Chapter 99 - 77: The Black Mountain Thieves Are Too Ruthless, They Even Killed the Village Hero!

Chapter 99: Chapter 77: The Black Mountain Thieves Are Too Ruthless, They Even Killed the Village Hero!

"C-Captain Zheng," Young Master Yan stammered, cold sweat pouring down his face. However, no matter what he said, it wouldn’t affect Zheng Jun’s judgment of him.

The County Soldiers had already rushed forward, disarming the household servants and Guardians guarding the main gate. After all, they were facing fierce and battle-hardened soldiers, not the commoners they usually bullied. Naturally, they lost their usual arrogance, like hyenas stripped of their teeth and claws. The two Blood Refining Guardians hesitated for a moment but ultimately chose not to resist. They obediently stood aside, waiting to be dealt with.

A man’s reputation was like a tree’s shadow—imposing and ever-present. With Captain Zheng here—the man who had slashed the County Magistrate and fought an Outer Gang expert while only at Qi Storage—they wouldn’t dare fight back, even if they had the urge.

The short man who had previously been restrained by the two Blood Refining Guardians was also freed. Standing to the side, he glared at the panicked Young Master Yan with bloodshot eyes, wishing he could march over and slice him into a thousand pieces.

"Captain." At this moment, Cavalry Captain Yang Jun walked into the Yan Family courtyard. Wearing a helmet and Leather Armor, he looked a bit apprehensive. He immediately performed a Ritual toward Zheng Jun and asked, "You were looking for me?"

Zheng Jun raised his eyelids, glanced at Yang Jun, and said casually, "This Young Master Yan claims that his Master Yan is close friends with you. Is this true?"

Yang Jun took a look at Young Master Yan and thought carefully, but he truly had no impression of this family. However, with Zheng Jun standing right in front of him, he naturally wracked his brain to figure out the connection.

Seeing that Yang Jun seemingly couldn’t recall their relationship, Young Master Yan grew anxious and immediately shouted, "Captain Yang, after you took office in Black Mountain County, my father and a few other families banded together and treated you to a meal!"

Hearing Young Master Yan’s words, Yang Jun finally remembered that such a thing had indeed happened. He immediately reported, "Captain, a year ago when I retired from the army and came here to serve as the cavalry captain, a group of people calling themselves Village Heroes did host me.

"It was just one meal! I have absolutely no ties to the Yan Family!"

Hearing Yang Jun’s words, Zheng Jun nodded. He looked at Young Master Yan and said coldly, "It seems I, Zheng Jun, am still not worthy of your attention. When Vice Captain Yang took office, you ’Village Heroes’ all treated him to a meal. Yet, when I became the main Captain, no one invited me out?"

Young Master Yan was dumbfounded. Just as he was about to say he would treat him right away, Zheng Jun suddenly ordered, "Slash him. The rest of you, raid the Yan Family estate!"

"You!" Hearing this, Young Master Yan was terrified. He was just about to say something, but the soldiers beside him had already drawn their blades. With a swift swing, his head fell to the ground!

Blood splattered three feet into the air. The bright crimson was incredibly striking within the Yan Family courtyard. Young Master Yan’s eyes were filled with disbelief; it seemed that even in death, he couldn’t comprehend that Zheng Jun would actually kill him.

"Captain!" Seeing this scene, Yang Jun was momentarily stunned. He lowered his voice and said, "You... you just killed him? He’s a Village Hero of Nansha Town. If you kill him, what will we do about Nansha Town’s taxes next year? With the grudge of his son’s murder, Master Yan will never cooperate!"

"Then wouldn’t it be solved if we just kill Master Yan too?" Zheng Jun sneered, speaking casually. "Can’t we collect taxes without them? From where I see it, without them, we’ll collect even more!

"When the Court collects taxes, it’s the commoners who pay! The Yan Clan preys on the locals, produces nothing, and uses all sorts of schemes to seize the commoners’ land. Do Gentry landlords like them deserve to be called Village Heroes? Wipe them all out and say the Black Mountain Thieves did it."

He thought, "There is nothing we can do. We arrived too late. The Black Mountain Thieves struck too fast! The entire Yan Clan, a family of Village Heroes, has been slaughtered. I, Captain Zheng, am truly heartbroken. Alas, those damned Black Mountain Thieves! As soon as I finish handling the Yan Family’s aftermath, I will immediately march up Black Mountain and capture the boss of the Black Mountain United Righteous Thieves alive."

Zheng Jun put on an expression of deep sorrow.

"Understood!" Hearing Zheng Jun’s orders, the soldiers beside him naturally didn’t care about the political implications. They immediately readied their blades, brimming with excitement. The soldiers resting in the rear were also fully mobilized.

Watching the eager demeanor of his troops, Zheng Jun suddenly thought of something and immediately commanded, "Anyone who insults the womenfolk shall be slashed!"

Although these were all his Personal Guards and they had a great relationship during training, times were different. Influenced by the era they lived in, if he didn’t set boundaries, they might engage in wanton slaughter, rape, kidnapping, and Gliding. Zheng Jun needed an army that obeyed him completely, not an arrogant and domineering force like the Vassal Soldiers of the Mid to Late-period Tang Dynasty.

Hearing Zheng Jun’s command, Personal Soldier Squad Crew Leader Xu Zhilei felt a surge of exhilaration. After taking the order, he charged fiercely toward the Yan Family’s Government Treasury.

Beside him, Vice Crew Leader Du Ding also couldn’t hide his exhilaration. He thought, "I hope the Captain takes us for a trip to Lotus Water Village sometime."

Du Ding also came from a poor family. His parents rented land from Master Lu in Lotus Water Village and had to pay a hefty amount of tenant rent every year. On top of that, they had to pay taxes to the Court. At the end of the year, they only got to keep twenty or thirty percent of their harvest. If they encountered any major disasters or droughts, a whole year’s labor could be for nothing, or they might even end up in debt.

They could only hope for Master Lu’s "kindness," praying he would issue some loan shark money at exorbitant interest rates so they could survive the grueling years. And their family’s ancestral land had fallen into Master Lu’s hands precisely because they couldn’t pay back the loan shark money.

Although later, when he began practicing martial arts and achieved Blood Refining, Master Lu returned all their family’s land to his parents and even compensated them with an extra fifty taels of silver. However, his childhood experiences were still deeply engraved in Du Ding’s mind. It was just that these Gentry landlords wielded massive power, making it impossible for individual Martial Artists like them to deal with them alone.