Ch.37. Victory
Author: SkylarX
last update2026-01-04 13:29:27

The bandits brandished their weapons in front of the village walls, expecting fear and submission. Instead, they found calm, steady resistance. The villagers didn't panic. The soldiers didn't flee. Everyone simply watched and waited.

This wasn't the reaction the bandits were used to.

"What's wrong with these people?" one bandit muttered to his companion. "They should be terrified."

"Maybe they're stupid," the other replied uncertainly.

Their leader — a scarred man named Zhao Hu, stepped forward. He wanted to make an impression, to establish dominance through intimidation. His long knife flashed in the morning light as he swung it at a nearby tree.

The blade bit deep, cutting clean through a trunk as thick as a man's thigh. The tree toppled with a satisfying crash.

Zhao Hu planted himself on a large boulder like a king on his throne. "Listen well! We know you're a new village. You probably don't understand how things work around here. So let me explain."

His voice carried across the sp
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