Chapter 003 Power

In the gathering place of Qiao Tou Village, a small patch of barren land lay bare.

As dusk fell, the entire village of a hundred households gathered here, standing in near silence for almost half an hour, their bodies and faces covered in dusty sand blown by the wind.

No one dared to make a sound, each holding their breath, with a hint of fear in their eyes, watching a man in a green robe walking leisurely not far away, leading a tall, shaggy dog.

The dog's nose kept sniffing around the feet of the crowd, startling everyone into freezing in place, not daring to move a muscle.

Suddenly, the shaggy dog growled low, and lunged towards a figure in the crowd. The swift speed and force of the pounce caused the crowd to let out a series of frightened screams, instinctively scattering in all directions.

In an instant, a middle-aged man was trampled by the shaggy dog, crashing to the ground, and dust scattered everywhere.

The crowd around the middle-aged man dispersed like a tide, each person with a hint of unease and fear in their eyes.

"Smack!" A whip fiercely struck the middle-aged man, and everyone clearly saw his body convulsing and curling up in pain.

"Lowly scum!" the man in the green robe, who set the dog to attack, stood in front of the crowd with a sneer, looking down at the man being trampled by the dog, and mockingly said, "It is well known that the Xuan Stone mine belongs to the Tian Dao Sect. Anyone who privately mines it in any form is guilty of illegal possession! It is an unforgivable theft! Tell me, how do you want to die?"

"Liuzi!" A disheveled woman and a girl of eleven or twelve rushed out from the crowd.

But under the fierce lashes of the man in the green robe, they were forced to retreat, screaming and panicking.

"Go, leave this place quickly!" Qiao Liu, seeing his wife and daughter rushing out, shouted in alarm.

The shaggy dog, standing at a height of nearly six feet, suddenly pounced towards the girl, grabbing her skirt and tearing it wildly. The frightened girl fell back, sitting on the ground with weak legs, hands on the ground, screaming and crawling backward.

Meanwhile, Qiao Mu was being held by her father Qiao Zhongbang in the crowd, looking displeased.

As a person of her age, how could she enjoy being held by her father, especially this father, with a hint of anger and dissatisfaction in her heart.

Mother Wei Ziqin looked at the Qiao family of three with worry, and then patted the head of her three-year-old daughter Qiao Lin, who was hiding behind her, comforting her softly, "Don't be afraid, it's okay, it's okay."

This was just a pale comfort from her mother. How could it be okay?

In the center of the crowd, a man-sized shaggy dog chased after the panicked Qiao family girl, tearing at her clothes as if playing with a toy.

The onlookers were angry, but dared not speak out. The old village chief of Qiao Tou Village stood there, his face full of anger, looking up at several well-dressed inspection officials.

However, the officials completely ignored the mistreatment of the Qiao family girl, standing next to a young nobleman, smiling and being attentive.

The nobleman, however, had a grim expression, and even ignored the officials who were bowing and smiling, his gaze following the man in the green robe, with a faint sweat seeping from his forehead.

"Tell me, where is the Xuan Stone mine that you have privately mined?" The man in the green robe grabbed the rope leading the shaggy dog, stepped on Qiao Liu's chest, and exerted such force that Qiao Liu's face turned red, making it difficult for him to speak.