Chapter 14 Uprooting Evil

Zhou Jing stroked his chin. "None? Or you just don't dare?"

"No, no!" The old farmer quickly changed his tune.

"Alright, then I won't bother you any longer, old man."

Zhou Jing didn't say anything more, wading through the mud as he turned to leave.

Seeing this, the old farmer hesitated, then suddenly called out to Zhou Jing from behind in a low voice:

"This man, though I don't know where you come from, if you're thinking of causing trouble for the Wu Family Estate, you should drop the idea. They have five or six hundred estate guards, they're not easy to deal with, and they often give gifts to the county magistrate. Even if you wanted to sue, there's no way in. Besides, the Wu family's eldest son is going to take the imperial exams. He's the family's hope for prestige.”

"What you say makes sense."

Zhou Jing nodded, not continuing the conversation.

He walked out of the field, pondering in his mind:

‘The No. 4 Star Realm Apostle has a violent and rebellious nature, doing what he deems to be acting on behalf of Heaven regardless of the consequences. But on behalf of *which* Heaven, and acting on *which* Way? How is this to be understood? To what extent does one have to go to be considered violent?’

This Wu Family Estate is a large landlord household; the class composition goes without saying—they must be exploiters. The richer their family, the more lavish their spending, the more ruthless the exploitation.

Although he has no fondness for the landlord class of the feudal era, the existence of the landlord class does have its historical reasons. It can even be considered part of maintaining the order of feudal society.

If such a target does not openly commit evil, would it belong to the target of the No. 4 Apostle's "acting on behalf of Heaven"?

Zhou Jing wasn't entirely certain.

After all, the other party hadn't provoked him. They had no past grievances or recent grudges, and they had even treated him with courtesy. Everyone was living in peace.

According to the modern values of people in the main world, self-preservation and minding one's own business are the best policies. Why cause trouble for no reason?

Although Zhou Jing was disgusted by the Wu Family Head's predilections, he didn't know if this kind of predilection was normal in this world's social atmosphere.

Aside from this factor, the old master was quite adept at handling people and didn't seem like a bad person at first glance.

Moreover, this village was quite lively, and the Wu Family Estate was clearly the pillar maintaining the local order.

If he overturned it, it would not only be overthrowing a landlord and a local tyrant, but also toppling the order that had been operating for many years and that everyone had become accustomed to.

As Zhou Jing thought about this, he had a new understanding of the No. 4 Apostle's life goals.

"Trampling the bones of dukes and ministers and acting on behalf of Heaven, with these two goals combined, the No. 4 Apostle's so-called rebellion probably isn't as superficial as overthrowing a dynasty. Rather, he sees all exploiting classes as enemies, regardless of their role in maintaining order... The No. 4 Apostle does this not for the sake of the people, nor is it necessary for him to do so for the sake of the people, but simply adheres to an inflexible 'righteousness'. Strictly speaking, he is the rebel of rebels!"

“And in this world,

The truly evil will not show themselves as villains. They dissolve into the order, attach themselves to the order, often putting on a benevolent face, bestowing favors, and using considerate courtesy to disguise themselves and deceive others… They turn themselves into the order itself, making exploitation the norm that the world is accustomed to. They bind themselves to a portion of the people in a class, so that if everyone benefits, they can also benefit, and if there is a risk, they transfer it downwards—although this is the law of social operation itself, in the eyes of the No. 4 Apostle, the very existence of these things is probably a sin."

A series of thoughts flashed through Zhou Jing's mind, and then he felt a little worried.

It was fine when he personally traveled, but once he entered the placement mode, it would be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains. Even if he set up a conservative placement plan, as long as the No. 4 Apostle acted according to his personality, there was no telling what he would do.

‘If this is really the case, then the No. 4 Apostle's current strength is really not enough to rebel. I need to step up my martial arts training to truly protect myself.’

Just as he was pondering, a sudden clamor came over.

Zhou Jing came back to his senses, raised his eyes, and saw many farmers throwing down their farm work and gathering in one direction.

His eyes flashed, and he also followed over to watch.

Soon, Zhou Jing followed the crowd to a thatched hut outside the village, where many people were gathered, making a lot of noise.

A group of farmers surrounded the outside, pointing and gossiping.

Inside were more than a dozen Wu Family Estate guards, surrounding a robust young man.

This robust young man was waving a horsewhip, snapping it at several thin villagers, causing them to scream in agony.

These beaten villagers were covered in blood, but they did not dare to resist, pleading bitterly:

"Please give us a few more months! Our family really has no grain left. If you take it all, we won't be able to survive this year!"

"If you take our ox, then my whole family will have no way to live!"

Is this rent collection?

Zhou Jing raised an eyebrow.

Just as he was assessing the situation, a brawny farmer with a beard suddenly rushed out of the thatched hut.

This brawny farmer held a pitchfork and angrily shouted:

"Wu Fang! If you don't let me live, I'll fight you to the death!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the brawny farmer raised his pitchfork and charged toward the leading robust young man.

This young man, called Wu Fang, snorted coldly when he saw this, snatched a cudgel from a nearby retainer, and then flipped his hand and pressed the cudgel down on the brawny farmer's pitchfork. No matter how hard the brawny farmer tried, he couldn't pull out the pitchfork.

"Zhang San, have you gone mad, daring to fight me?!"

Wu Fang shouted angrily, stepped forward, raised his hand, and struck along the shaft of the pitchfork, hitting the brawny farmer's arms twice, causing him to drop his weapon.

Then, he poked the tip of the cudgel, knocking the brawny farmer to the ground.

The brawny farmer, Zhang San, clutched his chest, his face in pain, but glared at Wu Fang and said fiercely:

"You son of a bitch! Come on, hit me on the head. If you can't kill me, you're a turtle son!"

Wu Fang was furious:

"Since you seek death, I'll grant it to you!"

He raised the cudgel and was about to strike down on his head.

At this moment, Zhou Jing seized the opportunity to step out of the crowd, his large hand grasping the cudgel about to fall, as if it were an iron hoop.

Wu Fang used all his strength, but couldn't shake it in the slightest. He was shocked and quickly let go of the cudgel, taking two steps back to stand next to the retainers.

He sized up Zhou Jing, confirmed that he was a stranger, frowned, and cupped his fist:

"This good man, may I ask what your intention is?"

"Just watching the fun." Zhou Jing hefted the cudgel, slammed it on the ground, and looked around at the people present, asking: "What's going on here?"

Realizing that he was a busybody, Wu Fang couldn't help but feel annoyed, cursing inwardly. But seeing that Zhou Jing was not easy to provoke, he had no choice but to suppress his anger, cupped his fist, and explained:

"I am Wu Fang, the third young master of the Wu Family Estate here. These villagers borrowed money from my family and signed loan documents. Now that the date has arrived, I am asking them to repay their debts. Who knew these troublemakers would act shamelessly and try to deny the debt? In my anger, I couldn't help but get a little heavy-handed."

Before Zhou Jing could speak, Zhang San spat out a mouthful of saliva and said resentfully:

"The Wu family lends money, but they demand extortionate interest! It increases every period, how can we possibly repay it?"

Wu Fang looked at him coldly: "Then who asked you to borrow money?"

"We can't survive. If we don't borrow money, our whole family will starve to death. What else can we do?" A farmer who had been whipped couldn't help but say.

Wu Fang shook his head and snorted: "Since you borrowed the money, what else is there to say? If you don't work hard and your harvest is bad all year round, causing you to be unable to survive, that's your business. Who can you blame?"

Hearing this, another farmer who had been whipped couldn't help but complain:

"Every year, after paying the imperial tax and the Wu family's land rent, how much is left for us? If the rent wasn't so high, how could we not be able to survive?"

Wu Fang was impatient and shouted: "The rules have been like this since ancient times. Don't say any irrelevant nonsense! Paying debts is a matter of course. No matter what you say today, you can't escape this principle! Either pay the rent or use your land and cattle as collateral!"

Zhang San struggled to get up, pointed at Wu Fang, and cursed:

"Bullshit! Your Wu family collects such heavy rent. Every year in winter, if we don't borrow money from you, we can't survive. How dare you say this isn't intentional, blocking our path to survival? The Wu family only allows land and cattle as collateral for loans. It's obvious you want to swallow our land. Now, how many people in the village don't owe your family money? Using these methods, you clearly want to turn us all into landless tenant farmers, always owing you money and working the land for your family for generations."

Wu Fang glared and shouted angrily, "Sophistry! You have all signed loan documents. Even if you sue to the government, you have no reason to win!"

Zhang San said hatefully: "Damn the government, they are all birds of a feather! If we weren't desperate, who would be willing to borrow your family's money? You've seized our lifeline. With a mere touch of your lips, naturally, everything is reasonable!"

The villagers who had been whipped were also enraged and couldn't help but echo:

“I borrowed farmland from your Wu family, and your old master asked me to pay the rent for fertile land, but in reality, he lent me barren land. I wanted to reason with him several times, but I was driven out by your family's estate guards. Now you are using this contract to deceive me!"

"That's right, this guy is setting up a scam to harm us!" Zhang San pointed angrily at Wu Fang and shouted: "Once the harvest is bad, it's when your Wu family succeeds, first taking away our surplus grain, then taking away our cattle, and finally annexing our land, forcing us to sell ourselves. With contracts in hand, even if we make a scene in the government, you will have your own reasons. If we don't want to hand over the land, we can only sell our sons and daughters to your Wu family's estate as slaves, and some people's daughters even become concubines for your master! I've had enough of this god-forsaken life!"

Wu Fang trembled with anger and shouted:

"Rebellion! You are all rebelling! My Wu family is willing to lend money for you to eat and drink, but you come to slander me like this! You should just let you mud legs starve to death!"

"Isn't the Wu family's harvest all planted by us? Bah!" Zhang San spat at his face.

Wu Fang hurriedly dodged, but his clothes were still stained with a mouthful of bloody phlegm.

"You really seek death?!"

Wu Fang's eyes turned red with anger, and he raised the whip to strike down hard.

However, halfway through the whip's swing, Zhou Jing grabbed his palm again, preventing him from striking.

Having been stopped by this person twice, Wu Fang was also furious.

He pointed at Zhou Jing's nose and shouted, "You! I'm teaching my own villagers a lesson. What does it have to do with you? Quickly get out of my way, don't be ungrateful!"

Hearing this, Zhou Jing didn't say anything and slapped him in the face with his backhand.

*Pa!*

A crisp sound.

Wu Fang flew out like a spinning top, spitting blood, his cheek swollen high, half of his teeth knocked out, and fell directly to the ground unconscious.

Everyone present was stunned.

No one thought that this burly man would suddenly attack.

"Dare to point at your grandpa, you're tired of living." Zhou Jing shook his hand.

More than a dozen Wu Family Estate guards were stunned for a moment, then suddenly reacted, picked up their cudgels, and roared as they charged up.

"Rebel scum!"

"Take this!"

Seeing this, Zhou Jing remained calm, holding a cudgel in each hand, and charged straight into the guards, swinging wildly.

The burly figure was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, causing figures to fly all over the place.

In just a few breaths, more than a dozen guards were lying on the ground, groaning in pain.

The villagers quickly avoided, already stunned.

Where did this fierce man come from? In the blink of an eye, he had knocked down more than a dozen people. Even the third young master of the Wu family, Wu Fang, who was usually martial and rampant in the estate, was knocked down with a slap!

Zhou Jing glanced around, used his foot to pick up the pitchfork on the ground, and kicked it to Zhang San, who was still in a daze.

Zhang San hurriedly caught the pitchfork, not understanding what he meant.

Zhou Jing pointed to Wu Fang, who was unconscious on the ground, and said, "Go, stab him to death."

Zhang San was shocked and shook his head repeatedly.

"Where's your bloodlust from before? I'm giving you a chance, but you're useless!"

Zhou Jing snorted, but didn't force him. He turned to the retainers lying on the ground and shouted, "Get up, all of you, and carry your third young master back. If you run slowly, I'll break your legs!"

The retainers, groaning in pain, got up in a flurry, supported the unconscious Wu Fang, and staggered away, hating that their parents hadn't given them two more legs.

Only at this moment did the farmers present wake up from their dreams and hurriedly surrounded him, chattering.

"Oh, brave warrior, you've caused trouble now!"

"You hurt the Wu family's third young master. The hundreds of guards in his estate will come to settle the score with you!"

At this time, Zhang San also came back to his senses and quickly cupped his fist:

"Brave hero, we are grateful for your help, but the Wu Family Estate has many people and a lot of power. While they haven't come yet, you should hurry and escape."

Zhou Jing shook his head and grinned:

"It doesn't matter. I'm going to kill their entire family."

Everyone was stunned, and then their expressions changed.

"Brave warrior, why go so far?!"

"How can you defeat hundreds of people alone?"

"Even if you're standing up for us, this is too..."

Zhou Jing didn't listen to their continued clamoring, carried the cudgel, and strode toward the village.

The villagers stood there in a daze.

Until Zhou Jing's figure disappeared into the distance, Zhang San suddenly gritted his teeth and followed with the pitchfork.

With someone taking the lead, the other farmers followed in a panic.

Zhou Jing strode ahead, full of momentum, but in reality, his mind was racing.

Just now, he suddenly had some ideas. The No. 4 Apostle's so-called "acting on behalf of Heaven" was not simply for the sake of the common people, but a hard-to-describe code of conduct. He punished not only the obvious evil on the surface, but also the "evil" that had existed for a long time, the "evil" that had become a part of this world.

Everyone knew it was evil, but they tolerated its existence for their own needs. Should it be eliminated? From the perspective of many common people, they actually didn't want it to be, because it also concerned their own interests. But this was also the No. 4 Apostle's target—the root of this born rebel's violent and rebellious personality stemmed from the injustice of the world, but not entirely for the welfare of the people, but pointed to the class contradictions that had existed since ancient times.

Zhou Jing also had a rough idea of ​​how to accomplish the No. 4 Apostle's goal. It was not to start a revolution to benefit the people, because the conditions were not ripe at all, nor was it only to establish a new order, but to become a true "rebel."

To achieve the so-called "trampling the bones of dukes and ministers," the basic foundation needed for rebellion was not the support of the people, but boiling popular resentment.

Popular resentment came from the unchanging exploitation for thousands of years. The exploiting class had changed faces, but under the guise, they never changed.

In this world where people were struggling to survive, if the world had the opportunity to wipe out the landlords, corrupt officials, and noble families when they had no way out, who would not want to stab them? Although it was too cruel, what was wrong with the exploited venting their grievances? Generations had been oppressed and exploited, but they could only endure and retreat, wear shackles, and never be allowed to avenge their grievances. This was the accumulated anger.

If it was ignited, turning one person's violence into the violence of hundreds, thousands of people, then great things could be accomplished, turning into a torrent that swept the world and crushed the old world.

What kings and nobles, what aristocratic families, no matter how distinguished their backgrounds or how wealthy their families, they were all the same with a white knife going in and a red knife coming out. No one was more noble than anyone else.

Enemies with the exploiters, even most of the bandits in the green forest were enemies. It could be said that the whole world was the enemy.

Even if new exploiters were to emerge in the future, they would not be the old ones who had enjoyed it for thousands of years. The so-called "no destruction, no establishment," whether or not it could be established afterward was unknown, but it must be completely destroyed and cleared.

From a purposeful point of view, to achieve this, one must make a name for oneself, so that oneself could become a banner, attracting countless people who had suffered oppression and were full of resentment, and turning popular resentment into one's own basic foundation for rebellion. In this way, a team could be formed.

"Too ruthless... This is definitely going to kill people until heads roll..."

Zhou Jing breathed out, secretly marveling at the tragic nature of this Apostle's life goal. He even wanted to back down a bit, and didn't even bother to look at the information on the panel's synchronization rate increase.

While thinking and walking, the gate of the Wu Family Estate gradually approached.

In the tavern in the village, Li Chun and the other two were eating and drinking casually, waiting for Zhou Jing.

Lu Yunzhao looked at the sun and said strangely, "Brother Chen Feng has been gone for so long, why hasn't he returned yet?"

Li Chun stroked his beard and said casually, "Perhaps the local gentry is enthusiastic and hospitable, and has insisted on keeping Brother Chen as a guest. Our identities are sensitive, so it's not suitable for us to visit the Wu Family Estate with Brother Chen."

Just then, a commotion suddenly came from the street outside the window.

A idler shouted loudly, running around to spread the news:

"Someone is attacking the Wu Family Estate!"

They saw people filling the street, all rushing towards the estate in the center of the village, restless.

Li Chun and the other two were stunned, looked at each other, and had a bad feeling at the same time.

"Could it be..."

Lu Xinniang stopped talking.

The corner of Li Chun's mouth twitched. After a long while, he said with a pain in the ass:

"Let's go, let's go see what's going on."