Parade him! Parade him! Parade him!

"": 200,

"": "",

"": "Last night, for some reason, the Village Chief stayed at the Luo Family home-his own home.

But shortly after nightfall, strange things began happening there. Fortunately, the Village Chief reacted in time, having Luo Feng and Gu Ya hide in the main room and sealing the door. Afterward, a great many evil spirits poured through the kitchen into the courtyard. Had the Village Chief been even a moment slower at any point, not only would the couple have died in their home, but he would have been killed too.

The windows of the Luo Family home had been nailed shut. Only someone opening them from outside could have given the evil spirits an opportunity to enter.

Only two outsiders had approached the Luo Family home: Zhang Yunling and Zhang Jun.

Once everyone in the village had arrived, the Village Chief would begin interrogating them under torture!

Luo Bin's heart trembled, and his eyes turned red.

That "some reason" had naturally been to investigate why the lamp oil was burning faster. The Village Chief had told no one else about it.

The window that had been opened was the kitchen window!

Gu Ya spent a lot of time in the kitchen!

He had nearly lost his mother!

Who would have opened the window?

The answer was already plain as day!

Head lowered, Luo Bin walked forward, but someone blocked his way.

"Let me through." Luo Bin's voice was exceptionally hoarse.

"Are you blind? Can't you see someone's standing here?" The villager blocking his way sounded thoroughly impatient and even shoved Luo Bin's shoulder.

Luo Bin staggered backward, tripped over someone else, and fell flat on his back.

The laughter was grating. Everyone marveled at how close the Luo Family had come to disaster while also enjoying Luo Bin's humiliation.

Luo Bin felt a weight pressing on his heart.

But this was all a mess the body's original owner had left behind... Otherwise, why would anyone pick on him for no reason?

He got up in pain and stopped trying to force his way through the crowd.

He couldn't get through. No one would let him pass.

Only by circling around the edge of the crowd did he reach the front of the platform.

Gu Ya was there.

She had heard the laughter earlier and vaguely heard someone mention Luo Shan, but despite looking around, she hadn't seen what had happened.

Now that she saw Luo Shan looking so disheveled, she hurried over.

"Xiao Shan, why did you come here?"

"Mom." Luo Bin's voice trembled slightly. Now that he understood what had happened last night, he finally knew why Gu Ya's eyes were so bloodshot.

"Where's Dad? Is he all right?" Luo Bin asked hoarsely.

"Your dad's fine. He's sealing the windows at home... Xiao Shan, you..." Gu Ya was about to continue.

Luo Bin shook his head, his gaze settling first on Zhong Zhicheng's face.

Zhong Zhicheng stood directly below the center of the platform. Sunlight shone on his face, and his resolute features bore a trace of exhaustion from a sleepless night.

Then Luo Bin braced his hands against the platform, which was nearly a meter high, and vaulted onto it.

A chorus of jeers rose from the crowd, and every gaze fixed on Luo Bin in astonishment.

Zhong Zhicheng frowned slightly.

There happened to be a stick on the ground. Luo Bin snatched it up with one hand.

"Xiao Shan, what are you doing?" Startled, Gu Ya hurriedly called out, "Don't do anything rash! Whatever's wrong, talk to us first..."

Luo Bin still said nothing. He walked straight up to Zhang Jun.

Zhang Jun was trembling, his legs shaking uncontrollably.

His being tied up here was nothing but a huge misunderstanding!

Yesterday, he had tried to take advantage of the outsider, only to receive a kick that could have ended his family line. He admitted he had wanted to make trouble at the Luo Family home, to do something nasty to them. The more he thought about it, the more he resented it. That bastard Luo Shan had won the Village Chief's favor, and now he was going to turn over a new leaf?

But he had only thought about it. He hadn't dared act.

Because Luo Feng had been home.

Luo Feng was famously tough in the village. Not only was he strong, but he was sharp-witted too. If Luo Shan hadn't been such a disappointment, Luo Feng might well have become the deputy Village Chief.

That was precisely why Zhang Jun had decided to go home and wait for a time when Luo Feng was out, then pry open the Luo Family's lock or make a crack in their oil lamp to let some oil leak out.

But before he was even fully awake this morning, the Village Chief had dragged him here and tied him up.

The conversations around him had made him realize he was in serious trouble!

He had begged and pleaded with the Village Chief, trying to explain, but the Village Chief wouldn't listen.

Not long afterward, Zhang Yunling had been brought over and tied up too. Zhang Jun had clung to the hope that his name would surely be cleared.

But now Luo Shan's murderous gaze chilled him to the bone.

"Shan... listen to me, brother..." Zhang Jun had barely begun to speak.

The stick whistled through the air and slammed into Zhang Jun's face!

The searing pain made Zhang Jun scream.

"Fuck your mother, it hurts... hurts... it hurts..."

"What did you say?!" Luo Bin's voice shook.

"S-sorry... I didn't mean to... I..." Before Zhang Jun could finish,

Luo Bin struck him across the stomach with another crack.

His screams, like a pig being slaughtered, rang out at the foot of the mountain and echoed back.

"Sorry? You think saying sorry makes it all right?"

"Zhang Jun, fuck your grandmother!"

"What do you mean, forgive you? You think I don't hold a grudge against you? This is what you did?! You opened my family's window, I'll wipe out your whole fucking family!" Luo Bin was so furious that he cursed as he lashed out viciously with the stick!

Zhang Jun's screams came one after another without pause.

The villagers had been talking among themselves, but now the whole gathering fell utterly silent.

Zhang Jun screamed until his voice cracked, sobbing as he begged Luo Shan over and over to stop.

Even the web of Luo Bin's hand throbbed with pain.

"Stop?!"

"You tried to kill my parents! Why shouldn't I beat you to death?!"

His dad wasn't the point. His mom was.

Luo Bin truly didn't want to experience the pain of his previous life again.

Especially not because of himself!

Just because he had beaten Zhang Jun and put an end to his schemes, the man had actually taken such vicious revenge!

"Luo Shan!" Zhong Zhicheng finally spoke. "That's enough. Stop. Did something happen between you and Zhang Jun?"

Luo Bin stopped, panting heavily.

"N-no... there's no grudge... just... a little trouble between brothers..." Zhang Jun tried to interject, trembling. The beating hurt, but he knew he had been wrongly accused.

"Luo Shan, we're brothers... How could I possibly do something like that... You have to believe me! I didn't..." Beads of sweat rolled down Zhang Jun's face.

He hadn't done it. He had only thought about it, only thought about it! He couldn't take the blame!

Although Zhang Yunling, tied up opposite him, didn't seem like someone who would do such a thing either, it certainly hadn't been him!

Ignoring Zhang Jun, Luo Bin recounted everything that had happened at the Mountain God Temple yesterday.

Zhong Zhicheng's expression gradually darkened, and he turned to look at Zhang Jun.

"Is that true?!"

At that moment, Zhang Jun's face turned ashen, and only despair remained in his heart.

"Y-yes... but that's a different matter... I didn't..." Zhang Jun's plump face trembled as he tried to explain.

But a tidal wave of curses drowned out everything he said.

Then the curses gave way to two words, repeated over and over!

"Parade him!"

"Parade him!"

"Parade him!"

Zhang Jun's terror and trembling eased Luo Bin's heart a little, though what he felt most was lingering fear and relief-relief that nothing had happened.

But what did "parade him" mean?

He looked at the villagers' murderous gazes, at the Village Chief's

cold expression, then at Zhang Jun's terror. The man had even wet himself, dark yellow urine dripping steadily down.

Was this a form of punishment?

It sounded like being paraded through the streets. They weren't going to kill Zhang Jun, so why was he frightened enough to wet himself?