High-level martial arts: Invincibility starts with basic archery.

Chapter 135 This place will be called Chen Family Fort from now on (Please subscribe)

As soon as he finished speaking, more than a hundred people in front of him knelt down in unison.

"Brother Chen, please spare us! We'll never do it again, we'll never do it again!"

"Brother Chen, we were blinded by greed. Please forgive us this time."

They pleaded and kowtowed, begging for mercy. Some even kowtowed until their foreheads bled without realizing it, continuing the process mechanically.

Those around felt both pity and hatred upon seeing this.

Imagine, if they hadn't been blinded by greed and hadn't been so greedy, how could they have been swayed by Sun Biao's few words and become accomplices?

The cries of pleas from the players continued, for they feared that the moment the cries ceased would be the moment they met their end.

"Quiet."

Chen Fan's voice rang out.

The more than one hundred people were so frightened that they immediately shut their mouths, not daring to make a sound, and looked at Chen Fan with pleading eyes.

"Although you were also accomplices, at least you were able to repent and turn back from your wrongdoing. Otherwise, I wouldn't have given you the chance to kneel here and beg for mercy."

Upon hearing this, the more than one hundred people immediately felt relieved.

"but,"

The next moment, their hearts, which had been at ease, jumped into their throats again.

"He may be spared the death penalty, but he cannot escape punishment."

Chen Fan's gaze swept across their faces one by one. "Keep ten jin of the rice I gave you before, and hand over the rest."

The expressions of the more than one hundred people changed instantly.

"What, you don't want to?"

Chen Fan's voice turned cold. "You don't think that as long as you admit your mistake, you don't have to pay any price, do you? If you don't want to hand it over, that's fine. I don't want to push things too far. You can take that grain and go somewhere else."

"I...I'm willing to hand it over!"

A thin man was the first to raise his hand. When he saw Chen Fan looking at him, he lowered his head and said, "We were wrong in this matter, and it is only right that we accept the punishment."

"I'm willing too."

"I'm willing to hand it over."

Soon, everyone raised their hands.

After finally getting dozens of kilograms of rice, in the blink of an eye, only ten kilograms remain. No one would be willing to part with that.

However, compared to the dozen or so corpses on the ground, their fate was much better; at least they were still alive.

"Brother Chen," someone mustered their courage and asked, "After we return all the food we received, is today's matter...is it over?"

The others held their breath, their hearts pounding in their throats.

"That's right."

Chen Fan nodded. "Punishment is not the goal. The goal is to teach you a lesson so that you won't make the same mistake again. As long as you do as you're told, I guarantee I won't hold you accountable for what happened today. On the contrary, if you behave well in the future, the harvested grain will be returned to you."

Upon hearing this, everyone was deeply moved and knelt on the ground, kowtowing once more.

Everyone around breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.

They almost thought these people were going to die here too.

"Alright, get up, all of you. I hope you'll keep your word and not try anything funny, or you'll know the consequences," Chen Fan warned.

"No, no, Brother Chen, we would never keep anything to ourselves."

"Yes, even if we had ten times the courage, we wouldn't dare to do such a thing again."

"Brother Chen, thank you for your magnanimity in forgiving us this time. There won't be a next time."

More than a hundred people rose shakily, their eyes filled with deep respect.

"Now that I've finished explaining your punishments, let's talk about the rewards."

"!"

Upon hearing this, He Fei and the others behind him trembled, and their eyes simultaneously revealed a hint of excitement.

Two or three of them were somewhat relieved; thankfully, they had resisted the temptation and hadn't joined Sun Biao's camp.

Otherwise, forget about the reward, you'll lose your head.

The hundreds of people around them also cast envious glances at Wu Guang and his companions.

I wonder what kind of reward they will receive? It should be quite generous, right?

However, this is what they deserve. After all, if it were them, outnumbered and outgunned, they wouldn't have had the courage to stand in front of the enemy.

In contrast, Wu Guang's expression was much calmer, but his slightly rapid breathing still betrayed his inner thoughts.

"Each of you four will be rewarded with 100 jin of rice."

Chen Fan looked at the others besides Wu Guang and He Fei.

The men gaped in surprise, then, realizing what had happened, hurriedly bowed and thanked him profusely, saying, "Thank you, Brother Chen! Thank you, Brother Chen!"

You know, back when Zhao Da was still alive, a few pounds of rice was enough to find a woman to live with.

One hundred jin!

They must be the wealthiest people in Zhao Family Fort so far.

"He Fei, you deserve credit for persuading more than a hundred people to leave, so you can take two hundred jin."

"Thank you, Brother Fan! Thank you, Brother Fan!"

He Fei was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes.

He didn't think too much at the time; he was just caught up in the moment and blurted out something.

Unexpectedly, just that one sentence got me an extra 100 kilograms of rice!

The four people who had been there earlier felt a pang of regret upon seeing this.

If they had known this would happen, they should have said something. No, if they had known this would happen, they should have been at the forefront!

Because it's obvious that among the six of them, Wu Guang received the most rewards.

At the same time, everyone's eyes fell on Wu Guang, and time seemed to stand still at this moment.

"Wu Guang".

Chen Fan's gaze fell on the latter. "Your performance this time exceeded my expectations and I am very satisfied. Especially at the last moment, even though you knew you would lose your life, you still stood in front of them without hesitation. Therefore, you can get five hundred catties of grain."

"Five hundred jin!"

"Five hundred jin!"

Instantly, a tremendous murmur of discussion erupted from the crowd.

The four men who received 100 jin of grain swallowed hard in unison.

He Fei looked at Wu Guang with admiration in his eyes.

To be honest, he was so scared that he couldn't even hold his weapon. He stood there trembling. If Sun Biao and the others had taken a few more steps forward, he probably would have dropped his weapon and fled in panic.

But Wu Guang was like an iron tower, never retreating a single step from beginning to end.

Five hundred catties of grain was what he deserved.

"Brother Chen."

Wu Guang, unsure whether to be excited or apprehensive, licked his lips and said, "This, this is all I should do. You rescued everyone from Zhao Da's clutches, distributed food to everyone, and guarded the basement for you. It's my honor. There's no need for extra food. Besides, five hundred catties is too much."

Chen Fan shook his head and said, "One thing at a time. In any case, this matter is settled."

Upon hearing this, Wu Guang opened his mouth but did not insist any further.

Firstly, he could tell that this person was decisive and efficient, and once a decision was made, it would not be changed.

Secondly, five hundred catties of rice, five hundred catties of rice! It would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted.

On the field, the tone of everyone's voices was full of envy.

"500 jin of rice, how long would it take to last one person?"

"Even if we calculate it as one pound of rice a day, it would last for almost two years, right?"

"Two years!"

"Don't forget, you can take this rice to Songjiabao to exchange for money. 500 catties is 500 yuan. You can buy whatever you want with it."

"Yeah, if we had stepped forward back then, wouldn't we have gotten a hundred or two hundred pounds too?" someone said regretfully.

"It's easier said than done. If it happened again, I'm afraid you still wouldn't dare to step forward."

Chen Fan's gaze fell on the crowd around him, and he said, "Not only Wu Guang and his group, but all of you who didn't join in the trouble will also be rewarded."

"!!!"

The audience was silent.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, unable to believe their ears.

They...they actually got rewards too?

"There are plenty of daily necessities in the basement. Line up, and each of you can take one item."

Instantly, thunderous shouts erupted from the stadium.

Many people wept with joy, feeling incredibly fortunate for the decision they had made.

On the other hand, the eyes of the more than one hundred people were filled with envy, embarrassment, and, most of all, regret.

If they had been content back then, if they had been able to control their greed, if they had stopped themselves from leaving when the opportunity came, wouldn't they not only be spared from returning most of the grain, but also receive an extra item of daily necessities?

Unfortunately, there aren't that many "what ifs" in this world.

Hundreds of people spontaneously lined up to receive supplies, their faces beaming with smiles.

"I didn't expect that, besides Wu Guang and his group, we would also receive a reward."

"Yes, isn't this what we should be doing? And yet, we even get a reward. It's like a pie falling from the sky."

"What do you mean by 'manna from heaven'? It's just that Brother Chen is a kind and generous person. Why don't you try it with Zhao Da? He'll share his stuff with us? We should be grateful if he doesn't steal from us."

"Yes, we must remember Brother Chen's kindness and not be like those people who are ungrateful and even try to bite back."

"That's right, that's right."

Under the disdainful gazes of the crowd, the more than one hundred people felt utterly ashamed.

"Let's go back too, leave ten catties behind, and hand over the rest of the grain," someone said.

"Hmm, Brother Chen actually said in front of so many people that he would forgive and forget, so I believe that he wouldn't lie to us, given his character."

"Yes, it was our fault. We have to accept being looked down upon and disliked by others. There's nothing to complain about."

After saying that, they each went their separate ways.

Not long after, they returned carrying the grain.

He Fei led his men to check each person's share, since everyone had received roughly the same amount, making it easy to check.

Fortunately, no one tried anything underhanded.

Everyone who received the supplies thanked Chen Fan.

"Brother Chen, you are truly our savior of Zhao Family Fortress." An old man said with tears streaming down his face.

Chen Fan smiled at him and said, "From today onwards, this place will no longer be called Zhao Family Fortress, but Chen Family Fortress."

Everyone was taken aback for a moment, then excitedly echoed in agreement.

Yes, the name Zhao Family Fortress has become a thing of the past along with Zhao Dacheng.

Next, they will embark on a brand new life.

(End of this chapter)