Chapter 457: 457
The village chief took a deep breath of relief . He knew that his life was forfeited the moment they found the poison in the drink and food, but to think that he was so magnanimous as to let the children and the elderly survive, alongside a group of people who had not participated in the event .
Lan did not expect that Xue Wei could be merciful, and he was taken by surprise .
Hei Gou, Luoluo, Bai Tianyi, and Lin Xiao were not too shocked . They knew Xue Wei well and had been with him for a long time . Although he was cold and callous to others, he was not unreasonable .
He could kill children if he had no other option, but would not do it if he could avoid it .
He had come to the Xiyang Continent for the sake of killing soldiers, not commoners, and the people in front of him were also forced by the situation to try and survive .
There were no soldiers around them to save them, all they had was themselves, and thus, one could not blame them for doing everything in their power to stay alive .
They were forced by the situation, and thus Xue Wei decided to let them off easily .
Lan's ever present smile stiffened slightly, and he lowered his eyes . It seemed that while Xue Wei was very different from his Zhiqing, they had things in common, such as knowing when to forgive, and when to let go .
Li Zhiqing had also forgiven the people who had sent her to her death; she did not hold a grudge, nor was she living for revenge . She was happy with her every day spent around her lake, and after Lan arrived, he had even heard her say that she was grateful to them for sending her there .
If she had not been sent there, would she have been able to meet Lan? This was an interesting part of life and fate; she believed that everything happened for a reason and that she had received a blessing in disguise .
She was grateful for having been able to meet Lan and spending her life alongside him .
Lan shook his head and looked at Xue Wei . There was suddenly much more appreciation in his eyes, and he found it harder to dislike the younger man .
Xue Wei was unaware of Lan's thoughts . He was busy thinking about his current situation, and he looked at the Village Chief . His eyes were cold, but not full of hostility .
"You can choose to commit suicide, or I will kill you . I promise to do it painlessly, but if you prefer to do it yourself, I will allow you to do so . "
The Village Chief lifted his head in shock . Suicide was not something that was looked down upon . In fact, committing suicide could be seen as the last sign of last respect, the last bravery that no one else could take away from you .
Being allowed to commit suicide was, without a doubt, better than being killed by someone else, and the Village Chief did not hesitate .
"Thank you," he said, as he lifted his hand . Qi gathered on his palm before he struck it against the side of his head .
Blood oozed out of the Village Chief's mouth, eyes, ears, and nose as he slowly began topping over .
Seeing him commit suicide so decisively, Xue Wei was aware that this man was a respectful person, he was a person who he could have become friends with, had they not been on the opposite sides, but he did not regret his decision .
Every action had a consequence, and if they were ready to kill Xue Wei, they had to be prepared to die themselves .
Xue Wei did not believe in reincarnation, considering that Hui Yue and Lan had both said that there was no way one could return after death, but he still felt that he would meet this person again one day and that they might become friends by then .
Shaking his head, Xue Wei looked at the surviving people . "You can do what you want to from now on," he said, as he turned around and began leaving .
He had not killed them, but that did not mean he was willing to help them either .
No one stepped forward to stop Xue Wei and his friends as they left the village, but when they were gone, they suddenly heard a loud sound .
"Warrior!" someone called from behind them, and Xue Wei turned around to see the whole village, young and old, men and women, bending their waists, and giving him a deep bow .
"Thank you for letting us survive," they said in unison, the sight was rather inspiring, and Xue Wei was surprised . He had expected that they would be unhappy that he had killed their chief, but it seemed that they understood how close to death they had been .
"Don't worry about it," Xue Wei said, as he waved his hand . "But do try to mask the bloody stench . Many others will notice it . "
With the last word, Xue Wei and the others left the village, and the villagers were left behind, grateful, and still rather shocked .
They had never thought that they would survive the day, but now they were still alive . They all looked at the dead Village Chief, some of them sighed in regret, but after a bit of time, they bowed their bodies and said their thanks .
They were able to survive because this man had been so quick at sacrificing himself . They owed him their lives, and he would forever be their hero . He was going to get the most elaborate funeral that they could handle .