The ditch is actually a pool of water, with the gently flowing stream cascading down its surface like a playful curtain in the heart of the water. It is very beautiful. Hence the name.

The pool wasn't large, only about half the size of a basketball court, but after thousands of years of erosion by the stream, only pebbles and boulders remained around it. Even at the bottom of the pool, the water was crystal clear.

As they approached, everyone felt the temperature drop significantly. The air was thick with moisture. Upon arriving and seeing the clear water, both groups immediately thought of washing up. But with men and women present, such an unseemly activity was clearly out of the question.

Furthermore, both sides are preoccupied with their own concerns and are unlikely to be in the mood for romance.

"Speak, what explanation do you plan to give us? Who fired the shot just now? Stand up, kneel down, kowtow a few times, and apologize, and this matter will be over!" Section Chief Xiao chose a rather large rock by the pool and sat down, taking the lead with an imposing and condescending air, and sneered.

Everyone thought they had misheard. Wasn't Section Chief Xiao too ruthless? He actually made someone kneel down and apologize?

"Didn't you hear me? Our Section Chief Xiao is being very magnanimous. Otherwise, you'd all be going to jail!" The male clerk under him saw an opportunity to flatter and immediately addressed the people of Jixing Village.

"You fired first. Aren't you going to jail?" Zhao Qiang's anger flared up instantly. He had certainly met officials before, but he had never seen such a face.

"Are you all really stupid?" The male clerk sneered, but then he noticed a cage Zhang Guodong was carrying and walked over to take it. "Give it to me!"

"Get lost!" Zhang Guodong kicked him into the pond.

Li Genbao's expression changed drastically. Everything happened so fast. By the time he realized what was happening, the male clerk was soaked to the bone, thrashing about in the water. After a few moments of struggle, he realized he was no longer in deep water.

The villagers immediately surrounded him, showing great hostility towards Zhang Guodong.

Zhang Guodong scoffed, "What, you want to fight? Bring it on, I'm just..."

Those were harsh words, Zhao Qiang thought to himself, giving them a thumbs up. But he was even more surprised by Zhang Guodong's skill. Kicking someone several meters away was something even he would find difficult to do.

As a result, the people who had surrounded them dared not make a move.

"Wangquan, these younger folks from Jixing Village are really going too far! How could they hit a leader who came down from above for an inspection? You've really gotten yourself into trouble!" Li Genbao said, his voice filled with anguish. Hitting the leader he was associated with was no different from disgracing the entire village.

They quickly had the male clerk pulled out of the water. But when they saw him, his face was pale. Whether it was from the heavy weight or from being frightened, they couldn't tell. He was now speechless.

He looked like I was very hurt.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Zhao Wangquan inwardly cheered, but he also felt a little nervous when he heard that leaders from higher up were coming to inspect.

"Looks like there's no way to continue this discussion? Who did you make kneel and kowtow to just now? I fired that shot! But unfortunately, my aim was a bit off." Zhang Guodong ignored the insignificant man and smiled at Section Chief Xiao. That smile was a little creepy.

"You!" Section Chief Xiao looked at Zhang Guodong with some fear. He hadn't expected this young man to attack so suddenly. Was this the same person who had almost hit him earlier? Damn it, he was a little off-target. If he hadn't missed, wouldn't he have hit him on the head? The thought sent a chill down his spine.

He stood up abruptly. But then he remembered that the other party was just a village head, who would dare to do anything to him? This emboldened him.

“Village Chief Genbao, I was invited by your village secretary and village chief. You must give us an explanation for this today! Otherwise, I will truthfully report the inspection situation here to the bureau chief!” Section Chief Xiao did not directly pressure Zhang Guodong. “And that guy from Jixing Village. I’m telling you this: whether your village gets the ‘Erhaofei’ award next year depends on your performance. I’m satisfied with Youzhi, humph!”

This last sentence was said to Zhao Wangquan.

The forest compensation for Jixing Village has been cut? This is a big deal! Zhao Wangquan is now under immense pressure.

“Excuse me, I am the executive deputy village head of Jixing Village, not some ‘someone’! I’m the one who calls the shots in this team now!” Zhang Guodong interrupted.

What? Such a young person is actually the executive deputy village head? While the word "executive" is a bit of a mouthful, it helps everyone understand the meaning behind that hairstyle. He's the top person after the Party Secretary and the Village Head!

Li Genbao couldn't help but look at Zhao Wangquan, as if asking if this was true and whether it was valid.

Zhao Wangquan nodded, admitting it, but also letting out a sigh of relief. This resulted in the annual forest compensation being cut by higher authorities, making his crime much more serious. Zhang Guodong, however, took the blame.

Zhang Guodong looked at Section Chief Xiao with a half-smile and said, "Uncle Quan, could you tell me which village Shuiliangou is generally within? That way, the leaders from the village and above can hear us and give us an explanation!"

Uncle Quan's eyes lit up, and he coughed lightly, saying, "Village Chief Li Yu, I almost forgot if Village Chief Zhang hadn't mentioned it. This Water Curtain Gully has been a hunting ground for Jixing Village for hundreds of years, that can't be wrong, right? The existence of a mountain village has its own general boundaries, and your village also has them, but what about today's matter? You've crossed the line, haven't you? This matter must be explained, otherwise we'll take the case to the township court without hesitation!"

Zhao Wangquan's words were resounding and firm. He had begun his counterattack!

"This..." Li Genbao finally understood.

"What do you mean 'your village's territory'? This is national land. We can go wherever we want to investigate. Now, we have another one. Your Jixing Village is doing quite well, actually occupying this part of the Qinling Mountains without permission. I think there's a lot of something fishy going on here!" Section Chief Xiao sneered.

The hat is very big.

"Hey, Guodong, what are you doing?" Zhao Qiang's voice rang out. But Zhang Guodong walked towards Section Chief Xiao, looking like he was about to make a move.

"You dare to hit a leader? Don't forget you're a Party member and village cadre in Jixing Village!" Li Genbao was startled and quickly stopped him.

"I'm getting revenge. This bastard almost beat me to death just now, how can I not collect some interest? Besides, I'm not a Party member!" Zhang Guodong pounced on him and started punching and kicking him, and no one could stop him in time.

If this bastard doesn't learn a lesson, who knows who he'll dare to shoot next time! So Zhang Guodong's shots were very sharp and painful; you could tell from the screams that Zhang Guodong showed no mercy.

Section Chief Xiao was crawling all over the ground, while Zhang Guodong kicked him with gusto.

By the time everyone pulled Zhang Guodong away, Section Chief Xiao's face was a mess, groaning incessantly. Of course, even if he wasn't seriously injured, he was too embarrassed to get up.

Li Genbao gave Zhang Guodong a complicated look. He then had someone help Section Chief Xiao and the male clerk take their leave.

"This feud has gotten really big, sigh!" Zhao Wangquan said with a sigh as he watched the people from the village leave.

Zhang Guodong was able to laugh at this moment.

“Uncle Quan, we might as well give him a good beating. He won’t dare tell anyone about this. Shooting someone is a very serious matter. At the very least, he’ll lose his current position, and he might even go to jail! Besides, I hate seeing this guy. If I don’t teach him a lesson, who knows who he might shoot at next!” Zhang Guodong said.

"However, I find it strange that these people would come all the way here. Don't they have their own hunting grounds in the lower village? Why would they come all this way?"

Zhang Guodong's words jolted everyone awake. He was absolutely right! Was the situation truly more complex than it seemed?