Nine Rivers Continent
Inferno Hawk Village
Everyone in the village stood at the village ground, their heads down. In front of them stood three barbaric-looking men with thick muscles.
They looked at the villagers with mocking expressions.
Opposite them, most of the villagers were thin and emaciated, barely having any fat or muscle on their bodies.
The three men were named Feng Chuanli, He Ru, and Cai Liang. They were bandits from the Dart Bandit Group, a bandit group that troubled all the nearby villages every month, demanding protection money.
But they had never protected this small village; it was just extortion.
This month, the village had failed to gather enough money to pay the protection fee. Every month, they demanded one silver coin.
Because of the flood three months ago, all the village's food was already exhausted, and their crops were ruined. For the last two months, all the villagers had given up their saved money.
But this month, even their saved money was not enough. They had only managed to collect twenty copper coins. They were seventy short.
Feng Chuanli spat the pickle he was chewing onto the ground, and then his smile turned into a sneer. "What am I supposed to do with this puny twenty coins?" he yelled as he looked at the twenty small coins in his hand.
An old man walked forward with a pleading expression on his face. He held a stick in his hand to support himself.
"Master Feng, because of the flood three months ago, our crops still haven't recovered. We promise to pay you next month," the old man said.
The old man, Wan Da, was the village elder, the one who took on the duty of collecting money from every house.
Feng Chuanli, He Ru, and Cai Liang looked at Wan Da and snorted. Feng Chuanli stepped toward him while pulling out his dagger. He then stood in front of the old man.
"Old Wan, our brothers also have stomachs to feed. We risk our lives to save yours every month, and this is how you treat us?!" he yelled angrily. His two subordinates smirked.
"Master Feng... We have paid the protection money every month. It's just that this month we are a bit short. I promise you, we will pay next month. I beg you," the old man started to beg.
Everyone in the village looked at him with pangs of pain in their hearts.
But the three bandits laughed out loud. Then Feng Chuanli suddenly kicked Wan Da in the stomach, sending him flying back into the crowd.
"Old fart! Do you think I'm a fool? You could have gathered money by selling your old bones, but you didn't!" His eyes turned sharp.
No one from the crowd stepped forward to help Wan Da, except a lady wearing a white, ragged dress. Although thin, her face was graceful. Among the villagers, she was the most beautiful and also the widowed daughter of Wan Da.
"Father..." She helped him stand up again, her eyes filled with tears. Her five-year-old son also stepped forward and helped his grandfather.
Her name was Ma Wen.
Feng Chuanli and his subordinates looked at the lady, and a perverse glint appeared in their eyes. They then looked at each other and smiled.
He Ru, the thinnest of the bandits, stepped forward and grabbed Wan Da by the throat. "Do you know what it's like to die of hunger, old man? We've protected you for so long, and you treat us like this?!" He slapped Wan Da.
Everyone in the village shivered at the slap; it was loud and resounded across the entire ground.
They wanted to help Wan Da, but these bandits were far too powerful, each one at the Bone Refinement realm, while they were just mortals, and malnourished at that.
They stood no chance against these barbarians. Ma Wen suddenly gripped He Ru's hand with both of hers. "Please... Please spare my father... He will die if you slap him anymore! I beg you, please..." she said while sobbing.
He Ru looked at her and grinned.
"Lady, you seem sensible, but how can we let your father go? He owes us one silver coin. How can we let him be? What if he can't pay even next month? We have to kill him to make a statement," Cai Liang said as he stepped forward. He was the shortest of the three, and his gaze roamed all over Ma Wen's body.
Ma Wen suddenly fell at Cai Liang's feet and started begging. "Please... I'm begging you... We promise to pay you back next month."
Everyone's blood boiled when they saw Ma Wen begging like this. She was the kindest lady in the village, always giving leftover food from her house to other children in the village.
Cai Liang laughed and grabbed her shoulder, making her stand up. "Don't cry, lady. I see that you're the most sensible of this pathetic bunch." His gaze was fixed on her chest. "But we have to negotiate. We can't leave you all here without consequences."
"Negotiate? Yes, I'm ready to negotiate, but please spare my father!" she begged further.
Cai Liang laughed even louder and looked at He Ru. "He Ru, let the old man go. She says she's ready to negotiate," he chuckled.
He Ru smirked and released the old man, who sprawled on the ground, unconscious.
"Grandpa!" Ma Wen's child clung to Wan Da's unconscious body and started crying loudly. He Ru chuckled, looking at the little boy.
Cai Liang then looked at Ma Wen again. "Come, lady, we need to negotiate in a more private area. The three of us brothers will have a long conversation with you." He laughed and, grabbing Ma Wen's wrist, took her toward her hut.
Her little boy, as if sensing something amiss, ran toward her and grabbed Cai Liang's leg, even biting it. "Leave Mama alone!" he yelled.
Cai Liang snorted and suddenly kicked the small boy away. "Know your place, you cockroach. I'm just going to talk with your mother!"
"No! Don't hurt him!" Ma Wen yelled and tried to reach for her child, but Cai Liang's grip was tight on her hand.
"Shut up, whore, and come with me." He started dragging her as she cried for her child.
The little boy stood up again, but this time he was grabbed from behind by He Ru. "Let me teach this little shit a lesson." He slapped the boy unconscious and threw him next to his grandfather.
Everyone in the village shivered at his words. Their blood boiled, but they couldn't do anything. They were helpless against these bandits.
Soon, Cai Liang, He Ru, and Feng Chuanli entered Wan Da's hut with Ma Wen, then closed the door.
"Wait for us. If we're satisfied with the negotiations, we'll leave you all alone for this month," Cai Liang laughed before closing the door.
Everyone in the village looked at the door with tears in their eyes, and soon enough, screams of a woman and the laughter of three men resounded from inside the hut.
It went on for three hours. In the end, Ma Wen's voice was hoarse; she was squealing.
While Wan Da was still lying unconscious on the ground, no one woke him up to spare the old man from this misery.
Soon, the door of the hut opened, and Cai Liang was the first to exit with a satisfied smile on his face. After him came He Ru, also wearing a grin, looking at the villagers with disdain.
Last came their boss, Feng Chuanli, carrying the naked body of Ma Wen on his shoulder. He looked at everyone and sneered.
"Seems like our negotiation wasn't enough. We'll have to take her back with us for a lengthier conversation. Tell the old fart we'll return her when he gives us the money." He snorted and started to walk out of the village.
Ma Wen looked at her unconscious son and father and wanted to scream, but she had no energy left. She silently went away with the brutes.
After they were gone, everyone in the village broke down crying. Only a few men stayed strong and picked up Old Wan and his grandson, taking them toward their hut.
When they entered the hut, even their eyes burned red. There were torn clothes and broken items everywhere. They cleaned it up and placed the grandfather and grandson on the mat.
After that, they left.
Outside, among the crowd, a seventeen-year-old boy stood in a daze. *What the hell did I just witness?* His head was buzzing crazily.
*Have I transmigrated to such a place?* Strange memories filled his brain, and he slowly walked toward his small hut, closing the door behind him.
His name? He was Zong An, an orphan in the village. His body had been possessed by another Zong An, one not from this world—Zong An from Earth—and he found himself in the most peculiar situation.
After entering the hut, he sprawled on a straw mat as more and more information started filling his brain.