"You're asking for death!"
The brocade-clad youth snapped back to reality, realizing what had just happened. Gritting his teeth, he charged forward with his long saber!
Yun Ze pressed down, his other half of the immortal jade clutched in his hand, its sharp edge pointed at the youth. His eyes constantly scanned the youth's neck.
He was going to die anyway, so it was better to take someone down with him!
But before the brocade-clad youth could reach Yun Ze, a group of people suddenly rushed over from afar!
It was the villagers!
Some blocked the yamen runners, while others rushed directly in front of Yun Ze, separating him from the brocade-clad youth!
Aunt Wang, Uncle Liu, Mr. Zhang...
The figures whose names he could call out either stood before Yun Ze or blocked the yamen runners.
Before the youth could speak, the yamen runners couldn't directly attack the common folk. If they accidentally killed one or two, their official robes might not be enough to protect them!
"Insolent! Do you wish to die!"
The brocade-clad youth roared, brandishing his saber, but he didn't dare advance rashly.
"You are the insolent ones! Does the Tangshan Dynasty have no law!"
A middle-aged man in a green robe stepped out from the crowd, holding a folding fan. He showed no fear towards the yamen runners.
His surname was Zhang, the village teacher of Hanshan Village, and its only scholar. He taught children to read and write without asking for money, only for rice, flour, grain, and oil. The villagers respected him greatly.
Mr. Zhang stood before the brocade-clad youth: "That was clearly the person's ancestral heirloom, yet you forced them to break it and then threatened their life! Is this your law!"
"Exactly! Little Yun, don't be afraid, Auntie will protect you! I don't believe they dare to kill us all, the whole village!"
"That's right!"
Uncle Liu, a butcher, had chased after them with his meat-cutting cleavers upon hearing of the Yun family's plight. He now stood protectively in front of Yun Ze: "Are they yamen runners just because they wear the uniform? I think they're bandits in disguise! What kind of officials rob people like this!"
Though they said this, both Yun Ze and Mr. Zhang could see that these people were indeed from the prefectural office, not bandits.
A youth with such bearing couldn't have come from a bandit's den.
"Heh, hehe!"
The brocade-clad youth sneered twice and continued forward with his saber, now about three meters from Mr. Zhang: "Are you sure you want to protect this brat, then?"
Mr. Zhang didn't answer. He simply bent down, picked up another piece of broken jade from the ground, and handed it to Yun Ze behind him: "Little Yun, you go first! We'll hold him off!"
"Mr. Zhang..."
"Go!"
Mr. Zhang's roar cut off what he was about to say: "Don't worry, we haven't committed any crimes, he wouldn't dare touch us! Only if you leave can our Hanshan Village be safe! Hurry and go!"
Yun Ze's brows furrowed, but he knew that only by preserving his life could he avenge his parents.
He took the broken jade from Mr. Zhang, tucked it into his embrace, and ran towards the village outskirts!
"Stop him for me!"
Hearing the brocade-clad youth's roar, the yamen runners tried to break free from the villagers blocking them and pursue the fleeing Yun Ze.
However, there were only a dozen or so yamen runners, how could they shake off the hundreds of villagers?
Seeing this, the brocade-clad youth's rage boiled over, and he simply plunged his saber into Mr. Zhang's chest!
How could a scholar, who couldn't even lift a chicken, be his match?
Mr. Zhang looked down at his blood-stained chest, his face filled with disbelief.
Having read the words of the sages since childhood, he still believed in the existence of law until his death, believing the other party wouldn't dare to act.
But now... with the appearance of the first corpse, the surroundings fell into a deathly silence.
The brocade-clad youth drew his saber, the dripping blade like a death knell, making the surrounding villagers avoid it.
With every step he took forward, the villagers blocking his path would step aside.
But when his vision was completely clear, Yun Ze had already vanished.
"Useless! All of you are useless!"
The brocade-clad youth was already furious, and seeing Yun Ze escape, his anger intensified: "Kill them! Kill them all!"
"Kill them all?"
A man dressed as a constable approached the brocade-clad youth and whispered, "Young master, a village massacre is too big a matter. If master blames us..."
"I'll take responsibility!"
The brocade-clad youth only wanted to wash away his rage with blood: "Kill these insolent peasants. If anyone dares to let them escape... hmph, don't blame me for coming to your homes to find replacements!"
"Yes!"
The constable had no choice but to turn and raise his hand, ordering the yamen runners: "Draw your swords!"
Clang!
With a crisp sound, the butcher's knives were finally raised.
...
Yun Ze ran all the way towards the village outskirts, but the mountain paths outside Hanshan Village were rugged, and it was now dusk.
Once the sun set, even a local like him would easily get lost in the mountains or encounter wild beasts foraging in the evening.
Rather than escaping the village now, it would be better to find a place to hide within the village and come out after those people left.
Even if he had to leave Hanshan Village, he could prepare travel expenses and provisions first.
Yun Ze hitched a donkey at the village entrance, tied a carrot to its head, and then whipped its hindquarters.
The donkey galloped towards the village outskirts, leaving many hoof prints on the muddy ground!
Yun Ze, meanwhile, turned to find a long-dry abandoned well. He covered the well with a wooden plank, leaving a small opening for breathing, and then climbed down to the bottom of the well using a rope.
Even few people in the village knew about this place, let alone the brocade-clad youth and his men.
Yun Ze took out the two pieces of broken jade from his embrace, his heart filled with endless sorrow.
Was this so-called immortality truly worth so many people pursuing it?
His ancestors were willing to abandon their wealth to protect that sliver of possibility for their descendants; his parents were willing to die rather than reveal the location where the immortal jade was hidden.
The brocade-clad youth, already a winner in life, had become so frenzied for this so-called immortal destiny.
A seed of curiosity was thus sown in Yun Ze's heart!
If he had the chance, he truly wanted to know what was so good about this so-called immortality that it drove so many people to flock to it like moths to a flame.
Unbeknownst to him, how much time had passed.
The sunset that had filtered through the well cover gradually turned into moonlight, but outside, there was still no sign of cooking smoke or the aroma of food.
A bad premonition surged into Yun Ze's heart.
He no longer wished to hide. He climbed back up the rope.
The moment he lifted the well cover, a nauseating smell of blood rushed towards him!
Yun Ze's heart trembled. He quickly followed the direction from which the blood scent drifted, and when he reached the dilapidated thatched house, he froze on the spot.
The moonlight cast its glow upon the ground, where hundreds of corpses lay scattered. They had died in various states, some with only half their faces remaining, yet Yun Ze could still call out their names.
Uncle Liu, Mr. Zhang, Aunt Wang, Goudan, Xiaoyu...
Everyone in Hanshan Village was here now, regardless of gender or age.
Yun Ze felt a chill creep into his heart, his hands trembled uncontrollably, and his ears seemed to be filled with their dying screams.
Revenge! Revenge!
Only these two words echoed in his mind now, and he turned to head for the prefectural office!
But at this moment, a rustling sound suddenly came from afar, as if something was moving.
Could it be that those people hadn't left yet?
Yun Ze's blood rushed to his head, and he crept forward under the cover of night.
But when he approached and saw, he froze on the spot, his hands and feet turning cold.