No sooner had the words left his lips when Lizhong struck her back again with the staff, his voice cold, "A thief sneaks in to steal silver, and when caught, refuses to return it. Such a thief, even if killed, would not cause the Fair and Upright God to condemn me for a serious crime. It might as well be that I kill you now, and later tonight find a secluded place to bury you, making sure no one would ever know, and saving the trouble of any more fuss!"
After he spoke, he jabbed the staff into Zhang Ming's stomach, causing him to cry out in agony and crumple to the ground, curling up.
The mother from the Hu family quickly embraced her son, shouting incoherently in her distress. Seeing Lizhong's malevolent approach and recalling his previous words, her face turned ghostly pale.
"Dear, dear in-law, let's talk this over calmly! As long as, as long as you're willing to spare our lives, we promise, in the future, never, never to come here again."
