Chapter 3

An Ze nodded, his eyes showing a hint of longing: "However, this Da Kang and his wife don’t seem to be ordinary slaves; they actually have a noble surname, while I only have a common name."

In the Yunze Kingdom, having a noble surname and a common name is a symbol of free status, known as white-bodied commoners, who enjoy the rights of paying taxes to the state, freely farming and trading, and learning and working. Those who only have a common name are still slaves.

Da Feng pursed his lips: "Da Hu, he’s just a fallen white-bodied commoner. Even if he once had a noble surname and a common name, now they have been stripped away and cannot be used. His status and position cannot be compared to Da Hu’s!"

An Ze, upon hearing this, felt relieved and couldn’t help but feel a bit proud. As a slave without freedom, being able to have a common name was already a very remarkable thing. In the entire Guojian Forest, there were probably tens of thousands of slaves, but those with a common name did not exceed fifty.

Lu Kang’s wife, named Xiao Hui, this name was not a common name but a lowly name, a basic title. However, after giving birth to Hu Tou, in the Northwest Household, she gradually became known as Hui Niang and gained some fame, mainly because of her beauty, which was the object of desire for many male slaves.

Actually, Hui Niang was not a national beauty, but she had a dignified appearance, a well-proportioned figure, and a demeanor different from ordinary slave women. In the Guojian Forest, she was absolutely top-notch. Hu Tou’s facial features were about 70-80% like Hui Niang, and many slave women often joked that when Hu Tou grew up, he would definitely be a very spirited young man.

At this moment, Hui Niang was shedding tears. Although she was wearing clothes full of patches, she still couldn’t hide her gentle demeanor. In the small, damp wooden house, the moonlight shone through the wooden window, illuminating Hui Niang’s tear-streaked face, adding to her pitiful and sorrowful appearance: "Da Kang, what are we going to do now?"

"I don’t know either..." Lu Kang shook his head, his expression bitter, making him look ten years older: "I thought that after a month, Da Gu’s vigilance would be weaker, so I went to steal some food to nourish your and the child’s bodies, but I didn’t expect..."

"Ah..." He sighed deeply, full of despair: "My death doesn’t matter, but Hu Tou is only twelve years old, and he has to walk this dead-end path because of me, his thieving father. Xiao Hui, I’m sorry to you!"

"Da Kang..." Wiping her tears, Hui Niang shook her head gently: "Why are you saying such things? Since I married you, I swore to stay with you for life, no matter how high or low, rich or poor. I’m just a woman, I can lack initiative, but you are the head of the household, you can’t be so dispirited. You have to think of a way. Even if we die, Hu Tou cannot die. If he dies, you will be sorry to your parents..."

Deeply gazing at his wife, and then looking at his son who had been quietly standing aside, Lu Kang clenched his teeth: "Xiao Hui, you’re right. I can’t be so dispirited. We can die, but our son cannot! I think... there’s only one way out!"

Hui Niang’s spirit was slightly lifted: "What way?"

"Run away!" Lu Kang replied sternly. Hui Niang’s face suddenly changed: "This swamp forest is full of dangers, and there are even rumors of mountain spirits and demons. Moreover, we don’t have enough food. Even if the path is smooth, we can’t get out."

Lu Kang smiled bitterly: "We’ve been sent to this Guojian Forest for almost fifteen years. How could I not know this? Xitu, the old household head, has reminded us many times. In the past, many people thought about running away, but they all died in the forest. Even a village household that tried to escape collectively was trapped and died on the way. But staying here means certain death, while running away might give us a one in ten thousand chance of survival."

Hui Niang nodded: "Da Kang, you are the head of the household. You make the decision. Should we leave now?"

Lu Kang shook his head: "After such an incident, An Ze, the household head, will definitely be on guard against our escape. He might have people watching us. We need to find the right opportunity..."

Hu Tou, who had been silent all along, suddenly raised his head, looking at Lu Kang and Hui Niang with a determined gaze: "Father, I think we shouldn’t run away, and there’s no need to run away!"

Lu Kang looked at Hu Tou with a complex expression: "Son, I’m grateful for your bravery today, but some things in this world can’t be accomplished by bravery and determination alone. By challenging the household head today, you seem to have saved me, but you’ve actually put yourself in an irredeemable situation."

"Hu Tou, listen to your father. I know you have exceptional talent and are stronger than other children your age. But the household head has practiced a strength technique and has already broken through to the seventh level of the lower grade, with arm strength exceeding a thousand pounds, capable of fighting bears. How can you possibly be his match?" Hui Niang looked at Hu Tou with concern: "If something happens to you or your father, I won’t be able to live either."

Hui Niang’s red eyes trembled, and large tears rolled down again. Hu Tou, however, smiled slightly, pinched his nose, and held Hui Niang’s hand: "Mother, I don’t know what the seventh level of the lower grade means, and I admit that my strength is currently weaker than his, but winning a fight isn’t just about strength."

Seeing the reassuring confidence Hu Tou displayed, and thinking about some of the peculiar situations this son had shown in the past, Lu Kang’s heart stirred: "Son, are you saying you have a good chance of beating the household head?"

Hu Tou nodded: "Not a hundred percent, but at least seventy percent!"

"Are you sure you’re not joking?" Lu Kang suddenly felt a sense of incomprehension about this son. In fact, he didn’t know much about him. Since Hu Tou was born, they had very few opportunities to communicate, as he could only stay home for no more than two months out of the year.

Moreover, Hu Tou had a wild and peculiar personality. He had never stopped being active since birth. Since he could walk at two years old, he spent his days playing alone in various corners of the village that few people went to, never playing with other children.

"I’m sure!" Hu Tou nodded firmly: "Father, those people mock me for being a fool who likes to mimic animals, but I’ll show them that mimicking animals isn’t bad. At the very least, it can make a person stronger."

Lu Kang was slightly stunned, his thick brows deeply furrowed: "Hu Tou, are you saying that your habit of sometimes acting like a monkey, a bear, or a tiger has given you the ability to defeat the household head?"

Hu Tou nodded, his entire body suddenly exuding a commanding presence: "It’s a form of internal martial arts, through which one imitates the living and fighting postures of tigers, cranes, bears, apes, and deer to build strength and enhance agility..."

Lu Kang and Hui Niang didn’t quite understand what Hu Tou said afterward. They looked at each other, seeing deep shock in each other’s eyes. At this moment, Hu Tou didn’t seem like their naive and ignorant child but like a master with profound knowledge.

"Hu Tou, what is this imitative internal martial arts? I’ve never heard of it. How did you learn it?" Lu Kang looked at Hu Tou with surprise: "You’ve never left the village..."

Hu Tou was slightly taken aback. He couldn’t tell these two closest relatives that he had brought memories from his previous life and was reborn in this unfamiliar world. After some thought, he replied: "It was taught to me by Xitu, the old household head..."

"Ah..." Lu Kang’s face showed a hint of joy: "I understand. It’s probably a strength technique passed down by the household. No wonder Xitu, the old household head, has been relatively kind to us in recent years..."

Hui Niang was also overjoyed: "Da Kang, I heard that Xitu, the old household head, reached the eighth level of the lower grade in his prime. If Xitu, the old household head, teaches Hu Tou, Hu Tou might really be able to beat An Ze, the household head!"

"It’s possible! I need to go ask Xitu, the old household head, about Hu Tou’s current level of strength..." Lu Kang nodded firmly, feeling like a drowning person who had grabbed the only floating log in the river.

Seeing Lu Kang about to leave, Hu Tou was sweating profusely and pulled him back: "Father, although the old household head taught me these things, he told me never to reveal them, not even to you. If you go ask him, he might blame me!"

Hui Niang, upon hearing this, quickly pulled Lu Kang as well: "Da Kang, don’t be rash. If Xitu, the old household head, gets angry, our family will be in real trouble!"

"Ah... I was too hasty!" Lu Kang came to his senses: "I understand. The old household head didn’t tell Hu Tou that he was teaching him a strength technique but called it imitative internal martial arts because the strength techniques passed down by the household cannot be revealed to outsiders, or there will be severe punishment. If I go ask him, the old household head will definitely turn against us..."

Hu Tou was sweating profusely, not expecting that his small lie would make Lu Kang think so much, and it was logically sound. Lu Kang was indeed not an ordinary person.

"Hu Tou..." Lu Kang, clearly feeling that his thoughts were mostly correct, looked at Hu Tou solemnly: "You must never reveal this. Even if you beat An Ze, the household head, you can only say that the martial arts are your own creation. You must not implicate the old household head!"

Hu Tou nodded repeatedly: "I know, Father. You can rest assured. The old household head has modified the training method of this imitative internal martial arts to suit my physique, so it’s different from the traditional strength techniques. Others won’t be able to tell."

"That’s good, that’s good..." Lu Kang rubbed his hands excitedly, looking at Hu Tou with renewed hope: "Son, do you really have the confidence to beat An Ze, the household head, who has reached the seventh level of the lower grade in strength cultivation?"

Hui Niang also looked at her son with excitement. This was a matter of life and death for their family. As long as Hu Tou nodded, even if it was hard to believe that a twelve-year-old could defeat a powerful household head, she was willing to believe it. After all, no one would refuse a glimmer of hope.