Redcoat Bandit Gang

Only Yang Heng, knocked to the ground, had forgotten the pain. His eyes held nothing but lingering disbelief.

How could this be possible?

Seeing the gazes cast his way, Yang Heng felt even more humiliated. Shame turned to rage as he clutched his chest and roared, "Impossible! Yang Chen definitely cheated! He definitely cheated!"

"Shut up!" the old servant shouted angrily.

He had indeed suspected that Yang Chen might have cheated, which was why he had deliberately paired Yang Chen with Yang Heng. But now, it was clear that Yang Chen truly possessed real skill. Yang Heng, on the other hand, was being a sore loser here, spouting angry words without any sense of decorum. The Coming-of-Age Ceremony was an exceedingly sacred festival. No one would be allowed to run wild here.

It had to be said that Yang Heng's wretched appearance and inability to accept defeat made everyone think even less of him.

Sun Qiaomei, who had originally been somewhat willing to accept Yang Heng, was now thoroughly disappointed in him.

"Qiaomei, Yang Heng no longer has the qualifications for you to marry him," the middle-aged man behind Sun Qiaomei said slowly.

Sun Qiaomei nodded obediently. "Father, I understand. Yang Heng is simply unworthy of me. But while rejecting him would be easy, wouldn't it be a little too cruel to reject him right now without giving him even the slightest chance?"

"Cruel? Hmph. If you show him mercy, who will show us mercy? Qiaomei, it was a wise choice for you to keep your distance from Yang Heng in the past. But you have had dealings with him, after all. When necessary, you must cut through the tangled mess with a sharp blade. Otherwise, your future man may think less of you." Sun Qiaomei's father spoke without expression. "As your father, I am only doing this because I do not want you to suffer in the future."

"Father, I understand. I will immediately reject Yang Heng completely." Sun Qiaomei made up her mind.

Future happiness was always far easier to choose than present hardship.

Only then did Sun Qiaomei's father nod in satisfaction. "Remember, Yang Heng provoked Yang Chen. From Yang Chen's performance just now, it is not difficult to see that he is likely a genius secretly nurtured by the Yang Lineage. Between Yang Heng and Yang Chen, you should know which weighs more heavily."

After thinking it over carefully, how could Sun Qiaomei not know that this was a choice she had to make for the sake of the family's interests?

She had never held much affection for Yang Heng to begin with, so naturally she had no reason to hesitate now.

After pondering briefly, Sun Qiaomei's father said, "Although our Sun family had some unpleasantness with Yang Caidie when you were young, those are matters of long ago and nothing serious. If possible, Yang Chen would be a fine choice. Of course, with your current standing, it may not be easy for you to be worthy of Yang Chen. But opportunities must be seized with your own hands. You must cherish this one."

"Yes, Father." Sun Qiaomei lightly bit her pearly teeth, a sharp light flashing from her eyes.

Her father's meaning could not have been clearer. He was already planning to have her pursue Yang Chen.

Yang Chen's performance truly qualified him to be pursued by her. But did she really have the ability to win him over? Feng Xuewu treated Yang Chen with such importance; compared with Feng Xuewu, she was as far apart as heaven and earth.

"No matter what, Father is right. Opportunities must be seized with my own hands." Sun Qiaomei gave a delicate snort, then turned and left, already intending to cut off all contact with Yang Heng completely.

Not long afterward.

"Yang Heng, you and I should never meet again." Sun Qiaomei spoke these simple words to Yang Heng.

To Yang Heng, those words were undoubtedly a bolt from the blue, making matters worse upon worse.

Yet Sun Qiaomei did not even give Yang Heng a chance to explain or plead with her. She turned and left, with no intention of lingering for even a moment.

"Sun Qiaomei, you will regret this!" Yang Heng roared. "Brother, I want to kill Yang Chen! I must kill Yang Chen!"

Yang Wu, standing beside Yang Heng, wore an ugly expression and snorted coldly. "Trash. You have lost all composure. What kind of behavior is this?"

"But..." Yang Heng's heart was filled with unwillingness.

"Rest assured. I more or less saw through Yang Chen's tricks just now. His strength has likely truly reached the Body Refining Realm Fourth Level Peak. However, your brother's martial cultivation is also at the Body Refining Realm Fourth Level Peak. As for martial techniques, I have personally been taught by the Eighth Elder. Before long, I will let him know how formidable I am."

Yang Wu licked his lips. "When the time comes, I will cripple his tendons and veins directly, turning him into a useless cripple. After that, he naturally will not be able to leap about anymore."

At this moment, Yang Caidie had undoubtedly become the most dazzling figure in the crowd, even more sought-after than her younger brother Yang Chen. Why? Because everyone had come to propose marriage. Yang Chen had had little impression of his parents since childhood and had depended on Yang Caidie for one another's survival. An elder sister was like a mother, so when others came to arrange marriages, they naturally sought out Yang Caidie.

Every Coming-of-Age Ceremony's champion became an object of fierce competition among many outsiders.

Although Yang Chen's current performance could not yet be called the champion of the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, his martial strength at the Body Refining Realm Fourth Level was already unquestionable. His future was boundless; who would dare delay?

Yang Wu and Yang Chen had undoubtedly become the two most sought-after people present.

Of course, although Yang Chen had performed outstandingly, he still fell far short of Yang Wu, whose reputation had long spread far and wide. Even so, it was enough to give Yang Caidie a headache.

"Caidie, I guarantee you will be satisfied with my daughter. She is as beautiful as a flower. Have your younger brother meet her someday."

"My second daughter possesses both talent and beauty, and she is proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting..."

"Our..."

These people surrounded Yang Caidie, each speaking over the other, leaving her somewhat caught off guard.

Just then—

Boom!

A tremendous crash rang out, startling everyone.

"Who is it?!"

A sudden change had occurred. At some unknown moment, the Yang family's gates had been smashed apart. Immediately afterward, a large group of people entered the Yang family grounds from outside. At a glance, they were all mounted on fine horses, dressed uniformly in red, with arrogant and domineering attitudes.

"Move aside!" The leading burly man in red kicked the Yang family gatekeeper aside. Then he burst into laughter. "You little brats of the Yang family, we have come to collect the annual payment!"

Yang Family Patriarch Yang Jinhe suddenly appeared before the invading outsiders, his brows tightly furrowed. "Everyone, are there not still a few days before the annual payment is due? Today is our Yang family's Coming-of-Age Ceremony. Surely you do not intend to deny our Yang family even this small measure of respect?"

"Haha, Yang Family Patriarch, it is not that we refuse to give you face. This year, the annual payment is due today. Your Yang family would not refuse to give our Redcoat Gang face, would you?" the leading man sneered viciously.

Yang Chen, standing among the crowd, examined the scene before him, curiosity rising in his heart.

Who exactly were these people, that even the Yang Family Patriarch, who had reached the Spiritual Martial Realm, treated them with such courtesy?

"Yang Chen!" As Yang Chen pondered, Second Master Yang and Fourth Master Yang hurried over, their faces filled with concern, as though they feared Yang Chen might suffer some accident amid this sudden upheaval.

After all, Yang Chen was now the Yang family's treasure. Before Yang Jinhe went to negotiate, he had specifically instructed them to keep close watch over Yang Chen and ensure that nothing went wrong with him.

Seeing Second Master Yang and Fourth Master Yang worry about him, Yang Chen felt warmth in his heart. He then asked, "Second Master, Fourth Master, who are these people?"

Second Master Yang drew a deep breath and shook his head repeatedly. "These people are Redcoat Bandits, the local emperors of our Great Wilderness."

"Local emperors? How could the Great Wilderness Hundred Clans allow mere bandits to become local emperors?" Yang Chen asked in confusion.

Fourth Master Yang waved his hand. "That is where you are mistaken. These Redcoat Bandits came from beyond the Great Wilderness. Most likely, they could not survive outside the Great Wilderness, so they came here. Yet even so, within the Great Wilderness, they are still local emperors. No one dares defy them."

"These bandits run rampant and act like tyrants. They come every year to collect annual payments." Second Master Yang smiled bitterly.

"The Great Wilderness Hundred Clans has so many clans. Could they really fear a mere bandit gang?" Yang Chen found it difficult to understand.

In his previous life, bandits like these were utterly beneath notice in his eyes. Yet in this Great Wilderness, things apparently were not so simple.

Second Master Yang sighed. "Yang Chen, you are still young and do not understand the reasoning within this. The Great Wilderness Hundred Clans are indeed powerful when combined. No matter how formidable the Redcoat Bandits are, they would not dare oppose the Great Wilderness Hundred Clans. But among more than a hundred lineages, can the Great Wilderness Hundred Clans truly unite?"

"In terms of individual strength, the Redcoat Gang is the strongest. Even the large clans are somewhat inferior. Only when the Twelve Great Clans join together can they restrain the Redcoat Gang," Fourth Master Yang said. "That is why the Redcoat Gang does not dare act recklessly."

"The Twelve Great Clans restrain the Redcoat Bandits?" Yang Chen fell into thought.

"Yes. Otherwise, why do you think these Redcoat Bandits would be so courteous to our Yang family? They would have wiped out our Yang family long ago." Second Master Yang said with knitted brows. "Compared with the Redcoat Gang, our strength is still far too lacking. The reason we can survive is entirely due to the restraint imposed by the Twelve Great Clans upon these bandits."

Fourth Master Yang explained, "We are fortunate. We are a mid-sized clan, so no matter how arrogant and domineering the Redcoat Gang is, they do not dare wipe us out. At most, they collect annual payments and the like to scare people. After all, they must take the large clans into account. But the smaller clans are not so fortunate. If the Redcoat Gang dislikes them, they wipe them out directly. The large clans will not step forward to speak reason for them."

"This is too cruel." Yang Chen sighed.

He had thought the great world where he lived before was cruel, but he had not expected even a small place like this to be the same.

"Yes, it is cruel. But what can be done? These are the laws of survival in this world. Has the Redcoat Gang committed few acts that outrage both heaven and earth? Burning, killing, looting, and plundering—they commit every evil imaginable. Otherwise, why do you think those small clans desperately seek marriage alliances with mid-sized clans like ours and the large clans?"

"They do it to find a place where their ancestral line can endure, so that when disaster strikes in the future, they will have someone to rely on."

Fourth Master Yang also spoke with deep emotion. "Yang Chen, you must remember this: the reason our Yang family has not been wiped out by the Redcoat Gang is, at its root, the restraint of the large clans. That is not our own strength. If we want to prosper and avoid being bullied, we must rely on our own strength. Our generation can only achieve this much, but your generation still has limitless possibilities."

Why did they protect Yang Chen so fiercely?

It was because these young geniuses were the hope of the family's future.