Within Yangzhou lay Jiangning Commandery, and within that, Yicheng.

In Yicheng stood a great mountain named Mount Dayan. At its foot nestled a manor known as the Teng Family Estate. Every household in the estate was clustered so tightly together, they seemed like a single unit. Encircling the entire Teng Family Estate was a massive wooden palisade, towering nine feet high.

Protected by this stockade, even the wolf packs from the mountains could not easily breach the manor to prey on the people.

At the Teng Family Estate, within the courtyard of one particular household, more than a dozen people were gathered. Among them, a sturdy man in his late twenties, clad in a short tunic, paced anxiously outside the door.

“Yongfan, stop pacing back and forth like that.” A stern voice cut through the air, spoken by an elder whose hair was streaked with white, yet whose shoulders were broad and powerful.

“Master, I…” The sturdy man, however, did not know how to respond.

He couldn’t help but be nervous; his wife was inside giving birth. First births were often perilous for women, and dying during labor was not unheard of in the Teng Family Estate. He had been married for nearly eight years before his wife conceived, and he cherished this child deeply. Naturally, his mind was in turmoil.

“Brother Fan, have you decided on a name for your child?” A lean man standing nearby interjected with a smile, attempting to divert the topic.

“My child belongs to the ‘Qing’ generation, and I have already settled on names. If it’s a boy, he will be named ‘Qingshan’; if it’s a girl, ‘Qingyu’.” The short-tunic man, Teng Yongfan, managed to let a rare smile surface.

No sooner had the words left his mouth—

A loud infant cry erupted from within the house.

Everyone simultaneously turned their gaze toward the doorway. Just then, with a creak, a woman rushed out holding a newborn, her face alight with surprised joy, shouting loudly, “Yongfan, it’s a boy! It’s a boy!”

“Where is Alan?” The stout elder was the first to call out.

“Patriarch, Alan is fine. Both mother and child are safe,” the woman replied, beaming happily.

By this time, Teng Yongfan had taken the infant from the midwife and examined him closely, his smile wide. “Hahaha, it’s a son! Hahaha, I, Teng Yongfan, finally have a son…” At that very moment, the stout elder snatched the baby from his arms.

“Master, hold the child securely, I’m going to check on Alan.” Teng Yongfan immediately dashed inside.

The stout elder, however, gazed smilingly at the infant cradled in his arms.

“This little fellow, his cry was strong just now. Hmm, not bad,” the elder said, his face full of smiles.

“Master, the little one is staring at you,” the surrounding group chuckled, watching.

“Look, those bright, dark eyes, not blinking, just staring at me, hahaha…” The elder laughed heartily, then reached out to gently pinch the baby’s nose. “My dear grandson, little Qingshan, come, call out to your maternal grandfather!” Saying this, the old man could not help but laugh himself.

After all, the child had only just been born; how could he speak?

The area filled with laughter, yet Teng Qingshan’s mind was in utter chaos.

What’s going on? I—I died, didn’t I?

Teng Qingshan vividly remembered battling the two behemoths of the Divine Realm organization, ‘Shiva’ and ‘Vishnu,’ at Moonlit Lake, and killing Shen Yangming. After that, he had died.

The next time he regained consciousness, he was inside his mother’s womb, and shortly thereafter, he was born.

This old man is my maternal grandfather? My mother’s father? Teng Qingshan closely observed the elder before him. I can understand the language of the people around me; it’s also Chinese. Judging by his attire, and the clothing of everyone else… and the style of their garments… this is clearly not modern society. This is antiquity! How did I… travel to ancient times?

Even though Teng Qingshan had undergone assassin training and possessed a firm mind, he was utterly shaken at this moment.

But just then, Teng Qingshan felt a wave of exhaustion and drowsiness wash over his head: The infant brain isn't fully developed. I get tired after just thinking for this short while.

Teng Qingshan closed his eyes and began to sleep soundly.

It was the winter of the first year since Teng Qingshan descended into this world.

Snowflakes the size of goose feathers drifted down wildly, transforming the entire world into a scene draped in silver.

“Qingshan, isn’t the snow beautiful?” The kind-faced woman, Yuan Lan, held her son, Teng Qingshan, as she admired the snowy landscape.

“Mmm!” Teng Qingshan’s little face was bright red.

He was less than a year old, and his vocal cords were not fully developed, so the child could only manage simple cooing sounds. However, Teng Qingshan often possessed the demeanor of a miniature adult, nodding his head and emitting an ‘Mmm,’ though ‘Mmm’ and ‘Ah’ were about the only sounds he could make.

“It’s almost noon, and your father still hasn’t returned,” Yuan Lan remarked.

“Hey there, Sister-in-law.” A voice called out from outside the courtyard gate, which was then pushed open. A young man wearing a straw raincoat walked in smilingly, holding a large wild rabbit. “The hunting party from the mountain is back. This rabbit is for your family. Here, take it. I’m heading back now.”

Saying this, he placed the rabbit near the threshold.

“Thank you,” Yuan Lan replied with a smile.

“No trouble,” the man said, stepping out.

Having the wisdom of an adult, Teng Qingshan had, in just a few months, come to understand the Teng Family Estate. The manor was self-sufficient, and hunting parties frequently ventured into the mountains. The game they caught was distributed among the families based on their contributions to the village. Teng Qingshan’s father, Teng Yongfan, was the foremost blacksmith in the Teng Family Estate.

The weapons he forged were highly sought after even in Yicheng, naturally granting him a very high status within the estate.

Suddenly—

The earth trembled violently, as if an earthquake had struck.

“The bandits have come to collect the ‘Annual Fee,’” Yuan Lan’s expression shifted instantly. She immediately tied Teng Qingshan securely to her back, casually grabbed a red-tasseled long spear from the house, and rushed outside.

Throughout the entire Teng Family Estate, men, old men, and even women grabbed their long spears and bows, rushing out together.

“Bandits?” Teng Qingshan was startled.

“Qingshan, don’t be afraid, it’s alright,” Yuan Lan soothed her son on her back while running.

Soon, Yuan Lan arrived at the largest training ground in the Teng Family Estate. This ground spanned two hundred meters in both length and width. By now, over a thousand people were gathered there—men, women, young, and old—almost every one of them clutching a red-tasseled long spear, with quite a few also holding sturdy bows.

“Alan.” A sturdy man, wearing only a fur pelt that left his chest bare, approached, also armed with a long spear. This man was none other than Teng Qingshan’s father, Teng Yongfan.

“Brother Fan,” Yuan Lan immediately drew close.

Teng Qingshan looked over. In the bitter cold of the twelfth lunar month, his father wore only a fur cloak, exposing his thick arms and powerful pectoral muscles—undoubtedly a formidable man. To be an excellent blacksmith, one needed considerable arm strength.

“Son, don’t be scared,” Teng Yongfan affectionately patted Teng Qingshan.

“You two stay here and don’t wander off,” Teng Yongfan instructed before charging toward the front lines.

The brave men of the Teng Family Estate stood at the forefront of the training ground, while the women, children, and elderly stood behind them, weapons in hand.

“Hey, you brats from the Teng Family Estate!” A loud shout echoed from outside the palisade.

Teng Qingshan peered through the gaps in the crowd and saw the assembled group outside the stockade. They were all mounted on tall steeds. The leader, whose bare chest was covered in dark hair, bore a deep scar across his face. He roared, “Hand over the Annual Fee! Same rules as always—half a tael of silver per person!”

That man is wearing only a single layer of clothing in this freezing winter. He must be a master, Teng Qingshan judged instantly. As for the number of bandits, I can’t see clearly, but there must be several hundred.

However, the several hundred strong men of the Teng Family Estate won’t be easily bullied, Teng Qingshan could also discern that every man from the estate had been honed by years of relentless training; standing there, each one resembled a wild beast. Though the bandits outside were fierce and numerous, they would struggle to win.

At this moment—

The crowd at the Teng Family Estate parted, and a stout, white-haired elder walked forward.

“Maternal Grandfather,” Teng Qingshan recognized him immediately.

Teng Qingshan’s maternal grandfather was named Teng Yunlong; he was the patriarch of the entire estate, holding absolute authority there. Teng Qingshan’s mother, Yuan Lan, was an adopted daughter whom Teng Yunlong had taken in years ago.

“Haha, this time it’s the Third Leader himself who has come,” the Patriarch Teng Yunlong boomed cheerfully. “We know the rules. Half a tael of silver per person. Five hundred households and two thousand people in the Teng Family Estate—that makes one thousand taels of silver. Am I correct?”

“Haha, Old Man Teng, you are exactly right—one thousand taels of silver!” The man with the scar laughed heartily.

The population of the Teng Family Estate certainly wasn’t precisely two thousand, but close enough was acceptable. The bandit chief would not quibble over minor details.

“Open the gate,” Teng Yunlong commanded.

“Creeeeak~~~” The grand gate of the Teng Family Estate was violently thrown open. Simultaneously, two estate men carried large chests, placing them directly before the gate and slamming them onto the snow-covered ground.

“Third Leader, check them. Five hundred taels of silver in each chest,” Teng Yunlong announced.

“Go check,” the scarred man immediately ordered his subordinates.

Two subordinates instantly dismounted their horses and hurried over, opening the chests. Only a portion of the contents inside was silver; the rest consisted of strings of copper coins, with one hundred coins per string. These two bandits were clearly experienced in this task; they worked with practiced ease. In mere moments, they finished counting and nodded back to the scarred man.

“Old Man Teng, you all go back and eat now. Haha, my lads, let’s go!”

Hundreds of bandits, mounted on fine steeds, galloped away in a cloud of dust.

The clan members on the training ground of the Teng Family Estate also began to disperse one by one.

“Son, let’s go eat,” Teng Yongfan said, lifting Teng Qingshan with one arm. Yet, Teng Qingshan’s mind was still pondering: Those bandits possess hundreds of fine steeds. Each horse is worth a considerable sum. To afford so many horses, they must be a very powerful gang.

Based on the scene he just witnessed, Teng Qingshan understood: Paying the Annual Fee? Since it’s an ‘Annual Fee,’ it must be paid every year. This group, capable of forcing the Teng Family Estate to pay protection money annually, likely has hundreds of members, and that’s probably not even their full strength.

“It turns out the White Horse Gang came to collect the fee; I thought it might be some other bandits,” nearby voices of other estate men were overheard discussing.

“If any other gang dared to provoke the Teng Family Estate, they would be courting death,” those men declared, full of righteous spirit.

However, it was clear they were helpless against the White Horse Gang.

How strong is this White Horse Gang? Teng Qingshan mused.

Unfortunately, he was too young, and his vocal cords were not yet fully developed; he could not speak at all. Even if he could speak, would he dare ask his father, ‘Father, how powerful is the White Horse Gang?’ His father would likely be terrified, and the entire Teng Family Estate would be thrown into an uproar.