The spring air was alive with the buzz of growth and the song of orioles. Along the wide earthen banks flanking the irrigation ditch, patches of low scrub flourished, and upon these same banks, over a dozen men from two villages were locked in a fierce, bare-knuckle brawl.

"Stop!" A sharp bellow echoed from the distance. A large crowd was sprinting toward them, led by a lean man whose loud commands were clearly audible, but the men fighting, caught in the heat of the fray, paid no heed.

The lean man closed the distance in a few swift strides, merging instantly with the melee. He brandished a long spear, and with a thrust and a parry, one man was sent flying.

In the blink of an eye, seven or eight burly fighters were tossed clear, only to scramble immediately back to their feet. "Are you the ones from the Li Family Village who injured Da Hou?" demanded the lean man, who was none other than Teng Yongxiang, the senior master instructor of spearplay for the Teng Family Village.

"Master Teng, we were channeling water into our fields! By what right did your Teng Family Village men block the breach to our irrigation?" roared a sturdy man from the Li Family Village, his body still bearing fresh bruises.

By this time, the rest of the Teng Family Village contingent had arrived. A woman from the Teng side immediately began to shriek curses.

"You heartless dog-spawn! The heavens haven't seen rain since spring began.

If your fields are thirsty, does that mean ours aren't? We finally have a flood, so what?

Are you Li Family men going to hog all the water, leaving nothing for the Teng Family fields?" At that moment, the four-year-old, small and slight Teng Qingshan slipped effortlessly through the crowd to the very front. "Fighting over water?" Teng Qingshan listened, finally grasping the core of the conflict.

In his past life, Teng Qingshan had never done farm labor and was ignorant of many things, but he understood the basic necessity of water for wheat to grow. Without sufficient irrigation, a poor harvest was inevitable.

"Still, even in their fighting, no lives were taken, nor were weapons drawn." Teng Qingshan swept his gaze over the area; shovels and other tools lay scattered in the fields, yet the brawl between the two villages had been purely fists and feet. Though there was blood and injury, no one had died.

Teng Qingshan realized the situation quickly. "If the Teng Family Village lost even one man, I fear all the men would have charged over.

This is just a dispute over water—it's manageable. If a life had been lost, the conflict between the two villages would have escalated drastically." Just then, a large contingent of people began rushing over from another direction.

"Qingshan, don't wander off!" His cousin, Teng Qinghu, pushed through to the front and immediately grabbed Teng Qingshan. "It's chaos here.

You're just a child; one accidental blow and you’d be hurt. Be careful." "Mm," Teng Qingshan replied with a smile to his cousin.

"Hey, here come the Li Family people too," Teng Qinghu observed, looking toward the distance. "Teng Yongxiang!" A booming shout rang out, and a heavily built, broad-bearded man strode forward.

"Master." The clansmen of the Li Family Village instantly parted to make way. Teng Yongxiang was the spear master for the entire Teng Family Village, and this fierce, bearded man, Li Liang, was apparently the lead instructor for the Li Family Village.

"Are you all right?" The bearded man surveyed the scene, and immediately, some Li Family men began whispering explanations. "Li Liang!" Teng Yongxiang's gaze turned sharply cold.

"You should know as well as I do—since heaven hasn't sent rain, your fields need water, and so do ours! But there is only so much water.

Tell me, what should we do?" The flood had filled the ditch, and the common folk immediately sealed the main sluices. This kept the water level high in the small feeder channels, preventing backflow from the main channel.

But the water supply was finite—how could it be divided? "What to do?" The bearded man, Li Liang, gripping an iron spear, sneered.

"Simple. We fight it out.

If I win, the water belongs to the Li Family Village. If you win, the Teng Family can use it first.

How about it, Master Teng, do you dare a contest?" With that, Li Liang planted his iron spear firmly into the earthen bank. Teng Yongxiang narrowed his eyes slightly.

If my Great Uncle isn't stronger than that bearded man, Li Liang, Teng Qingshan surmised silently as he watched. "Li Liang," Teng Yongxiang scoffed coldly, "the water in this ditch is a matter of grave importance.

You probably don't have the authority to gamble with it." The bearded man Li Liang faltered. This water concerned the entire harvest; he truly lacked the standing to make it a wager.

"If you want to compete with me, we can use other stakes for the duel. Today, we discuss how this water issue is to be settled.

If you still have the brain of a pig, then stand aside and wait for your Clan Leader to arrive before we talk," Teng Yongxiang remained calm. Just then, the dense crowd from the Li Family Village parted to create a path.

An old man with wildly dishevelled hair and beard strode forward. "Clan Leader Li," Teng Yongxiang greeted him with a slight bow.

"Yongxiang, where is the old Teng man?" the elder asked boisterously. "The Clan Leader is arriving shortly," Teng Yongxiang replied.

Teng Qingshan understood immediately: this fierce-looking elder resembled a raging Zhang Fei, and he must be the Li Family Village Clan Leader. "Hahahaha..." A hearty laugh boomed out before the man himself appeared.

"Grandfather!" Teng Qingshan immediately turned. He saw a broad-shouldered, powerful elder striding over—none other than Teng Yunlong, the Clan Leader of the Teng Family Village.

Beside him walked a man holding an iron spear; this was Teng Qingshan's father, Teng Yongfan. Teng Yunlong reached the front and spoke loudly, "Li Huojun, you know the situation.

Speak. How do we resolve this?" "Teng Yunlong, you are straightforward enough," Clan Leader Li Huojun laughed back.

"The old custom!" "Group fight, or one-on-one?" Teng Qingshan whispered to his cousin Teng Qinghu. Teng Qinghu leaned in and murmured, "Qingshan, when the two villages have a dispute, we usually settle it through force.

A group fight means each side sends ten champions to fight with bare hands. The side whose men are all knocked down and unable to rise wins.

The group fight is usually bloodier and might result in death. As for one-on-one, well, you should understand that yourself." Teng Qingshan nodded slightly.

The Li Clan Leader pondered briefly, then smiled. "How about this: one-on-one, we fight three matches.

In a twelve-hour day, one victory grants one side full rights to the water for four hours! Two victories earn eight hours of water use, and a clean sweep grants the victor unlimited use.

The losing side is forbidden from using the water for irrigation!" Teng Yunlong thought for a moment. "Agreed," Teng Yunlong nodded in assent.

Once the two Clan Leaders agreed, the matter was settled. "This place is too small.

We should move to Blood Sand Slope to compete," Teng Yunlong suggested. "Fine," Li Huojun agreed.

Immediately, under the leadership of the two Clan Leaders, the people from both villages set off toward Blood Sand Slope. "Qingshan, you actually ran all the way here?" Yuan Lan snatched Teng Qingshan up, scolding him with a mixture of anger and worry.

"This place is so dangerous! I thought you were back in the village; you're right here!

Qinghu, you brought your little brother, didn't you? He’s just a child and doesn't know better.

But surely you should know better? Bringing your younger brother here." Teng Qinghu hung his head under the reprimand.

Teng Qingshan also bowed his head obediently, listening to his mother's scolding. "Alan," his father Teng Yongfan came over.

"Enough, stop berating the child. Come, let's go to Blood Sand Slope together." With that, Teng Yongfan picked up Teng Qingshan.

"Good son, you must watch this contest closely. When you grow up, you must become a fine hero too.

If you can become as formidable as your cousin one day, hah! I’ll wake up laughing in my sleep." Cousin Teng Qinghu, at nine years old, could lift three hundred pounds—he was truly blessed with immense talent, and many believed he would become the premier hero of the Teng Family Village in the future.

His father's hopes for his own son were understandable. Surpass my cousin?

Teng Qingshan thought, but remained silent. * Blood Sand Slope was a bare expanse of ground, where nearly a thousand people were now gathered.

"This circle is about five zhang wide! For each match, the champions from the Teng and Li Family Villages will enter completely unarmed.

Whoever is struck down and unable to rise, or whoever is forced outside the ring, loses. The other side wins," announced a silver-haired elder leaning on a cane, his voice strong.

The two Clan Leaders exchanged glances. "Each victory grants four hours of water usage," the silver-haired elder proclaimed loudly.

"Now, I request the two Clan Leaders write down the names of the three clansmen they are sending out, in order of appearance." "The first on the list will fight the first, the second the second, and the third the third!" The silver-haired elder's voice resonated powerfully. Teng Qingshan listened to the rules and nodded silently to himself.

This method prevented tricks like 'Tian Ji's Horse Racing'—since the opponent wouldn't know the order of fighters, they couldn't precisely strategize. "We are ready," Teng Yunlong smiled, holding a piece of red paper.

"We are ready too," Li Huojun held up a matching red paper. The silver-haired elder, leaning on his cane, collected both papers and began to read aloud: "From the Teng Family Village, the order of appearance is: Teng Yinglei, Teng Yongfan, and Teng Yongxiang!

From the Li Family Village, the order is: Li Wutian, Li Liang, and Li Jinfu!" Teng Yinglei versus Li Wutian. Teng Yongfan versus Li Liang.

Teng Yongxiang versus Li Jinfu. "Li Jinfu?" Many people in the Teng Family Village looked puzzled.

After all, Li Liang and Li Wutian belonged to the 'Wu' generation. Li Liang was only named Li Liang because 'Wuliang' was a homophone for 'unscrupulous' (), so his elders had chosen the name Li Liang.

Li Jinfu, however, was clearly a generation younger than Li Wutian and Li Liang. "That boy, Li Jinfu, should only be in his early teens," murmured comments from within the Teng contingent.

"He's actually fighting." "Father is fighting too?" Teng Qingshan noticed this detail and turned to look.