SWORD OF THE DEMON WOLF

Robbery

"I'm sorry if my presence in this village makes you uncomfortable, Sirs. But you should know, my parents and I were victims of monstrous cruelty. I hope you and the people of this village never have to endure what my family did."

The pain in Xiao Chen’s heart was unmistakable. He could sense that malicious rumors had already spread from Qincheng Village, causing people in other villages to speak ill of his family.

With his stomach aching from hunger, the young man stepped out of the small tavern. Fortunately, a life of hardship had trained him to become a resilient soul who never complained.

Hearing Xiao Chen’s parting words, the tavern’s patrons could only fall silent and watch him leave. A sense of pity stirred in their hearts—everyone except the man who had thrown him out.

"Why did you treat him like that, Yong Li? What he said is true—he and his parents were the victims, not the culprits of that terrible crime," said the tavern owner, clearly upset by Yong Li's actions.

"You’re wrong, Yong Li... Have you forgotten that the prayers of the oppressed are heard by the Divine? If he prays for misfortune to befall our village and the Divine hears him, then you’ll be the one responsible!" added another patron.

"Why are you both blaming me? What I did was to protect our village from disaster. That boy is cursed by the Divine! If he wasn’t, his family wouldn't have suffered like that," Yong Li shot back, defiantly.

"Did the Divine personally tell you he’s cursed?" the tavern owner countered sharply. "Your mind has been poisoned by the villagers of Qincheng who hate his family! From what I’ve heard, despite living humbly, his family was kind and always helped others. They avoided conflict whenever they could. Do you really think the Divine would curse people like that?"

Yong Li fell completely silent, unable to offer any rebuttal. Embarrassed, he quickly paid for his meal and left the tavern.

Meanwhile, Xiao Chen kept walking into the darkness of night. He tied a river stone to his stomach with a piece of cloth—an old trick to suppress hunger.

A small hut standing alone at the edge of a rice field became his shelter for the night. But the gnawing hunger made it hard for him to close his eyes even as midnight passed.

In the stillness of night, Xiao Chen faintly heard the sound of more than twenty footsteps echoing down the road. He peeked out and dared not move. In their hands, the men held swords and other gleaming weapons reflecting the moonlight.

"Looks like someone’s in that hut," said one of them, spotting Xiao Chen.

"Leave him. Probably just a homeless wanderer," replied another.

Xiao Chen’s anxiety slowly faded. At least for tonight, he wouldn't suffer more than the hunger that already tormented him.

His curiosity piqued, Xiao Chen’s eyes followed the direction the group was heading—toward the small village he had just left.

Not long after, faint screams from women echoed from the village. Xiao Chen’s suspicion solidified—they were a gang of robbers.

That suspicion was confirmed when the group emerged from the village carrying valuables. Three of the men were even carrying unconscious women on their backs.

Seeing the helpless women, Xiao Chen was suddenly reminded of what had happened to his mother. The thought sparked a fire within him: “I must save those women!”

He began tailing the group stealthily, convinced they were taking the women to be used as objects of lust.

For nearly two hours, he followed them into a dense forest. Careful to stay at a safe distance, Xiao Chen ducked behind trees whenever he thought he might be noticed.

Eventually, they arrived at a large house surrounded by a tall wooden fence, nearly three meters high. One by one, they entered the compound.

Xiao Chen exhaled slowly. His mind raced, searching for a way to rescue the three women.

"How can I get into their hideout?" he muttered to himself.

Suddenly, he spotted one of the gang members exiting the house. Judging by the way he walked, the man probably needed to relieve himself. Xiao Chen saw his chance.

He picked up a fallen tree branch, about the thickness of a grown man’s arm, and quietly crept toward where the robber had disappeared.

To avoid making noise, he tiptoed carefully, a skill honed from years of hunting wild fowl in the forest.

His instincts were right—the man was squatting behind a bush, too focused on his business to notice Xiao Chen approaching.

Only when Xiao Chen stood two steps away did the man finally notice and turn his head. "Who are yo—"

Thwack!

Without a word, Xiao Chen slammed the heavy branch into the man’s head. The impact knocked him out cold.

"Damn! What the hell did this guy eat? It reeks!" he cursed silently.

After hiding the unconscious body in the bushes, he stashed his belongings nearby where he could retrieve them quickly if anything went wrong.

This time, Xiao Chen didn’t sneak. He walked boldly toward the front gate of the bandits’ hideout.

His heart pounded as he knocked on the gate. He feared the guards might recognize he wasn’t one of them.

Soon, the gate creaked open. Thankfully, the two men standing guard didn’t look closely at him.

Xiao Chen bowed his head as he passed through.

"Hey, you!" called one of the guards.