CHAPTER 43: CHAPTER 43: EVIL

The Qinghe Gang has developed so extensively not only because they have backing from above, but also because they have talented people within the gang and their management is more stringent compared to other smaller gangs.

For instance, the Qinghe Gang does not recruit just anyone. They only take in young and robust people with no illness or injuries, providing food and accommodation, along with a monthly stipend.

And naturally, this money comes from oppressing the common folk.

In previous years, as members of the Qinghe Gang, life was fairly decent.

However, in recent years, disasters and chaos have been frequent.

Life has become difficult for the people, and equally hard for the Qinghe Gang, but the money that must be paid in reverence to those above cannot be reduced.

To sustain operations, the Qinghe Gang can only cut expenses, reduce stipends for gang members, and increase exploitation underneath.

Naturally, this leads to dissatisfaction among the gang members, but they certainly wouldn’t vent it within the gang.

Thus, powerless and unresourced common folk naturally became targets of oppression.

Layer upon layer, those below only become harsher.

Now, with Chen Hu slain by bandits, Yang Wei has ordered a thorough investigation, turning the ground over.

The government will not intervene.

Underlings can seize this thorough investigation as an excuse to profit for themselves, lining their pockets.

And as members of the Qinghe Gang had already heard some whispers, the government is no longer managing those outside the city.

Upon entering villages, they act recklessly, without regard for the dead.

Upon entering houses, they grab whatever they see.

Taking what can be taken, smashing what can’t.

Should they see a comely young woman, at best they take liberties, at worst they vent their beastly urges before her husband.

...

Fu Ze Village, Song Family.

Song Tian took on two jobs from Chen Mo, though the reward wasn’t much, the bear meat and bear blood fetched some money in the city, allowing him to buy some grain, barely enough to survive this harsh winter.

In the woodshed, the family sat together.

Song Tian, Song Tian’s wife, eldest daughter, eldest son-in-law, and little granddaughter, all had a bowl of thin porridge, except the eldest granddaughter Song Yan whose bowl of porridge was thick.

The eldest granddaughter completely inherited her mother’s strengths, discarding the weaknesses, at thirteen or fourteen, she had a delicate face, though malnourishment made her skin appear somewhat rough.

Liu Shu looked at the thick porridge in his daughter’s bowl, muttering, "Yanzi will marry eventually, why give her the best? Father, you’re the one working hard, you should eat more."

"What do you know?" Song Tian shot Liu Shu a glance, "Let Yanzi nourish herself well, in a while, I will find her a good match, otherwise with those thin arms and legs, she’ll be shunned."

Upon these words.

The group was taken aback, the eldest daughter asked curiously, "Father, who have you set your eyes on?"

"Erlang of the Chen Family." Being among family, Song Tian didn’t hide, "In the entire village, Brother Mo’s family lives the best, and Brother Mo is a scholar, at the prime of youth, Yanzi is perfect with him."

Upon hearing this, the eldest daughter couldn’t help but roll her eyes, saying, "Father, Yanzi and Brother Mo only match in age, when Aunt Chen was alive, she would always say her Brother Mo was Wenqu Star descended, now Brother Mo’s abilities are so great, how would he fancy Yanzi."

"Yanzi’s mother is right, Brother Mo even has Lady Han, such a beauty by his side, his tastes have long been pampered," said Liu Shu.

"What do you know, boys are at the age of admiring beauty, which boy doesn’t think of love, Lady Han is after all Brother Mo’s sister-in-law, moreover I’m allowing Yanzi to marry him not as a wife, but she qualifies as a concubine," Song Tian clearly understood, hence from the start the idea was to have Yanzi be a concubine to Brother Mo.

The family fell silent, though the Song Family was ordinary, they were at least an upright family, and placing their daughter in someone else’s place as a concubine would be scoffed at.

Moreover, a concubine holds no status, the children born would still be illegitimate.

But with life being so hard now, when barely enough to eat...

"Bang!"

Amidst the family’s silence, the woodshed door was kicked open.

Doors installed in rural areas are not particularly firm, with a single kick the wooden door crashed through the frame, collapsing to the ground, stirring up dust.

"Cough-cough..." The Song family coughed from the smoke, a man with a scarred face wielding a great saber walked in sinisterly, "I thought no one was home, turns out everyone was hiding here."

Meanwhile, a clatter arose from the main bedroom of the Song family, and then Song Tian saw pots, pans, and other utensils being thrown out from inside.

Seeing this, Song Tian became anxious, wanting to leave the woodshed to see.

But the scarred man kicked him down, sending him flipping.

"Old man."

"Father."

"..."

The Song family was startled, faces changed drastically, hastily checking on Song Tian’s condition.

Song Tian’s wife glared angrily at the scarred man, "You... why do you hit people for no reason?"

At this moment, a few Qinghe Gang underlings who’d been ransacking the main bedroom came by the scarred man’s side, saying, "Boss, this family is dirt poor, only found these."

The underling held in hand the remaining food from the Song family.

"Damn it, what bad luck," the scarred man spat, "I’m under Master Zhu of the Qinghe Gang, you can call me Dao, I am now suspecting someone from your village has murdered our Brother Hu, snatched the Qinghe Gang’s goods, Master Xiong ordered a thorough investigation, all these are stolen property, confiscate them all. We’re leaving."

Of course, these were merely excuses used by the scarred man to justify his looting.

That murderer who killed Brother Hu must certainly be an Entry Grade Martial Artist.

A warrior of such caliber, how could they hide in a small mountain village?

"Brothers, onto the next house."

Just as the scarred man prepared to call his mates to leave.

Song Tian’s wife rushed forward, hugging the scarred man’s leg, refusing to let him leave, demanding the food be returned.

That was the Song family’s grain, if it got stolen, the whole family would starve through the winter.

The eldest daughter nudged her husband, but he remained frozen, trembling in fear.

The scarred man was anything but kind, delivering a brutal kick, knocking Song Tian’s wife over, "Old woman, asking for trouble, marks for a beating before you’re obedient..."

The scarred man turned and spat viciously.

But upon turning, noticed the eldest daughter tightly holding Song Yan, grinned, "Oh, an unexpected gain..."

The scarred man began walking towards Song Yan.

His underlings quickly followed, their mouths emitting lascivious laughter.

"What... what do you intend?!"

The eldest daughter seemed to guess what was happening, her face turned pale, quickly shielding Song Yan behind her, picking up wood from the ground, her gaze coldly fixed on the scarred man, yet trembling hands betrayed her inner fear.

Both daughters burst into frightened cries.

Liu Shu shrank back fearfully.

"Move aside."

The scarred man swatted away the wood held by the eldest daughter, his underlings dragged her away.

The scarred man seized Song Yan, leading her to the Song family’s main bedroom.