Xie Chun's words had been rather harsh. Even Old Dao, despite his position, felt somewhat overwhelmed hearing him speak like that.
"Master Xie, aren't you being a little too severe?" Old Dao frowned, his tone softening slightly. "I'm only thinking of our foundation. It wasn't easy to gather more than a thousand brothers. The able-bodied men from the surrounding villages who were willing to join us are basically all here. If we wiped out this entire group, replenishing our ranks afterward wouldn't be easy."
It was no wonder Old Dao was anxious. Everything he said was true. If they really lost several hundred or even a thousand people, it wasn't that they couldn't gather another group, but it would certainly be much more difficult.
The reason was that the current group mostly came from within a hundred-odd miles of this area. Most of them knew each other's backgrounds, and with the intricate bonds of old connections and clan relationships, their ties were even more stable.
Such relationships did not necessarily mean they were united as one. In the end, everyone had their own calculations, and many had been forced into this situation.
But with these bonds in place, it was easier for Xie Chun and the others to manage them. Xie Chun knew the backgrounds of most people inside and out. If anyone harbored ulterior motives, they still needed the ability to break away from the group.
Under the pressure of survival, having such a relationship to rely on felt fortunate to most people struggling to survive, rather than burdensome.
Humans were social animals. Especially in a post-apocalyptic world, everyone knew they had to band together for warmth. Those who fought alone usually did not live long.
If they wiped out this group made up of people connected by old