Upon hearing this sentence, a chill ran down the spines of the rest of the team. Why had they encountered this group of people at this very moment?
"What should we do?" someone gritted their teeth, "They must have seen us. Let's go; we probably won't be able to escape."
The others fell into silence. Indeed, they were currently in pairs, each carrying prey, and their pace wasn't fast at all. Even children could easily catch up to them.
"Damn it! I can't just stand by. I'm ready to fight them!" Gao Yang was an impatient person, and last time when they encountered a wolf pack, he had advocated confronting them head-on.
"That's right! A few days ago, a wildebeest fell into a trap by accident, and it became our prey. But these bastards bullied us. In broad daylight, they snatched it away and even slapped Guodong."
"What!"
Chen Fan looked at Chen Guodong in shock. That incident hadn't been mentioned at all that night.
Chen Guodong, however, shook his head calmly and said, "It's all in the past."
As he spoke, he looked at the angered group of people again and said, "What's most important for a hero is not to take immediate losses but to conserve his strength. If they really come to snatch our prey, we'll have to share some of it with them."
Hearing this, the others looked reluctant. The situation was stronger than them, and if they were to fight, the losing side would likely be theirs.
But if it happened once, it would happen again. Were they to give away all the hunting spoils to the people of Lijiazhai from now on?
Why!
"Dad," Chen Fan spoke calmly, "Don't rush to surrender this time. I'm here with you, and even if they come, don't worry."
"Yes!" Everyone's eyes lit up, and their spirits soared. Last time, hadn't Lijiazhai relied on greater numbers and long-range attacks?
But this time, they had Xiaofan with them! His archery skills were astounding, far superior to those of the two in Lijiazhai. If they dared to approach, they would regret it.
"Besides, this situation might not be as simple as we thought," Chen Fan continued.
"?" "Xiaofan, what do you mean by that?" Everyone was puzzled.
"Take a closer look. There seem to be two groups of people—one from the Li family village and the other from the Gu family village we encountered when we rested," Chen Fan said.
The group walked a short distance ahead, squinted their eyes, and strained to see into the distance. It appeared there were indeed two groups of people.
"If I'm not mistaken, one group is from the Gu family village who are returning to their village with their prey. By chance, they ran into the people from the Li family village, who wanted to take their prey. At this moment, we showed up," Chen Fan analyzed. "Otherwise, the people from Lijiazhai would have approached us from a distance when they saw us, rather than standing there idly."
"Hiss..." Everyone gasped.
"Xiaofan is right; it makes sense. The people from Lijiazhai have always preyed on the weak and feared the strong. These small villages have been bullied by them for a long time, and some even fled," the bald man added thoughtfully.
"They didn't flee; they starved to death."
"That's correct, they robbed the prey of other villages, leaving no food elsewhere. Sometimes, during winter, many of the elderly and children starved to death."
"These bastards! I knew it when I saw them earlier. Why did they stop there? They were in the middle of robbing others and didn't have time to deal with us," Gao Yang cursed. "Guodong, I think we should seize this opportunity, rush over, join forces with the people from Gujiazhai, and drive them away!"
Chen Guodong was also moved when he heard this. His patience didn't mean he was a coward; he was concerned about acting impulsively and paying a heavy price. Currently, the people of Gujiazhai were being bullied, and if they happened to cross paths, would they just stand by?
Ultimately, the Li family village would grow stronger and continue to extort other villages.
However, there were also a few individuals in the group who hesitated. "Guodong, Lao Gao, I think it might be best for us not to get involved in this matter," Qin Ming, the middle-aged man who had previously disclosed Meng Yu's identity, frowned. "I know it might sound despicable coming from me, but the most important thing right now is to safely return the prey to the village. If they catch up to us, it'll be too late."
"Yeah, let's use this opportunity to leave."
"Guodong, even if we go there, if we end up fighting, the risks might outweigh the benefits."
Chen Guodong also wore a furrowed brow, caught in a dilemma.
Should they go or stay?
"Uncles, I don't think leaving is an option from the moment they've spotted us," Chen Fan shook his head.
"The reason the people from Lijiazhai are hesitating now is because they fear we might intervene. In this situation, the numbers on both sides are roughly equal, so they have no choice but to back down. But if we do so, they'll hold a grudge against us and likely come after us once we part ways with Gujiazhai. They'll try to seize our prey, and that would be putting it lightly."
With a quick exchange of glances, everyone's faces turned pale.
Yes, the people from Lijiazhai were bullies. Although they typically employed indirect methods that led to the deaths of many, provoking them might lead to more bloodshed!
Even Gao Yang and others who had advocated helping Gujiazhai in the past now had beads of sweat forming on their brows.
That's right, unless they immediately teamed up with Gujiazhai and fiercely confronted Lijiazhai, they would likely suffer in their stead.
But it wasn't just about whether Gujiazhai was willing to agree; even if they did, entering a fight could lead to dire consequences and a high cost in lives.
"Should we leave quickly, then?" Qin Ming asked in haste.
"Yes, yes, since we know that helping them won't end well, we might as well not get involved and take this opportunity to make our escape."
"That's right."
Even Chen Guodong found himself wavering. Perhaps ignoring Gujiazhai was the best course of action?
"Uncle Qin, this is even worse," Chen Fan stated firmly.
"Why?" Qin Ming and others were puzzled.
"You suggested that not helping would be best, but that would mean Gujiazhai would likely surrender quickly and hand over all their prey. If I were from Lijiazhai, I wouldn't demand everything, just half, to avoid escalating the situation," Chen Fan explained. "But then, they would turn their aggression towards us."
The bald man was the first to comprehend the consequences, his eyes wide with dread.
At that point, Gujiazhai would probably turn a blind eye, just as they had when this group faced trouble. But Lijiazhai wouldn't aim to take all the prey, nor would they wish to completely provoke a fight.
"Exactly," Chen Fan confirmed.
"This brings us back to our previous dilemma. We're caught in the middle again, contemplating whether to surrender half our prey to them. We'll endure their insults, strengthen them, and ultimately have no real escape," Chen Fan explained.
As his words sunk in, everyone felt a shiver down their spines.
They finally grasped the deeper meaning behind Chen Fan's earlier words—there was no real choice in this situation. Whether they stayed or left, they would be pursued, unless they were willing to leave behind some prey as a gamble.
If the number of prey left satisfied Lijiazhai, they might be allowed to escape, but this would only be a temporary reprieve.
People's desires were insatiable, and yielding repeatedly would only make matters worse.
If they left behind an insufficient amount of prey, it was self-explanatory.
The group exchanged troubled glances, their expressions grim.
Given their knowledge of Lijiazhai's people, they were more than capable of such actions.
"Chen Fan, what do you suggest we do now?" Chen Guodong asked.
"The only way forward is to act preemptively," Chen Fan replied.