Under the pale glow of the full moon, snowflakes drifted lazily onto the green grass, blanketing the rugged terrain in a deceptive calm. Around a crackling fire, a group of Greenwood Brotherhood bandits huddled in their fur coats, their coarse laughter cutting through the quiet night. They were stationed around a towering tree with a door carved into its thick trunk—a secret stash belonging to the Thunder Sky Brotherhood.

Their orders were clear: guard the stash, but never open it. The leader wanted the remaining Thunder Sky members to cling to a sliver of hope, only to be lured into a deadly trap.

The twenty men were in high spirits, drinking and boasting, their weapons clinking against their belts. A bald man with a broad grin raised his mug. "Can you believe it? Just a few weeks ago, we had to share these mountains with those weaklings. Now—"

"Now we own everything," interrupted an older man, his beard streaked with grey. "Free food, warm shelters, and any weapon we can get our hands on. Hell, we even get to help ourselves to any woman we fancy!" His laughter was coarse and cruel.

The bald man snorted. "True, but remember the boss’s orders—stay out of Hisu. That’s the one place we’re not supposed to touch."

Another bandit, his jet-black hair peeking out from under a fur cap, nodded. "Yeah, Hisu. Leader made it clear. No one goes near that town."

The bald man clicked his tongue. "A shame. I hear they’ve got fine weapons there."

As the firelight danced in their eyes, the bald man turned his gaze toward a younger recruit sitting slightly apart from the group. "Hey, Zhiyu!" he called out, his voice dripping with mock camaraderie. "Why so quiet? Aren’t you enjoying the good life?"

Zhiyu, who had been staring into his drink, stiffened slightly. "Y-yes, Brother Gubuk," he replied cautiously, his voice barely audible.

"Come on," Gubuk pressed, leaning forward. "You should be grateful! After all, didn’t we take you in after your little River Lily Brotherhood surrendered like cowards?"

The older man with the grizzled beard chuckled. "Yeah, I remember. Didn’t even put up a fight. One raid, one kill, and they threw down their weapons."

Gubuk smirked. "And if I recall, you had a little sweetheart in that group, didn’t you, Zhiyu?" He took a swig from his mug, then added, "You tried so hard to protect her. Touching, really."

Zhiyu froze, his grip tightening around his mug.

Gubuk laughed, savoring the memory. "Out of the kindness of my heart, I let you have her right there. Thought I’d do you a favor." His grin widened, eyes gleaming with cruelty. "It was quite the show, wasn’t it?"

Zhiyu’s face drained of color as the horrific memories flooded back—the screams, the jeers, the mocking laughter of the bandits. His dreams of a peaceful life with his love had been shattered that night. Now, those same voices echoed in his mind, mingling with the crackle of the fire.

"Aren’t you glad I helped you sort out your love life?" Gubuk sneered, eliciting another round of laughter from the bandits.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Zhiyu’s horror was replaced by a quiet, simmering rage. His hand inched toward the short knife concealed at his side.

One of the bandits, a man wearing a wide-brimmed hat, chuckled. "Lay off him, Gubuk. He brought us booze, after all."

Gubuk smirked, raising his mug. "Ah, consider it a thank-you gift for my generosity!" He turned back to Zhiyu, his tone mocking. "So I did try her out after you, was she even worth it, kid?"

Before the old man could take another sip, Zhiyu moved like lightning. In a flash, the knife was at Gubuk’s throat, slicing cleanly. The group leader’s eyes bulged as he staggered back, blood pouring from the wound. The others, drunk and sluggish, stared in stunned silence as Gubuk crumpled to the ground, his life snuffed out.

Zhiyu didn’t wait for the shock to wear off. He bolted into the forest, his heart pounding. This was what he had been waiting for—a chance to settle the score. Gubuk’s death was his justice, his way of breaking free from the savage grip of the Greenwood Brotherhood. Whatever happened next didn’t matter. He was done being their pawn.

The remaining bandits erupted into chaos. "That bastard!" the older man growled, drawing his sword. He kicked Gubuk’s lifeless body in frustration. "This is what happens when you bring new recruits on assignments after a week! Idiot."

Before he could bark more orders, an arrow whistled through the air, embedding itself in the door of the tree stash. It burned brightly, casting an eerie glow on the bandits' stunned faces.

"What the—"

Boom.

The explosion tore through the clearing, the tree erupting into a fiery inferno. The force sent bodies hurtling through the air like ragdolls. The flames consumed everything in their path—the stash, the weapons, and every bandit caught in the blast. None survived.

As the flames crackled and the smoke billowed into the cold night sky, the message was clear. The Thunder Sky Brotherhood was not finished yet.

A short distance away, two figures stood hidden among the trees, their faces illuminated by the fiery glow. Tao, let out a triumphant laugh. “It actually worked, Brother Gu!” she exclaimed, her voice barely containing her excitement.

Gu, with a calm demeanor, watched the inferno with a look of astonished satisfaction. "Yeah," he said, nodding slowly. "I didn’t expect it to work so perfectly. The explosion took them all in one sweep. But don’t get too comfortable," he added, his tone shifting to urgency. "We’ve got nine more stashes to deal with. We need to move before word spreads."

Tao’s excitement turned into focused determination. "Right," she said, adjusting the quiver on her back. "Though… I think I saw someone darting into the bushes just before the arrow hit."

Gu paused mid-step, glancing over his shoulder. His face tightened in contemplation. "That’s both a blessing and a curse," he said. "If there’s a survivor, they’ll spread our message and sow fear among the Greenwood scum. But it also means they might warn the other locations."

Tao nodded as she quickened her pace to keep up with Gu. "Then we’d better pick up the pace. No time to waste."

Gu allowed a faint smile to touch his lips. "Let’s hope our strategy works at every stash," he said, and together they slipped deeper into the shadows of the forest.

The forest soon echoed with a symphony of destruction. Explosions erupted in rapid succession, sending shockwaves through the night. One by one, the Thunder Sky Brotherhood’s secret stashes, guarded by the Greenwood Brotherhood, were obliterated, each blast marking another devastating blow to their oppressors. Fires spread rapidly, consuming the trees and casting a sinister red glow across the Jing Mountains.

Dead bodies lay scattered amidst the debris, the once-proud Greenwood bandits reduced to ash and charred remains. It was a night of reckoning, a brutal retribution long overdue.

Zhiyu, still running through the dense forest, stumbled to a halt as another distant explosion lit up the horizon. His eyes widened in awe. Each fiery burst sent a surge of hope through his veins. Someone was fighting back. Someone was targeting the Greenwood Brotherhood.

He didn’t know who these people were, but their actions filled him with newfound courage. They were the retribution he had dreamed of but never dared to believe in.

His breaths came heavy as he sprinted toward the aftermath of each explosion, driven by a mix of curiosity and vengeance. He crouched behind bushes and trees, watching as the fires consumed everything, celebrating in silence as the screams of dying bandits echoed through the night.

With every boom, his resolve strengthened.

Far from the chaos, in the quiet town of Hisu, Master Lin stood atop the Governor’s mansion. His weathered face was tense as he leaned on his ornate cane, his gaze fixed on the distant forest.

One by one, distant bursts of light flared up in the darkness, followed by the faint echoes of explosions. Unlike the Greenwood Brotherhood’s raids, which burned villages over prolonged attacks, these fires ignited swiftly, as though entire outposts were consumed in an instant.

"What on earth is happening out there?" Master Lin muttered to himself, his voice low and filled with unease.

The old man straightened with effort, gripping his cane tightly as he began his slow descent from the rooftop. The governor needed to hear about this immediately. This was no ordinary night. Something far greater was unfolding in the Jing Mountains.

As Master Lin descended the mansion’s grand staircase, his thoughts raced. Whoever orchestrated this was not only efficient but methodical. was a new force rising in these mountains? Either way, the balance of power in the region was shifting, and Hisu needed to be prepared.

The night burned on, but in the shadows, a new dawn of rebellion was beginning to take shape.