At the village entrance, the Village Chief stood with a group of trembling villagers, angrily glaring at the more than ten armored warriors across from them.
These warriors, each clad in silver armor and holding silver spears, looked at the villagers with utter disdain.
Compared to these villagers, they were far superior in both cultivation and equipment.
The royal family of the Moon Desolate Domain had issued a decree that civilians could not possess weapons, so the villagers only held sticks, wooden forks, and the like.
This is why the arrows in Zhuzi's quiver were all made from tree branches.
On the ground, a three-year-old girl with pigtails lay in a pool of blood, her tattered clothes stained red, her eyes still open. A woman in ragged clothing held the girl's body and cried in pain.
"Old fool, hand over your grain quickly, or don't blame us for being rude."
The leading soldier shouted at the Village Chief with disdain.
The Village Chief's aged face shook with anger, "You have already come several times this month. We have no grain left. Everyone is surviving on red meat. Do you want to drive us to death?"
The leading soldier sneered disdainfully, "Old fool, don't think I don't know that you lowly people are the craftiest. You must have hidden the grain."
The Village Chief trembled with rage.
"Old fool, we are risking our lives on the front lines to keep you safe. Is it so difficult to contribute some grain? Are you looking for death?"
"The village truly has no grain left. If you don't believe me, you can search for yourselves."
The leading soldier didn't believe it at all, "You lowly people are always dishonest. I bet you won't cry until you see the coffin. From now on, every hour, I will kill one person until you bring out the grain."
"Even if you kill us all, we won't have any grain for you."
"I bet you won't cry until you see the coffin." The leading soldier drew the sword at his waist, "From now on, I'll kill until you produce the grain."
All the villagers were trembling with fear; they stood no chance against these warriors.
The Village Chief roared, "You can't do this! The royal family has decreed that you can't kill us without cause."
"You defied orders by not handing over the grain and resisted by attacking us. We had no choice but to kill you. Old fool, how's that for a reason?"
"You are trying to drive us to our deaths."
"A bunch of lowly people. If you can't produce the grain, why should we keep you alive?" The leading soldier said, face full of cruelty, walking toward the Village Chief with a sword in hand, "Old fool, I bet you're the one causing trouble; I'll kill you. Let's see if they still dare to resist."
Zhuzi trembled as he bent his bow and nocked an arrow, glaring at the approaching soldier, his entire body shaking.
The leading soldier, instead of getting angry, laughed; he didn't take Zhuzi's bow and arrow seriously at all, "Dare to point a bow and arrow at us? You must be spies sent by the Star Desolate Domain. Brothers, raise your weapons and take these heads back for a reward."
The dozen armored warriors behind him raised their silver spears, their faces full of cruelty aimed at these defenseless villagers.
"You beasts, may you die a horrible death." The Village Chief shouted in anger.
The leading soldier placed his sword against the old Village Chief's neck, "Don't resist, your cultivation is like an ant to me."
This leading soldier wasn't highly cultivated, only at Qi Cultivation Perfection, but compared to the Village Chief's Qi Cultivation Middle Stage, he was much stronger.
Thus, the old Village Chief didn't resist, knowing it was useless. Secondly, if he resisted, the villagers behind him might be slaughtered.
"Old fool, I know you still have grain. Give it up, and I'll spare your lowly lives."
The old Village Chief turned to look at the villagers who were shivering with fear and finally sighed helplessly, his entire essence drained, "That grain is our seed for next year. If you take it, we won't be able to plant next year, and the whole village will have not a single grain left."
The leading soldier was unmoved. He didn't care about next year; he only wanted the grain. He sneered, "I knew you, old guy, wouldn't be honest. Hand over the grain quickly."
"If you hand over the grain, there won't be any for next year."
"That's your problem. If you can't produce the grain, it's you who'll die then." The leading soldier said viciously.
At this moment, the leading soldier suddenly retracted the sword from the Village Chief's neck and turned to slash at the woman holding the child's corpse, cursing, "Stop wailing, you're making too much noise."
The woman screamed in fright.
All the villagers closed their eyes, unable to bear watching.
However, just as the sword was about to hit the woman, it suddenly stopped. The leading soldier's face filled with horror as he found himself unable to move, as if someone had cast an Immobilization Spell on him.
At this moment, two figures slowly walked from behind the villagers to the woman's side.
Qin Yi's gaze turned icy. A three-year-old child, what crime had she committed to suffer such a calamity?
Qin Yi slowly knelt and comforted the woman, "Auntie, take your child home for a proper burial. The departed are gone, and the living must strive to live."
When Qin Yi's voice was heard, all the villagers instinctively opened their eyes, astonished by the scene before them.
The sword in the leading soldier's hand was suspended over the woman's head, rigid and immobile like a wooden puppet.
The woman's eyes were red and swollen from crying, terrified by the sword hovering above her head.
Qin Yi raised a hand, and a purple light snaked around the sword, and with a bang, it shattered into countless pieces.
The villagers' eyes went wide with astonishment.
The leading soldier's face was filled with horror.
The other soldiers were shocked, their expressions drastically changing.
"Auntie, take the child home. I will avenge her."
The woman looked at Qin Yi, blankly, then suddenly knelt, about to bow, but Qin Yi hurriedly helped her up.
"Thank you, benefactor, thank you. If you kill these beasts to avenge my daughter, I will pray for your protection every day."
Qin Yi nodded slightly, accepting the woman's gratitude, knowing it was all she could do.
The woman cried as she trembled, cradling the child's body as she left.
Qin Yi waved his hand lightly, and the leading soldier regained his freedom, hurriedly stepping back, warily watching Qin Yi.
"Who are you people? How dare you attack us? Do you know what crime you've committed?" Surrounded by over ten subordinates, the soldier felt secure and questioned harshly.
Qin Yi said indifferently, "I'd really like to know, attacking beasts, what crime have I committed?"
"Insolent! You not only attacked me but dared to insult me. This is a capital offense."
Qin Yi laughed, but the warmth was absent from his smile, "Quite coincidentally, I've just sentenced you to death. Guess who dies first, you or me?"
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