Li Family Village

The blazing sun hung high in the sky, scorching like fire.

In the height of July, the deep blue sky held not a single cloud. The blazing sun roasted the earth, the river water was hot to the touch, the soil in the fields seemed to smoke, and every tree stood there listlessly and lazily.

At that moment, a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old youth, seven chi tall—over 1.8 meters by this world's standards—with a sturdy build and dark skin, worked under the scorching sun. As he forcefully hoed the dry clods of earth, he complained:

"Hoeing crops beneath the midday sun, sweat drips into the soil below."

"Who knows that every grain in the bowl comes from bitter toil?"

"Damn it! I finally understand the true meaning of those four lines!"

"When other people reincarnated, they became young masters, nobles, princes, or sect heirs, with people to serve them and people to love them! But I, damn it, became a farmer. I had to plow fields and hoe crops every day, and I even got stuck with a name like Li Dazhuang."

There was also an old man bedridden at home, along with a younger brother who spent all day thinking about earning scholarly honors. He cared about nothing and dumped everything on me. The previous owner had worked himself to death without getting enough nourishment.

My original name was Li Changfeng. I was an armed police officer, and during a border anti-drug operation, I died in a shootout with drug traffickers while saving a teammate. I had no parents and no partner, only a group of good comrades.

To me, the armed police unit had been my home. I had no attachments even in death, yet after reincarnating into a farming family, I had somehow taken on the burden of an entire household. It was truly a bitterness I could not voice!

If I had not been an armed police officer in my previous life, with a strong will and a spirit of serving the people, I really would have wanted to walk away and ignore all this nonsense.

"Ah! All I can do is work hard. I can't bring myself to just walk away either. There's still half a mu left. Come on, kid."

"Ow! Ow! Who told you to be poor? Grit your teeth and push through!" Li Changfeng hummed a little tune as he worked hard to finish plowing the remaining half mu of land...

Evening. Li Changfeng finally finished plowing all the fields. He gulped down an entire waterskin, lay on soft straw for a brief rest, and then complained:

"Motherfucker, farm work is even more exhausting than the training I did when I was a soldier. I'm tired like a dog every day. How am I supposed to live like this? Just thinking about it pisses me off!"

"Ah, forget it. Time to go home and eat!" After working all day, his stomach was practically pressed against his back.

Li Changfeng then shouldered his hoe and slowly headed home.

When Li Changfeng returned to Li Family Village, he suddenly saw five little thugs beating up a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy. The boy was beaten until he cried for his parents and shouted, "Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me! I won't steal Gold Master's things again! I'll have my brother repay the money I owe Gold Master. Go find him, not me!"

One of the thugs sneered, "What money could a pathetic vegetable seller like your brother possibly have? It probably wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps between my teeth. Better to give you a good beating instead, hehe!" The thug cracked his knuckles, preparing to beat him again.

"No!... Don't!..." the fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy begged.

Li Changfeng, who had been watching from the side, strolled over at an unhurried pace and said, "Enough. You've beaten him enough, and you've already taken back what he stole. Stop now."

Seeing someone step in, the boy immediately ran behind Li Changfeng and said pitifully, "Brother! Why did you come so late? I was almost beaten to death! Help me deal with them. I'm leaving first."

"Hehe."

Seeing the boy's bruised and swollen face, Li Changfeng found it amusing. He was still as selfish as ever—uneducated, addicted to gambling, with eyes only for himself and no concern for anyone else.

That was why Li Changfeng had watched from the side. He had already been thoroughly disappointed in this family. If not for the sake of his cheap old man, he would have left long ago.

"Oh? A mere vegetable seller thinks he can play peacemaker? You must be tired of living," said a muscular thug cruelly as he cracked his knuckles.

"I've made myself clear. Whether you accept it is another matter. If you want to fight, I'll keep you company," Li Changfeng said calmly.

"Heh! This brat is pretty arrogant. Boss, I can't stand it. I'll go first!" said the short thug Er Gouzi beside the leader with a cruel smile.

Er Gouzi charged straight ahead, ready to smash a fist into Li Changfeng's head. Li Changfeng sneered and casually reached out, pressing one hand against Er Gouzi's head.

Er Gouzi desperately swung both his fists and kicked wildly at Li Changfeng, but he could not reach him. Er Gouzi was only five or six chi tall, while Li Changfeng stood seven chi tall. It was simply an adult bullying a child.

Though Li Changfeng looked lean, he did farm work every day, and his body was packed with solid muscle. He was far stronger than he looked, nowhere near comparable to the short Er Gouzi.

Li Changfeng smiled faintly. "Shorty! Had enough? Now it's my turn!"

"Eat shit!"

Li Changfeng cursed, then drove a full-force kick straight forward. With a bang, Er Gouzi was sent flying several meters away. He curled up on the ground, in so much pain that he could not even scream, rolling about miserably.

"Motherfucker! This brat has some skills. Brothers, get him together!" the muscular thug leader shouted.

In an instant, four thugs rushed forward to gang up on Li Changfeng. One of them, the balding thug Lai Li Tou, threw a straight punch at Li Changfeng's face. Li Changfeng narrowed his eyes, caught the fierce punch with one hand, and then slammed him to the ground with an over-the-shoulder throw.

Bang!

The sound of a body hitting the ground rang out, and clouds of dust rose from the earth.

"Ow!"

The balding thug Lai Li Tou wailed after being slammed down. His entire body felt as though it had been shattered, numb all over, with even his internal organs seemingly knocked out of place.

Li Changfeng then grabbed Lai Li Tou's arm and twisted it. With a crack, the arm snapped instantly.

"Ah!" "Ah!" "Ah!"

"My hand! My hand!"

Lai Li Tou clutched his broken hand and screamed desperately.

The other three thugs were instantly frightened and no longer dared to step forward. Li Changfeng could not afford to hold back. Surrounded by four people, he had to use overwhelming force to keep them from moving.

Otherwise, once they recovered, they would attack again, and that would be troublesome. Two fists could not beat four hands, so he had to strike decisively and make them lose their ability to fight.

The battle suddenly fell silent. No one dared to attack recklessly. Li Changfeng stared coldly at the three men without moving, intending to suppress them with his presence and make them retreat.

"Hehe! Interesting. Brat, you think you can make us back off with that little bit of strength? Don't be stupid! Your big brother here has been through countless fights. You think you can scare us away like this?"

"What a joke!"

"Brothers, attack together! He can't possibly fight all three of us at once. He's dead for sure!" the thug leader said with a vicious grin.

Li Changfeng gave a bitter smile inwardly. Looks like I can only strike first!

With that thought, Li Changfeng immediately made his move. In two or three steps, he rushed toward a dark-faced thug and unleashed a set of Sanda combinations, first throwing left and right straight punches at the thug's face.

He followed with a hook, stepped back to gather strength, threw an uppercut, then a horizontal elbow strike, and finally a spinning back kick.

The dark-faced thug was beaten like a punching bag. After the full combo, he was left utterly dazed and beaten senseless, lying flat on the ground without knowing what had happened.

"Motherfucker! This brat actually dared to attack first. Get him!" shouted the thug with long hair.

The long-haired thug attacked first, throwing a kick straight at him. Li Changfeng easily dodged to the right, preparing to strike back with a powerful right hook. Suddenly, a fist the size of a casserole came smashing toward his face, forcing Li Changfeng to cross his arms over his head and block it head-on.

Bang!

Li Changfeng staggered back several steps from the powerful blow. He clenched his numbed arm to ease the sensation and stared warily at the thug leader. This boss really does have some skill. His strength is astonishing, but he's all brawn and no brains. Although his punches are powerful, after putting everything into one, he has no follow-up attacks. As long as I take care of the lackey beside him first, I can figure out how to deal with him afterward.

Li Changfeng then charged at full speed toward the smaller thug, intending to pick the softest target first—the long-haired thug.

The long-haired thug flew into a rage. "Damn it! Do you really think I'm easy to bully? Let's see how I beat the shit out of you, you bastard! Die!"

The long-haired thug charged furiously at Li Changfeng and threw a punch at him. Li Changfeng sneered disdainfully. "Perfect!"

He crouched low, dodging the heavy punch, then wrapped his arms around the long-haired thug's waist. He shifted backward and executed a high-lift rear suplex.

Bang!

The sound of a head slamming into the earth rang out. A dent appeared in the ground, and the long-haired thug's head was embedded in the soil. He lay on his back with his limbs in the air, unconscious after being taken down in a single move by Li Changfeng!

"What a fucking idiot! He knew the brat had some skills, yet he still rushed up to die. And you, brat, don't think taking care of a few pieces of trash means you can handle me," the thug leader snarled furiously.

"Hehe. Words are pointless. Let's settle it with our hands," Li Changfeng said calmly.

The thug leader's face darkened, and then he attacked in fury. His casserole-sized fist shot straight toward Li Changfeng's face. Li Changfeng raised both arms before his chest and crouched down.

He ducked left to avoid the blow. When the thug leader missed, he threw another punch, and Li Changfeng ducked right to evade it as well.

"Ah!" "Ah!" "Ah!"

"I refuse to believe I can't hit you!"

The thug leader threw punches left and right with all his might. After dodging several blows in succession, Li Changfeng seized the moment. He gathered strength and drove a right uppercut into the man's stomach, then landed a right hook against his head. Having taken two heavy blows, the thug leader swung a retaliatory punch at Li Changfeng.

Li Changfeng was knocked to the ground by that punch. He quickly rolled twice to get away from the thug leader, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and watched him cautiously. This big guy is too strong. His body is far too sturdy, and ordinary attacks can't even move him. There's too much difference in our weight. Looks like I'll have to use jujutsu to restrain him.

"Bastard brat! How was it? Did my punch feel good? Hahaha!" the thug leader laughed.

Li Changfeng ignored his mockery and attacked directly, using every punching and kicking technique he had. After a full combination, the thug leader simply endured it head-on.

The thug leader even managed to land several punches on Li Changfeng. Enduring the pain, Li Changfeng circled behind him, jumped onto his back, and used a triangle choke to restrain him.

With his throat locked, the thug leader struggled desperately but could not break free. His face turned bright red from suffocation, yet he could do nothing.

Seeing that the time was right, Li Changfeng slowly said into the thug leader's ear, "If you surrender and stop fighting, pat my hand, and I'll let you go."

The thug leader quickly patted Li Changfeng's hand. Li Changfeng released him, and the thug leader let out a breath of relief. He lay on the ground, gasping deeply before saying slowly:

"I admit defeat! Where did you learn such methods? You're unbelievably strong."