Chapter 1

In the sixth year of Taiyuan during the Eastern Jin Dynasty (381 AD), in Jingkou Town, Nanyanzhou.

It was already May, and over the vast expanse of green and emerald rice fields, farmers in short shirts and exposed legs were bending over to work. A gentle breeze blew, causing the rice plants to bow low, occasionally revealing water buffalo plowing the fields, swishing their tails as they moved slowly forward. A wide, dusty official road, about five feet wide, stretched out.

On the official road, a tall man, about eight feet tall, wearing a soil-colored robe patched with various colors, had a robust and imposing figure. He was carrying a bundle of firewood, as tall as a small mountain, at least a dozen feet high, weighing at least two or three hundred pounds, and was walking forward.

This bundle of firewood was so tall and wide that it almost completely blocked half of the official road, making it impossible for passersby behind to see.

More frighteningly, despite carrying such a large bundle of firewood, the man still walked briskly. His large feet, clad in worn-out straw shoes, left several-inch-deep footprints on the ground with each step, causing the official road to tremble slightly.

Two farmers straightened up from the fields and smiled at the man: "Liu Yu, are you going to cut wood in the southern mountains again today? Didn't you go to the ferry to take your shift?"

The man named Liu Yu turned his head and smiled slightly: "I cut wood in the morning and go to the ferry in the afternoon. The higher-ups have issued an order, saying that many people from the north (a derogatory term for people from the Central Plains) are coming south, and we need to greet them. But I have to support my family, and the small salary from the village head is not enough to feed us all."

This man named Liu Yu was a native of Jingkou at the end of the Jin Dynasty. He lost both his parents at a young age and was raised by his stepmother. Due to extreme poverty and his mother's death from childbirth, he was once sent to live with his aunt and even earned the nickname "Jinu" (a derogatory term for a foster child).

At around five years old, little Liu Yu was finally brought back home by his father, but his father soon died from overwork.

Perhaps even heaven did not want to see Liu Yu suffer so much, endowing him with extraordinary strength from a young age. His fierce and combative nature made even the tough people of Jingkou look at him with awe. Many children who called him "Jinu" ended up with various injuries, such as missing teeth and broken noses, due to his fists.

Because of this, in the chaotic times where might was right, he was appointed as the village head by the court. Today, a new governor was about to take office.

Liu Yu planned to sell this bundle of firewood at the market near the ferry after cutting it, and perhaps the new governor would inspect the busy ferry.

Another farmer pointed to the official road ahead and said: "Liu Yu, a group of people is coming from that direction. They seem to have quite a grand procession. You should check if it's the new governor."

A cold light flashed in Liu Yu's eyes as he looked ahead: "I'll go check." With that, he quickened his pace.

About a hundred steps ahead on the official road, a group of people was moving forward, with a loud cymbal and drum leading the way. The person at the front, in his early twenties, of medium height, wearing a green robe and a small hat, had high cheekbones, large eyes, thin lips, and a stern expression, dressed as a clerk.

Behind him, a man in his thirties, wearing a fine silk robe, a casual headband, a jade belt, and thick boots, had a face covered in thick white powder and was riding a horse with his head held high.

Behind and on both sides of this nobleman, dozens of burly men with fierce faces, holding sticks and leather whips, and wearing silk robes embroidered with flying eagles and running dogs, followed.

In this world dominated by high-ranking families, it was clear that these were the servants and henchmen of a high official. As they walked, they shouted loudly: "The nobleman is passing, all commoners must quickly make way!"

A farmer, about sixteen or seventeen years old, thin and short, with black and yellow mud on his legs, had just walked onto the official road from the fields, carrying a hoe. He unwillingly moved to the side of the road, muttering to himself: "Who are these people, so arrogant?"

The nobleman on the horse twitched his ears and stopped. He lightly took out a silk handkerchief from his chest and wiped his nose, saying casually: "Rou zhi!"

Instantly, a dozen henchmen rushed to the farmer. The leader, with a coin-sized black mole on his right cheek and a few sparse black hairs, moved his mole as he cursed: "Blind dog, don't you recognize the son of the new governor? Teach you a lesson!"

These henchmen cursed and beat the farmer, kicking and punching him to the ground, and then started lashing him with whips.

The farmer tried to resist but, upon hearing the word "governor," he deflated like a punctured balloon, only protecting his head and vital parts, rolling on the ground, and pleading loudly: "I am blind, I am blind."

A cruel smile appeared on the nobleman's lips as he said coldly: "Diaomao, take him to see a doctor!"

The leader, named Diaomao, took out a small bag from his chest, weighed it in his hand, and the sound of copper coins clinking could be heard. He then threw the bag in front of the beaten and dirty farmer and spat on him: "Remember, this is a gift from the nobleman. Next time, be more careful!"

He walked back to the nobleman, bowing and scraping, and waved his hand, signaling his companions to move forward.

The nobleman smiled at the clerk leading the way: "Liu Congshi, people say the people of Jingkou are fierce, but from what I see, it's not so!"

Suddenly, a loud voice came from behind: "The people of Jingkou are not for you to judge!"

The nobleman's eyebrows furrowed, and Diaomao rushed forward, cracking his whip on the ground, raising a cloud of dust: "Who dares to be so disrespectful? Don't you know that the nobleman's passage requires you to make way? Are you asking for a beating?"

The person who spoke was Liu Yu. He stopped, lifted his head, and a face of about seventeen or eighteen years old was revealed. He had a full forehead, dark eyebrows, bright and piercing eyes, a high nose, and a jaw as hard as rock. His muscular body made the patched robe he wore bulge with definition. Despite his simple appearance as a woodcutter, his extraordinary heroic aura could not be concealed.

Diaomao, who was about to start a fight, was intimidated by Liu Yu's imposing figure and involuntarily took a step back. The nobleman frowned in disgust, his nose turned up, and he said in a deep voice: "Are you deaf? Blocking the road, do you want to die?"

Diaomao suddenly regained his courage and shouted: "Boy, the nobleman is speaking to you, kneel down quickly!" He tightened the leather whip in his hand, ready to attack, and the twenty or so henchmen also tightened their sticks, silently surrounding Liu Yu.