12dz Chapter 100 Identity Exposed
Chapter 100 Identity Exposed
Inside the council hall, almost everyone with influence in Black Tiger Stronghold gathered together, looking at the third leader, Wei Wei, kneeling in the middle of the hall with surprise and confusion.
"Brother, what exactly happened? Third Brother, he..." The second-in-command stepped forward and asked.
Du Chong sneered, "I'd also like to know what happened. Third Brother, why don't you clear things up for the rest of us?"
Wei Wei knelt with his back straight, glanced at Meng Fuqing and the others who were standing aside watching the commotion with an unfriendly look, and then slowly spoke.
"I just didn't want to see these people completely fooling my brother."
"Lie? Tell me, what did they lie to me about and why did they lie to me?"
Wei Wei said with certainty, "Firstly, their identities are fake. They are not from the Meng family of Jizhou. The young man's surname is Xie, and he has twelve subordinates. The girl's surname is indeed Meng, but she is just a peasant girl who fled with the villagers."
Du Zhong looked at Meng Fuqing and Xie Jin with surprise and doubt, not because the two had lied about their identities, but because he was surprised by Meng Fuqing's identity as a peasant girl.
How could an ordinary peasant woman have the courage of Meng Fuqing?
Meng Fuqing and Xie Jin, who had been exposed, reacted calmly, showing no intention of explaining themselves.
Wei Wei continued, "Secondly, does Brother really think they'll let our people go?"
He raised his voice and said, "The men I sent out were all wiped out! If some brothers hadn't escaped in the chaos, they would probably have died without knowing why!"
These words caused an uproar among the people in the hall.
"His identity is fake, and he even killed our brothers. The eldest brother's newly recognized son is also one of theirs. Could he be a fake too?"
"Boss, these people can't be trusted!"
"Yes, boss, who knows what these people are really up to?"
……
Du Zhong raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, then looked at Meng Fuqing and Xie Jin, "Do you two have anything to say?"
“Our previous explanation was indeed false. After all, in chaotic times, when you're out in the world, you have to choose your own identity.” Meng Fuqing glanced sideways at Wei Wei. “If we hadn’t said that, we probably wouldn’t have even been able to get through the gates of Black Tiger Stronghold. How could we have gotten the chief and his son to recognize each other by chance?”
Wei Wei shouted, "Nonsense! Clever words! How do you explain killing my brothers in the stronghold?"
Xie Jin smiled mockingly, "If we encounter bandits robbing and killing us on the road, are we going to keep them around instead of killing them? Not to mention that when we took action, we just treated them as refugees, and ignorance is no excuse."
The Black Tiger Stronghold members, who were in a state of high spirits, fell silent. Even Wei Wei was speechless.
After regaining his composure, he asked Du Zhong with a puzzled look, "Brother, do you really believe that boy of unknown origin is your son? They've extracted a lot of secrets about the village from us. Who knows if they just found someone like this to deceive you?"
Qi Liang didn't say anything, just looked at Wei Wei and snorted coldly before turning and walking out of the council hall.
Du Zhong, who hadn't yet established a good relationship with his son, was anxious to stand up, but then realized it was inappropriate and had to sit back down heavily.
"Do you think I'm so senile that I can't even recognize my own son?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Du Zhong couldn't help but slam his hand on the table. With a 'bang,' the tabletop shattered into pieces, wobbled precariously for a moment, and then crashed to the ground with a series of clattering sounds.
The crowd, which had been whispering just moments before, fell completely silent.
The second-in-command stepped forward to mediate, saying, "This is a family matter for the eldest brother. The third brother shouldn't have acted so tactlessly. He should quickly apologize to his eldest brother!"
Wei Wei immediately admitted his mistake.
"Brother knows I'm a stickler for things. I'm really worried if you don't explain things clearly to your brother."
Seeing the other brothers looking at him, Du Zhong's face darkened. "Do you think there are many people in the world as strong as me? Qi Liang is one of them. When I left home, my son was too young to remember me, but he remembered his mother's name."
I've never told anyone about this, yet Qi Liang knows. Are these two reasons enough?
Meng Fuqing's eyes widened slightly in surprise; she had forgotten about this.
In ancient times, it was very difficult to send messages home from the border. For most families, sending a message once a year was enough. Qi Liang's mother remarried probably a year after Du Chong joined the army, by which time Qi Liang should have been old enough to remember things.
No wonder Du Zhong was so certain.
Now the people of Black Tiger Stronghold had no more doubts about Qi Liang's identity and pleaded for Wei Wei's life.
The second-in-command was the first to speak, saying, "Third brother was too worried and did such a foolish thing. Eldest brother, please forgive him this time."
The rest of the Black Tiger Village members echoed this sentiment.
"Whether he spares me or not is entirely up to him." Du Zhong's expression remained grim. "Let him tell me what good deeds he's done!"
Wei Wei's heart tightened, and he suddenly raised his head.
It must have been something Meng Fuqing and the others said that made my brother act this way!
He now deeply regrets not driving the group out of the village last night.
Composing himself, he clasped his hands in a fist salute to Du Zhong, his tone filled with grief and indignation: "Brother, what do you mean by that? Did they say something to you?!"
He raised his hand and pointed at Meng Fuqing and Xie Jin, "Brother, I have been by your side for three years. Even if I have not made any great contributions, I have certainly worked hard. Do you not trust me but trust them? So many of our brothers have lost their lives at their hands. Such behavior will surely chill the hearts of our brothers!"
Meng Fuqing sneered: "Is the Third Master in such a hurry to avenge his brothers, or is he worried that we'll say something we shouldn't?"
Wei Wei's eyes suddenly turned sinister. "I, Wei Wei, was promoted by the boss and have always been devoted to the Black Tiger Stronghold. I have always acted uprightly and honestly. What is there to worry about?"
Meng Fuqing, too lazy to beat around the bush, went straight to the point: "Do you recognize Jiang Bei? The Jiang family's wicked servant has become a good dog under your command. The Third Master's methods are truly admirable."
Without waiting for Wei Wei to speak, she directly said to Du Zhong, "To prevent being falsely accused again, I request that the chief bring the Jiang family here for a face-to-face confrontation."
Wei Wei was about to speak when Xie Jin interrupted him again, "Actually, we showed mercy to your brothers. Jiang Bei and the old servant of the Jiang family are also in our hands. I have already sent my men to take them to Black Tiger Stronghold. Third Master Wei, don't rush to argue. You'll have your turn to speak later."
This completely silenced Wei Wei, who hung his head and remained silent.
Before long, the Jiang family members were brought to the front of the hall.
Everyone gasped at the sight of the Jiang family's miserable state. The once elegant and refined Fifth Young Master Jiang was now dressed in white, his clothes almost entirely stained red with blood, and whip marks were visible everywhere on his exposed skin.
The fifth wife of the Jiang family, half-clothed, curled up on the cold ground like a lifeless puppet. There were no whip marks on her body, but rather ambiguous marks.
When Jiang Wen, the Fifth Young Master Jiang, saw Du Zhong sitting in the main seat, his originally dim and hopeless eyes suddenly flashed with intense hatred. He used all his strength to break free from the bandits' restraints and pounced on Du Zhong as if he were going to his death.
The two thugs who were holding him down were caught off guard and he actually broke free. Before anyone could react, Jiang Wen's fingertips flashed with cold light and he suddenly stabbed towards Du Zhong's chest.