Becoming Bandits

After the crowd had rampaged through and slaughtered four villages in succession, the enforcement party dispatched by Zhou Changhe finally caught up, barely managing to check the group's brutal atrocities.

There had been no avoiding the disaster. The villages were not far apart, and even though the two mortal guards possessed formidable stamina, sprinting back and forth took time. By the time word arrived, the wealthy households of several consecutive settlements had already been completely exterminated.

Initially, the Zhou family had decreed that each vanguard should stop and fortify their positions after claiming three villages. However, these men had gone utterly berserk with bloodlust, dragging the hesitant Zhou Changxi along to continue the slaughter. If Zhou Shi and his men had not arrived when they did, there was no telling how much further the carnage would have spread.

As dusk fell, over a dozen campfires were lit across a dilapidated, conquered village. Zhou Changxi's detachment had finally halted to rest-and it was only under the firm pretext of this mandatory respite that the unruly fellows reluctantly stopped their advance.

Zhou Shi, covered in the dust of the road, walked up to the campfire and sighed with deep worry, "Second Young Master, how could you allow them to plunder?"

Human desire was a man-eating beast; once unleashed, it was nearly impossible to cage it again.

"I... I only wanted to give them some motivation," Zhou Changxi stammered, sitting helplessly by the fire. His eyes were completely vacant, filled with a mixture of terror and dejection. "I never expected it to turn out like this."

"Alas, what is done is done. We will rest here for the night and wait for the First Young Master and the others to arrive. Once they are here, everything can be set right," Zhou Shi consoled him, letting out a heavy sigh.

Right then, Ma Datou, Wu Siliu, and Sun Chuan approached with broad grins, operating under the assumption that this was merely a temporary pause before they pushed on to the next village.

"Second Young Master, when do we set out for the next village?"

It was glaringly obvious that the thrill of burning, killing, and plundering had thoroughly corrupted their minds. They were no longer simple, honest villagers; they had transformed into ruthless, hardened executioners.

Zhou Changxi's body shuddered violently as the images of these very men coercing him earlier flashed across his mind. He remained frozen and silent.

Zhou Shi, already plagued by anxiety, flared up at the sight of Ma Datou and his cohorts. He immediately barked, "The Second Young Master has not even eaten yet! What do you lot think you are doing? Back away this instant!"

Given the massive numbers these men now commanded, Zhou Shi did not dare use his usual overbearing attitude to berate them. However, having served as a prominent steward for years, his ingrained arrogance and domineering nature still made his tone incredibly harsh.

Ma Datou and the others stiffened, the smiles freezing on their faces. Though resentment simmered in their chests, they did not dare openly defy him just yet, slinking back into the shadows dejectedly.

Realizing his words had been somewhat overly severe, but unable to lower his pride and apologize, Zhou Shi turned to Sun Mingcheng, who was resting nearby. "Have your men brought back word? When will the First Young Master arrive?"

Niu Family Village was currently bogged down with countless affairs, leaving Zhou Changhe temporarily unable to break away. He could only dispatch Zhou Shi ahead to stabilize the situation while sending messengers to contact Zhou Minghu, planning to bring the main force later in the evening.

Sun Mingcheng shook his head and replied, "I haven't heard from the First Young Master, but I did spot the party sent by the Third Young Master. They have already gone back to report. The Third Young Master should arrive later tonight."

Hearing this, Zhou Shi finally felt a wave of relief wash over him. The Third Young Master was an immortal cultivator who allegedly possessed an extraordinary Dharma Treasure. He would undoubtedly be able to suppress this unruly crowd.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the gathering place.

Ma Datou and his core companions gathered around a separate campfire, every single face dark and sullen.

Wu Siliu suddenly snatched a stone from the dirt and hurled it violently into the flames, causing bright sparks to explode outward.

"Damn it! That old dog Zhou Shi sure knows how to put on airs, ordering us around like we are stray mutts!"

As he cursed venomously, his peripheral vision carefully gauged the reactions of the men around him.

Ma Datou remained silent, though an ominous light flickered within his eyes. Sun Chuan and his kin looked as though they wanted to speak but held back; after all, they belonged to the Sun family, and though they felt deeply humiliated and aggrieved, they knew the Zhou family was far too powerful to offend.

However, among the other militia leaders from Baixi Village, not a single one stepped forward to defend the Zhou family. Instead, several looked toward Wu Siliu with a twisted sense of anticipation.

Wu Siliu knew his moment had arrived.

Through the unchecked acts of slaughter and plunder, these men had long shed their identities as honest farmers. Dark, treasonous ambitions had begun to take root in their hearts.

Furthermore, the brutal sacking of these wealthy estates had shown them just how effortlessly gold and silver could be acquired. Along the way, they had absorbed countless starving refugees into their ranks.

Where there are people, there are factions and struggles for power.

By banding together, these local heads had quickly asserted dominance over the refugees, growing their personal faction to over two hundred men and dividing the host into several distinct strongholds.

Human nature was a fickle thing. In a single day, they had transformed completely. Because Zhou Changxi was entirely too weak to command them, and the rest of the Zhou family was far away, thoughts of betrayal naturally began to fester.

Having witnessed the exact response he desired, Wu Siliu lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Brothers, are you truly content to be the Zhou family's servants for the rest of your miserable lives?"

These words struck right at the core of their hidden desires, causing an eerie, predatory glint to surface in their eyes.

After all, though the Zhou family had successfully risen to become a clan of cultivators, their ascension was far too recent, and their clan prestige had not yet been deeply forged into the bones of the commoners. Seeing how cowardly Zhou Changxi was, and having tasted the absolute freedom of plunder, how could these men not harbor malicious intents?

"Old Wu, if you have something to say, spit it out," Ma Datou said flatly. He harbored the exact same ambitions but preferred to let someone else take the risk of voicing them first.

"Look at us! The brothers are out here bleeding and fighting to conquer territory for the Zhou family! Even if we don't have monumental merits, we have worked ourselves to the bone. Yet now, a mere dog of the Zhou house dares to bark at us! If we stay, they will toy with us however they please in the future." Wu Siliu bolted to his feet, pulling a blazing wooden brand from the fire. "If this is what it means to build a future, then I, Old Wu, want no part of it!"

A fierce, scarred brute nearby roared, "Old Wu! Then what do you propose we do?"

Wu Siliu scanned the intense gazes fixed upon him from the shadows. "If you ask me, we should take the brothers, claim a mountain for ourselves, and live as kings! Think of the absolute freedom and pleasure!"

"This..."

The surrounding militia leaders instantly showed signs of hesitation. Although their avarice had been awakened, the thought of outright defying the Zhou family-which had loomed over them like an insurmountable mountain-still filled them with instinctive dread.

"What are you still hesitating for?" Wu Siliu fanned the flames of sedition. "That old dog Zhou Shi is already here. On the surface, he claims he wants us to rest, but in truth, he is stopping us from seizing more territory!"

"I also heard that the other elites of the Zhou family are rushing here as we speak. When they arrive, not only will we receive no rewards for our hard work, but we might even face the Zhou family's severe Penalty! Are you truly willing to accept that?"

Sun Chuan watched the shifting expressions of the men around him, and a wave of absolute horror washed over him. He silently attempted to slip away into the dark, but Ma Datou's hand shot out like a lightning bolt, clamping onto his throat with a vice-like grip.

A sickening crack echoed through the clearing. Sun Chuan's neck snapped instantly, his head lolling limply to the side as his lifeless corpse collapsed into the dirt.

This sudden, cold-blooded murder terrified the nearby leaders. Even though they had slaughtered many today, Sun Chuan was one of their own core members; a harrowing sense of dread and mutual vulnerability gripped them.

Ma Datou stood up, his voice dripping with icy malice. "Are you lot joining me to go slaughter Zhou Changxi and his men?"

"Once we claim the mountains as kings, you will be the Second Chief, the Third Chief, the Fourth Chief..."

"Never again will we be bound by the laws of the damn Zhou family! We will do whatever we please!"

Wu Siliu stepped forward to reinforce him, adding, "When that time comes, whatever gold or women we desire, we will simply take them by force! Why should we risk our lives slave-driving for someone else?"

Their alternating arguments acted like a demonic, mind-clouding incantation, causing the remaining leaders' eyes to roll with greed. Finally, savage, distorted smiles broke across their faces.

"To hell with it! I am never tilling the dirt again!" a brute cursed venomously, tearing the straw hat from his head and slamming it into the ground to seal his oath.

"Good," Ma Datou commanded. "Go disperse into the crowd and gather the brothers. Tell them the Zhou family demands that we surrender every single piece of spoils we seized today. Then, pick out the most ruthless, cold-blooded fighters and bring them to me to execute the masters!"

With that, the leaders quickly vanished into the darkness. Fearing that someone might leak the plot, Ma Datou and Wu Siliu placed trusted guards along the perimeter, preventing anyone from approaching Zhou Changxi's position.

Before long, a dozen hardened thugs had gathered, their eyes gleaming with murderous intent.

In the distance, the massive crowd of refugees and commoners was also seething with rage. Zhou Changxi had explicitly promised them that the plundered spoils would belong to them, yet now they were being told they had to hand it all over. How could they not be furious?

When Ma Datou and his men announced they were going to demand justice from the master, the crowd was entirely supportive, standing back to watch the heavily armed contingent march toward Zhou Changxi's position.

Only a small fraction of the older villagers noticed something amiss, catching the faint glint of concealed blades beneath the men's cloaks.

Zhou Shi was staring intently at the crackling campfire when a sudden, suffocating silence fell over the camp. Sensing that something was deeply wrong, he turned to Sun Mingcheng. "Where are your clansmen?"

Sun Mingcheng, who was roasting a piece of meat over the flames, looked up and pointed into the distance. "They are right over-"

His voice cut off as he discerned several blood-drenched corpses lying motionless in the shadows. His pupils dilated in horror, and he bolted upright, screaming, "Men! To arms!"

Before the shout could fully leave his lips, a sharpened wooden spear whistled through the night air, piercing cleanly through his chest!

"Enemy attack! Protect the Second Young Master!" Zhou Shi shrieked in absolute terror.

The guards instantly formed a defensive circle around Zhou Changxi, drawing their sabers and swords as they warily scanned the enveloping darkness. Zhou Changxi cowered in the center, paralyzed with fear, terrified that some monstrous entity was about to leap from the shadows.

In the next breath, a dense volley of spears rained down from the dark, catching the guards entirely off guard. Screams erupted as several men were instantly pierced and wounded.

"Ah!"

Zhou Changxi shrieked as a stray spear gouged into his flank. Blood erupted from the wound uncontrollably, instantly dyeing his garments a gruesome crimson.

The guards' expressions altered drastically. Several immediately threw themselves over Zhou Changxi, using their own bodies as living shields, while Zhou Shi frantically tore his own garments to staunch the torrent of blood.

"Second Young Master, hold on! You will be fine, you will be fine!"

But Ma Datou and his rebel force had already charged out of the brush, swinging their heavy blades and charging the defensive line.

The distant crowd of commoners was thrown into utter chaos. They finally realized this was no negotiation; Ma Datou was committing outright treason and murdering the clan leadership!

Several elders from Baixi Village frantically rushed forward, attempting to intervene and stop the slaughter.

Ma Datou and Wu Siliu knew they had to finish this swiftly. There were still many commoners who held deep reverence for the Zhou family; if they dragged this out, the momentum would turn against them. They focused all their strength on a single aim: kill Zhou Changxi, and the rebellion would succeed.

Despite the desperate resistance of the loyal guards, they were completely overwhelmed by numbers. Assailants continuously breached the perimeter, hacking wildly at the center.

"Ma Datou! You ungrateful dogs dare to rebel against the clan?!" the approaching elders screamed, hurling curses.

Yet Ma Datou was entirely unfazed. Completely ignoring the swords and clubs raining down on his back, he swung his massive cleaver directly at Zhou Changxi.

To be the undisputed leader of this new bandit horde, he had to be the fiercest and most ruthless; only then could he suppress the wicked men beneath him!

Wu Siliu was busy tying up several guards nearby. Seeing that Zhou Changxi was firmly cornered, a sinister thought crossed his mind, and he deliberately let a loyal guard slip past him to strike at Ma Datou from behind.

Zhou Changxi lay collapsed in his own blood, watching the massive blade descend. In a desperate bid for survival, a sudden surge of strength exploded within his frame, and he threw his body backward.

However, the wound at his waist was simply too severe, slowing his movements by a fraction of a second. The heavy cleaver sliced violently into his back, carving open a massive, horrific gash that exposed splintered white bone amid a ruin of pulverized flesh.

Simultaneously, the guard who had broken through slammed a heavy staff into Ma Datou, the audible sound of cracking bone echoing through the din.

"Pfft!"

The immense force sent Ma Datou crashing to the dirt, vomiting a mouthful of blood, though the injury was not fatal.

Zhou Changxi, however, flew through the air like a kite with a severed string, crashing heavily into the dirt. Crimson blood pooled rapidly beneath him; his breathing was shallow, his chest barely rising. He was clearly beyond saving.

If an immortal cultivator like Zhou Ping or Zhou Minghu were present, they might have possessed the mystical arts to preserve his fading spark of life. But there were no such miracles in this desolate village.

Zhou Shi threw himself over the dying boy's body, weeping and screaming hysterically, "Second Young Master! Second Young Master!"

"Second Young Master!"

The remaining guards fought on in a frenzy of grief and rage, while others froze in place, completely overwhelmed by despair.

"Damn you traitors! I will fight you to the death!"

Zhou Shi roared, snatching up a discarded weapon and lunging forward, only for several spears to instantly impale his chest from behind. He collapsed into the growing pool of blood, his life force slipping away.

The larger crowd of over a hundred commoners finally arrived, brandishing their makeshift weapons to slaughter Wu Siliu and the rebels.

However, Wu Siliu suddenly bellowed at the top of his lungs, "Zhou Changxi is dead! Even if you slaughter us all right now, do you honestly believe the Zhou family will grant you mercy?"

His voice caused the remaining guards and commoners to freeze, though they kept their weapons raised defensively.

"The Zhou family has always been sparse in numbers, and now we have slaughtered their direct kin! Even if they don't execute every single one of you, do you honestly think they will ever trust or treat you well again?"

"Damn you! If you hadn't murdered the Second Young Master, none of this would have happened! Do not listen to his demonic words!" an old villager spat.

Wu Siliu let out a cold laugh. "We bled and fought to conquer this land for them, yet they want to strip away every single coin we earned! We get absolutely nothing! Are you truly not aggrieved? Are you truly willing to live like cattle?"

This statement caused even the neutral militia leaders to waver. None of them had expected Wu Siliu to possess such terrifying rhetorical leverage at a time like this.

"If you follow us into the mountains, I guarantee you will feast on meat and drink the finest wine! Never again will you have to take orders from the arrogant Zhou family!" Wu Siliu declared, his voice filled with intoxicating promise. "And forget about those drab women and starving children back in your mountain huts. I swear to you, from this day forth, we will raid and capture whatever beautiful women you desire!"

A heavy, suffocating silence fell over the host. On one hand lay the lawless freedom of banditry; on the other lay surrendering their spoils and facing the unpredictable wrath of an immortal clan.

Though they still feared the mystical power of the Zhou family, Zhou Changxi was undeniably dead. Humans were instinctively driven by the fear of consequences; they could not bear the thought of being slaughtered or enslaved like pigs and dogs as a penalty for a crime they hadn't stopped.

Finally, one commoner let go of his weapon, allowing it to clatter against the dirt. Like a breaking dam, the action rippled through the host as dozens, then hundreds of men cast down their weapons.

Even a few of the surviving guards threw down their blades, utterly terrified of the clan's retribution.

After a brief, bloody purging of the remaining loyalist holdouts, no dissenting voices remained within the entire force.

To bind these men irrevocably to the treason, Wu Siliu commanded every single man to step forward and hack at Zhou Changxi's corpse. As the blades bit into the flesh, the remaining guilt in their hearts dissolved, replaced by a savage, thrilling sense of shared culpability. Living up to the grim reality of their choices, Zhou Changxi was reduced to a bloody mass of meat mud.

"Move out! We head north!"

Wu Siliu roared, and the massive bandit host began its march toward the northern ranges. Ma Datou was hoisted up and supported by two lackeys.

Though Ma Datou had initiated the plot to become the Big Chief, his severe injuries meant that Wu Siliu had effectively usurped the position, becoming the true leader of the horde.

Before they departed, they tossed torches into the structures, setting the entire village ablaze and leaving the dead to consume in the inferno.

As for Zhou Changxi, his remains had been entirely reduced to a pile of unrecognizable flesh, turning to ash within the roaring flames.

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