Chapter 45: Clash Between the Two Villages, the Entire Village Backs Chu Feng!

The moment the voice rang out, Chu Feng opened his eyes.
He instinctively reached toward the side of the bed.
The axe was already in his hand.
Pushing the door open, he saw that while the sky outside was still pitch black, a crowd of people wielding various weapons had already gathered at his doorstep.
Moreover, Chu Feng did not recognize a single face among them.
Fortunately, these people had not broken in directly.
Had they actually forced their way inside, Chu Feng's current household defenses wouldn't have been able to hold them off for even a single second.
Clearly, these people still possessed some reason.
"Everyone stay calm! No one is allowed to barge in. We can talk things over slowly."
When Liao Ziang's voice sounded, Chu Feng understood that it wasn't because these people were reasonable; rather, it was because an official was here keeping watch.
As soon as Chu Feng appeared, the elderly man leading the group immediately pulled a young man forward.
Chu Feng still had an impression of this person—he was one of the few who had fled up the mountain.
When that man saw Chu Feng, his eyes shrank in terror, and his legs began to tremble uncontrollably.
Nodding repeatedly, he stammered, "It's him! He's the one who killed Scarface!"
The old man continued to press, "How did he kill him?"
"With an axe. Right in front of all of us, he chopped his head right off."
"Good grief! Morals have truly degenerated and human hearts are not what they used to be. To think Yulong Village actually harbors such a ruthless ruffian! Magistrate's Assistant, why haven't you arrested this man yet?"
The old man actually dared to directly interrogate Liao Ziang.
Liao Ziang wore a troubled expression as he replied, "The situation is still under investigation. It's not at all what you imagine."
"Magistrate's Assistant, we folks from Taoyuan Village are all reasonable people. Tell me, what is the situation really like? Regardless of the circumstances, you must give us justice! My son spent all these years in Taoyuan Village without ever bullying a single soul, and he even helped countless neighbors and townsfolk. Now he has died a tragic death on Yulong Mountain's territory, at the hands of a Yulong Village local. We must be given an account for this matter!"
The old man's voice was extremely inflammatory.
With just a simple sentence, he incited the crowd to echo his demands in unison.
Wielding his axe, Chu Feng wanted to step forward and confront the man face-to-face, but Zhou Xiaoxiao pulled him back.
"Husband, don't go!"
"Daddy, don't go!"
Chu Miaomiao appeared at the doorway at some point as well, grabbing onto the cuff of Chu Feng's sleeve.
"Woof woof woof!"
Benben, who had already grown to knee height, showed no fear whatsoever as it stood at the entrance and barked fiercely at the old man.
Hidden in the shadows, Huahua's fur stood completely on end, as if searching for an opportunity to launch an ambush.
At that moment, every single member of the family stood before Chu Feng, and not a single one took a step back.
Chu Feng felt a wave of warmth in his heart.
This made him even more certain that he had no regrets about what he had done.
"Well, Mountain Ranger, are you going to hide behind women and children? Come out and talk to us!" the old man said aggressively.
Just as Chu Feng intended to walk toward him, another voice rang out.
"Since when does Taoyuan Village bring so many people into Yulong Village without even giving me, the village chief, a heads-up? It makes me look quite inhospitable, doesn't it?"
Torch after torch flared up behind the crowd.
Du Dahai led a group of people straight to the entrance of Chu Feng's house.
Liao Ziang's expression changed instantly.
He had followed them here precisely to prevent this kind of situation from happening.
Although the population of the two villages wasn't large, if a real brawl broke out and word got out, the county magistrate would surely deal with him first.
Therefore, the two villages absolutely could not be allowed to fight.
However, for the two villages themselves, fighting was hardly a new experience, and they didn't care in the least.
"Du Dahai, take your people away!" Liao Ziang stepped forward and commanded directly.
This wasn't his first time in Yulong Village.
Du Dahai had always been extremely respectful toward him, almost to the point of subservience.
And that was normal.
The government collected grain once every half month. If the commoners failed to deliver, they would be thrown in prison.
That was how the rule went, but if the village chief stepped forward to say some soft words and plead for a few days of grace, it wasn't entirely impossible.
Yulong Village had faced such a situation before, and back then, Du Dahai had sought out Liao Ziang to ask for leniency, which Liao Ziang had granted.
That was why Du Dahai had been so respectful to him ever since.
Today, however, was different.
Sporting the same flattering smile, Du Dahai said, "Sir, this is our own village, and the people behind me are our own villagers. When our own villagers are in their own village, I'm afraid I can't control them."
"You—" Liao Ziang flew into a rage.
The bailiffs behind him hurriedly stepped forward as well.
Yet, the moment they caught sight of the gazes in the villagers' eyes, they all instantly calmed down.
Liao Ziang sneered, "Du Dahai, are you trying to start a rebellion?"
"Sir, please don't slap such a heavy label on us. Taoyuan Village brought a massive crowd here to bully our villagers, so the people of our own village are just watching the fun on their own turf—what does that have to do with a rebellion? Even if there is a rebellion, it's the people of Taoyuan Village who are rebelling."
"Du Dahai, I never realized you had such a sharp tongue before. Today, you even dare to offend me?"
Dropping any further pretense, Liao Ziang laid his cards directly on the table.
Guo Yong, the village chief of Taoyuan Village, stepped forward and sneered, "We came here with official government approval! My son was murdered by Chu Feng from your village, and today we are simply taking him to the authorities to handle the matter according to the law! We haven't done anything else, so how could this possibly be a rebellion? Du Dahai, if you slander me, I will report you to the officials as well!"
Driven to the edge, Du Dahai took two bold steps forward, pointed directly at Guo Yong's nose, and cursed loudly, "You old bastard, do you even have any shame?"
Guo Yong was momentarily stunned.
As village chiefs, both of them were the most respected figures in their respective communities. It was exceedingly rare for anyone to start hurling insults like this.
The three words made Guo Yong's beard twitch with fury.
"Du Dahai, as a junior, how dare you curse at me?"
"And what if I curse you? You're this old yet completely shameless! Don't you know what kind of person your own son was? Go ask the whole of Taoyuan Village: relying on having a village chief for a father, that scar-faced son of yours spent every single day committing all sorts of atrocities in the village—burning, killing, and pillaging. How many times did he pull stunts like that?
This mountain belongs to Yulong Mountain, and Chu Feng is the government-appointed Mountain Ranger. He was up here hunting a pheasant when your son spotted the game and greedily tried to shoot Chu Feng dead. Chu Feng fought off multiple attackers and killed your son in self-defense. No matter where this matter goes, we are in the right! As long as I, Du Dahai, am standing here, none of you are ever taking Chu Feng away!"
This time, everyone in Yulong Village threw caution to the wind.
They all knew how grueling life had been up until now.
One meal a day.
Grain collected every half month.
Every household was starving, cursing the injustice of the heavens.
Everyone in the village had been living like walking corpses.
It was Chu Feng who started hunting on the mountain.
And it was Chu Feng who was willing to share the profits with them, allowing them to eat an extra meal a day, adding a tiny bit of grease to their bowls, and ensuring that not a single person in Yulong Village had starved to death so far.
Chu Feng had shown kindness to everyone.
In this era, village customs were simple and honest.
Whoever treated them well, they remembered.
To stand by and watch their benefactor get bullied in front of them—such a thing had never happened since ancient times.
"Nonsense! It was clearly your Chu Feng who ambushed my son while his guard was down!" Guo Yong retorted loudly.
"Since we can't reach an agreement, let's report it to the authorities and let the government investigate! Until it's thoroughly investigated, Chu Feng isn't going anywhere! What gives you the unmitigated gall to bring a mob into Yulong Mountain to make arrests?"
Wang Wei charged forward, shouting recklessly.
To hell with the government, to hell with the village chief of Taoyuan Village!
All he knew was that Chu Feng had saved his life—twice!
That was a bond forged in blood; even if he had to throw away his own little life, he would protect Chu Feng!
Besides, Wang Wei had originally been the resident little tyrant of Yulong Village.
His fierce reputation alone was enough to make people wary.
Sure enough, the moment Wang Wei stepped out, Guo Yong instinctively retreated a few steps.
"Sir, the people of Yulong Village are all lawless rogues! I beg your honor to see the truth clearly and take the murderer of my son away!"
Liao Ziang fell silent. He glanced at Chu Feng, who was standing nearby as if watching a play, and his thoughts became unreadable.
Suddenly, a stone hurled through the air and crashed directly into the crowd from Taoyuan Village.
Seeing that someone was pelting them with rocks, the people of Taoyuan Village immediately began to fight back.
Wang Wei roared at the top of his lungs, "Those shameless bastards from Taoyuan Village actually dare to attack us! Brothers, charge! Today, we absolutely cannot let outsiders bully our people in our own village!"