Life is full of hardships, and the world is plagued with cold poverty.
Old grudges remain unsettled, yet all paths ultimately converge.
Years ago, in a small town, there was a young man, the son of a martial arts instructor. His father, a heavy drinker, made a mistake while drunk and was imprisoned, leaving the young man and his mother to rely on each other. As their family’s situation became increasingly dire, the young man was willing to do any kind of work to support his mother. The villagers, upon learning of this, praised him for his devotion to his widowed mother, calling him a filial son.
During a year of famine, the mother and son set out to seek help from relatives. Unfortunately, they were ambushed by a group of mountain bandits halfway through their journey. These bandits, with their scarred faces and fierce looks, brandished large knives, demanding money without saying much else. Having no money, the mother and son could only kneel and beg for mercy. But the bandits showed no compassion and were about to kill them. Realizing they were not going to survive, the young man snatched a knife, closed his eyes, hardened his heart, and shockingly killed his mother, pledging allegiance to the bandits. From that moment, he too became a bandit. When word of this spread, people began to curse him as a wretched son who clung to life in disgrace.
A few years later, a mysterious event occurred. The group of bandits was wiped out in a single night. Some said a hero had come to rid the world of evil and uphold justice. Others claimed that a new demon had emerged in the mountains, killing the bandits as an act of retribution. People argued endlessly without reaching a conclusion, and gradually, the matter was forgotten. That is, until one day, someone came stumbling out of the mountains, covered in blood, claiming to have encountered a tall and strong bandit who was neither human nor demon. The bandit, wielding a large knife, had blocked the road to rob him, and though his face bore some resemblance to that wretched son, his words were different—he claimed he was there to deliver the world from suffering.
浮生多困窘，却尘皆寒穷。
夙仇报不平，殊途道相同。
昔年，镇上有个青年乃是武行教头之子。因父亲嗜酒，醉后误事，进了大牢，只剩他与母亲相依为命。眼看家道日益艰难，为了养家糊口，青年什么活计都肯做。村人知道后，都称赞他侍奉寡母，是个孝子。
适逢荒年，母子二人去投奔亲戚，不想半路上却杀出一伙山匪。这些人鹰视狼顾脸上带疤，手舞大刀叉叉比划，不言其他，只管要钱。他们哪里有钱，只好磕头求饶。山匪哪里肯放，只管打杀。青年以为活不成了，便抢下大刀，眼一闭，心一横，竟斩了母亲向贼寇投诚。至此，他也落草，当起了山匪。事情传出去，人们又都骂他苟且偷生，是个孽子。
几年过后，神秘的事情发生了，那伙山匪竟一夜之间被灭口。有人说，是来了个好汉除暴安良，替天行道。也有人说，是山里又生了妖怪，害了贼人的性命，报应不爽。大家争来吵去没个定论，慢慢就将此事抛到了脑后。直到这天，有人满身是血地从山里逃回来，说遇见一个高壮匪徒，非人非妖，持一口大刀拦路劫道，面相倒有几分像那孽子，嘴里却说要帮世人解脱。