Volume 1: Reincarnation Cycle First...

  The crowd gasped, and upon hearing the sound, they saw a robust boy, nearly five feet tall, with unkempt hair like a lion's mane, push his way through the crowd. The boy had regular features, thick eyebrows, big eyes, a nose like a hanging gallbladder, thin lips, but with a resolute outline, and starry eyes that shone with an unchildlike calmness and solemnity, staring intently at An Ze.

  "Ha! I thought it was someone else, so bold as to shout in front of me. It's actually the young master of the Da Kang household! The nine-foot-tall An Ze looked down at the youth before him with a hint of mockery: "What, you're not frolicking on the hills like a beast, but instead came to see off your thieving father?"

  "Hutou, you...you're not sleeping? Why did you come running over here?" Looking at his own son, Lu Kang only felt a wave of embarrassment.

  "Father..." he called out, and then looked at An Ze with an expression that didn't fluctuate much: "An Ze, the head of the household, I've come to ask you to release my father."

  "Hey, you let me go with just one sentence, I think you're the big boss!" An Ze was clearly not pleased with Hu Tou's uninvited attitude.

  A strong wind whispered beside him: "Dahutou, I think this little rabbit might be here to persuade his father to let his mother become a prostitute?"

  An Ze licked his tongue, gazing at Hu Tou with a fierce gaze: "Hu Tou, I can let your father go, just as the Great Wind said. As long as you persuade your father to let your mother become the 'birth mother' of our Northwestern household, there won't be any problem!"

  "Hurry back, Hu Tou!" Lu Kang looked at his son with some alarm, he was really afraid that Hu Tou would not understand and do something to persuade him in public.

  "No..." It was as if he was answering Lu Kang, but the tiger head that shook its head was still looking at An Ze: "An Ze Da Hu Tou, my father said that for his son, he can be a thief, but my mother would rather die than be a prostitute. This son of mine will naturally not disobey him..."

  Just as Lu Kang was feeling relieved, An Ze coldly interrupted him: "Since that's the case, your father stole food from the warehouse and should be beaten to death. His corpse can be used as bait for the bears."

  "No!" Hu Tou's eyes were fixed firmly on An Ze: "You can't do this even as the head of a large household!"

  "Haha!" An Ze burst out laughing: "I am the head of a big household in Northwest China, how to do things still need you to teach?"

  Dagu shouted from the side: "You stinky brat, are you still dreaming? In our entire Northwestern household of 1,073 people, isn't the power to kill or spare held in the hands of the head of the household? If he wants to kill your father, it's just a matter of one word! Head of the household, don't bother with this ignorant little brat, killing Dakan is just that."

  "No, you can't do that!" The tiger-headed man's gaze remained firm, giving off an aura of unyielding majesty: "Because... I'm going to challenge you, An Ze, the great household head."

  "Challenge An Ze's household head?" The crowd was in an uproar, and immediately burst out laughing. In their eyes, this was a huge joke.

  Not only in the Northwest House, but in any village house, the head of the household is absolutely the strongest representative, because the head of the household is the person who supervises the village house on behalf of the host family, has the power to learn the key to strength, although it's just a low-grade key to strength, it can still make people have extraordinary courage that ordinary people can't match, let alone, Tiger Head is only twelve years old.

  A strong wind whispered beside him, "Tiger Head, have you gone mad? Your fur isn't even fully grown, yet you dare to challenge the Great House's leader? Don't you know that the Great House's leader has cultivated the family's Python Power Technique, and his physical realm has reached the seventh level of the lower grade, possessing strength comparable to a bear?"

  "Exactly, Da Hu Tou can lift a thousand catties with ease, but this little brat, one punch from him and you'll be beaten into pulp!" Da Gu chimed in from the side while rubbing his fists together, looking at An Ze: "Da Hu Tou, this stinky little brat doesn't know when to die, let me teach him a lesson for you!"

  An Ze nodded, but when he saw a thin old man standing behind Hu Tou, staring at this side with piercing eyes, he shook his head: "He challenged me, it has nothing to do with you..."

  After a pause, An Ze said: "Tiger Head, you challenging me can indeed temporarily guarantee your father's life. During the challenge period, as the head of the household, I am not allowed to do anything detrimental to you in any way. And if you succeed in the challenge and become the head of the household, your father will naturally have a chance to be pardoned once...

  Lu Kang also came back to his senses from the shock at this moment, and scolded: "Tiger head, have you gone mad? Hurry up and roll back..."

  "Did you hear that, Tiger Head? Your dad has also told you to scram. You challenging me is impossible, I absolutely won't show mercy, and you will die at my hands. At that time, your dad still won't be able to save you. Are you sure you still want to challenge me?"

  He pinched the high and straight nose tip, and the thin lips of the tiger head slightly curled up: "An Ze Da Hu Tou, you really talk too much today. Is the challenge rule set by the host a joke? Since I've spoken out, I naturally won't take it back. However, before I challenge you, you should at least let me eat my fill and drink enough. Otherwise, your victory would be unjust."

  "Tiger head..." At this moment, Lu Kang's voice was choked with sobs and hot tears streaming down his face. In his eyes, his son had chosen to die with him rather than become a starving ghost.

  "Haha……" As the crowd burst into laughter, An Ze also laughed loudly: "Since you want to die, I'll fulfill your wish. You can eat and drink as much as you want, just rely on yourself. Your father stole that piece of meat, I'll give it all to you. Old Hu Tou, you're here too, let's have you bear witness!"

  The thin old man standing behind the tiger's head was the previous generation of the northwest household, Xī Tú. Although he is now old and frail, he still has a certain status in the northwest household. He nodded slightly: "It should be so, but this matter of the tiger's head challenging the household head is a major event for our northwest household. It should be announced to everyone in the household and a good day should be chosen. What does the household head think?"

  An Ze shook his head and nodded: "Old Hu Tou, you are a man of great virtue and prestige, whatever you say is right!"

  Xi Tu nodded: "In that case, in my opinion, it will be three days later at sunset. At that time, Hu Tou will challenge Da Hu Tou An Ze. If Hu Tou wins, the crime of stealing food from Da Kang can also be cancelled, and Hu Tou will also have the qualification to become the next Da Hu Tou. But if Hu Tou loses..."

  "Then let's make the bear trap together, father and son!" An Ze waved his hand grandly, with a fierce glint in his eyes. In his heart, he added another thought: Lu Kang's wife, Tiger Head's mother Xiao Hui, even if she didn't become a "birth mother", would inevitably become his forbidden food.

  Xitu didn't say anything, but what Anze said was undoubtedly true. Challenging the authority of a wealthy family head would be disastrous if one failed. This wasn't just a rule in the village of Guo Lin Forest, but also in Longquan Prefecture and even the entire Yunze Kingdom.

  Things have come to this, Hu Tou didn't bother with An Ze and the others anymore, but instead walked straight to Lu Kang's side, who was somewhat disheartened, and called out: "Dad!"

  "Tiger head..." Looking at his precious son, Lu Kang heavily lowered his head: "Dad has wronged you, if..."

  "Let's talk about it when we get home!" Hu's face was calm and serene, with a confidence and tranquility that shouldn't be there.

  It seems that Lu Kang was also infected by his son's "dare to die" spirit, and he suddenly summoned up the courage, nodded heavily, held his head high and left. In his heart, he thought: "Having a son like this, what more can I ask for? Even if I'm down on my luck, it's hard to have a comeback... Being able to die with dignity is better than barely holding on, only regretting..."

  Just as Lu Kang was lost in thought, Hu Tou supported him and picked up the large piece of black dried venison. Amidst the crowd's astonished or sympathetic gazes, they slowly walked away, gradually disappearing into the increasingly thick fog.

  His gaze returned from the direction where Lu Kang and his son had disappeared, seeing that things had come to an end. Xi Tu called out to everyone: "It's getting late, let's all go back and rest, there are still things to do tomorrow!"

  The old household head spoke up, and the crowd that had been watching the commotion naturally dispersed, after all, it was indeed a very sleepy hour, and if they lingered any longer, they would not have the energy to do their work the next day, and might even be deducted from their rations, this was no joke.

  "Could it be that the entire Dai family has fled under the cover of night?" Looking at the last departing old household head, Xi Tu furrowed his brow, feeling that something was off, but couldn't quite put his finger on it.

  With a disdainful curl of his lip, An Ze shook his head and said: "If they could escape, they would have escaped long ago. This dense forest is vast and boundless, full of dangers, and it's hard to tell the direction. Even I wouldn't be able to run out safely, let alone them without enough food and water. You don't think that a few dozen kilograms of black deer meat can support three people running out of this dense forest, do you?"

  Dagu smiled and chimed in, "That's right, Dafeng. You're a good person, but you're too suspicious. This Tiger Head is just a desperate kid trying to save his father's life so he can leave some last words behind."

  He slightly hesitated, and the Big Wind also burst out laughing: "That's right, I couldn't possibly suspect ghosts and gods for every little strange thing. With the power of a big family head, killing that little brat three days later would be as easy as crushing an ant."