Chapter 1 A Thunderous Roar

The explosive roar was like rolling thunder, and the bustling village instantly fell silent.

Chen Feng!

The name was like a steel nail hammered into the hearts of the villagers, peasants, and passersby present.

Such a formidable man, capable of taking on a hundred opponents, inspired awe and fear in everyone, leaving a deep impression.

Seeing the corpses of Old Master Wu and his two sons lying sprawled on the ground, some people wore bewildered expressions, some looked pleasantly surprised, some wore expressions of satisfaction, and some felt a sense of unease, like rabbits mourning the death of a fellow rabbit.

The faces were varied, each with their own thoughts and calculations.

Zhang San and a few other farmers who had been whipped stared blankly at the corpses of the Wu family, momentarily lost for words.

Not long ago, this burly man had said he would wipe out the Wu family, and they had thought it was a joke. Who knew he would be true to his word and actually do it?

This local tyrant, who had dominated the area for many years, had died such a trivial death.

The blood meandered, vividly red, and everyone realized that it was no different from that of ordinary people.

With the man in charge dead, the remaining guards were intimidated by Zhou Jing's fierce might. They dropped their sticks and scattered in all directions, leaving only a mess behind.

Zhou Jing didn't pursue the guards. He scanned the crowd and shouted:

"I was passing through this place and saw that this local tyrant was exploiting the common people, so I took action in anger. The Wu family's wealth is useless to me. Take it yourselves!"

Everyone was stunned.

Many who didn't know the situation had previously thought that the Wu family had offended a powerful figure who had come to rob them of their wealth. They never imagined that this burly man had killed out of righteous indignation and had no interest in money.

Hearing this, many villagers instantly became excited and restless.

In the crowd, someone couldn't help but ask loudly, "Hero, do you really mean that?"

"Of course." Zhou Jing waved his hand.

Hearing this, the crowd erupted.

"The hero truly has the demeanor of a chivalrous hero! The Wu family bullied men and dominated women. They deserved to be killed, and killed well!"

"The Wu family has committed countless evil deeds, sucking our blood and marrow. We've long wanted to get rid of them!"

Many people echoed loudly, some out of the satisfaction of shared hatred, and more out of the excitement of potential profit.

Numerous villagers couldn't wait to scatter and rush into the Wu family's residence to loot the wealth.

Some villagers passed by the corpses of the Wu family and, remembering past humiliations, couldn't resist adding a few kicks along the way, venting their pent-up resentment.

Soon, the village was like a locust plague, with villagers everywhere carrying wealth and beaming with joy.

Zhou Jing didn't watch much longer. He turned around and came to Li Chun and the others, cupping his fist and saying,

"Thank you for your help, brothers!"

"What are you saying, Brother Chen? Since we happened to witness it, how could we sit idly by and watch you be bullied by so many?"

Lu Xinniang bent her arm to clamp the blade of her saber, wiped the blood from it, then sheathed her saber and returned the salute.

Li Chun also stroked his beard and smiled, his eyes burning, and said, "We are brothers, so don't speak such polite words. It is Brother Chen who is exceptionally brave. Even without our help, you could have come and gone freely."

Witnessing Zhou Jing's bravery in fighting hundreds of people, he was also shocked and greatly admired him, strengthening his desire to befriend him.

* Today, this Chen Feng has killed the local tyrant, and he will inevitably be wanted by the government. He will definitely become a bandit in the future. It would be perfect to invite him to join us on the mountain. We must not miss such a fierce general!

"However..." Li Chun suddenly showed a bitter smile, glanced at the excited villagers looting the house, and said in a low voice, "Brother Chen, you risked your life to acquire this wealth, but you're just giving it away? Wouldn't that be benefiting others for nothing?"

"It doesn't matter. Wealth is brought neither in life nor in death. The Wu family's foundation was originally the fat and blood of the people, so what is taken from the people should be returned to the people. It is enough for me to take a little travel money."

Zhou Jing didn't care at all, and had his own plans.

Although he couldn't even afford to rebel without money, he didn't plan to start an uprising just yet. What he needed more than a large sum of money right now was to practice martial arts and make a name for himself, to let the world know that he existed and achieve the goal of "raising the banner."

Besides, he really didn't care about the "money" of this world.

Lu Xinniang on the side admired him and said, "Brother Chen is truly straightforward! In comparison, we are all vulgar people with eyes only for gold and silver."

Li Chun couldn't help but smile bitterly, feeling ridiculed by his own people.

At this moment, Zhou Jing suddenly remembered something and made a request:

"By the way, I have a matter to ask of Brother Li Chun. Please help me find the land deeds and loan receipts in the Wu family's possession. I have some use for them."

"Easy, that's easy."

Li Chun didn't refuse. He grabbed a Wu family steward who was as limp as mud from the ground and interrogated him.

When it comes to searching, these Green Forest heroes are more professional and experienced.

Lu Yunzhao shook his head on the side and interjected with a sigh, "Brother Chen, the Wu family's crimes don't warrant death. Your methods are a bit too harsh."

"Corrupt officials, landlords, and local bullies are not worth sparing. Besides, why would you Green Forest people become bandits if you weren't forced to the point of desperation?" Zhou Jing glanced at him and replied casually.

Lu Yunzhao said helplessly, "Brother, you've misunderstood. Although we were forced to become bandits, there are corrupt officials, landlords, and local bullies everywhere in the world. You can't kill them all. You can manage one injustice you see on the road, but can you manage a hundred or a thousand?"

Hearing this, Zhou Jing stroked his chin and said slowly:

"I know I can't kill them all, but it's good to let them know that someone will kill them, someone can kill them. If I didn't see it, then so be it, but since I happened to witness it, there's no reason to let them go."

Lu Yunzhao was speechless, secretly sighing at Chen Feng's fierce temper and great bloodlust.

He always liked to befriend generous and righteous local landlords and wealthy people. Although he was amazed and admired Zhou Jing's ability to fight a hundred people at this time, he still couldn't agree with him in his heart.

…

Not long after, Li Chun found the land deeds that the Wu family had stored, including the land of this village and many surrounding properties, as well as a large number of loan receipts from local villagers.

Zhou Jing took out a stack of land deeds and loan receipts, glanced at them, and suddenly shouted loudly:

"Fellow villagers, the land deeds that the Wu family has seized from you and the debts you owe to the Wu family are all here."

Hearing this, the many villagers who were carrying wealth also slowed down their steps and turned their heads to look, their expressions changing instantly, uneasy, not knowing what Zhou Jing meant.

But before everyone could speak, Zhou Jing threw all the land deeds and loan receipts into the brazier in full view of everyone.

"Keeping them is useless, so I'll burn them."

He casually found an excuse and burned these things to ashes.

Seeing this, many villagers were overjoyed, clapped their hands, and praised his righteous act.

However, some were pleasantly surprised and cheered, while others were worried and regretted.

At this moment, a few people dressed relatively cleanly walked out of the crowd, seemingly local elders and other wealthy farmers and merchants.

These people first bowed tremblingly to Zhou Jing, and then asked:

"Hero, please, the Wu family has always been in charge of local affairs. Now that you have eliminated them, what should we say when the government comes to ask about it in the future?"

Zhou Jing waved his hand indifferently: "No need to cover up for me, just tell the truth."

The few people uttered a sound of surprise and looked at each other.

One of the village elders hesitated for a while, and then asked:

"Hero, we have lost hundreds of guards and villagers from the Wu family. If passing bandits target us, how can we protect ourselves? If outsiders want to seize our possessions by force, what should we do?"

Zhou Jing raised his eyebrows and pretended to be puzzled: "You have hands and feet, yet you come to ask me?"

The village elders were stunned, not knowing how to refute.

That's right, someone saw an injustice on the road and eliminated the local landlord and tyrant, but they didn't say they would continue to help them until the end.

After all, the man couldn't possibly stay. If something happened here after the burly man left, how could he possibly manage it even if he knew?

He removed the mountain that was pressing on their heads, but should the other party bear the storms that remained? Although many villagers wanted to do this, when they saw the burly man's fierce appearance, he didn't seem like someone who cared about what others said.

If this burly man was a kind and righteous man, then they would definitely be relentless, but this man was obviously a fierce villain, and they were afraid in their hearts, so they didn't dare to speak.

The village elder hesitated for a while, and then asked carefully:

"The Wu family is gone, and the land deeds have also been burned by you... Although the hero has good intentions, but with no one in the village to preside over the overall situation, and no rules for planting and harvesting, what should we do?"

Hearing this, many villagers nodded cautiously, actually agreeing in their hearts.

Although the Wu family sucked their blood and sweat, they could at least survive. It wasn't good, but they could barely make ends meet.

Now that the Wu family was dead, the local old order had been broken, which made many villagers who were content with the status quo, used to being tolerant, and unwilling to resist feel at a loss.

Zhou Jing glanced at him, stroked his chin, and said solemnly:

"I see, if you feel uncomfortable without a landlord over your heads, this is also simple. I'll go and find you another landlord. There are always other villages nearby, other wealthy families and landlords. Invite them to come and annex the land here. I think they'll be very happy. In this way, someone will preside over the overall situation here, and you can continue to live as you did before."

"No... there's no need for that..."

Everyone quickly refused, speechless, worried that Zhou Jing was serious.

Now that things had come to this, no one wanted another skin-peeler, but everyone was worried about losing the stability of the past, wavering between hope and fear.

Many wealthy farmers didn't want a new landlord to come the most, because with the Wu family gone, the vacant power would naturally be filled by someone. So why couldn't it be them?

They each had their own ulterior motives, and they also had ambitions and greed, wanting to swallow the Wu family's previous foundation and replace the Wu family in this place.

But they were also worried that they would be liquidated by the farmer mobs in the chaos of the Wu family's downfall. They were both greedy and afraid, and their mood was complicated.

At this moment, Zhang San's face was uncertain, as if he had figured something out. He suddenly stepped out of the crowd, knelt on the ground, and shouted loudly:

"If one Wu family is gone, there will still be a Zhao family and a Li family! Sooner or later, we will be bullied. We mud-legged people can't turn over. I've had enough of this damn life, and I don't want to live in lingering, muddled existence anymore! If the hero doesn't abandon me, I'm willing to follow you to travel north and south, with no ulterior motives!"

As soon as he finished speaking, several other villagers also made up their minds, walked out one after another, and bowed their heads in worship.

Zhou Jing's eyes moved, and he strode forward to pull up a few people, shouting:

"Get up, don't kneel to me!"

After Zhang San and the others got up, Zhou Jing looked at them and nodded:

"Since that's the case, everyone is brothers. You can follow me, and I will teach you martial arts."

Zhang San and the others were overjoyed and repeatedly cupped their hands. They wanted to kneel down again, but Zhou Jing grabbed them, so they couldn't kneel down. They had to stand next to Zhou Jing, their faces full of excitement.

Zhou Jing glanced around and found that many villagers also showed interest, but no one came out again.

Seeing this, he knew that only Zhang San and five others in the village were willing to go with him, so he no longer forced it.

Among the many villagers, only these five people made up their minds, giving up the days of digging food from the ground, changing their way of life, and not repeating the same mistakes.

The rest were shaken, but in the end they couldn't give up the days when they could barely survive even though they were oppressed, nor did they want to give up the "windfall" they had obtained from looting the Wu family.

He eliminated the Wu family, which also disrupted the local order, but another landlord would always fill the void in the future. The local people were unwilling to change, so they would still live the same days, and he would not pay attention to it. After all, everyone has their own personality, and as long as they can barely survive, most people would rather endure humiliation and retreat.

From a purposeful point of view, not everyone is a useful person. What he has to do now is to pick out the people who are truly desperate and those who are full of blood and courage, and form the initial foundation.

Because he doesn't intend to start an uprising for the time being, the number of people doesn't need to be too many. He only needs a few close friends. Any more would be detrimental to the initial actions, making it impossible to come and go freely.

Moreover, from a darker perspective, without a local tyrant like the Wu family, there will only be another group of oppressors belonging to the old order, which will further provoke public resentment, intensify conflicts, and further promote the environment needed for the uprising.

Since ancient times, no matter what form of uprising, it is impossible to be completely clean. The rule is like this. Everything is interlocked, and there is no calculation involved, which is tantamount to wishful thinking.

Therefore, he doesn't intend to establish a new order of his own in this place for the time being. That is too idealistic and almost impossible to operate. This is a matter of affecting the whole body. The government and the surrounding wealthy families will not turn a blind eye. To openly oppose the world when the opportunity is not ripe is too difficult. All he can do at this time is to accurately liquidate individuals, make a name for himself, and use external force to break the solid environment built by the old vested interests. The rest will be temporarily handed over to the local people for natural adjustment.

After today, let this village evolve according to the rules of this era. After a brief "acting on behalf of heaven", it will be dragged back to the original dark cycle by this world, and a new old order that adapts to this world will be re-evolved. Even the benefits that these villagers are currently looting from the Wu family and eating should be forced to be spit out in the future.

After these things, something in people's hearts gradually begins to change, slowly forming a general trend... This is one of the few choices under his current limited conditions.

Of course, if the villagers here can't bear it in the future and dare to truly stand up and fight on their own, and a civil uprising breaks out, that would be even better, the more the better.

Zhou Jing looked meaningfully at the village elders and wealthy farmers in front of him, then withdrew his gaze, turned his head to cup his fists at Li Chun and the others, and said:

"Three brothers, this matter started because of me, and it has delayed what you want to do. Now that the matter here is over, how about we set off?"

Li Chun came back to his senses, smiled and nodded: "It doesn't matter, let's go."

They were going to the state capital to handle some affairs, and had agreed to travel together with Zhou Jing before.

The group no longer lingered, left the village courtyard, and no one dared to stop them on the road.

Zhou Jing told Zhang San and the others to go back and pack their luggage, and he waited with Li Chun and the others at the entrance of the village, chatting while opening the panel to take a look.

When they defeated the Wu family's villagers before, the panel popped up a lot of messages.

[Triggered the achievement [Fighting a Hundred Alone]!]

[Obtained 1000 Star Realm Points! [Attribute Improvement - Physique (Small)] x1]

[You have obtained the career deed - [Beating the Wu Family Village]!]

[Rating: City-Level]

[Current Legend Degree bonus: +1]

'A career deed...' Zhou Jing thought thoughtfully.

…

Before long, Zhang San and the others packed their luggage and came to the entrance of the village to meet Zhou Jing.

The group of nine met and set foot on the road to the state capital.

As they left, the villagers' looting of the Wu family had not yet ended, and more and more people rushed to get a share of the pie, each of them elated.

On the other side, the Wu family's fate spread throughout the village. Today, passers-by in the village everywhere are spreading Chen Feng's deeds, discussing them.

Through word of mouth, someone soon gave Chen Feng a nickname.

* Life-Taking Yama! (referring to Yama, the King of Hell)