Ger, So Proud

Chapter 66

At this moment, the blood had drained from Li Shanfeng’s face, and he stood there gasping with his mouth half-open. He instinctively raised his hand to touch his ear, feeling the pain where the skin had been grazed.

Just a little bit more!

The others were also stunned with fear. Lin Dazou was the first to recover, “Shanfeng, Shanfeng! Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

Li Shanfeng stared at him blankly, unable to speak for a while.

“This…” Liu Shi, who was closest to Li Shanfeng, felt his heart pounding. Seeing that Li Shanfeng was unharmed, he glanced at He Ze, who was holding the bow, and tremblingly ran toward the door, shouting, “Murder! Murder! Somebody help, save me…”

“Whoosh—”

The second arrow flew, landing right by Liu Shi’s toe, embedding itself in the ground.

“Keep shouting, and I won’t know where the next one will go,” He Ze said as he bent down to pick another arrow from the quiver. The blue feathers of the arrow stood out even in the dim light.

He nocked the arrow again, this time aiming at Lin Dazou.

The scene was entirely unexpected for Zhang Su. Xiao Ze’s courage was too great—what if he accidentally misfired?

He wanted to step forward, but Lin Yu beside him pulled him back. Lin Yu shook his head at him.

He trusted He Ze, and besides, this was something he had wanted to do for many years!

“You little bastard, what are you trying to do? Put the arrow down, put it down! This is murder, you’ll be executed for this. I’ll get the village head to take you to the magistrate…”

“Heh—”

Seeing He Ze aiming the arrow at Lin Dazou, Lin Tiangui and Liu Shi rushed in front of the latter. Lin Tiangui tried to maintain his composure, but before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by He Ze’s laughter.

“It seems I was right; your life is the most valuable here.”

He Ze’s arrow moved from Lin Dazou’s head down to his forehead, chest, and then to his crotch. Lin Dazou clutched Liu Shi’s hand tightly, instinctively squeezing his legs together and staggering backward to hide behind him. “D-Dad, Dad!”

Liquid seeped down his leg, and a faint stench filled the air.

Lin Dazou had wet his pants out of fear!

He Ze’s eyes showed undisguised disgust as he drew the bowstring further back. “I’ll count to three. Leave immediately, or I’ll make your son a cripple!”

“Please, don’t shoot. I’ll leave, I’ll go right now!” Lin Dazou’s voice quivered with tears, but despite his efforts, he couldn’t get up from the ground.

“Son, don’t be afraid. He won’t dare to shoot. He just wants to scare us away! We won’t leave. We’ll stay right here until Lin Yu is married off. Otherwise…” Liu Shi held Lin Dazou tightly, his voice trembling. “You bastard born of He Youcai, you won’t scare us in broad daylight! When we go back, we’ll make sure you end up in jail…”

“Bastard, huh—”

He Ze’s eyes turned sinister. Not even in the ten years of the apocalypse had anyone dared call him that. He closed one eye, and through gritted teeth, coldly spat out, “One—”

“You, He family brat, you’d better put that bow down right now!” Lin Tiangui’s legs were shaking uncontrollably. His gaze shifted to Lin Yu, seeing him as a potential savior. “Lin Yu! Make him put down the bow. Are you going to watch your grandparents die?”

Lin Yu’s expression remained far from calm, yet he seemed to ignore Lin Tiangui’s words, glaring fiercely at Liu Shi, his anger almost palpable.

He was used to being insulted, but to hear such vile words directed at He Ze—Lin Yu’s nails dug into his palms. No, he couldn’t act now, not here.

“He Ze…”

A soft call, and He Ze glanced at him. Instantly, Lin Yu calmed down.

“Father, Dad, let’s go back! We can plan that later. If that arrow misfires…” Li Shanfeng finally came to his senses, clutching Liu Shi’s clothes tightly.

“Dad, maybe we should…” Lin Tiangui also gritted his teeth.

He Ze suddenly took two steps closer to Lin Dazou, “Two—”

The sky was getting darker, and the only thing left in the world was the silver tip of the arrow, blending with the howling winter wind, sending chills straight into Lin Dazou’s eyes.

“Father! No, save me, save—”

Before he could finish his sentence, he fainted.

Amid the rising clamor, He Ze’s expression remained unchanged, his fingers gripping the arrow shaft turned white, “Three—”

“Don’t shoot, we’re leaving! We’re leaving! Don’t shoot!” Lin Tiangui’s legs gave out, and he fell to the ground with a thud, “Don’t shoot, we’ll leave immediately…”

He Ze remained indifferent, the bowstring gradually forming a semicircle. Lin Yu noticed that He Ze’s wrist was already red and swollen.

“Don’t shoot! He family boy, don’t be rash, I’ll take Dazou back right away, I promise I’ll never trouble Lin Yu again. If I do… may I be struck by lightning. He family boy, don’t shoot!” Li Shanfeng pleaded continuously, devoid of his previous shrewish demeanor.

“We’re leaving, we’re leaving now!”

Seeing He Ze’s stance, Liu Shi was also terrified. He dragged Lin Dazou towards the courtyard gate. The other two rushed to help carry him.

The four of them got closer to the gate.

He Ze’s pupils contracted, and just as he was about to release the arrow, Lin Yu’s hand clasped his wrist, “He Ze!”

The bow and arrow were lowered.

Li Shanfeng glanced back, locking eyes with He Ze, and quickened his pace.

“If they hadn’t left, would you have really shot them?”

As the four figures disappeared through the gate, Lin Yu took the bow and arrow into his arms and looked up at He Ze.

Next to them, Zhang Su gave them a glance and then closed the courtyard door, heading into the kitchen.

Only the two of them remained in the yard.

He Ze exhaled deeply, took Lin Yu’s hand into his own, and led him to the table, “What do you think?”

“Don’t you remember? This bow can’t be drawn easily. The first two arrows were just to scare them; you only drew it slightly. But the last arrow, you drew it halfway.”

Lin Yu placed the bow on the table and began massaging He Ze’s swollen right hand.

“…I had no choice, these people are too despicable, to the point where it became unbearable.”

Thinking about that wretched family, He Ze couldn’t imagine how Lin Yu had endured them until he was thirteen.

He Ze didn’t dare to think about it.

“Weren’t you the one who said to treat them like madmen? Don’t be angry. If you hadn’t held back and released that arrow just now, it would have been a lot of trouble if the Lin family took it to the authorities.”

“What’s so troublesome about it? As the saying goes, ‘the courts face south, but don’t enter if you have no money or reason…’” He Ze looked at Lin Yu calmly, his voice soft.

If it really came to that, he had countless ways to absolve himself.

“How can you even say that!” Lin Yu glared at him but then frowned again. “You scared them so much just now. Who knows if they’ll be able to swallow this? If they…”

“Don’t worry, they weren’t hurt at all. The authorities don’t have time for such trifles. And as for the village, there’s no need to worry. An outsider complaining to the village elders about a He family descendant? They must be dreaming.”

Based on his memories, He Ze knew that clan relations were a crucial part of this society, and clans had a strong sense of exclusion towards outsiders. If it weren’t for the village head’s intervention, the Lin family wouldn’t have been able to settle in He Family Village back then.

Wait… the village head! Lin Tiangui mentioned the village head!

He Ze’s eyes narrowed.

Due to the poor transportation in this world, clans typically lived in separate villages, and the clan leader held a high and powerful position within the clan. The village head, though not an official in the formal sense, represented the authority of the state to the villagers.

A village head managed several villages, similar to a town mayor in modern terms. If the Lin family really had connections with the village head…

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” He Ze shook his head.

Just a village head. There’s a saying… ‘If you’re willing to risk everything, you can even pull the emperor off his horse!’

He better not provoke me.

“He Ze—”

“Hmm?”

“I think something’s wrong with the Lin family,” Lin Yu said, resting his chin in one hand and absentmindedly drawing circles in He Ze’s palm with the other. “Lin Dazou is Lin Tiangui and Liu Shi’s precious son. You had an arrow aimed at him, yet they hesitated to leave… Something’s not right.”

“It’s definitely not right,” He Ze mused. “They want to take you back home to clear the bad reputation from Wu Cui’s incident. And… when I ran into Li Shanfeng, didn’t he say they had already arranged a marriage for you? Do you know who the groom is?”

“They mentioned the village head’s relative, I think. I wasn’t really paying attention, so I’m not sure.”

“The village head again?”

He Ze’s eyes narrowed slightly. He had a hunch that the Lin family’s sudden antics were closely related to that village head.

If the village head knew about Lin Yu’s reputation for bringing misfortune to his spouses, why would he agree to this marriage and even tacitly allow the Lin family to push for it? If the groom didn’t care, wouldn’t it be easier to directly arrange the marriage through a matchmaker? Why involve the Lin family, especially given their complicated history with Lin Yu?

This whole situation seemed bizarre, like a trap specifically laid for his wife.

He Ze’s expression darkened as his mind raced.

Seeing his serious expression, Lin Yu became concerned. “What’s wrong?”

“Is the village head close with the Lin family?”

“Not really. I remember them mentioning him a couple of times when I was little. But then the old village head got too old and was replaced by his son, and they never mentioned him again. As for after I left the Lin family, I don’t know. Why are you asking this? Could it be that…”

It seemed Lin Yu had the same thought as He Ze, and he frowned again.

“Don’t worry, and you shouldn’t worry either,” He Ze said, gently smoothing his brow. “If the Lin family were really close to the village head, they wouldn’t be living in such a remote area. It’s probably just a matter of having sent some gifts?”

If the old village head had strongly insisted that He Family Village take in the Lin family, the clan elders wouldn’t have arranged for them to live on the village’s outskirts.

“…”

“I’ll handle this matter. I guarantee the Lin family won’t be able to cause any more trouble. How about that?” Seeing Lin Yu still looking glum, He Ze couldn’t help but pinch his cheeks, a smile forming on his face.

It was just a small issue, not worth worrying about, and certainly not worth Lin Yu worrying about.

In his previous life, He Ze was twenty-eight, had never been in a relationship, and had no experience. Now, he only wanted to pamper the person in front of him, letting him have whatever he wanted.

He wished he could go back and accompany him through his childhood.

He Ze’s fingers moved down, lightly brushing Lin Yu’s lips. His Adam’s apple moved slightly, and in the next second, he leaned in for a kiss.

**Author’s Note:** Again, it’s past five o’clock. You all are the reason I push myself to stay awake and write through the night, hehe. Much love~

Also, thanks to the following darlings for the landmines, much appreciated, kisses~