The Chen Family killed someone?!
Hearing this news, Shen Qing was startled and immediately stopped what he was doing and ran out from the bamboo grove.
He caught Chen Dahe, who was just coming out of the house, and asked, "What's happening outside?"
Chen Dahe, staying at home, had just heard the news himself and, like Shen Qing, was at a complete loss.
After a while, Shen Qing saw his cousins Shen Xiaohu and Shen Xiaoshan and quickly went over.
"Xiaohu, Shanwa, what's going on?"
Seeing it was Shen Qing calling out, Shen Xiaoshan and Shen Xiaohu didn't hide anything.
Xiaohu panted and said, "Tian Chuan was beaten to death by the second and third of the Chen Family."
"I heard that Tian Chuan got caught climbing the wall by the second and third Chen brothers, and they killed him on the spot. Now he's lying in the snow, with his blood staining a large area red."
"The Tian Family people have all gone over there, demanding an explanation."
"Brother Qingzi, do you want to come with us?"
Shen Xiaoshan and Shen Xiaohu explained the situation bit by bit, allowing Shen Qing to roughly understand what happened.
The Tian Family was an outsider, and their status in Hongshan Village was very low, living a twisted life.
Tian Chuan's family was even more so.
They had only him as the male member, his parents were both old and frail.
The family barely managed to eat and clothe themselves.
Unexpectedly, he was beaten to death by the Chen family members.
"Wait for me," Shen Qing said, going back into the house to explain a couple of things to Shen Fang, and then closing the door and calling out, "Let's go!"
When Shen Qing and the others arrived, many villagers from Hongshan Village had already gathered around the scene, whispering among themselves.
Tian Chuan's corpse lay stiffly on the ground, with his blood dyeing the snow crimson, a shocking sight.
The villagers' faces were filled with astonishment and regret.
Next to Tian Chuan's body, Chen Tai and Chen An from the Chen Family stood with stern expressions, each holding a stick stained with fresh blood, still dripping.
Chen An's face was full of murderous intent, as if afraid others wouldn't know it was he who did it.
Just then, Tian Chuan's parents stumbled through the crowd upon hearing the news.
Seeing their son's body, Mother Tian immediately collapsed to the ground, while Lord Tian's eyes turned vacant, tears streaming down.
Mother Tian wailed, "My son, how could you leave us like this?!"
Lord Tian, trembling, pointed at the Chen Family Brothers, roaring, "You've committed murder!"
The voice was shrill and despairing.
For a moment, the murmurs of the Hongshan Village's villagers echoed continuously.
"Sigh, Tian Chuan was driven to desperation. This heavy snow sealed the mountains, and his home likely ran out of food."
"But sneaking to steal from the Chen Family was still wrong."
"Yet, no matter how wrong, it shouldn't have led to his death, right?" someone said indignantly.
After a while, the discussions among the villagers gradually clarified the situation.
Tian Chuan, having run out of food at home and unable to bear the hunger, was forced to steal the Chen Family's preserved meat.
Unfortunately, he was caught by Chen Tai and Chen An, leading to a confrontation and a quarrel, during which Chen An, in anger, beat him to death in the snow.
By now, other Tian Family members in Hongshan Village had already arrived upon hearing the news, confronting the Chen brothers, accusing them of cruelty.
Everyone lived in the mountains, carrying some degree of bad temper.
Had no one restrained them, the Tian Family members would have probably brandished their hunting knives as if they wanted to cut the Chen brothers alive.
Chen Tai and Chen An stood indifferently on the side, appearing arrogant and scornful.
"He was beaten to death. Just a thief," Chen San sneered, "I had no idea he was this fragile."
The villagers looked at Tian Chuan's corpse, then at the Chen brothers' attitude, feeling an involuntary chill.
"Give me back my son, give me back my son!!"
Suddenly, Mother Tian, in a fit of rage, lunged at Chen An but was kicked over by Chen Tai, quick-eyed and deft.
The scene descended instantly into chaos.
Chen the Eldest, Chen Yuan, squeezed in from the crowd.
He was tall and imposing, exuding an evil aura that overshadowed even the village's old hunters, easily subduing them.
Chen Yuan surveyed the surroundings and shouted in a deep voice, "Everyone listen here!"
"Tian Chuan climbed the wall to steal meat from my house. Although my family has some resources, not just anyone can come and take from it. What's more, Tian Chuan even had a dagger, intending to harm my two brothers."
Chen An flipped Tian Chuan's arm with the stick, revealing a dagger.
Seeing this scene, the villagers instantly burst into an uproar.
Amid the crowd, Shen Qing furrowed his brow at Chen Yuan's words.
He had some impression of Tian Chuan.
He could believe Tian Chuan was starving and stole meat, but not that he would use a dagger against the Chen brothers.
It was highly likely that Tian Chuan was driven to desperation and chose to act.
But now, there was nothing left to say.
Tian Chuan was already dead.
Chen Yuan pointed this out now, clearly trying to make a spectacle of Tian Chuan's death, with an added layer of establishing dominance.
Chen Yuan looked around and stepped forward, continuing in a loud voice, "I have one flaw—being overprotective. If anyone touches a hair on my two brothers, whether they're given a beating or killed on the spot, it's their just fate. Don't blame me for not warning in advance."
With that, the momentum of Chen Yuan's entire being suddenly changed.
An imposing aura spread out, like a fierce god.
Seeing this, coupled with Tian Chuan's body on the ground, the villagers of Hongshan Village all trembled, becoming like quails.
No one dared to speak up for Tian Chuan, only silently empathizing in their hearts.
In the crowd, Shen Qing watched Chen Yuan, pondering, "Chen Yuan had practiced martial arts and was quite adept, capable of taking on three people alone. If hundreds of people from the village attacked simultaneously, they might beat him."
"Sadly, no one is willing to step forward, to be among those three facing one."
It seemed as though Chen Yuan sensed Shen Qing's thoughts, and he glanced more in Shen Qing's direction.
Shen Qing quickly lowered his head.
Faced with the Chen Family's dominance, the initially indignant Tian Family members lost their previous vigor.
Chen An shouted, "On this snowy day, why are you all gathered at my house? Leave, now!"
At his commanding shout, the crowd of village folk quickly dispersed.
Tian Chuan's elderly parents, their hair snow-white, dragged their son's body through the snow with tear-filled eyes, leaving a long trail of blood as they went home.
Soon, this bloodstain was covered by snow, becoming a blanket of white, as if nothing had happened.
Back home, Shen Xiaohu and Shen Xiaoshan were both indignant.
"The Chen brothers are so domineering, and the Tian Family too spineless. If it weren't for the Chen Family's collusion with the city bosses, suppressing the prices of hunted goods, Tian Chuan wouldn't have had nothing to eat."
"What good does protesting do? Tian Chuan had no siblings and his parents are both old, frail bones. Who would risk standing up for them? Even reaching out to the government requires connections."
"Dead is dead."
"People like us have lives worth the least in this world."
Shen Qing remained silent, listening quietly without saying a word.