The Ger's Contract Marriage [BL]
Chapter 468: A Thief to a Slave

Chapter 468: A Thief to a Slave

The village chief visibly flinched at the blunt retort, his hand instinctively reaching for his chest as if anticipating the weight of impending consequences.

There are always consequences for one’s actions, even though the villagers seemed to believe Xu Zeng was a free pass to bully.

Xu Zeng observed the scene from the outskirts with a mix of emotions. His eyes darted between Xu Hu Zhe and Bai Mo, and the gathered villagers, all eagerly awaiting the next turn of events.

From the supposed parents to the former neighbors, all eyes were fixed on the unfolding drama, hungry for gossip and eager to understand why their hopes of prosperity were suddenly threatened.

The tension was palpable, thickening the air with an almost tangible weight. It seemed as though every member of the village held their breath, their collective gaze fixated on the unfolding drama like spectators at a play hungry for the next act.

Winter was approaching, and Xu Zeng’s abrupt return had promised an easy season with extra copper lining their pockets. But if this newfound fortune was to be snatched away, the villagers demanded answers, unwilling to let go of the tantalizing promise Xu Zeng had dangled before them.

"I was there when Xu Zeng’s household was registered in not only a new hometown but a completely different prefecture," Xu Hu Zhe’s voice cut through the silence like a sharp blade, challenging the disbelief that rippled through the crowd.

The villagers seemed unbelieving, the revelation didn’t seem plausible. In their understanding, a ger married out might relocate to a new village, but to sever ties with one’s hometown entirely was unheard of, especially for a ger or girl with only a single parent.

Even if a ger was married out, they wouldn’t be removed completely from their hometown, it was the same for a girl.

They were married out, and now a member of their new family. Their top priority was the new family. Divorce wasn’t common and was considered a fate worse than death, but one could become a widow or widower. It was unfortunate, but it happened.

If Xu Zeng became a widower or if he needed his brothers to support him when his in-laws bullied him, he needed to have a connection to his family in Sun Village.

The villager’s hearts began to swell as they considered the facts. Xu Zeng had two brothers, uncles, and cousins under the Xu family tree that he shouldn’t neglect. Even if he married well, he couldn’t ignore them!

They were his backing, his safety net, and the village chief seemed keen to remind him of that fact with a pointed retort.

"How can Xu Zeng be registered to his own household? He is to marry out, it is clear his ears have yet to be pierced. We are understanding people, this master," the chief looked at Bai Mo respectfully, before continuing, "May have selected an auspicious date for the upcoming wedding, but before the wedding commences he is still our people."

"Yes, even after the wedding, he is still his father’s child, and he should show respect for his mother, brothers, and his roots."

"He is from Sun Village, and when he needs our backing, it is here he needs to return to. He can’t look down on us!"

The villagers were taking the chief’s lead. They all had their best interest at heart.

Xu Zeng wasn’t married yet, and they needed to make their position known with this rich young master... and his guard. The last man’s identity was unknown to them, but they still needed to take this opportunity to show their importance.

Xu Zeng looked at the villagers chiming in with no shame in sight.

This was a group of jackals and hyenas, ready to scavenge an easy abandoned prey. It was precisely the people who ignored him, in his darkest times, that felt the most entitled to his new "wealth" and lucky "marriage."

It was strange, even some of the Xu Clan members seemed to be chipping in, as if they didn’t know Xu Zeng was drugged— poisoned actually.

During that time, he didn’t know what was going on, he was either blacked out too delirious. His clearest memory was of Old Hua, then transmigrated to the other world.

Regardless of exactly what happened, since he was back, through psychical proof and the words from Xu Hu Zhe (from Xu Feng), he now understood he was free from these people.

With his dad’s memorial tablet, and if Bai Mo truly transferred his dad’s enshrinement place to Nanshan, he had no connection to Sun Village and the Xu Clan here.

Xu Zeng was tied to his brother, he was a part of Xu Feng’s Xu Clan.

"Xu Zeng is not part of the Sun Village’s Xu Clan." Xu Hu Zhe now had a small smile on his face, one that mirrored the one on both Xu Zeng’s and Bai Mo’s faces.

They were all smirking, while the Xu Clan members of the Sun Village had strange looks on their faces.

They knew.

They knew Xu Zeng had no ties to them. The stupid woman, Xu Zeng’s stepmother had convinced them to take his name out of the family tree.

The ger (Xu Zeng’s dad) paid their elders to put Xu Zeng’s name in the family tree, and the stepmother paid them to remove it 16 years later. Xu Zeng was not theirs.

"Is what I say a lie or the truth?" Xu Hu Zhe directed this question at Xu Zeng’s "father." The man began to stammer, but no coherent words came out of his mouth. How could he refute the truth?

The village chief looked the man up and down incredulously, before looking to the elders of the Xu Clan who all had strange faces, some were angry while others looked sick.

The village chief didn’t know where to go from here, such a big thing happened, and he wasn’t even aware...

He was given a cut of the silver when Xu Zeng and his dad settled in the village. When he was sold to a rich family, he didn’t receive a cut. It was clear he was sold, why else would his name be taken out of the family register, and behind his back at that?

"Xu Zeng would have saved your face, but I will not." Xu Hu Zhe repeated, glaring at the woman whose face had turned red under the stares of her husband’s family, and the judgment of the other villagers.

Xu Hu Zhe’s pointed gaze shifted to Bai Mo before he raised his voice, his words cutting through the tense silence. "When you make a report on the indecency of the shameless, married shrew who was clinging to an unmarried ger, you must also report to the yamen that she also sold this same ger into slavery."

Xu Hu Zhe had been dropping small bombs, but this one was of a nuclear level. It was a Fatboy.

The crowd fell silent once more, stunned by the revelation. Before the murmurs could erupt into full-blown chatter, Xu Hu Zhe stepped forward, pointing directly at Old Hua. "That woman was the one who sold Xu Zeng to our house. She confessed he was intended to be sold to a brothel by his stepmother. The servants in our house have proof of the sale."

Bai Mo’s expression shifted from shock to simmering anger, his features contorted with fury. The truth of Xu Hu Zhe’s words reverberated through him, igniting a fierce rage within. How could they dare to commit such despicable acts against Xu Feng and Xu Zeng?

Xu Feng never shared this with him. He had never known this was how Xu Feng and Xu Zeng came to the Nanshan estate.

"How repulsive!" Bai Mo’s voice thundered his words carrying a weight that resonated with righteous indignation. "She attempted to sell her so-called ’child’ to a brothel. While the deal fell through, she still sold a child against their will. This is more than enough evidence to convict the entire Xu Clan to beheading."

"Our Donghua no longer allows for slavery against one’s will. In our kingdom nurtured by the Dragon Immortal Beast, our king has prohibited such atrocities. As a scholar, it is my duty to report this to the yamen, the magistrate, and anyone who will hear me!"

Bai Mo’s voice rang in the silence. The ger who was just accused as a thief was actually sold as a slave, and his entire Clan was guilty.

It hadn’t been tried yet, but Bai Mo was certain, it wouldn’t be a good outcome for anyone involved. Forced slavery was not something the new king approved of at all in any form.

The circle of villagers erupted into chaos, a chorus of outraged voices mingling with the wails of frightened children.

Accusations flew like arrows in all directions, fingers pointed and voices raised in anger and fear. The once-united community now splintered, each member scrambling to distance themselves from the tainted Xu Clan of Sun Village.

Children, who moments ago had watched the scene unfold with wide-eyed awe, now sobbed uncontrollably, their innocent hearts gripped by the sudden terror that enveloped their world.

Their lives were now at stake.