Volume One, Chapter 15: After Beating Us Up, You Still Have the Nerve to File a Complaint?
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Xu Mo held two hunting rifles, his cold gaze sweeping over the crowd. Though these people were seasoned in the mountains, they were not hardened bandits.
“Throw your weapons far away,” Xu Mo commanded.
“We’re throwing them! We’re throwing them!” Yao Aiguo quickly responded.
Reluctantly and fearfully, everyone threw their hunting rifles, machetes, spears, and clubs more than ten meters away.
“Step back!”
“We’re stepping back right now!”
Yao Aiguo was the first to run toward the distance.
Once Yao Aiguo and the others had fled, Xu Mo looked at Yao Jian, who had fainted, and Yao Weimin, lying on the ground with blood gushing from his thigh, his expression growing even colder.
Yao Weimin trembled at Xu Mo’s icy stare.
Xu Mo slung the hunting rifles over his shoulder, hoisted the dead muntjac, and strode away.
In the distance, Yao Aiguo and the others exchanged glances.
“Brother Aiguo, are we really just going to let Heizi walk away like that?”
“What else can we do? You gonna stop him?”
“We’re a big group, and we’ve got four hunting rifles…”
“Stop your damn whining. If you’ve got guts, go up there yourself. It’s unbelievable how skilled Heizi is, and his marksmanship—he shoots exactly where he aims. If you mess with this demon, don’t drag me into it.”
“Let’s go check on Jian and Weimin!”
Xu Mo carried two rifles on his right shoulder and the dead muntjac across his left, heading toward the village.
He wasn’t afraid of Yao Jian’s retaliation. If they really pushed him, he would bury them all in the mountains.
Of course, Xu Mo wasn’t willing to kill Yao Jian and the others just over a stolen muntjac.
But he certainly wasn’t going to let the matter drop.
Back in the village, Xu Mo went straight to Xu Datou’s house.
Seeing Xu Mo carrying the dead muntjac, Xu Datou was stunned.
“Heizi, you’re really something. Hunting alone in the mountains and actually bringing down a muntjac,” Xu Datou said, eyeing Xu Mo up and down.
“Brother Datou, I remember the big drum is kept at your place, right?”
“That’s right. Why?”
“Can I borrow it?” Xu Mo asked.
Xu Datou raised an eyebrow. “Borrowing it’s no problem, but can you tell me what you need it for?”
“I’m going to the Yao village to beat the drum and bang the gong!”
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“What?” Xu Datou was shocked. Was he out of his mind? Going to the neighboring Yao village to beat the drum and bang the gong?
“Yao Jian and the others broke the rules and tried to steal my prey!”
“What?” Xu Datou’s face darkened, eyes full of anger. “Are you serious?”
“Why would I lie to you?”
“I’m coming with you to the Yao village. Damn it, Yao Jian and his gang are getting more and more lawless!”
Saying that, Xu Datou ran inside shouting, “Heizi, wait for me. I’ll find the big drum. Oh, and call Yao Guo and the others. This is their fault, and we need to make them answer for it.”
More than half an hour later.
The young men with the Xu surname gathered, each one furious.
Soon, the whole story was known.
Several young men with the Ye surname also came upon hearing the news.
Thus, nearly thirty people from Shangye village marched loudly toward Yao village, over ten miles away.
The road was tough, and it took them over an hour to reach Yao village.
“Brothers, start banging those drums and beating the gongs!” Xu Datou shouted, striking the big drum first.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
The sound of drums and gongs was deafening.
Ye Daxiong, loud-voiced and red-faced, led the way shouting, “People of Yao village, you’re shameless! Breaking the ancestors’ rules is inhuman!”
Beating drums and gongs, he shouted as loudly as he could.
In the large Yao village, people came out of their houses to watch the commotion; such excitement was rare this time of year.
“Xu Datou, what the hell are you doing?”
“Damn, you people from Shangye village are getting bold, coming to our Yao village to stir up trouble? Do you think we’re made of clay?”
As more Yao villagers gathered, Xu Datou cleared his throat and shouted, “Uncles and aunts, we’ve come today to ask if you still want to keep the mountain’s rules!”
“Xu Datou, who do you think you are, daring to question the ancestors’ rules?”
“Damn it, Datou, you’re asking for a beating, aren’t you?”
The two villages were more than ten miles apart, but with intermarriage going back generations, they were closely connected.
Yao village’s chief, Yao Jinchun, leaning on his cane with a scowl, pushed through the crowd and looked around, cursing, “You little bastards, got nothing better to do?”
“Chief Yao, it’s not that we have nothing to do. It’s your villagers who broke the mountain’s rules. That’s why we’re here. Chief, just tell us, do the mountain’s rules still matter? If you say no, we’ll turn around and leave without another word!”
Yao Jinchun squinted, knowing his village’s kids were probably in the wrong. “Speak, what’s the matter?”
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“Heizi hunted a muntjac in the mountains, but Yao Jian and the others tried to forcibly take it. Chief Yao, what do you say should be done?” Xu Datou asked.
The Yao villagers fell silent.
“Chief Yao, Yao Jian even said those damn rules are feudal superstitions and must be discarded,” Xu Datou continued.
“Damn it!”
Yao Jinchun cursed under his breath, scanning the crowd until his gaze landed on a woman. “Where’s your son?”
“Chief, Jian hasn’t come back yet. Also, don’t believe everything they say. My Jian is a rule-follower.”
“Dazhao!” Yao Jinchun called out.
“I’m here, Chief!” came the reply.
“Go into the mountains and call those little bastards back!”
“Got it, I’m going right now!”
Meanwhile,
Yao Jian and the others had reached the outskirts of the village.
Yao Weimin was being carried, his injured thigh numb, lips bluish.
Yao Shanfeng’s cheek was swollen high, and he was missing a front tooth.
Yao Jian carefully rubbed his temple, still aching faintly after all this time.
“Uncle Dazhao!”
“What happened to Weimin?” Dazhao asked, surprised to see the group looking so dejected, Weimin’s face pale and blood staining his pants, his expression suddenly grave.
On the way back, they had agreed to conceal the fact that Xu Mo had given them a severe beating.
That was too humiliating.
“Nothing’s wrong!” Yao Jian’s eyes flickered. “We ran into a wild boar. Weimin’s thigh got bitten.”
“Bitten by a wild boar and you say nothing’s wrong? Hurry to Liu Zhiqing to have him checked. Oh, and the chief sent me to find you…”
What the hell?
Xu Mo beat us up, then came banging drums and gongs to complain?
Does he have any shame left?
But the truth is…
They were clearly in the wrong.