Top-notch Little Horseman

Zhang Bapi fell to the ground and before he could get up, Yan Gui had already pinned him down.

The Qi family knife in his hand was pressed against Zhang Bapi's right earlobe, the blade icy cold.

"No, no... let's talk this out..."

However, the blade shifted.

"Ah!..." Zhang Bapi let out a bloodcurdling scream like a pig being slaughtered.

A piece of bloody meat fell onto the yellow earth and was instantly covered in dust.

Blood gushed from behind his ears, flowing down his neck and into his collar, staining half of his silk robe bright red.

He covered his ears and rolled on the ground, his heart-wrenching screams carrying far across the vast loess plateau.

The few remaining henchmen who could still move lay on the ground, not daring to lift their heads.

Ye Chen remained unmoved, looked at the monkey, and said softly, "Lead the sheep, let's go!"

Several people caught up with the ewe, carried the lamb, and protected Qin Mengyao as they walked back along the way they had come.

They had only taken a few dozen steps when they heard Zhang Bapi's distorted roar from behind.

"You brat, you just wait! I, Zhang Facai, swear I won't rest until I avenge this!"

Ye Chen left without looking back.

......

When they returned to Huangchen Pass, it was already dark.

Ye Chen told Qin Mengyao to go back inside and rest first. He then took Monkey, Liang Biao, Smoker and the others, along with Zhu Zi, and sent the ewe and lamb back to Chenjia Village.

When they arrived at Chenjia Village, it was already completely dark.

The big yellow dog at the village entrance barked twice, then, smelling the familiar scent, lay back down.

Hearing the commotion, Village Chief Chen came to the village entrance, leaning on a cane. The strip of cloth wrapped around his head shone white in the night.

He saw the ewe in front of him and his heart skipped a beat. Then he saw Ye Chen and the others behind him and was stunned for a while.

"Sheep...you've brought all the sheep back..." Village Chief Chen snapped out of his daze and immediately went to greet them.

His voice was hoarse as he reached out to take Ye Chen's hand, but ultimately stopped.

This is an official, and no matter how approachable he may be, he is not someone you can offend.

Hearing the commotion, the villagers came out of their houses one after another.

Ayu still had strips of cloth wrapped around his shoulder, and a red mark on his face from being slapped.

The villagers gathered around and, seeing that the ewe and lambs were all there, first laughed with joy, then pressed Zhu Zi for details about what had happened.

Zhu Zi drove the sheep into the sheepfold, dusted himself off, and recounted the whole story from beginning to end.

He recounted how Ye Chen led them to take a shortcut to intercept Zhang Bapi, how Ye Chen and his men chopped down the henchmen, and how Ye Chen had Smoker cut off one of Zhang Bapi's ears.

He spoke with great enthusiasm, and when he got excited, he even gestured with his hands as if he were cutting off an ear.

After listening, the villagers remained silent, their eyes filled with terror!

The smile on Village Chief Chen's face gradually froze.

His hand, which was holding the cane, was trembling, and his lips quivered several times before he could make a sound.

"What did you say... You, you actually cut off a skinned ear?"

"Cut it off!" Zhu Zi nodded, completely unaware that something was wrong.

"That bastard dared to rob people and sheep! Magistrate Ye said he'd cut off one of his ears to teach him a lesson!"

"Oh no, it's all over!" Village Chief Chen plopped down on the threshold, his cane slipping from his hand and rolling to the side.

His face was even paler than the cloth strip on his head, and he looked utterly desperate.

"It's over...it's all over now."

"What's wrong?" Ye Chen asked Village Chief Chen.

Village Chief Chen immediately became anxious.

"Sir, you're new here, don't you know who Zhang the Skinflint is?"

"That's the Zhang family from Dingyuan County! They're powerful and influential there! All the land in our Chenjia Village belongs to the Zhang family; we're all their tenants!"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, and the wound on his shoulder was pulled painfully, causing him to wince and gasp for breath.

"If you take the sheep back today, he'll keep it in mind, and at most he'll send someone to collect a few extra percent of the rent in the future."

"But you cut off his ear, next time... he'll definitely bring people to retaliate!"

"I'm afraid... I'm afraid it won't be that simple. It could very well result in someone's death..."

The villagers looked at each other, their smiles completely gone.

Several women pulled the child behind them, their eyes filled with fear.

Village Chief Chen stood up shakily, his back hunched, and said in a hoarse voice, "Sir, Zhang the Skinflint has been running rampant in Dingyuan County for so many years, and not a single tenant farmer in any village has ever dared to defy him!"

"Last year, there was a tenant farmer in Tianjia Village who had his leg broken just because he talked back to him!"

"Not only that, the tenant's house was also burned down, cutting off his livelihood... The tenant was forced to beg for food outside..."

"We know you're a good man, Lord Ye, and we all remember your kindness, but this time... you've really offended Zhang the Skinflint to the core!"

"What if... we wait for Zhang the lecher to come back? What will we do then?"

Ye Chen was filled with rage at the thought of skinning Qin Mengyao alive and taking her away.

"That damned Zhang the Skinflint tried to steal my wife! He's lucky he didn't kill him!"

"Since I dare to attack him, I am naturally not afraid of him and naturally have a way to deal with him."

Village Chief Chen remained silent for a moment, then bent down to pick up his cane, sighed deeply, and said, "Alas... there's nothing we can do now!"

"Lord Ye, you must be very careful! Zhang the Skinflint will definitely not let this go. If he really comes again, our Chen Family Village will not stand idly by!"

Upon hearing Village Chief Chen's words, Zhu Zi, A Yu, and the others all stood up.

Seeing that the people of Chenjia Village still stood by their side at this crucial moment, Ye Chen felt a surge of emotion.

"I will take responsibility for my actions; I will never implicate your Chenjia Village!"

Ye Chen did not linger and led his men back to Huangchen Pass.

The people of Chenjia Village are so righteous, they are indeed worth protecting. Let's start by subduing Chenjia Village, one of the six villages surrounding Huangchen Pass.

The next day, Ye Chen woke up early and called everyone to the courtyard.

"Gentlemen, from today onwards, we will begin military training!"

"We need to train soldiers, train them in martial arts, and train their physical fitness!"

The monkey scratched its head and asked, "How...how do you train physical fitness?"

"Push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, standing at attention, running!" Ye Chen cleared his throat and said.

"Practice these first, then learn swordsmanship and spearmanship!"

"Captain, what are all these terms you're talking about?" Smoker was completely baffled by Ye Chen's new terms.

Liang Biao and Liang Zhichao exchanged a glance, both looking completely bewildered.

When the border troops train new recruits, they go straight to swords and guns. Running and lining up are common, but they've never heard of push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, or standing at attention!

Ye Chen didn't explain much. He was a modern-day king of soldiers, and these were just child's play, essential training strategies for soldiers.

Those seemingly boring and tedious drills and physical training are actually the fastest way to build a foundation.

Push-ups and sit-ups train upper body and core strength, cross-country running trains leg strength and endurance, and standing at attention trains discipline and concentration.

As for pull-ups, he glanced at the crooked tree by the courtyard wall; its horizontal branch was just the right height.