Chapter 218: Using His Hand to Avenge the Dead Villagers

Old Village Chief angrily said: "Chop off your head! I want to use your head to pay respects to the villagers who died yesterday!"

Feng San blinked slightly, then flared with anger: "Old geezer, you're being unreasonable! A debt has a debtor, and those people weren't killed by me—what does it have to do with me?"

"Who killed them?" the Old Village Chief asked immediately.

Feng San blurted out without thinking: "Of course it was that group that came yesterday to raid the village—I only joined them after they had already killed people."

"Where are they now?"

"Behind this general!"

"Good, then we'll use their heads for the memorial!"

"Wait... old geezer, what are you saying?"

The Old Village Chief gave Feng San no time to think, and only then did Feng San realize he had fallen into a trap.

"Feng General, you just said a debt has a debtor, didn't you?" the Old Village Chief said loudly and firmly. "How could you, after saying that in front of your thousands of soldiers, turn around and deny it? How will you ever command respect thereafter?"

Feng San's face changed.

He had been careless; this old geezer set a trap with just a few words, leaving him riding a tiger—hard to get off.

Behind him, the fifty-odd Zhenhuang Army soldiers who had participated in yesterday's raid on Niu Village didn't take it seriously at all, each showing a contemptuous sneer.

They felt deep down that Feng San would never really behead them just because of a few words from the village chief.

Come to think of it, if it weren't for them, Feng San couldn't have become a vanguard general overnight.

He should be thanking them—there's no time yet!

Feng San fell into a silence.

Beside the Old Village Chief, a few villagers muttered quietly.

"Will the village chief's trick work?"

"The Zhenhuang Army probably wouldn't care that their own men killed some civilians, right?"

"Exactly, so Feng San doesn't need to rely on something like that to win people's obedience."

Listening to the villagers' discussion, the village chief slowly said: "The Zhenhuang Army indeed wouldn't care that their own men killed civilians, nor would they care how Feng San handles things; even if he really turned around and denied it, shielding the murderers in front of everyone, it would have no bearing on whether he can command respect, because these several thousand Zhenhuang Army merely follow the orders of their great general and tag along with Feng San to do a few tasks—whoever serves as the leading general makes no difference; only Feng San truly takes his title seriously, as you can see—he's now hesitating and wavering."

Several villagers suddenly understood.

"So the village chief is using this method to buy time for the fairy."

"We thought... you really intended to use his hand to avenge our fallen brothers."

"Sigh, if only we could get revenge."

In their words, there was inevitably a sense of loss.

But the Old Village Chief said: "No, besides buying time, we naturally also want those murderers to pay with their lives! Precisely because Feng San takes his current title and status too seriously, he will certainly put on a full show before everyone. Whether the Zhenhuang Army cares or not doesn't matter; I just need him to care himself. Moreover, having just taken office, full of pride, and newly tasting the flavor of holding great power, he will surely want to display his might—just wait, he will definitely behead those who raided Niu Village yesterday."

The Old Village Chief's words had just fallen.

Feng San suddenly shouted an order: "Those who came to Niu Village yesterday, step forward for this general!"

In the crowd, fifty-odd Zhenhuang Army soldiers looked at each other in surprise.

"Huh? What does this Feng San kid mean?"

"He wouldn't really mean to do us in, would he? Who gave him the guts!"

"I reckon he's just putting on a show—how could he dare to behead us?"

"Should we go along with him a bit..."

"To hell with cooperating—what is he? Yesterday he was just a lowly commoner, then overnight he became a temporarily appointed general; who looks up to him? If it weren't for the military pledge, go ask—who would follow him out? Damn, this damned weather is freezing me to death..."

"..."

A group whispered among themselves, yet nobody stepped out of the ranks.

Feng San couldn't bear losing face, his expression turned cold, and he raised his voice again: "Didn't you hear this general's order? Step forward!"

Only then did those fifty-odd Zhenhuang Army soldiers shuffle out unwillingly, listless and reluctant.

A ragged bunch stood before Feng San, lacking any proper formation.

Some yawned, some shook their heads and swayed, some simply squatted down or plopped onto the ground.

Anyway, from head to toe they exuded an obvious attitude of not taking Feng San seriously.

As for the other Zhenhuang Army soldiers, they all wore the look of watching a joke.

Feng San was furious beyond measure; he had originally wanted to just put on a show—saving face for himself while sparing their lives—but they turned out like this.

It seems we must kill a chicken to scare the monkeys.

Feng San narrowed his eyes and shouted: "You indiscriminately slaughtered villagers! Do you know your crime?!"

The fifty-odd Zhenhuang Army soldiers all laughed out loud.

Someone among them shouted: "Feng San! Oh no, Feng General, which incident are you referring to?"

Another laughed loudly: "It's just killing a few troublesome things—does that even count as a crime? In our brotherhood, whose hands aren't stained with several lives?"

"If we didn't loot and kill, why join the army? Being a military lord isn't just for these things, is it?"

"Exactly! Otherwise who would risk their necks, belted to their trousers, to fight for the king? We gotta get some benefits, right?"

The rest chimed in with mockery, even openly discussing their past experiences of looting and killing civilians elsewhere.

Hearing these remarks, the Old Village Chief's eyes turned red, as if about to bleed.

Although Feng San actually agreed with those remarks, he disliked the attitude they were showing right in front of him.

A mere bunch of soldiers dare to act so arrogantly before him—where is the dignity of this venerable vanguard general?

The more Feng San thought about it, the angrier he got; he roared: "Men! Execute these fifty on the spot, behead them as a warning!"

As soon as he said that, everyone was startled.

Those fifty who had been chatting and laughing froze.

Feng San glared with eyes like he wanted to devour them, turned and rebuked the deputy general beside him: "What! You won't even obey this general's order?!"

Deputy General gaped, "General, fifty men—you say chop and you chop!"

"What else?!" Feng San declared righteously, "They slaughtered civilians indiscriminately; not beheading them is insufficient to atone for their crimes!"

"But General…… this……"

"You want to defy military orders? Believe it or not, I'll have you chopped together!"

Deputy General cursed his mother in his heart.

But military discipline stands as it is; Feng San, after all, is the chief commander appointed by the Zhenhuang Army General to lead the troops, so even if one looks down on Feng San, one cannot ignore his status.

"Yes, General, I'll take care of them right away."

The Deputy General immediately assigned over a hundred men to carry out the execution.

As the executioners drew their blades and stepped forward, over fifty Zhenhuang troops couldn't believe it, all rushing to shout at Feng San:

"You really mean it, you bastard?"

"Feng San! If it weren't for us taking you in yesterday and bringing you into Zhenhuang Pass, you wouldn't be where you are today!"

"We're all troops brought up by your adoptive father! You ungrateful dog!"

The more they cursed, the stronger Feng San's killing intent grew.

"Adoptive father? What adoptive father," Feng San said nonchalantly, "Do I even know you? What do you mean by 'taking me in'? Stop patting your own face."

"Feng San! You……"

"Cut the crap, kill them for me, General!"

Swish—

The long blade swept across.

A head fell to the ground, rolling in the snow pile and splashing a glaring red.

The spurting fresh blood melted a large expanse of snow, making onlookers tremble with fear.

After the first was cut down, a second followed.

The hundred Zhenhuang troops carrying out the execution showed no mercy, pairing up to slaughter the fifty.

Curses, pleas for mercy, and wails of anguish rose one after another, but soon these sounds faded away.

The ground, once pure white snow, was stained with large patches of mottled red, exuding a hot, bloody stench.

Over fifty beheaded corpses lay scattered haphazardly, a shocking sight.

The Village Chief's pent-up grief and indignation finally released; he knelt on the ground and burst into tears, "We've taken revenge…… at last for those wrongfully slain villagers…… we've taken revenge……"

Several other villagers also wept profusely, helping the Village Chief as they cried.

"You're amazing…… just a few words and you've avenged our village brothers."

"Yes, now they can rest in peace……"

The Village Chief waved his hand and said, "It's not me who's great; this is all the idea the Jinli Fairy gave me. The truly great one is the Fairy herself."

Actually, by exploiting Feng San's thoughts and using his hand to execute the criminals and avenge the people, the whole process was Ning Jinli teaching the Village Chief step by step via a walkie-talkie earpiece.

The Village Chief kept murmuring, "Fairy…… old man here on behalf of the villagers, thank you."

"No need for thanks, elder," came Ning Jinli's gentle voice from the earpiece, "I've prepared everything here; the other villagers have also hidden. You few can withdraw now—please head toward the village rear, and from now on leave it to the Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army."

"Yes, Fairy!" The Village Chief wiped his tears and quickly informed the nearby villagers.

The villagers, without a word, supported the Village Chief and turned to leave.

Feng San frowned and shouted, "I've fulfilled the terms, you old thing—won't you acknowledge it?!"

The Village Chief utterly ignored him, muttering under his breath as he kept walking forward.

"General, it looks like you were played by him," the Deputy General teased from the side.

Feng San flew into a rage, flicked his whip, and was about to personally give chase.

But after rushing out not far, he turned and saw that the soldiers behind him almost all wore a smirk.

He sank his face, then gazed at the fleeing backs of the Village Chief and the others, thinking, If I went after them alone, wouldn't the over a hundred villagers tear me apart?

"You, take fifty men to pursue and bring that old thing back alive for me, General," Feng San ordered a Deputy General, "Remember, the old thing must be taken alive; if any other villagers obstruct, kill them without mercy."

"Yes, General."

The Deputy General received the order and immediately sent out fifty men to capture.

The Village Chief and several villagers fled on foot.

The fifty Zhenhuang troops, however, rode horses.

The ground snow was deep, hindering progress, but four legs are definitely much faster than two.

As the pursuers drew ever closer, the horse hooves were about to step on the Village Chief's heel.

Suddenly, a long rope coiled in the snow between the Village Chief and the pursuers.

The horse's legs were instantly tripped by the rope, sending the pursuers tumbling with man and beast.

The front group tripped up a large bunch, while those behind couldn't slow down and kept crashing into them.

In the blink of an eye, all fifty mounted pursuers fell—people shouting, horses neighing, snow flying everywhere, the scene descending into chaos.

The Village Chief managed to stop and catch his breath, then turned his head to taunt Feng San: "Beast! Want to catch me? Don't dream about it!"

Feng San's face turned ashen, his patience gone.

Now he had become a Vanguard General, yet still being toyed with like a monkey by the villagers, he instantly flew into a rage, ordering all troops to mobilize, raze Niu Village, capture the Village Chief alive, and slaughter the other villagers.

In his view, the pursuers' earlier setback was merely some petty tricks by the villagers of Niu Village.

Just over a hundred people, no matter how cleverly they play, cannot withstand the crushing of thousands of troops.

Hoofbeats rose everywhere, the ground seeming to tremble.

Thousands of Zhenhuang troops surged like a tide, with unstoppable momentum charging into the village.

Feng San and a few Deputy Generals stayed behind, waiting silently.

At this moment the wind and snow grew even fiercer, and the charging troops kicked up the drifts; for an instant the sky darkened, and the backs of the thousands of Zhenhuang Army troops quickly vanished from Feng San's sight.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Feng San said impatiently, "It takes thousands of men to capture one old man; does it really need that long?"

A Deputy General beside him said, "General, you have deployed too many troops; it hinders movement in a confined area. If more than two‑thirds of the troops encircle from both sides and then send a few hundred men into the village to hunt, it will be much faster."

Feng San narrowed his face, "Are you questioning this General's command ability?"

The Deputy General's expression was somewhat stiff.

Is that even worth questioning?

Isn't it obvious that there's no command experience, just reckless deployment?

But such thoughts must never be spoken.

"Your subordinate… does not dare to question the General," the Deputy General said with a smile, "Your subordinate means that the General still needs to be more patient and wait."

Feng San thought briefly, pointed at him and said, "You, go ahead of this General to check the situation."

"Huh? Me?" the Deputy General was stunned.

Feng San tilted his eyes, "Otherwise? Right now only you few Deputy Generals are by this General's side; if I don't let you go, should I go myself?"

The Deputy General was speechless, only resenting that he had just spoken out of turn and tried to echo him.

"Yes, your subordinate will go look right away."

He swallowed his frustration, and under the gloating gazes of the other Deputy Generals, rode his horse into the village.

The gale howled, mixed with goose‑feather snow, slashing faces like ice blades.

Feng San exhaled steam, rubbed his cold, aching cheeks, and suddenly smelled a whiff of blood carried by the wind.

"What a heavy blood qi," he frowned and asked the nearby Deputy Generals, "Did you smell it?"

Several Deputy Generals flared their nostrils.

They had smelled it long ago, but at first all thought it came from the fifty decapitated corpses just now.

But now those corpses and the blood covering the ground had frozen into ice clumps; the scent of blood should have lessened, yet the blood qi in the air grew ever denser.

A Deputy General, uncertain, said slowly, "General… judging by the wind direction, this increasingly dense blood scent seems to be coming from within the village."

Feng San wondered, "Killing over a hundred villagers, would that produce such heavy blood qi?"

The Deputy General replied, "This… sounds more like a situation where a thousand people are slaughtered in a short time to generate that."

Feng San muttered casually, "A thousand? The village doesn't have that many."

Hearing that, several Deputy Generals suddenly changed expression.

"Bad! There's something wrong in this village! Our several thousand Zhenhuang Army may already have met disaster!"

"General, retreat quickly!"