277: Because of the Axe Gang

So it was because of the Axe Gang… Zhuang Sanming finally understood why the neighbors and familiar stall owners treated him that way yesterday.

The Axe Gang, the Axe Gang, ha ha.

Su Duo did indeed die because he insisted on helping Xiong Mao fight Bao Hui.

Moreover, for those living in the Guild, the Axe Gang was indeed a very terrifying organization.

Rumor had it that the Axe Gang members burned, killed, robbed, and committed all kinds of evil deeds, their crimes too numerous to count, truly unforgivable.

Even the adults in the Guild used the Axe Gang to scare their children, saying that if they didn't behave, the Axe Gang members would come and snatch them away, then clean them and eat them raw.

What a ridiculous rumor.

But everyone in the Guild believed it.

Including the former Zhuang Sanming.

Before he knew Xiong Mao, when Su Duo was still young, Father Su and Mother Su had also used these rumors to scare Su Duo.

Every time she heard the name of the Axe Gang, Su Duo would stop being naughty and obediently finish her meal.

Although Zhuang Sanming was not specifically scared by Father Su and Mother Su, he was influenced by what he heard and believed some of it.

The reputation of the Axe Gang was extremely poor; any bad thing that happened in the Guild could be blamed on the Axe Gang.

This included, but was not limited to, shops being robbed, people being beaten, stalls being overturned, and even someone losing a storage bag could be attributed to the Axe Gang stealing it.

No matter what the blame was, they just dumped it all on the Axe Gang.

And almost no one would doubt it.

The Axe Gang wouldn't clarify these rumors, and the former Axe Gang had indeed done many bad things—murder, arson, and robbery—but stealing… he could just rob, why would he steal?

But apparently, no one would consider this small question.

And Zhuang Sanming now actually understood that if the rumors about the Axe Gang were truly just spread by people themselves, they wouldn't be so deeply ingrained.

It was highly probable that the Guild or other forces were fanning the flames behind the scenes.

The Axe Gang had a bad reputation, and everyone was afraid of the Axe Gang, so yesterday, when everyone learned that Xiong Mao was The Axe Gang Leader, they all ran away, and that's why when Zhuang Sanming went out to buy groceries last night, those people avoided him like the plague.

But… these people could stay away from him, stay away from Father Su and Mother Su, and even refuse to sell him their vegetables, refuse to talk to him, and throw rotten eggs at him.

But they would never dare to do these things to actual Axe Gang members.

That day, Xiong Mao just stood there, calmly watching Feng Zhuang smash Qi Feifei's head against the ground, yet the neighbors couldn't ignore his commanding aura, so much so that even though they wanted to run, they didn't dare.

They only dared to say their goodbyes after the matter was resolved.

“Hey! You dog of the Axe Gang, what are you doing here?”

Zhuang Sanming was walking towards the recruitment office for rare ore sales when someone suddenly called out to him from behind.

He turned his head and saw that it was a neighbor he wasn't very familiar with.

It seemed to be… Aunt Li's granddaughter.

Aunt Li often talked to the neighbors about her promising granddaughter, because her granddaughter had been hired for a job at the Mall, which not only offered good benefits but also high social status.

And she herself believed she was superior, often looking down on people with her nose in the air.

Although she used to look down on Zhuang Sanming, because Father Su and Mother Su were her colleagues, she didn't mock him too much, after all, they weren't close.

But ever since she heard that Zhuang Sanming was on brotherly terms with The Axe Gang Leader, she suddenly felt her sense of justice explode!

What kind of people were the Axe Gang?

Murderous arsonist scoundrels!

Zhuang Sanming being friends with The Axe Gang Leader naturally made him a scoundrel too!

And he was a universally recognized scoundrel.

That's why she stood up to accuse Zhuang Sanming at this moment, without any psychological burden.

As soon as Zhuang Sanming turned his head, she stood on the moral high ground and said to Zhuang Sanming, “What, haven't you already climbed up to the Axe Gang? What are you doing in our small temple? This place can't accommodate a great Buddha like you, hurry up and get back to your Axe Gang.”

Her words were completely merciless, even extremely sarcastic.

The crowd quickly started whispering again.

“She's too brave, isn't she… That's the Axe Gang, isn't she afraid?”

“What's there to be afraid of? He's not an Axe Gang member.”

“But he's friends with The Axe Gang Leader.”

“The Axe Gang are all bad people!”

“Zhuang Sanming being friends with the Axe Gang makes him a scoundrel!”

“That's right! We must denounce him!”

“This girl is right, what good can come from associating with the Axe Gang? They are all just dregs of society.”

“Scum!”

“…”

When they first started discussing, their voices were relatively low, afraid of being heard by Zhuang Sanming, but then they became more uninhibited.

Apparently, they also felt that Aunt Li's granddaughter was right to scold him.

Associating with the Axe Gang meant being despised by them.

Zhuang Sanming betrayed these ordinary people and turned to be on brotherly terms with The Axe Gang Leader, so he deserved to be condemned by them.

Zhuang Sanming looked at all of them.

His expression was unreadable.

It made people's hearts pound.

Although he hadn't truly joined the Axe Gang, his demeanor was completely different from before.

He had an air of authority that commanded respect without anger.

The Axe Gang… the reason he refused Xiong Mao's invitation to join the Axe Gang was because he was afraid that Father Su and Mother Su would be disliked by everyone because of it.

He wasn't afraid of people gossiping about him; let them talk, it didn't hurt him.

But Father Su and Mother Su were different.

They still had to continue working in the Mall.

So… Zhuang Sanming just turned to look at each of them, but didn't say anything.

Then he turned and left.

He came today to apply for a job selling rare ores, not to argue with these people.

It didn't matter if they didn't want to sell him vegetables; he could buy them outside the Guild.

Many people also lived outside the Guild; Xiao Shen, Old He, and others all lived outside the Guild.

For convenience, those people would grow some vegetables in their own gardens, and presumably, buying from them would be even cheaper.

Seeing Zhuang Sanming turn and leave without refuting them, these people became even more arrogant.

People are all bullies who prey on the weak; Zhuang Sanming's reaction, in their eyes, was a sign of weakness.

“He knows he's in the wrong, so he doesn't have the face to argue with us.”

“He's truly a dog of the Axe Gang, doing bad things and still not admitting it.”

“Where is he going?”

“Why don't you follow him and see?”

“You go if you want, I'm not going!”

“What's there to be afraid of? I know exactly what he's capable of.”

“…”