In fact, when Tang Dongdong opened the door to get water, Jin Feng had already woken up.
He just heard it was Tang Dongdong, turned over, and went back to sleep.
In a hazy slumber, he heard hushed voices coming from the courtyard.
The voice was clearly a man’s.
Glancing out the window, he saw Xie Guang and a bald man tying up Tang Dongdong.
Jin Feng’s first thought was to grab his crossbow.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t expected Xie Guang to dare return to the village, and the crossbow was at the shop.
With no other choice, he grabbed a stool and hid behind the door.
Luck was on his side, as one swing of the stool took care of Xie Guang.
As for the remaining bald man, Jin Feng figured he could handle him for a while without much trouble.
As long as he held out until others from the village arrived, the bald man was done for.
But the bald man was too cunning and too decisive.
Seeing things go south, he immediately took Tang Dongdong hostage.
Having lived two lives, Jin Feng had never faced such a situation before.
Forcing himself to stay calm, he negotiated quietly with the bald man, “Good sir, let’s talk this out. Don’t hurt my friend. Whatever you want, I can give you.”
“I know you’ve got over twenty taels of silver. Hand it over,” the bald man demanded, not even glancing at Xie Guang.
“Fine,” Jin Feng replied, pulling two silver ingots from his pocket and tossing them half a metre in front of the bald man. “Let my friend go, and you can take the money.”
If the bald man went for the money, Jin Feng might find a chance to strike back.
But the bald man wasn’t fooled, saying coldly, “Throw your knife away and come pick it up for me.”
For silver, Jin Feng could give it up without hesitation.
Even if the bald man took the silver and ran, Jin Feng wouldn’t care.
But throwing away his knife? What if the bald man stabbed him?
Jin Feng hesitated.
“Hurry up,” the bald man pressed, tightening his grip, causing a trickle of blood to appear on Tang Dongdong’s neck.
Jin Feng’s pupils narrowed slightly.
It wasn’t just the blood on Tang Dongdong’s neck. He also noticed a figure creeping into the courtyard behind the bald man.
It was too dark to see who it was.
But from the cautious movements, it seemed to be a woman, likely not one of the bald man’s group.
At this point, he had to take a gamble.
“Sir, you can take the money, but if you hurt my friend, I’ll shout. Then you won’t escape, and we’ll all go down together,” Jin Feng said, tossing his knife aside and walking forward, speaking to keep the bald man’s attention.
“Don’t worry, I’m just here for the money,” the bald man said, though he’d already decided that the moment Jin Feng got close, he’d strike.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps…
Just two or three more steps, and Jin Feng could reach the silver.
The bald man gripped his knife tightly, ready to cut Jin Feng down.
The atmosphere was tense and oppressive.
Suddenly, a scream came from the main room.
It shattered the stifling tension and the silence of the night.
Guan Xiaorou had woken up and seen the bloodied figure on the ground.
“You cheated,” the bald man roared, his firewood knife poised to stab.
At that moment, the figure sprang from behind, crashing into the bald man’s waist.
Jin Feng finally saw clearly.
The figure was Xie Guang’s wife, Runniang.
“Why is she here?” The thought flashed through Jin Feng’s mind.
Knowing now wasn’t the time for such questions, he focused and charged at the bald man.
The bald man kicked Runniang, sending her tumbling.
Then he swung his knife to stab Tang Dongdong.
Though Runniang’s strength was weak, only staggering the bald man, it bought Jin Feng enough time.
As the knife was about to pierce Tang Dongdong’s neck, Jin Feng reached them.
He grabbed the blade with his hand, forcibly pulling it off course.
Bang.
The knife grazed Tang Dongdong’s neck and lodged in the doorframe.
Ignoring the searing pain in his hand, Jin Feng kicked the bald man in the groin.
It was a man’s most vulnerable spot. The bald man howled, his face turning red, his body instinctively doubling over.
Jin Feng raised his knee, smashing it into the bald man’s face.
Crack.
The bald man’s nose broke, his mind going blank.
His grip on the knife loosened involuntarily.
Jin Feng snatched the knife and plunged it into the bald man’s chest.
Blood gushed out.
The bald man collapsed, struggled briefly, and then lay still.
It all happened so fast.
From Runniang knocking the bald man off balance to Jin Feng seizing the knife and killing him, it took just over ten seconds.
But Jin Feng felt as though all his strength had drained away. He leaned against the doorframe, gasping for breath.
His right hand, still clutching the knife, trembled uncontrollably.
Killing wasn’t a pleasant experience.
Especially not in such close-quarters combat.
Jin Feng’s mind was filled with the sensation and sound of the knife piercing the bald man’s chest.
I killed someone…
I killed someone…
“Darling,” Guan Xiaorou rushed out with a broom, crying as she grabbed Jin Feng’s injured hand, frantically bandaging it.
“Help. Help,” Runniang scrambled to her feet, shouting at the top of her lungs.
Little E, who had been fast asleep, was finally woken by the noise and wailed in fear.
The courtyard suddenly became chaotic.
The screams of the three women snapped Jin Feng back to reality. He cut the ropes binding Tang Dongdong.
Tang Dongdong’s legs gave out from fear, and she slid to the ground, clinging to Jin Feng’s leg, crying harder than Little E.
She was truly terrified.
Soon, torches appeared in the village.
Zhang Liang lived farther away. By the time he arrived with his firewood knife, the village chief had already taken control of the scene.
Seeing the bloodstains in the courtyard and the bald man lying dead, Zhang Liang’s heart tightened.
Only when he saw Jin Feng standing unharmed among the crowd did he relax slightly. He grabbed a hunter and asked, “Old Six, what happened?”
“Xie Guang brought someone to Jin Feng’s house to steal again. They ran into Tang Dongdong, and a fight broke out.”
“Xie Guang again,” Zhang Liang said through gritted teeth. “Where’s that bastard?”
“There,” Chen Laoliu pointed at Xie Guang, who was already tied up.
“That’s Xie Guang?” It wasn’t that Zhang Liang’s eyesight was poor, but Jin Feng’s stool had hit so hard that Xie Guang’s nose was flattened, his face covered in blood, making him hard to recognise.
“Since we’ve caught this bastard, why keep him alive?” Zhang Liang asked.
In the village, thieves were usually beaten to death on the spot.
Especially in a situation like this.
“The chief says to turn him over to the authorities,” Chen Laoliu whispered. “Probably can’t bring himself to do it. Xie Guang’s father served as a soldier with the chief back in the day.”
“If he can’t do it, I will,” Zhang Liang said.
Jin Feng had never killed, but Zhang Liang had seen blood on the battlefield. Killing someone was no different to him than killing a chicken.
No, killing a chicken would excite him more.
Because he could eat the meat.
“Don’t go,” Chen Laoliu grabbed Zhang Liang. “This guy’s as good as dead anyway. Why dirty your hands and upset the chief?”
“How do you know he’s done for?”
