Upon hearing the words of the chief bandit, everyone's faces changed. They all knelt down in unison.
The man at the front looked elegant and his temperament was quite different from those around him, but there was a hint of killing intent in his eyes.
He crawled forward a few steps on his knees and pressed his head to the ground, looking extremely pious.
"All those who survived on Fushou Mountain owe their lives to the previous chief bandit. Do you want his soul in heaven to never rest in peace?"
The chief bandit covered the little winter melon spirit's ears and motioned to the people around him to take the child out.
As the figure of the little winter melon spirit gradually disappeared from sight, the chief bandit's face darkened. He stared coldly at the man on the ground. After a long while, he finally replied.
"My elder brother spent so many years in the mountains just to ensure that the common people could live a good life. But open your eyes and take a look at what kind of life we are living in this stronghold?"
As soon as the chief bandit finished speaking, someone came in from outside to deliver a message.
The messenger whispered a few words into his ear, then bowed his head and scurried out.
The chief bandit took off his animal skin robe and put on a coarse cloth garment. He then sat down on the high seat.
"I have my own judgment on this matter. There's no need to use my elder brother's spirit to blackmail me."
His words were firm and his eyes were fixed on the scholarly young man, as if he was specifically addressing him.
"I saved you from the foot of the mountain back then because I couldn't bear to see you become a wandering soul on the mountain. But if you act out of selfish desires, don't blame me for being merciless."
The man kneeling on the ground was Chen Fangzhi. He had studied hard for more than a decade and finally had the opportunity to take the imperial examination, but he failed miserably.
Disheartened, he returned to his hometown and claimed that someone had rigged the results and deliberately replaced him.
He wanted to file a complaint with the yamen, but was beaten half to death and thrown on the street.
Coincidentally, he was met by the chief bandit and brought back to the mountain, where he managed to save his life.
Chen Fangzhi was quite dissatisfied. He stood up, flicked his sleeves and left.
Several people followed him out and surrounded him, offering words of comfort.
"Don't be angry with the chief bandit. In the past, there were good fields on the mountain for farming, but now there's not even a blade of grass. How can he not be anxious?"
"Yes, if the previous chief bandit were still alive, he definitely wouldn't blame us. He sacrificed his life for the common people. How could he watch them suffer?"
They thought they could persuade Chen Fangzhi, but instead, his eyes turned blood - red with anger. He muttered a few curses under his breath and strode towards the back mountain.
Strangely enough, although Chen Fangzhi had been on the mountain for two years and had not personally experienced the fire, he hated the government to the core.
Every time they wanted to make peace with the government, he would do everything he could to stop them.
The chief bandit even suspected that he might be dragging the entire mountain of people into trouble for his own personal vendettas.
When Ye Zhinan and the other two arrived on the mountain, they happened to witness this dramatic scene.
"The information we've heard seems to be different from the actual situation. It seems that this matter is not as difficult as we thought."
Qin Yihuai nodded in agreement. They had been lurking around the mountain for two days, and the villagers were all very kind - hearted and inclined towards the government.
After eavesdropping on their conversation just now, they could roughly guess their attitude.
But who on earth spread the news that the bandits and the government were irreconcilable enemies?
"Let's not make a fuss for now. Let's observe their movements first. Maybe it's a trap."
Ye Yingfeng remained highly vigilant. When he was in the army, there were always people who pretended to surrender.
On the surface, they seemed to be sincerely surrendering, but in fact, they were trying to make the enemy relax their guard, lure them in and then wipe them out.
The bandits had been domineering for many years, so they must have their own tricks. They couldn't afford to be careless at this moment.
"You guys stop scheming. Our chief bandit is the most admirable person. They burned your crops because you were too much."
The young servant beside them spoke up in defense. Ye Zhinan's eyes widened in surprise. She put her hands on her hips and retorted immediately.
"Us being too much? We've been working hard at the foot of the mountain, keeping out of your way. Where did we go too far?"
She thought of the corn she had painstakingly planted, and her heart ached.
Those were not just crops, but also the hope for the common people to survive.
If they really couldn't pay the taxes and there was no other way out, it would be pushing the common people into a pit of fire.
"Since your chief bandit loves the people so much, why doesn't he think about the people at the foot of the mountain?"
The young servant curled his lips and didn't want to argue with her anymore. He lowered his head and led them to the front hall.
Ye Zhinan didn't have much good impression of Fushou Mountain to begin with, and now it had returned to square one, almost turning negative.
She was filled with anger, and her steps were heavy.
Carelessly, she suddenly felt a dull pain in her knee.
She gasped and looked down. She thought she had bumped into a stone pier, but it turned out to be the head of the little winter melon spirit.
"Don't you watch where you're going? What if you get hurt?"
"My daddy said that I can walk around as I please on Fushou Mountain. Everyone has to make way for me. It's you who didn't learn the rules and you're blaming me instead."
The little winter melon spirit stuck out his neck and accused Ye Zhinan confidently.
She wasn't angry. Instead, she just casually ruffled his hair.
"You're almost malnourished. If you keep living like this, you might end up having to lie down all the time."
The little winter melon spirit's hair was yellow and dull. He looked strong, but there were acne marks faintly visible on his skin.
She had secretly felt his pulse just now and found that he was a typical case of malnutrition.
He not only lacked vitamins but also ate too much meat, resulting in the deposition of protein and fat, which was extremely harmful to such a young child.
"Even for the sake of the children, we have to get this done."
Ye Zhinan had always been highly empathetic. The grudges of the older generation shouldn't involve the children.
They couldn't choose their birth, but they had the right to a better life.
Qin Yihuai didn't say a word. He just lowered his eyes and strode inside.
The little winter melon spirit made a face at Ye Zhinan. Just as he was about to run away, there was a cracking sound in his joints.
Before he could react, he fell heavily to the ground.
Ye Zhinan heard the aggrieved crying outside, but she couldn't even force a smile.
"My child is too naughty. I'm sorry for the trouble he has caused you. You've come from afar and you're our honored guests. Why don't you have some wine to warm yourselves up first?"
The chief bandit glanced at the commotion outside. He didn't have time to take care of his son. Instead, he filled a large bowl in front of him with wine.
He raised his head boldly and drank the wine in one gulp, then slammed the bowl on the ground.
The sound of the porcelain shattering broke the silence in the front hall and added a tense atmosphere among them.
Ye Zhinan shivered. It was a lie to say that she wasn't scared.
"You two secretly take these. Make sure no one sees you."
She took out two anti - drunkenness pills from her space. Just as she was about to hand them to Ye Yingfeng, she saw her elder brother rushing forward.