Unlike Songyang Village, Xiaoyang Village had never organized a patrol team.
The villagers simply traveled in small groups with people they already knew well.
As a result, numerous little factions formed within the refugee column.
Conflicts constantly arose between these groups.
Arguments broke out frequently, damaging relationships and slowing everyone’s progress.
Yet the village chief of Xiaoyang Village ignored it all.
He neither intervened nor attempted to resolve disputes.
After a full day and night of simmering resentment, the tensions finally exploded.
At that moment, a hunter named Yao Daqiang was being surrounded by members of the Yang clan.
Yao Daqiang was an outsider who had settled in Xiaoyang Village years ago.
He was also the village’s only hunter.
His family lived near the foot of the mountain and rarely interacted with the Yang families in the village.
For years, everyone had simply minded their own business.
When the refugees fled together, Yao Daqiang naturally joined the rest of Xiaoyang Village on the journey to Wanning Prefecture.
Because of his years as a hunter, however, he had accumulated a considerable amount of animal hides.
His wife, Fang Lan, used those hides to make boots for the family.
That way, their feet remained dry during rain and snow.
The Yao family had four children—three sons and one daughter.
Every child had been given a pair of leather boots.
Now that heavy snow covered the mountains, those boots allowed them to walk much more comfortably than everyone else.
Naturally, certain people began eyeing them greedily.
There was another reason as well.
While most families survived on wild vegetables and coarse grain cakes, the Yao family still had dried meat.
That fact alone inspired considerable jealousy.
For days, the villagers had been coveting the Yao family’s supplies.
Yet they lacked a proper excuse to seize them.
So they endured and waited.
Everything changed during the latest rest stop.
Yang Houyao’s youngest son, Niu Dan’er, became greedy after seeing Yao Rong eating dried meat.
The boy snatched it from her hand.
Then he shoved her.
Niu Dan’er’s eldest uncle was the village chief.
Spoiled by his family and accustomed to getting whatever he wanted, he had long since become a little tyrant.
Yao Rong, meanwhile, was only five years old.
She had always been frail and underweight.
Niu Dan’er was seven, strong and sturdy like a little ox.
The push sent Yao Rong stumbling backward.
Unfortunately, there was a tree directly behind her.
Her head slammed into the trunk.
Winter made skin and bones especially vulnerable.
The impact split her scalp open immediately.
Blood began pouring down her head.
Hearing his daughter’s cries, Yao Daqiang rushed over.
He found blood already staining the back of her clothing.
Fang Lan arrived moments later.
The sight of her daughter’s injury nearly broke her heart.
Scooping Yao Rong into her arms, she hurried back toward their resting area.
Meanwhile, Yao Daqiang confronted Niu Dan’er.
In anger, he shoved the boy.
The child barely moved.
But Niu Dan’er was an expert at throwing tantrums.
He immediately sat down on the ground and began howling at the top of his lungs.
Hearing his son’s cries, Yang Houyao came charging over.
Without asking a single question, he swung a fist directly at Yao Daqiang’s face.
Yao Daqiang had never expected such shameless behavior.
The man hadn’t even asked what happened before attacking.
That instantly ignited his temper.
Though naturally honest and straightforward, Yao Daqiang was far from weak.
Especially when his daughter had just suffered a serious injury.
When Yang Houyao tried to strike again, Yao Daqiang grabbed the incoming fist.
With one powerful twist—
Crack.
The unmistakable sound of a dislocated arm echoed through the air.
Yang Houyao immediately screamed in agony.
Until then, the villagers had merely been watching.
But once they saw a member of the Yang clan injured by an outsider, they could no longer remain idle.
Besides, many of them had already been coveting the Yao family’s dried meat.
Led by Village Chief Yang Houzhao, they surrounded Yao Daqiang.
Seeing reinforcements arrive, Yang Houyao quickly retreated to safety.
Sweat poured down his face as he clutched his arm.
“Big Brother!”
“This damn hunter broke my arm!”
“You have to avenge me!”
Yao Daqiang snorted angrily.
“Your son split my daughter’s head open.”
“Breaking your arm makes us even.”
Despite the pain, Yang Houyao immediately stepped forward again.
“If my son injured your daughter, then let your daughter injure my son!”
“I wouldn’t complain!”
“But what gives you the right to break my arm?”
The surrounding Yang clansmen immediately chimed in.
“Exactly!”
“He’s gone too far!”
“Make him pay compensation!”
“Take all of his dried meat and hides!”
“If he refuses, drive their family out!”
The sheer shamelessness left Yao Daqiang trembling with rage.
His eyes turned red.
At that moment, his three sons forced their way through the crowd and rushed to his side.
His eldest son, Yao Shun, stepped forward.
Looking directly at Village Chief Yang Houzhao, he spoke loudly.
“Village Chief.”
“Are you really going to stand by while your clansmen bully outsiders?”
“What happened to your responsibilities?”
“Even a child like me knows that a person must fulfill the duties of their position.”
“Are you worse than a child?”
The accusation struck Yang Houzhao directly in the face.
His expression immediately darkened.
Originally, he had intended to remain a bystander.
After all, he understood exactly what everyone wanted.
Even if he stayed out of it, the Yang clan would eventually seize the Yao family’s supplies.
And there would surely be a share for him as village chief.
But now?
A mere child had publicly humiliated him.
That was unforgivable.
His voice turned cold.
“Like father, like son.”
“A father without reason and a son without manners.”
“This family has disgraced the reputation of Xiaoyang Village.”
He swept his gaze across the crowd.
“What are you all standing around for?”
“Teach them the rules of Xiaoyang Village.”
The moment those words left his mouth, the villagers received all the permission they needed.
Until then, they had only argued.
Now they started using their fists.
There were more than twenty adult men present.
Together they descended upon Yao Daqiang and his three sons.
Yao Shun wrapped his arms around his father and used his own body as a shield.
Blows rained down mercilessly.
Bones cracked.
People screamed.
Yao Daqiang raised his head toward the sky and let out a heartbreaking roar.
“AHHHHHH!”
“Is there no justice left in this world?!”
His cry echoed through the mountains.
By the time the violence ended, Yao Shun had suffered two broken ribs.
The youngest son had a shattered leg.
The second son was beaten until his face was swollen beyond recognition.
Seeing his children nearly beaten to death, Yao Daqiang finally broke.
Through gritted teeth he shouted,
“We’ll hand over the supplies!”
“Stop!”
“If you don’t stop, I’ll give everything to Songyang Village!”
“None of you will get a single scrap!”
Yang Houyao had remained outside the fight.
The moment he heard those words, he immediately yelled,
“Stop!”
“Everyone stop!”
The crowd froze in confusion.
Yang Houyao quickly explained.
“Yao Daqiang agreed to give us the meat!”
“If you keep beating him, he’ll give it all to Songyang Village!”
Village Chief Yang Houzhao frowned.
“He said that?”
“We’re standing closer than you are.”
“How did you hear it when we didn’t?”
Panicking, Yang Houyao pointed frantically.
“Ask him!”
“Ask him if he said it!”
Yao Daqiang looked down at his unconscious sons.
Most of them were barely breathing.
His own injuries were severe.
But none of them hurt as much as seeing his children lying broken in the snow.
Tears rolled down his face.
The village chief stared down at him coldly.
“So.”
“You’re willing to compensate us now?”
After a long silence, Yao Daqiang forced out the words.
“…I am willing.”
Each syllable sounded as though it had been torn from his soul.
Then he knelt beside his sons and tried to wake them.
None responded.
They had already fainted from pain.
Meanwhile, Yang Houyao led a group of villagers toward the Yao family’s resting place.
Excitement filled their faces.
At last, they would get their hands on the dried meat they had coveted for so long.
But when they arrived—
Fang Lan was nowhere to be seen.
Only two quilts remained on the ground.
A few pots, bowls, and miscellaneous household items were scattered nearby.
The bundle containing all of the family’s food was gone.