Chapter 235: Villagers are troublemakers
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
The Northern Mountain Village had a tradition. Whenever there was a celebration, all of the families would gather at the square for a meal. It always added color to their otherwise mundane lives.
As such, when he heard the loud noises from the square, Fang Zhengzhi"s heart leapt. Which family is holding a wedding this time?
To think that I made it just in time.
Fang Zhengzhi was incredibly happy.
"There"s meat to eat once I come home, home is the best!"
Fang Zhengzhi missed the dishes from his village. When he brought Chi Guyan to his home, the doors were locked and the lights were switched off.
Fang Zhengzhi was not surprised. If there was a wedding in the village, Fang Houde and Qin Xuelian were probably at the square too.
What am I going to do? The doors are locked...
Should I go over the wall? Fang Zhengzhi was not that uncouth. He chose to pry open a brick by the door. As he expected, there was a key there.
After opening the door and making sure the Snow Treading Dragon Stallion and the Scarlet Flame Snow Cloud were comfortable, Fang Zhengzhi and Chi Guyan made a beeline for the a.s.sembly square.
Chi Guyan had spent some time in the Northern Mountain Village. She knew the rules here and did not question Fang Zhengzhi.
Before they arrived at the square, Fang Zhengzhi saw a few cauldrons and grills from afar. Meat was currently being grilled, its aroma filling the air.
There were dozens of tables next to the grills.
The sounds reverberated from the center.
"So many people?" Fang Zhengzhi was taken aback. There were only a hundred families in the Northern Mountain Village. After including all of the singles, there were usually no more than a dozen tables.
But today was different.
Was this marriage with someone from a neighboring village? Are they here too? Where is the red cloth?
Just as he was contemplating, Fang Zhengzhi"s gaze froze. He realized that there were many weapons by the side of the square. The center table was occupied by soldiers.
All of the villagers stood to the side of the soldiers. Ladies and children stood behind them, waiting on them constantly.
"Why are there so many soldiers in the village?!" Fang Zhengzhi began to have his doubts. The soldiers seemed to be having their way.
They seemed to be used to this kind of treatment. They had clearly been staying here for some time.
Does this have something to do with the ferocious beast?
Is there a need for so many soldiers just to capture a beast? Furthermore, shouldn"t these soldiers be at camp if they"re trying to subdue the beast? Why are they here?
Questions filled Fang Zhengzhi"s mind. He could not understand what was happening. He began brisk walking to the square.
He arrived at the square shortly.
The villagers were all busy serving and waiting on the soldiers. None of them noticed Fang Zhengzhi"s and Chi Guyan"s arrival. However, Chi Guyan"s attire was too outstanding. It simply did not fit in with the villagers.
When they arrived at the outskirts of the square, they were finally noticed.
"Ayy? Why is there an academic... ah! This is... oh my G.o.d, Zhengzhi is back?!" A voice rang out in shock and joy.
The voice was rather soft considering the loud noises in the square. However, its impact was quite stunning. More and more people began to notice...
"It"s Zhengzhi!"
"Why is Zhengzhi back all of a sudden?!"
"Oh my G.o.d, Zhengzhi is back!"
The voices overlapped and attracted the attention of all the villagers. Before long, all the villagers stopped what they were doing and looked at Fang Zhengzhi in surprise.
"Zheng Er, it"s Zheng Er, Zheng Er is back!" Qin Xuelian, who was holding a pot of wine next to the center table, exclaimed.
Her body began to tremble as a smile broke out on her exquisite face.
During the past few months, Qin Xuelian had been looking forward to this moment. She had missed her son so much.
Excitement and surprise caused Qin Xuelian to flush.
So much so she forgot about the pot of wine she was holding in her hand.
"Smack!"
The pot of wine fell on the table, flipping over plates and bowls. The wine happened to splash on a 40 year old soldier. That man happened to be the leader.
His expression darkened instantly.
"b.l.o.o.d.y b*tch, come quickly and clean up the mess you made!" The leader looked on unhappily.
Qin Xuelian did not hear the leader"s commands. All she saw was her son returning. Everything else was secondary to her.
Ignoring the bellows of the leader, Qin Xuelian rushed towards Fang Zhengzhi.
Fang Houde rushed towards Fang Zhengzhi as well.
Fang Houde was sitting near the outside. He wore a black cloth s.h.i.+rt and looked rather frail. However, he brightened up upon seeing Fang Zhengzhi.
"Why is Zhenger...." Before Fang Houde could finish, he found that the atmosphere was changing. He turned his head and saw that all of the soldiers had stood up.
"Cras.h.!.+"
With a crash of armor, over a dozen soldiers left their seats furiously. They looked at Qin Xuelian, who was stunned by what was happening.
"Did you not hear what our leader said? Go clean up your mess!" One of the soldiers placed his hand on the hilt of his sword as he glared at Qin Xuelian.
"Soldier master, please do not be angered. Xuelian was too excited by her son"s return. It was an honest mistake, an honest mistake..." Zhang Yangping, who was also seated at the center table, stepped out and apologized to the soldiers.
"Oh please! Who hasn"t had a son who left for work. If not for the fact that Li Xiantai had spoken up for you all, do you think that you would have the opportunity to go in and out of the village? This is a favour from our leader. Do you think other villages have such privileges? We have already done so much for you all, don"t take advantage of us!" The soldier said haughtily.
"Yes yes yes, I will personally clean it for you!" Zhang Yangping walked towards the leader. However, he did not have a handkerchief. As he walked, he kept searching for a cloth.
"Scram to the side. Our leader has made it clear that he wants that b*tch to clean it up!" The soldier commanded.
"Hahaha..." All of the soldiers looked at Qin Xuelian and smirked with l.u.s.t.
Qin Xuelian was rooted to the ground. In that moment, she had no idea what to do.
She had never been forced into this position before. More importantly, she was about to be taken advantage of in front of her son.
In that instant, she blushed...
Fang Houde clenched his fists tightly. How can he call himself a man if he can"t even protect his wife?
Just because he was a loyal citizen didn"t mean that he had to take the soldiers" humiliation.
They may be backward, but they were righteous.
Even so, he could not possibly put the village in danger simply because he was angry. After all, they were soldiers of the Great Xia Empire. Attacking them would be akin to a rebellion.
Even though he was furious, he could not attack them.
In an instant, Fang Houde pushed past the soldiers blocking Qin Xuelian. He hugged Qin Xuelian, fiercely protective of her.
One of the soldiers was nearly pushed to the ground.
That soldier was completely embarra.s.sed. He looked at Fang Houde, then back at his commander.
The commander was slightly stunned by what he saw.
A villager actually dares to go against the Great Xia Dynasty army? How audacious!
Even though Li Xiantai had told him that the Northern Mountain Village was special, the commander did not think that they could go up against the army.
Now that they had set up camp here, they had to find a way to subdue the villagers. How else was he going to maintain his reputation?
His eyes glimmered icily.
It would all be fine as long as no lives were taken.
"Know your place!" The commander bellowed.
Upon hearing their commander speak, all of the soldiers instantly knew what to do. He was going to make an example of Fang Houde. They could beat him till they were happy, so long as he did not die.
"Oh? I knew that the villagers are all troublemakers! Brothers, beat him up! Make sure he learns his lesson!" The soldier did not hold back any longer.
He had decided to make an example of this audacious villager. He wanted all the villagers to know who was boss now.
"What did you say?"
After the soldier gave the command, a voice rang out next to him.
He was stunned. It felt like the voice had come from right next to him. More importantly, the voice was icy, bone chillingly icy.