CHAPTER 883: CHAPTER 345: SCREW YOUR TRAGIC BEAUTY (PART 15)_2

Ms. Hetian never had the idea of claiming the mountain as her kingdom; initially, she just wanted to make a temporary stop in this mountain forest and wait until the chaos outside subsided before taking the children to seek their "opportunity."

As a result—

Several years passed, and this mountain forest had unexpectedly transformed into a village with hundreds of residents.

They had built their own houses, farmed fields, established strong defenses, and even formed a group of child soldiers with exceptionally high combat power and excellent teamwork skills!

The oldest among them was just thirteen or fourteen, while the youngest was only five or six. They were of both genders, tall and short, and even spoke with different hometown accents.

Yet, they all regarded this mountain village as their home and were willing to give their all to protect it.

And Ms. Hetian, without even realizing it herself, had become a mountain lord.

Uh, she dared not call herself a king; she was just an ordinary peasant woman with dozens of adopted sons and daughters!

Less than a hundred miles from the village was a bandit den, and the bandit leader was fooled by this so-called "ordinary peasant woman."

To seize the resources within the deep mountains, the bandit leader discovered the existence of He Village and rallied his troops to plunder it.

Before the group of child soldiers could even take action, Ms. Hetian effortlessly pushed a several hundred-pound boulder at the battlefront, terrifying the bandits to the point of fleeing in panic.

Just like that, He Village gained two to three dozen free laborers. Although watched over by children younger than themselves, the bandits had no thought of rebellion.

They were genuinely terrified witless by Ms. Hetian, the Superpower Girl.

Moreover, life in He Village, though somewhat strenuous, was full of promise.

The wasteland in the mountains yielded crops, and though the deeper mountains were slightly more dangerous, they always managed to hunt prey.

In this chaotic era plagued by natural and man-made disasters, He Village was virtually a paradise.

If possible, who wouldn’t want to live a peaceful life?

Who would want to live by the sword, constantly risking their heads hanging by a thread?

Initially, this group of mountain bandits was coerced into working by the child soldiers, but after a few days, they all began to entertain thoughts of settling in He Village.

...After several rounds of this, when the Northwest Prince occupied most of Jiangshan and was about to quell the national unrest, He Village had already become the largest village within a few hundred miles!

Besides the two or three hundred farming families, the village had five hundred child soldiers.

Don’t be deceived by the fact that these kids were young; each of them was proficient in martial arts.

They dared to hunt down fierce tigers and wild boars and faced bandits and rebels without the slightest fear.

They read and wrote, understood military strategy, and a few older children clearly had innate talents for leadership.

There was no need for the Village Chief He to intervene; they managed the child soldiers steadily and tidily.

Their numbers might not have been vast, but they were undoubtedly the most formidable armed force in the region!

Ms. Hetian:...If I said all of this was accidental, would you believe me?

Not just outsiders but even the people of He Village didn’t believe her.

They had already deified Village Chief He, believing she possessed innate divine strength and strategic foresight.

Whether it was He Village or the child soldiers, they thought it was all part of her long-laid plans.

Ms. Hetian:...Alright, whatever you say goes.

But once a person has resources, it’s inevitable that ambition will arise.

Ms. Hetian never intended to vie for power or dominance, but with He Village and the child soldiers, even if she did not want to, she would be driven to compete by people and circumstances.

Even Xiao Bao, now renamed He Jue by Ms. Hetian, subtly harbored the idea of expanding territory.

Yes, Ms. Hetian didn’t name Xiao Bao as He Keji.

Keji Fuli is certainly a commendatory term.

But Keji implies self-restraint, with connotations of admonishment and caution.

Ms. Hetian didn’t want to admonish her son about "what should and shouldn’t be done"; she merely wanted her son to understand: Baobao, you are a fine jade, the apple of your mother’s eye!

Jue means two pieces of jade united, the finest of fine jade!

He Jue loved his name and felt extremely close and respectful towards his mother.

Now, he was already a twelve or thirteen-year-old teenager, excelling in martial arts, versed in poetry and prose, truly embodying the best of both civil and martial talents.

The key was his outstanding looks, which did not resemble an ordinary peasant’s child.

Even as a young boy, he possessed extraordinary grace.

Of course, He Jue, living comfortably now with exceptional skills, did not care much for mere appearance.

As he grew older and as the strength of He Village enhanced annually, he increasingly yearned for the outside world.

Thus, after He Jue turned thirteen and finally received Ms. Hetian’s consent, he set out with several sworn brothers and sisters, leading the child soldiers into the world.