Chapter 5, The Eruption in Silence

What do you want, child? This is the order of the court!" Lü Hong was somewhat pale with fear from the fierce light emanating from Lü Bu's eyes. He was considered the most knowledgeable person in Lü Village, but Lü Bu's gaze... Could it be that this young man has taken a life before?

Do you want to oppress him? It depends on whether you have the fate for it

"Calculating?" Lü Hong looked at Lü Bu and said with a cold smile, "Do not think that just because you can wield two arrows skillfully, you are something extraordinary. Do you believe that with a single word from me, I can make your family unable to stay in Lü Village?"

The fire grew even larger, and as Lü Hong listened to the desperate wails of his clansmen, he frantically knocked his head to the ground before Lü Bu: "A Bu, it was my fault. I am willing to pay with my life. I beg you, spare my family and children. Your aunt has held you before, have you forgotten?"

"Breech baby, stop moving!" Upon seeing this, Father Lü hurriedly shouted.

Lü Bu could not understand why he would fear a mere village headman, until that night when his home caught fire, and his mother and sister perished in the flames. Lü Bu helped his father escape in a state of distress, but their home was completely consumed by the fire. Lü Bu did not know who was responsible, nor did he feel the need to find out.

Hmph ~ Under the countless apologies from Father Lü, Lü Hong stepped out of the house, snorted coldly, and left without looking back

"Abu, I was wrong, don't kill me, it was Lijeng who asked me to set the fire! I don't know anything else, just let me go~" A villager knelt before Lü Bu, who naturally recognized him as a fellow villager. However, at this moment, Lü Bu had no intention of letting him go. He directly drew his machete and slashed across the man's neck, blood staining the tear marks on Lü Bu's face; he had not cried in a long time.

Hmm? Lu Bu reached for the hatchet at his waist, his eyes glinting with menace as he looked at Lu Hong. Family was his Achilles' heel, as well as his bottom line. Although he had done well in his previous life, the absence of family had always been a deep-seated pain for Lu Bu. Now, with Lu Hong openly using family to threaten him, this was something Lu Bu could never accept.

Hmm? Upon hearing this, Lü Bu's gaze turned cold: "On what basis!?"

In the darkness, someone hurriedly ran back. Lü Bu directly picked up his bow and shot arrows one after another. A strong sense of hatred and anger ravaged Lü Bu's nerves. He hung a hatchet at his waist and slowly moved forward, pursuing those who had set the fire. Those individuals clearly did not expect Lü Bu to be so resolute. Having just faced disaster, he immediately came to kill. As one villager after another was shot dead by Lü Bu, there was not a shred of compassion from the opposing side.

"Abu, from now on, the proceeds from this hunt will also be subject to taxation." On this day, Lü Bu returned home and saw the village chief Lü Hong sitting inside, with his father accompanying him. Upon seeing Lü Bu enter, he smiled and said.

I also tell you! Lü Bu ultimately did not draw the axe, but merely looked at him and said in his ear: "My family will not pay taxes in the future, and you will make up for the shortfall. If my family cannot stay here, before leaving, I will first slaughter your entire family. If you don't believe it, just try it!"

Lü Bu did not want to live like this for the rest of his life. Even if he could cultivate the land better, with only two mu of thin fields, no matter how well he farmed, the yield would ultimately be limited. In the future, he would not fare much better than his father. This kind of life, which had a clear endpoint, was certainly not what Lü Bu desired. Even if he could not live as gloriously as in his previous life, Lü Bu still wanted to live with dignity.

Lu Hong never imagined that this young man would be so ruthless, directly setting fire to the Zhuang. As the flames grew fiercer, feelings of regret began to take root in his heart. He rushed madly to the front gate, wanting to say something, when an arrow shot through the air and pierced his thigh. In excruciating pain, Lu Hong fell to his knees. When he looked up, he saw the wolf-like gaze of Lü Bu, a look that seemed to want to devour him

"If it were not for my father's continuous weakness, would that Lu Hong have the audacity to bully our family like this?" Lü Bu was also unwilling to back down and retorted directly. Although Lü's father's habit of being submissive was meant to avoid conflict, sometimes the more one is weak, the less others will restrain themselves, and instead, they will become increasingly overbearing.

"What is a mere village head worth?" Lü Bu scoffed. Although for the people of Lü Village, the village head was the highest official they could encounter, the village system was fundamentally different from the county system of the court. The head of the village was often someone from a prominent local family, and most of the land in the village was in the hands of the village head, with the villagers being his tenants. While he indeed held significant power, it was limited to this small piece of land. At least from Lü Bu's perspective, it would not be difficult for him to kill the village head.

What do you want to do?! Lü Hong was frightened by Lü Bu's gaze; does this fellow not know what fear is? That look was clearly one of intent to kill

"Do not be rude!" Seeing that the village head was rendered speechless by Lu Bu's retort, Father Lu quickly stood up and scolded. He then looked at Lu Hong and said, "Village head, I have not raised my son properly. A Bu is still young and does not understand many things; please do not hold it against him."

"If they don't give it, what will the court do? Is the court not allowing people to live?" Lü Bu snorted coldly, wondering if this Lü Hong, seeing that their family was living a bit better, was feeling displeased and concocted such a reason to come and take advantage of them.

Father Lü was rendered speechless by Lü Bu's words. He sighed and said: "Enough, we can no longer stay here. Let us pack our belongings and prepare to leave this place to seek another way of living."

In the previous life, he was a person accustomed to being domineering. Although he was born into humble circumstances in this life, the fierce determination within him has not dissipated. Over the past decade since his rebirth, Lü Bu has learned to endure, concealing the ferocity and pride that lie deep within him. However, this does not mean that he is willing to be oppressed by others

You ungrateful child, this has brought disaster!" Father Lü scolded Lü Bu, pointing at him.

Although Lü Bu in this life was not tall and imposing, standing just over six feet at the age of twelve, he exuded a fierce intensity that intimidated Lü Hong, leaving him pale and momentarily speechless

These villagers are mostly the kind who are rather overbearing in their daily lives, but even at their most overbearing, they only take advantage of one another. Today, they never expected that a fire would result in someone's death, but what they found even more surprising was how ruthlessly Lü Bu could kill, not at all resembling a twelve-year-old child

Lu Bu merely looked coldly at all of this, the wails mixed with curses. The village chief's frantic pleas did not elicit even a shred of compassion from Lu Bu; instead, there was only a deep-seated loathing and hatred. It was not until all sounds faded away, and the village chief was consumed by the flames, that Lu Bu finally lowered his bow. However, the overwhelming hatred in his heart did not dissipate...

At the age of twelve, Lü Bu, though not as tall and handsome as in his previous life, appeared quite formidable due to years of hunting. Especially his pair of eyes, sharp and fierce like those of a hawk, instilled fear in others. Many families in the village had come to propose marriage, hoping to marry off their daughters to him. However, Lü Bu was not interested in these village girls. Although he was a countryman in this life, he did not wish to remain just a countryman forever.

Find a high ground, block the entrance of the village chief Lu Hong's house, shoot one as soon as they appear, with flames surrounding them, leaving only the main entrance for them to exit, but Lu Bu is guarding there

But what should be done? The only options that Lü Bu could think of, aside from farming, were hunting. He could use the game he hunted to supplement the household expenses, allowing for some meat every now and then. Occasionally, he would have his father sell the furs in the market. By the time he turned twelve, thanks to Lü Bu's efforts, the family's situation had finally improved somewhat. His mother, who had always been pale and emaciated, now had some color in her face, and his younger sister no longer looked like a mere bag of bones.

Since ancient times, the people have not fought against the officials; your actions will bring calamity upon our family!" sighed Father Lü, accustomed to weakness. Even when facing his son, he instinctively chose to yield whenever Lü Bu became resolute.

Kill the last person, Lü Bu did not return, but instead found two barrels of arrows, then picked up a torch and set fire to the village, everyone was an accomplice, he intended to destroy everything