Starting from the imperial palace guards, his clones spread all over the world.

Chapter 608 You are the sinner!
"A resounding victory!!!"

"A resounding victory!!!"

"A resounding victory!!!"

……

It was as if countless people were cheering at the same time.

The roar, as loud as a mountain and as powerful as a tsunami, was like rolling spring thunder, making the wooden walls of Yanshan Village vibrate and hum!
Inside the stronghold, everyone who was immersed in despair and Bai Yi's declaration of surrender was stunned by this sudden, ecstatic wave of cheers!
They turned their heads blankly, looking at each other, unable to understand the meaning of the shout.

Bai Yi's face turned deathly pale in an instant!
His eyes were instantly filled with immense fear, and his body trembled slightly uncontrollably.
"Could it be... that I was right?!"

He cried out, his voice sharp and distorted:

"Song Jiang's gang... has been defeated by government troops!"

"The soldiers...the soldiers have already reached the front of the camp, and they're...they're celebrating their victory?!"

An indescribable grief and indignation, along with a sense of "just as I thought" despair, instantly gripped him!

He suddenly pounded his chest and stamped his feet, his voice piercingly mournful as he cried out to the night sky:

"Song Jiang! Song Jiang has ruined my feast at the stronghold!!"

"So many fine young men, so many elite soldiers of the village... all because of your stubbornness, they have been wasted and embarked on the road to the Yellow Springs!"

"Song Jiang! You...you are the eternal sinner of my Yanshan stronghold!!"

His mournful cries were shrill and piercing, standing out starkly from the frenzied cries of "great victory," and sounding even more jarring!
Just as Bai Yi's heart-wrenching cries were still echoing in the night sky, another shout rang out.

"Quickly! Open the south gate!"

Atop the watchtower, the sentry's voice cracked with excitement, a roar filled with unbelievable ecstasy:

"They're not soldiers! They're our own people! They're our brothers!!"

"They...they've returned victorious! A resounding victory! A truly resounding victory!!!"

Bai Yi's mournful cry was cut off as if by an invisible pair of scissors!
He froze on the spot as if he had been frozen in place, his grief and indignation instantly solidified and shattered, replaced by an extreme sense of astonishment and absurdity!

He suddenly turned his head, his eyes wide, and stared intently at the south gate!

"Bang!"

The heavy south gate was quickly pushed open.

In the glow of the torches, a surging, excited crowd, carrying the strong smell of gunpowder and blood, rushed into the mountain stronghold like a triumphant torrent!
It was Song Jiang who led the brothers to ambush them on the southern slope!

They bore scars, covered in dust, and wore tattered clothes, their exhaustion from the long journey evident.

But everyone's eyes shone brightly, and their chests stood straight!
That soaring pride, emanating from the very core of their being—a triumphant feeling of surviving a calamity and achieving a great victory—ignited the deathly silence of the mountain stronghold like a raging fire!

What's even more impressive is the team behind them—

A long string of prisoners, their hands bound behind their backs with thick hemp rope, hanging their heads dejectedly!

They wore fine armor, now covered in mud, their former arrogance gone, replaced by fear and numbness.

Boxes of heavy, sealed spoils were carried and slung by the group, bending the carrying poles and making a dull thud.

Bai Yi instinctively led everyone forward to greet them.

His gaze first fell on the prisoners' equipment, and his pupils suddenly contracted to the size of pinpoints!

"These...these are not ordinary soldiers!"

He gasped in shock, his voice trembling with disbelief:
"These are... these are the guards of the Pingcheng Prince's Mansion! The most elite guards of the Prince's Mansion!!"

"You...you actually ambushed the Pingcheng Prince's forces in the south?!"

His horrified question remains unanswered—

Boom!
A dull thud as something heavy hits the ground!
Zhongli Han, with his towering, iron-tower-like physique, strode up to Bai Yi like a moving mountain.

The enormous figure on his back, like a mountain of flesh, was thrown heavily onto the muddy ground at Bai Yi's feet, as if it were a sack of potatoes!
dusty.

The man Zhong Lihan threw to the ground was a middle-aged man who was so fat he was almost bloated.

His pampered, fair, and delicate skin contrasted sharply with his disheveled and ragged appearance.

The rough hemp rope cut deep into his thick flesh, leaving bruises and bloodstains.

He groaned and writhed, but seemed to have no strength left to even turn over.

Followed by.

Lei Zhen also came out, carrying a disheveled, pale-faced young man in each hand, like two chickens waiting to be slaughtered.

He expressionlessly tossed the two men down at Bai Yi's feet with a "plop," and then rolled around in a ball with the fat man.

"This fat man is Prince Pingcheng, Zhao Yan." Lei Zhen's voice, like shards of ice, struck the hearts of everyone who had pricked up their ears:

"These two little ones are his sons."

He casually tapped the shivering young man on the ground with his toe.

"hiss--!!!"

The entire Yanshan Village was instantly filled with a unified, sharp gasp of shock!
The air seemed to be sucked out instantly!
The Prince of Pingcheng?!
Those were the top nobles in Changzhou!

He is a powerful figure in the clouds, with a vast territory, tens of thousands of subjects, and mountains of wealth!

For these men struggling at the bottom of society and gathering in the mountains, the title "Prince" itself represents an unshakable and unapproachable divine authority!

And at this moment...

This incomparably noble prince, along with his heir, was simply abandoned like dead dogs on this muddy field of Yanshan Village?!

is this real?
Everyone stared in disbelief at the three disheveled figures on the ground.

That chubby guy... no matter how you look at him, he looks more like a nouveau riche who's been scared out of his wits. He doesn't have a trace of the legendary noble demeanor.

Bai Yi's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of his chest!

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart, suddenly squatted down, and with his fingers trembling almost imperceptibly, forcefully brushed aside the messy, greasy hair on Zhao Yan's face, roughly wiping away the dirt and tear stains with his sleeve.

A fat face, distorted by extreme fear yet still recognizable, was exposed in the torchlight.

"It's...it's true..."

Bai Yi seemed to have used all his strength to squeeze out these words from his dry throat, his voice as hoarse as sandpaper.

He slumped to his feet, feeling a sudden dizziness.

“Wow——!!!”

After a brief silence, there came deafening cheers that nearly lifted the roof off the village!

"Your Highness! It really is Your Highness!"

"We've captured a prince! Hahaha!"

"What are government soldiers?! Even the prince is now our prisoner!"

……

All fear and despair were completely dispelled by this incredible victory at this moment!

Even the prince has become a prisoner, so what is there to fear from the government troops?

The fame of Yanshan Village will surely resound throughout Changzhou after tonight!
Amidst the deafening cheers, Bai Yi felt a chill run down his spine and a deeper sense of bewilderment.

He turned sharply to Lei Zhen, his eyes filled with extreme confusion and urgency:
"Song Jiang...how exactly...did he do that?!"

“I know it very well! The Prince of Pingcheng has Li Daosheng, a retainer of the Prince’s Palace, by his side! That old Taoist’s martial arts are unfathomable; he is a well-established martial arts master!”

"And those martial arts masters who lent their support! Wang Jingchuan, the leader of the Yunshan Sect, is famous throughout Changzhou for his 'Flowing Cloud Palm Technique'!"

"How could these people... how could they possibly... how could they be defeated so easily?!"

He was practically screaming, racking his brains but still unable to comprehend this mind-blowing victory!
Lei Zhen merely glanced coldly at Bai Yi, a sneer curling at the corner of his lips, and refused to reply.

But his brothers behind him, who had just been through the baptism of fire and were still full of passion, couldn't hold back!

They chattered excitedly, each eager to describe the thrilling yet exhilarating battle, every detail revealing their fervent admiration for Song Jiang:

"Hero Song is a brilliant strategist! He predicted that these lackeys of the Prince's mansion would launch a sneak attack via the southern mountain path! We've laid a trap in advance, just waiting for them to walk right into it!"

A man waved his bloodied fist, spitting as he spoke.

Another man with a scar on his face sneered:
"That damned Wang Jingchuan is nothing but a fraud! Our hero Song only used one palm to smash him into dust. I heard that it was hero Song's unique skill, the 'Bone-Melting Palm'."

He gestured exaggeratedly, drawing gasps of amazement.

Another person chimed in, their tone filled with disdain:
"And Li Daosheng? He's an even bigger joke!"

"That old Taoist priest always acts like a hermit! But he was glared at by our hero Song!"

He imitated Liang Jin's cold gaze:
"Hey! He was scared out of his wits on the spot! Forget about fighting back, he immediately knelt on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy! To save his life, he even beat himself until he vomited blood and was seriously injured! The sight of him was...tsk tsk tsk..."

"Exactly! These lackeys of the Prince's mansion may look respectable and be dressed in gleaming armor, but they're all just a bunch of show-offs! In front of Hero Song, they're as fragile as paper, easily punctured!"

"That was a damn satisfying battle! We only lost less than thirty brothers, but we captured so many lackeys, and even the Prince has become our 'honored guest'! Now, the banner of our Yanshan Stronghold will probably resound throughout the entire Changzhou bandit world! Hahaha!"

……

The crowd was beaming with excitement, spittle flying as they described the incredible victory.

Every word was like a resounding slap across Bai Yi's face.

The more Bai Yi listened, the more his doubts grew, almost threatening to engulf him!
His knowledge far surpasses that of these ordinary villagers.

Wang Jingchuan's palm strikes and Li Daosheng's whisks were not just empty names!
That's the kind of person who could establish a school of thought and dominate a region!

How could it be... how could it be lost so easily?

So... vulnerable?!

This completely contradicts his understanding of the principles of martial arts!
"Where is Song Jiang?!"

Bai Yi could no longer contain himself. He took a sudden step forward, his voice sharp with excitement, and pressed Lei Zhen for an answer again:
"I want to see him! I want to get to the bottom of this in person! Immediately! Right now!"

Lei Zhen's gaze, like two cold knives, slowly rose and locked onto Bai Yi's face.

He didn't answer Bai Yi's question. Instead, he slowly raised his arm, extended his index finger, and pointed it straight at Bai Yi's nose as if to pronounce judgment!

"My elder brother Song Jiang has never done anything to betray Yanshan Stronghold!"

"And certainly not the 'sinner' you claim!"

Lei Zhen's voice, like muffled thunder, contained suppressed rage and clearly resounded throughout the now-silent mountain village.

His tone suddenly shifted, like a thunderclap:

"On the contrary—you, Bai Yi! You are the sinner of Yanshan Village!!"

boom!
These words are like a boulder thrown into a calm lake!

Everyone was stunned by this earth-shattering accusation!
Bai Yi was trembling violently, as if struck by lightning. His face instantly turned from white to green, and then from green to purple!
Lei Zhen's gaze was piercing, fixed on Bai Yi, and each word he spoke was like a heavy hammer blow:
"My elder brother already gave you this advice!"

"But you!"

"But he's stubborn and self-willed, turning a deaf ear to everything! He insists on going his own way!"

"If it weren't for you! Instigating the chieftain! Bewitching the brothers! Insisting on leading people down the mountain..."

"How could Chief Yin and so many brothers possibly be caught off guard and ambushed by government troops halfway through their journey?!"

"How could that be!"

"So many brothers...so many uncles and aunts...died tragically under the swords and arrows of government soldiers, their bodies left to rot in the wilderness?!"

"Bai Yi!" "You have misled others and yourself; your sins are grave!"

"With your sins, what face do you have to call yourself the strategist of this mountain stronghold? What right do you have to stand up for the brothers?! What gives you the audacity to speak such arrogant words and slander my elder brother Song Jiang?!"

Lei Zhen's repeated questions were like thunderbolts from the heavens, striking Bai Yi's defenses hard one after another!
Bai Yi felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow. He took two steps back, his face as pale as paper, his lips trembling, but he couldn't utter a single word!
Regret, shame, resentment, fear... countless emotions intertwined and churned wildly in his eyes!
"puff--!"

A mouthful of scalding blood, which he could no longer suppress, suddenly gushed out of his mouth!

His body swayed violently, like a candle flickering in the wind, and he was about to fall to the ground!
"Mr. Bai!"

Two loyal subordinates rushed forward in alarm and hurriedly helped him up.

When Bai Yi raised his head again, he seemed to have aged ten years in an instant, his eyes were unfocused, and his spirit was extremely weak.

Lei Zhen's accusations were scathing and absolutely true!
He couldn't refute it!
His facade as a "strategist" was ripped off in public, exposing his misjudgments, his stubbornness, and the tragedy he indirectly caused to everyone.

This is worse than killing him!
His prestige and dignity, painstakingly cultivated over many years in the mountain stronghold, were utterly crushed into dust at this moment!
He became a complete joke!

The surrounding crowd fell into an eerie silence.

The crowd looked at Bai Yi, who was in a daze and coughing up blood, with complex expressions—shock, realization, and sympathy—but mostly...

It was a silent reproach and a deep disappointment.

Those villagers who followed Yin Leiling down the mountain and managed to escape back looked at Bai Yi with barely suppressed suspicion and burning anger!
"Mr. Bai..."

A man who had lost loved ones spoke in a trembling voice, with a last glimmer of hope as if seeking confirmation:

"Brother Lei...is everything he said...true?"

Bai Yi kept his eyes tightly closed, his lips trembling violently, but he was ultimately unable to utter a single word.

deny?

He has no right to deny it!
recognition?

That would be tantamount to nailing yourself to the pillar of shame!

especially……

He also wanted to lead the people of Yanshan Village to surrender in order to negotiate with the government troops and save the life of the village chief, Yin Leiling.

Now he has lost all his prestige, and everyone only trusts Song Jiang.

How can he then save the chieftain?
Perhaps the only solution is... to persuade Song Jiang!
"Thunderclap!"

Bai Yi suddenly opened his eyes, grabbed Lei Zhen's arm again without regard for anything else, his voice hoarse, filled with an almost morbid urgency:

"Song Jiang...where is Song Jiang right now?!"

"I have something extremely important to say! It concerns the life of the chieftain! It concerns the survival of the entire mountain stronghold!"

"I must see him immediately! Tell me! Tell me now—!"

Lei Zhen abruptly shook off Bai Yi's hand, crossed his arms over his chest, and looked down at him with disdain.

His face showed only cold, undisguised contempt.

The once high and mighty third leader?

Now, in his eyes, he is nothing more than a sinner who needs to be punished!
A pathetic creature who doesn't even deserve an answer!

Seeing Bai Yi's loss of composure and his reluctance to directly answer Lei Zhen's questions, the last bit of doubt in everyone's hearts vanished!

"Bai Yi! You bastard!"

"We trusted you so much! It turns out Song Yingxiong warned you all along! It was you! You're the one who killed my parents!"

A young man who had lost both parents cried out in anguish.

"My brother was only seventeen! He didn't have to die! It's all your fault! It's all your fault, you cunning strategist!"

Another man waved his fist, tears streaming down his face.

"Give me back my son's life—!"

An old woman let out a heart-wrenching wail.

Suppressed anger erupted like a volcano!
More and more people rushed out with red eyes, pointing their fingers at Bai Yi's nose, cursing, crying and accusing him!
The faces of those lost loved ones in the ambush down the mountain now transformed into the sharpest blades, stabbing fiercely at Bai Yi!
Bai Yi awkwardly dodged the angry spittle and fingers that almost poked his face, his eyes frantically searching through the chaotic crowd, trying in vain to find Song Jiang's figure.

Just as he tried to squeeze out of the crowd—

"call!"

A fist-sized, angular stone flew sharply through the air towards his face!

Extremely fast!

Driven by the instincts of a fourth-rank martial artist, Bai Yi waved his hand without a second thought.

"Snapped!"

An invisible burst of energy precisely shattered the stone into pieces!

"Who?!"

In a fit of shock and rage, Bai Yi abruptly turned his head, his murderous gaze sweeping fiercely in the direction from which the stone had flown!
He wanted to see which fool dared to attack him!

however--

When his gaze locked onto the attacker, all his anger and murderous intent were instantly extinguished, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head!

It was a small, thin figure.

He was only seven or eight years old, wearing an old garment that was patched up and clearly didn't fit him.

He stood in the shadows at the edge of the crowd, his small face streaked with tears and dust, but his eyes shone with a frightening intensity, burning with a pure and cold flame of hatred that was completely out of character for his age!

Bai Yi recognized him.

His name is Xi Yazi.

Not long ago, during the evacuation at the foot of the mountain, Xi Ya's parents fell to a hail of arrows from soldiers while trying to protect their child.

Their family... were the ones who heeded Bai Yi's call and chose to relocate.

Xi Yazi did not speak.

He just stared intently at Bai Yi, his clear eyes filled with endless hatred, sharper than any blade in the world!

That gaze pierced through the chaotic crowd, through Bai Yi's weakened defenses, and plunged deep into the very depths of his soul!

Bai Yi felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight up to the top of his head!

He, a dignified fourth-rank martial artist and the former strategist and third leader of Yanshan Village... dared not look a child in the eye at this moment!

The hatred in his eyes was so pure, so heavy, that it almost suffocated him!

"Om..."

Bai Yi felt a sudden dizziness, and his vision blurred.

What he lost was more than just dignity and prestige.

What he lost was the countless brothers and sisters in the village, those who had entrusted him without hesitation their lives, their last hope of survival—

That profound trust!

He personally destroyed that trust on that road full of ambushes!
"Pfft!"

Bai Yi could no longer hold on, his knees buckled, and he collapsed heavily onto the cold, muddy ground.

The last bit of strength that supported his spine was drained away.

"What...what have I done..."

He muttered to himself in a daze, his voice so low it was like a dream, filled with boundless self-reproach and deep-seated shame.

Only now, as the surging emotions subsided slightly, did reason, like a cold, venomous snake, coil around me again.

He recalled his own thought of "surrendering to save the chieftain"... How selfish! How foolish!

The bandit leader Yanshan Village has long been a thorn in the side of the imperial court!

The purpose of the officers and soldiers' large-scale operation was to make an example of someone.

They used the bloodiest methods to slaughter countless people, thus intimidating all the bandits in the world!

surrender?

It's nothing more than washing your neck clean and willingly offering yourself up to be slaughtered!

Begging to live?

It’s just wishful thinking!
He almost... pushed his last remaining brothers, who had followed him back to the mountain stronghold, into the abyss of no return once again!

"I actually... attempted to kill even more people..."

An indescribable bitterness welled up in Bai Yi's heart, and despair overwhelmed him like a cold tide.

He knew that he had completely lost his composure tonight and was making one mistake after another.

Perhaps Lei Zhen is right...

He, Bai Yi, is no longer worthy of leading Yanshan Village.

In this moment of utter despair and deathly silence—

“Bang, bang, bang——!!!”

The piercing sound of the gong, like a death warrant, rang out wildly from the watchtower once again!

The sentry pointed to the mountain path to the east, his voice distorted with tension:
"Soldiers! It's soldiers!"

"Eastern mountain path! More soldiers are coming!!!"

However, this time—

However, the mountain stronghold did not descend into panic as it had before!
The elite troops have returned, and the core leadership is also here!

The overwhelming pride of having just captured the prince was still surging in his chest!
Soldiers? Come on!
Let them test the sharpness of their newly captured knives!
"Form ranks! Defend the camp!"

Lei Zhen let out a tiger's roar, which shook the surrounding area!

With eyes like lightning, he led his brothers, who had just emerged from a bloody battle, towards the defensive position at the village gate with overwhelming momentum.

A fierce fighting spirit burned in everyone's eyes!
Only Bai Yi.

Only Bai Yi remained, slumped on the cold, muddy ground, as if his soul had been ripped away. Amidst the resounding footsteps of those preparing for battle, he seemed so out of place, so... insignificant.

soon.

The sound of dense hooves approached from afar, striking the rocks of the mountain path like rapid war drums!
A group of about ten riders broke through the thick darkness and stopped in the torchlight outside the village gate.

They really are government soldiers!
But this number of people... is clearly not here to attack the stronghold.

The leader was dressed in the black outfit typical of high-ranking commanders of the Six Doors, with a dark patterned cloak over it. He exuded a calm and authoritative aura, radiating authority without anger.

He sat upright on his horse, his gaze sharp as an eagle's, sweeping over the mountain stronghold's men who were on high alert on the walls, and finally settling on the tightly closed gate.

A loud, steady voice, carrying an unquestionable official air, clearly pierced the night wind and reached the mountain stronghold:

"I am Li Muyun, the commander of the Six Doors of Dongzhou!"

"Where is Song Jiang? Come out and answer me!"

"I have important business to discuss with Song Jiang in person!"

(End of this chapter)