Zhang Jianhao, Zhang Tiezheng (whose injuries had improved slightly but insisted on coming), and others who had been saved by Zhang Cheng before were all present, along with many young people from the Zhang family.
After Zhang Da Nao embellished the story, everyone was filled with righteous indignation and their emotions ran high.
"The people of Wangjia Village are utterly despicable!"
"Stealing prey? That breaks the rules passed down from our ancestors!"
"We must get an explanation!"
The news spread quickly, and some young people with the surname Li, such as Li Hongyi, who had fought wolves alongside Zhang Cheng, also rushed over upon hearing the news.
Although the two families had a history of conflict, they were united in their hatred of the enemy when it came to the important matter of upholding the rules of the mountains.
And so, a large group of nearly forty people, carrying hunting rifles and carrying sticks and machetes, marched menacingly toward Wangjia Village, which was more than ten miles away.
The snow made travel difficult, and it took the team more than an hour to finally reach the entrance of Wangjia Village.
"Hey guys, show us your weapons!" Zhang Da Nao, full of energy, walked to the front of the line, swung his copper hammer, and slammed it hard on the large copper gong he was holding in his arms!
"Bang!!!"
A deafening gong suddenly rang out, shattering the tranquility of dusk.
"Bang bang bang!!!"
The young men who came with them also took out their tools and used wooden sticks to hit the iron basins and buckets, making a loud noise.
Li Hongyi, with the loudest voice, strained his neck, used all his strength, and shouted at the village entrance with a flushed face:
"Listen up, folks of Wangjia Village!"
"Someone in your village has broken the rules of our ancestors, robbing people on the road and behaving like a human being!"
"Do we still have any of the rules in the mountains?!"
On one side was the deafening sound of gongs and drums, and on the other side was Li Hongyi's extremely penetrating shouts.
The commotion instantly alerted the entire Wangjia Village.
Doors were pushed open, and villagers peeked out, looking around curiously.
Soon, a crowd gathered around, and they were all stunned to see the group of outsiders at the village entrance, who were acting aggressively and banging drums and gongs.
These days, entertainment options are scarce, so such a scene is quite rare.
"Zhang Da Nao! What the hell are you doing here in Wangjia Village with your men?" A burly man from Wangjia Village recognized Zhang Da Nao and asked with a frown.
"Holy crap! Have you people from Zhangjia Village lost your minds? Daring to cause trouble at the gates of our Wangjia Village? Do you really think our Wangjia Village is helpless?!"
More people from Wangjia Village gathered around, and many young people picked up their tools, making the atmosphere tense.
Zhang Da Nao, undaunted, cleared his throat, stepped forward, and shouted in a loud voice:
"Dear uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters of Wangjia Village! We are not here to cause trouble, but to reason with you!"
"We just want to ask! Do you, Wangjia Village, still want these rules that have been passed down from generation to generation in these mountains?!"
An elderly man with gray hair squeezed through the crowd; he was a highly respected elder in Wangjia Village.
"Zhang Da Nao, who do you think you are? How dare you question the rules of our ancestors?"
Someone nearby immediately chimed in, "Exactly! Big Head, I think you're asking for a beating!"
The two villages are not far apart and have many relatives or friends, but the conflicts between the villages have never stopped.
Just then, the crowd parted, and an old man with a cane, a dark complexion, and sharp eyes walked out.
It was Wang Huanchun, the former village chief of Wangjia Village.
He glanced at the people from Zhangjia Village, then at his own villagers who were on the verge of conflict, his face so dark it could drip water.
"What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket!" Wang Huanchun tapped his cane on the ground and cursed in a deep voice, "You bunch of little bastards, are you all just bored and have nothing better to do?"
When Zhang Da Nao Tou saw the person in charge arrive, he immediately toned down his arrogance, but his tone remained firm:
"Your Highness, we didn't come here just because we had nothing better to do."
"It's people from your village who acted unfairly, breaking the rules of how we mountain people eat!"
"We're here today to ask this question in front of everyone!"
"Your Highness, please give us a straight answer! What about the rules of this mountain?!"
"If you say you don't want it, we'll turn around and leave without saying a word! We won't utter a single unnecessary utterance!"
Wang Huanchun narrowed his eyes, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his cloudy pupils.
His heart skipped a beat, realizing that this was probably caused by those troublesome brats in his village.
But he remained expressionless and said in a deep voice, "Speak your mind, or shut up! What exactly happened?"
"Your Highness, please be the judge!" Zhang Da Tou stepped forward and pointed to Zhang Cheng behind him. "This is Zhang Er Gou from our village. This afternoon, he hunted a roe deer in the mountains with his own skills."
"And what happened? Halfway there, they were stopped by Wang Jian from your village, who led more than ten men!"
"Without saying a word, they tried to forcibly take Er Gouzi's roe deer!"
"Your Highness, tell me, is this how people do things? Are they even worthy of being called mountain folk?"
As soon as Zhang Da Nao finished speaking, the villagers of Wangjia Village who were watching immediately stirred up a commotion and began to discuss among themselves. Many people showed expressions of surprise and disapproval.
Stealing prey is a major taboo in the mountains; it's something that will be condemned behind your back.
"Your Highness, Wang Jian and his men not only tried to rob us, they also said..." Zhang Da Nao didn't give Wang Huanchun a chance to speak and continued loudly, "They said that all those rules are just outdated feudal superstitions. The country is now saying that we should break with the old and establish the new, those rules should have been thrown away long ago!"
"Damn it!" Wang Huanchun was so angry upon hearing this that his beard bristled, and he cursed Wang Jian in his heart.
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