Seeing that no one answered, Sister Zhang quickly raised her voice, "Brother Liu, hurry up and go! Aren't you going to take care of your wife and children?"
Suddenly, her crying stopped abruptly.
The door opened, and everyone inside came out... staring intently at her.
...
Like a gust of wind blending into the night, Jiang Chan, guided by the detector, avoided all the red dots guarding the village chief and rushed towards the courtyard where the village chief was located.
Buzz—The detector transmitted the latest images: the number of red dots around the village chief's yard has increased significantly!
The guards who were originally scattered throughout the village have now all gathered here!
Seven or eight figures were hidden in the darkness, subtly surrounding the courtyard!
It's obviously to guard against the people inside!
Jiang Chan's heart sank to the bottom!
Her eyes narrowed, and she quickly changed her strategy!
Using the shadows in the corner and the detector's precise navigation, she circled around to the most secluded low wall at the back of the yard.
There are no guards here!
Taking a deep breath, she used both hands and feet, like a nimble raccoon, to silently vault over the low wall and land lightly!
The atmosphere inside the courtyard was extremely oppressive.
The remaining twenty or so men gathered around the village chief, their faces full of resentment as they looked at Zhang's wife, who was surrounded in the middle of the crowd and unable to utter a single word.
Just then!
A petite figure darted out from the shadows of the back wall like a ghost, rushing straight at the village chief in the center of the crowd!
"who?!"
"There's something there!"
"It's me!" Jiang Chan shouted in a low voice, her momentum undiminished, rushing straight to the village chief, her chest heaving violently.
"Ginger?!" The village chief stared in shock at her sudden appearance.
Zhang's wife was also shocked.
How come this girl didn't faint after drinking the water?!
"There's no time!" Jiang Chan spoke rapidly, her eyes sharp as an eagle. "They used an excuse to lure people out! Uncle Li has been kidnapped!"
Dead silence!
Jiang Chan's words were like a thunderclap, exploding above everyone's heads!
This completely confirmed everyone's guesses and worst premonitions!
A roar of shock and rage erupted instantly!
Fear was replaced by raging fury!
The disguise of Wengjia Village has been completely torn off!
Both sides knew perfectly well—the true intentions had been revealed!
...
Meanwhile, in the direction of the ancestral hall.
"Ninth Brother! Something terrible has happened!" A man from Wengjia Village, who was on lookout duty, came running over in a panic, his voice filled with terror. "There... there's an uproar in that courtyard! They're yelling and shouting! It seems... it seems they know something!"
The smugness on the skinny monkey's face froze instantly!
It then became twisted and grotesque!
"Damn it! What's going on?" he growled.
"I don't know! It suddenly started making a fuss! And there was a woman's voice too..." the lookout stammered.
"Women? Didn't Sister Zhang say that all the women drank water?!"
"I don't know..."
"Quick! Grab your weapons!"
When they arrived, they were met with a tense standoff!
Suppressed curses and indignant shouts could be clearly heard!
With a livid face, Old Man Weng led a dozen or twenty men from Wengjia Village, armed with knives, axes, and clubs, and surrounded the courtyard!
Inside the courtyard, more than twenty men could be seen holding pots, pans, knives, and clubs, locked in a fierce standoff!
Inside and outside the courtyard, firelight and darkness intertwined!
The air froze, filled with murderous intent!
All the hypocrisy, kindness, and rules have vanished!
All that remains is naked hatred and an impending eruption of bloody conflict!
Upon seeing this, Old Man Weng knew that all his pretense had failed.
He gripped the machete, the tip trembling slightly, his facial muscles contorted as he desperately suppressed his rage.
Behind him, a dozen or so men from Wengjia Village gripped axes, machetes, and sharpened wooden spears, their eyes fierce yet revealing an undisguised fear.
They could see the inside of the courtyard clearly.
More than twenty men crowded at the door. Although they were emaciated and dressed in rags, their eyes were bloodshot, like a pack of dying wolves, clutching sharpened wooden sticks, heavy earthenware pots, and even fire pokers!
That ruthless, desperate spirit made those around him feel uneasy.
A direct assault?
This bone is too hard; even if you try to gnaw it, you'll break a few teeth!
Village Chief Chen stood at the front of the crowd, his withered hands gripping a wooden stick tightly.
He looked at the gleaming blades outside the courtyard, then at his own side—except for Butcher Zhang, who was gripping the only short-handled boning knife tightly, the others only had pitiful sticks and earthenware pots in their hands.
Let's take a look at their physiques.
Although the people of Wengjia Village were not burly men, they were clearly well-fed and had thicker arms; their own people, on the other hand, had been hungry, thirsty, and exhausted from days of travel.
A direct confrontation? The odds are against them!
His back was covered in cold sweat, but his eyes were fixed on Old Man Weng's face, and he didn't back down an inch!
Behind him, Liu Dazhuang stared intently at Weng Laojiu, Wang Laohan's lips trembled, and the veins on Zhang Tuhu's hand holding the knife bulged... Everyone held their breath, the air solidified like lead.
No one moved.
Only the crackling of burning torches and heavy, suppressed breathing intertwined in the deathly silence.
The killing intent surged, yet a strange stalemate ensued.
Both sides were gauging each other's strength with their eyes, and both saw the ferocity in each other's eyes... and the same intense fear of injury or death.
Time passed little by little.
The taut string is about to snap.
Sweat rolled down Village Chief Chen's forehead. He knew he couldn't let things remain in this stalemate any longer!
If this drags on, the other side might resort to other wicked schemes, or someone on our side might collapse first!
We have to speak up! Break this deadly silence!
He took a deep breath, struggling to suppress the surging anger and fear in his chest, his voice deliberately calm, even managing a stiff, forced "friendly tone," "Brother Weng... Brother Weng..."
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