Chapter 47: Driving Away the Bully and Engaging in a Philosophical Dialogue with the Village Chief

Guo Yong was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t yet grasped what had happened when Liao Zi’ang had already left the village. He still wanted to hurl some harsh words at Chu Feng and Du Dahai, only to find that the villagers of Yulong had already surrounded them.

A group of people stared coldly at Guo Yong. If he dared utter a single word, every villager in Yulong would immediately rush forward and beat them mercilessly.

Guo Yong faltered. For the first time in years, he felt afraid. He pointed angrily at Chu Feng and Du Dahai, his voice trembling with frustration.

“Fine, fine, you Yulong villagers are formidable, truly formidable. But this matter won’t end so simply. The killing of my son—I will seek justice for him, even if I have to take it all the way to the capital!”

“Go ahead,” Du Dahai replied coolly, “Don’t say you’ll take it to the capital; even if you take it to the heavens, Yulong Village is not afraid.”

Seeing Guo Yong slink away dejectedly, Du Dahai finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had never been so resolute in a conflict, especially with officials present. Du Dahai was a cautious man who only wished for his villagers to live peaceful, stable lives. In today’s world, survival itself was difficult enough. He did not seek unnecessary conflict, but that did not mean he would tolerate being bullied. To yield in such circumstances would be a failure as village chief.

Though he felt some lingering fear, Du Dahai did not dwell on it. He called out to the villagers, “Alright, everyone, head back quickly. It’s quite cold outside.”

Wang Wei and Sun Can approached Chu Feng.

“If anything happens, Brother Feng, you have to let me know immediately. We’ll always be your strongest brothers!”

Indeed, these two had been at the forefront during the fight. Chu Feng patted their shoulders. Among men, much was understood without words.

“Anyone hurt? If so, get your wounds treated quickly,” Du Dahai advised.

That fight had been fierce. Over twenty villagers from Yulong had scattered the people from Taoyuan Village. But that didn’t mean the enemy had no fighting capability. Both sides had been agitated and intense, so injuries were inevitable, though fortunately none were severe. Since it was not Taoyuan’s home ground, they dared not go all out.

The worst injury was on Huzi, the son of Widow Wang, who was just fourteen years old. Though small and slender, the boy appeared remarkably sharp. A large gash on his arm was still oozing blood.

“Still smiling? If that blade had hit your neck, you’d be dead already,” Widow Wang scolded.

Seeing this, Chu Feng stepped forward to help bandage the wound.

“No need, Xiao Feng,” she said. “He’s young and strong. That wound will scab over in a couple of days.”

“Yeah, Brother Feng, don’t worry. When my arm’s healed, can you take me hunting?” Huzi asked.

“No problem. When you’re better, come find me, and I’ll take you up the mountain,” Chu Feng replied.

It was clear Widow Wang had prompted the boy to ask. Chu Feng’s hunting skills were well respected in the village, and many wanted to learn. Wang Wei, Sun Can, and Du Cheng had all tried but eventually gave up. The other villagers soon understood that hunting was no simple matter; mastering it was even harder and carried significant risks.

Yet in this society, without a solid skill set, one’s future was limited to farming. Widow Wang did not want her son to be just a farmer—there wasn’t enough food for that. Even being a carpenter, blacksmith, or hunter was better.

Huzi had fought bravely in today’s brawl, partly because Widow Wang had urged him to show his mettle before Chu Feng, but also because the boy was truly loyal.

When Huzi asked to go hunting with Chu Feng, the latter did not hesitate to agree. Hunting alone was lonely.

As the villagers gradually dispersed, Chu Feng did not let Du Dahai, Wang Wei, and Sun Can leave.

“Don’t go yet. Have breakfast at my place,” he invited.

With the new year approaching and winter wheat all planted, village life had become more leisurely. There wasn’t much to do. More villagers were heading into town with Old Zhao, but after today, the frequency would likely decrease to avoid further conflicts with Taoyuan Village.

Breakfast in the village was simple: a bowl of millet porridge and a coarse wheat bun. What set Chu Feng’s household apart was the addition of pickled vegetables bought from town. Chu Feng always felt breakfast was too bland, and the pickles added a touch of flavor.

For the villagers, pickles were precious—salt was expensive, so anything requiring a lot of it was rare.

Wang Wei and Sun Can didn’t hold back while eating. The three had become very close after sharing life-and-death moments. They gave no thought to Chu Feng’s appetite when devouring the large buns. Du Dahai chuckled at their antics.

While eating, the conversation turned to Chu Feng’s killing of several men from Taoyuan Village.

Du Dahai said, “Chu Feng, I understand the situation then—the other side intended to kill you, so you acted in self-defense. But once they stopped attacking, you didn’t have to kill them.”

“Why not?” Chu Feng asked, puzzled. As an orphan in his previous life, he wasn’t skilled in social graces. Later, he got into university, joined the army, and became an outdoor streamer—all by his own effort. In his straightforward worldview, he was strong enough not to depend on anyone or kowtow to anyone’s face. If you treated him well, he’d return it twofold. If you treated him badly, he’d keep his distance. But if you tried to harm him, he’d fight back twice as hard. That was his life principle.

Du Dahai replied simply, “Because your wife and child will eventually have to go to town. You can’t keep watch over them every moment, can you?”

He said no grand philosophical truths, but the simple sentence struck Chu Feng deeply. It reminded him of a famous saying from his future world—a principle for handling conflict: the retreat of the fortunate.

If you have a happy family—wife, children waiting for you at home—then when faced with danger, you ought to choose the absolutely safest course.

But the premise of this principle is living in a society governed by law and order—a stable world.

This was Da Qian.

Chu Feng shook his head. “Village Chief, I understand what you mean, but I don’t agree.”

Wang Wei and Sun Can paused their eating, looking at Chu Feng curiously. They didn’t fully accept Du Dahai’s reasoning either, but lacked the confidence or knowledge to argue.

Du Dahai was not offended. He stroked his beard and said, “Then what do you think?”

Chu Feng replied, “Your words might hold in the capital or a large city, where laws are sound and the chance of life-or-death crises is small. But our village isn’t like that. The laws here are lax. I don’t know if Guo Wu, after attacking me once, will stop. What if he wants the chicken in my basket and attacks again? What if he simply dislikes me and rallies others to beat me until I’m broken? Or if, seeing no one around, he doesn’t care about my life and kills me for his own selfish pleasure? Village Chief, in that kind of situation, I can’t gamble!”