In the ten-mile radius, the composition of each village is different.
There are villages like Erhe Village, Daihe Village, and Tianfang Village, where many people's ancestors migrated from other places.
There are also villages like Cao Family Village and Gao Family Village, where everyone shares the same surname. Centuries ago, their ancestors might have lived in the same household, tightly connected by blood, with strong clan influence and cohesion.
The advantage is that they don't worry about being bullied by people from other villages.
The disadvantage is that if a conflict arises, the whole village can get swept up in it, easily causing chaos.
In recent decades, there have been several large-scale altercations involving hundreds of people, resulting in heavy casualties.
The most common trigger among these is the struggle for water resources.
People rely on food for survival, and the yield of crops is a matter of personal interest for everyone. Good harvests depend on water for irrigation.
"Cao Family Village has gone too far," Lou Yi said.
"Absolutely, isn't this cutting off the roots of Gao Family Village?" Yang Er empathized, "That Scarface Cao has always been arrogant!"
"Which side is Wu Biao on?"
"Brother Biao is naturally on the side of Gao Family Village," Yang Er approached and whispered, "Gao Family Village has far fewer men than Cao Family Village. Old Master Gao promised fifty coins per person to support them. If it comes to a fight, it'll at least double."
Old Master Gao, a veteran scholar from Gao Family Village, repeatedly failed in exams but gradually became the decision-maker in the village due to his knowledge and skills.
And a hundred coins equate to five days' earnings for an average person, not a small sum.
"Why are you calling me to go?"
"Well... mainly because Scarface Cao is too arrogant, he often shows us no respect. Brother Biao isn't confident about him, so he thought of you, brother. With you stepping in, isn't Scarface Cao like a rope binding tofu—nothing to worry about."
Upon hearing this, Lou Yi lightly stroked his chin, seeing Yang Er's expectant look, he asked, "When?"
"Tomorrow at noon."
"Go and tell Wu Biao, I'll sell him this favor."
"Mighty brother!" Yang Er rejoiced, hurried off to inform Wu Biao and his gang.
Lou Yi agreed, but certainly not for the mere fifty coins.
One reason is that he still needs these rascals to work for him, gather information about the dead, and occasionally giving them a sweet treat is harmless.
The other is that he's bored and plans to witness the event—after all, with great skills comes great bravery.
Watching a spectacle and getting paid, who wouldn't like that?
...
'Huff…'
'Huff…'
The sky was crowded with dark clouds like they had been inked over, the fierce wind shook the grass and trees violently, and dust flew around, anyone could tell that a heavy rain was imminent.
On the scene, two opposing groups faced off. Despite their clothes flapping 'whap whap,' their expressions remained resolute, unmoved by the harsh weather.
The distance between the two groups was just over ten steps, with heads clustered closely together, around two or three hundred people altogether.
Men, women, children, and elders were all present, each wielding tools, hoes, shovels, wooden sticks, and even machetes.
Some even had torn crotches on their pants, yet their fighting spirit was unaffected.
The two leading figures.
One had half-white hair, was skinny but had sharp eyes filled with a fierce determination, his gray long gown making him stand out in the crowd.
The other was in his thirties, tall and muscular, bare-chested with seven or eight fierce scars on his chest and back, like centipedes crawling over his body.
"Our Gao Family ancestors dug out this Qingshui River three hundred years ago, nurturing countless generations of the ten-mile radius! Now you Cao Family dare to divert it for your own use, is there no justice?" The half-white-haired elder in the long gown accused the Cao Family across from him with emphasis.
"Old Man Gao, your words are not amusing. Your family ancestors dug the river, but did the Cao Family ancestors not contribute?" The heavily scarred man sneered, "Our Cao Family Village fields are parched, so what's wrong with pumping water to irrigate?"
"Scarface Cao, even if you take some water, you can't cut off the downstream villages' lifeline!"
"Old Man Gao, you're getting old, your eyes aren't what they used to be, isn't there clearly water downstream?"
"The water's so shallow the turtles have their backs out!" Old Man Gao was trembling with anger.
"Old man, don't waste your breath on him, this bastard can't understand human language!" From behind Old Man Gao, a brawny man shouted angrily.
"Mind your words, brat!" From behind Scarface Cao, someone retaliated without courtesy.
"I'm talking about you! A bunch of bastards who can't bear sons with eyes!"
"To hell with your uncle!"
Old Man Gao and Scarface Cao debated for a while, but neither could persuade the other.
Before long, the others couldn't hold back, and it quickly turned into a shouting match.
Both sides edged closer, everyone waving their weapons, emotions running high, a brawl seemed imminent.
Both Old Man Gao and Scarface Cao's faces changed, clearly the situation had gotten beyond their expectations.
The two of them desperately tried to hold their people back, but it was in vain.
Lou Yi and Wu Biao's group, due to their height and size, stood in the second or third row behind Old Man Gao.
They exchanged glances and squeezed towards the outer edges to avoid being overwhelmed by the crowd, also allowing room to maneuver.
Lou Yi focused intently, his right hand held in a fist, maintaining some space in front of him. In such chaotic scenes, even a master can be defeated by random punches, hence, he needed to be extra cautious.
"Damn you..."
"To hell with..."
Barely speaking their obscenities, the distance shrunk further, the atmosphere on the edge of eruption.
"Stop!"
At this critical moment, a furious roar came from not far away, then a dozen men in blue servant uniforms, wielding long wooden sticks, forced their way to the middle, forcibly separating the two sides.
"Old Man Gao, Scarface Cao, both of you stop!"
The voice belonged to an old man in black clothing with a sullen look.
Next to him stood a wealthy-looking man in his forties or fifties, dressed in a red brocade robe embroidered with cranes, black high-tip boots, wearing a shiny leather felt hat, his face glowing with health, suggesting his extraordinary status.
"It's Landlord Jia!"
Someone exclaimed.
Names carry weight like shadows; Landlord Jia's three words seemed to hold a magical power, halting everyone on the scene, even the unruly Scarface Cao could not help but comply.
In the ten-mile radius, who hasn't heard of Landlord Jia's fame?
A prominent figure in Xinxiang, he leases mountains and forests from the court, each village has people working under him, maintaining a group of guards, even mountain bandits dare not casually provoke.
Landlord Jia, speaking slowly, said, "You're all from Xinxiang, no need for deep enmity; if blood is shed, it'll be hard for you, and it won't be good for my reputation either."
"There is a way to resolve this, no need to personally fight."
"Please, Landlord Jia, give us some advice!" Scarface Cao respectfully asked.
"Let the oxen fight, the winner has the final say, the loser must comply with the victor's demand," Landlord Jia stated.
"Ox fighting?" The crowd stirred.
This is an ancient method of duel known throughout Xinxiang and even Tai City, familiar to everyone.
Someone from Scarface Cao's side loudly agreed, "Good idea, we agree!"
With that, people from Cao Family Village and those under Landlord Jia's command turned to look at Old Man Gao leading Gao Family Village.
"If you dare, why shouldn't we?"
"Our Gao Family Village has never feared anyone in ox fighting!"
The young men from Gao Family Village defiantly shouted.
Only Old Man Gao remained silent, with a worried look on his face.
"Old Man Gao, what do you say?" someone beside him quietly asked.
"What can we do, we can only accept now," Old Man Gao replied worriedly, "I'm just afraid they're prepared."
...