Chapter 262

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Protagonist:

Jiang Xuan

"Waa……"

Boy felt somewhat embarrassed, appearing completely different from his valiant enemy-slaying self on the battlefield just now.

Only because he saw several uncles of his tribe nearly harmed by the Lang Village people, and the other side was so overbearing, the fighting spirit in his heart was thoroughly ignited, and he threw himself into battle without regard for anything. This was the first time in his life he fought so desperately.

"Friends of Shi Cun, please show mercy! Let us sit down and talk properly; there is always room for compromise!" Seeing the situation was unfavorable, the Lang Village people hurriedly shouted loudly.

A boy of such outstanding talent, if crippled, would undoubtedly be a calamity for Lang Village.

"Easy to negotiate? You snatched our prey, killed our kin, and were ruthless when shooting arrows—why didn't you think of negotiating properly then?!"

Shi Linhu glared with wide eyes and questioned sternly.

"Bang!"

Stone Flying Flood Dragon was still angry, leaped high into the air, spun rapidly once in midair, and like a shell from a cannon, smashed straight down toward Bei Feng.

With a crisp "crack," one of Bei Feng's arm bones snapped on the spot, and he twisted his face in pain.

"Please don't fight! It's all our fault; we apologize to you, is that alright?"

A middle-aged man from Lang Village shouted with a sobbing voice, full of terror and pleading.

The leader of Lang Village's hunting party also hurriedly called for negotiation; he stood over two meters tall, usually imposing, but now not a trace of toughness remained.

"Negotiate my ass! Say nothing, beat him up first to vent this foul anger!"

Er Meng's father flew into a rage and cursed loudly.

The anger long pent up in the hearts of the Shi Cun people surged like a tidal wave at this moment, impossible to easily calm.

"Boom!"

Er Meng's father suddenly leaped high, flipped his body in midair, and slammed his knee hard into Bei Feng's face.

This strike carried tremendous power; Bei Feng's face instantly became a mangled mess of flesh and blood, and he was sent flying several meters away like a kite with its string cut.

"Kid, do you still dare glare at me? My brothers were almost killed by you—four or five of them—and every arrow of yours aimed at vital points. Where is your former arrogance? If you have the ability, come and spar again!"

"Bang!"

When Bei Feng rolled to Shi Linhu's feet, Shi Linhu was equally merciless, lifting his leg high and stepping heavily on Bei Feng's back.

This kick contained several thousand jin of immense force, enough to shatter hard boulders.

Under this kick, several more of Bei Feng's bones broke; the corners of his mouth twitched incessantly, blood and sweat interwove and flowed continuously, his aura grew faint, and he was on his last breath.

Not long ago, Bei Feng had acted wantonly and arrogantly on the battlefield.

But now, he had become a prisoner, curled up on the ground, covered in bloodstains, in a wretched state; such a great contrast was truly lamentable.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The Shi Cun people hated Bei Feng's past misdeeds to the bone; at this moment they swarmed forward, each throwing punches and kicks, mercilessly venting the anger in their hearts.

Living in this Great Wilderness, they all possessed strong physiques and astonishing strength.

After a round of punches and kicks, Bei Feng was almost beaten to a pulp, his bones broken who knows how many times, he lay limp on the ground, his aura so faint it was almost imperceptible.

"Stop!"

Seeing this, the Lang Village people were anxious and hurriedly nocked their bows, assuming a posture of charging forward to rescue him.

If this continued, even if Bei Feng survived by luck, he would surely be crippled for life; this talented boy would be ruined.

"All of you, stand back! Everyone, retreat to the side! We'll talk after our anger subsides!"

Stone Flying Flood Dragon's voice boomed like a great bell as he shouted to stop them.

Everyone threw punches and kicks; before long, Bei Feng was battered beyond recognition, his face bruised and swollen, bones broken in multiple places, a gruesome sight, with not a trace of his former arrogance and cruelty left.

At this moment, a group of children also rushed forward, especially Pi Hou, who hurled stones at Bei Feng while angrily cursing: "You almost killed my father, and you dare be so arrogant? How is it, aren't you subdued by Boy!"

"Our tribe's Boy is only three and a half years old, and you are over ten, yet you can't even beat him—what is there to be arrogant about, what is there to show off?" A group of children threw stones while mercilessly scolding him.

At this time, everyone gathered around Shi Hao, lavishing praise on him without reserve.

Even the people of Shi Cun had not expected that this child of only three and a half years old could be so formidable, subduing a terrifying youth whose strength could match Shi Linhu by his own power.

"Friends of Shi Cun, you've vented enough anger, haven't you? Let him go now!"

The Lang Village people were extremely anxious and begged bitterly.

If this continued, their talented boy would be completely reduced to a cripple, no different from a dead dog.

"Then let's negotiate!"

Shi Linhu strode forward, stepping on Bei Feng's head, treating him completely like an ant beneath his feet.

This scene made the hearts of the Lang Village people clench; Shi Linhu was burly, and with such a forceful stomp, even an elephant would be flattened.

But under the eaves, one must lower one's head.

Although the Lang Village people felt indignant in their hearts, they could only offer kind words and dared not show the slightest anger.

"We are all fellow countrymen in the Great Wilderness; even if there are some contradictions and conflicts, in the future we will meet again. We hope the friends of Shi Cun will be magnanimous and forgive our recklessness this time."

A silver-tongued man from Lang Village's hunting party smiled all over his face and spoke with extremely earnest words.

"Pah! You speak better than you sing; what were you doing when you were committing atrocities earlier? Why did you harm our fellow tribesmen?!"

Stone Flying Flood Dragon shouted mercilessly, his eyes full of anger and contempt.

Shi Linhu waved his hand and said coldly: "Cut the nonsense; we don't like these empty words. Say directly, what do you intend to use to compensate us for our losses?"

"This..."

Hearing this, the Lang Village people furrowed their brows and showed difficulty. The leader of the hunting party hesitated for a moment and said: "We sincerely apologize to you, and will offer all the prey from this hunt to you; do you think this will do?"

Er Meng's father rolled his eyes, his face full of disdain as he said: "These prey were originally ours. You injured so many of our people, and you think offering an apology and some prey can just gloss things over?"

"How about this: we completely withdraw from this mountain forest from now on, guarantee we won't cross the boundary by half a step, and return the hunting grounds to you in full. Is that acceptable?"

The people of Lang Village proposed another condition.

"Bullshit! These belonged to us all along. You've talked for half a day and haven't shown a shred of real sincerity!"

A hot-tempered person from Shi Cun shouted angrily, blazing fury burning in his eyes.

Shi Linhu waved his hand grandly and said with domineering confidence: "I have no patience to haggle with you. Letting this boy go is fine. Besides what was just said, all weapons on your persons must be left behind. Meet these conditions, and you can take him back. Remember, don't show up in our territory again!"

"What? That's absolutely out of the question!"

Upon hearing this, the people of Lang Village were instantly shocked and cried out in alarm. To them, weapons were their lifeline for survival in this perilous Great Wilderness.

Metal ores were rare here, and mining was extremely difficult. Owning a handy weapon required spending a great deal of time and effort on forging and polishing.

"Then there's nothing to discuss. Cut off this boy's head and throw it back to the people of Lang Village!" Shi Linhu's expression darkened as he roared loudly.

"Got it!"

A young man responded loudly, without hesitation picking up a broadsword, raising it high, and about to strike down fiercely.

"Don't act, we agree!"

A key figure of Lang Village saw this and screamed in terror, hurriedly stopping them.

The others of Lang Village had extremely ugly expressions, and someone muttered in a low voice: "Really have to hand over so many weapons? This loss is too great."

"Without weapons, we can find a way to forge more. Though it takes time and effort, there's still a thread of vitality. But if people are gone, then everything is gone..."

Originally there would have been a bloody battle, but Boy acted, dueling with Bei Feng, this terrifying genius of Lang Village, actually changed the course of battle and avoided a bloody conflict. Otherwise, who knows how many would have died.

A group of people returned with a full load, back to Shi Cun.

"Master, I won." Boy returned excitedly.

Bei Feng, the genius of Lang Village, usually relied on his talent to act arrogantly, and was Lang Village's greatest support in causing trouble outside.

Jiang Xuan heard these words and was slightly stunned. Before his departure, he had indeed instructed Boy to be decisive when dealing with matters, but he didn't expect Boy to still not be decisive enough in killing.

Back when Jiang Xuan first began cultivating, Lang Village would have only one fate.

Grabbed with one hand, instantly refined.

Jiang Xuan's spiritual power covered the Great Wilderness and found the people of Lang Village.

Only to see them all with grim faces, surging killing intent radiating from their bodies, and hatred in their eyes almost overflowing. At present, although only Bei Feng was seriously injured among them, this grudge had probably already planted evil seeds in their hearts.

After pondering for a moment, Jiang Xuan asked: "Are the people of Lang Village bad or not?"

"Bad people! They snatched our food. When we went to demand it, they even wanted to shoot my eyes with arrows!"

Boy said excitedly, his little face flushed red.

"Is that Bei Feng bad or not?" Jiang Xuan asked again.

"Totally bad! It was him who injured Uncle and the others, and he arrogantly said not to let us return to the village."

Boy clenched his fists tightly, his eyes full of anger.

"Then if Bei Feng recovers, and the village has conflicts with Lang Village again in the future, what will be the result?" Jiang Xuan guided him step by step.

Upon hearing this, Boy fell silent for a while, his voice becoming muffled: "Uncle and the others will be bullied, the village won't get food..." Boy didn't say the words that followed, but the consequences were obviously unthinkable.

Jiang Xuan gently touched Boy's head, his expression turning serious: "Child, you must know that being merciful to enemies is being cruel to yourself. Someone like Bei Feng, if not thoroughly resolved, will surely bring great calamity to Shi Cun in the future. You didn't thoroughly resolve him this time. When the next conflict comes, he will strike a killing blow at Shi Cun, and Lang Village might even wipe out Shi Cun."

Boy lifted his head, his eyes full of doubt and confusion: "But, Master, I only injured him..."

"Listen."

Jiang Xuan squatted down, meeting Boy at eye level: "Since you've already acted, you can't leave hidden dangers. This isn't cruelty, but to protect our village, to protect our family. Think about it: if he wakes up and retaliates, what will happen to everyone in Shi Cun?"

"Boy, cut the grass but not the roots, and the spring wind will make it grow again!"

"But you don't need to worry. When your cultivation is accomplished, you can cut through tangled hemp with a swift knife."

Boy bit his lip, nodding as if understanding but not quite.

The night deepened, and moonlight gently fell over the small courtyard.

Jiang Xuan sat on a bamboo chair, holding a yellowed ancient book in his hand, turning the pages from time to time.

Boy lay on the table, with an unfinished ink wash painting spread before him.

"Master, do you think my painting looks good?" Boy lifted his head, his eyes bright and sparkling, with a few drops of ink on his cheeks.

Jiang Xuan put down his tea and carefully examined the painting. The painting depicted a phoenix with spread wings. Although the brushstrokes were tender, it exuded a touch of spiritual qi.

"Not bad." Jiang Xuan nodded slightly. "But the phoenix's eyes need to be outlined a bit more, to make it look more spirited."

Boy nodded seriously, picked up his writing brush, and lightly dotted on the painting. Jiang Xuan watched his focused expression, and a smile unconsciously rose at the corner of his mouth.

"Master, do you know?" Boy suddenly lifted his head. "I secretly practiced calligraphy for a long time today."

"Oh?" Jiang Xuan raised his eyebrows. "Let me see."

Boy proudly took out a sheet of paper from the drawer, on which several words were written crookedly: "Master is the best!"

Jiang Xuan looked at these words and couldn't help but laugh: "Quite a bit of progress. The horizontal and vertical strokes have more strength than before."

"Of course!" Boy puffed out his chest. "I practice every day! When I've learned it, I'll write a large piece of calligraphy for you."

Jiang Xuan touched his head: "Alright, Master will wait for your masterpiece."

The two smiled at each other, and the courtyard was filled with a warm atmosphere. A gentle breeze blew, bringing waves of floral fragrance, as if even the air had become soft.

At this moment, Jiang Xuan suddenly felt that life could actually be so simple and beautiful.

The night deepened, and moonlight poured down like water. Jiang Xuan sighed softly, his gaze falling on the sleeping Boy. The little fellow slept soundly, his brow slightly furrowed, as if still savoring the amusing things of today.

Jiang Xuan reached out and gently brushed away a strand of hair from Boy's forehead, and a warm current surged in his heart. He remembered his own childhood, when he was also innocent and carefree, but unfortunately, back then his family's conditions were difficult, and he had no chance to come into contact with these elegant arts.

Now, seeing Boy able to enjoy such pleasures at this age, he felt both gratified and emotional. Perhaps this was the arrangement of fate.

"Master." Boy murmured in his sleep.

Jiang Xuan's mind trembled, and he hurriedly leaned closer: "How To?"

Boy turned over, burying his face in the pillow, his voice muffled: "I want to drink beast milk"

Jiang Xuan froze. He hadn't expected Boy to say such words. He gently patted Boy's back: "Silly child, even in dreams you still want to drink beast milk."

Night deepened, the courtyard only Remaining insect cries and the two people's Breath sounds. Jiang Xuan's gaze fell on Boy, his Mind a hundred feelings intertwined.

He suddenly realized, unknowingly, this small Figure had already occupied a very important position in his heart. Whenever he saw Boy's Heavenly Truth smile, his heart would involuntarily soften.

Possibly this is Yuan Yin. Fate let them meet, in this troubled dusty world finding each other.

Jiang Xuan reached out and gently held Boy's Small Hand, feeling the warmth of his Palm. This moment, he suddenly felt his life had new meaning.

Night still tranquil, moonlight still gentle. In this small courtyard, between these two simple Figures, Flowing a kind of indescribable warmth.

This kind of warmth, Possibly is life's most precious gift. (Chapter End)