

At the mention of Baierma, everyone’s faces changed instantly.

Batu’ge’er paused, then turned to Shui Miao and said, “Mr. Chen, this matter is quite serious. Baierma is an evil witch. She was brought back by Baofengshun from outside. I still remember that year when it snowed for three days and nights. Baofengshun went to the Kuerke station in the north to sell wolf pelts and brought this woman Baierma back. This woman never went out during the day, but came out at night to worship the moon, seducing men everywhere and causing chaos in the village. In the end, she even caused the deaths of several people! Later, Baierma mysteriously disappeared, and no one knew where she went. But after some time, people who passed by the Headless Slope at night saw her, so everyone believed she was a witch, thinking it was her ghost. Everyone here knows that the ghost of a witch cannot be trifled with. Now you’ve encountered her, and you might face serious trouble within three days. Therefore, you must be on guard!”

“A witch!?”

Shui Miao frowned and looked at Da’ertu, “Da’ertu, what do you say?”

Da’ertu’s eyes darted around, and suddenly he waved his hands repeatedly, saying, “It’s not my fault. It was all Baofengshun’s idea. He has been secretly keeping her. She didn’t die. I only went with Baofengshun to make some money. Please believe me, believe what I’m saying.”

“Da’ertu, even at a time like this, you still won’t tell the truth?” Batu’ge’er once again fiercely grabbed Da’ertu by the collar. Da’ertu’s expression betrayed him.

“Speak! Tell the truth!”

“Da’ertu, speak up!”

The other three herdsmen in their fifties also pointed fingers at Da’ertu, urging him to speak the truth.

Batu’ge’er dragged Da’ertu outside and forced him to kneel on the ground, “Da’ertu, I want you to swear to the Eternal Heaven that you are telling the truth. If there’s any falsehood, not only you but also your children and grandchildren will suffer terribly!” Batu’ge’er was ruthless enough to push Da’ertu to the brink.

A group of children ran over upon seeing this.

Sister Tang and the others also came over.

Da’ertu’s face turned red and pale alternately. Finally, unable to withstand the pressure, he began speaking again…

It turned out that after Baofengshun brought back Baierma, Da’ertu also got involved with her. Together with Baofengshun, he supplied food to Baierma, allowing her to practice witchcraft in a cave beneath the Headless Slope. Baierma’s witchcraft became increasingly powerful, and she focused entirely on her practice, eating very little. As a result, Baofengshun and Da’ertu couldn’t satisfy their lust, so they turned their attention to the beautiful women with Shui Miao. The game sold to Sister Tang secretly contained aphrodisiacs placed by Da’ertu, which was why the women had suddenly changed their behavior yesterday, leading to some intimate moments with Shui Miao.

This was exactly what Da’ertu had deliberately concealed.

After hearing Da’ertu’s confession, the beautiful women with Shui Miao all blushed.

Batu’ge’er didn’t believe this was all and continued to press Da’ertu. Da’ertu swore to heaven that he had not hidden anything. Batu’ge’er then grabbed Da’ertu and dragged him toward the city, intending to lock him up. But unexpectedly, Da’ertu’s grandson ran over, hugged Batu’ge’er’s legs, and cried bitterly, a heartbreaking sight.

Reluctantly, Shui Miao had to step forward to plead for mercy, saying it was enough.

Seeing Shui Miao’s genuine plea, Batu’ge’er had no choice but to let go of Da’ertu. However, although the death penalty was waived, punishment was unavoidable. Batu’ge’er ordered Da’ertu to leave the team with his grandson and never return.

Da’ertu, crestfallen, was about to leave with his grandson.

Seeing Da’ertu filled with regret, Shui Miao stepped forward again to plead for mercy, saying it was enough. After all, no one is perfect, and he himself had not suffered any loss. It was difficult for an old man to raise a child alone; one should forgive when possible. Hearing Shui Miao’s words and recalling Da’ertu’s generally decent character, Batu’ge’er decided not to pursue the matter further.

Shui Miao not only forgave Da’ertu but also announced to everyone that the Chen Group would donate a portion of funds as compensation for everyone’s losses. Once the corpse worms were eliminated, he would personally purchase some livestock and distribute them to help everyone resume normal life. But before that, everyone must unite and work together to eradicate the corpse worms.

There were only three or four herding households, and Shui Miao didn’t care about this small amount of money. Spending a little to build good relations with the herdsmen was exactly what he had always wanted to do.

Hearing Shui Miao’s words, everyone’s worries instantly dissipated.

Batu’ge’er was deeply moved and expressed that the team would also contribute some money to help everyone overcome their difficulties.

With their concerns resolved, everyone smiled happily.

Lunch was a lively and harmonious affair, with the cheerful and optimistic herdsmen dancing and playing the Morin khuur.

※※※

After the meal, according to Shui Miao’s plan, everyone got busy.

The elderly herdsmen who couldn’t help much went to cut artemisia for later use.

Batu’ge’er returned to the team headquarters, bringing seven or eight militiamen on horseback to collect cow dung, wolf dung, dried artemisia, and other materials that could repel insects from each household, gathering them near the Headless Slope. At the same time, Shui Miao had already purchased a large amount of highly toxic insecticide. Under the scorching sun, Shui Miao sat in the car, spraying pesticide onto the ground to kill the disgusting corpse worms.

The Headless Slope looked calm on the surface, with not a single corpse worm in sight.

Below the slope, there was no sign of Baierma’s corpse either.

Guided by Da’ertu, Shui Miao found a hidden cave concealed in the weeds—that was where Baierma had been hiding.

Under Shui Miao’s command, everyone lowered five barrels of gasoline down to the cave entrance from the top of the Headless Slope using ropes. The dried cow dung and artemisia used for repelling insects were also lowered down and placed around the cave entrance. Then Shui Miao asked everyone to ride far away on horseback while he drove his Hummer to near the cave entrance, turned on the mist blower, extended the nozzle into the cave, and quickly ran back to the vehicle.

The mist blower was filled with a full load of highly toxic insecticide. Shui Miao believed that once the toxic mist was sprayed into the cave, it would definitely force many corpse worms to come out.