To everyone's surprise, Qin Luo simply flicked the vine, and the tendrils grew incredibly long.
It snapped back in an instant, and the blacksmith, terrified, immediately knelt down and begged for mercy.
"Please, please let me go. I was just following the leader's orders and I didn't mean to do anything to you."
Qin Shilu couldn't stand his cowardly and timid attitude.
I wanted to spit a few times in his face.
"Weren't you all so smug just now? Why are you backing down now? Besides, everyone can see through your little schemes at a glance, so why bother putting on an act? You're just making a fool of yourself!"
The blacksmith was inwardly resentful upon hearing this, but outwardly he had no choice but to submit.
"I was wrong, I was wrong. I was jealous of you all, so I wanted to teach you a lesson. I was petty, and I hope you can forgive me!"
Qin Luo gave him a look that said, "You're dreaming."
"Forgiveness for you is impossible. Anyone who has offended me will not be forgiven by me. You can atone for your sins by doing good deeds."
Upon hearing that there was a chance for redemption, the blacksmith immediately pledged his loyalty.
"I'll redeem you! I'll tell you anything you want to know. There's nothing in the whole village that I don't know!"
This piqued the curiosity of both Qin Luo and Wu Hua.
"Then tell me, have any strange things happened in the village recently?"
The blacksmith then told him everything he knew.
The second-in-command and the leader were at odds, but after a long talk all night, they inexplicably made up.
And then there was the leader's wife, who suddenly started burning incense and chanting Buddhist prayers.
I used to love meat, but now I eat vegetarian food every day.
The leader also planned to disband the village and become a great philanthropist.
Even those who served the leader closely changed their personalities.
He became extremely kind and gentle, a complete change from his previous harsh demeanor...
Qin Luo and Wu Hua were completely confused; no wonder no one cared when they ran around.
They didn't cook for the leader; they just sent someone to take him away for questioning, instead of killing him outright.
Could it be that the leader suddenly grasped some profound Buddhist teaching?
Are you disgusted with your past self and want to repent and become a good person?
The more they thought about it, the more uneasy they felt, so they had the blacksmith escort them to see the leader.
They should investigate thoroughly to find out why someone suddenly changed their personality.
She spoke, and the blacksmith dared not disobey.
According to him, they were being led towards the chief's residence.
On the way there, Wu Hua asked him curiously.
"How did you and Xiaodai get here?"
The blacksmith tried to fool her, but Wu Hua's glance...
He couldn't lie anymore and had to tell the truth.
He explained everything between him and Xiao Dai in detail.
Qin Luo and Wu Hua also found it difficult to judge after listening; people are born into different classes.
Moreover, in this era, knowing one's low social class...
Furthermore, confronting those in higher power not only harms one's own family but also implicates one's neighbors.
Poor little Daddy was simple-minded and had no idea what was going on.
The murderer who indirectly caused the death of his family members was the very brother he called out to every day.
However, the blacksmith still had some conscience and didn't abandon Xiaodai halfway through the journey.
Although he was brought to this bandit stronghold, at least he didn't go hungry again.
Then, Wu Hua asked him...
"If only one of you and Xiaodai can live today, would you give him the chance to live out of the guilt in your heart?"
These words left the blacksmith speechless.
It wasn't that he didn't know how to answer; it was that he simply didn't have an answer in his heart.
Having relied on each other for so long, he had long regarded Xiaodai as his own younger brother.
If it were a matter of exchanging one life for another, he really didn't know.
Do I have the courage to die for Xiaodai?
But he was extremely unwilling to let Xiaodai die.
Because he understood that if in this world...
If someone truly cares about you, that person must be Xiaodai.
Seeing his silence, Wu Hua did not urge him.
Upon reaching the entrance of the leader's residence, Wu Hua raised her hand and set up a barrier.
He looked at him with sharp eyes, his tone extremely cold.
“You wouldn’t have killed his whole family, and you’ve never felt any remorse.”
The blacksmith's pupils dilated in shock upon hearing this; he truly had never felt guilty.
He even felt that he was not at fault at all, and that the bully's son was the one at fault.
The only reason he brought Xiaodai with him was because of Xiaodai's mother's dying wish.
Not because he caused Xiao Dai's family to be destroyed.
I kept him by my side because I felt guilty.
When someone points out a blacksmith's inner thoughts, it's as if...
He was stripped naked and left on the street.
He roared furiously at Wu Hua.
"What do you know? You know nothing. I was just arguing my case. Was I wrong? They weren't burned to death by me. It was the bully's son who burned them. If anyone is wrong, it's him. What does it have to do with me?"
Qin Luo saw him yelling at Wu Hua, and he cursed angrily through his nose.
"You're not wrong? How dare you say you're not wrong?"
Seeing his defiant look, he immediately struck at the heart of the matter.
"Your mistake was overestimating yourself. Knowing you were no match for others, you still insisted on being a verbal expert. After the incident, you kept shirking responsibility, showing no sense of accountability whatsoever. It's truly laughable!"
The blacksmith, however, was not ashamed and continued to argue.
"You say I lack responsibility? All these years I've taken care of Xiaodai, treating him like my own brother, and I've never let him suffer the slightest grievance. I'd rather go hungry myself than let him go hungry. You say I lack responsibility?"
Qin Luo almost died laughing when she heard this.
"I wanted to save you some face, but you insisted that I tell you the truth. Don't you know why you keep Xiaodai by your side?"
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