Chapter 240: A Tough Man’s Tenderness, a Father’s Heart

"Senior Sister, why are you here? Are you really a ghost?"

"Where are you from? Why did you show up in our Tianhu Village? Were you here before?"

"Your martial arts are so incredible! Did you know them before, or did you learn them after you became a ghost?"

Since Xiao Li had saved her and defeated so many government soldiers, Niu Jiahua was filled with gratitude and admiration, feeling no fear at all.

She had turned into a complete fangirl, chattering away excitedly, her head full of questions.

Xiao Li snapped irritably, "Shut up. Don’t ask what you shouldn’t."

’Just a moment ago, she was a perfectly fine, bossy little bandit. How did she suddenly turn into such a noisy sparrow?’

But idle chatter aside, there were a few important things she needed to mention.

"That Xu Nianqing fellow is obviously targeting your village. The government soldiers have retreated for now, but they’ll definitely be back in force. You can’t possibly win against a government siege. You need to take your people and evacuate now, while you still can. Otherwise, you won’t be able to escape when the soldiers surround you again."

Niu Jiahua knew Xiao Li was right and hurried to find Niu Tianhu. Staring at the pile of government soldiers’ corpses, Niu Tianhu knew the government wouldn’t let this go.

Especially that son of the County Magistrate, Xu Nianqing. He was clearly bad news.

"We’re moving. We move immediately."

However, although Niu Tianhu was the chieftain, he wasn’t a domineering or ruthless man. While the villagers respected him, they clearly didn’t fear him.

When they heard Niu Tianhu say they had to move, no one was happy.

Those whose family members had died insisted on burying their loved ones first, and they wanted to stay to observe the seven-day mourning period.

They even swore vicious oaths to fight the government soldiers to the death and avenge their kin.

Those whose homes were burned to the ground broke down in tears, crying that they had nothing left and nowhere to go.

Even those who had luckily escaped the disaster with little loss were reluctant.

"Tianhu, there’s war and chaos everywhere outside. We don’t have household registrations. Where can we possibly move to?"

"Exactly. It was so hard for us to settle down here. We really don’t want to be wanderers again."

In short, they didn’t want to leave.

Niu Tianhu’s men were the able-bodied workers from every household in these mountains. They followed him through life and death for their common good, willing to obey because they knew he was strong enough to protect them. But this involved their homes, and they had to consider their families’ wishes.

"Chieftain, isn’t that Mr. Xu the County Magistrate’s son? You should go find him and have him put in a good word with his father."

"Yeah, Chieftain, you saved his life. He can’t repay kindness with hatred."

The crowd naively believed Xu Nianqing would be grateful.

Niu Tianhu had no choice but to reveal the truth. "Everyone, that Xu Nianqing is a fraud! There was no life-saving debt. He deliberately put on an act and followed Jiuhua back here to slaughter our village."

They cursed Xu Nianqing for being inhuman and for deceiving them, but this still didn’t convince them to move immediately.

"Tianhu, those government soldiers are just a bunch of weaklings! Nothing to be afraid of. We should hurry up and set more traps. No matter how many of them come, we’ll make sure none of them leave alive."

"What’s there to be afraid of, Chieftain? There are so many of us. You think we can’t beat them?"

"Besides, we have Jiuhua! She’s so strong she can fight a hundred men at once. Those government cronies were so scared their legs turned to jelly just looking at her. Maybe they won’t even dare to come back."

"Right, and we have Jiuhua! She’s the master of our Tianhu Village."

Niu Tianhu was almost convinced. If he were afraid of the government, he couldn’t have been a bandit for so many years.

It wasn’t the first or second time they had clashed with the government; they’d stopped being afraid long ago. It was just that this time, the government had launched a sudden siege and somehow found the entrance to their mountain, catching them completely off guard.

So, as long as they prepared for battle and set more traps, they could just repel the government soldiers.

But when they mentioned his daughter, Niu Tianhu immediately shook his head. "No, not Jiuhua. She can’t."

He knew his own daughter. Jiuhua’s martial arts weren’t that good, and she certainly couldn’t kill without batting an eye.

She was just possessed.

Although that evil spirit was powerful, all he wanted was his daughter back. He couldn’t let Jiuhua take such a risk.

"Chieftain, we know Jiuhua is your only daughter and you dote on her, but you can’t bury her talent."

"Yeah! With Jiuhua here, we can definitely beat those government soldiers to a pulp."

With a grim expression, Niu Tianhu arranged for some people to set traps. The rest were to move supplies to a hidden cave on the opposite mountain. Once the fighting started, the elderly and children would hide there.

Seeing Niu Tianhu make these arrangements, they thought he had compromised. In reality, the moment he went back inside, he started rummaging through chests and cabinets, packing a bag for Jiuhua.

He stuffed a large bundle into Jiuhua’s arms.

"Daughter, leave through the back of the mountain. Shitou is grazing there. Whistle and he’ll come. Ride him northeast all the way to Yuan City."

Jiuhua was stunned. "Dad, what are you doing?"

"Daughter." Niu Tianhu stroked his daughter’s hair, his eyes filled with love and reluctance. "You’re your dad’s good girl, my beautiful girl."

He took out an identity document from his robes. "Take this, and you can get into Yuan City. There’s enough money in the bag for you to buy a small house. Live there, and wait for Dad to come find you."

Niu Jiahua wasn’t stupid. She immediately realized something was wrong. "Dad, what are you all planning to do?"

Niu Tianhu’s expression was grim. "No one wants to abandon everything they worked so hard to build. We can only make a last stand."

’This village is doomed.’

’I’m not one to shy away from trouble. If this village were full of desperate outlaws, we’d just fight. Simple. But half the people here are old, weak, or children. They call it a bandit’s lair, but it’s really just a slightly more aggressive village. Not only do they have families in tow, but they also don’t have many proper weapons. A lot of them are just using woodcutter’s axes, let alone any armor. Those government soldiers’ martial arts aren’t actually that great, but they have the advantage in gear and numbers. If a few hundred couldn’t take this village, what happens when a thousand or several thousand show up? Can this place really hold out?’

Niu Jiahua cried, "I’m not leaving! How can I run away by myself at a time like this?"

Niu Tianhu said, "Jiuhua, your father is the chieftain of this village. I have a heavy responsibility, and I can’t abandon everyone without honor. But the village isn’t your responsibility. You’re my only daughter. I want you to live an honest life with a proper identity."

This bear of a man truly had a heart of gold beneath a tough exterior—a loving father through and through.

Niu Tianhu still managed to chase Niu Jiahua out, but she didn’t want to leave. After walking for a short while, she hid behind a pile of rocks where no one could see her and sat down.

"Senior Sister, I’m the one who caused all this trouble."

Xiao Li ignored her. Niu Jiahua continued, "That guy surnamed Xu... I never should have brought him up here. This must all be his fault."

The next moment, she was suddenly filled with determination. "No, I have to go find him and see what’s really going on."

Xiao Li didn’t answer.

Niu Jiahua made her way to the back of the mountain and whistled, summoning Niu Tianhu’s horse.

Just as she was about to mount, a tall figure emerged from the shadows. "Jiuhua, where are you going?"

Niu Jiahua was surprised. "Zhou Yang, what are you doing here?"

Zhou Yang walked over and asked with concern, "I was setting traps over here. Shitou came by, so I came to take a look. Where are you going with that bag on your back?"

Niu Jiahua followed his gaze to her bag and felt a pang of guilt, but the feeling vanished in an instant when she remembered she wasn’t actually running away.

"I’m going to head toward the government office to investigate. Why would the government attack us for no reason? And that Xu guy... he must still be plotting something."

Zhou Yang’s expression relaxed. "Oh, is that right? Then I’ll go with you."

Niu Jiahua thought it would be good to have someone else along, so she agreed without a second thought. "Okay."

Xiao Li, perched on a nearby tree trunk, personally saw Zhou Yang put away the woodcutter’s axe he had hidden behind his back.