Chapter 3: Establishing His Authority

That evening, Gao Yuan sat in the house with the four women gathered around him.

Mu Baizhi handed him the leather armor, anxiety written on her face. She knew the bandits regarded her slight build and inability to do heavy fieldwork as a burden. Otherwise, Xu Mazi would not have thrown her to Gao Yuan like rubbish.

All she hoped was that Gao Yuan would not reject her, that he would give her a chance to live.

He turned the armor over in his hands, pleasantly surprised. She had not only repaired the damage but also reinforced the places most likely to wear through with extra stitching. She had clearly taken care with it.

“Not bad.” He nodded, set it aside, and pointed to the meat porridge in the iron pot between them. “Let’s eat.”

There was so little millet in the pot that they could see their reflections in the broth. The real prize was the piece of dried meat, now giving off a tempting aroma.

Meat was a privilege reserved for the chiefs. Ordinary bandits could count on one hand the times they had eaten it. Without joining the vanguard, Gao Yuan would never have received such a treat.

He divided the meat into five portions and put one in each bowl.

Feng Lingxue, Mu Baizhi, and Lin Hongxiu looked surprised. Under the circumstances, they were Gao Yuan’s property; a bowl of food alone would have been generous. They had not expected him to share the meat as well.

Holding his bowl, Gao Yuan said, “I’ve never mistreated the people beside me. From now on, if I have meat, we share it; if I have soup, we share that too. As long as I’m here, nobody will bully you.”

He meant it. As far as he was concerned, a man should look after his own women.

The words stirred complicated feelings in his listeners. Even Feng Lingxue, despite her station, was touched. These days women were treated like goods, to be transferred, sold, or discarded at any moment. It had been a long time since any of them had heard a promise so resolute.

Then footsteps sounded outside.

Five men clattered into the house: the bandits who shared it with Gao Yuan.

Their leader was a one-eyed giant surnamed Yao, nicknamed Dachong. He ruled the room and had bullied Gao Yuan often in the past. His remaining eye lit up at the sight of the women.

He came over and clapped Gao Yuan on the shoulder. “Little brother, so many women? You’ll break your back trying to handle them all! How about we help you out?”

As he spoke, his gaze moved over the captives. He had watched Gao Yuan’s selection closely and intended to force himself on them.

“That’s right, Gao Yuan,” another bandit chimed in. “You’ve only just recovered. Get some rest. We’ll have them tonight!”

He was a short, shifty-looking man with prominent front teeth, known as Fourth Ding. He usually followed Yao Dachong’s lead. The other three stood behind them, wearing the same lewd grins. Little cliques like theirs were common throughout Blackwind Stronghold.

His sister-in-law Shen Shuting saw their hostile expressions and grew anxious, but she could think of nothing to do. Mu Baizhi retreated two steps. Lin Hongxiu remained impassive, while Feng Lingxue seemed not at all afraid. She watched with a trace of amusement, curious to see what would happen.

The sudden confrontation revealed each of them.

When Gao Yuan said nothing, Yao Dachong took it for fear. He reached out a filthy hand to snatch the porridge from him. Let someone else face death while he enjoyed the meat and women—what could be better?

In the past, Gao Yuan’s timid nature would have kept him from resisting, however badly the others bullied him.

This time, Yao Dachong had misjudged him.

Gao Yuan shifted his wrist, moving the coarse earthenware bowl aside so Yao’s hand closed on empty air. He raised an eyebrow. “Who the hell are you to take my meat?”

Fourth Ding and the others stared at him. Had he gone mad?

Yao Dachong was furious. The bastard was asking for a beating! If he failed to put Gao Yuan in his place today, people would start mistaking the tiger for a sick cat.

“Fuck you!” He swung an open hand down at Gao Yuan’s head. There was enough force behind it to leave a man half dead.

Shen Shuting screamed. Gao Yuan, however, remained calmly seated.

Only when the blow was about to land did his right hand dart out like a snake. With a yielding movement, he guided Yao’s force aside, caught his wrist, and gave a gentle tug.

Smack!

Yao lost his balance and landed face-first, scraping his skin painfully against the floor.

Tai Chi’s Cloud Hands: deflecting great force with a light touch!

Yao tried to struggle up, but Gao Yuan planted a foot on the Renying point at his neck, where the pulse of the carotid artery could be felt. Ancient martial teachings warned against applying moxibustion there and urged caution with needles: a deep strike could kill.

Under Gao Yuan’s foot, Yao’s breathing faltered. Dizziness swept over him, and he felt close to suffocating.

Gao Yuan had never left his stool. He still held the porridge in his left hand, without spilling a drop.

One foot on his opponent, one hand holding his bowl, he looked utterly at ease. Everyone stared. None of them could believe the ferocious Yao Dachong had been subdued so easily.

Lin Hongxiu trembled slightly. For the first time, her expression grew grave. Her fists clenched and her legs tensed without her noticing—the stance she took before a formidable enemy.

“Gao Yuan, you fucking—”

Smack!

Before Yao could finish, Gao Yuan pressed down and drove his newly raised head back to the floor.

“One more word of nonsense and I’ll break your neck.” Murder edged his voice.

A chill spread through Yao. His neck creaked under the pressure, and the nearness of death crushed his defiance.

Once Yao had quieted, Gao Yuan looked at the others. “Any of you have a problem with that? You’re welcome to try.”

Fourth Ding’s mouth twitched, and his legs shook. Try? Yao Dachong had gone down in a single move and could not even get up. A scrawny fellow like him would stand no chance against Gao Yuan. The other bandits looked just as frightened.

When nobody answered, Gao Yuan kicked Yao aside. “From today on, I stay in this room, I eat the meat, and I sleep with the women. Get that through your heads.”

He had only just come into this new life, and the body was weak, but he still had the experience and skills of his previous life. A few bandits were well within his ability to handle.

Yao Dachong and the others hunched their shoulders and nodded. Strength ruled the world. Here, the strong preyed on the weak, and no one could have made that clearer.