"Well, Hukou Waterfall may be a nice sight to outsiders, but for us, the spring water flowing down from the mountains is the source of life. We cannot do without water for washing, cooking, food, clothing, housing and transportation."
The old village chief sighed: "It's a pity that a group of bandits came to the Hukou Waterfall decades ago."
Qin Feng and Shui Qianyue were silent, as if they were really two high-level figures from the Guiyuan Sect, listening to the past of an ordinary little person in this small place in Hukou Town.
"It goes without saying that the bandits are ruthless. On the first day they came to the village decades ago, they robbed and killed seventy-six people. It was quite a shock." Although the old village chief said it
He said there was no need to say more, but when he mentioned the seventy-six people, his eyes turned red. Presumably among those sixteen people, there were some of his closest relatives.
"As for their subsequent purpose, there is no need to mention it. They just want us to support them. Every household in the village must pay them a large sum of money." The old village chief said: "Those of them are in the Xuanling realm.
There are more than a dozen, and the leader is a strong man who is close to the Yin and Yang realm. We ordinary people in the village are naturally far from their opponents. And since the first shock, they have lived in Hukou
On the mountain near the waterfall, people rarely come down to interfere with our lives. But..."
"But, every once in a while, they will directly block the water source with huge rocks upstream! Cut off our water source!" The village chief pointed to the clear stream not far away and said: "Have you seen that stream?
?The water in the stream, the water from the waterfall, as long as the water upstream is blocked, the stream will gradually dry up."
"There should be a branch, right? The water in this creek has dried up. If you run more, you should be able to find the source of water, right?" Shui Qianyue thought for a while and said.
"Haha, girl, you are still very young after all, and your ideas are a bit naive." The old village chief said bitterly: "There are indeed many diversions, and it is certainly not difficult for us to find water! But the problem is that as long as this creek
Before the water dries up, if we don’t take the initiative to go up the mountain and pay enough money, they will come down the mountain and... kill people!”
"Every time we pay money, they will open the gate and release the water, but when will the water dry next time? It depends on whether they are in a good mood and whether they release a lot of water. It also depends on whether God is in a good mood.
Okay, will it rain more..." Old
The village chief sighed: "That is really an unbearable memory. I only remember that every inch of water in the stream decreases, the sadness on the faces of the villagers increases. Because as long as the water dries up, people will die...
.Many villagers have been driven crazy.”
Shui Qianyue was moved. She was born in the palace and had been loved by thousands of people since she was a child. She could not imagine what kind of life it would be like. But she could faintly see the countless people watching the slow flow of the stream decades ago.
When it dries up slowly, it's almost a scene of despair.
The sky is unpredictable, and people are happy, angry, sad, and happy. But if the robbers are unhappy, the villagers will be unlucky. If it doesn't rain a few times, the villagers will be unlucky as well... It's the kind of thing that keeps a string tight at all times, worrying that robbers will come down the mountain.
The days are really terrible...
"I didn't expect that something like this would happen in the imperial dynasty! These bandits are really hateful, but... why don't you ask for help from the Ruyang Mansion Army? This place should be under the jurisdiction of the Ruyang Mansion!" Shui Qianyue couldn't help but say.
.
After all, she was the princess of the Shuiyue Dynasty. Of course she felt very uncomfortable that something like this happened within the dynasty.
"Ruyang Prefecture Army? We did ask for help, and the Prefecture Army did come once and killed many bandits." The old village chief said sadly: "But more bandits escaped, and the Prefecture Army cannot be stationed forever.
In our case, the bandits came back later and took crazy revenge, which naturally made us even worse. It was in that revenge that the previous village chief was stabbed to death in public."
"After this, the villagers no longer dare to invite people from the government. In the most difficult times, many villagers relied on the meager grain and the money from selling cattle and sheep. It was difficult to even feed themselves. Where could they find the money to support themselves?
Those robbers?" The old village chief sighed: "Many villagers
Even though they knew that if they left the village and ran around, they might be eaten by ferocious beasts or caught and killed by bandits, they still escaped. So far, those people
There is no news from them all, maybe they are dead..."
Shui Qianyue was silent. The bandits were highly vigilant and would retaliate crazily after being hit. Most of the villagers were of low strength, so even if they wanted to escape, it would be difficult. After all, in the vast mountains, forests and wild mountains, whether they are wild beasts or bandits, they would be very vulnerable to those who escape alone.
They are all deadly threats...
As for collective escape? Don't even think about it. The robbers will definitely not allow it. Maybe the robbers will catch up as soon as they leave the village...
There was no way to escape, nor to call in the government troops. In such a day, there was really no way to go to heaven, and no way to go to earth. Shui Qianyue couldn't help feeling a lot of sympathy for the people in Hukou Town.
But Qin Feng's mood is relatively indifferent. In a village secretly controlled by bandits, the villagers are oppressed and exploited. This is not a rare thing in a world where the strong is respected. There is a dynasty and a government army.
, in fact, these things just happen in some dark corners. And if the country is destroyed, then the real human life will be in vain...
Qin Feng had seen many similar things in his previous life, and even experienced some of the destruction of the Daqian personally, so he could better understand the helplessness and pain. At the same time, he also knew better that to live in this world and live well,
In the final analysis, it still depends on strength.
"Speaking of which, the sky will never stop my Hukou Town." After talking about the most tragic past, the old village chief suddenly laughed. Because he knows the pain, he understands the sweetness of this moment. "Twelve years ago, a very special incident happened.
By chance, the villagers went to a nearby town to sell their cattle and sheep. At that time, an ordinary young man in our village fell into the eyes of an expert and was taken to the Guiyuan Sect to learn skills."
"That young man is Tie Zhicheng?" Qin Feng asked.
"Yes, he is the hope of our whole village! And he has lived up to our hopes!" The old village chief said: "Iron heroes are also pitiful people. Alas, this is also nonsense. Young people who grew up in the village,
Which one is not pitiful?"
"Iron Hero's parents died very early, killed by bandits...Although everyone was very miserable at that time and it was difficult to have a full meal, Iron Hero was only five years old at that time. No matter how miserable we were, we could still
I cannot ignore such a big child and watch him starve to death. He basically relies on the collective charity of the villagers to grow up slowly."
"But that kid is really up to date. He has been very sensible since he was a child. When he was six years old, he helped the adults herd sheep. When he was nine years old, he helped Chen Laoer make wine. If there was anything in the village that could use him, he would definitely rush to it.
Help..." The old village chief said with a smile:
"Later, he went to Guiyuan Sect and did not return home for seven years. At that time, many villagers thought that this boy had done well and had forgotten his roots. But the fact is that in the eighth year,
He came back and killed the leader of the thieves at Hukou Waterfall in one fell swoop!"
The old village chief had a look of pride on his face, "The leader of the thief is dead, and ordinary little thieves are dying and running away. They heard that a Yin-Yang realm warrior appeared in our village, and they didn't dare to mess with him."
The bandits are not afraid of the powerful government army. Because they all know that the government army's suppression of the bandits is temporary and cannot be stationed forever. Even after the suppression once, it is difficult to do it again. But a strongman appeared in the village.
Or, the meaning immediately changes.
Although she had already guessed the outcome of the matter and the old village chief's way of telling the story was not very clever, Shui Qianyue still breathed a sigh of relief and was happy that Hukou Town could have a perfect ending.
"Look, have you seen the Black Stone Tower over there?" The old village chief pointed to a tower in front and said: "Even if the robbers left, the Iron Hero was still worried, so he spent his own money to build many defense structures for the village, as well as
A tower to defend against enemies.”
"And over there, that's the guardian castle!" the old village chief said excitedly: "The structure of the castle is made of precious black steel, with nine floors on top and nine floors on the bottom. They are very strong, even for warriors in the Yin and Yang realm.
It is very difficult to destroy. This was newly built with Tie Yingxiong's investment last year. According to Tie Yingxiong, if bandits come again in the future, the villagers can just hide in the castle. And we have prepared enough food and supplies inside, even if we hide
Three to five years is not difficult."
"Iron Hero is not an ordinary person now. He earns much more money than the rest of us. However, he never forgets his roots, and he is never willing to spend too much money on himself. Let's talk about cultivation. I
I remember that Tie Yingxiong accidentally revealed that he seemed to be practicing a special method that required regular tempering of the body with medicinal liquids. However, several years had passed and the medicinal liquids used by Tie Yingxiong were still the cheapest.
..”
Qin Feng and Shui Qianyue listened to these stories quietly, and gradually developed a lot of good impressions of Tie Zhicheng.
It is true that Tie Zhicheng is already a warrior in the Yin and Yang realm. Whether he is completing the sect tasks assigned by Guiyuan Sect or making money in other ways, he can make a lot of money. But after making money, he can be so generous.
Thinking about your hometown is undoubtedly a rare thing.
"Tie Yingxiong said that he has two dreams in this life. The first dream is to become a strong man and reach the pinnacle of spiritual practice. The second dream is to make our town of Hukou as safe as a city.
, he built a castle for refuge, but he was still not satisfied. When he left last year, he said that he would spend money to buy a set of three-level formations and ask the formation master to decorate them..."
The old village chief became more and more excited as he talked. Gradually, Qin Feng and Shui Qianyue became speechless.
"Well, I seem to have said too much. I hope the two distinguished guests won't take offense." The old village chief seemed to have noticed this, and suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
"Nothing." Qin Feng smiled, "We are here today to learn more about the situation."
"This is where Iron Hero stays temporarily when he comes back every year. Don't dislike it yet." The old village chief sent Qin Feng and Shui Qianyue into a small single-family courtyard and said, "The folks are already preparing for the dinner.
, please don’t be absent.”
"Definitely." Qin Feng responded.
But Shui Qianyue's face always had a sad look on it. Hukou Town was full of disasters, but it finally came to a happy ending. Now it is even more prosperous and peaceful...
But will the ending really be happy? What if the hero they have been waiting for dies on the way back?