Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies
Chapter 84 - 8: All Shall Be Killed, I, The Troublesome People!

The other tax official standing nearby was stunned by this scene.

He had never imagined that someone in the village would dare to attack these tax officials.

They were not like those officers; they were legitimate "officials," living off the government's provisions.

Even during the Great Zhou Dynasty's martial arts training, they could partake in it, considered as minor officials of the ninth rank.

At the very least, they had the cultivation of the Bone Refining Realm.

They represented the face of the officials, with the Great Zhou Court as their backing.

This was their confidence to be so arrogant outside.

Otherwise, how could ordinary citizens dare to be so presumptuous?

The tax official immediately snapped out of it and screamed: "Bold, looking for..."

Thud!

Before he could finish his sentence, and barely half drawing his tiger head knife, Shen Qing's two fingers struck first.

Before the tax official's astonished gaze, Shen Qing's fingers slipped along his jaw and pierced his throat.

After the enhancement of the Blood Dominance Technique, Shen Qing's arm strength was already terrifying, and combined with the technique of the Wind Defying Finger, he achieved a more than twofold result.

The tax official's throat was like tofu, his fingers easily pressed in.

Without a hint of hesitation.

The scene suddenly fell into an eerie silence.

"Gurgle, gurgle..."

The two tax officials' windpipes were blocked by Shen Qing's fingers, rendering them speechless.

Blood surged up their throats.

With a cold expression, Shen Qing twisted his fingers inside and then hooked them out.

From the throats of the two tax officials, he pulled out a segment of red tubular objects.

Blood gushed out like a faucet, constantly spraying.

The two tax officials clutched their necks, glaring at Shen Qing, retreating step by step.

Under the watchful eyes of Shen Qing and the villagers of Hongshan Village, they both fell to their knees with a thud, collapsed face-first to the ground.

Like worms, they convulsed, then stopped moving.

Their blood pooled together, forming a small puddle of blood.

The rich smell of blood was continuously spreading, filling everyone's nostrils.

With a solemn face, Shen Qing casually threw the tubular segments on the ground, turning and looking at everyone.

An elder from the Shen Family in the village, trembling with fear, asked hesitantly, "Qing... Qingzi, how could you do this? They are officials, not officers?"

Officers were those hired from martial arts halls by the government office for work.

Working one day earned a day's pay.

Many were mixed with gang elements, with uneven skills, often doing hard and tiring work.

Even if they died, it wasn't particularly serious.

But these "officials" were different.

Killing them would stir up trouble.

Shen Qing glanced at the Shen Family elder and said calmly, "I am just a troublemaker, why can't I?"

"Ah!"

"If you kill these two officials, it will only attract more officials, in the end, none of us will escape, and we'll all die!"

Shen Qing replied coldly, "So, should we let them exploit us, oppress us, kill us, and let them ravage our brothers and sisters? Now that there's a demon tiger in the mountain, should we still pay this spring tax, do you think we still have a way to survive?"

"If we're going to die killing, and die not killing, then wait for death? We might as well kill them and have someone accompany us in death, why not?"

The villagers remained silent.

Because everything Shen Qing said was the truth.

Just now, before their eyes, an old village hunter was killed as a warning.

Why could the two tax officers kill, but they couldn't?

There was no such logic in the world.

Everyone's expressions began to fluctuate, with anger, fear, hatred, and even spiteful delight.

Shen Qing surveyed the crowd, noting their expressions, his mouth curving into a smile.

He hadn't killed the two officials on impulse.

Witnessing the tax officer kill the village's old hunter made him immediately realize it was a good chance to win people's hearts.

The county government hadn't stepped in, but with just two tax officials, people from Hongshan Village were willing to hand over money.

Why?

Because of fear!

Fear that not paying would result in the tax officials, the government office, not sparing them, leaving them no way out.

What was hidden within that fear?

Rage!

Shen Qing stood out, rooting out the anger in their hearts.

For his use.

Shen Qing wasn't afraid they would report him.

Because, given the county government's conduct, even with accusations, clearing oneself, the government wouldn't lightly punish them, it wouldn't benefit them.

It might even lead to harsher penalties.

Moreover, the village tradition of common hatred against the enemy meant such actions were purely self-destructive, bringing no benefits.

With ill officials ahead, demonic tigers in the mountain.

It wasn't him being cornered.

Just as Shen Qing anticipated, his words received much approval.

Two and a half silver taels wasn't a small sum.

After paying this spring tax, what about the summer tax, the autumn tax, the winter tax?

The appetites of those in the government office were insatiable!

If they hadn't killed the Chen family members before, dividing quite a bit.

They probably couldn't amass the money for this spring tax either.

"Qingzi is right! We'll die killing, and die not killing, why wait for death?"

Among the villagers, a youthful, vigorous hunter excitedly exclaimed, "Now most of the mountain prey fill that demon tiger's belly, my father and I hunt all day in the mountains, can't earn fifty copper coins."

"After paying this spring tax, my family won't even have a half grain of food left, these evil officials just want us dead!"

Tian Xiaohu shouted, "Good kill, I'm a troublemaker too, if the government wants to arrest me, let them come. These two officials were killed by me! Not related to Qingzi!"

"Include me, unrelated to Qingzi!" Another stood out, righteously shouting.

"Include me!"

"I..."

The scene suddenly turned lively.

After seeing enough, Shen Qing, hands behind his back, said earnestly, "No need to argue, the people are dead, who killed them doesn't matter anymore. We need to think about what to do next?"

Others quickly agreed, "Yes, yes, what do we do next?"

Shen Qing paced back and forth, pondering for a while, then said, "Nowadays, with the mountain's demon tiger unchecked, we're barely gaining anything here, living well is very difficult. The best solution is to move elsewhere."

Zhang Baqing asked, "Move where?"

"The world doesn't want us to live, we'll seek a living in the city!" Shen Qing revealed his ultimate idea.

"To the city?!"

Everyone exchanged glances.

They never thought Shen Qing would propose such a method.

"But it's not easy entering the city, what will we do for a living there?"

The Great Zhou Country tightly regulated citizens' identities.

Those with different backgrounds had to fulfill assigned roles and uses.

Being hunters, if they went to the city, without a place to settle, or a proper job, they'd soon become jobless drifters, losing their status.

For them, it was undeniably risky.

However, Shen Qing thought otherwise.