However, Walker King and Bighead, these two fiends, are friends, so Samuel Cooper could only let his imagination run wild.

After several rounds of drinks, everyone’s spirits did not wane; instead, they grew even higher. They began taking turns to toast Bighead, who accepted every toast. What was a large bowl of wine for an ordinary person was just a small cup in his hands.

One of the minor leaders had probably drunk too much. He staggered to his feet, his voice rising above everyone in the tent, and said:

“In a few days, it will be our Miss Tieshan’s wedding day. With these ten pairs of boys and girls bought, the dowry is now complete. I wish our young lady an early birth of a noble son, and may Bighead soon hold a grandchild!”

The Tieshan bandits were not big on formalities and called their leader by his nickname. Bighead didn’t mind at all; he smiled, raised his neck, and downed a bowl of wine in one gulp, clearly very pleased with the blessing.

All the young slaves breathed a sigh of relief. So they were to be part of the dowry for the young lady; it seemed they wouldn’t have to stay by Bighead’s side in the future.

The sharp-faced boy let out a relaxed breath, then nervously whispered:

“The young lady’s husband’s family isn’t bandits too, right?”

No one answered his question, nor did anyone pay attention, because the minor leader, still feeling proud, added another sentence.

“Bighead, our young lady’s reputation is renowned far and wide, known to all under heaven. Now that she’s about to be married off, shouldn’t we, her uncles and brothers, at least get a look at her?”

This suggestion won quite a bit of support, but the voices of agreement quickly died down, because everyone saw that Bighead’s expression had changed.

“You want to see my daughter?”

“No, no,” the minor leader immediately realized he had said the wrong thing. His face turned green, and the bowl in his hand fell to the ground. “I don’t want to, I, I…”

Bighead stood up with a roar, picked up an iron spear from beside him.

The iron spear was thick and long; compared to it, old servant Yang Zheng’s spear looked like a child’s toy.

The minor leader knew he was in big trouble. He backed away in panic, trying to force a smile, but his face only became more stiff and twisted.

Bighead shouted thunderously, like a bolt from the blue, then leapt forward. Despite his huge and intimidating frame, he was surprisingly agile, flying over more than a dozen heads and, upon landing, drove his spear straight through the minor leader’s chest.

Bighead lifted the dying minor leader into the air on his spear. The minor leader gripped the shaft with both hands, staring at his leader in terror, and with his last bit of strength said, “Forgive… forgive me.”

“Bighead’s daughter—other than my good son-in-law, there isn’t a second man in the world who can see her face. My good son-in-law is the son of Walker King, not a bastard like you.”

Bighead and Walker King are in-laws!

Samuel Cooper’s heart sank. There was no chance at all of using Bighead to get revenge.

But then he felt a surge of joy—he was about to follow Bighead’s daughter into Golden Roc Fort. After a few days of being abandoned by fate, destiny had reappeared.

His mind settled at once, and before him, a clear path appeared: infiltrate Golden Roc Fort, search for his sister’s whereabouts, assassinate his enemies—at the very least, kill one of them.

The minor leader’s death did not disrupt the banquet. The body was quickly carried out, and everyone continued feasting and drinking.

After the banquet, the ten girls were sent to the young lady’s tent to serve her, while the boys were sent to a small tent nearby. Their daily work was endless cleaning of utensils and tidying up the dowry.

When his sister Grace Cooper was preparing to get married, Samuel Cooper was still a carefree young master, used to giving orders rather than working with his hands. Now, he had to labor for a bandit’s daughter he had never met, and it felt like his heart was being cut with a knife.

The skinny woman who picked slaves for Bighead was the young lady’s personal maid, so these young slave boys naturally fell under her management.

The skinny woman ordered them to call her “Snow.” The first words the Hu boys learned in the Central Plains tongue were these two characters.

Snow’s appearance had nothing to do with snow—her face was sallow, her cheeks sunken, her body as thin as a bamboo pole. Knowing that most of these boys couldn’t speak the Central Plains language, she usually spoke little, and when giving orders, would often just point with her finger.

Her fingers were long and hard, like ten thin iron rods. Anyone who failed to understand her immediately would get poked by one of those rods, and the bruise would last two or three days.

All ten boys had been poked at least once, even the sharp-faced boy who claimed to be best at pleasing the masters. Every time Snow entered, the sharp-faced boy would immediately snatch up his share of the chores and get to work with great enthusiasm.

Samuel Cooper had been poked in the chest a few times by those iron fingers. His meager internal strength offered no protection at all, and he was sure Snow must be quite skilled.

Bighead often led people out of camp—sometimes returning empty-handed, sometimes bringing back many goods. It was hard to say what kind of “business” he was doing.

The exact date of the wedding was never set, only that it would be soon. There were even rumors that the marriage might run into unexpected trouble.

Samuel Cooper began to feel that every day in the camp dragged on like a year.