My strength increases by one percent every day; I can destroy stars with my bare hands.

Qingxi Village is located at the foot of a desolate mountain on the border of the Great Yan Dynasty. The village is dilapidated and sparsely populated.

In a world ravaged by demons, simply surviving was the villagers' greatest hope.

Outside a low, dilapidated mud-brick house at the east end of the village, a crowd of villagers gathered to watch the spectacle. Everyone looked timid and dared not approach, yet they couldn't help but stop and observe.

Inside the courtyard, cries of pleading and shouts mingled together, revealing the despair of the common people at the bottom of society in this chaotic world.

"Mr. Qian, I beg you, please grant me some more time!"

Li Dahai, his body hunched over and his face etched with wrinkles, knelt down with a thud, clutching the legs of the fat, wealthy man in front of him tightly, tears streaming down his face.

"The two taels of silver we borrowed from you back then were to survive the famine and avoid starvation. We've been scrimping and saving this year, and we've paid back what we could, but we simply can't scrape together the five taels of silver with all the interest!"

Li's mother also collapsed to the ground, tightly protecting her two daughters behind her, crying her heart out.

The eldest sister, Li Xiu, was pale, biting her lip tightly, and trembling all over.

The youngest sister, Li Ling'er, who was only twelve years old, was so frightened that she hid in her mother's arms, her little body trembling incessantly, her eyes brimming with tears, but she dared not cry out.

The man whose leg was being held was a wealthy and influential man known throughout the surrounding area.

The family owned thousands of acres of fertile land and had been lending money at exorbitant interest rates for many years.

In this chaotic world, he lived a very comfortable life by exploiting the villagers, and he even kept several fierce henchmen under his command. Ordinary villagers dared not speak out against him.

With his round belly and fleshy face, Qian the wealthy man looked impatient and kicked Li's father away.

"Grace period? It was clearly written in black and white when the money was borrowed, with interest compounding and repayment due on the due date. I've never given anyone a grace period in this Qingxi Village."

"Your family is old, weak, sick, and disabled. The harvest from your farming is not even enough to pay your taxes. You will never be able to repay this debt in this lifetime."

His triangular eyes were fixed on Li Ling'er, who was still young and had delicate features, behind Li's mother. A hint of greed and ruthlessness flashed in his eyes. He waved his hand and shouted at the servants behind him.

"Since you have no money to pay back, then take a person to settle the debt. Take this little girl away and sell her to a wealthy family in the city as a maid to pay off the debt."

Several fierce-looking servants, having received their orders, immediately swarmed forward, intending to forcibly take the person away.

Li Ling'er was so frightened that her face turned pale and her whole body trembled.

"No! Let go of my daughter."

Li's mother rushed forward like a madwoman, trying to protect Li Ling'er.

She knew that if Li Ling'er fell into the hands of the wealthy Qian, her fate would be extremely tragic.

"Alas! The Li family is doomed."

"The only son of the Li family was taken away to serve in the military two years ago, and there has been no news of him since. He may have died outside long ago. Without a pillar of support, the family can only be bullied by others."

"Another family has been ruined and destroyed because of money."

"..."

Seeing the tragic state of the Li family, the villagers felt sorry for them, but they dared not step forward.

They were barely able to protect themselves, and dared not offend wealthy people.

"Get out of here."

Li's father and mother were pushed to the ground by several servants, their foreheads hitting the bluestone slab, instantly drawing blood.

The eldest sister, Li Xiu, rushed forward to try to stop them, but was also roughly pushed aside by the servants and fell down in a sorry state.

"Father, Mother, Eldest Sister!"

Li Ling'er was so frightened that she burst into tears. Her small body was held tightly by the servants, and she struggled desperately but could not break free at all.

"Please, please, spare my daughter! I'll do anything for you, I beg you!"

Li's father crawled forward, but a servant stepped on his back, rendering him unable to move, his face covered in mud and tears.

In this chaotic world of demons, ordinary people are as worthless as weeds. Faced with local gentry and bullies like the wealthy Qian family, these powerless mortals have no right to resist and can only be slaughtered at their mercy.

The surrounding villagers shook their heads and sighed, their faces full of sympathy, but no one dared to stand up and say a word, for fear of getting themselves into trouble.

Everyone knows that the wealthy Qian is ruthless and vicious; if you offend him, you simply cannot survive in this chaotic world.

"take away!"

The wealthy man Qian's face revealed a lewd look, his turtle-sized eyes constantly scanning Li Ling'er, making no attempt to hide his lustful expression.

It is only right to pay back debts. Since the Li family cannot repay their debts, he took Li Ling'er away. Even if the Li family reports him to the authorities, he has a valid reason to do so.

"Ling'er..."

Li's father and the others let out heart-wrenching cries, struggling to stand up, but were firmly held down by several servants, and could only watch helplessly as Li Ling'er was taken away.

Just then, a series of orderly footsteps came from the direction of the village entrance.

Several men dressed in blue government uniforms, carrying sticks, walked quickly toward this place with an imposing air.

The head constable had a stern face and an imposing presence.

"Stop! In broad daylight, you're abducting women and oppressing the innocent. Who gave you the audacity?"

The head constable gave a stern shout, his voice booming, instantly intimidating everyone.

The wealthy man and his servants were taken aback. When they turned around and saw the government officials, their expressions changed slightly, but they remained fearless.

He cultivated connections throughout Qingyang County, and the officials usually turned a blind eye to his actions.

"What's going on? Why are the officials here?"

The wealthy man and the villagers were somewhat surprised, wondering why the officials had suddenly come.

The crowd quickly made way, afraid of angering the officials.

Since ancient times, the common people have never fought against the officials. Even if the officials beat and killed them, they died in vain.

Ordinary people avoid government officials like mice avoid cats.

The wealthy man, with his greasy, fat face plastered with a fawning smile, walked toward the officials, a stark contrast to his previous arrogance.

Although he was extremely wealthy, he was still just an ordinary citizen and had to bow his head when facing government officials.

"Sir, this is a private matter between me and the Li family. They owe me money and haven't paid it back, so it's only right that I take people to pay off the debt."

Mr. Qian bowed and explained to the officials.

"Personal matters?"

The head constable sneered, his gaze sweeping over the disheveled, desperate, and helpless Li family members before turning to the wealthy Qian family, and he shouted sternly.

"In this Great Yan Dynasty, the law is paramount. How dare you act so recklessly? Besides, do you even know who this family is?"

Mr. Qian frowned, sensing that something was amiss.

He had done this kind of thing many times before, and the government officials had always turned a blind eye. Why was he making such a fuss this time?

Although he was puzzled, he didn't pay much attention to it. He glanced at the Li family members who were still on the ground and showed disdain.

"They're just a bunch of lowly commoners, what kind of background could they possibly have?"

"Untouchables?" the head constable shouted, his voice echoing throughout the courtyard, making it clear to all the villagers nearby.

"I am a servant under the command of the magistrate of Qingyang County. I have come to Qingxi Village today to deliver military orders from the county government."

"Li Xuancang, son of the Li family, was conscripted to guard the border two years ago. Now he is fighting bloody battles on the border, killing barbarians. He has been officially registered in the regular army of the Great Yan Dynasty and has become a soldier registered by the court."