Relatives Who Severed Ties

Xiao Bingshan snorted coldly and said, "He's reflecting on his mistakes right now! Alright, I'll take you up the mountain!"

The soldiers then saw groups of tree-people leading them up the mountain.

Those soldiers had never seen anything like it before; they were trembling with fear.

Xiao Bingshan looked at them and said, "You wait here. I'll go and tell the Emperor what she plans to do."

Vice General Xiao was dumbfounded and asked, "Where did Black Wind Stronghold get an emperor from?"

"Could it be that the Emperor has fled to Black Wind Stronghold?"

Only this idea can make sense.

After a while, Xiao Bingshan followed behind Zhou Wanwan, and Vice General Xiao pointed at her and said, "This... isn't this the little girl who gave us the fish?"

Xiao Bingshan looked at him and said, "Why aren't you kneeling before the Emperor?"

Vice General Xiao immediately knelt down and said, "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"

Zhou Wanwan chuckled and said, "Get up! Vice General Xiao, right? I'll remember you."

Vice General Xiao was unsure of his feelings. Xiao Bingshan looked at him and said:

"You still have room for regret now, but if you join our Black Wind Stronghold, you'll become a member of Black Wind Stronghold."

"If you betray Black Wind Stronghold, the consequences will be dire."

Vice General Xiao knelt down on the ground. "This humble general will never betray Black Wind Stronghold, or else we will all die without a burial place."

Zhou Wanwan looked at them and said:

"Actually, the environment in Black Wind Stronghold is quite nice; you'll see if you stay there for a while."

General Xiao, why don't you show them around the mountain stronghold? And while you're at it, take them to the mess hall for a meal.

The population of Black Wind Stronghold has grown so much that it has now split into several mountain strongholds.

Each hilltop had its own canteen. Vice General Xiao followed General Xiao shakily to the canteen.

Everyone was stunned. The crowd followed Xiao Bingshan into Black Wind Stronghold, which they had initially thought was just a dilapidated bandit den made of mud-brick houses.

But as soon as I entered the cafeteria, I was stunned.

This isn't some cheap, makeshift canteen; it looks exactly like the most impressive restaurant in the city.

The floor was flat and smooth, bright and clean, and the room was furnished with rows of sturdy long tables and benches.

A large light hung from the ceiling, illuminating the surroundings brightly.

The walls were spotless, not a speck of dust could be seen.

Let alone a bandit's den, even the mansions of wealthy families in the city might not have such grandeur or dignity.

General Xiao smiled and said:

"Tens of thousands of people have arrived at once. It will take some time for the village to cook. You can wait here!"

Let's each have a bowl of vegetarian noodles for lunch today!

Vice General Xiao quickly nodded and said, "We'll just eat whatever we need. Where did General Xiao Bang go?"

Xiao Bingshan said with a forced smile, "You don't need to worry about him, eating is the important thing."

After being starved for two whole days, Xiao Bang was finally released. He said weakly, "Second Uncle, you really are my dear Second Uncle!"

Xiao Bingshan looked at him coldly and said, "Do you know where you went wrong?"

"I know, I know, I misspoke. From now on, that little girl is my ancestor, my great-aunt."

Xiao Bingshan looked at him and said, "Do you know whose orders the tree people on this mountain obey?"

Xiao Bang shook his head, Xiao Bingshan said coldly, "Zhou Wanwan's order."

Xiao Bang looked at the surrounding woods and said:

"What? You mean these tree-people are obeying Zhou Wanwan's orders?"

That's nothing, I haven't seen many tree people either!

Then I saw the tree-men next to me suddenly move and start kicking the ball.

Xiao Bang was kicked around in the air by them.

It would fly up into the sky one minute and crash down the next, scaring me half to death.

He shouted desperately:

I was wrong! I was wrong!

Tree people, please, please let me go! I'll never do it again!

After he was finally thrown back to the ground, his legs gave way, and he squatted down, vomiting violently. "They're alive... they're all alive! All the trees in this forest are tree people!"

Xiao Bingshan looked at him and said:

"Luckily you didn't attack Black Wind Stronghold that day, otherwise it wouldn't have been such a simple matter."

Remember this well: our Xiao Family only recognizes one emperor, and that is the current Emperor Wan, Zhou Wanwan.

Xiao Bang rolled his eyes and said, "I know, but... but how can this six-year-old child compete with that person in Bianjing?"

Xiao Bingshan sighed and said:

"Even a pig is easier to teach. I'm exhausted. Didn't you see those ministers at the morning court?"

"Aren't they all at least fourth-rank officials? With so many ministers assisting the young emperor, what are you afraid of?"

Xiao Bang slapped his thigh and said:

"Oh dear! It would have been better if we hadn't talked about it, because mentioning it this morning really gave me a fright."

Those were all legendary figures; I thought they were long gone!

Qin Shan and Shen Chaoge, aren't they both war gods?

Xiao Bingshan took him to the cafeteria, where he couldn't move any further. "I want spicy hot pot, a bowl of noodles, five steamed buns, ten eggs, a basket of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), and..."

Xiao Bingshan slapped him across the face and said, "That's all? Aren't you afraid of overeating?"

Xiao Bang almost drooled, and while eating his noodles, he said, "This stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork is delicious, this spicy hot pot is surprisingly good, and these steamed buns..."

Xiao Bingshan said in a low voice, "Just eat, can you shut up? You're making a fool of yourself."

Xiao Bang curled his lip and said:

"Second Uncle, why didn't you say sooner that the food at this mountain stronghold was so good?"

"If you had told me earlier, I would have brought these brothers to join you long ago."

Xiao Bingshan ignored him.

Zhou Wanwan returned to the Cui Family Cui Family. As soon as she arrived, she saw Nie Shi'an approaching and saying, "I thought you had run away!"

Zhou Wanwan looked at him and said, "Why would I run away? There's food and lodging here, isn't that great?"

Nie Shi'an looked at her coldly and said, "Anyway, don't try anything funny. It'll only last a few months, so you'd better behave yourself."

Zhou Wanwan chuckled and said, "I've been quite well-behaved!"

Then Zheng Xing'an walked in and said, "Miss, Old Man Zhou and Old Madam Zhou are here and are waiting for you in the front hall!"

Zhou Wanwan rolled her eyes and said, "What are they doing here?"

"I'm not sure, it seems like they wanted to talk to you about something."

When Zhou Wanwan walked into the front hall, she saw that the Cui Family and Madam Nie were there, while Old Madam Zhou stood to the side like a servant.

Madam Cui smiled and asked, "Wanwan, are these your relatives?"

Zhou Wanwan smiled faintly and said, "A severed ties with a relative."

Old Madam Zhou was shocked that Zhou Wanwan would say such a thing in front of such important people. She looked aggrieved and said, "Now that you have money, it's understandable that you don't acknowledge us."

Madam Nie looked at Zhou Wanwan and said:

"Zhou Wanwan, you can't do this. No matter what, they are your grandfather and grandmother, they are your elders."

Don't you even understand the most basic principles of filial piety? You passed the imperial examination and studied so much, how can you be so ignorant?

Madam Cui, standing to the side, couldn't help but rebuke:

"I think what you're doing is completely wrong; it's extremely unfilial."

Which child treats their grandparents like this?

What's with this talk of severing ties? Family members are bound by blood; how can you sever ties so easily?

If word gets out, people will just say that Zhou Wanwan is ungrateful, unfilial, and heartless!