Chapter 31 Fenglin Village (Part 2) “You bastard, give me your life.”…
"Brother Tao trusted you so much, yet you went behind your brothers' backs and worked for that bastard official! You're worse than an animal!"
Several capable "generals" of Fenglin Village were standing in the meeting hall. They stood in a circle and cursed at the man who was kneeling in the middle of the meeting hall. This man was the one who had led Xiao Wangshu and others to the village before.
At this moment, he just lowered his head and dared not make a sound.
Besides, these "generals" were just honest farmers before, but now they are in their prime and have plenty of strength. They make a living by hunting, so they can be considered as fighting forces. They were all forced by the corrupt officials and had no choice but to follow Tao He'an up the mountain.
The village had a favorable geographical location, and the officials could not find the way into the village. They only robbed people and never killed anyone. After the village was settled, they brought their families in. They did not have to pay the heavy and harsh taxes, and the villagers finally had a chance to make a living. Otherwise, they would have starved to death if they stayed at the foot of the mountain.
Now that the location of the village has been exposed, General Wang has led hundreds of people to surround the village. For the sake of the young and old in the village, a fierce battle is necessary.
However, no matter how angry these "generals" were, they would just punch and kick the kneeling man, but they would not take his life. It was not because they were cowardly, but because the kneeling man was "forced to do so". They all had elderly mothers at home, so they could empathize with him.
Directly in front of the kneeling man, there was a soft couch covered with tiger skin in the main seat of the room, and sitting on it with a bold gesture was Tao Hean, the head of the Tao family. He leaned forward with one hand on his leg, his thick brows were furrowed, his expression was sullen, and the stubble on his chin was popping up like bamboo shoots after rain.
"Okay, are the family members hiding?"
He interrupted this "farce" with a bang on the chair.
"A Xiu asked that boy A Man to come and tell us to be at ease."
On the left, a man with wheat-colored skin, prominent bones, a fierce face and a blue turban shouted with his fists clasped together.
"Okay! Guys, grab your weapons and fight your way out!"
There is no coward among those present. They were determined to die when they rebelled against the mountain. The good life they had in the past few years was just stolen. If they lose, the corrupt officials will not let them live. If they win, they will make a profit!
"good!"
With a raised arm, everyone responded. Although they had no lives on their hands, they had killed many birds of prey on the mountain, and the weapons in their hands had seen blood. They were many times stronger than those lazy garrison soldiers! Why were they afraid of him?
Holding swords, spears, and halberds, a group of passionate men were full of momentum. As for the traitor, he was just thrown into the meeting hall and no one cared about him anymore.
Just as everyone in the house was about to leave, the man who had been crawling on the ground and refusing to speak suddenly choked up and cried to Tao Hean, who had half a foot out of the house:
"Brother Tao, I'm sorry. I have one thing to explain to you."
Tao Hean naturally stopped and listened to what the man had to say.
Back to Xiao Wangshu, although the entrance of the cave was narrow, it became wider as you went a few hundred steps in. At the end was a hall that could accommodate hundreds of people. There were also several passages leading to small caves. The walls of the small caves were full of traces of artificial chiseling, and dry food such as rice and flour were piled up in the caves.
Torches were embedded on the cave walls, illuminating the interior with bright lights. At the north end of the hall, there was a long horizontal corridor with five or six holes on the corridor wall, each half a person's size. The holes were wide inside and narrow outside, and cliffs could be seen from the entrance. The valley bottom was lush and green. Ah Xiu was busy comforting and taking care of the people in the village and could not take care of him for a while, so Xiao Wangshu found a place to sit down.
"Sir, please sit here."
However, some enthusiastic villagers took out a clean cloth from their arms, put it on the stone, and pulled him to sit down.
It is obvious that these villagers were forced into such a situation by "officials" like him. These people who used their own hands to provide food for the world always bent their bodies and bowed to the dust. Even after death, they would eventually turn into a handful of yellow earth.
Instead, it makes these "scholars" and "literati" who are not tainted by the world of worldly affairs feel ashamed.
"I'm not busy. Please sit down too."
After pulling for a few times, Xiao Wangshu finally managed to get the old man, whose hair was half white, skin was dark, and face was full of wrinkles but full of vitality, to sit down.
The old man sitting next to him didn't know where to put his hands and feet, and was nervously pinching the corner of his clothes. Xiao Wangshu used the old man's grandson to start a conversation, also to ask the old man to relax a little.
When he was halfway through his words, he saw half a group of young men running out of the cave. They looked around at everyone in panic, and when they saw Miss A Xiu, they ran over and whispered a few words in her ear.
Xiao Wangshu knew this boy. His original name was Aman and he had taken a few classes with him.
When Ah Man came in, he made quite a commotion, and many people in the village looked over. Ah Xiu's expression was not very good after hearing this. Seeing everyone looking at her, she quickly forced a soothing smile and said:
"It's okay, it's not a big deal." She happened to meet Xiao Wangshu's gaze, and suddenly changed her tone, "It is a big deal. I just hope Mr. He can give my brother some advice."
She took two steps at a time and arrived in front of Xiao Wangshu in an instant. She seemed to want to hold his hand, but before she touched Xiao Wangshu, she was stopped by An who appeared beside Xiao Wangshu at some point.
She was so frightened that she trembled and retracted her hand. Miss Xiu frowned and looked alert. After a while, she pulled the corner of her mouth awkwardly and said:
"Brother Wu, don't be nervous. I have no ill intentions."
Seeing her say this, An just withdrew his hand and retreated behind Xiao Wangshu, who then naturally continued:
"Miss Xiu, why don't you tell me what happened?"
After touching his nose, Ah Xiu laughed dryly, cleared his throat and said:
"Mr. He, please follow me first."
After saying that, he turned and left without waiting for Xiao Wangshu to react. Xiao Wangshu could only follow him, and An Yi followed closely behind.
But after a while they came out of the cave again. It was already bright outside, but the village was no longer as lively as before.
As he was walking towards the village gate, he suddenly heard the thunderous and rhythmic beating of war drums. Xiao Wangshu knew that this was a common attack signal used by the army.
Sure enough, the next second, chaotic shouts and cries of killing were heard. Ah Xiu, who was supposed to lead the way, suddenly fell in dismay. She turned around, glaring at him, and shouted:
"Mr. He, please come quickly!" Her voice was a little too harsh compared to before. Perhaps she realized her own loss of composure, or perhaps she noticed the long knife in her hand. He Meixiu took a deep breath, lowered her head in the direction of Xiao Wangshu, and pinched the corner of her clothes with her hands.
"Mr. He, I'm sorry, I just..."
"It's okay." Xiao Wangshu's expression remained unchanged.
Pursing her pale and cracked lips, Tao Meixiu gave a dry laugh, turned around and took two quick steps before replying:
"I'm glad you're not angry, sir. Come with me."
The heart-wrenching cries of the birds that had disappeared into the dense forests cut through the dark blue sky, and the golden rays of the rising sun were like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath.
When they reached the meeting hall, Miss Tao stopped and explained, "Mr. He, my elder brother has instructed us to do something very important. It's best if others don't go with us."
As he spoke, he glanced at An, which was a clear hint.
Twisting his index finger, Xiao Wangshu paused for a moment and said with a smile:
"He's trying to keep me safe," Miss Tao frowned before she finished. Xiao Wangshu then added, "Why don't we both take a step back? He can just stay in the courtyard."
After a moment's silence, it was obvious that the two agreed to the proposal.
After about half an hour, perhaps with the outcome of the first battle outside the village, the sounds of fighting gradually subsided, and the smell of blood seemed to be faint in the air.
Suddenly, a sharp blade broke through the air with a hissing sound. Xiao Wangshu, who was standing in the middle of the conference hall, moved at the sound. The silver light pierced straight into the earthen wall in the hall. It was a big knife with a red cloth tied at the end.
The person who attacked at the same time as the big knife in the yard was Tao Meixiu, who was smiling one second and pulled out a long whip from her waist the next second. She was secretly tripped and slowed down by a step.
"Officer Xiao, give me your life."
Without a word, the Tao siblings, one holding a red tassel spear and the other holding a long whip, rushed towards the two of them.
Xiao Wangshu drew his sword from his waist and responded quickly, knowing that his identity had been revealed.
This time, An only brought a soft sword, which was not very convenient to use. He also had to take Xiao Wangshu into consideration, so he was at a disadvantage for a while. He gave Xiao Wangshu several glances, wanting to take him away first as agreed before, but Xiao Wangshu still had a few things to clarify.
"Brother Tao, I believe I have done nothing wrong to this village. I have my own reasons for hiding my identity. Now Brother Tao wants to kill me without any reason. It is really unfair."
The sound of the four men fighting with swords was endless.
"Oh, you bastard, I have nothing to say to you!"
"You keep calling me a 'dog official,' but I haven't even taken office yet, and I haven't done anything to wrong the people. Forgive me for calling you a 'dog official!'"
A sudden change forced Xiao Wangshu and the other man to retreat to an open area outside the hall and temporarily halt the fight. The two sides held their ground, the Tao siblings' eyes filled with hatred. Xiao Wangshu's breath was slightly disordered, but his gaze remained calm, and he secretly protected him closely.
"Tsk! I was so blind to believe you, Mr. He, who always talks about benevolence and righteousness!"
"Xiao Wangshu, County Magistrate! You sneaked into the village in secret, hoping to collude with Wang Shouyi outside the village to kill me. Why are you still pretending?"
After saying that, the long spear bypassed An's long sword and headed towards Xiao Wangshu's face.
Xiao Wangshu retreated several steps, then turned sideways and thrust his sword upwards, causing the red tasseled spear to change its trajectory. At such a critical moment, Xiao Wangshu kept talking.
"Master Tao, you're always looking for excuses to accuse me of more crimes. It's true that I hid my identity, but I have absolutely no intention of harming anyone. Furthermore, the so-called insider support and outsider collusion are truly dangerous. After all, I don't even know Wang Shouyi. If I really wanted to do this, why would I waste so much time? I should have left after understanding the situation. There's no need to teach the children in this village to read."
The Tao brothers and sisters heard this and their movements slowed for a moment. Taking advantage of this moment, Xiao Wangshu and An ran out of the village in tacit understanding. An took the opportunity to throw a handful of dirt that he had caught at some point to distract the view. Before Xiao Wangshu ran away, he shouted to the two:
"Brother Tao, if you believe me, I will call for reinforcements within two hours."
Even so, he kept walking, turning several times before he disappeared. He could only vaguely hear the head of the Tao family cursing loudly as he chased out of the courtyard but didn't know the direction:
"Damn it! I've been tricked by this bastard official!"
"Brother, maybe Mr. He, ahem, Xiao will really ask for reinforcements."
"Silly girl, what reinforcements are you talking about? Aren't those outside the city his reinforcements?"
Tao Hean was already furious. He had originally wanted to kill the dog official as a sacrifice to boost morale, but now he let the other party escape. He had no time to think about it, so he pulled his sister and rushed to the village gate.
As for Xiao Wangshu and his companions, there were hundreds of people surrounding the village, so they knew they couldn't escape. Therefore, they just found a place to hide temporarily.
"You can't take me out, only by calling for help can you save me."
Since An is a martial arts expert, there is a high chance that he can escape during the melee, but it would be unrealistic to take him with you.
An frowned, obviously troubled. He suddenly whistled at the sky and saw several bird shadows appear on the horizon. In an instant, a pure white dove landed on An's shoulder. An did not intend to explain, but just said:
"This pigeon can be used to contact the Lu family in Licheng. By order of His Highness, I must stay with Master Xiao at all times."
The head of the Licheng Lu family, the biological mother of the crown prince, and the deceased deposed queen were all from the Licheng Lu family.
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