Chapter 76

Sun Heng had long known that he was not a good person, but his conscience had not yet been completely extinguished.

Tonight, as Bu Ye unleashed a massacre, he once again questioned his own heart: reality is one thing, but what is truly right?

Is reality so filthy that he must abandon what he believes is right and sink into the mire with it?

And what did Bu Ye, the mountain villager, do?

He neither sank into the mire nor bowed in submission; instead, he rose against the tide!

For four years, Sun Heng's inner struggle had never been as intense as it was this night. So when most of the soldiers fled, he stayed behind.

Now, sitting alone on the grass under the night sky, he began to feel fortunate about his choice. He was only twenty-four, and the young, passionate, and good-hearted part of him had not yet died completely...

The night had already enveloped the earth for too long, and it finally began to recede from the east, like a black veil being slowly drawn away.

In the morning mist, eighty miles to the north, the southern gate of Muyuan City suddenly opened, and a squad of dragon-mammoth cavalry charged out with great momentum. There were twenty in total, all with cold faces and a menacing aura. If one were a long-term resident of Muyuan City, they would recognize these as the most elite White Wolf Camp under the command of the city's governor, Lu Yu! Without reaching the tenth level of Heart Cloud, one could not join the White Wolf Camp!

The twenty cavalrymen galloped out of the city gate and straight south. As the dragon-mammoths' hooves pounded the ground, the trees on both sides of the road were quickly left behind, leaving only the morning dew and a group of startled early travelers heading to Muyuan City...

In the city's government office, in a large hall, Governor Lu Yu frowned as he listened to the report from the disheveled soldiers. In fact, this was already the third group, and their reports were all similar. Although he was reluctant to believe it, he had already confirmed the fact: last night, eighty miles to the south, a mountain villager named Bu Ye, dissatisfied with the punishment of a lander captain, single-handedly killed the captain and four other officers, as well as over forty soldiers...

The dragon-mammoths have poor night vision, otherwise, he would have sent the White Wolf Camp out immediately. However, with eighty miles between them, even if he had sent people then, Bu Ye would have long fled.

The twenty White Wolf cavalrymen sent out just now were merely for show. However, there were also skilled trackers among them, and it would be best if they could catch the mountain villager.

Before sending out the White Wolf cavalry, he had already sent people with Bu Ye's portrait to nearby cities. Compared to this, this was a more effective way to catch Bu Ye.

In addition, he had also sent people to the camp of General Xuanwei, three hundred miles to the southwest. He had just learned that the lander temporarily belonged to General Xuanwei, who was known for his explosive temper throughout the Xiao Kingdom. With such a major incident, it was best to inform him as soon as possible.

Seeing that no new information could be obtained, Lu Yu waved his hand: "All of you, go rest for now."

"Yes, sir!"

After everyone left, Lu Yu looked at his childhood friend and current chief strategist, Chai Yujing, with a bitter smile: "Yujing, what do you think?"

Chai Yujing, who had the second-highest prestige in Muyuan City after Governor Lu Yu, and was even more popular among the people, was a handsome man in his early fifties with a well-groomed beard. Hearing this, he could not help but smile bitterly: "The chances of catching him are slim."

Lu Yu was slightly overweight, with fair skin. At this moment, he was not wearing his official robes and looked more like a well-maintained gentleman. He nodded and said, "From the current information, at least the mountain villager named Bu Ye is very strong. Even if he flees into the Dongmang Mountains, he may not die from the beasts."

"Indeed. Although the soldiers were vague, I think the lander probably went too far," Chai Yujing said.

"These soldiers are fine on the front lines, but once they leave, they still carry their war habits!" Lu Yu, who seemed to have long been accustomed to the behavior of the fleeing soldiers, said angrily, "There are many mountain villagers around Muyuan, and they are very fierce. Now, they have been driven to rebellion!"

"However, now that it has come to this, we should immediately post a wanted notice in the city."

"Indeed. I'll leave it to you. There's no need to write the charges in too much detail to avoid embarrassment," Lu Yu said with a bitter smile.

"Alright."

After Chai Yujing left, Lu Yu rubbed his red eyes, which were tired from getting up too early, and took another sip of the leftover tea from the previous night, muttering, "These peasants, always causing trouble! But, killing five, could he really be..."

...

That evening, led by ten White Wolf cavalrymen, Qiutang Mountain, Sun Heng, and the other five soldiers, along with the villagers of Dongmang Village, finally arrived at the city gate of Muyuan City.

The city was still bustling, and the arrival of this large group immediately attracted everyone's attention. Some of the more informed people were already explaining to those around them what had happened.

In the government office, a clerk hurried into a hall: "Sir, the people from Dongmang Village have arrived."

"Have the courtyards on West Street been cleared?"

"They were cleared this afternoon."

"Take them there and settle them temporarily."

"Yes."

"Ask about their situation and bring a few of the leaders back; I need to question them."

At this moment, Chai Jingyu in the hall suddenly said, "I'll go."

"Alright."

About an hour later, in another large hall in the government office, Lu Yu met Luo Xiu, who had been mentioned multiple times by the fleeing soldiers, as well as Gao Qun, Chen Qingyan, Chai Wangming, and two elderly villagers.

After a detailed questioning, Lu Yu did not make things difficult for them and let them go. He even told them not to worry and that he would find them work once it was determined how many people had stayed.

...

On West Street in Muyuan City, Chen Qingyan could not help but glare at Chai Wangming several times. This Chai had recounted everything Bu Ye had done in detail, and although he did not exaggerate, it still made him very angry. What was even more disgusting was that after Chai Wangming spoke, Governor Lu Yu had to personally confirm it with them, so he, Gao Qun, and Luo Xiu had to admit that Bu Ye had indeed done those things.

Gao Qun patted Chen Qingyan's shoulder and consoled him, "Don't be angry. Bu Ye can't turn back now. As the saying goes, the more lice, the less it itches. There's no need to care what the officials think."

Chen Qingyan couldn't help but laugh in anger, "Indeed, even if Chai keeps slandering Bu Ye, it doesn't matter much."

"Let's think about our future."

"Right," Chen Qingyan nodded heavily.

At least half of the Dongmang Village villagers had lost their homes, some only had the elderly left, some only had children. These old and young, who could not work, would face significant challenges in their future lives.

Luo Xiu walked silently, and no one disturbed her. However, both Gao Qun and Chen Qingyan could see that Luo Xiu was still worried about Bu Ye.

Meanwhile, Bu Ye was in a place where he was least expected to be: Muyuan City!

He could even see Luo Xiu and the others at this moment.

On the second floor of a tavern on West Street in Muyuan City, Bu Ye, with a small mustache, was drinking alone. The precious sword of the lander was leaning against the table, its scabbard wrapped in a layer of gray cloth, looking clean and desolate, matching his current attire.

He had said he would leave only after seeing Luo Xiu and Sheng'er settled, and he would do what he said.

He watched as Luo Xiu and the others passed by the tavern and gradually moved away, entering the courtyard at the end of the street. Finally, he withdrew his gaze.

He poured himself another cup of wine, raised it to his face, and stared into it. His hand was steady, and the surface of the wine was still. Then, he tilted his head back and drank it all in one go.

The wine first entered his throat, then his stomach, and the fiery sensation traveled down, making him feel comfortable all over.

At this moment, a smile appeared on his face, and he couldn't help but shake his head.

He never thought that before crossing over, he, who could be knocked out by two bottles of beer, would one day have a much greater alcohol tolerance. And he, who had no drinking habit, now drank cup after cup, unable to stop.

His body had become stronger, and his mindset had changed.

He continued to drink alone, cup after cup, bottle after bottle.

After drinking eight bottles of white wine, he hadn't even gone to the bathroom once.

However, he couldn't drink any more.

At this moment, it was already dusk, and a group of soldiers rushed past the tavern, heading straight for the courtyards where the Dongmang Village villagers were staying.

Bu Ye's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly stood up.

"Damn! I'm a bit dizzy..."

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