Chapter 1, The Stranger in the Lonely Village

Whether those sharpened wooden sticks pierced the abdomens of the Ding brothers or merely penetrated their soles clearly depended on the luck of the two brothers

To plead for mercy, one must do so with sincerity. Ding Erlang, how did you plead for mercy yesterday? Allow me to give you a hint for your elder brother.

Beside the stone steps stood a large water tank with a missing piece, Gu Qing turned his head and frowned at his reflection in the tank.

The young man raised the wooden stick again, and Ding Erlang was so frightened that his soul nearly left his body. He shouted in a high-pitched voice: "It's over! My brother and I are already done for! Gu Qing, spare us this time, and we will never dare to provoke you again!"

The dilapidated and shabby thatched cottage still stands quietly under the scorching summer sun, its door always closed, with not a sound coming from within

The wisdom of the working people is just this straightforward

A peddler carrying a load on his shoulder slowly approached from the end of the mountain path. Upon seeing the villagers gathered under the large locust tree, the peddler cleared his throat and began to shout loudly.

The villagers glanced around furtively and lowered their voices, saying: "The Ding brothers, Da Lang and Er Lang, are notorious bullies in our village, known for their unreasonable and aggressive behavior. Yesterday, when Er Lang was beaten, Da Lang was in the county town. Upon returning to the village today at noon and learning that his brother had been beaten, how could Da Lang swallow this humiliation? Just now, Da Lang declared that he swore to avenge his brother's great grievance. Looking at this situation, it seems that excitement is about to unfold..."

As the words fell, the young man's wooden stick, mixed with the howling wind, swung fiercely towards Ding Dalang. After a non-human scream, one of Ding Dalang's arms hung limply down, clearly broken.

Squinting his eyes to scrutinize the unremarkable thatched cottage, the peddler furrowed his brow and said: "Oh? Isn't that the Gu family's house? What has happened to the Gu family's child?"

Gu Qing, come out and face your death! If I do not take you down today, I will not be able to face the beating my brother endured!

The peddler roamed far and wide, thoroughly familiar with the villages near Qingcheng Mountain, even able to remember the names and appearances of every villager. Every day, he carried his load, exchanging small items such as pottery, cloth, and needles with the villagers for grain. Over the years, many villagers had become friends with him.

Under a large locust tree at the village entrance, seven or eight villagers gathered in the shade, their expressions solemn as they gazed at a solitary thatched cottage not far away, their eyes filled with awe and excitement

Ding Dalang paced back and forth in front of the wooden door, his expression growing increasingly fierce, with a murderous intent evident in his gaze

After a long silence, a heart-wrenching roar suddenly erupted in the sky above Shiqiao Village, each word filled with the blood and tears of enduring humiliation to survive

"Gu Qing, do not force my hand. If you come out on your own, I may spare your life. But if I catch you, I will surely kill you!" Ding Dalang shouted hoarsely.

Indeed, I still find it difficult to adapt to this new body

Oh? What do you mean by that

How did it grow to be like this

Gu Qing could not help but worry about the name for Song Gensheng's future child. After much thought, the only suitable name seemed to be "Song Gensan III." This not only simplifies matters but also provides a very rigorous level of distinction. As long as the descendants' intelligence can count from one to one hundred, theoretically, the generational distinction of the Song family will remain clear and evident even in the 21st century.

As soon as the words were spoken, Ding Dalang was already standing in front of the thatched cottage, pointing at the frail wooden door and starting to curse.

Come here!

Borrowing a phrase from you, if I do not eliminate you today, how can I, Gu Qing, show my face in Shiqiao Village?

The villager cast a sidelong glance at him, masking his embarrassment of not having clearly heard those two words with a cold smile

However, if any generation of the Song family were to encounter a situation similar to that of the current Emperor Li Longji and his daughter-in-law Yang Yuhuan, the lineage would become quite complicated

Behind Gu Qing stood a young boy named Song Gensheng. He stood quietly, his hands rubbing the corners of his clothes, obedient yet uneasy

The onlooking villagers had not yet reacted when they heard the chilling screams of the Ding brothers. The bolder villagers curiously approached to take a look and were astonished to find that, at some point, a large pit had been dug in the center of the Gu family's courtyard. Countless sharpened branches were inserted into the pit, and the surface was covered with straw and dirt to disguise it, making it appear no different from the ordinary ground. The Ding brothers stepped into the pit, having missed their footing.

The peddler suddenly resembled a rooster that had been caught by the neck while crowing, with a belly full of shouts stifled, causing his neck to turn red from the strain

When did the child of the Gu family become so ruthless? What happened to the previously harmless and well-behaved child of the Gu family?

The expressions on the faces of the onlooking villagers also changed. The pit was freshly dug, clearly indicating that after beating Ding Erlang yesterday, Gu Qing had astutely prepared a pit in his own yard, lining it with sharpened wooden branches, calmly waiting at home for the retaliation from the Ding brothers

He became like a rabbit cornered and desperate, turning around to chase after Ding Erlang. First, he threw a handful of sand to blind Ding Erlang, then mounted him, delivering punch after punch, making Ding Erlang cry out for his parents. Later, when Ding Erlang pleaded for mercy, Gu Qing finally stopped. However, it was not over yet; Gu Qing first asked him if he submitted. With his face beaten into a pulp, Ding Erlang naturally dared not refuse. This was still not the end; Gu Qing forced him to shout two strange words loudly. Only after Ding Erlang shouted did Gu Qing let him go.

As soon as the words were spoken, a villager shouted, "What the hell are you shouting about! Get the hell out of my way."

The villager sneered, "Gu Qing is honest? That was a matter of the past."

Seeing his elder brother take the lead, Ding Erlang hurriedly followed suit, step by step. As the two brothers entered the courtyard and had just taken a few steps inside, they suddenly froze, feeling something strange under their feet. Their expressions changed drastically, and finally, with two exclamations of "Oh no" and "Oh no," the two of them vanished halfway from the ground of the courtyard.

Just now, after striking Ding Dalang with a stick, my arm began to tremble, indicating that my body has reached a certain level of weakness

The reflection in the water ripples with glimmers, revealing a young face on the surface. At the age of seventeen or eighteen, it is not unattractive; upon closer inspection, it even has a hint of handsomeness. The eyebrows, eyes, nose, and lips combine to create a strikingly unique appearance that is difficult to describe. Having had a fight with Ding Erlang yesterday, there are still some bruises and scars on his face; however, the combination of features results in a rather peculiar style. If one were to use a single word to describe it, "unhappy" would be the most fitting.

The peddler nodded repeatedly: "That's right, I remember that child, he is too honest, it seems anyone can bully him. Several times I have seen the children from your village chasing and beating him, what a pity.

The seven or eight villagers in front of him were naturally familiar to the peddler. Even when scolded by the villagers, the peddler did not mind. Seeing that everyone's eyes were still fixed on that thatched cottage, the peddler curiously approached and whispered in a sneaky tone, "What are you all looking at?"

His gaze was vacant, with a pair of disheveled eyebrows lazily resting above his eyes, and the corners of his lips drooping downwards. Handsome yet exuding an aura of "the whole world owes me money but refuses to pay, hence my mood is quite poor," he radiated a negative energy that would make anyone who saw his face involuntarily feel that life is not worth living. Having been dumped by different women more than eighteen times, this appearance could only be the result of a heart shaped by experience.

In the ninth year of the Tianbao era of the Great Tang, in August, in Shuzhou of the Jian'nan Road, at the foot of Qingcheng Mountain, in Shiqiao Village

The sharpened wooden branch was covered in the blood of the Ding brothers. Fortunately, it did not pierce their abdomens, but merely penetrated their soles. The two of them were half-buried in the pit, trembling in pain and screaming to the heavens.

The peddler curiously asked, "What has he turned into?"

Millet and rice are exchanged for cloth scraps, exchanged for pottery, exchanged for needles and thread

It is surprising that one is born with a face that appears unhappy

The air is truly pleasant, and the sky is very clear, but Gu Qing's mood is not very good

There is still no movement inside the thatched cottage

Under the large locust tree not far away, the villagers watching the commotion and the peddler simultaneously straightened up. Villager A excitedly said: "Here it comes, here it comes! They are going to shout those two words again, everyone pay attention and broaden your horizons!"

After an unknown amount of time, the rickety door of the Gu family that was on the verge of collapse was gently opened. A young man dressed in a linen shirt and barefoot stepped out, holding a wooden stick as thick as an arm in his hand, and approached the Ding brothers with a cold smile.

The onlooking villagers behind fell silent immediately after a brief commotion.

At noon, all was silent; in the lush green mountains, the calls of birds and the chirping of cicadas echoed through the quiet valley, making one feel increasingly troubled.

As they were speaking, a sudden uproar of voices erupted from the southwest corner of the village. A burly man led the way towards the thatched cottage of the Gu family, followed closely by a short boy with a bruised face. These two were evidently the two brothers, Dingtian and Ding'er from the Ding family.

Dad—— (broken voice)

... ...

Although the thatched cottage is small, it can shelter from wind and rain

Ding Dalang covered his fractured arm, his face pale and his teeth clenched in silence, glaring at the youth with a look of resentment.

The peddler asked with great interest: "Which two characters?"

Alright, you are a real man. If I, Ding, do not take you down today, how can I hold my head high in Shiqiao Village? Just wait!

The two brothers stood two zhang apart, while a group of villagers watched from a distance, fearful of the brothers' intimidation. However, it would be a pity to miss such a commotion, so they followed stealthily like a gang of criminals stalking their prey.

After a long while, when Ding Dalang was becoming increasingly impatient, the door of the thatched cottage suddenly opened a crack. A hand reached out from the gap, with the index finger pointing upwards, beckoning Ding Dalang outside the wooden door. After a brief pause, it beckoned again, and then a voice filled with provocation came from inside.

A villager could no longer tolerate the peddler's nagging and irritably explained: "The Gu family only has Gu Qing left as a child. In the past, Gu Qing was timid and afraid of trouble, and when bullied, he wouldn't dare to utter a word..."

No one paid him any attention; the focus of seven or eight villagers was entirely on the dilapidated hut not far away.

According to his own introduction, he is Gu Qing's childhood companion, considered a close friend since childhood. This rather rustic name has a profound and distant origin - Song Gensheng's father was named Song Gen, hence he is called Song Gensheng

No one pays attention to him

The peddler remains unfazed; no matter how small the merchant, they possess thick skin, having grown accustomed over the years to being overlooked and ignored, and have also learned to give themselves a warm embrace

Gu Qing sat idly on the stone steps in front of the door, gazing blankly at the azure sky.

The young man seemed to be deep in thought, then slowly set down the wooden stick and smiled at Ding Erlang, his two rows of white teeth gleaming ominously in the sunlight

The peddler chuckled lightly, glanced around, and then said: "So, with so many of you gathered here today staring at Gu Qing's house, is there any excitement left to see?"

Under the big locust tree, Villager A sighed with great concern: "Today, the Gu family’s child is likely to fare poorly; Ding Dalang is notoriously ruthless. Several fellow townsmen have already been ruined at his hands over the years..."

Yesterday afternoon, Gu Qing suddenly underwent a drastic change in temperament for reasons unknown. Our village's little tyrant, Ding Erlang, chased after him. Gu Qing dodged and ran, but accidentally tripped and hit his head on a large rock, bleeding profusely. He lay on the ground for quite some time without moving. Before long, he got up, and then he completely transformed...

The onlooking villagers gasped in astonishment, while Ding Dalang was momentarily stunned. He then became furious, kicked open the wooden door, and strode into the Gu family's courtyard with a cruel grin on his face