CHAPTER 401: CHAPTER 354: KILLING HIM IS A GREAT ACHIEVEMENT!

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire Wanggang Village fell silent once more.

Everyone seemed to be in a bit of a daze. Even the typically composed Shen Wuzheng frowned slightly, gazing into Yu Wenye’s cold and profound eyes, a gaze that was resolute and sharp. It was evident that he wasn’t speaking carelessly; on the contrary, his words carried a formidable sense of pressure.

Xiao Yuansui’s expression grew even more somber.

Because he could also see that Yu Wenye was far from speaking without thought. On the contrary, his speech was clear and coherent. Although his words shocked everyone, he himself showed no trace of emotion or upheaval. Clearly, this wasn’t something he had just discovered, but rather something he had long been prepared for, only happening to emerge at this moment.

And his purpose—

Thinking of this, Xiao Yuansui gazed somberly at Shantong’er, standing in front and visibly startled, whose shoulders even trembled slightly.

At this moment, Shantong’er was also shocked, his eyes wide open in astonishment as he looked at Yu Wenye, "You, how do you—"

"How do I know, right?"

Yu Wenye looked at him and calmly said, "In fact, a person like you inherently finds it hard to conceal their whereabouts. After all, a child who can eat half a basket of steamed buns at a meal is rare across the world."

"..."

"And yet, in the Imperial Palace of Daxing City, there is indeed such a child."

Upon hearing this, the crowd gasped in amazement. Several followers of Wanggang Village couldn’t help but whisper, "Daxing City? Imperial Palace?"

"Who exactly is this Ninth Master?"

"He can’t be the Prince—"

Before they could finish, Shantong’er glanced back at them, his round face showing a complex expression, and softly said, "I’m not a Prince, I’m just—"

At this point, he paused again.

And Yu Wenye calmly said, "You’re just a substitute who took a Prince’s place by becoming a monk."

"...!?"

The crowd was once again astounded.

Yu Wenye continued, "I actually just heard that during the late Emperor’s first tour to Jiangdu, officials purchased a child to accompany His Majesty, who was then Prince Zhao, in his leisure; later it was discovered that this child was not only obedient and sensible but also born with divine power, able to accompany His Majesty in play and protect him, and so he was kept by His Majesty’s side."

"..."

"However, later, His Majesty suddenly fell ill, medical treatments were ineffective, and it was said that only by becoming a monk could he overcome this disaster. But the late Emperor couldn’t bear to let go of his own son, and so this child became the substitute, becoming a monk."

"..."

"Afterward, His Majesty did indeed recover, and this child was sent to Daxing Palace, remaining there to observe the precepts thereafter."

Looking at Shantong’er’s somewhat pale face, Yu Wenye said, "You needn’t wonder why I know about your origins. Many people actually know of your existence, but most have never seen you. And the reason I was able to connect you with that child is not just because of your age or your appetite, but also because of your name—Shantong’er."

"..."

"If I remember correctly, your original surname should have been Shan."

"..."

"You wandered outside, not wanting to reveal your identity, so you borrowed the homophonic ’Shan’ character as your surname. As for why you ended up wandering outside—"

Yu Wenye looked again into his flickering eyes and said, "Months ago, my father occupied Daxing City and naturally entered the Imperial Palace as well—had he wanted to kill you, even with your divine power and those copper hammers, you wouldn’t have been able to escape from Daxing City. Yet here you are, without any injuries, which can only mean that my father did nothing to you, instead setting you free to live the life you wish, right?"

Shantong’er’s face grew even paler. After a prolonged silence, he softly replied, "Yes."

Yu Wenye mildly said, "Don’t worry, I’m not saying this to claim any favor from you. After all, it was my wife who gave an earring to your senior brother and my father who spared your life. Neither of those were my doing."

"..."

"If you want to fight me, you still have to make every effort, because although I don’t kill civilians, especially not women and children, once on the battlefield, anyone standing in front of me with a weapon is no longer a civilian, nor are you a woman or child, understood?"

Shantong’er nodded, "Understood."

Yu Wenye said, "Good, do you have anything else to say?"

"I do,"

Shantong’er looked at him, "You just said you don’t kill civilians, especially not women and children, is that true?"

Yu Wenye said, "But I also said, once on the battlefield, facing weapons against me, they’re no longer civilians or women or children."

"I know, what I mean is, unarmed, not against you civilians, women, and children, would you kill them?"

"No."

"Really?"

"..."

Yu Wenye seriously looked at him, only to see the child seriously looking back, seemingly with something flickering in those clear eyes. He thought about it and solemnly nodded, "Really."

A faint hint of a smile seemed to pass over Shantong’er’s face.

He softly said, "In that case, that’s good."

Yu Wenye calmly looked at him, and after a moment of silence, he said, "So, are we finally going to fight now?"

Shantong’er said again, "Wait a bit longer."

After saying this, he hesitated again before turning his head to softly speak to Xiao Yuansui, standing not far behind him with furrowed brows, "Second Brother, if I manage to stop him this time, does that count as making a significant contribution to the village?"

Xiao Yuansui’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He replied, "It counts."

Shantong’er continued, "Then, would this significant contribution be enough to offset the grain I’ve eaten all these days?"

"...!?"

At his words, a look of shock appeared on the faces of those around him.

Xiao Yuansui’s expression became even darker.

Only now did he realize that from the moment Yu Wenye rode up the mountain path, he wasn’t stepping into Wanggang Village’s territory, but rather Xiao Yuansui himself was stepping into a trap. Although Yu Wenye carried a knife, intimidating them all with force, in reality, what he had come to do from the start wasn’t to attack Wanggang Village.

It was to attack the hearts of the people in Wanggang Village.

Every word he spoke, from the Left General’s Tomb to the treasure, from the map to Shantong’er, was meant to divide the people’s hearts here; and his killing of Wang Quyi, who had once sheltered him in dire straits, was already looked down upon by many brothers, and even Shen Tu Tai was unwilling to speak with him, let alone be used by him.

Now, Shantong’er’s words also clearly showed signs of departure in sentiment.

If this continued, even with him as the Commander of Wanggang Village, losing more than half of the Nine Great Households would mean that the power of Wanggang Village would also be severely weakened.

Upon realizing this, his eyes revealed an even deeper malevolence as he looked at Yu Wenye standing ahead, speaking in a low, determined voice, tinged with ruthless intent, "If you kill him, it can count as compensation."