Zhang Ze, What a Good Person

"Even though sometimes people don't need evidence to act, at least they should ensure the other side can't find any obvious fault."

Gu Sheng secretly nodded.

Li Yan's brother-in-law might not exert much effort, but Gu Sheng still considered him an imaginary enemy.

Stay low-key, be cautious, and then continue to improve his strength!

One by one, the hunters bid farewell and left, as they had their own matters to attend to. Li Lian watched them go with a smile. Once everyone had departed, she turned to Gu Sheng with an apologetic expression.

"Ah Sheng, don't blame your brother Erniu. That simpleton tried to hide it from me, but his awkwardness when applying the medicine immediately made me realize something was wrong. After questioning him, I learned how dangerous your situation was yesterday..."

"I know that scoundrel Li Yan. He's always been a troublemaker, relying on the fact that his sister married a martial artist. He even ruined the reputation and life of a girl from Li Family Fort. In the end, after much cover-up, the matter was dropped."

"If his sister had made a fuss, I fear that martial artist might have actually put in some effort, which is why..."

"Please don't blame your sister-in-law for taking matters into her own hands."

Li Lian clasped her hands at her waist, her expression earnest, and bowed gracefully.

She no longer saw Gu Sheng as a fourteen-year-old boy but regarded him with the same respect she gave Gu Erniu. Although Gu Erniu hadn't explained yesterday's events in detail, Li Lian could guess some of it.

Speaking of which.

She had personally witnessed Gu Sheng kill a wolf. Such bravery was not common, and at that time, Gu Sheng was still a scrawny boy.

Gu Sheng immediately waved his hand.

"Sister-in-law, you're thoughtful. Handling it this way is perfectly fine. However, we can't tell anyone else about this, to avoid any leaks."

Li Lian nodded repeatedly.

"I understand. Although I'm just a woman, I know what's important."

"Ah Sheng, you first saved me and Wan'er, and now you've saved your brother Erniu. You truly are... you truly are a benefactor to our family. I really don't know how to thank you for this kindness..." Li Lian's eyes reddened as she spoke, genuinely grateful to Gu Sheng.

Gu Sheng said seriously, "Sister-in-law, saying such things makes us strangers. We're family, so we shouldn't be so formal. When my father had just passed away, if it weren't for Brother Erniu's efforts, my father wouldn't have been able to rest in peace so quickly. Not to mention all the care you've shown me."

Li Lian lowered her head, her voice choked with emotion.

"It's my fault too. These days, I've been focused on saving up money for Wan'er to practice martial arts in the future, never imagining that Erniu would be in such a desperate situation. If anything had happened to Erniu, I would never forgive myself."

Gu Sheng could only offer quiet comfort.

His own feelings were also somewhat complex.

A parent's love for their child is a far-reaching plan.

If Gu Wan were to have a better start in the future, he would naturally need to take risks. The gains and losses were unclear. For Gu Erniu and his wife, Gu Wan was their life's goal.

Their conversation stopped when Gu Erniu's voice came from inside the house.

Gu Sheng discussed some more details with Gu Erniu, urged him to take good care of his injury, and then returned home to rest.

After that.

Gu Sheng's days were no different from before.

He practiced archery at home and, after two days of recuperating, went back into the mountains.

Gu Erniu was injured, but he was not.

Maintaining the same habits as before would prevent him from appearing suspicious.

Besides, Gu Sheng didn't want to waste time.

Although the Silver Fox pelt had made him rich overnight, his daily accumulation was equally important. Gu Sheng hadn't slacked off because of it.

He went into the mountains to hunt.

It was another successful endeavor. As Gu Sheng's archery skills improved, he rarely returned empty-handed from his mountain trips.

Since Gu Erniu couldn't go into the mountains, Gu Sheng still sent him a good portion of rabbit meat.

Another two days passed.

It had now been five days since Li Yan was killed.

On this day.

The hunters gathered together again.

Since they had invented this hot pot dining style, the hunters of Gu Family Village had started having regular gatherings and chats, and they had become much more united than before.

As Gu Sheng helped Gu Erniu walk in, Zhang Ze immediately laughed heartily.

"Erniu, I have some good news for you!"

Gu Erniu was taken aback and chuckled.

"My leg is like this, what good news could there be?"

He exchanged a discreet glance with Gu Sheng, seeing the caution in each other's eyes.

Zhang Ze said mysteriously, "Guess who died?"

"Who?" San Mazi, who was tipsy, asked.

Zhang Ze glanced at San Mazi with dissatisfaction and said excitedly, "Li Yan! That dog Li Yan, he's dead!"

He laughed heartily, grabbed the wine bowl beside him, and drank it down in one gulp. He had also suffered a lot from Li Yan. After all, he had traveled with Gu Erniu and met Li Yan several times. Especially with his flattened nose, he had been humiliated by Li Yan quite a few times.

Hearing the news of Li Yan's death, he naturally felt elated.

Gu Erniu stared blankly at Zhang Ze, stammering, "Aze, who did you say... who died?"

Gu Sheng also looked at Zhang Ze expectantly, and the others stared closely at Zhang Ze, eager for him to reveal more details.

Seeing the stunned and shocked crowd, Zhang Ze felt a surge of satisfaction.

"Li Yan! The Li Yan who was always at odds with Brother Erniu! The Li Yan from Li Family Fort!"

"Hiss! Of course, I know which Li Yan you mean. Hurry up and tell us, how did that bastard die? Where did you get the news?"

San Mazi looked excited.

Gu Erniu's hands trembled with excitement, his lips quivering, and his face flushed as if he had been drinking.

"Good! Good! That bastard is finally dead! Heaven has eyes!"

Gu Sheng secretly admired Gu Erniu's acting skills. His lips trembled as if they were real. He helped Gu Erniu to sit down, and Zhang Ze continued, "Yesterday, I went into the mountains and met a hunter I knew from Li Family Fort. He told me that Li Yan and his bunch hadn't returned to Li Family Fort for four or five days! Not only him, but his several followers also didn't return!"

"It's highly likely they died in Cang Mountain. There won't be any accidents!"

"Four people... tsk tsk."

Zhang Ze clicked his tongue twice, gloating over the deaths of Li Yan and the others.

All the hunters burst into laughter. Even those who didn't have much contact with Li Yan had to laugh a few times for Gu Erniu's sake.

Gu Erniu laughed heartily.

After the laughter subsided, San Mazi said with a slightly unnatural expression, "But speaking of which, although Li Yan's character was terrible, his archery was superb, and he had three followers with him. How could he suddenly die in Cang Mountain? Could it be that he encountered a tiger or a bear?"

Being naturally afraid of death, this was his greatest concern at the moment.

Zhang Ze chuckled and whispered, "That's not necessarily true. Maybe it was a person!"

Gu Erniu and Gu Sheng's hearts suddenly jolted, but their expressions remained unchanged. They looked at Zhang Ze with the same curiosity as the others.

"Who could have the ability to do that?"

Zhang Ze continued to lower his voice, "The people from Li Family Fort said they saw people from the Black Sand Gang entering the mountains too!"

"I suspect... someone from the Black Sand Gang wanted to hunt a Silver Fox to give to a big shot in the gang, and Li Yan clashed with them..."

Hearing the name Black Sand Gang.

Everyone's expression changed.

The Black Sand Gang was a leech preying on several surrounding villages and forts. They were overbearing, ruthless, and extremely powerful, with many martial artists among them.

Everyone gritted their teeth in hatred when they mentioned them, but they dared not show it too much.

The atmosphere suddenly became silent.

After a long while, Zhang Ze finally took a breath and said, "Regardless, I think it's best to venture into the mountains less in the coming days. Don't end up not hunting a Silver Fox but losing your lives instead. It's not worth it!"

Everyone nodded repeatedly.

"That's right, that makes sense. Whether Li Yan died in the mouth of a wild beast or was killed by the Black Sand Gang... in any case, we can't afford to offend them."

"After searching for so long, no one has hunted a Silver Fox. I suspect the Silver Fox has long since fled into the deep mountains and is no longer in this area!"

"It's even possible that the Black Sand Gang has already hunted it."

"For the next half month, I'll just rest well at home. My wife has been complaining about me going into the mountains too often lately..."

"Exactly..."

Listening to the discussion of the crowd and how the topic was gradually drifting off, Gu Erniu and Gu Sheng's worries dissipated by more than half.

Gu Sheng looked at Zhang Ze, who was once again chattering about other gossip.

He silently gave him a thumbs-up in his heart.

Zhang Ze, what a good person.

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