Chapter 53

In the vast wilderness beyond the western border of the Tianyao Clan, the living conditions are extremely harsh. It is difficult to obtain enough food, and as a result, the mountain strongholds often cannot gather more bandits. A stronghold with over three hundred people is considered a powerful one, and if it has over a thousand, it is almost a formidable force that can strike fear into the hearts of those near and far.

However, the Blackbeard Mountain stronghold has a staggering two thousand bandits, almost all of whom are battle-hardened and ruthless.

The Blackbeard Mountain force, with such overwhelming strength, strikes fear into the hearts of all who speak of it.

Blackbeard Mountain has always been open to any wandering bandits who seek refuge, accepting them all. They are not afraid that the number of bandits will become too large and they won't have enough food to sustain them; they have their own methods.

Blackbeard Mountain is the most aggressive force in attacking the surrounding tribes. Repeated raids and plundering have made them extremely wealthy, and the constant deaths in these battles are the best way to reduce their overpopulated ranks.

Over the years, through continuous raids and eliminations, the remaining bandits are all elite and ferocious beyond measure.

For such a group of ruthless bandits, not to act tyrannically would be almost unthinkable.

Every year, Blackbeard Mountain forcibly issues the Blackbeard Order to the surrounding bandit strongholds, demanding an annual tribute, which is essentially protection money.

At first, the bandits from other strongholds reacted with intense anger to the annual tribute.

However, after Blackbeard Mountain's bandits brutally exterminated a few strongholds that dared to defy the Blackbeard Order, no one within a few hundred miles dared to refuse the annual tribute.

The nearby strongholds had to pay the protection money year after year, enduring the pain in their hearts, in exchange for the right to survive. They thought this would ensure peace.

However, no one expected that when they received the Blackbeard Order this year, it was a double-sided order, meaning that Blackbeard Mountain was demanding double the annual tribute.

The bandits from the surrounding strongholds were all shocked and furious. They had struggled through the year, barely managing to save some food and wealth for the winter, only to have to hand it all over. Even the blood-sucking demons in the wilderness were not as cruel.

However, just as the discontent was beginning to grow, a message spread one night: a stronghold that openly defied the Blackbeard Order had all 84 of its members, big and small, brutally massacred. This news quelled all dissent.

The people in the various strongholds were now in a state of fear. Even with the double annual tribute, they dared not refuse.

In the wilderness, everyone was worried about the annual tribute. The conflicts between the strongholds, as they fought over each other's wealth, became extremely intense.

In the continuous mountain range, there is a mountain shaped like a bull's head, with the head facing east and two prominent stone peaks like the horns of a bull.

Following the mountain path up to the halfway point, one can see stone walls, a drawbridge, wooden watchtowers for lookout and archery, and through the stone walls, the faint outlines of stone houses.

In the harsh environment of the wilderness, the Bullhead Mountain stronghold is considered a blessed land. There are few natural disasters nearby, and there are plenty of low-level demons. Thirty-five miles west of Bullhead Mountain, there is a swamp rich in plant tubers. Years ago, Kusuru and a few brothers chose this place, drove away the dozen or so wandering bandits who occupied Bullhead Mountain, and settled here. After years of construction, the Bullhead Mountain stronghold has become very secure and easy to defend.

However, at this moment, the stronghold appears empty and lifeless. The two guards at the drawbridge are listless, holding their bone spears and staring blankly at the sky.

Looking past the drawbridge into the interior of the stronghold, one can see many stone houses with their doors wide open, useless debris scattered in front of them, and animal skins and rags being blown around by the wind, ignored. In the spacious loot cave surrounded by many stone houses, a dozen people sit with furrowed brows, sighing deeply.

At the head of the table, the once mighty Chief Ertu now looks dejected, his face full of loneliness, no longer the domineering figure he once was.

A few years ago, after the old chief Kusuru disappeared without a trace during a battle, Ertu took over the entire stronghold. Over the years, he has built Bullhead Mountain into a stronger force, with the number of people once exceeding two hundred, and the stronghold had some savings.

Ertu coughed lightly and said with a bitter smile, "Old brothers, your big brother is finished. There's no future in following me. My subordinates have all gone their separate ways. I will open the back cave and distribute the savings. You should all leave."

"No."

"Big brother, we won't leave..."

The dozen or so people looked grief-stricken. The old brothers' faces were etched with the hardships of surviving in the wilderness. Their eyes may have dimmed, but their hands were still strong and powerful, having shed much blood and taken many lives. Under a stronger chief, they would all be formidable warriors.

However...

Ertu looked down at his left leg, which had been crippled by a poisoned arrow during a hunt with the Sand Peak Horn bandits a year ago, and felt a deep, wrenching pain.

Once a stronghold of nearly two hundred people, today only these few brothers remain.

For so many years, these old brothers have been loyal to him, but he can no longer lead them in battle.

Since Ertu's leg was crippled, the stronghold has been like a sky about to collapse. Ertu, a powerful figure with the fifth stage of the Tumang Heart Sutra, was the strongest in a stronghold of two hundred bandits. His fall meant the loss of the strongest pillar of Bullhead Mountain.

In the wilderness, survival is a matter of strength. A chief with a crippled leg and diminished power could not protect his stronghold from being bullied.

The stronghold was already in a state of panic, and life became increasingly difficult. Eventually, bandits from other strongholds even dared to openly raid Bullhead Mountain's hunting grounds, and some of his brothers who were alone were often beaten up.

Gradually, the morale in the stronghold deteriorated, and people began to secretly leave and join other forces.

Once this trend started, it could not be stopped.

More and more people left the stronghold, and in the end, only a few old brothers who had been saved by Ertu and thirty-odd bandits with no other place to go remained to barely support the stronghold.

However, this was not the final disaster for Bullhead Mountain.

Ertu's eyes, filled with worry and fatigue, moved from his brothers' faces to the Blackbeard Order on the stone table.

This Blackbeard Order, a nightmare for Bullhead Mountain, was the last straw.

Since Ertu's leg was crippled, the stronghold had already been struggling to make ends meet. The double protection fee was almost a death sentence. How could they pay it?

But if they dared not pay, they would face the complete annihilation of the stronghold. Even if they tried to run, Blackbeard Mountain would find them and brutally kill them to set an example.

After hearing about the double annual tribute, the thirty-odd bandits who remained in the stronghold also scattered. Now, the vast Bullhead Mountain was left with only the chief and a dozen old brothers, almost an empty mountain.

Ertu's hands trembled as he picked up the double-sided Blackbeard Order from the table.

The eyes of the bandits below all focused on the chief. Since Ertu was crippled, he no longer had the fearless and domineering aura he once had, only endless dejection and sorrow.

The brothers exchanged glances and sighed deeply.

Ertu's rough hand ran through his disheveled hair, and he held the Blackbeard Order in front of his chest, saying with a bitter smile, "I appreciate your loyalty, brothers, but if you stay, you will only be needlessly slaughtered by Blackbeard Mountain... Since the fall of Bullhead Mountain is inevitable, let me, this cripple, face the disaster. You should take our savings and join other strongholds."

As Ertu spoke, the stone cave erupted in chaos.

The old brothers all stood up, their faces red with anger:

"No, big brother, Bullhead Mountain was built by all of us. How can we leave you in this crisis?"

"That's right, big brother saved our lives. We share the good times and the bad."

"Right, let's fight Blackbeard Mountain. If we can take one, it's worth it. If we can take two, it's a bonus."

The second-in-command stood up and said in a deep voice, "Big brother, it's not until the end of the month that the deadline for the Blackbeard Order is up. In this month, we can raid a few tribes. Maybe we can get a big haul. Then, with the savings in the back cave, we might be able to pay the double annual tribute."

The other brothers chimed in:

"That's right, big brother, we're not at the end yet. Why are you giving up so soon?"

"Big brother, don't divide the savings in the back cave so easily. That's our survival money for this year. Keep it to pay the annual tribute."

The third-in-command, with his bull-like eyes, said:

"Big brother, don't always think about driving us away. If it weren't for you, I would have been killed by the Sand Peak Horn bandits' poisoned arrows a year ago. You sacrificed your leg to save me. If I leave now, I wouldn't be a man."

Ertu was moved, knowing that his brothers were all trying to support him and protect Bullhead Mountain. However, the savings in the back cave were not much, and it would be difficult to gather the double annual tribute in a month. Looking at his brothers' passionate eyes, Ertu's throat tightened. Just as he was about to speak, there was a loud "bang" and the stone door of the loot cave was kicked open. A group of people, their faces twisted with malice, swaggered in.

"Sand Peak Horn bandits?"

The dozen old brothers stood up in shock, their anger boiling over. They clenched their fists, and some of the more hotheaded ones even drew their bone spears and shouted:

"How did you get in here?"

"Sand Peak Horn dogs, get out."

Sand Peak Horn was another stronghold, located seventy-five miles away from Bullhead Mountain. The two strongholds were of equal strength and had often engaged in underhanded tactics to compete for hunting grounds. Bullhead Mountain had lost many brothers because of this, and Ertu's leg was crippled by a cold arrow from Sand Peak Horn's second-in-command, Wu Zhu, a year ago.

The leader of the group that burst in was tall and muscular, with a fierce scar on his face. He had a sinister smile, and it was none other than Wu Zhu, the second-in-command of the Sand Peak Horn bandits.

Seeing their enemy, the old brothers' eyes blazed with hatred. The fact that the enemy had dared to invade their stronghold was a direct threat and insult.

The ruthless Wu Zhu ignored their burning gazes and looked directly at Ertu, clapping his hands and sneering, "Hey, the once mighty Chief Ertu, why are you sitting there like a dog, not even greeting an old friend? That's not how you treat guests."

The tall and fierce bandits behind Wu Zhu all burst into laughter.

Ertu sat there coldly, his eyes like knives, and asked in a deep voice, "Wu Zhu, what do you want by invading my stronghold without cause?"

"I wouldn't dare to give advice."

Wu Zhu clapped his hands and laughed, "It's almost the end of the year, and my brothers don't have enough food for the winter. We've been protecting you Bullhead Mountain for so many years. Isn't it reasonable to come and collect some annual tribute?"

"Annual tribute?"

"This isn't unreasonable. What is unreasonable?"

The brothers of Bullhead Mountain were furious. They all drew their weapons, and the atmosphere in the cave became tense. In the wilderness, everyone was worried about the Blackbeard Order, and Sand Peak Horn was taking advantage of Bullhead Mountain's weakness to rob them of their last resources.

That was a death sentence.

The third-in-command, with his bull-like eyes, cursed, "Annual tribute my ass." He waved his bone spear, ready to charge.

Ertu's leg was crippled saving him from Wu Zhu's arrow, and now seeing his enemy, the third-in-command's eyes were red with rage.

Wu Zhu, seeing the furious crowd, was not fazed. He laughed loudly and clapped his hands. Four more bandits entered, dragging two bloodied, barely recognizable figures.

The four bandits threw the two bloodied bodies onto the ground.

The old brothers of Bullhead Mountain were shocked. They recognized the two as the guards at the drawbridge. Seeing their brothers in such a state, the Bullhead Mountain bandits were filled with rage.

Now, with these two injured, Bullhead Mountain was almost an empty mountain, leaving only the eleven old brothers in the cave.

Wu Zhu sneered, "Ertu, including you, there are only twelve of you left in the mountain. I brought twenty-one of my brothers, all armed with the best weapons from our stronghold. If we decide to, do you think we can wipe you out completely?"

Outside the cave, more people slowly gathered, surrounding the Bullhead Mountain bandits with sinister smiles.

The Bullhead Mountain bandits drew in cold breaths, holding their bone spears and looking at each other.