All Heavens Strategy Game

Aunt Stone's cries, like a cold needle, pierced the silence of the cold night and also pierced Su Ming's slightly agitated mind, which had just broken through.

"Revenge?" Su Ming was stunned, repeating the question subconsciously, his mind not quite processing it.

Yang Tingzhang is dead, what grudge could there be left?

He instinctively reached out to help her up, puzzled, and said, "Aunt Shitou? What are you doing? Get up, let's talk this out..."

Aunt Stone seemed to have been ripped out of her soul by immense grief; her eyes were vacant, and she murmured to herself, or perhaps to Su Ming, her voice hoarse and broken: "I was so stupid... so stupid..."

She raised her lifeless eyes and stared into the void, as if she had returned to that heart-wrenching afternoon: "This afternoon... I was gathering firewood in the yard, and my little Stone... was sitting on the threshold playing, watching me work... He even smiled at me and said, 'Grandma, hungry'..."

"I just answered him and said, 'My dear grandson, wait here, Grandma will go inside and get you a steamed bun'... and then I turned around and went inside, it was just a blink of an eye..."

Aunt Stone's body began to tremble violently, and her voice suddenly became shrill: "When I came out with the steamed buns... there was no one on the doorstep! My little Stone... he's gone!"

"Only one of his shoes remained on the doorframe..."

Su Ming's heart sank.

"I called out his name, I searched for him, I called his name all over the village... Later... later the village chief was alerted, and everyone helped to search..."

Aunt Stone's tears fell like a broken string of pearls, mixed with snot and dirt: "Right on that slope leading up the mountain behind the village... we found it... we found half of Little Stone's shoe... and his tattered cotton-padded jacket, torn to shreds... it was... it was covered in blood!"

She jerked her head up, her withered fingers digging fiercely into the frozen earth, her eyes blazing with deep-seated hatred and despair: "Wolves! Those beasts who deserve to be torn to pieces! They're the ones who...carried away my little stone!"

Wolves... they actually came into the village and ate people?!

And what they took away was a living child!

Su Ming's expression changed.

He was always worried that the wolf pack would come down from the mountain and harm people and livestock when they were starving, but subconsciously he still had a sliver of hope that the village's barricades, traps, and patrols might serve as a deterrent.

I never imagined that the tragedy would happen so quickly and so brutally! These beasts were so brazen as to enter the village and kidnap people in broad daylight!

Have these beasts gone mad with hunger?

"Little Stone... my poor grandson..." Aunt Stone said, wiping away her tears as she pleaded, "Sanlang! Sanlang! You are the most capable man in our village! I beg you! I beg you to kill those beasts! Avenge my Little Stone!"

Su Ming's face was ashen. Suppressing his shock and anger, he grabbed Aunt Shi, who was on the verge of fainting, and asked in a deep voice:

"Auntie Stone! We live right at the edge of the village, closest to the mountains, so we're the first to be caught if wolves come into the village!"

"Didn't the village chief repeatedly tell everyone to reinforce their courtyard walls a few days ago? Yours...?"

"I...I..." Aunt Stone's sobs faltered upon hearing this, her face filled with immense regret and self-reproach.

She lowered her head, her voice barely audible, filled with helplessness: "It's...too late...Sanlang...I'm just an old woman here, with Xiaoshitou...I'm useless...I'm so useless...a corner of the courtyard wall has collapsed, and it's low...I...I can't move the big stones, and mixing the mortar is slow...it hasn't been completely repaired yet...I guess...I guess the wolf squeezed in through that gap..."

As she finished speaking, she couldn't help but sob again, her shoulders shaking with despair and self-reproach.

Upon hearing this, Su Ming remembered.

A few days ago, when the whole village was mobilized to reinforce the defenses, he saw Aunt Shitou struggling to carry adobe bricks by herself, her back hunched, repairing the dilapidated courtyard wall bit by bit.

Her eldest son died while serving corvée labor years ago, and her daughter-in-law abandoned the children and ran away. She was left alone with her young grandson, and they struggled to make ends meet. They were one of the poorest families in the village.

Several years ago, when it came to sponsoring Su Ming's martial arts training, Su Ming refused her family's financial assistance. So she simply kept bringing wild vegetables and fruits to their door, hoping that Su Ming could take care of Xiao Shitou in the future.

This poor woman, no matter how poor she was, still wanted to contribute to the "assistance" and had a very good relationship with Ms. Liu.

Therefore, after Su Ming became capable of hunting, he would often exchange meat for vegetables from her family, such as dried mushrooms and dried dogwood, just to take better care of this neighbor.

A few days ago, when she was defending against the wolf attack, she was building and reinforcing the wall by herself. Her older brother, Su Yuanbao, couldn't bear to see her like this and wanted to help her, but Aunt Shitou stubbornly refused.

She was rubbing her apron, and said apologetically, "Yuanbao, your family is busy too, Auntie can take her time and do it herself, don't bother you..."

She didn't want to cause trouble for others!

Wasn't her refusal of Su Yuanbao's help that day an act of kindness and understanding? She simply wanted to rely on her own strength to support this family that was already in dire straits.

A good intention, but due to the hardships of reality and a stubborn reluctance to bother others, has led to today's tragedy.

For a time,

Su Ming felt a tightness in his chest.

He couldn't say a word.

Blame Aunt Stone?

How is that possible!

The person who least wants this to happen is her, the grandmother.

She would probably rather be carried off by wolves than see Little Stone suffer any harm.

Her refusal that day, in the end, stemmed from her deep-rooted kindness and stubbornness in not wanting to owe anyone anything!

It's all about timing and fate!

Su Ming sighed.

But then, a strong sense of doubt welled up in my mind:

Such a big thing, a child went missing in the village, and was even carried off by a wolf, why didn't I hear a word about it?

Even if I was busy with my breakthrough in the afternoon and stayed indoors, such a major event in the village would surely cause chaos. How could it have been so quiet?

Moreover, when I met Aunt Stone in the afternoon, although she was distraught, she didn't mention this matter at all. Why did she wait until the middle of the night to find me by climbing over the wall?

Su Ming took a deep breath, suppressing his turbulent emotions, and asked in a low voice, "Aunt Shitou, what time did Little Shitou have the accident? Why didn't anyone in the village tell me? I met you this afternoon, why didn't you say anything?"

Aunt Stone raised her tearful eyes, her gaze darting away, filled with shame and struggle. She wiped away her tears forcefully before choking out, "It...it happened after noon..."

"The village chief... the village chief forbids us to tell... He's afraid... afraid that if you find out, you'll recklessly go into the mountains to fight the wolves... He said that wolf king is extremely powerful, the mountains are their territory, it's too dangerous for you to go... He told everyone to keep it from you... afraid... afraid something bad will happen to you..."

Her voice trailed off as she spoke, and her head drooped: "This afternoon... I met you this afternoon, and I wanted to tell you too... but I... I didn't dare disobey the village chief... and I was also afraid... afraid of really hurting you..."

Her emotions collapsed again; she covered her mouth tightly with both hands, letting out a suppressed sob, her shoulders heaving violently.

"I endured it... I tried to endure it... I thought I couldn't hurt you, Little Stone is gone... I can't sacrifice the village's hopes too, but when I looked at the little jacket Little Stone left behind in the middle of the night... I... my heart felt like it was being torn apart... I couldn't bear it, Sanlang! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry, Village Chief! I'm a sinner!"

Seeing her struggling in such pain, Su Ming understood everything.

The village chief and villagers are protecting him in their own way.

They feared his youthful impetuosity and his strong sense of loyalty, fearing he might risk his life to avenge Little Stone.

So they chose to keep it a secret.

Aunt Stone's heart felt like it was being torn apart, and tears streamed down her face again. Little Stone was her only reason for living. If it weren't for the thought of revenge, she would have gone with her grandson long ago.

At this moment, this weathered, strong-willed old woman cried like a helpless child, constantly murmuring "I'm sorry" and "I'm so sorry."

This is a woman who wouldn't even bother others with something as small as helping her repair a wall.

Now she has to climb over the wall in the middle of the night to beg a teenager to do a life-or-death thing for her!

One can only imagine the inner struggle, guilt, and despair she felt.

She raised her head, her eyes, red and swollen from crying and almost closed, filled with the last glimmer of hope as she looked at Su Ming, her voice trembling with a humble plea:

"Sanlang...the villagers all say...that you are the reincarnation of the mountain god, that you are a very capable person...you...you will help your aunt, right?"

That look in his eyes was like that of a drowning person grasping at a last straw, filled with desperate hope, yet also as if it would shatter completely at any moment if the other party rejected him.

Su Ming had experienced battles in the mountains and forests, faced the cold gaze of the wolf king, and fought life-and-death battles with formidable enemies in his previous life, but he had never truly been afraid.

But at this moment,

Facing Aunt Stone's eyes, which were filled with despair, pleading, humility, and the last glimmer of hope,

He felt a pang of fear and dared not look directly at her.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and forcefully helped Aunt Stone up from the cold ground: "Auntie, get up quickly! The ground is cold, and if you get sick from the cold, Little Stone will be sad on the ground too."

"If you don't agree... I won't get up..." Aunt Stone stubbornly refused to move.

"You're exaggerating!" Su Ming's voice was steady and powerful, carrying a reassuring calmness: "Auntie, even if you hadn't come to find me tonight, I would have definitely gone into the mountains to settle accounts with those beasts!"

His gaze was sharp, and his tone was resolute: "They've entrenched themselves in Xiaochong Mountain, cutting off our village's livelihood, and now they dare to come down the mountain to injure and eat people! I, Su Ming, have received such a great favor from the entire village, how can I sit idly by? To be honest, my martial arts have made a breakthrough today, and I was planning to go into the mountains in the next few days to settle things with these beasts!"

To ease Aunt Stone's guilt, he softened his tone and continued, "So, please don't say 'I'm sorry' again."

"I was determined to hunt wolves from the start, and it has nothing to do with you coming to me."

"Besides, you're my neighbor, my elder, and you've always helped my family. Logically and morally, your family's affairs are my affairs! I must avenge this!"

Hearing Su Ming agree so readily, and it sounded like he had planned it all along, Aunt Shi was stunned at first. Then, her mind, which had been clouded by immense grief, suddenly cleared up!

She felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her head, and she shivered instantly.

No...no!

Sanlang is only thirteen years old!

Even if he has some skill, there are more than a dozen vicious wolves in the mountains, and there's also that wolf king that's said to be as big as a bull!

Isn't he just throwing his life away by going in there?

What's wrong with me? How could I be blinded by hatred and want to kill the hope of the entire village?

Little Stone is already gone. This old woman is a jinx. Do I have to kill Sanlang too, and make the whole Sishui Village lose its future?

A tremendous fear and lingering dread gripped her.

"No...no!" Aunt Stone shook her head violently, waving her hands wildly, her voice becoming urgent and panicked, even tinged with tears. "No! Sanlang! Don't go! Those beasts are too fierce! There's a wolf king! You'll die! Auntie's been confused! Auntie was confused just now!"

She grabbed Su Ming's hand tightly, her thin fingers turning white from the force, as if she were afraid that if she let go, Su Ming would rush into the mountains.

"You're still young! You'll be even more powerful in the future! Revenge... there's no rush! Wait until you're older and more powerful before you help your aunt get revenge! Not now! You absolutely can't go!"

Su Ming looked at her completely different appearance before and after, and understood.

Overwhelmed by grief, she was momentarily blinded, but her kind instincts and concern for him quickly brought her back to her senses after the brief moment of "getting what she wanted," plunging her into deeper fear and self-blame—the fear that her request might have caused his death.

He sighed inwardly, stepped forward, and took Aunt Stone's cold, trembling hand in his. In the calmest and most convincing tone he could muster, he soothed her, "Aunt Stone, calm down. Listen to me, I won't go. I promise you, I won't go into the mountains to fight the wolves. Don't worry."

He repeated it, his tone very certain:

"I assure you, I will never take any risks without absolute certainty."

"Don't worry, go back and rest. We will definitely avenge Little Stone, but not by recklessly going to our deaths like this."

Only after Su Ming's repeated and firm assurances did Aunt Shi's wildly beating heart gradually calm down.

She looked closely into Su Ming's eyes, making sure there was no deception or impulsiveness, only a reassuring calmness, before letting out a long, exhausted sigh of relief.

As she breathed a sigh of relief, her forced composure seemed to crumble, and she hunched over slightly. The expression on her face, a mixture of crying and laughing, was more heartbreaking than pure sorrow.

"Okay...okay...it's good that you're not going...it's good that you're not going..."

She murmured, as if comforting Su Ming, or perhaps comforting herself: "Auntie... Auntie is going back... You... you should get some rest too..."

She looked back every few steps, her steps faltering as she left Su Ming's house. Her figure quickly disappeared into the darkness outside the courtyard, as if afraid that if she stayed any longer, she would change her mind or bring some misfortune to Su Ming.

Su Ming stood there, not immediately closing the window, letting the chill of the winter night seep into the room.

He stared in the direction where Aunt Stone had disappeared, remaining motionless for a long time.

The biting wind brushed against his cheeks, but it couldn't dispel the heaviness in his heart or the ever-burning flame within him.

The night grew colder.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the thick darkness of the night, landing on the small, crouching mountain in the distance.

"Wolf, oh wolf..."

He muttered to himself, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible, yet it carried a chilling, resolute edge.

"You shouldn't have done this, you absolutely shouldn't have... started this cannibalistic trend."

The promise made to Aunt Stone was merely a stopgap measure to appease her.

Not going?

Oh.

Now, it's an absolute must-go!

Even the goals have changed.

Originally, he only wanted to drive the wolves away from Xiaochongshan and seek temporary peace, so that they would not interfere with each other in the future.

But now, after hearing firsthand about Little Stone's tragedy and feeling Aunt Stone's heart-wrenching grief, only one cold and unwavering thought remained in his mind—

kill!

Only by completely slaughtering this pack of man-eating wolves, especially the wolf king, can we appease their spirits, quell their anger, and prevent future troubles!

Firstly, once wolves have tasted human blood, they will crave it and then regard humans as potential prey. If they do not leave, today it may be a small stone, and tomorrow it may be other elderly and weak people in the village. If this problem is not eliminated, the village will never have peace!

Secondly, revenge! Blood debts must be repaid in blood! This blood feud must be washed away with the blood of the wolf pack! They devoured the people of Sishui Village and think they can get away unscathed? Dream on!

Su Ming turned around and went back into the house, gently closing the door behind him.

In the darkness, his eyes were sharp as knives, gleaming with a cold light.

The next move will require a more meticulous plan, greater strength, and... the determination to kill with a single blow!