C13 The Miserable Wails Outside the Village

Lee Erhei and Lin Xiaoqiang's argument grew increasingly loud, drawing a crowd of onlookers. Seeing the growing audience, Lee Erhei's insults flew with renewed vigor. He climbed atop a mound of earth and addressed the crowd, "Fellow villagers, I ask you to weigh in on this dispute. Who is in the right, and who is in the wrong?"

"Since the Ice Age began, Lin Xiaoqiang has been on a killing spree, angering the gods, as our ancestors would say. Now, look at him, keeping a divine beast captive in his home. I fear the day his misdeeds bring retribution upon him, and by extension, all of us. Don't you think it's possible?"

Conveniently, Lee Erhei omitted the fact that he had just asked Lin Xiaoqiang for rice, twisting the story entirely.

Standing at his own doorstep, Lin Xiaoqiang was at a loss for words. He pointed at Lee Erhei and retorted, "You're a real scoundrel! I've earned my keep with my own two hands, and you accuse me of angering deities? If you think I've done wrong, point it out. How have I harmed the community's interests? What have I not obtained through honest means? If you can name one wrongdoing that I acknowledge, I'll hand over all my possessions to you. How about that?"

Lin Xiaoqiang defended himself with fervor.

Lee Erhei seized on Lin Xiaoqiang's challenge, "Have you forgotten your own actions? Weren't you responsible for the death of our village's Lee Laohu? And you didn't even spare his son. With such a venomous heart, who knows who you might target next? Right now, we can still live alongside you, but what about the day you run out of food and clothing? You might just turn on one of us."

It's strange how truths everyone knows can remain unspoken, but once voiced, they take on a life of their own. The villagers started to see Lee Erhei's point. They whispered among themselves, contemplating how to handle the increasingly powerful Lin Xiaoqiang.

Lin Xiaoqiang, witnessing the turn of events, felt a chill down his spine. No matter his strength, incurring the wrath of the community was never a good thing.

He pleaded with the villagers, "You all know what kind of man Lee Laohu was. Do I even need to spell out how he and his family have oppressed our village for years? Don't you remember?"

"When they were alive, didn't they oppress both men and women and seize property left and right? That's why, with the changing times, the very first thing I set out to do was to rid us of such tyrants.

"Before, nobody stepped in. Now, I'm taking on these dark forces. I believe I've done nothing wrong; on the contrary, I've worked for the welfare of our entire village.

"Consider this: those who, in the past, committed such heinous acts as claiming property through force and intimidation—if they were still around today, wouldn't our whole village be at risk of suffering alongside them?"

Lin Xiaoqiang's rebuttal was logical and well-founded, drawing the villagers' minds back to the days before the Ice River era.

Back then, the village was practically Lee Laohu's personal fiefdom. He took whatever food he wanted, claimed any woman he desired.

No family was allowed to live better than his. If any family earned money, Lee Laohu, along with his son, would plunder their wealth without mercy.

In those days, not a soul dared to stand up to Lee Laohu. They suffered in silence for most of their lives, until this new era dawned—and it was Lin Xiaoqiang who put an end to Lee Laohu and his son's reign of terror.

With that in mind, Lin Xiaoqiang emerged as a true hero, championing good over evil. He was nothing like the villain Lee Erhei made him out to be, never once harboring intentions to harm his fellow villagers.

Reflecting on this, some villagers in the crowd spoke up, "I think Lin Xiaoqiang is right. We've endured Lee Laohu's tyranny for far too long. Now, Lin Xiaoqiang has dealt with their entire clan.

"Instead of being grateful, we're here pointing fingers at him. Is that fair? Besides, we all know Lin Xiaoqiang's character—he's been a good-hearted, loyal person since childhood. What do we have to fear?"

As one person defended Lin Xiaoqiang, the rest nodded in agreement.

Seeing his attempt to turn the crowd against Lin Xiaoqiang had failed, Lee Erhei slunk away, his departure marked by the crowd's laughter.

Lin Xiaoqiang graciously thanked the speaker and bid farewell to everyone. The villagers then went their separate ways.

Yet it was at this very moment that the world beyond the village was undergoing a dramatic transformation. That night, as Lin Xiaoqiang lay sleeping, he was jolted awake by a series of shrill, bizarre screams emanating from the desolate outskirts. He bolted upright, straining his ears to catch every sound.

Zhang Lili, clad hastily in her clothes, rushed to Lin Xiaoqiang's door and knocked frantically. "Xiaoqiang, are you asleep? I need to talk to you."

"I'm still awake. What's the matter at this hour?"

"I heard some noises and got scared. Could you come and stay with my son and me for a bit?"

Lin Xiaoqiang's brow furrowed with concern. A man and a woman alone together at night could stir up rumors. "Don't worry about it. You two should get some sleep. I'll go check it out," he reassured her.

Reluctantly, Zhang Lili returned to her room, trying to comfort her son back to sleep. But no sooner had she settled down than those haunting cries pierced the night again, a cacophony reminiscent of a wild wolf savagely tearing at its prey.

Now truly frightened, Zhang Lili called out from her room, "Xiaoqiang, what on earth is happening out there? Could it be a dog? Maybe someone's dog got into a fight?"

Lin Xiaoqiang shook his head firmly. "It doesn't sound like any dog I know. It's more like..." He trailed off, the sound he was hearing eerily similar to that of hyenas feasting, something he had once witnessed on television.

"Enough with the worrying, just try to get some sleep. I'm going to check it out right now, and I promise, I'll keep you both safe," he said, trying to sound reassuring.

With that, Lin Xiaoqiang donned his clothes, grabbed his Azure Dragon Blade, and with determined steps, ventured into the snowy expanse.

In this age, snow was ever-present, blanketing the world continuously, despite daily efforts to clear it away. But the reborn humanity of this era had grown accustomed to these conditions, moving through the snow-covered landscape unfazed.

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