Starting with the titmouse, seventy-two transformations

Chapter 306 Do you think I was right or wrong to kill him?
"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Inside the wooden cabin, Zhang Tong impatiently pounded on the table, one tap after another, his eyes flashing with a fierce light.

Above him, his two older brothers, Zhang Jin and Zhang Yin, remained silent, glancing occasionally at a beautiful figure with her back to them by the window, her face grim.

They never expected that the three brothers, invited by the saintess to discuss matters, would end up being confined in the wooden house!

If it were just the Green Serpent Saintess, the three brothers, working together, would still be confident they could break through the door.

The woman by the window hadn't even drawn her sword once; the mere wisp of sword energy she emitted was enough to send chills down their spines, making them too afraid to try.

It will kill people!

They had a strong intuition that if the three brothers insisted on forcing their way in, they might lose their lives there.

"The situation was urgent, so we had no choice but to do this. I apologize to the three of you in advance."

He Yue'e stood up and apologized to Zhang Jin and the other two, saying in a deep voice:

"I will give you a satisfactory explanation for this matter. However, I would appreciate it if the three of you could stay here tonight."

"Explain? What will you explain?"

Zhang Tong let out a strange laugh, tapped the table, and said with a cold smile:
"Holy Maiden, do you know that if we don't return within an hour, more than two thousand brothers from the mining gang will come to rescue us?"

At that time, in complete darkness, with swords drawn and guns clashing, blood will flow like rivers, and countless elderly, weak, women, and children will be killed or injured..."

Knowing that He Yue'e was kind-hearted, he deliberately mentioned "the elderly, the weak, women and children" as a threat.

He Yue'e's breath hitched, her gaze shifting to Zhang Jin, and she said softly:
"Brother Zhang Jin, is that what you think too?"

More than half a year ago, the Zhang brothers led thousands of mine slaves to kill officials and rebel, which attracted the court's pursuit and suppression. They were defeated in one battle and fled in a sorry state.

He led his gang, hiding in all directions, seeking help everywhere, but no one offered assistance, fearing they would get burned.

It wasn't until they sought refuge at Wohu Village that they found a place to stay and were able to catch their breath.

Therefore, He Yue'e owes a debt of gratitude to the three Zhang brothers and more than two thousand miners for saving their lives.

Unfortunately, people's hearts are restless and they yearn for change.

When the Zhang brothers first arrived at the mountain, along with their more than two thousand miners, they were extremely grateful to He Yue'e.

Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to stand by her without hesitation and say "I will obey her every command".

However, after more than half a year, seeing the huge disparity in treatment among the three factions in the village, they wavered.

Why should they have to work every day to earn food and follow all sorts of rules?
Not to mention the five thousand soldiers under Young Master Bi Ling's command, even the White Lotus Army under the two leaders Sun and Han were the envy of them.

Eating well, drinking well, gambling, and playing with women—that's life!

When desires are not satisfied, resentment will naturally arise.

As time goes by, gratitude fades, while resentment accumulates, like a mountain torrent that only overflows more easily the more it is blocked.

Such people, once they turn their backs on you, will become even more ruthless and vicious, going to extremes.

This is what is meant by turning gratitude into enmity.

Although Zhang Jin was a loyal man, compared to his own brother and the more than two thousand fellow miners who had shared life and death with him...

“Holy Maiden, I swore an oath before my parents’ graves to take good care of my younger brothers. Now that the fourth brother has died at the hands of the imperial court, only the second and third brothers remain.”

Zhang Jin grunted and looked down at He Yue'e.

In the end, a decision was made.

Seeing this, Zhang Yin's eyes flashed with joy, and he breathed a sigh of relief, quickly saying:

"Holy Maiden, please don't blame us for being ungrateful. In this day and age, beasts are in power, life is difficult, and if people don't look out for themselves, they will be punished by heaven and earth."

We, the more than two thousand brothers from the mining gang, crawled out of piles of corpses. We all hope to live a good life, so that our lives will not have been in vain.

Your rules are too strict and harsh; we can't stand them. While there's still some goodwill between our two families, let's part ways amicably.

He glanced at Du Bingyan, who stood motionless by the window like a statue, hesitated for a moment, and then softened his tone, saying, "If you, Holy Maiden, are to come... we are also willing to protect you and help you leave Wohu Village, in order to repay the life-saving grace we owe you that day."

A group of elderly, weak, sick, and disabled people left the Crouching Tiger Village, which they had built with their own hands over two years, using every stone and piece of wood, and went outside the mountains to face the imperial army...

Can it survive?
Taking you into the mountains that day was to give you a way to survive.

Sending people out of the mountains in the future is like sending them to their deaths.

Can these two... cancel each other out?

Just then, a commotion arose in the encampment outside the gate, vaguely resembling the mobilization of a large force, and the ground trembled.

The scales of armor rubbed together, footsteps clashed, and the neighing of horses and the roar of beasts approached from afar.

The direction was clearly East Peak!
Young Master Ling and his group...are they going to make their move tonight?
The three Zhang brothers looked at each other in horror, and then their expressions changed drastically.

If Young Master Ling's forces were to launch a surprise attack at this moment, He Yue'e's thousand-plus soldiers would be no match for them.

Once they are captured and their territory is in chaos, their two thousand mining gang members will inevitably be implicated!

Because their gathering place was right next to their base inside the mountain!

In the pitch black, how could anyone tell who was who? After a fierce battle, how many of the more than two thousand could survive?

"There are also shouts of battle coming from West Peak. It seems the White Lotus Army and Young Master Ling have joined forces tonight..."

Zhang Jin listened intently, glanced at He Yue'e with a complicated expression, and sighed:

"They're determined to overturn the table and take you down, Saintess..."

Zhang Yin stood up, rushed to He Yue'e, cold sweat beading on his forehead, and growled:
"Holy Maiden, the best course of action now is for us to return and reorganize our troops, leading two thousand mine slave brothers to escort you away from Crouching Tiger Stronghold. There is still a glimmer of hope for us—"

"Leave Crouching Tiger Village?"

Just then, a clear voice came from outside the door.

The door suddenly opened, and a figure stepped in with a powerful stride. He walked to the table and placed what he was carrying on it.

For a moment, a fishy smell filled the air, making people nauseous.

In the candlelight, the two heads, though stained with blood and with distorted faces, were still vaguely recognizable as human heads.

Sun Kening, Han Santong!
Two incense masters who command the remnants of the White Lotus Army in Xifeng!

He commanded over two thousand armored soldiers and had more than ten thousand dependents.

The leader of the second largest force within Crouching Tiger Stronghold...

Their heads were ripped off and placed in front of them.

The blood was still wet!
If even a Qi Refining cultivator guarded by two thousand White Lotus Army soldiers in a military camp is in such a state, what will become of the three brothers and their two thousand mining slaves?
Why leave Wohu Village?

Liu Sheng stood tall, his entire body hidden in the shadows, only half of his face covered by the candlelight, the flickering light and shadow making him difficult to discern.

"This stronghold is perched on a mountain peak. Every stone and piece of wood was carved and transported by Yue'e and her comrades. They repelled more than ten sieges by the imperial court."

Through arduous pioneering efforts and overcoming numerous dangers, Wohu Village has come to be the paradise it is today.

"You, them, and those people from Dongfeng..."

He pointed to the three Zhang brothers, the heads on the table, towards Dongfeng, his expression indifferent:
"He is a guest, a subordinate, but not a host."

To treat a guest as an enemy and to defy a superior is unjust and disloyal, no different from that of a beast, and everyone has the right to kill such a person.

So I chopped off their heads.

He glanced at the pale-faced Zhang brothers, his eyes narrowing:

"Do you think I was right or wrong to kill him?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a night wind blew in, the firelight flickered, and his shadow stretched and changed, making him look like a giant demon, ready to devour someone.

"Gulu~"

(End of this chapter)