"Nonsense, how could we leave such words? That would utterly diminish the prestige of our Black Wind Village."
Startled, some couldn’t help but jump up.
"What did Thirteen do! This is too disgraceful."
"Did we not agree to write in bold lettering on the screen in Yangxin Hall that the heroes of Black Wind Village wish the Empress Dowager a happy birthday?"
"Yes, big enough that the Emperor can’t pretend he didn’t see it, ensuring he can’t ignore it as if nothing happened. Thirteen, how did you manage to mess up big brother’s plan for amnesty."
"Has Thirteen relapsed into his bad habits? Did he drink a few sips of cat urine and forget big brother’s instructions?"
"We, on the other hand, heeded big brother’s words and didn’t dare drink a single extra drop."
The group argued back and forth, entirely forgetting they were in the great prison of the Capital Governor Mansion, discussing matters involving beheading.
Wang Zichuan didn’t expend effort to stop them, simply cocked his head at Marquis Gu and said, "Us brothers landed in Dingbei Marquis’s hands, whether to kill or to carve is up to you; begging for mercy is not heroic."
Gu Jinghui sneered: "That’s quite tough."
Wang Zichuan sighed: "It’s just a pity..."
"Pity what?" Gu Jinghui became interested.
Wang Zichuan replied: "It’s just a pity I couldn’t finish hearing Young Master Nantang reciting poetry. Had I known Wu and Chu had such a renowned scholar, I’d have tried to invite him to Black Wind Village for a drink and converse."
The cold aura around Marquis Gu dissipated a bit, only to thicken again shortly, and then dissipated once more...
Wang Zichuan, being who he is, naturally could sense it, but couldn’t understand why Marquis Gu was this way.
After a while, Marquis Gu reluctantly said: "You indeed have some discernment; Mr. Songshan is a renowned scholar of Wu and Chu, and Young Master Nantang holds him in high esteem."
Wang Zichuan, having set his own safety aside, instead inquired about what Young Master Nantang said after he left.
Gu Jinghui impatiently dealt with him, lightly chuckling: "You wouldn’t care if tonight’s matters succeed or not."
Wang Zichuan lamented: "At this point, what is left to ask? We were a move short in our chess, and deserve this outcome. Falling into the hands of the Dingbei Marquis, famed throughout the world, isn’t a shame."
The others gradually quieted down, gathering around Wang Zichuan, scrutinizing Marquis Gu without any hint of fear.
Their eyes showed no fear or hatred, but were filled with admiration and curiosity.
Marquis Gu sighed inwardly: "If someone like him were on the battlefield, wouldn’t he have earned a future to bless his parents, wife, and children? But he became a bandit, such a pity."
Wang Zichuan suddenly said: "Is Dingbei Marquis lamenting over us, thinking that us fine men should go to the battlefield where we can surely earn a future with a blade and a gun?"
Marquis Gu was startled, and nodded: "You do have a knack for perception, indeed."
Wang Zichuan smiled and straightened his posture, walked about a few steps, and spoke boldly.
"Dingbei Marquis comes from a noble background, never troubled by food or drink; perhaps the greatest grievance in life is his father and brother died in the Northern Border, yet he personally avenged them. How could he know of the common people’s plight?
Although it’s said better to be a bastard in peacetime than a person in chaos, in times of peace, there are still many families so poor they sell their children.
A family may appear prosperous in the morning, yet destroyed by evening, merely the result of so-called natural and man-made disasters."
How much natural disaster can exist in a thriving era?
Mostly man-made disasters.
Speaking of leaving the message at Yangxin Hall, Thirteen was also a child from a good family; the family had shops in town, and was meant to live well, marry, and have children, but his father offended a wealthy household by speaking the truth casually."
If it were an ordinary dispute, it’d be fine, but the rich man was the father of the County Magistrate’s favored concubine, accustomed to wielding power and unable to swallow his grievance, leading to the family’s ruin.
Thirteen, despite being bloody-minded, didn’t eat or drink, hiding under the sedan chair of that rich man for days, determined to kill him, and since then, has been on the run."
Fortunately, he encountered his master, learned some Empty Skill, not capable of "unseen by man, unstalked by ghost," but able to live without worry.
He’s serving Black Wind Village, asking for nothing but the chance to avenge his kin by killing that rich man and the County Magistrate’s family. Our Black Wind Village has always looked after our own, naturally journeying thousands of miles to exact revenge."
Thirteen is still like that, while average people can only bear grudges for life. How can we strive for a future in such times?"
"This..." Marquis Gu was somewhat speechless.
He suddenly remembered Pang Hai, whom he hadn’t thought of for a long time.
Pang Hai’s mention of Jizhou was full of endless sorrow and longing, yet he could only swallow it, speaking only of Jizhou’s etiquette, special products, and customs, unable to say anything else.
Everyone has their own grudges and difficulties.
Perhaps, probing deeply, Pang Hai also has a bitter and convoluted story waiting for him.
Wang Zichuan paused his steps, laughed dryly a few times, and sighed: "Perhaps this is fate; despite having courageous and fearless brothers with considerable skills, they can only leave their homes behind, gather in the mountains, unable to live openly and proudly in the world, born in this peaceful era in vain."
In a few understated words, all the despair and helplessness were embedded.
Marquis Gu cleared his throat and said: "Yet your killings and arson in the Capital resulted in numerous households, once living peacefully, now ruined and suffering."
Wang Zichuan was silent.
Someone nearby immediately said: "When a general is successful, countless skeletons lie in decay; isn’t that how you became the Great Xing War God? Just as the robber of hooks gets executed, while the robber of a country becomes a Marquis. Now, you are the knife and we are the fish, surely whatever you say makes sense."
Another added: "Big brother taught us before, once an ancient said, we’re all like flowers from the same tree falling with the wind, some landing on a soft mattress, others in a cesspit. We fell in the latter, whereas Marquis fell in the former; what can the Marquis say about our fate? If Marquis had landed in the same place, would he have the right to utter harsh words here?"
Wang Zichuan quickly interjected: "No need for that. Life’s circumstances differ; if there’s someone to blame, it can only be the wind."
No one spoke further.
Wang Zichuan again addressed Marquis Gu: "Though we’ve killed and done wrong, we are by no means indiscriminate killers. When Black Wind Village was founded, everyone agreed our actions were merely to uphold justice. We don’t oppose the Emperor, we don’t oppose Daxing, only those corrupt officials and the injustice of the world. These years we’ve often wished to submit to the court, yet it never works out. This too is fate."
Marquis Gu suddenly found himself unable to respond.
Wang Zichuan and the others remained silent, sitting together, legs spread boldly, faces unchanged, seemingly ready to accept their predetermined fate.
Marquis Gu realized, it would be difficult to pry open their mouths.