Chapter 40 Drawing the Snake Out of Its Hole

At the very moment Li Xiao snatched the woman of the Hou family away, the residents of Hou Village had already gathered within the settlement.

Over six hundred people—men and women, young and old—were present, and the atmosphere was heavily oppressive.

All eyes were fixed on the front, where a slope standing two men high rose above the ground.

A group of people stood atop the high slope, led by an old man of about sixty.

He had graying hair and a face full of deep wrinkles. Short in stature, he walked with a hunched back.

The most eye-catching thing about him was his attire: a full suit of fine silk and satin that made him look completely out of place among the surrounding herdsmen.

"Do you know how the 'Hou' in Hou Village came to be?" The old man let out an aged yet furious roar.

Standing on the high slope like a proud rooster, his gaze swept over everyone in Hou Village.

Not a single person dared to meet his eyes; everyone instinctively lowered their heads.

The old man was quite satisfied with the submission of these herdsmen.

However, since he intended to make an example of someone to terrify the rest, he had to ensure the impact was maximized.

"I am telling you, first came our Hou family, and only then came Hou Village."

"Our Hou family is the heaven of Hou Village, the masters of Hou Village."

"Yet some people are ungrateful and ignorant, daring to betray our Hou family and attempting a rebellion against the heavens!"

As his voice fell, the crowd was struck into a terrified silence, not a single person daring to utter a word.

"Bring him up."

With a wave of the old man's hand, a sturdy man in his thirties was dragged forward by two strong youths of the Hou family.

The man was covered in blood and crisscrossed with whip marks, clearly having suffered brutal torture.

"Lin Dachang!"

"This man has lived under the benevolence of our Hou family for generations, yet instead of repaying our kindness, he attempted to secretly release a high-value prisoner of the Hou family!"

The old man pointed at the captive, his voice cold and severe.

"Such an act is unfilial, treasonous, and deserves a thousand deaths!"

"Today, right before everyone's eyes, Lin Dachang shall be executed by a thousand cuts."

Hearing the old man's words, the crowd below erupted into a commotion, yet still, no one dared to step forward for Lin Dachang.

They all knew what Lin Dachang had done.

The Hou family was holding a group of prisoners, mostly soldiers from the Battle of Beishan.

One of them was an acquaintance of Lin Dachang, a close friend.

Unable to bear the thought of the Hou family handing the man over to the Karluks to die, Lin Dachang had secretly helped him escape.

Who could have expected that the prisoner's injuries were too severe for him to get far before being recaptured by the Hou family?

Upon investigation, it was discovered that Lin Dachang was the mastermind behind the escape.

Consequently, Elder Hou decided to execute him as a warning to others, particularly because Lin Dachang had colluded with outsiders.

After all, this was a critical moment for the Hou family. Once successful, they would become the leaders of the Han people in Jinzhou.

Elder Hou's action was also intended to cow the rest of the village, ensuring these lowly peasants would not cause trouble while the Hou family cooperated with the Karluks.

"Sob, sob, sob..."

"Father, Father!"

"Don't kill my father!"

"Please let him go, I beg you, Grandfather Hou!"

Following the old man's words, the weeping of Lin Dachang's family rang out from the crowd.

Yet they were forcibly held back, and predictably, could only watch helplessly as Lin Dachang faced a tragic death.

"Now you know to be afraid?"

"Hmph, too late."

Elder Hou said with disdain.

However, when his eyes fell on Lin Dachang's daughter, a strange, sinister smile crept across his aged face.

He beckoned to a young man of the Hou family: "Sanzi, bring Lin Dachang's daughter to my room tonight."

Hearing this, Hou San broke into a knowing, complicit smile.

"Uncle, rest assured, I'll arrange everything properly for you."

Elder Hou was the former chieftain of Hou Village. Having grown old, he had passed the position on to his son.

Even so, his word remained absolute law within the village.

Vile, shameless, and lower than an animal, he was advanced in years yet still obsessed with female beauty.

He had already taken several concubines, but unsatisfied, he had now set his sights on Lin Dachang's fourteen-year-old daughter.

*Damn old bastard, why hasn't age killed you yet?* Hou San cursed inwardly while smiling and promising to get the job done, wishing he could usurp the old man's place.

The conversation had been overheard by Lin Dachang, who began to struggle violently, though his mouth was tightly gagged with a horse bit.

He could only emit