The atmosphere at the scene seemed tense, but Yang Jian and his companions remained composed. On one hand, they were confident in their combat abilities. Even if they were injured in a fight, it would be because the villagers were numerous and armed with long weapons in the dark. No matter how skilled they were, they couldn't withstand so many opponents. However, the villagers would also pay a heavy price.
On the other hand, they believed the villagers wouldn't dare to act rashly. The villagers were law-abiding, and despite their fierce reputation, they would consider the consequences. Who would risk their life for someone else's affairs? Most of these people were there just to make up the numbers and cheer, as evidenced by their silence.
Only Yao Ji was terrified. "Uncle, please don't be impulsive. Can you let Gu Ning come out and talk?"
"What is there to talk about? You call yourself Gu Ning's good brother, yet you brought outsiders to our doorstep. If you don't give us an explanation today, you're not leaving."
"Uncle, did Gu Ning tell you what happened today? Since you have so many people, why doesn't Gu Ning dare to come out? Have you ever thought about the reason?"
"What reason?"
Not only Gu Ning's father but also the surrounding villagers were confused. Gu Ning was involved in shady dealings, and by all accounts, he should have come out by now, especially with the overwhelming numerical advantage. Was he afraid of getting beaten on his own doorstep?
"Uncle, this afternoon, we were instigated by Wu Laizi and severely injured an innocent woman. She's still in the hospital, her life hanging in the balance. We also smashed her car. Her family has come to demand an explanation. Are you still going to attack them?"
"This beast, to cause such a disaster."
Gu Ning's father froze and dropped the shovel he was holding.
The onlookers also hid their farming tools. Who would want to help with such a matter? If that woman died, Gu Ning would be a murderer. Helping a murderer would be like aiding and abetting evil.
"Ah, Dad, save me."
A miserable cry from Gu Ning suddenly came from behind the house. Gu Ning's father picked up the shovel again and rushed back into the main hall.
A few uncles followed him.
However, these people soon retreated. It turned out that Afeng had grabbed Gu Ning by the neck and walked him from behind the house to the front yard.
Just as Yao Ji and the others had predicted, Gu Ning had intended to escape upon hearing the sound of cars. He had asked his father to gather the nearby villagers merely to stall for time.
"Let him go. Even if he made a mistake, it's the police's job to arrest him. You have no right to hit him."
Gu Ning's father raised his shovel again. He noticed his son's leg seemed unsteady, clearly injured.
Those uncles were also shouting, but none of them dared to make a move. Afeng's arm was like iron. It felt as if a slight exertion would snap Gu Ning's neck.
The onlookers were now very calm, with not a single person stepping forward. Instead, they consciously retreated a bit further.
Afeng brought Gu Ning to Yang Jian and forced him to kneel on the ground.
Anan and the others quickly blocked Gu Ning's father, preventing him from approaching.
Gu Ning's mother rushed out as if she had gone mad. "Let go of my son! Dad, uncles, do something! They've come to our door, why are you so cowardly?"
Gu Ning's father could no longer hold back. He raised his shovel and swung it at Anan. Instead of retreating, Anan advanced with incredible speed, grabbing his wrist with his left hand and his collar with his right. With an over-the-shoulder throw, he slammed Gu Ning's father to the ground.
"Anyone who dares to make a move, I'll kill them."
Anan stepped on Gu Ning's father's neck and casually drew out his baton, pointing it at his head.
This move startled the other uncles who were contemplating action.
"Uncle, don't make a move. You can't beat them. They are all martial arts masters. Four of them beat forty of us without being able to fight back. We should quickly find a way to solve this problem."
Yao Ji shouted loudly. If a fight broke out, there could be casualties, and the situation would escalate.
Gu Ning also hung his head dejectedly. "Let my dad go, and I'll go with you."
The scene fell silent. Anan's display alone had intimidated Gu Ning's uncles. Coupled with Yao Ji's statement that they were martial arts masters, no other villager dared to step forward.
Yang Jian grabbed Gu Ning by the hair. "I'm asking you, did you hit anyone this afternoon with Wu Laizi? Don't lie, or your fate will be worse than Yao Ji's."
"I, I kicked twice."
"Slap, slap."
Yang Jian slapped him twice across the face.
There was a commotion in the crowd. Some villagers who had just arrived, unaware of the situation, saw outsiders acting so arrogantly in their village and wanted to step forward. However, they were stopped by the villagers who had arrived earlier.
Gu Ning's mother tried to rush forward but was pulled back by her uncles. They had assessed the situation. Gu Ning had done wrong, and the other party's relative was in the hospital, her condition unknown. A few blows to vent anger were understandable. Moreover, since no one in the village was helping, their own family couldn't defeat the outsiders.
"Speak, who else hit her?"
"Wu Laizi did most of the hitting. Ye Sen and I only kicked twice. Brother, I really only kicked twice, not even one more time. Yao Ji can testify. I was wrong, and I'm willing to compensate."
"Did Yao Ji and Zhang Liang hit her?"
"No, they were the ones who pulled Wu Laizi away. Otherwise, that woman would have been beaten to death on the spot. I only kicked her a couple of times symbolically when I saw she was in bad shape, mainly out of fear that Wu Laizi would blame me. Brother, I was wrong, I was really wrong. Please don't hit me anymore, can I turn myself in?"
"She was in bad shape, and you still kicked her twice? It would be against heaven if I didn't hit you."
Yang Jian's anger surged. He took the baton from Afeng and fiercely struck Gu Ning's back.
Gu Ning curled up on the ground, covering his head and crying out miserably. None of the villagers stepped forward to intervene. They knew the reason for the incident. A few men had beaten a woman to near death for no reason; they were inhumane and felt no sympathy for Gu Ning. If it weren't for the fact that they were from the same village and would see each other daily, they would have applauded Yang Jian's actions.
Gu Ning's mother broke free from her uncles' restraint and knelt before Yang Jian with a thud. "Young man, please, stop hitting him. I'll kowtow to you. Our Gu Ning was wrong. Give him a chance to correct himself."
With excessive force, Yang Jian felt the surgical site tear. He stopped and pointed the baton at Gu Ning, saying, "You will turn yourself in by noon tomorrow, confess all the criminal details to the police, identify the main perpetrators, and voluntarily request compensation. If the woman survives without sequelae, I can have the family write a letter of understanding."
Gu Ning quickly scrambled up. "I'll turn myself in, I'll compensate, please don't hit me anymore."
"If I don't hear news of your surrender by noon tomorrow, and Wu Laizi is not apprehended, I will make your life worse than death."
After speaking, Yang Jian turned and got into the car. He could no longer hold on. His wound was bleeding, and his waist and buttocks were soaked. He needed to go back to the hospital for bandaging immediately.