Quite a few villagers came to express their concern. In the end, Zhao Dong thanked them one by one and sent them away. Afterward, his family hurried home.

Zhao Cheng had already run to Sun Village to fetch Grandfather Sun Kang. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Upon learning about the incident at Zhao Dong’s residence, Sun Kang’s family rushed over. Seeing that the Zhao family didn’t have any serious injuries, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

As soon as they entered the house, Sun Kang immediately went to check Zhao Dong’s wounds without even sitting down. Sun Mei, still worried, asked Sun Kang to check Zhao Dong’s pulse to make sure he didn’t have a concussion.

Fortunately, there were no major issues. After some simple wound dressing and a good rest, everything would be fine.

Zhao Zhitong stood by Zhao Dong’s side, watching her grandfather dress her father’s wounds. Tears filled her eyes, and in a tearful, coaxing voice, she asked Zhao Dong, "Daddy, does it hurt? Tongtong will blow on it for you, okay?"

Zhao Dong lowered his head in cooperation, letting Zhao Zhitong blow on his wound.

Zhao Zhitong asked, "Daddy, does it still hurt?"

Zhao Dong smiled. "No, it doesn’t hurt anymore. After Tongtong blew on it, it doesn’t hurt at all."

Seeing Zhao Dong’s smile, Zhao Zhitong started to cry, sobbing, "Daddy, you’re lying! You’re bleeding. It must hurt, it hurts a lot..."

Knowing that the young girl was scared, Zhao Dong held her in his lap and gently comforted her. It wasn’t until her emotions slowly settled that he asked Zhao Yu and Meng Fusheng how they had come back.

Zhao Yu glanced at his master and said, "My master and I have been looking for our junior uncle, and we happened to find him here. When we heard about the problem at our home, we rushed over. Luckily, we made it in time."

He didn’t dare imagine what would have happened if his master hadn’t arrived in time. The thought alone gave him chills.

Zhao Yu’s voice had gained an indescribable quality since he left home.

At this moment, Zhao Zhitong lifted her head from Zhao Dong’s embrace. Looking at Zhao Yu, she realized that Xiao Ge’s skin had darkened since he left home. He wore black, practical attire and stood at the door, holding a sword. His small figure seemed to possess a newfound masculinity.

Qiao Muchen had been watching Zhao Yu attentively ever since his appearance. He glanced down at his own pale, slender arms and legs, suddenly feeling unsatisfied.

Having understood the whole situation, Meng Fusheng said, "Since we drove them away today, Landlord Qin certainly won’t let this go easily. We won’t leave for the next few days."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dong nodded. He knew that this issue wouldn’t be resolved easily, so he didn’t refuse; they were indeed in danger now.

Seeing that it was getting late, Zhao Dong thanked Meng Fusheng and asked Zhao Cheng to take Qiao Muchen, Wei Shulan, and Zhao Yue home.

By now, Zhao Zhitong had stopped crying. Seeing her good friends were about to leave, she got up from Zhao Dong’s embrace, ran to the door, and said her farewells to Qiao Muchen and the others.

Before leaving, the three little ones held Zhao Zhitong’s hand reassuringly, telling her not to worry.

Qiao Muchen said, "Don’t be scared, the bad guys will definitely be punished. The judge won’t let evil landlords go!"

Hearing about the judge, Zhao Zhitong nodded firmly. "Yes." Then, she looked up and asked, "Do you know where the judge is?"

She thought that Landlord Qin dared to be so wicked because the judge didn’t know about his misdeeds. She had to find the judge and tell him how evil Landlord Qin’s family was, so the judge would punish him!

Caught off guard by Zhao Zhitong’s sudden question, Qiao Muchen was at a loss for words. In the end, he shook his head. He had never seen the judge either.

Zhao Zhitong looked somewhat disappointed.

Wei Shulan comforted her, "Tongtong, don’t be scared. I’ll go back and ask around. My uncle is very knowledgeable; he should know where the judge is."

Standing by, Zhao Yue suddenly felt like he had nothing to contribute. After giving it some thought, he patted Zhao Zhitong on the shoulder and said, "Zhao Zhitong, don’t be scared! If Landlord Qin really takes your house away, you can stay at my place!"

He said it with an air of righteousness.

However, Wei Shulan immediately smacked him hard. "What nonsense are you talking about!"

Having been punched, Zhao Yue pouted, feeling wronged, and glared at Wei Shulan. "Why did you hit me? Am I wrong? My family really does have empty rooms; Zhao Zhitong can stay with us."

Wei Shulan fumed, "...You’re still talking nonsense!"

As she raised her fist to hit him again, Zhao Yue screamed and retreated tactically. "Ah, how come you’re becoming more and more violent like Zhao Zhitong? You, you, I’m not afraid of you..."

Then, Wei Shulan angrily chased after Zhao Yue, hitting him.

Their antics improved Zhao Zhitong’s mood somewhat.

Qiao Muchen pursed his lips and thought for a moment, then stepped forward, took Zhao Zhitong’s hand, and said, "Tongtong, don’t worry. I’ll go home today and look for it. My father’s books must say where the judge is. Once I find it, I’ll go with you to find the judge!"

Zhao Zhitong was deeply moved and nodded. "Thank you, Qiao Jiaojiao, you’re so nice."

Being praised like this, Qiao Muchen suddenly felt embarrassed. His little face turned red. "No need to thank me, we’re good friends."

Zhao Zhitong finally smiled. She nodded. "Yes, we’re friends for life!"

Since he was in a hurry to find clues about the judge, Qiao Muchen comforted Zhao Zhitong a little more before waving goodbye and hurriedly ran home.

As soon as he arrived home, Qiao Muchen went straight to the study and started looking through the books on the shelves. Even when Mother Qiao called him to eat, he wouldn’t leave.

Mother Qiao was puzzled. What’s wrong with this child? she wondered.

Just as she prepared to call Xiao Shitou to find out what was going on, Qiao Muchen suddenly walked out of the study and asked, "Mother, do you know where the judge is?"

Mother Qiao was taken aback. "What judge?"

Qiao Muchen looked at Mother Qiao in confusion. "The righteous judge mentioned in the books Father left behind—he’s just like Father! He specifically deals with the injustices in the world. Mother, don’t you know?"

Hearing this, Mother Qiao suddenly panicked. Her body swayed slightly, and tears welled up in her eyes. Her thoughts drifted far away.

Seeing Mother Qiao’s expression, Qiao Muchen became worried and asked, "Mother, Mother, what’s wrong?"

It took a few calls for Mother Qiao to come back to her senses. She smiled and said, "Nothing, child. Mother just thought of some things from the past."

She explained, "Child, the judge is an official of the underworld who decides the cycle of life and death, punishing the wicked and rewarding the good. There is no such judge in this world. ’The judge’ is just a term your father used in his books; it was his aspiration. He hoped that there could be someone in this world as just and kind as the judge. That way, the wicked wouldn’t have to wait until after death to be punished but would receive their punishment while they were still alive, thus saving the people who are suffering."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Muchen’s eyes turned red, as if he had been dealt a huge blow. "Mother, you mean there’s no judge in this world?"