Wang Xi was a lonely man, his father imprisoned by the government for theft when he was young, and his mother ran off with a wild man. Lacking proper upbringing, he sold off the family's fields after he grew sensible and roamed the villages, stealing and causing trouble, gaining quite a notorious reputation.
But because of his burly physique, ability to fight, and sense of loyalty, ruffians and loafers from both his village and others were willing to follow him.
The bounty from yesterday was less than the day before. As a result, Wang Xi was reluctant to lead his men down from the mountain until nearly dusk when they finally caught a wild boar after a long chase and descended in the dark.
Perhaps because they had many people, apart from a few minor injuries, no one died.
They returned too late, as usual, so Wang Xi planned to divide and eat the meat this morning.
Early in the morning, before dawn, the villagers awoke, gathered at the east end of the village, and roused Wang Xi's group of ruffians.
Then a group of them, carrying the wild boar they had caught and killed the night before, went to the riverside to gut it and coincidentally ran into Han Anniang washing clothes by the river.
Seeing Han Anniang's blushing face as she fled without her laundry, Wang Xi, Liu Ergou, and the other ruffians showed not the slightest remorse or sense of wrongdoing but instead burst into laughter and crude remarks.
"Lady Han sure has a big ass, bouncing all over the place when she runs, looks like she's fertile."
"Poor Chen Da, spent so much money bringing her home but can't enjoy the blessing."
"If I could just have a feel, I wouldn't wash this hand for a month."
"Smack, watch what you say, that's Brother Wang Xi's girl, not someone for you to think about."
"Brother Wang Xi, I was wrong."
"..."
Wang Xi looked at the normally disdainful men now scratching their heads in a respectful manner and knew his plan had succeeded.
This palpable fear was something he had only seen on others' faces when they faced government constables.
He laughed and admonished Liu Ergou, "Ergou, keep your hands to yourself; we're all brothers here."
"Brother Wang Xi's right to teach us."
The pot had long been set up, and the water was already boiling, just waiting for the meat.
Wang Xi jumped onto a stone, raised a boning knife, and shouted, "From now on, follow me, and I'll make sure you eat the best, drink the best. If I have a mouthful to eat, so will you."
"Brother Wang Xi is righteous," shouted Liu Ergou.
The ruffians who regularly followed Wang Xi also chimed in.
The surrounding villagers imitated them.
"Add the meat," Wang Xi called, raising his arm.
The ruffians chopped the meat into pieces and put it in the pot to stew.
Just when Wang Xi was adding coarse salt to the pot, a villager nearby said, "Brother Mo is here."
"What's he doing here?"
The ruffians all looked over.
Thud, thud, thud...
Footsteps sounded, and a young man in black strode over, tall and stern-faced, with an impressive presence, a woodcutting knife at his waist, indicating an unfriendly approach.
"Yo, I didn't go looking for you, and you dare come here," Liu Ergou sneered, picking up a discarded pig bone and walking over.
Liu Ergou raised the bone, pointing at Chen Mo. "Stop right there."
Chen Mo ignored him, continuing to walk forward.
"Damn, I'm talking to you, didn't you hear me?"
"Still acting tough with me."
Liu Ergou had long been displeased with Chen Mo, seeing his pretentious, dismissive attitude only fueled his anger. He raised the bone and, with all his might, swung it at Chen Mo's head.
But in the next instant, that incoming bone was caught by Chen Mo in a firm grip.
Before Liu Ergou could react, a heavy slap came at him.
"Smack..."
A crisp sound, and the crowd fell silent, only the whistling cold wind audible.
Liu Ergou's face was turned to one side, a tooth knocked out with blood, his eyes bulging like copper bells. He momentarily forgot the pain of his face, his anger instead skyrocketing as he spat out a bloody froth, "I..."
Before he could finish, he felt a great force pulling him, bone and all, toward Chen Mo. Before Liu Ergou could gather his wits, a tumultuous pain churned in his stomach, incapacitating him, leaving him curled on the ground like a shrimp.
Chen Mo's expression turned cold, delivering another kick to Liu Ergou, sending him flying several meters, scraping drawn on the ground.
After flooring Liu Ergou, Chen Mo rushed into the crowd like a wolf into a flock, swiftly knocking down the ruffians who tried to swarm him with a few punches.
At last, Wang Xi realized something was wrong. Looking at the boning knife in his hand, he found it too short, picking up a firewood stick over two meters long from the ground and swinging it at Chen Mo.
Swoosh —
Wang Xi only saw a flash of the blade before the firewood in his hand was chopped in two.
Wang Xi's heart shook with fear, quickly turned fierce, and he swung the remaining half towards Chen Mo, but the next moment he felt a heavy blow to his chest.
Chen Mo delivered a straight kick to Wang Xi's belly. The latter felt a surge of pain from his abdomen, his face turned pale, the wood slipping from his hands as he was flung backward, rolling several meters before stopping.
Wang Xi was a hefty one, over one hundred seventy pounds.
But now, he'd been kicked several meters by Chen Mo, a result the villagers found unbelievable, their eyes locked in terror on Chen Mo.
"What are you standing around for, kill him for me," Wang Xi growled, clutching his stomach, enduring the pain, his expression twisted as he pointed at Chen Mo.
At this moment, Chen Mo, having knocked down more than ten people in succession, with a fierce look, took the handle from his waist and fixed it to the woodcutting knife, pounding the hilt on the ground. He suddenly stepped forward, surveying the crowd, shouting, "Who dares to stop me?"
Clatter!
The villagers ready to swarm were scared into retreat, some even dropping what they held.
"Hahaha!"
Seeing this, Chen Mo couldn't help but laugh, though with some coldness, he stepped towards Wang Xi.
"What are you afraid of? He's just one man, get him..." Wang Xi shouted in panic.
But at that moment, Wang Xi suddenly noticed the villagers' eyes shifting.
The awe they held for him gradually faded, turning instead to Chen Mo.
In that instant, Wang Xi felt a chill spread over his body, his limbs growing cold.
"Noisy."
Chen Mo planted a foot on his face, Wang Xi's head smacking heavily on the ground, buzzing.
Then Chen Mo stepped on his head, tapping Wang Xi's face with the blade, coldly saying, "Close your eyes."
"You... Brother Mo, you can't kill me, the government won't let you go, you'll have to pay with your life too."
"Close your eyes."
"No, please don't..."
Wang Xi was terrified, soul fleeing.
Crunch—
"Ah..."
Chen Mo's woodcutting knife fell, the blunt side crashing down on Wang Xi's thigh.
Wang Xi, in such pain, fainted away.