Everyone stood up from the ground, save for Lin Dahu, who remained kneeling with his head bowed, his simple-minded daughter standing beside him. Seeing this scene, the crowd more or less guessed what had happened.
Lin Zhang stared at Lin Dahu. "Dahu, what is the meaning of this? Don't tell me you were the one who bought these people?"
The others also looked at Lin Dahu, then glanced at his daughter behind him, suddenly realizing the truth. Dahu had been trying to find a husband for his simple-minded daughter! But no matter the circumstances, one could not engage in human trafficking—and the critical issue was that the human traffickers had even brought them to Great-Grandfather.
Lin Dahu’s face was filled with shame and panic. He kept his head lowered. "It... it was me. I never expected... things would turn out like this..."
"You fool!"
Lin Zhang raised the cane in his hand and brought it down hard on Dahu’s back. It was made of solid wood, and the strike was heavy, causing Lin Dahu to grimace in pain. Yet, he remained kneeling, not daring to move a muscle.
Lin Xian walked slowly toward Lin Dahu. As the latter felt Great-Grandfather approaching, his massive frame began to tremble. Seeing this, Liu Ruyan felt even more shaken. Just how tyrannical could this person be in the village on a daily basis? It was enough to make an entire village terrified of offending him, enough to make a hulking man kneel and shudder simply because he walked near!
Taking advantage of the fact that everyone’s attention was on Lin Xian and Lin Dahu, Liu Ruyan quietly stepped back and began to contact the studio’s main control room.
"Director... I want to stay here and expose the darkness of this village!" Liu Ruyan whispered. From the behavior of this young man alone, she could tell how abusively his family wielded power here. Since the trail to the human traffickers had gone cold, she would start with this village!
The station head, Zhang Yimou, looked at Zhao Guoan and the information he had provided. He swallowed hard. Liu Ruyan likely had no idea what kind of person this boy was. He was indeed involved in illegal acts, but he was far from a simple local thug! Transnational cultural relic smuggling, arms trafficking, drug dealing, war crimes, interfering in the politics of other nations—could a college freshman really be responsible for all this?
However, Zhang Yimou’s instincts were sharp; he realized this might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for his directing career! Dismantling a criminal syndicate led by an eighteen-year-old would take time and effort—enough time for him to make this program a massive success, reaping both fame and fortune.
"Very well, the station approves!" Zhang Yimou said excitedly. "This is an extremely arduous mission! Stay safe!"
"It’s not hard; the villagers of Linjiacun are the ones living the hard lives," Liu Ruyan said, gritting her teeth as she looked at the villagers nearby. This person looked so young—who knew how many more years he would spend running rampant here!
"But you must be careful!" Zhang Yimou warned.
"Huh? Careful? I’ll definitely be careful," Liu Ruyan said, momentarily stunned, assuming the director meant not to let this bully discover her.
"No, this person’s background is very complex. His name is Lin Xian. He’s only eighteen and a college freshman, but he... he has already committed numerous serious crimes!" When Zhang Yimou said this, even he found it hard to believe. Who would have thought an eighteen-year-old was leading an entire village in criminal activity?
"What? Serious crimes? You mean organizing a gang and bullying people?" Liu Ruyan blinked.
"No. He deals drugs, smuggles cultural relics, has massive illegal income, and is even the orchestrator of the first war crime in New Huaxia history!" Zhang Yimou said, his voice laced with shock. As a top-tier director, even he was deeply unsettled by this ruthless boy.
"What?" Liu Ruyan was completely stunned. "You’re saying he deals drugs, smuggles relics, and committed war crimes?"
"And that’s not all!" Zhang Yimou gave a bitter laugh. The man's "resume" ended with a long string of ellipses. "In any case, be careful. But with us monitoring from the studio, you shouldn't be in too much danger."
"Understood," Liu Ruyan nodded.
The viewers in the livestream, hearing the conversation between Liu Ruyan and Zhang Yimou, were stunned.
"Did I hear that right? War crimes and drug trafficking? Seriously? In New Huaxia?"
"This guy? Isn't he just a male college student? He has that many charges?"
"If this is true, he’s terrifying. No wonder the villagers are so scared of him."
"Exactly, Sister Ruyan is in danger! I hope she can find evidence of this guy’s crimes soon!"
Liu Ruyan stepped forward and stood two paces behind Lin Xian, wanting to see how he would handle this man.
"Someone!" Lin Xian called out in a deep voice.
Several sturdy-looking middle-aged men immediately stood forward. "Great-Grandfather!" they shouted in unison, cupping their hands.
"Go bring the Mountain of Blades here," Lin Xian commanded.
Hearing the words "Mountain of Blades," Lin Dahu’s body trembled. He closed his eyes tight. Although he had anticipated this outcome, now that it was actually happening, he couldn't stop shaking.
The nation has national laws, and the village has village rules. The Linjiacun Village had a thousand-year history, and it naturally had its own set of rules.
"Mountain of Blades?" Liu Ruyan was dazed. What on earth was that? Could they actually bring it here? The viewers in the livestream were also incredibly curious.
"What the hell is a Mountain of Blades?"
"I don't know."
"No way, is it a bed covered in knives?"
"Isn't that just like a bed of nails?"
"Is this for real? We’re in the twenty-first century!"
"Some villages are still very ignorant and hold onto these old traditions."
"Wait, why did those people call this young guy 'Great-Grandfather'? Is he actually the patriarch of the village?"
"That's impossible, he's so young—is he even twenty?"
"Don't judge seniority by age. In my hometown, there are seventy-year-olds who call three-year-olds 'Uncle'."
"This... could Ruyan have misunderstood something? Could he be a highly respected figure?"
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
The netizens argued back and forth. Before long, they finally saw the true form of the so-called Mountain of Blades. Just as some had guessed, it was a wooden bed frame covered in a dense array of sharp, gleaming blades that made one’s scalp tingle at the sight.
"I’ll give you two choices," Lin Xian said, looking down at Lin Dahu. As a law-abiding citizen of the twenty-first century, how could he tolerate the villagers engaging in human trafficking? "First, follow clan custom and roll over the Mountain of Blades, and this matter will be considered settled for now."
Liu Ruyan gasped. *Roll over* the mountain? Could anyone survive that? He’d likely be dead before he was even halfway through. And this man was guilty of human trafficking—though it was an attempted crime—it was still illegal! How could he just easily forgive a crime like this? But it didn't matter; once she found evidence of this man's tyranny, the police would bring him to justice!
"Second," Lin Xian said in a deep voice, "I will give you one million, and you will leave Linjiacun Village."
Lin Dahu’s body shuddered. Leaving the village was an absolute impossibility! The crowd looked at Lin Dahu with pity; to them, being banished from the village was worse than death. The one million was nothing compared to the status of being a member of the village. But to an outsider, the choice seemed obvious.
Liu Ruyan looked at Lin Xian with a strange expression. How could he have the audacity to say that? One million versus a Mountain of Blades? Any idiot would choose the money. Besides, the villagers suffered under his bullying; they were probably dying to leave. The viewers in the chat shared the same sentiment.
"I’m dying of laughter. How does he have the nerve to offer these two choices? Any idiot knows what to pick!"
"Exactly. You’re just going to keep bullying him in the village anyway. What’s the use of being a villager in a crappy mountain village?"
"Haha, he’s probably just threatening him. Plus, does he even have a million? It's a poor, remote village."
"He must watch too many CEO dramas: 'Here's a million, leave my daughter,' 'Here's a million, leave my village.'"
Lin Dahu kept his head bowed. After listening to Lin Xian, he didn't hesitate for a second. He looked up at Lin Xian and said, "Master! I will take the Mountain of Blades!"