The Thief Prince

Li Zheng flipped onto the dark cloud and turned back to Jian Gou'er, saying, "I'm afraid there aren't any horses that can carry you, brother. You go sit in that carriage first."

One of the trucks that was previously loaded was reserved for him.

The clumsy dog ​​climbed onto the empty truck, making the truck bed sag under his weight.

The Black Wind Thieves around him kept looking at him with goodwill in their eyes.

They were all like mud, ordinary people; seeing him reminded them of themselves, and they naturally felt a bit more sympathy for him.

After loading the cart, Li Zheng turned his horse around and prepared to leave.

Before leaving, he glanced at the spot one last time:

"I'll let it go this time, but if I ever see you again, you heartless wretch, I'll split your head open with an axe!"

The village head trembled as he agreed.

He thought to himself, "These bandits are so arrogant, they might be wiped out by the government any day now."

As long as I don't leave the village, I won't run into them, so I can say I've escaped a disaster.

After saying this, Li Zheng spurred his horse and led his men away.

As Li Zheng walked out of the village, he saw that the rascal was still gazing at the village behind him and laughed, "Since you don't know my name, how about we share the same surname?"

The scoundrel stared blankly at him.

Li Zheng said, "My surname is Li, and my name is Li Zheng. From now on, your surname will also be Li, and your name will be... Li Bao."

"Bao...Li Bao?"

This child possesses superhuman strength and incredible explosive power; he is truly a divinely ordained warrior.

What's even more remarkable is that he also has a pure and kind heart, like a child.

In this world, wouldn't it be a treasure?

Li Zheng nodded: "I'll give you another nickname, let's call you Black Whirlwind."

"From this day forward, there will be no more lowly dogs in this world, only Li Bao, 'Black Whirlwind' Li Bao!"

Tang Meng laughed heartily, "Brother Li Bao is lucky! The nicknames our brother gives him are all excellent. There's another brother named 'Little Drill Wind,' which was also given to him by our brother."

"You are all wind, so it would be nice to get closer to you."

"Unlike me, Old Tang, who's known as the 'Purple-Faced Yama,' which sounds neither human nor ghost."

Old Tang is a straightforward man. He was just feeling sorry for the horse that was hit and killed, but now he doesn't care at all and instead comforts Li Bao.

Li Bao listened attentively to Tang Meng's rambling, feeling that the name Li Bao sounded better and better, a thousand times better than the previous name, and a smile appeared on his face.

Yan Yun, standing to the side, glanced at Li Bao with a hint of resentment, but quickly put it aside when she thought of his pitiful background.

"Brother Tang Meng, come here." Li Zheng waved to Tang Meng, "Do something for me."

Tang Meng spurred his horse to Li Zheng's side: "Brother, what's wrong?"

Li Zheng said a few words in a low voice, then handed him the hand axe at his waist.

Tang Meng looked up in surprise and muttered under his breath, "Scholars can be really ruthless."

"What did you say?!"

"It's alright, it's alright." Tang Meng took the hand axe. "Brother, don't worry, I, Old Tang, will definitely handle this matter."

"Mm." Li Zheng nodded.

Tang Meng cupped his hands in greeting, selected more than ten cavalrymen, and then turned and headed back towards Zoujia Village.

Meanwhile, in Zoujia Village...

Only after Li Zheng's group disappeared at the end of the village road did the village head and villagers dare to get up from the ground.

The village head let out a long sigh, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and was about to turn around and go back into the house.

Several village women gathered around, wailing and crying, "Those heartless thieves! They took all our winter grain! How are we going to survive?!"

Someone else grabbed the village head's sleeve: "How could you give all the stuff to the thieves? How are we supposed to survive now?"

The village head, his head throbbing from the noise, shoved the man's hand away and snapped, "So what if we don't give it to them? If they're determined, killing us all is just a matter of lifting a finger!"

An old man nearby chimed in, muttering, "Usually when thieves come, we just let the dog out and bark at them a couple of times, and they all run away. Why didn't it work this time?"

The village head glanced at him sideways: "Those thieves are nothing more than roving bandits and scoundrels, wearing straw sandals and carrying broken knives. How can they compare to this group today?"

"Didn't you see those bandits riding tall horses and wearing armor? That's all government equipment!"

There was a moment of silence, then someone began to complain:

"It's all that wretched dog's fault! He went and bumped into someone's horse for no reason. If he hadn't provoked that gang of thieves, none of this would have happened in our village!"

As soon as these words were spoken, it was as if a floodgate had been opened, and seven or eight mouths immediately echoed in agreement:

"Exactly! They've been eating and drinking for free all these years, and in the end, they've brought disaster upon the village!"

"We shouldn't have taken that idiot in in the first place!"

"If I had known this would happen, I should have kicked him out in the first place!"

The village head, annoyed by the cacophony of voices, shouted, "Enough! Shut up, all of you!"

Everyone fell silent.

The village head looked around and sneered, "Do you think I don't know that you all have surplus grain in your homes?"

"Over the years, you've all treated that idiot like a beast of burden. He'd practically plow an acre of land for you for a single rice ball. Every family has accumulated a lot of grain. Stop complaining to me about being poor."

"Now that the fool is gone, the village is quiet again. It might not be a bad thing. Consider it a loss to avoid further trouble."

He had seen through everyone's thoughts, and they all lowered their heads in embarrassment.

Having said all that, although it pained me to part with the food, there was nothing more I could say.

Just then, a villager suddenly came running back, tumbling and crawling: "It's terrible! It's terrible! Those thieves are back!"

The village head's heart skipped a beat, and he was about to ask a question.

The sound of horses' hooves could be heard from the village entrance, growing closer and closer like the beating of drums.

In the blink of an eye, a dozen or so riders, kicking up dust, rushed into the village lanes. The man at the front had a purple face and a short beard, and carried a large knife.

The cavalrymen behind him all had their swords drawn and bows nocked, exuding a murderous aura.

The village headman braced himself and stepped forward, about to greet him with a forced smile and a bow.

Tang Meng didn't even glance at him, and the cavalry behind him charged into the crowd like wolves among sheep.

Screams immediately erupted, and the villagers scattered and fled.

Before the village head could even run, Tang Meng's horse was already in front of him.

He quickly grabbed Tang Meng's reins, tilting his head back and saying, "What are you doing, Chief?! Didn't the King just say he would spare us this time?"

Tang Meng glanced down at him, stuck the Po Feng Dao (a type of dagger) into the soil, and slowly drew his hand axe from his waist.

While drawing his axe, he slowly said, "Brother said he'd spare you this time, but next time we meet, he'll kill you without mercy."

"And now... this is the second time."

The village head opened his mouth to shout, but the axe blade had already fallen.

At the same time, Li Zheng's team had already traveled three miles when suddenly a plume of black smoke rose from the direction of the village behind them.

Sitting on the grain cart, Li Bao looked back and saw thick smoke billowing from the direction of Zoujia Village.

He couldn't help but tug at Li Zheng's sleeve, awkwardly saying, "Brother... Brother..."

Li Zheng glanced back, gently patted Li Bao's head, and comforted him with a smile, "It's nothing, the villagers are just starting to cook."

"Let's go home and have dinner!"