Chapter 2

Everyone was stunned, and when they heard the commotion, they saw a sturdy boy, nearly five feet tall with hair like a lion's mane, push through the crowd. The boy had regular features, thick eyebrows, large eyes, a nose like a hanging gall, and thin lips that formed a line of determination. His eyes, like stars, stared at Anze with a calmness and solemnity that belied his age.

"Hey, I was wondering who had the nerve to shout so loudly in front of me, it's you, Hu Tou from Da Kang's family!" Anze, who was nine feet tall, looked down at the boy who was not yet an adult, only twelve years old, but whose physique rivaled that of a fifteen or sixteen-year-old young man. "What, you're not jumping around on the hill like an animal? Are you here to see your thief father off?"

"Hu Tou, you... weren't you sleeping? Why did you come here?" Lu Kang felt a wave of shame as he looked at his son.

"Father..." After calling out, Hu Tou's expression didn't change much as he looked at Anze. "Headman Anze, I'm here to ask you to release my father."

"Ha, you think I'll release your father just because you say so? I think you're the one who's the headman!" Anze was clearly annoyed by Hu Tou's non-pleading attitude.

Dafeng said sarcastically, "Headman, I think this little brat might be here to persuade his father to let his mother become a prostitute."

Anze licked his lips and looked at Hu Tou with a fiery gaze. "Hu Tou, I can release your father if you do as Dafeng says and convince your father to let your mother become a 'birth mother' for our Northwest Household. Then there will be no problem!"

"Father, you must go back now!" Lu Kang looked at his son with panic, truly afraid that Hu Tou would do something foolish in public.

"No..." It seemed to be a response to Lu Kang, but Hu Tou still looked at Anze. "Headman Anze, Father said he could be a thief for his son, but Mother would rather die than become a prostitute. I, as his son, will not go against him..."

While Lu Kang felt a sense of relief, Anze coldly interrupted, "If that's the case, your father stole from the food warehouse and should be beaten to death. His body can be used as bait for bears."

"No!" Hu Tou looked at Anze with determination. "You can't do that, even though you are the headman!"

"Ridiculous!" Anze sneered. "I am the headman of the Northwest Household. Do I need your advice on how to act?"

Dagu said fiercely, "Brat, are you still dreaming? In our Northwest Household, with a population of one thousand and seventy-three, the power of life and death is in the hands of the headman. If he wants to kill your father, it's just a matter of a word! Headman, don't bother with this greenhorn. Kill Da Kang."

"No, you can't do that!" Hu Tou's gaze remained firm, giving off an aura of authority that seemed unchallengeable. "Because... I challenge you, Headman Anze."

"Challenge Headman Anze?" Everyone was shocked and burst into laughter. To them, this was a huge joke.

Not only in the Northwest Household, but in any village, the headman was the strongest. The headman, who managed the village on behalf of the main family, had the right to learn martial techniques, even if they were only of the lower grade, they still gave him extraordinary strength, far beyond that of an ordinary person. Moreover, Hu Tou was only twelve years old.

Dafeng mocked, "Hu Tou, are you out of your mind? You're not even fully grown, and you want to challenge the headman? Don't you know that the headman has practiced the main family's Python Wave Technique and is at the seventh level of the lower grade, with strength comparable to a bear?"

"Exactly, the headman can lift a thousand pounds. One punch from him would turn you into meat paste!" Dagu chimed in, clenching his fists and looking at Anze. "Headman, this brat is asking for it. Let me teach him a lesson for you!"

Anze was about to nod when he saw a thin old man standing behind Hu Tou, looking at them with bright eyes. He shook his head. "He is challenging me, not you..."

Pausing, Anze continued, "Hu Tou, if you challenge me, your father's life will be temporarily spared. During the challenge, I, as the headman, cannot harm you in any way. If you win and become the headman, your father will be pardoned. However..."

Lu Kang, now recovered from his shock, shouted angrily, "Hu Tou, are you crazy? Get back here..."

Anze chuckled, "Did you hear that, Hu Tou? Your father wants you to go back. You can't possibly win. I won't hold back, and you will die at my hands. Then your father will still be in danger. Are you sure you want to challenge me?"

Hu Tou pinched his nose and his thin lips curled slightly. "Headman Anze, you're talking too much today. Is the challenge rule set by the main family a joke? Since I've spoken, I won't take it back. However, before I challenge you, you should at least let me eat and drink properly. Otherwise, it wouldn't be a fair fight."

"Hu Tou..." Lu Kang's voice choked with tears. He felt that his son was choosing to die with him, determined not to die of hunger.

"Ha ha..." Everyone laughed, and Anze also laughed loudly. "Since you want to die, I'll grant your wish. If you want to eat and drink, so be it. The meat your father stole will be yours. Old Headman, since you're here, you can be the witness!"

The thin old man standing behind Hu Tou was the former headman of the Northwest Household, Xitu. Though now old and frail, he still held a high status in the Northwest Household. He nodded lightly. "That's appropriate, but this challenge is a major event for our Northwest Household. It should be announced to everyone and a good day chosen. What do you think, Headman?"

Anze nodded indifferently. "Old Headman, you are respected. Whatever you say goes."

Xitu nodded. "In that case, let's set it for three days from now at sunset. At that time, Hu Tou will challenge Headman Anze. If Hu Tou wins, Da Kang's theft will be forgiven, and Hu Tou will be eligible to become the next headman. If Hu Tou loses..."

"Then they will both be used as bear bait!" Anze waved his hand, his eyes flashing with a fierce light. In his mind, he added: Da Kang's wife, Hu Tou's mother Xiaohui, would become his concubine, even if she didn't become a 'birth mother.'

Xitu said nothing. Anze's point was undeniable. Challenging the headman's authority, if failed, had dire consequences. This was not just a rule in the Guokan Forest village but also in Longyuan Prefecture and even the entire Yunze Kingdom.

With that, Hu Tou ignored Anze and the others, walking directly to his father, who was in a daze. "Father!"

"Hu Tou..." Looking at his precious son, Lu Kang hung his head heavily. "I've ruined you. If only..."

"Let's go home and talk." Hu Tou's face was calm, his eyes shining with a confidence and peace that didn't belong to a boy his age.

Seemingly moved by his son's "fearless" spirit, Lu Kang suddenly mustered his courage, nodded heavily, and left with his head held high, thinking, "To have a son like this, what more could I ask for? In such a dire situation, there's little hope of a comeback. Well... dying with dignity is better than living in humiliation. It's just a pity..."

As Lu Kang's thoughts swirled, Hu Tou supported him, picked up the large piece of black deer jerky, and slowly left, gradually disappearing into the thickening mist, under the gazes of the crowd, some surprised, some pitying.

Xitu, seeing the matter settled, called out to the crowd, "It's getting late. Everyone, go back and rest. We have work to do tomorrow!"

With the old headman's words, the crowd, who had watched the drama, naturally dispersed. It was indeed late, and staying any longer would leave them too tired to work the next day, possibly even losing their rations. This was no laughing matter.

"Headman, won't the Da Kang family try to escape in the night?" Dafeng, looking at the departing old headman Xitu, frowned. He had a vague feeling that something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Anze sneered and shook his head. "If they could escape, they would have done so already. The Guokan Forest is vast and dangerous, with directions hard to discern. Even I can't run out safely, let alone them without enough food and water. Do you think a few dozen pounds of deer meat will be enough to get them out of the forest?"

Dagu laughed in agreement. "That's true, Dafeng. You're good at everything, but you're too suspicious. Hu Tou is just a desperate young boy trying to buy his father some time to leave a final message."

After a moment's thought, Dafeng also laughed. "You're right. I shouldn't be so paranoid. With the headman's strength, crushing that boy in three days will be like squashing a mosquito."

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