The Bandit Chieftain

At Luocao Mountain in Mocheng, Half-Cloud Country, Fang Zheng, chief of Luocao Stronghold, had three thousand underlings. His family was harmonious, and he got along well with his neighbors. Yet he had only one precious daughter, whom he affectionately called Fang Xin.

Twenty-four years ago, a great flood struck Minzhou. Fang Zheng was holding Fang Xin when, on a whim, he picked up an abandoned baby and adopted him as his son, naming him Fang Shichu.

The second young lady of Luocao Stronghold, Fang Xin, was notorious as a bully. She fell for a notorious bandit and wanted to pledge herself to him in secret. Furious, Fang Zheng kicked the bandit down the mountain. Then he turned and saw Fang Shichu, her big brother, flourishing his brush and splashing ink. On a sudden whim, he decided to make the families even closer and immediately tried to force a marriage.

But while the red lanterns of Luocao Stronghold hung high and Fang Xin, dressed in her wedding clothes, shyly gnawed on a chicken claw, her would-be groom, Fang Shichu, ran away!

With two taels of silver and a big bag of sunflower seeds and peanuts in his pocket, Fang Shichu wandered from place to place. To evade Luocao Stronghold's pursuit, he nervously but excitedly sat the military recruitment exam, making his way into the bureaucracy in one fell swoop. After four years of trials, he became a general and established his residence at Jinyang Pass, where his fame spread far and wide.

When the news reached Mocheng, Fang Xin was making a bet with Fang Ritian and sitting in a tower for a matchmaking meeting, protected by the brothers of Luocao Stronghold.

Hearing the news, Fang Zheng had another idea. He immediately packed his bags, gathered all the valuables in Luocao Stronghold, and set off alone for Jinyang Pass, crossing mountains and rivers and abandoning his family and daughter!

Then he showed up at the general's residence and forced his way in.

And so, the infamous stronghold of evildoers began a new chapter.