"Dad, as long as the Black Wind Stockade dares come again, I'll fight them! I won't let them kidnap my little sister and drag her up the mountain. That place is a den of man-eaters! I, Zhang Hai, may not be much of a hunter, but as her big brother, I've never been afraid to protect my sister!"
"Good! Son, hearing you say that means I didn't raise you for nothing. You're a real man! We may not be good hunters, but if we can't even protect our own family, we might as well be dead."
"No one's taking your sister away unless they step over my dead body!"
Inside the house, Zhang Tieshan and his son, Zhang Hai, were talking. Zhang Tieshan was a hunter in his sixties, usually honest and unassuming, but now, for his family and his daughter, he had found the fierce blood to fight back.
Anyone who dared lay a hand on his family would have to fight him for their lives. Not even the vicious Black Wind Stockade would be an exception.
At the same time, Zhang Tieshan was very pleased with his son Zhang Hai's attitude.
He had hunted all his life, yet had spent it cowering under the Black Wind Stockade's oppression. Even the Plum Deer he'd received from someone had been snatched away. But this time, Zhang Tieshan had decided he would no longer let himself be bullied.
As a father, he would take up his Hunting Knife to protect his daughter.
Nearby, Zhang Qian listened to her father and brother talking, tears streaming down her face. Though she had been different from the other village girls since childhood—more mature than her years, yearning to see the outside world and to marry a Martial Artist—she was still only a girl in her early teens.
Now, faced with the Black Wind Stockade in Qingliang Mountain and seeing her father and brother swear to protect her with their lives, how could Zhang Qian hold back? Tears ran down her cheeks, and for once, she openly wept.
And because of her, everyone in the village was now avoiding her family, afraid the Black Wind Stockade would drag them into this.
Nearby, her mother, Liu Guihua, said nothing and silently wiped away her tears.
There was no food left at home—not even a scrap of meat. The Black Wind Stockade had stolen their provisions for winter, and now they wanted to take her daughter, too. At the thought of it all, Liu Guihua felt as if the sky had collapsed.
Zhang Tieshan's family had barely eaten all day because they had nothing to eat.
The people in the village were all laughing at the Zhang family and keeping their distance.
They were afraid of angering the Black Wind Stockade.
Knock, knock!
Just then, Su Mo knocked on the Zhang family's door.
Liu Guihua answered. When she saw Su Mo, she froze for a moment. Then she noticed him bringing out a Green Wolf carcass from behind him. It looked to weigh well over a hundred jin. He also had a few steamed buns and two jin of loose Green Wolf Meat.
"Come out, dear! Su Mo's brought meat for our family!"
Liu Guihua stood rooted to the spot, completely stunned. What was she looking at? Su Mo had brought over a Green Wolf carcass weighing well over a hundred jin. Didn't the boy know the Black Wind Stockade had set its sights on their family?
How could he still dare to bring them meat?
Perhaps something came to mind, because Liu Guihua began to cry again.
She didn't stop to wonder how Su Mo had gotten the Green Wolf Meat. She only thought that the boy was a good one. The ten jin of Plum Deer meat she'd given him earlier hadn't gone to waste. Even now, he was still willing to come see them instead of avoiding them.
"Su Mo, have you gone crazy? Take this back!"
Zhang Tieshan and the others hurried outside when they heard the commotion. Their family had fallen on hard times, and they were deeply moved that Su Mo had come to bring them meat. They'd expected only a few jin at most, since Su Mo had struggled to get by on his own all these years.
But when they saw the Green Wolf carcass weighing well over a hundred jin that Su Mo was handing them, both Zhang Tieshan and Zhang Hai fell silent.
They hadn't expected Su Mo to visit at a time like this, let alone bring them so much meat. With this much, they could make up for the Plum Deer meat that had been stolen and have enough food for winter.
But as a hunter of several decades, Zhang Tieshan knew how difficult it was to kill a Green Wolf in the mountains. So his first reaction was to tell Su Mo to take it back.
Because of his daughter Zhang Qian, they had no idea when the Black Wind Stockade might come down the mountain to seize her. Yet facing Su Mo, this straightforward young man, Zhang Tieshan, an honest and unassuming fellow, couldn't help being moved.
Everyone in the village was avoiding their family, but Su Mo hadn't shied away. Instead, he had brought them the Green Wolf Meat he'd worked so hard to hunt. Even Zhang Tieshan's eyes reddened at the sight.
Why was this boy so straightforward? Their family had been targeted by the Black Wind Stockade!
Zhang Hai's expression was complicated. Looking at Su Mo, who was two years older than him, he couldn't help calling out, "Brother Su Mo."
Although he was younger than Su Mo, he had never called him that before. But now, he said it willingly.
Zhang Qian stood still, gazing blankly at Su Mo without a word. A thousand thoughts swirled through her mind. In the night, she etched the figure of the youth who had braved the heavy snow to bring them Green Wolf Meat deep into her memory.
"Uncle Tieshan, I was lucky. I went into the mountains and caught two Green Wolves in Animal Traps. There's a lot of Green Wolf Meat, more than I can eat by myself. Since there are so many of you, you can help me finish some."
Without waiting for them to object, Su Mo handed the Green Wolf Meat to Auntie Liu Guihua, then turned and left.
Zhang Tieshan and the others couldn't stop him.
"Uncle Tieshan, there's really no need to worry too much. Maybe the Black Wind Stockade has forgotten about it and won't come down the mountain after all!"
Perhaps he was worried that Zhang Tieshan, Zhang Qian, and the others would keep fretting, so Su Mo said this as he left.
But Zhang Qian took it as an attempt to comfort them.
Still, Zhang Tieshan's family was immensely grateful for Su Mo's gesture in braving the snowy weather to bring them Green Wolf Meat.
Over the next few days, many people in the village watched to see how things would turn out for Zhang Tieshan's family. Some speculated about when the Black Wind Stockade's men would come down the mountain to kidnap Zhang Qian and take her away.
Unfortunately, several days passed, and no one from the Black Wind Stockade came to Shuanglin Village.
While many people were wondering and speculating,
Grandma Li's grandson, Li Xian, returned.
The Martial Artist who had left Shuanglin Village several years ago was back. Word was that he'd come from a county town outside the village.
Many villagers knew that Li Xian had become a powerful Martial Artist while living away, and that he had returned to visit his grandmother.
At last, the villagers understood why the Black Wind Stockade hadn't come down to trouble Zhang Tieshan's family. Most likely, news of Martial Artist Li Xian's return had cowed them, keeping them from coming down the mountain!
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