Xiaoliu had two small buns tied up in her hair and was shaking her head. The little bun swayed with her, looking very cute. She said with a serious face, "Sisters, what Xiaoliu said is true."
Yunniang's eyes flickered, and she said calmly, "Okay, Xiaoliu, you're young, so those bandits won't give you too much trouble. Just keep an eye on them."
"Come back and tell us if anything happens. We also need to find a way to kill the remaining people so that we can go down the mountain. Otherwise, we weak women can't fight them head-on."
Xia Ling frowned as she looked at them and whispered, "Are you sure you want to go down the mountain? Have you ever been to a place where you can't eat meat twice a year and marry a man to take care of you for the rest of your life?"
Yunniang looked at her and said in a deep voice, "Xia Ling, what do you mean by this? Are you reluctant to stay here and be tortured by men to a point where you're living a life worse than death?"
"No, I just think the risk is too great and not worth it. What if we go down the mountain? Our reputation will be ruined."
"If I go down the mountain, not only will I have no way to survive, but I will also have to work hard for the rest of my life, and the end won't be any better. At least here I can eat meat."
A hint of resentment flashed across Xia Ling's dead eyes.
"The villagers sent us out to keep us safe. Do you think we'll have a good ending after we return, since they treated us so badly?"
"What's the point of going back? Anyone can bully us. It's better to stay in the mountains. After the baby is born, life won't be too bad."
Yunniang pursed her lips into a line and looked at her in disbelief.
Xia Ling noticed their gazes and gave a bitter smile: "Sister Yun, it's not that I'm willing to be lowly, it's just that this world doesn't leave any room for women to survive. No matter what choice we make, it's wrong."
"Since neither is right, why not just choose to make yourself feel better?"
“……!!”
As soon as she said this, the other three people understood what she meant. They pressed their lips into a line and looked at each other with a hint of hostility.
Yunniang warned, "Xia Ling, you don't have to participate, but you absolutely cannot go and tell on us. It will ruin our plans and won't do you any good either."
Xia Ling shrugged and said nonchalantly, "I know, so I won't help anyone. After all, it would be best if you could go down the mountain. I won't go down the mountain."
"We each have our own choices. No one should interfere with each other. The village at the foot of the mountain is not my home. If I go back, I will die. So I won't go back."
"If you go down the mountain, just say I'm dead. I don't want anyone to disturb me."
Yunniang looked at her with complicated eyes, but in the end she said nothing: "Okay, I wish you all the best."
After Xia Ling finished washing the clothes, she went straight into the house to sleep.
＊
Dozens of people gathered at the village gate. The leader, who had a hideous scar on his brow, was preparing to lead his men down the mountain with a stern face.
Unexpectedly, before he could go down, he saw a group of people coming up, each of them holding a hoe, a woodcutter, and a carrying pole.
The two sides looked at each other, and the boss Lei Ming sneered.
"Tsk tsk, so you're from Taohua Village. Wang Tiezhu, you came here to look for your sister. It's a pity that she died on the first night she went up the mountain. She was tortured to death."
"The body was thrown off the cliff and probably eaten by wild animals."
Wang Tiezhu's eyes turned red instantly. Thinking of the person who followed him obediently and always called him brother sweetly, his heart felt like it was being grasped by a big hand.
Seeing him about to charge, Wang Shi quickly reached out and grabbed him, whispering, "Brother Tiezhu, calm down. They're deliberately trying to provoke you. If you go over there, you'll die."
"Think about your sister-in-law and children at home, don't be impulsive."
Lei Ming glanced at them, not taking them seriously at all, and said coldly, "Get out of my way, or you will all die today. I'll leave your village a chance to survive, but don't be ungrateful."
Jiang Sheng walked out with his men, a smile on his face, but only indifference in his eyes: "The way to survive you mentioned is the massacre of the village last night."
"...Who are you?"
Judging from the clothes and demeanor of this man, he can't be a peasant. Why would he follow the people from Taohua Village up here? Could he be the reinforcements they called in?
People from the imperial court? No, that's impossible. The officials are all their people. How could they come?
Jiang Sheng raised his head, glanced at him, and winked.
The assassins surrounded the people and looked back at the villagers: "Everyone, stay away, don't get hurt by mistake."
"You don't need to know who I am. Leave a few of you alive so I can ask you something. The rest will be killed without mercy!"
Before the bandits could react, several black shadows pounced over, and with a flash of silver light, heads fell to the ground. Every move was a one-hit kill, and the bodies of the bandits kept falling to the ground.
When the villagers saw this one-sided massacre, they couldn't help but stare with their eyes wide open, their eyes full of disbelief.
With a bang, a hoe fell to the ground.
Several eyes turned to look over, and the man trembled with fear, stammering: "I, I didn't hold it firmly, I'm sorry, you guys continue..."
Yang Er just took a quick glance and continued killing.
Wang Qingshan hurriedly picked up the hoe and held it tightly, fearing that if it fell to the ground again, he would be the next person to be beheaded.
Lei Ming saw who the leader was and naturally rushed towards Jiang Sheng. He saw the young man tilt his head and raised his hand, and several silver lights penetrated into his body.
The numbness in his body hit him, and he fell to the ground, saying weakly, "You, you actually poisoned me, shameless!"
Jiang Sheng didn't even give them a glance. After his assassins finished off the bandits, he reached out and dragged Lei Ming inside, shouting, "Go find your families. I have something to ask the bandit leader."
The villagers nodded repeatedly and ran towards the village.
After entering the house, Jiang Sheng released his hand and looked down at him condescendingly: "Tell me, what kind of mine is that on the mountain?"
Lei Ming looked at him in surprise: "How... did you know there was a mine here? Are you from the imperial court? No, that's impossible. The Lord will not betray me."
Seeing him mumbling non-stop, Jiang Sheng raised his foot and stepped on his chest, still smiling, and said softly: "I'll ask again, where is the mine located, and what kind of mine is it?"
He turned to look at the other two and asked softly, "Whoever knows, I'll spare his life."
Zhou Cheng's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he knelt on the ground and said hurriedly, "Sir, I know. I even went to check it out secretly. It seems to be... a silver mine, but it hasn't been reported to the court."
Lei Ming roared, "Zhou Cheng, you bastard! If the adults find out, you'll know what will happen to you."
"Humph, I just know that if I want to live, I have to say it now. As for whether the adults will protect me, I still have this self-awareness. If you die, I still have others to take care of you."
"Hero, I know a lot more. The reason why our stronghold grew stronger is because we colluded with the governor. We helped him open a silver mine, and he protected our stronghold from being surrounded and attacked."
After seeing the previous massacre, Zhou Cheng had no intention of resisting at all. He believed that a man of insight is a hero, and he would listen to whoever lets him live. This was right.
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