Chapter 72: Chapter 72: From Now On, I’m in Charge Here
The night air was slightly cool, and an unknown insect chirped from time to time. The crescent moon hung high in the sky, but Fu Ze Village was filled with noisy clamor and illuminated by large swathes of firelight.
Amidst this clamor, there was both joy and panic.
"Mother, hurry and pack up things and come with me, it’ll be too late if we don’t go now."
"Brother Fusheng, you... how did you come back?"
"Stop talking, hurry and pack up, where’s the girl?"
"What’s happening, why are there so many people?"
"Quick, pack up things, I’ll explain once we’re on the mountain."
"..."
Every household in Fu Ze Village began to pack up in panic.
At Zhang He’s place, Chen Mo and Zhang He crawled out from the tunnel. Zhang He proactively concealed the tunnel entrance, listened to the commotion outside, and wondered, "Brother Mo, it doesn’t sound like official soldiers?"
Chen Mo’s sensory perception was more acute; this indeed didn’t seem like official soldiers, but rather a family gathering...
Zhang He stealthily went outside to scout, then slipped back and said, "Brother Mo, it seems like Fusheng and the others have returned."
"I heard it."
Chen Mo, holding a Tang Blade, walked directly outside.
Zhang He was startled, "Brother Mo, there are so many of them, are we just... going out like this?"
"Why be afraid when they’re not official soldiers? I’m confident, stay behind me..."
Chen Mo took a deep breath and directly walked out of Zhang He’s house.
There were quite a few people outside, and as Chen Mo and Zhang He walked out openly, they were quickly noticed by the villagers.
"Isn’t that Brother Mo and Shui? Why are they here?"
"It’s really Brother Mo, how come he came out from Shui’s house?"
"Brother Mo is holding a knife..."
"..."
Thanks to the intimidation Chen Mo had accumulated in the village, no one dared to approach him at all.
From a distance, Chen Mo saw a group of people gathered around outside his yard, holding torches, many of whom were not from the village. He frowned and asked Zhang He to go and inquire before heading straight home.
Zhang He quickly caught up after getting the information, "Brother Mo, it’s Mrs. Han’s uncle who brought people into our village, and Liu Shu, that bastard, led the way. He even said that Brother Mo’s family always has fish and meat and isn’t short on food. According to Fusheng, Third Brother Han wants to borrow grain from Brother Mo."
"Borrow grain? More like rob grain," Chen Mo sneered, borrowing grain, what a grandiose pretense.
"That’s fine, I was worrying about having no one to assert my authority..."
...
Chen Family.
"Bang..."
Three rooms were roughly searched, tables and chairs were overturned.
The rice jar was empty.
The wardrobe was empty.
Third Brother Han found nothing.
"Third Brother Han, we’ve searched everywhere, no hidden passage found, guessing this family has moved away." A villager from Da Han Village came out of the room and said.
"Damn it," Han San kicked the doorframe hard and said, "Find someone from the village and ask where the people have gone."
Meanwhile, there’s a clamor outside.
Liu Shu hurried inside, came to Han San and trembled saying, "Third Brother Han, Brother Mo has returned?"
"Returned?"
Han San puzzledly walked outside, followed by people from Da Han Village.
"Is he Chen Mo?"
"Yes, it’s him."
"Nothing special about him, can he really be a Martial Artist lord?"
People from other villages watched Chen Mo coming directly, because they hadn’t witnessed Chen Mo fighting a dozen people alone or returning with a bear, their expressions were calm, even somewhat "contemptuous."
Only the people from Fu Ze Village quickly retreated two steps, making way.
Other villagers, seeing Chen Mo as a relative of Han San, also let him pass.
Chen Mo and Zhang He successfully entered the yard.
Zhang He tightly gripped the Tang Blade, feeling slightly uneasy, knowing Brother Mo’s ruthless nature, maybe there would be a fight later.
Zhang He glanced around at several hundred people, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.
He looked at Brother Mo.
Only saw Chen Mo gazing intently at the house, eyes squinting slightly, looking at the mess at home.
"Are you my niece’s husband’s brother?" Han San strode out of the house, holding a knife on his shoulder, accompanied by fifteen or twenty armored, armed men.
"Are you Han San?"
Chen Mo did not answer Han San’s words, calmly looking at him.
Han San frowned slightly, lowered the knife, and said, "I am Han San, your sister-in-law’s uncle, I..."
"Then that’s correct."
"Hmm?"
Clang—
The sound of drawing a blade.
Han San noticed something was wrong, but as a regular person, how could his speed compare to that of a Martial Artist?
Poof!
People around didn’t see how Chen Mo acted, they only saw a head flying up high, then dropping to the ground, a gush of fresh blood spurted out from the severed neck.
"Hiss."
The observers were all shocked, their faces filled with horror.
Liu Shu, just out of the house, shrank back in fright.
"Third Brother Han..." The fifteen or twenty people from Da Han Village, seeing Han San being beheaded in public without even finishing his sentence, were also scared, not daring to act recklessly for a moment.
Around, people scattered and fled in panic.
Upon seeing this, Chen Mo shouted loudly and swung another blade, the recently repaired courtyard gate shattered into pieces with a "bang," splinters flying everywhere: "Who dares to flee?"
This loud shout, like thunder exploded in everyone’s ear, coupled with the killing aura and the scattered courtyard gate, one individual managed to subdue these three to four hundred people.
Seeing the villagers’ terrified expressions, Chen Mo was not surprised and loudly said: "I know you’re not with this Han San, you were coerced and forced to come, I don’t blame you. So, I will say three things, after saying them, whether you stay or leave, I will not stop you."
"First, from now on, Fu Ze Village is under my control."
"Second, I know you are all deserters, killing officials, fleeing, you’ve committed a capital offense which implicates your families, coincidentally, I am like you. So, those willing to follow me, I can protect you and your families."
Upon hearing this, the three to four hundred people paused, even those at the outskirts prepared to sneak away stopped.
Previously on the mountain, they understood they had committed capital offenses, only able to flee with their families.
And now, Chen Mo was willing to protect them and their families, his extraordinary display of power made them feel oddly "reassured."
"Can... can you be trusted?"
Amidst the crowd, a timid voice sounded.
Chen Mo loudly said: "You can inquire in the village, I’m known to keep my word."
Though in villagers’ eyes, his original self was "weak and easy to bully," his credibility was impeccable, moreover being a scholar was trustworthy.
Momentarily, everyone showed joyful expressions.