"Quickly, quickly!" Three carts dragged by horses rumbled into Teng Family Village, laden with materials like various iron blocks.
The supplies needed for Teng Family Village to forge two hundred sets of heavy armor had finally arrived.
"Qingshan, haha, your Teng Family Village has quite the business here! These iron blocks and materials alone weigh over ten thousand jin. I brought them in three full heavy carts," boomed a large, portly man wearing a bright yellow robe, waddling forward with his belly protruding, greeting them heartily.
"Uncle Li Er, what we do is just small business, not comparable to your trading houses," Teng Qingshan replied with a smile.
Li Er took a puff from a jade-carved pipe, smiled, and said, "Indeed, Qingshan. I'm off to see your maternal grandfather and the others. You carry on." Li Er was well aware of Teng Qingshan's standing in the village and had heard of his formidable strength, which was why he made a point to greet him personally.
"Qingshan, now that the materials are here, the clan can finally start forging the heavy armor!" Teng Qinghu, standing nearby, sounded excited.
"Mm. With two hundred sets of heavy armor, every man in our village who masters Inner Strength can match dozens of bandits. If used well, their impact will be even greater!" Teng Qingshan knew well that while his clansmen cultivated Inner Strength, their bodies weren't impervious to blades or spears. If they fought the horse bandits wearing only cloth garments.
Even with Inner Strength, a man could kill a few at most before being overwhelmed and slain by the surrounding horde. But once they had heavy armor, impervious to ordinary swords and blades, they could truly unleash the destructive power of an Inner Strength master.
Soon, the merchants' men departed Teng Family Village with their silver.
By noon, some of the women who had been busy with fieldwork in the paddies returned. As soon as one woman entered the village, she started shouting, and many other gossipy villagers rushed over to hear the exciting news. Since the surrounding fields connected to other hamlets, these women were usually the best-informed.
"The Young Master of the White Horse Gang, and the entire White Horse Battalion—they were all wiped out!" the women chattered animatedly.
"What?" Even the clansmen practicing Tiger Fist or spear techniques, who usually paid no mind to such talk, ran over to listen.
"It’s true! That Young Master and the entire White Horse Battalion are all dead, not a single one left. It was the hidden weapon masters from the Iron Mountain Gang who did it!"
"How do you know? Is that news certain?"
"Yesterday, the White Horse Gang came to us recruiting men for the White Horse Battalion, remember? Just yesterday! Someone from Big Li Village was recruited then. That man from Big Li Village told us this story! Those hidden weapon masters from the Iron Mountain Gang were seeking revenge, so they didn't kill indiscriminately. They spared those twelve men!"
Immediately, more clansmen surged forward.
"Qingshan, they wiped out the Young Master and the White Horse Battalion! Come on, let's go listen," Teng Qinghu couldn't help but exclaim in surprise and hurried over.
Teng Qingshan watched the scene with a faint smile.
Mountain men are simple folk!
Those twelve spared men undoubtedly held deep resentment toward the White Horse Gang, but they felt a sliver of gratitude toward the Iron Mountain Gang's hidden weapon masters. Having narrowly escaped death, they returned to their respective villages and naturally recounted the event. Such explosive news spread with astonishing speed.
"They deserved to die!"
"That hidden weapon master is truly formidable; you couldn't even see the projectiles, yet the heads of the White Horse Bandits were pierced clean through!" the villagers marveled from over there.
Teng Qingshan felt a sense of ease in his heart, smiled, and turned: "Time to head home for lunch!"
** That the White Horse Battalion and its Young Master were slain by the Iron Mountain Gang's hidden weapon masters became an undeniable fact in Yicheng; no one doubted it.
Even the White Horse Gang issued a public bounty, offering ten thousand taels of silver to anyone who could capture the hidden weapon master! This bounty from the White Horse Gang only solidified the rumor... that the Iron Mountain Gang's hidden weapon master was indeed the culprit.
...
Time flowed on, and in the blink of an eye, half a year had passed.
It was winter, and heavy snow fell in swirling sheets.
In the main hall of Teng Qinghu's house, only the brothers Teng Qingshan and Teng Qinghu sat opposite each other, sharing wine.
"Tsk tsk... Qingshan, I never would have imagined it! That Wang Tieshan, such a fearsome expert, actually fell at the hands of that Third Master Liu of the White Horse Gang!" Teng Qinghu marveled. "In the past, this Third Master Liu came to our Teng Family Village many times to collect tribute money, and I never suspected he was so powerful!"
"A dog that bites doesn't bark! Truly insidious people often hide it well beneath the surface," Teng Qingshan said after taking a sip of wine.
The current Great Leader of the White Horse Gang was the former Third Leader, surnamed Liu!
As for his given name, few people knew it. Because he was the Third Leader, outsiders simply called him 'Third Master Liu.' It was this Third Master Liu who, over the last six months, not only maintained the White Horse Gang's status but made it even more secure. The White Horse Gang was once again boasting eight thousand disciples.
Some even claimed the White Horse Gang's true strength now exceeded ten thousand. Of course, the White Horse Gang claimed eight thousand disciples.
"This Third Master Liu is a master of scheming and trickery! Just a few months ago, wasn't the Bald Gang also aggressively arrogant? But in a turn of events, the Bald Gang's Great Leader died because of a woman's bed," Teng Qinghu continued recounting. "And that Willow Water Gang, many people in Yicheng had hoped they would ally with the Bald Gang to eliminate the White Horse Gang? Who would have thought the Willow Water Gang would end up defecting and submitting to the White Horse Gang? Even that Wang Tieshan was ultimately shot to death by a volley of arrows because of it!"
Teng Qingshan merely smiled upon hearing this.
"I always expected Wang Tieshan would seek brutal revenge against the White Horse Gang, but instead, his own life was forfeit," Teng Qinghu shook his head, sighing endlessly.
Teng Qingshan smiled. "Cousin, actually, that Third Master Liu only brought a small contingent to our Teng Family Village. He exempted us from all future annual tribute payments and even treated me as an equal. I knew then... he would ultimately rule Yicheng!" Teng Qingshan couldn't help but admire this Third Master Liu.
Because Liu San understood the weaknesses of human nature.
Over this past half-year, the flourishing Bald Gang and Willow Water Gang were all broken from within. Not one of them was eliminated by expending massive numbers of troops.
"Hmph, it seems that Liu San knew his place. Otherwise, if he brought men to our Teng Family Village, we would have killed as many as he brought!" Teng Qinghu chuckled confidently.
"Speaking of that, it reminds me of the fellow acclaimed as the foremost expert in Yicheng," Teng Qingshan chuckled too.
In truth, during this turbulent half-year, the bandit factions in Yicheng went through three phases.
The first phase was the rise of numerous contenders. After Elder Hong's death, 'Li Yanshan,' acclaimed as the foremost expert in Yicheng, rapidly established the 'Yanshan Gang,' becoming the only faction capable of opposing the White Horse Gang at the time. Many placed their bets on the Yanshan Gang.
The second phase saw the demise of the Yanshan Gang, with the Bald Gang and Willow Water Gang rising concurrently, both becoming immensely powerful. Bandit influence in Yicheng could be described as a 'three-way standoff.'
The third phase was the White Horse Gang absorbing the Bald Gang and Willow Water Gang, achieving singular dominance once more, with no one daring to challenge the White Horse Gang's position.
...
In these three phases, the Yanshan Gang held the most promise initially. That 'Li Yanshan' was indeed an expert.
When he came to collect annual tribute, who would have thought that Teng Family Village would refuse to pay a single copper coin!
This Great Leader was enraged!
He immediately led nearly three thousand troops to attack Teng Family Village, intending to annihilate the famed martial village to intimidate the others. The Great Leader, supremely confident in being the top expert in Yicheng—even Wang Tieshan bowed to his skill—saw the Teng Family members clad in heavy armor upon arrival and rejoiced instead of being shocked, laughing heartily: "Hahaha! They've sent heavy armor to Li Yanshan!"
With that, he smashed open the gate of Teng Family Village with a single swing of his wolf-tooth mace.
Behind him marched one hundred armored horse bandits, plus nearly three thousand ordinary bandits.
Who could have guessed...
When the real fighting began, a terrifying scene unfolded!
The heavy-armored bandits under Li Yanshan were merely chosen for their strong physiques. But the Teng Family clansmen charging at the front, clad in heavy armor, were all masters possessing Inner Strength! Their long spears, imbued with Inner Strength, pierced directly through the bodies of the ordinary heavy-armored bandits.
The fifty clansmen wearing superior heavy armor acted like meat grinders; impervious to common swords and blades, they effortlessly slaughtered waves of bandits. They were supported by other clansmen in standard heavy armor. Furthermore, the gate was only so wide, limiting how many bandits could charge in. The ground was also strewn with countless spikes, preventing the warhorses from charging at full speed; they were forced to fight on foot.
It was a one-sided slaughter!
The self-proclaimed foremost expert of Yicheng, 'Great Yanshan,' grew frantic and attempted to single-handedly kill all fifty Inner Strength masters of Teng Family Village. Just as he was about to make his move, Teng Qingshan intervened!
Teng Qingshan proved to Li Yanshan with facts—that he, Li Yanshan, was not the foremost expert in Yicheng.
Li Yanshan died!
The morale of the bandits plummeted, but the ingrained madness of the brigands fueled a desire for vengeance. However, they were met by the Teng Family's heavy-armored clansmen, led by those wielding Inner Strength, who proceeded to butcher several hundred more. The remaining bandits fled in terror. In this single battle, Teng Family Village killed nearly a thousand bandits! They also captured one hundred sets of heavy armor, further increasing the village's defensive strength!
This victory cemented Teng Family Village's renown; no bandit dared to come collect tribute money again.
Three days after the battle, that 'Third Master Liu' of the White Horse Gang personally visited Teng Family Village, permanently waiving their annual tribute and becoming sworn brothers with Teng Qingshan.
...
"This Third Master Liu has a clear sense of propriety. He knows who can be provoked and who cannot," Teng Qingshan commented with a smile. When Liu San sought to build a connection, Teng Qingshan secretly assisted twice during Liu San's unification of Yicheng's bandit forces. Those two displays of strength alone instilled terror in Liu San.
Liu San knew exactly which people should not be offended!
"Mm, but Qingshan, now that the bandit situation in Yicheng has settled, it's time for us to leave the village," Teng Qinghu suddenly said with a touch of melancholy.
"Yes, it is time to go," Teng Qingshan sighed softly.
** Three days later, in the morning, over two thousand people from Teng Family Village gathered on the training grounds. Teng Qingshan and Teng Qinghu led hundreds of strong young clansmen in practicing the Tiger Fist once more!
Hundreds of men practicing the Tiger Fist in unison created an imposing spectacle.
Mother Yuan Lan and younger sister Xiaoyu watched, tears welling up in their eyes, because today... Teng Qingshan and Teng Qinghu were leaving Teng Family Village to join the Guiyuan Sect!
After a long while...
Teng Qingshan and Teng Qinghu each shouldered their packs, their weapons disassembled and packed inside. Over two thousand clansmen saw them off.
"Brother!" Qingyu hugged Teng Qingshan, reluctant to see her older brother leave. Beside her, Mother Yuan Lan could only weep silently. Father Teng Yongfan patted his son's shoulder: "A man's ambition lies in wandering afar! Qingshan is going out to forge a great career. Stop crying and sniffling."
Though Teng Yongfan said this, his own eyes were red.
"Xiaoyu, I will return to see you and Mother and Father in the future," Teng Qingshan said, affectionately stroking Qingyu's head.
"Brother, you must come back to see me," Qingyu tearfully insisted.
Teng Qingshan nodded solemnly.
"Father, Mother, take care," Teng Qingshan managed a faint smile.
"We know. You must also take care of your health out there," Teng Yongfan and Yuan Lan were both heartbroken to see him go.
As Teng Qingshan bid a fond farewell to his family, Teng Qinghu was similarly saying goodbye to his relatives. "Everyone, don't see us off any further!" Teng Qinghu's eyes were also red, and he waved repeatedly.
Amidst the blessings of the clansmen, Teng Qingshan and Teng Qinghu finally strapped on their packs and departed Teng Family Village, setting off on their journey!