Chapter 1: The Evil Slave Arrives

"Lei Jincai, our Lord Wang has said that with the recent cold weather, it is not easy to go up the mountain. He asks you to pay next month's regular fee first!" The scarred villain curled his lip, glanced at Lei Jincai with disdain, and said lightly.

However, over the past decade or so, Lei Yu has not shown much talent. On the contrary, due to his dark complexion, he was nicknamed "Black Boy" by the children of the same age in the neighborhood since childhood. Over time, not only those children but even Lei Yu's own parents began to habitually call him "Black Boy," while his real name gradually faded from people's memory

On the mountainside of Peach Blossom Mountain, in a certain place, a simple wooden cabin stands here, indistinguishable from everything around it. The roof of the cabin is also covered with a thick layer of snow, creating an overall appearance of silvery white. The icicles hanging from the eaves, several inches long, are crystal clear, shimmering with a faint glow

The Lei family has lived in the Peach Blossom Mountain for several generations. Whether it is Lei Yu or Lei Jincai, they can both be considered as authentic as one can be among the people of Shanshu.

This heavy snowfall has continued for several days, and as of today, there are still no signs of it stopping

"Are you Lei Jincai?" The scarred man, who spoke first, let out a cold snort, his gaze sweeping around the room before finally settling on Lei Jincai's face

It is yet another harsh winter, with heavy snow falling in abundance. As I gaze around, all I see is a blanket of silvery white. Even the sky and the ground seem to connect somewhere, making it impossible to distinguish between them, for at this moment, the world appears to be draped in a layer of silver.

Cough... cough... cough...

It is I! It is I! I wonder what brings you gentlemen to seek me! Upon seeing these men suddenly burst in, Lei Jincai not only dared not show the slightest anger, but his gaze towards them was clearly tinged with a hint of fear. This was because Lei Jincai knew that these men were the wicked servants of Lord Wang from down the mountain, and the very mountain he resided in was precisely the territory of this Lord Wang. Lei Jincai not only dared not show the slightest anger, but his gaze towards them was clearly tinged with a hint of fear. This was because Lei Jincai knew that these men were the wicked servants of Lord Wang from down the mountain, and the very mountain he resided in was precisely the territory of this Lord Wang.

Although Lei Jincai pleaded desperately, those wicked servants paid him no mind, roughly pushing him aside and beginning to rummage through boxes and cabinets in search of - illustrations -.

"You are asking for the regular fee again; wasn't it collected just a few days ago? I don't have any left!" Upon hearing this from the wicked servant, Lei Jincai's expression instantly turned extremely awkward. Such instances of collecting the regular fee in advance had occurred several times before, but each time it was said to be for the next month, only for the collection to happen again as usual when the next month arrived.

"Forget it, Leijie, don't follow your brother. At this rate, I doubt he will amount to anything in this lifetime!" After a few words of admonition, Lei Jincai lovingly stroked the small boy's face, which was turning blue from the cold. This little boy was Lei Jincai's youngest son, Leijie. Compared to Lei Yu, Leijie was clearly more sensible. However, every time he looked at Leijie, Lei Jincai always felt a twinge of sadness, as his late wife had permanently left him due to Leijie's birth. This little boy was Lei Jincai's youngest son, Leijie. Compared to Lei Yu, Leijie was clearly more sensible. However, every time he looked at Leijie, Lei Jincai always felt a twinge of sadness, as his late wife had permanently left him due to Leijie's birth.

Lei Heizi, whose surname is Lei, is named Lei Yu. It is said that at the time of his birth, golden light emanated from the house. Coincidentally, a feng shui master happened to pass by, saw this situation, and entered. He stated that Lei Yu absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, being born a remarkable person in a remarkable place, but he lacked water in the five elements. Therefore, Lei Heizi's father named him Lei Yu.

With a loud bang, the wooden door was forcefully pushed open, and a group of four or five men, resembling household servants, swaggered in.

"Heizi, it's getting late, you should get up!" An old man, dressed in a tattered cotton-padded jacket and appearing somewhat hunched, walked in. He glanced at the still soundly sleeping Lei Yu on the kang, shook his head, and sighed. This old man was none other than Lei Yu's father, Lei Jincai.

"Father, it is freezing cold today, and even if I get up, there is nothing to do. Just let me sleep a little longer!" With bleary eyes, Lei Yu poked his head out from under the blanket, mumbled a few words to Lei Jincai, and then continued to bury his head in sleep.

If it were not for the heavy snow these days, Lei Jincai would certainly have some mountain goods in his house that could temporarily serve as money to tide him over. However, in these days, his family of three cannot even satisfy their basic food needs, let alone have any surplus items to act as money.

The birds have flown away from the thousand mountains, and the traces of people have vanished from the myriad paths

"Stop! What should be given, we will give; what should not be given, we will not give a single cent! Whoever moves recklessly, I will fight him to the end!" A furious shout suddenly rang out as the thin, dark-skinned Lei Heizi emerged slowly from the inner room, dragging a shoulder pole that was several inches longer than himself.

On the cold kang, Lei Heizi tightened the thin quilt, pulling his entire body, including his head, into it, for only in this way could he feel a trace of warmth

"Dad, aside from liking to sleep in a bit, I think my brother is really good to me. Every time someone bullies me, he always helps me!" Lei Jie looked up at Lei Jincai with his big eyes, innocently expressing some dissatisfaction about speaking ill of his brother to his father.

Not to mention the wealthy families, even among the mountain dwellers in this vicinity, there are quite a few who marry and have children by the age of seventeen or eighteen. In fact, even Lei Jincai has long had plans to find a wife for his son, Lei Yu. However, due to the family's poverty and the early passing of the child's mother, this matter has been delayed.

"Father! Father! Is brother still not up?" Just as he walked into the main house, a seven or eight-year-old boy approached Lei Jincai.

He sighed and said, "Heizi, with this heavy snow blocking the mountains, I don't know when it will stop. The firewood at home is running low, so you should figure it out yourself. I won't say much more; you should understand!" After another sigh, Lei Jincai did not say anything further and slowly walked out. After all, his son Lei Yu was already seventeen years old, no longer a child. In today's world, at seventeen or eighteen, one is already considered a capable man. In those wealthy families, young men of seventeen or eighteen often have wives and children.

Making a living on someone else's territory, the monthly rent is of course unavoidable, and the ones who come to collect the rent are precisely these few wicked servants before him. However, Lei Jincai is still somewhat baffled by the sudden arrival of these wicked servants, because just a few days before this snowfall, they had only come to collect this month's rent. Lei Jincai clearly remembers that at that time, all the valuables in his home were taken away by them.