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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 49: Gathering
Dong Qin hurriedly ran toward the sunlit area, shouting, "Everyone, don't act rashly! Village Chief, have you forgotten how Uncle Tang died?"
At that time, she wasn't present; she had locked her father inside the house. Yet, she still vividly remembered how Tang Dagang met his end.
How could the Village Chief forget such memories? He passionately declared, "Dagang was right. If we don't resist, we have no way to survive. I have been wrong for ten years. I thought if we kept our heads down, we could live in peace. But over these years, we have not only worked hard but also suffered humiliation. We cannot continue like this."
Ji Zichen and Xia Zhou exchanged glances and quickly stepped forward. "Village Chief, no matter what happens, you all need to stay calm."
Seeing Ji Zichen appear, the Village Chief said, " Mr. Ji, it's even better that you're here. Please help us rescue Big Qi. My cowardice led to Dagang's death; I cannot let Big Qi suffer at their hands any longer."
"Suffer?" Ji Zichen asked. "Aren't they going to release him?"
The Village Chief replied bitterly, "If it weren't for that, I wouldn't know. They will release him, but they want to take one of Big Qi's arms." Tears glimmered in his eyes. "I know Big Qi too well; without one arm, he would never be able to live like this."
Dong Qin said sternly, "Village Chief, I know this is extreme, but you can't sacrifice the entire village just to save Big Qi."
The villagers gritted their teeth and declared, "We are not afraid of death! We have had enough of their oppression. Today it's Big Qi; next time it could be any one of us."
The Village Chief suppressed his emotions and spoke softly to Dong Qin. "Qin, you should take them away. Wait for us at the pavilion ten miles away. If we can rescue Big Qi, you will see him before sunset. If... if Big Qi hasn't appeared by sunset, then you must leave Tide Mountain and never return."
Dong Qin spread her arms wide to block them. "No! Village Chief, don't go! You can't even get through the door to rescue him!"
The Village Chief said resolutely, "Farewell, Qin. Our minds are made up. Even if we die, we must let them know our will!"
Xia Zhou saw how frail the Village Chief was; he leaned on a cane and struggled to walk. How could he confront those from Purgatory Palace?
"Village Chief," Xia Zhou said, "you and Qin should leave together. I'll help rescue him."
The Village Chief's gaze fell on Ji Zichen's face. "What about you? Mr. Ji?"
Ji Zichen sighed, "None of you should go. Xia Zhou and I will visit Purgatory Palace to see if we can get Big Qi back."
Black Eyes listened to his subordinate's report that Ji Zichen and Xia Zhou wanted to see him. He was surprised. "They've arrived? That means they didn't run into the escaping Lin Chuyu. As long as they believe she's here, that's enough."
Black Eyes personally went to greet them, and they met at the exit. Wearing a mask, Black Eyes remained unreadable to Ji Zichen and Xia Zhou, who could only hear him slowly say, "You've finally come. I thought you had given up on Lin Chuyu's life or death."
Ji Zichen suddenly smiled and said, "Stop pretending. We've already seen her."
Black Eyes was taken aback. "Then, why are you here?"
Ji Zichen replied, "To take someone."
"Who?"
"Big Qi!"
This caught Black Eyes completely off guard. "You came for Big Qi?"
Ji Zichen retorted, "If not, what do you think we're here for?"
Standing beside Black Eyes were three subordinates. One of them spoke coldly, "You really don't know your place. This is Purgatory Palace; you're being too arrogant here. Do you think we'll just hand over someone because you ask?"
Ji Zichen moved slightly, and suddenly the subordinate flew backward. Ji Zichen had already taken his place, leaving the subordinate to crash heavily to the ground, groaning and unconscious.
Ji Zichen cast a disdainful glance at Black Eyes and said, "Arrogance? How could I compare to you in Purgatory Palace? You enslave the villagers of Tide Mountain and secretly abduct my friends here. Is this the kind of sneaky business you enjoy in Purgatory Palace?"
Seeing his subordinate beaten up, Black Eyes showed no intention of defending him and coldly remarked, "So you've come to show off."
Ji Zichen stated succinctly, "Where is Big Qi? Let me see him."
"Black Eyes" looked coldly and said, "This is Purgatory Palace. No one can see me without my permission."
" Ji Zichen " nodded, "In that case, let me see your true face!"
As " Ji Zichen " made her move, her hand moved like lightning. Just as she was about to grab the mask, "Black Eyes" had already moved several feet away at a speed even faster than hers.
The other two subordinates saw " Ji Zichen " acting so recklessly and, filled with anger, drew their swords simultaneously, lunging at her. However, " Ji Zichen " did not draw her sword; instead, she leaped over the heads of the two men. As she landed behind them, their swords struck nothing but air. With a swift motion, she struck both of them on the back, causing them to cry out in pain and fall to the ground.
This was the square of Purgatory Palace, and of course, there were more than just these few people present. Suddenly, more than ten subordinates rushed out from the buildings on either side, surrounding " Ji Zichen " and "Xia Zhou." They shouted angrily, "Bastards! How dare you cause trouble here!"
" Ji Zichen " and "Xia Zhou" exchanged glances before swiftly moving. In an instant, over ten subordinates were knocked down to the ground with cries of distress.
Some of these subordinates had broken arms or legs, some suffered injuries to their abdomens, while others were wounded by "Xia Zhou's Eight Desolation Needles."
With a sigh, "Xia Zhou" said, "We are here to take someone. Can't you just talk it out with them?"
"I have been trying to talk," " Ji Zichen " replied as she stared at "Black Eyes."
But "Black Eyes" only laughed and said, "I never expected your temper to be like this."
The guards at the main gate had noticed the situation unfolding and blew the horn. The deep sound echoed throughout Purgatory Palace. From Penance Tower emerged no less than a hundred subordinates. "Samoyan," who was on the third floor of Penance Tower, heard the horn and looked down from the window at " Ji Zichen " and "Xia Zhou" in the square.
Seeing his subordinates rushing over, "Black Eyes" raised his hand to signal them to stop several feet away. Although they halted their steps, they whispered among themselves.
"What are these two doing here? How could they injure so many brothers in such a short time?"
"They're so bold; they don't seem like ordinary people."
"Sister Nine," who had fainted earlier, was helped to bed by someone at "Black Eyes'" command. Now awakened by the sound of the horn, she groggily made her way outside and saw over a hundred subordinates armed with knives and guns standing guard against " Ji Zichen " and "Xia Zhou."
"Sister Nine" did not recognize either of them and asked in confusion, "Who are they...?"
The guard shouted, "The villagers from Shangyu Village have arrived!"
Ji Zichen and Xia Zhou were taken aback. "What are they here for?"
Black Eyes smirked sinisterly. "Well, they're here now." He gestured to the guard, signaling him to open the gate. The guard hesitated but dared not defy Black Eyes' order, so he reluctantly opened the large door.
The villagers were startled to see the people from Purgatory Palace welcoming them, but once the door was open, they charged in with their machetes drawn.
The village chief, leaning on his cane, slowly walked in last, accompanied by Dong Qin and Lin Chuyu.
As soon as they entered, they saw several of Purgatory Palace's subordinates lying on the ground. The villagers couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement at the sight.
Xia Zhou felt a wave of anxiety wash over him. If it were just him and Ji Zichen, they might have been able to retreat safely, but with the villagers here, their hands were tied.
Xia Zhou shouted, "What are you doing here?"
The village chief stepped forward and declared, "We refuse to back down any longer. Whether we live or die this time, we cannot retreat!"
The villagers echoed loudly, "Yes! We will not back down! We’ve had enough of Purgatory Palace's humiliation!"
Their voices resonated like thunder.
This was an unprecedented scene within Purgatory Palace. Its subordinates would never have imagined that these once-timid villagers would dare to gather and shout defiantly within its walls.
Old Eight certainly heard the rallying cry. He stepped out from the kitchen and saw the square packed with people. If only Purgatory Palace's subordinates had been present, Old Eight wouldn't have found it surprising. But this was the first time he had seen so many villagers in the square.
As he passed by Penance Tower, Old Eight looked up and noticed Samoyan peering down from a window like an observer. He glanced briefly before turning his attention back to Black Eyes.
Old Eight asked curiously, "Black Eyes, what’s going on? Why are there so many villagers here?"
Black Eyes replied coldly, "Can't you tell? They’re here to show us who's boss."
Old Eight was well aware of Black Eyes' capabilities, even if others were not. Observing the tense atmosphere, Old Eight said, "Black Eyes, hold your anger for now. If you unleash that move, it might destroy the square. Let me handle this."
He stepped forward and addressed the villagers, raising his voice. "What are you all doing? Speak your minds calmly; there's no need for weapons."
The village chief lifted his heavy cane and, as it struck the ground, he raised his voice to its highest pitch. "We have come for Big Qi! Release Big Qi at once!"
The villagers echoed, "Release Big Qi! Release Big Qi!"
Old Eight frowned and replied, "Ah, so you are from Shangyu Village. We captured Big Qi because your village broke the rules; you know this well!"
The village chief tilted his jaw slightly and glared at Old Eight. "What rules? We don't want to hear about your Purgatory Palace's rules. We may not be able to pay, but you demand that Big Qi lose an arm before you let him go! We're not animals; who would abide by such rules?"
Although Old Eight did not wish to resort to violence, the villagers were challenging the authority of Purgatory Palace. Anger flashed across his face as he declared, "How dare you! Are you trying to rebel?"
At that moment, Black Eyes coldly interjected, "Old Eight, don't get too fond of humans; no species is more fickle than they are."
Old Eight furrowed his brow and said to the village chief, "You are leading this disturbance! If you don't learn a lesson, you'll never remember it!"
As he spoke, Old Eight's mask slipped away, and he vanished from sight. A hole appeared in the ground; Ji Zichen had seen this before. Glancing toward the village chief, Kiko noticed that the ground in a straight line between the chief and where Old Eight had disappeared was trembling slightly. Kiko realized that Old Eight was digging underground, pressing closer to the village chief.
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