Chapter 24 Coercion
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Bang!
Under everyone's gaze, Shen Qing slammed the wooden box onto the ground.
The sturdy box shattered into pieces under his strength.
Clatter...
A large amount of copper coins and silver ingots scattered across the ground, glimmering in the sunlight.
The Tian Family members, Shen Family members, and other hunters from Hongshan Village inhaled sharply.
They were ordinary people with no connections, always living meagerly. When had they ever seen so much money?
At this moment, a box full of money lay before them, giving them a massive shock.
Each one of them stared intently, hearts filled with greed.
Seeing the timing was right, Shen Qing shouted, full of vigor, "There's always been a saying with the Chen Family, that if a man dies leaving only orphans and widows, they'd use the funeral as an excuse to throw a feast and eat all their meat and grain dry."
"We secretly call this 'eating the orphaned.'"
"Now, Chen Yuan's entire family is wiped out, all the things in this house have become ownerless, and they should be shared by those who find them. We too should eat his orphaned," Shen Qing said in an extremely persuasive voice, "Everyone can come and take."
The crowd watching suddenly buzzed with excitement.
Shen the Second saw Shen Qing standing calmly at the doorway.
For some reason, he found him increasingly unfamiliar.
When did someone like this appear in the Shen Family?
Seeing that no one dared to move after a while,
Shen Qing coldly mocked, "What, no one dares?"
Shen the Second couldn't quite guess Shen Qing's motive, but he knew that as a Shen Family member, especially as Shen Qing's uncle, he couldn't detach himself from today's matters no matter what.
Rather than letting others benefit, it was better for his own family. He gritted his teeth and shouted, "I'll take it!"
Shen the Second ran in front of Shen Qing, directly pocketing the silver ingots in front of everyone.
Other Tian Family members exchanged glances and quickly joined the group, frantically collecting money.
At this point, those who were observing couldn't hold back any longer.
"All this money was from Chen Youguang sucking us dry, it's ours from the beginning."
"If we don't take it, it's wasted!"
Once someone took the lead, like a breached dam finding an outlet, everyone rushed forward.
Seeing the people behind them rush over, Shen the Second, clutching the silver ingots, ran behind Shen Qing, guarding him tightly.
By this time, those at the back saw they couldn't squeeze in, looked up at the house, bypassed those grabbing money at the doorway, and rushed inside.
Others also realized and poured in.
These people worried about being a step behind, grabbing nothing, so they took whatever they saw.
Some even called their family over, using hoes to dig at the wall base, not even sparing Chen Youguang's house bricks.
The usually peaceful villagers swarmed like locusts, leaving nothing behind.
Even though there was some time before the end of the year, Hongshan Village seemed to have already plunged into a frenzy, everyone losing their minds.
Boom!
With days of joint efforts, the bricks of Chen Youguang's house collapsed.
In the time it takes to drink a pot of tea, the once proper Chen Family had turned into a pile of ruins.
If Shen Qing hadn't stood at the door, these people might have dismantled the Chen Family's gate entirely.
By this point, most of the village had been swept into the matter.
Seeing the time was about right.
Shen Qing loudly shouted, "Folks, today we've taken care of Chen Youguang's family and split the Chen Family's wealth. What if Chen Family members who were close to Chen Youguang become dissatisfied and come to the county town to trouble us?"
"According to Great Zhou's law, we have no connections in the county town, everyone might be held accountable."
The villagers, initially immersed in a joyful atmosphere, looked at each other, licking their dry lips.
Suddenly, someone from the crowd shouted, "We should just finish what we started. If we kill those families too, no one will trouble us."
These hunters, long accustomed to living in the mountains, were no easy targets, and under the influence of benefits, their killing intent was aroused.
Seeing someone take the lead, Shen Qing smoothly picked up the conversation, "Fine, let's finish it, everyone follow me to 'eat a few more orphans.'"
As he finished speaking, Shen Qing aggressively strode towards several Chen Family members.
Shen Qing remembered several Chen Family members who were very close to Chen Youguang, often arrogant in Hongshan Village, with a terrible reputation.
Each family had more or less some grievances within.
Bang!
The crowd smashed open one of the doors and rushed in.
Soon, tragic screams were heard.
Almost all thirty-odd households in Hongshan Village had hunters, who were extremely vicious when they made a move.
Shen Qing stood outside, not entering, watching expressionlessly.
"For now, I have not truly cultivated martial arts, not even achieving great perfection in Qi-Blood. If the county town sends a real martial master, I'm no match."
"So I must eliminate all dangers in the cradle, uniting the entire Hongshan Village into one, making it impenetrable."
"Only then can I be truly safe."
"Give me some time, once I master Qi-Blood and find backing in the county town, becoming a true martial master, all these issues will be solved."
"Now is not the time for feminine sensibility."
Shen Qing's eyes lowered, looking at everything before him, understanding in his heart, he suppressed the hesitation rising within.
With Shen Qing's implicit guidance, the Hongshan Village hunters had completely let go.
Almost every household gained some benefits or got involved in murderous deeds.
At this point, everyone was in the same boat, no one would betray Shen Qing to outsiders.
By late afternoon, after burying Chen Youguang and the bodies of other Chen family members on the back hill, all matters finally settled.
Through this event, Shen Qing's ruthless reputation spread completely throughout Hongshan Village, and his status rose almost linearly.
No one dared to look down on him again like before.
Returning home.
Shen Qing put down his bow and arrows, finally relaxing.
After being home for not too long, Shen Qing heard Shen Xiaoshan calling from outside.
"Brother, are you home?"
"Coming."
Shen Qing walked over and opened the door.
Seeing Shen Qing, Shen Xiaoshan seemed overwhelmed by an evil energy, instinctively stepping back, showing a hint of unfamiliarity.
He seemed to realize his own change, quickly saying, "Grandfather asked you to come over, said he has some questions for you."
Shen Qing knew it was most likely about today's matters.
He didn't refuse, saying, "Alright, I'll be right there."
Just as he was about to leave, Shen Qing remembered something.
He went inside to get the padded jacket his aunt had made, put it on, then closed the door behind him and walked out with his head held high.
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