The Northern Mountain Village had a tradition. If there was a joyous occasion, the entire village would gather at the village square to eat and chat. It was a wonderful addition to their peaceful lives.
As such, when he heard the commotion in the square, Fang Zhengzhi was elated. Looks like someone in the village was getting married or having a baby.
As such, it was better to be on time than to be early.
Fang Zhengzhi was elated when he thought of this.
"I have meat to eat as soon as I return, home is the best!"
Fang Zhengzhi missed the food and drinks in the village. He brought Chi Guyan home. The door was shut and there was no light at all.
Fang Zhengzhi was not surprised. Fang Houde and Qin Xuelian were more likely to be at the square if there was a joyous occasion in the village.
The door was shut, what should he do?
Climb over the wall? Of course, Fang Zhengzhi would not be so vulgar. He chose to lift up a mud brick by the side of the door. Just as he expected, there was a key lying there quietly.
After opening the door and tying up the Snow Treading Dragon Stallion and the Scarlet Flame Snow Cloud, Fang Zhengzhi called Chi Guyan over to the square.
Chi Guyan had lived in the Northern Mountain Village for a period of time and naturally knew the rules of the village. She did not say much and followed behind Fang Zhengzhi.
Before reaching the square, Fang Zhengzhi could see a few stoves in the middle of the square. There was meat being roasted on the stoves, the aroma wafting through the air.
Beside the stove, there were dozens of tables.
A commotion could be heard.
"Why are there so many people?" Fang Zhengzhi was puzzled. There were only about a hundred families in the Northern Mountain Village. Even if there was a joyous occasion, there would only be about ten tables.
But today, it was different.
Were they marrying into a neighboring village? Was it a wedding procession? But why wasn't there a red ribbon?
Just as he was puzzled, Fang Zhengzhi's gaze froze. He realized that there were many weapons placed around the square. Furthermore, the tables in the middle were filled with soldiers.
The villagers sat around the soldiers. There were also women and children standing behind the soldiers, waiting for them to pour wine.
"Why are there so many soldiers in the village?!" Fang Zhengzhi became more and more suspicious. More importantly, the soldiers seemed to be too casual.
It was as if he was used to this kind of situation. It was obvious that he had been in the village for some time.
Could it be related to the beasts on Cang Ling Mountain?
Even if it was just to catch ferocious beasts, was there a need for so many soldiers? Moreover, shouldn't the soldiers set up camp in the mountains to capture the beasts? Why did he come to the village?
Questions flashed past Fang Zhengzhi's mind. He did not understand, so he quickly walked towards the square.
Very soon. He arrived at the plaza.
Most of the villagers were busy entertaining the soldiers and did not notice the arrival of Fang Zhengzhi and Chi Guyan. However, Chi Guyan's white scholarly attire was too eye-catching and did not match the atmosphere of the Northern Mountain Village.
Therefore, when the two of them walked to the edge of the square, they were finally discovered.
"Eh? Why is there a scholar here … Ah! This is... oh my, Zhengzhi is back?! "A voice was heard, filled with shock and joy.
Of course, such a voice wasn't too loud in the noisy square, but … However, the resulting effect was extremely shocking. One person noticed it, and then two people noticed it, then four people, then eight people …
"It's Zhengzhi!"
"Why is Zhengzhi back?!"
"Oh my, Zhengzhi is back!"
The voices attracted the attention of the Northern Mountain Village villagers. Before long, all of them stopped what they were doing and looked at Fang Zhengzhi in surprise.
"Zhengzhi, it's Zhengzhi. Zhengzhi is back! " Qin Xuelian, who was pouring wine at a table in the middle of the square, turned around and looked at Fang Zhengzhi.
Her slightly bowed body immediately trembled, and her beautiful face was filled with joy that came from the bottom of her heart.
In the few months that she had been away from home, Qin Xuelian had been looking forward to this moment. However, as a mother, she could not tell her son how much she missed him.
Excitement and surprise caused Qin Xuelian's face to flush red.
She even forgot about the wine in her hand.
"Smack!"
The wine fell on the table, knocking over the plates. The wine splattered on the table in the middle of the square. This man was about 40 years old, his sleeves embroidered with the word "Commander".
This caused his face to darken.
"Damn it, it's all over me, wipe it off!" The commander was clearly displeased by the sight of the grease and wine on his body.
However, Qin Xuelian did not hear the words of the commander at all. In her eyes, her son was her everything. Now that she had seen Fang Zhengzhi return, how could her world tolerate any other voices?
Ignoring the commander's scolding, Qin Xuelian sprinted towards Fang Zhengzhi.
Fang Houde also ran towards Fang Zhengzhi with Qin Xuelian.
Fang Houde was seated at the periphery. He wore a black robe and looked rather haggard. However, when he saw Fang Zhengzhi, his face seemed to turn rosy.
"Zhengzhi, why is he..." Before Fang Houde could finish his sentence, he felt that something was amiss. When he turned around, he realized that all of the soldiers had stood up.
"Clatter clatter!"
After a series of clanking sounds of armor, dozens of soldiers left their seats. Each of their faces were filled with anger, and in front of them was Qin Xuelian, who had a look of astonishment on her face.
"Didn't you hear what our leader said? Wipe it off before you go! "One of the soldiers looked at Qin Xuelian as he placed his hand on his sword.
"Commander, please calm down. Sister Xuelian is too agitated. It's inevitable that her son has returned. It's human nature, human nature …" When Zhang Yangping, who was sitting at the table in the middle, saw this scene, he immediately walked out and apologized to the dozen or so soldiers. Then, he bowed a few times to the leading soldier.
"Hmph! Who doesn't have a son? If not for our leader's respect for Li Xiantai, would the Northern Mountain Village be able to enter and exit the county town freely? This is all because of our leader. Do you think other villages are as good as yours? We've already given you enough face, but don't be so shameless! "The soldier looked at Zhang Yangping with a condescending expression.
"Yes yes yes, I will personally wipe it off for General Wang!" As Zhang Yangping spoke, he walked towards the commander. However, as a man, he did not have a handkerchief with him. As he walked, he looked around for a clean cloth.
"Scram, our leader said to let that woman wipe it herself!" The commander did not appreciate the gesture.
"Hahaha …" When the group of soldiers heard this, they all looked at Qin Xuelian with a smile that all men understood.
Qin Xuelian, on the other hand, stood rooted to the ground, not knowing what to do.
As someone who grew up in the village, she had never seen such a scene. More importantly, it was in front of her son.
Instantly, Qin Xuelian's face flushed red...
When Fang Houde saw this, he clenched his fists. As a man, if he could not even protect his wife, how could he be called a man?
He was a loyal man, but that did not mean that he could tolerate the humiliation of the soldiers.
The villagers in the mountains were simple, but their manliness did not diminish.
However, he could not let his anger affect the safety of the entire village. After all, these were the soldiers of the Great Xia Dynasty. If he were to fight with them, it would be a provocation to the Great Xia Dynasty.
Even though he was furious, he could not move his fists.
With one step, Fang Houde charged past the soldiers who were blocking Qin Xuelian. Then, he hugged Qin Xuelian with one hand, his face filled with the unyielding spirit of a man.
The soldier was caught off guard and almost fell to the ground from Fang Houde's push.
This caused him to lose face. He looked at Fang Houde, who was standing in front of Qin Xuelian, and then at the commander sitting at the table.
The leader of the soldiers was a little surprised to see this.
A villager dared to go against the soldiers of the Great Xia Dynasty? Simply audacious to the extreme!
Even though Li Xiantai had told him that the Northern Mountain Village was special, in his opinion, no matter how special it was, it could not go against the orders of the Great Xia Dynasty.
He and the rest of them were stationed here under orders. If they could not even handle a bunch of villagers? How would they be able to maintain their reputation and prestige?
As he thought of this, a cold look flashed in his eyes.
As long as no one was killed, there would not be too much of a problem.
"Don't go overboard!" The leading soldier finally spoke.
When they heard this, the rest of the soldiers immediately understood what he meant. He was going to punish the chicken to warn the monkey. The so-called be careful was to not beat the chicken to death.
"Oh? It was said that unruly people come from barren mountains and unruly rivers. This saying was indeed true! Brothers, give him a good beating! Beat him until he's half dead! "The soldier understood the meaning behind his words. Of course, he no longer had any misgivings.
He decided to teach the villager who dared to go against the army of the Great Xia Dynasty a lesson. He wanted to let the other villagers know who was the boss in the Northern Mountain Village.
"What did you say?"
Just as the soldier gave the order, a voice suddenly rang out in his ear.
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