26. Annihilate a group

The leader of the Lian family chuckled and said seriously, "Young man, who do you think you are? We are mining legally, and such a confidential matter must be carried out in secret. You should leave now, or my knife will not be so discreet."

With the situation unclear and it involving a knife-wielding youth, it's best to test the waters to avoid causing serious trouble.

He Chen ignored them, his mind preoccupied with the matter of Jinjia Village, and asked in a deep voice, "Who brought the people from Jinjia Village? Are there any survivors?"

When the leader of the Lian family heard that someone from an unknown village was looking for someone, he chuckled. It was good that it wasn't a prominent family or the imperial court. Although the emperor was far away, it would be difficult to kill an official from the capital if he came down!

He sneered, "What Jinjia Village? The miners here are well paid, everyone wants to come, there's no shortage of people here."

At this moment, someone whispered in the leader's ear, "Jinjia Village is just a village on the border. Most of the people sent here by the impoverished families in the county are dead!"

Although the voice was very soft, He Chen's ears and eyes certainly wouldn't let it slip by! He chuckled, his expression calm, "Tonight I've avenged you!"

He asked, "Where are the Cheng family members?"

At this moment, a minor leader stepped forward and said, "I brought those people from Jinjia Village. It's a pity they're too weak and unlucky. They've even delayed the master's mining progress. They're really useless!"

He continued, "Their bodies are all in that cave over there. You can go find them yourself if you're not afraid."

They knew the boy in front of them was just a country bumpkin who had learned some farming skills from who-knows-where, yet he dared to act like a hero and help those in need!

He Chen remained calm and said indifferently, "No rush, no rush. Killing you all first will be a good way to pay tribute to them!"

The Chen family's minor leader, who was just looking for an opportunity to make a good impression, chuckled, brandished his broadsword, and said menacingly, "Then let me send you down to join them."

He charged straight at him, and midway, he unexpectedly severed He Chen's right hand, which was holding the knife, with a single stroke. He Chen did not dodge; with a casual slash of his gentleman's knife, he broke both of Cheng's legs and shoulders. In a flash, the blade flashed, and Cheng's knife was still in his hand, striking He Chen's arm. Then, both arms were severed!

His body lay on the ground, yet no blood flowed; He Chen's sword energy had instantly sealed it!

Everyone was stunned. This was truly a ruthless person. Er Baozi's pants were instantly soaked! He collapsed to the ground, realizing that death could be a happy thing after all!

The leader of the Lian family, who was at the third level, was shocked and shouted, "Everyone, follow me!"

With eight-tenths of his strength, he swiftly swung his broadsword and slashed, the blade slightly angled, capable of decapitating or cutting through the waist.

"Well done!" He Chen laughed loudly. Ignoring the swords and blades coming at him, he took half a step forward and unleashed a swift horizontal slash. The slash struck the leader's sword, breaking it in two and severing him from his chest.

The leader of the martial arts family struck He Chen's forehead with his broadsword, as if hitting steel, unable to advance an inch. He hoarsely said, "You practice external martial arts? How is that possible?" Even in his dying moments, he couldn't believe it—so young, yet so strong in external martial arts!

Then four heads sprayed everywhere. Everyone was shocked and turned to run away. He Chen took a half-step to the side and slashed five times with one slash. Blood flowed all over the ground and flesh flew everywhere. A few breaths later, there was no one left standing!

The rapidly flashing kill point signaled the end of the battle!

He Chen briefly examined the leaders and found a considerable amount of silver and banknotes, but no cultivation techniques.

He Chen turned to look at Er Baozi and ordered, "Take me to their residence?" How could one kill without also taking treasure? Some things are estimated too quickly to carry with them.

"Yes, sir, this way please," Erbaozi quickly led the way, and soon they arrived at a house that was reasonably habitable.

"My lord, this is the residence of Chief Face," Er Baozi said cautiously, as if afraid of being cleaved in two with a single blow!

He took a deep breath and stepped inside. After carefully exploring, he found quite a lot. He opened a small box and was greeted by a dazzling display of gold and silver.

Looking at Erbaozi in a daze, he thought, "How much money is this? If you gave me it all, I'd never have to worry about anything for the rest of my life. I could be a rich man, marry a few beautiful women, and live a life of wealth and honor even amidst danger!"

He lowered his head instantly.

'As expected, there is a cultivation method. A martial arts cultivation method, not bad!' He Chen searched carefully.

Once divine sense was activated, the hidden compartment had nowhere to hide unless concealed by a treasure. There were also a few bottles of ginseng pills, but none as potent as the Qi-Nourishing Pills! Still, they were quite good items!

Then, led by Erbaozi, they quickly explored the other rooms. There wasn't much gold, but there was a lot of silver. The sight of the gleaming silver made Erbaozi's eyes clear and bright. Then he lowered his head, lowering it even further!

Seeing He Chen continue walking forward, Er Baozi quickly said...

"Sir, that's the miners' quarters ahead. It's a complete mess inside. Sir, you..."

He Chen arrived at the miners' quarters, which looked like rows of chicken coops. The difference was striking.

"Say something, everyone get up!" he said to Er Baozi. "Yes, yes, sir! All of you, get up quickly! The sir is here! Get up now!"

Erbaozi immediately roared and went to the door of a workers' shed, kicking the door hard, instantly creating a large hole in the thatched door!

"Yes, Second Master, we'll come right away to wake everyone up. Please calm down, they definitely didn't run away!" The people inside quickly got up.

They assumed that the leader of the Lian family had dealt with the people who came from who-knows-where, and then came to check the number of people.

Then came the sounds of chickens flying and dogs barking.

'Get up now, or I'll beat you to death!'

'Get up quickly, everyone!'

Before long, everyone had arrived one after another. He Chen glanced around and estimated there were several hundred people.

"Second Master, everyone's here. Not a single one escaped. They wouldn't dare run away now; if they did, they'd be killed." A thug said to Second Leopard, making a throat-slitting gesture.

Erbaozi ignored him and hurried to He Chen, "Sir, everyone's here."

He Chen ignored them and loudly asked the miners, "Are any of you from Jinjia Village?"

After waiting for a long time without a response, the thug shouted, "The magistrate is asking you a question! Are any of you from Jin Family Village? If so, step forward now! If you know anything, speak up immediately, or you'll all be punished!"

After a moment, someone said, "Sir, there were a few in Jinjia Village before, but they're all dead."

He Chen's heart sank, and he continued, "Are you all villagers from the border region?"

Many people returned this time. "Yes, sir, I'm from near Jinjia Village."

"Sir, we are all villagers from the borderlands," the crowd replied noisily.

Meanwhile, the guards who were watching over the workers also gradually realized that something was wrong!