Arriving at the entrance of Erhe Village, a familiar figure came into view.
His hair was as messy as straw, his face covered in Black Mud, his clothes full of holes, smiling foolishly—who else could it be but Zhou Erfan?
"Get home quickly, wild beasts are roaming, don't run around!" Lou Yi scolded.
"Heh heh, do you think the wild beasts are tasty…" Zhou Erfan drooled at the thought of eating wild beasts.
Lou Yi couldn't help but shake his head; it's a miracle this fool has survived till now.
At home, he heard Qi Silang next door crying and fussing, wanting to go out and walk the dog.
However, the little boy with two stick-up pigtails sat quietly on a bench, his eyes as black as two black beans, scanning the room.
"Uncle Lou, let me help you."
Seeing Lou Yi scooping rice at the container, the little boy eagerly ran over to assist.
But he was short, even on tiptoe, barely able to reach the table.
"No need, just help me light the fire."
"Okay!" The little boy smiled at having something to do.
Lou Yi cooked while the little boy tended the fire; children in poverty learn responsibility early, and he was skilled at this.
White rice, pigeon soup, and chive scrambled eggs were their meal for the night.
The little boy gobbled up his food, feeling it tasted much better than his mother's cooking.
In reality, Lou Yi wasn't stingy with the oil and salt.
Now his fortune amounted to over ten taels, and with daily earnings from Chopping Trees, he was more generous with seasoning than ordinary families.
An eight or nine-year-old, carefree at heart, quickly forgot about the wild beast.
That night.
The little boy and Lou Yi squeezed onto the same bed.
"Uncle Lou."
"Hmm?"
"Did you really lift a cow?"
"That's a rumor, I only flipped the cow."
"That's amazing, can I be as strong as you when I grow up?"
"You certainly can…"
"Great, then I'll slay all the wild beasts!"
With the little boy's persistent questioning, Lou Yi gradually fell asleep.
In the days that followed.
Lou Yi sent the little boy back to the Cheng Family during the day, went up the mountain to chop trees, and brought him back to stay at night.
And the latest sighting of the fierce tiger was less than a mile from Erhe Village.
The villagers of Erhe had long stocked up enough supplies, and rarely went out.
Though some considered banding together to confront the fierce tiger, previous attempts by villagers were easily thwarted, resulting in heavier casualties.
Untrained villagers, faced with such a colossal beast, were as scattered as sand, posing no threat.
The only ones remaining calmly were the three households of the Qi Family.
Their two-story stone-brick houses stood together, connected inside, with high perimeter walls, not fearing the tiger's attack much.
That morning.
The little boy woke up early, rinsed a bowl of rice, placed it on the stove, and scooped away debris from the surface of the water vat...
Having done what he could, playful at heart, he opened the door and ran outside.
At this time, the little chubby boy from the Qi Family happened to lead a big black dog out.
Seeing the much weaker little boy, Qi Silang's eyes gleamed with a ferocity beyond his years.
"Blackie, bite him!"
The black dog lunged forward like the wind, pinning the little boy down, paws pressing forcefully, poised to bite.
"Save me! Uncle Lou!"
The little boy struggled desperately, but the black dog outweighed him and he couldn't break free, resorting to shouting for Lou Yi.
Lou Yi, just lying in bed, suddenly opened his eyes, leaped up.
Before the dog's slobbering mouth could reach the little boy, Lou Yi was already there in front of it.
"Beast!"
Lou Yi growled, clenched his fist, swung his arm, twisted his waist, and punched.
'Bang!'
With near a thousand pounds of force in an instant, the punch landed on the side of the black dog's head, caving it in.
Blood spurted from the dog's ear, splattering on the initially curious Qi Silang's face.
His expression transformed from exhilaration to stunned.
"Ah… Grandpa help…" Qi Silang cried, running back home.
Soon enough, several members of the Qi Family rushed out one by one.
"Lou kid, how dare you kill my dog!" Butcher Qi shouted angrily.
His hair was half-white, yet he stood robust as ever, dressed in indigo brocade, wielding a golden dragon-head cane, his expression fierce, eyes predatory.
"A biting dog deserves to die." Lou Yi said word for word.
"You've got guts!" Butcher Qi swung the golden dragon-head cane fiercely towards Lou Yi's face.
With silver metal reinforcing the cane's tip, a hit would surely end in bloodshed.
'Snap!'
Lou Yi caught the cane, easily snatching it away, leaving Butcher Qi unstable, tumbling to the ground.
"You bastard!"
Qi Long got furious, accelerated, and charged, attempting a flying kick.
Unexpectedly, Lou Yi's swift kick reached his chest first.
The two-hundred-pound hulk flew without resistance, hitting the nearby wall, involuntarily vomiting blood on impact.
Two strange men, appearing like servants, used Turtle Fist to encircle, only to be knocked down by Lou Yi with one punch each.
The remaining Qi members, all women, dared not advance, casting venomous looks at Lou Yi.
"You brat, I'm going to finish you! Just wait until my second son returns!" Butcher Qi threatened Lou Yi, face full of mud, too angry to clean it off.
"Kill him, kill him!" Qi Silang yelled from the side.
"Finish me? Kill me?" Lou Yi's anger flared, "These years, the Qi Family has bullied me in every way. Before, I wasn't strong enough, I tolerated it, but now you'll have to tolerate it!"
"The wall blocking my house, you have three days to tear it down. If it's still standing in three days, I'll finish off your entire family!"
"What's my worthless life to me? A trade for your ten lives, so what!"
After proclaiming, Lou Yi felt invigorated, years of resentment suddenly lifted.
Thanks to the Qi's dog, he had the perfect reason to resolve the conflict today!
Carrying the little boy, he turned away, leaving the Qi Family a graceful silhouette.
Butcher Qi was bewildered; he intended to threaten Lou Yi with his second son, yet found himself threatened instead.
The neighbors watching were amused, his face flushed, wishing for a hole to crawl into.
"This is out of control! Out of control! Bring my second son…" Butcher Qi fumed, trembling all over, collapsing backward.
"Father!"
"Grandpa!"
The Qi Family fell into chaos, urgently carrying Butcher Qi back indoors.
"Well done, Lou kid has grown into something now."
"Indeed, his father was a reincarnation of a literary star, he's a reincarnation of a martial star. Look at that kick, sent Qi Long flying like he was reaching the sky, no wonder he's said to lift cows."
"Heh, he won't have a good end, watch and see. Qi Long works at the Government Office, no matter how strong he is, can he defy the Government Office?"
Neighbors discussed, each with a different opinion.
Lou Yi returned the little boy to the Cheng Family, continued the mountain work of chopping trees, earning silver coins.
One trouble followed another.
That night, a soul-piercing terrifying roar practically exploded by everyone's ears.
"Roar!"
The notorious wild beast had finally stepped into Erhe Village!
...