On the gate of Great Li Village, too, red cloth and grand red flowers were hung, presenting a festive scene.
Quite a few people stood by the entrance, gazing west.
“The folks from Teng Family Village haven't arrived yet.”
“Li Laosan, head home and wait. What’s the rush?” Some villagers joked with a simple, honest middle-aged man—the father of ‘Li Luoxiang,’ who was due to be married off that day. “Luoxiang’s father, go home and get ready; they’ll be here soon enough.” A woman tugged at Li Laosan, urging him back.
Li Laosan laughed and, along with his wife, headed home to wait.
“It’s such a blessing that my Luoxiang is marrying into Teng Family Village. Her man is a hero who can lift two thousand catties!” Li Laosan sighed as he walked. “Two thousand catties! Our entire Great Li Village doesn't have such a formidable fellow. My Luoxiang will surely enjoy prosperity from now on.”
“Look how happy you are,” his wife chuckled as well.
“She’s my only daughter; how could I not be happy?” Li Laosan was bursting with pride.
His daughter marrying such a capable hero gave Li Laosan considerable standing in Great Li Village. Li Laosan, who had lived an honest, unremarkable life, was now looked up to by every clansman precisely because his daughter was marrying such a powerful man.
Just then—
The ground trembled slightly.
“Horses! The people from Teng Family Village are here.” Li Laosan was overjoyed and spun around, sprinting toward the main gate of Great Li Village.
“Luoxiang’s father, there seem to be so many horses, almost like bandits coming to collect the annual tribute,” his wife said as she ran alongside him.
“Nonsense. What time is it for collecting tribute? The Teng Family Village must have brought many horses simply to put on a show of strength,” Li Laosan said smugly. But at that very moment—
“Bandits are coming!”
“The White Horse Gang is here!”
Shouts erupted from ahead. Many clansmen in Great Li Village immediately snatched up their blades and spears and rushed forward. Li Laosan stood there stunned for a moment. “It really is the White Horse Gang.” Li Laosan reacted quickly and followed the surging crowds of clansmen rushing toward the front.
On the open training grounds before Great Li Village, numerous clansmen, clutching their weapons, watched the large group of mounted bandits with apprehension. Several hundred bandits alone charged into the training ground, while countless more milled outside the main gate. The Li Clan Head had never witnessed the White Horse Gang mobilize so many men.
“Young Master, we have already paid this year’s tribute. May we ask why the Young Master has come to our village?” the Li Clan Head spoke up.
Seated atop a steed with a dark mane and snow-white hooves was a powerfully built man, his frame like an iron tower. He wore green armor and a helmet, and even his magnificent steed was protected by mail. This man was the White Horse Gang’s second-in-command—the Young Master, ‘Hong Zhenjie’!
The White Horse Gang Young Master swept his cold, sharp gaze down from beneath his helmet.
“It seems Great Li Village has a joyous occasion today,” the Young Master announced loudly. “Quite a few people are waiting at the main gate, waiting to welcome a bride, I presume?” The Young Master was indeed astute, instantly discerning whether Great Li Village was bringing a woman in or sending one out.
“This…” The Li Clan Head hesitated slightly, then admitted, “Young Master, today, it is indeed our Great Li Village daughter who is being married off.”
“Oh? Bring her out for me to see,” the Young Master commanded coolly.
“This does not comply with—” The Li Clan Head didn't finish his sentence.
Crack! A long spear lashed out, striking the Li Clan Head and sending him flying backward. He crashed heavily to the ground, spitting up two mouthfuls of blood. A spear-wielding bandit next to the Young Master, also clad entirely in armor, snarled coldly through his helmet, “Old man, if the Young Master tells you to bring out the bride, you bring out the bride. Say one more word of defiance, and I’ll kill you right here.”
The clansmen of Great Li Village were stunned into silence.
The White Horse Gang had both elite and common bandits. The heavily armored men surrounding the Young Master were clearly the absolute elite.
“Li Laosan, bring your daughter here,” the Li Clan Head gritted his teeth and shouted.
Li Laosan’s entire body trembled.
“It is your daughter’s fortune to be seen by the Young Master. Hurry up!” the Clan Head urged, sensing that something was gravely wrong, as the White Horse Gang had never deployed such elite forces merely to collect annual tribute. Every bandit accompanying the Young Master was fully armored, man and horse.
The armor alone must have cost a considerable sum of silver.
Li Laosan quickly ran back to his home and brought the bride-to-be to the training ground. Clad in her red wedding gown, Li Luoxiang’s face was frozen in terror.
“This… this is the daughter being married off to Teng Family Village today,” the Li Clan Head stated.
The Young Master, ‘Hong Zhenjie,’ looked down from his high perch, scrutinizing the bride below. Li Luoxiang kept her head bowed, utterly afraid to look up. The Young Master barked coldly, “Lift your head.”
Li Luoxiang flinched violently but dared not disobey, raising her head to look at the Young Master mounted on his warhorse.
“Not bad looking,” the Young Master appraised her with a smile, then turned to the bandit beside him. “This young lady looks quite good. My brothers are going to destroy the Iron Mountain Gang today, so we’ll take this bride along to reward them. Here, take this bride away.”
Immediately, bandits leaped down from their horses and rushed toward Li Luoxiang.
“My lords, you cannot!” Li Laosan threw himself in front of his daughter and immediately fell to his knees.
Li Luoxiang’s face turned ashen. She had dreamed of marrying a fine man today, looked forward to bearing him two or three children and living a good life. Who knew that on her wedding day, she would face such a horror?
“Get lost.” One of the three bandits who had jumped down kicked Li Laosan aside with a single blow and grabbed Li Luoxiang.
“No, no, my husband is Teng Qinghu of Teng Family Village! You can’t take me!” Li Luoxiang seemed to go mad, letting out a piercing shriek. She knew well that once captured in the bandits’ lair, what awaited her would be a fate more terrifying than hell itself.
The Li Clan Head also interjected, “Young Master, this girl Luoxiang is betrothed to Teng Qinghu of Teng Family Village. The people from Teng Family Village will be here any moment.”
“Never mind Teng Qinghu’s wife; even the wife of Teng Qingshan, Teng Family Village’s greatest hero, I’d take her today too,” the Young Master ‘Hong Zhenjie’ said dismissively. He glanced over the crowd and casually pointed three times. “This one, and this one, and that woman over there—take them all! Before we wipe out the Iron Mountain Gang, we need to let the brothers have some fun first.”
“Understood, sir.”
Several bandits jumped down excitedly to seize the three women. Hong Zhenjie perhaps had a particular fondness for younger women; these three looked to be around fourteen or fifteen, just newly adult.
“Release my daughter!” a strong man roared in anguish, charging forward with a massive axe, swinging directly at one of the bandits.
The armored bandit on the warhorse sent his long spear forward, moving like a phantom—
Thrust!
The spear pierced straight through the strong man’s chest. His eyes bulged like bronze bells, but the mounted bandit coldly pulled the spear out, spraying blood everywhere.
“Master Craftsman!”
“Master Craftsman!”
Many of the younger men in Great Li Village cried out in immediate grief.
The Young Master ‘Hong Zhenjie,’ sitting high on his horse, declared coldly, “Today is the sixth day of the third month, a grand day! It is also the day the White Horse Gang eradicates the Iron Mountain Gang. Your Great Li Village had best be sensible, or I won't mind wiping out Great Li Village first before we deal with the Iron Mountain Gang.”
The men of Great Li Village trembled with rage, but none dared utter a sound. That armored bandit had slain their clan’s Master Craftsman in a single exchange. The White Horse Gang was sending out only its absolute elites to deal with the Iron Mountain Gang. Wiping out Great Li Village would take them no time at all.
“Brothers, let’s go!” Hong Zhenjie called out loudly.
The mounted bandits immediately spurred their horses away, the captured women screaming shrilly. But no matter how loudly they cried out, the clansmen of Great Li Village dared not make the slightest move to resist. On the ground, the Master Craftsman’s body, the blood still not cold, was an agonizing sight.
“Clan Head…” Many of the strong men in the clan wept, looking toward their leader.
The Li Clan Head tilted his head back to the sky, tears streaming down his face. “The White Horse Gang is the true emperor of this land. If we resist, we die!” In this chaotic age, even common people had their ways of surviving. Facing a terrifying gang like the White Horse Gang, these villages would not dare resist unless facing certain death.
The clansmen of Great Li Village carried away the body of their Master Craftsman and went to comfort the families who had lost their daughters.
In the blink of an eye, a joyous occasion had turned into a funeral.
There was no choice; facing the local emperor of Yicheng—the White Horse Gang that controlled their very existence—they could only endure the bullying. The theft of women had happened more than once.
Not long after.
“Clan Head, Clan Head, the wedding procession from Teng Family Village has arrived.” A clansman stationed at the gate of Great Li Village spotted the procession of dozens of people from afar, along with the groom seated high on his horse, dressed entirely in red. He rushed to report to the Li Clan Head on the training ground.
The Li Clan Head’s expression changed, and he let out a bitter laugh. “How are we in Great Li Village going to face the people from Teng Family Village!” He then gritted his teeth and looked at the surrounding clansmen. “We have lost face, but we must go. Come, accompany me to greet them.”