Bandit Chief#

From humble start to seek revenge's claim.

Paths may differ, yet burn with the same flame.

In bygone days, there lived a youth in the town, the son of a martial arts master. His father's fondness for drink led to a foolish act that landed the old man in jail, leaving only the youth and his mother struggling to survive. As their situation grew dire, the young man took on any work to make ends meet. The villagers praised him for caring for his mother, deeming him a dutiful son.

In an unlucky year of crop failure, the mother and son set out to seek refuge with relatives. Along the way, a gang of bandits emerged. Eyes fierce, faces scarred, they brandished their blades, demanding nothing but gold. The mother and son, destitute, resorted to begging for mercy. But the bandits showed no mercy and were intent on killing them. The young man, believing their death was imminent, seized a bandit's knife; with a resolute heart, he ended his own mother's life and pledged himself to the bandits. And so, he joined their ranks. News of the incident spread, and people condemned him as a coward, truly a cursed son.

Years passed. One day, the entire gang of bandits was wiped out, leaving no trace. Some said a hero had come to rid the land of evil and uphold justice. Others claimed a guai had emerged in the mountains, bringing a long-delayed reckoning. Debates raged on, but eventually, the topic faded from memory. One day, a man, covered in blood, stumbled down from the mountains, recounting an encounter with a towering bandit, neither human nor guai, wielding a massive blade to rob the roads. His face bore an uncanny resemblance to that cursed youth, yet he spoke of freeing humanity from its burdens.