A Bowl of Rice Rolls In

The narrow path stretched before me. From today onward, this would be my lifeline.

South of Taishan in Qing Province, the thin trail connecting a village to the local market. Too cramped for a large army to pass through, but perfectly serviceable for small merchant caravans, herb gatherers, or trade between nearby settlements. And onto that very path—

My meal had finally rolled in.

One wooden cart. One packhorse. The cart was loaded with bolts of cloth, dried ginseng, and provisions. The sacks hanging from the horse’s sides clinked heavily, suggesting something more valuable inside. Behind the cart walked five porters and three armed escorts.

Perfect. Just the right size.

I descended from the hill and slowly planted myself in the middle of the road. The moment they saw me tapping my scabbard while blocking their way, the entire group froze.

“H-hey… you there!”

The burly man at the front raised his hand.

“Clear the path! We’re just ordinary merchants!”

“Merchants, huh? Then we should be able to talk this out.”

I gave a small signal with my chin. Four bandits emerged from the bushes, spreading out to block the road from different angles. The caravan’s escorts immediately gripped the hilts of their weapons.

“Their numbers… five?” one of the guards muttered.

“We still outnumber them. Let’s just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠push through.”

That was my cue. I stepped forward at a leisurely pace toward the man who looked the most composed—the one I assumed was the caravan leader.

“Name?”

“…I am called Kang Hoe.”

“Kang Hoe. You’re the leader, right? If you’re smart, we won’t need to spill any blood today.”

“You won’t even give your own name and you suddenly—!”

I slammed the tip of my scabbard into the ground with a loud thunk. At the sharp sound, my bandits drew their shabby swords, clubs, and the crude bamboo spears I had personally sharpened.

Ha, fuck. Our gear really is pathetic.

“Let’s not waste each other’s time. How about you just pay a small toll?”

“A toll…?” Kang Hoe frowned. “And how much exactly are you demanding?”

I glanced briefly at the caravan.

“I’m not being greedy. One sack of grain and about ten dried fish—one for each of us. That should do it.”

“…That’s all? No money?”

I nodded.

“No need to take too much. Oh, and just so you know—this is a round-trip fee. You won’t have to pay again on your way back.”

“Hmm… But why should we pay in food when we outnumber you and our equipment is better?”

I smiled and tapped my scabbard again.

“True. But you’d still take losses. If I take the lead, I can guarantee at least four of you will die. Sure, I might die too in the end… but do you really want to go through all that trouble and get blood on your hands?”

Kang Hoe swallowed hard. The escorts took a step back. Several of the merchants exchanged nervous glances.

“Pay the toll and I guarantee your safety on this road. From now on, I’ll only collect ‘reasonable’ tolls.”

I took one step back.

“The choice is yours. Isn’t it better to hand over some grain and fish than to risk a bloody fight here?”

“…Hah.”

Kang Hoe hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

“That much… is acceptable.”

The corner of my mouth curled upward.

And just like that, I earned my first meal on this stretch of road.

Once the caravan had completely disappeared from sight, my subordinates slowly lifted their heads one by one. Then one of them glanced around cautiously and spoke up.

“Boss… those guys just now…”

His voice trailed off. The others turned their heads away as if they already knew what he was thinking. Finally, the biggest one among them hesitated before opening ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his mouth.

“Wouldn’t it have been better to just wipe them all out and take everything? Their numbers weren’t that high, and even though we’re fewer… with your skills, Boss, we could’ve definitely—”

“Puhaha!”

I let out a short laugh. The meaning behind his words was obvious. A classic bandit way of thinking—rob the entire caravan. I stood up slowly and tightened my belt.

“So? Ptui!”

I spat thickly on the ground and looked around at them.

“Which one of you wants to charge in first?”

They all avoided my eyes at once.

“It’s easy to say, but they outnumbered us and their gear wasn’t bad. You think they’re idiots? Did they look like they didn’t know how to fight?”

A heavy silence fell. I let out a loud snort.

“Besides, if we kill them all, that’s the end of it. Dead men don’t pay tolls again. Doesn’t that occur to any of you?”

The big one flinched. I began walking slowly as I continued.

“Take everything at once and you eat once and it’s over. But if they leave alive, scared shitless, and spread the word that ‘that road is safe if you just pay the toll’?”

Only then did understanding begin to dawn on their faces.

“Then we can eat again next time. That’s what being a bandit is. It’s not just swinging a sword—it’s using your head to rob and your teeth to threaten. The reason you bastards are bowing your heads to me right now is because you couldn’t do that.”

I jerked my chin toward the slope below where I stood. The narrow path and the road beyond it.

“Rice grows on the path. But if you pull up all the rice and eat it, what are you going to make your next meal with?”

They let out awkward chuckles.

“Got it? Or do I need to slam each of your heads into the ground before you understand?”

“Yes, Boss! We understand!”

“Good. Then don’t ask again. My decisions might sound reasonable, but in the end I’m saying this because I want to live longer than you lot. A bandit’s greatest asset, fuck, is his own body.”

They nodded again.

About half a day had passed since we had reasonably shaken down that first caravan. Once again, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from the path. I raised my hand and gave a silent signal to the men on the hill. The four bandits gripped their embarrassingly poor excuses for weapons with nervous tension.

Then a short, dry voice rang out.

“Get lost. We’re just passing through.”

Six men stood behind the speaker. All of them wore yellow headbands, and the dried blood on their shoulders and arms was clearly visible.

Yellow Turban remnants.

In a brief moment, I assessed their condition. They carried spears and clubs. Most had bandages wrapped around their arms and legs. The one glaring at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me from the front had a prominent sword wound across his shoulder.

“Get lost.”

The man who seemed to be their leader was quite large. His eyes were sharp, and his breathing came out rough between clenched teeth.

“Get lost? This is our territory now.”

As I slowly stepped forward, they faltered.

“What can one man—”

“So what? You think you can take me because I’m alone?”

I cut him off and gave my scabbard a sharp thunk. At the sound, all four of my subordinates rose into view at once. Even though their equipment was trash, the sudden increase in numbers made the enemies’ pupils tremble.

The leader at the front raised his voice.

“We fight for the great cause of the Yellow Turbans! How can we possibly fear a mere bandit!”

“Then you go ahead and do that.”

The man in front drew his sword with visible tension. Seeing that, I said nothing and simply charged forward.

Clang!

The sound of metal clashing. The instant his sword thrust forward, my blade rode along his and flew straight toward his neck.

Squelch!

My sword sliced cleanly through his neck without any resistance. At the same time—

Thud!

The headless body collapsed to the ground.

Having lost their leader in an instant, the remaining Yellow Turbans visibly shrank back. I stepped on the fallen man’s head and spoke.

“So, who’s next?”

—Silence.

That silence, after two or three exchanged glances, naturally made the survivors lower their heads. One of them muttered while bowing.

“…The great cause of the Yellow Turbans or whatever… if you just fill our stomachs… we’ll follow.”

“Good, good. Until now you wore yellow headbands, but from now on, let’s wear black ones.”

I grinned.

“Ah, but we don’t have any black headbands yet. So take those yellow ones off. Kyahk, ptui!”

I spat heavily onto the headless corpse. All the surviving Yellow Turbans shrank back halfway to the ground. The dead leader’s body was already forming a pool of blood, but they didn’t seem to care at all.

“Alright. Now we’ve got more spoons at the dinner table.”

I let out a short sigh and wiped my blade on the dead man’s clothes. He had looked somewhat useful, but when the head doesn’t work, the body suffers.

Plop.

The Yellow Turbans sat down right there on the path, removing their yellow headbands and tucking them into their clothes. Someone might ask how they could sell out their cause just because one man died, but those who truly believed in that cause had already died long ago during the rebellion.

“I don’t know who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you bastards are and I don’t care. But congratulations on surviving. And remember this one thing. Here, I am the law.”

They nodded at my words. Looking at their terrified eyes, I felt the first day overlapping with the present.

And at that moment—

Sixty…? Not bad at all.

I gave a small nod. Previously, these guys would avoid eye contact out of pure fear. Now it was different. Unless I ordered them to die, they waited properly for instructions. Standing among my subordinates, no one anymore denied that I was completely their boss.

When I waved my hand, one of the bandits looked at me.

“Hey. Light the fire again. The new guys must be hungry too. They’re family now, so at least boil some porridge for them.”

“Yes, Boss!”

The smell of smoke rose into the air, and the path grew quiet once more. No matter what anyone said, this road was now my territory.

I slowly sat down in a suitable spot. Behind me came the sounds of everyone busily moving about. The equipment was still garbage. We had more clubs and bamboo spears than proper weapons. But our numbers had grown, and we now had a steady source of food.

And most importantly—

“Now we’ve finally set the table so that we can put something on it.”

I placed my sword across my knees and quietly closed my eyes.

We had taken our first steps as a bandit group. All that remained was to grow bigger.