"Who gave you permission to farm here!?"

The one yelling was a man in his forties or fifties named Sherman Golding. He was Phoenix Golding’s cousin and was very close with her family. Behind him were a sturdy young man—his son, Bowman Golding, who was getting married next year—and Sherman’s wife, Mandy York.

Mandy York and Iris, Phoebe Huxley’s arch-nemesis, were sisters. Both had married men from Millstone Peak, one into the Golding family and the other into the Thorne family. Neither sister got along with Phoebe Huxley.

Rosalind Green was so frightened she hid behind her son, trembling uncontrollably. ’We’re just planting a few soybeans,’ she thought. ’Why are they being so aggressive?’

"This is unclaimed wasteland. My farming here doesn’t get in your way, does it?" Adrian Hawthorne said placatingly.

He didn’t want to start trouble with the villagers. Whether it was the Goldings or the Thornes, they were the established families of Millstone Peak, and he was an outsider. If a conflict broke out, he would be the one blamed in the end. As long as they didn’t go too far, he would tolerate it.

"Who says it’s unclaimed? My family has had its eye on this land to plant soybeans for a while now! What right does an outsider like you have to steal our land? Get lost!" Bowman Golding roared, clearly looking down on Adrian Hawthorne.

’He’s just some bastard from out of town, nothing to be afraid of. As for Rosalind Green and Old Master Tate, he couldn’t care less about them. One was a politically disgraced figure, and the other was as timid as a rabbit. They were no threat at all.’

Adrian Hawthorne’s brow furrowed slightly. He realized they were trying to reap what he had sown. This plot had been overgrown with bamboo before. Since he didn’t know the first thing about farming, he had simply picked a spot close to home to clear. But Bowman Golding’s family were seasoned farmers; they could certainly tell good land from bad and would never have chosen a plot like this one. It was clear they wanted to avoid the hard work of clearing the land and just take over what was already prepared.

In the past, Adrian Hawthorne would have let it go. The worst-case scenario was just clearing another plot of land.

But now, he wasn’t going to take it.

Byron Thorne had already made his stance clear, so Adrian could afford to be a little more assertive now.

"When did you all decide you wanted this land?" Adrian Hawthorne asked, still perfectly calm. He wasn’t going to get angry with a bunch of morons.

"Ages ago! Before the New Year, even. Our Bowman is having his wedding reception next year, and we’d planned on planting more soybeans for it," Mandy York yelled. She looked a lot like her sister, Iris. Both had sharp, mean-looking faces, and their personalities were just as cutting.

Adrian Hawthorne smiled faintly, his tone neither servile nor overbearing. "Well, that’s unfortunate. I started clearing this land last year during the Mid-Autumn Festival. With wasteland, it belongs to whoever clears it first. That’s the rule."

The Goldings’ expressions changed drastically. They couldn’t tell if Adrian Hawthorne was telling the truth or not. But their confidence quickly returned, righteous in their own minds. ’So what if it’s true? We’re from Millstone Peak, and this bastard is an outsider. Does he really dare try to fight us for it?’

"Who gives a damn about rules when we’re talking to a bastard like you? This land belongs to Millstone Peak, and only people from Millstone Peak can farm it! Who the hell do you think you are, you outsider bastard? Piss off!" Sherman Golding was belligerent, even brandishing his hoe threateningly at Adrian Hawthorne.

Rosalind Green was trembling with fear, her legs turning to jelly. Old Master Tate, however, wasn’t afraid. Worried that Adrian Hawthorne might get hurt, he shot the boy a meaningful look, signaling him not to meet these people head-on.

But Adrian Hawthorne was only twelve. Even though he had endured many hardships, they hadn’t managed to grind away the defiance in his bones. He wasn’t as patient as his future self would be, either. Hearing them call him a bastard again and again, Adrian Hawthorne couldn’t take it anymore.

"I contribute labor to Millstone Peak, so that makes me one of its people. You want to steal my hard work? In your dreams!" Adrian Hawthorne raised his hoe as well. Though he was a head shorter, his aura was just as powerful.