C17 Only the Strong Have the Right to Control Others

Clearly, Lee Yu wasn't the only one who suspected that the retail merchant might be trouble.

Stone Village had always been a haven of harmony and tranquility, with the occasional hunting accident causing some casualties. But now, with a deliberate murder within the village, suspicion naturally fell on strangers.

As the elder organized a group to arm themselves and retrieve their gear, he summoned others to the main house, intending to join forces with Elder Mu to secure the retail merchants.

"Second Grandpa, the people in the neighboring houses, they're all..." A swift villager glanced around the nearby homes, reporting to the elder.

Elder Mu Luo pounded his cane on the ground: "Move quickly, there's serious trouble brewing in the village!"

The fire had spread significantly, yet despite the relative isolation of the area, it was odd that none of the few local households had noticed the blaze.

Initially, Mu Luo was merely puzzled, thinking perhaps everyone had finished their meals early and gone to the square. But after discovering the injured villagers in the burning house, he sensed trouble and promptly sent people to investigate.

"They're not retail merchants; they're bandits!" Mu Luo declared vehemently, brandishing his cane. "Where are the knives? Everyone, follow me! We're safer together. Let's go get the weapons."

Lee Yu remained silent, blending into the moving crowd. Now was not the time to be isolated; the danger of lingering bandits was too great.

As they proceeded, a cry of alarm rose from the front. Bloodstains marred the roadside, and several bodies had been discarded in the nearby ditch—those of the young men Mu Luo had sent into the village.

Mu Luo's brow furrowed with concern, yet he said nothing, gesturing for the group to keep moving.

"This was clearly planned," Lee Yu muttered, anxiety gripping him. Passing the ditch, he caught sight of the multiple wounds on the bodies, his frown deepening.

If not for his determination to adapt to the Otherworld's harsh realities, Lee Yu might have already retreated to Blue Star, waiting for the storm to pass before returning to a calmer time.

As Lee Yu continued forward, he saw no more bodies, which slightly eased his furrowed brow. Over time, he had grown fond of the people of Stone Village.

This lack of casualties also suggested that the bandits, despite their cruelty, might not be strong enough to overpower the village outright. They wouldn't have resorted to arson to draw the villagers out, nor would they have targeted isolated individuals, if they were.

Reaching the village's central area, Lee Yu's ears perked up at the sound of a standoff ahead. A group of villagers, armed with hoes and sickles, rushed toward the commotion. Rounding the corner, they encountered seven or eight bandits, disguised as retail merchants, encircling more than twenty villagers, with several Stone Village residents lying lifeless on the ground.

"You bandits have some nerve!" Elder Mu bellowed, brandishing his walking stick as he led the charge.

The fire had been set at a remote location, drawing away the able-bodied adults and leaving behind the elderly and children. The bandits, undaunted, nonetheless stepped aside, allowing Elder Mu and the others to shield the vulnerable villagers.

Lee Yu joined them, and the Stone Village residents, treating him as one of their own children, kept him safely in their midst.

The disparity was stark: the bandits were clad in armor, wielding menacing weapons, while the villagers were armed mostly with farm tools, with only a few in iron armor.

The bandits had seized the initiative. By setting the fire, they distracted the young adults, then ambushed those left alone. By the time the fire was extinguished, they had already inflicted heavy casualties.

Stone Village's hunting team was equipped with armor and blades, but due to the timing of the meal and the urgency of the fire, only a few were on guard in full gear, with most in everyday attire.

Lee Yu's face was a mix of frustration and dismay. He had assumed the bandits lacked martial prowess and thus relied on cunning. He hadn't anticipated they would stoop to such treachery merely to minimize their own losses.

He really had the strength, yet he chose to feign vulgarity.

The villagers of Stone Village hesitated to make the first move, while the bandits seemed to be biding their time, encircling the crowd without further action.

But the situation quickly escalated as the sound of horse hooves echoed from every direction, growing louder by the second.

"Are they all taken care of?" inquired one of the bandits.

"All dealt with!"

Bandits astride Scaled Horses converged from all sides, their weapons slick with fresh blood—a grim testament to the fate of the isolated villagers.

"That young man is in there too. Spare him, but kill the rest," Scar commanded, nodding towards the encircled villagers, his eyes gleaming with a bloodthirsty hue.

"Got it." "Hehe, such a delicate, tender youngster."

The standoff shattered in an instant. Bandits on Scaled Horses charged, throwing the crowd into chaos, while those on foot swung their weapons, each stroke casting sprays of blood.

Yet the villagers of Stone Village fought back. Mountain folk, fiery by nature and hunters by necessity, wielded sickles and hoes with defiant courage.

Lee Yu's mind was a void.

On one hand, he was stunned by the carnage before him. In a nation as strong and disciplined as China, where murders were a rarity, Lee Yu had never witnessed bloodshed, not even in the slaughter of a chicken.

On the other hand, Scar's words haunted him. Was he the reason for this slaughter?

Time lost meaning before Lee Yu snapped out of his stupor. He tried to speak, but no sound emerged. The crowd had thinned. Turning, he noticed the scene had shifted once more.

Several Scaled Horses lay defeated, their bodies marked by deep indentations. Bandit corpses were strewn about, their blood still seeping into the earth.

The remaining bandits held back, wary of advancing. Lee Yu then realized that Mu Yinhua had somehow appeared beside him, with Elder Mu, Ergou, and others also drawing near.

"A Divine Dao cultivator!" The man with the scar grimaced. "Where's the leader?"

An Eighth Grade Divine Dao cultivator in this forsaken place? Many of the bandits were already thinking of backing down, especially since Lin Sanjin had been missing for so long. Though no one voiced their fears, they all suspected he'd met a grim fate.

"Damn, that was a close call!" From a distance, Lin Sanjin emerged, clutching his abdomen where blood seeped through his fingers.

Elder Mu's icy stare fixed on Lin Sanjin as he sat astride the Scaled Horse, facing off with him before the bandits. "You've got some nerve, attacking the village outright."

"What's the difference? A few more dead, a few less?" Lin Sanjin scoffed, his sneer chilling. "Old man, to think you're still standing after taking my Muscle Revitalizing Powder. Impressive."

Is the Otherworld always this lawless?

Lee Yu observed the bandits and for the first time grasped the significance of a peaceful nation.

Yet, seeing Elder Mu at the forefront gave him a profound sense of safety. Clearly, it was Elder Mu's status as an Eighth Grade cultivator that deterred the ruthless bandits.

In that moment, Lee Yu understood the rule of survival in the Otherworld: only the strong command respect.

"Old man, how about a bargain? Hand him over to me, and we'll be on our way," Lin Sanjin proposed, blade in hand.

Elder Mu glanced at Lee Yu and without a moment's hesitation, shook his head. "You're dreaming if you think that'll happen in broad daylight."

"So, I am the target! But why me?"

Lee Yu watched as Lin Sanjin's blade pointed straight at him. He remained composed; he had anticipated this when the scarred man had pointed at him earlier. Fear was absent from his mind, knowing he could always return to Blue Star.

But to his surprise, Elder Mu flatly refused Lin Sanjin's offer.

Lee Yu's anxiety eased momentarily, only to tighten once more. Elder Mu's refusal likely meant a violent clash was imminent, and many in Stone Village had already perished at the hands of these bandits.

This was a vendetta!