All of a sudden, that treacherous young man opened his mouth. His voice seemed to carry a type of peculiar cadence as it reverberated throughout the entire bandit den: “Hold on.”
The Bandit Master’s eyes opened a crack.
The male and female bandit leaders both said: “What’s wrong? Do you have a different idea?”
Then, the male bandit leader snorted coldly: “This little boss shouldn’t carelessly butt in on the matters of my bandit gang!”
The treacherous young man’s laughter was gloomy: “Last time, three experts were sent to capture those two people. They met with misfortune and perished. It’s clear to see that there might be an even stronger powerhouse accompanying those siblings. Should even more experts be dispatched this time?”
With him talking like this, the Black Hand Bandit was unhappy: “What? Do you suspect that the abilities of mine aren’t high?”
The treacherous young man then said: “How could that be? I am merely an insignificant Xiantian stage two. Senior Black Hand beats me by two realms. What’s there to suspect?” He paused before speaking again, “It’s just that those two are too capable at concealing themselves. Since it’s been very difficult to find them, making some more preparations would be appropriate.”
The words of this young man weren’t unreasonable. Although the Black Hand Bandit wasn’t happy, he also had nothing to say.
Yet, the male bandit leader said: “The corpses of those three people have long been transported back. Looking at their condition, they were only ambushed. The remnant qi energy also indicates that the ambusher was Xiantian stage two at most. The Black Hand Bandit’s strength is outstanding. If he can’t lead a squad to snatch them, then wouldn’t that be the incompetence of my bandit gang?”
The treacherous young man didn’t argue much. He only said: “Since the bandit leader has planned in advance, this one will simply wait for the treasured sword to reach my hands so we can start the next step.”
Meanwhile, the Black Hand Bandit spoke in a loud voice: “Many thanks for your trust, bandit leader! This subordinate will certainly settle this matter!”
Hence, it was decided just like this. The Black Hand Bandit would lead a squad to set about this task.
And in this squad, besides the Black Hand Bandit who was Xiantian stage four, there were three Xiantian stage one martial artists as well as dozens of Houtian Realm bandits. According to reason, no matter what happened, there wouldn’t be any mistakes.
Snake Tail Mountain.
In a hidden region within the mountain, there was a cave that was covered up by vines. This cave was about the height of two people, and was relatively narrow.
During the afternoon, an extremely handsome young man walked out from inside.
The young man stood upon a large boulder and slightly raised his head.
Soon after, he revealed a smiling expression: “They’ve come.”
Following that, he jumped off the boulder, hid behind it, and peered down below.
That’s right. The location of this young man was atop an extremely narrow canyon.
Both sides were barren, rocky mountains. Massive boulders leaned on each other, and the space underneath could only accommodate one or two people going into the narrow path at a time. The narrow path had many muddy sections, and the sides had numerous branches and tendrils hanging down. There were lots of dried up sticks and stones that formed obstructions. If one wanted to pass through here, it would be somewhat difficult.
A rather distant location had voices echoing out.
Following which, one could see a man and a woman, two youths, fleeing towards this place at lightning speeds. After they looked ahead at this narrow path, their eyes seemed to shine. Then, without a care, they used their swords in hand to chop down the branches and tendrils on both sides, and slapped the stones out of the way to rush into the narrow path.
The stones that were slapped aside soon fell down behind them, blocking the rear path.
However, the people in the back were obviously faster. In the blink of an eye, dozens of devilish martial artists rushed over. Each one was at least Bone Forging Realm, and it seemed they wanted to completely surround this place. There were also four Xiantian martial artists floating above these martial artists. The expression of the leader was excited, but his blackened face was twisted into an extremely ugly appearance. The eyes of the other three people all held bloodthirsty smiles.
They were the Black Hand Bandit and his capable subordinates.
That man and woman pair swiftly rushed into the narrow path, and the people behind urgently followed in as well.
The area of the narrow path was small. If they came pouring in like a swarm of bees and blocked up the front, back, and sides, it would be like catching a turtle in a jar.
But just at this moment, the Black Hand Bandit suddenly waved his hand: “Slow down!”
The bandits did what they were told, and abruptly stopped in place: “Leader Black Hand?”
The appearance of the Black Hand Bandit was gloomy and cold: “First send one person to explore ahead.”
Although he was fierce, his conduct was very cautious.
The Ling Clan siblings had been in this Snake Tail Mountain longer than them. Who knew if there was poison in the mud of that narrow path or on the surrounding vines?
If one carelessly stepped into a trap, then it really wouldn’t be worth it!
Of course, the Black Hand Bandit didn’t think that any traps the Ling Clan siblings had put out could affect him. However, not all of his subordinates were Xiantian. If the Houtian martial artists were harmed here, then it would be his loss. As a minor leader, if there weren’t many people under his control, then he wasn’t worth mentioning in the bandit gang.
On the rocky mountainside, Gongyi Tianheng faintly smiled behind the boulder: “This despicable bandit is actually attentive.”
But how couldn’t Tianheng anticipate the things that the Black Hand Bandit could think of?
Even if he wanted to use poison, he wouldn’t put it in such an easily noticeable place like this.
Sure enough, the bandit with the lowest martial strength was forced to quickly step forward and rush into the narrow path. The vines and mud all touched him, but no accidents happened whatsoever.
During this period of lag, the Ling Clan siblings had escaped even further away. Soon, they were about to rush out of that narrow path! And once they left the narrow path and reached the area in the back, there’d be even more hiding places!
The Black Hand Bandit naturally couldn’t miss this opportunity.
Since there weren’t any traps ahead, he absolutely couldn’t let them escape the narrow path to wide-open spaces!
Thus, the Black Hand Bandit coldly ordered all the bandits to rush through. Those three Xiantian martial artists moved forward even more directly by flying. They rapidly passed through the narrow path, and with their powerful speed, they blocked the other end of the narrow path!
The bandits flocked around, and this side of the narrow path was also blocked up.
The current situation was precisely what they previously considered for “catching a turtle in a jar”.
The Black Hand Bandit gave a nasty laugh and said: “Ling Clan boy, hand over that thing and you can still save your little sister’s life. If not, I, the Black Hand Bandit, won’t care about that Ling Tianen, and I’ll give your little sister to my subordinates for a fun time!”
Ling Ziqi shouted: “Shameless!”
Ling Ziwei also said: “I’d rather die than let them have their way!”
However, even though the Ling Clan siblings were unwilling, no matter how vigilant they were, the bandits were still getting closer step by step. The distance between them was getting shorter and shorter…
The Black Hand Bandit saw that it was impossible for the two to escape, and the malice in his eyes deepened.
But at the next moment, when the bandits were only a couple of steps away from the Ling Clan siblings, the siblings suddenly acted at the same time and cast out quite a few round beads!
Those beads were smashed into the ground and immediately emitted bursts of yellow smoke. In an instant, it diffused in all directions.
The yellow smoke’s range quickly encompassed all the bandits who charged into the narrow path. The bandits didn’t have enough time to make any moves. Their bodies had already stiffened up, and blood poured out of their orifices!
The Black Hand Bandit never expected that such a thing could happen. His eyes split open in rage, and he immediately wanted to charge into the narrow path. Only, that yellow smoke had yet to dissipate, and the toxicity was very severe. If he went down, he would be poisoned instead —
And immediately following this, he didn’t consider these matters any longer.
Because high up above, a streak of terrifying force ruthlessly struck down!
The Black Hand Bandit was greatly alarmed. Not good!
He promptly dodged, but while his reaction was fast, it wasn’t faster than that premeditated attack.
In the blink of an eye, the Black Hand Bandit only had enough time to tilt his head. However, that force still shattered half of his body. His left arm was blown apart, and his whole body was engulfed in immense pain.
But the Black Hand Bandit understood very clearly. At this moment, he knew that if he couldn’t move in time, the only thing that awaited him was death!
The Black Hand Bandit instantly retreated, but after that, his eyes were dazzled. A young man with a slender stature had already appeared in front of him. Before he could even get a clear look at the young man’s appearance, he sensed a gout of dreadful and scorching force approaching. Once he was hit, the consequences would be too horrible to contemplate!
He acted without thinking. His hand grasped his weapon and immediately sliced out.
Unfortunately, while the Black Hand Bandit’s movement was fast, that young man was faster.
That long saber cut nothing but air. Then, the young man disappeared from his sight, and an even stronger pain arose on his back. Soon after, the center of his chest went cold. A lustrous jade-white fist had punched its way through his back.
Immediately following that, the Black Hand Bandit’s skull was stunned. He only felt an intense rumble from his head exploding. After that, he knew no more.
Gongyi Tianheng dropped to the ground. In front of him was a bandit corpse whose skull was hammered into mush and whose heart was smashed into pieces. The moment they met face to face, the Xiantian stage four Black Hand Bandit had been beaten to death by him without the slightest bit of power to retaliate!
In the narrow path, Ling Ziqi watched Tianheng’s actions and couldn’t help swallowing a mouthful of saliva.
Too, too frightening…
Ever since the Black Hand Bandit appeared, the suppressive might he produced was overwhelming. If it wasn’t for Ling Ziqi making sufficient mental preparations long ago, it might’ve been hard to even flee under this kind of suppressive might.
But such an evil bandit had actually died so easily under the hands of his benefactor, Gongyi Tianheng!
Momentarily, Ling Ziqi’s impression of Tianheng had become even more reverent.
As for Ling Ziwei, she was looking at the corpses which were carelessly piled up in that narrow path.
The Houtian martial artists had all thoroughly died already. Under the effects of the poison, their corpses were practically rotting away while emitting a rancid and loathsome stench. The Xiantian martial artists hadn’t died yet. To Houtian martial artists, this thing was toxic, but to Xiantian martial artists, it was merely a medicament that could paralyze them. Although they had also fallen into the mud, malice stretched across their faces and they stared intently at the Ling Clan siblings. However, because they’d just watched the Black Hand Bandit die in such a wretched state under Tianheng’s hands, their eyes carried a trace of dread.
The Ling Clan siblings had long taken the antidote. After Tianheng walked over, the two both saluted: “Benefactor, there are still three people here. How should they be handled?”
Tianheng raised an eyebrow: “Since they’re your enemies, you two shall personally slaughter them.”
Ling Ziqi and Ling Ziwei glanced at each other. They were very happy: “That’s perfect. Many thanks, benefactor!”
Soon after, Ling Ziwei suddenly took out a dagger from her waist, and arrived before those three people. She took a deep breath. In front of those three Xiantians, whose expressions became even more terrified but were incapable of speaking a word, she stabbed down with the dagger —
“Rip! Rip! Rip!”
There were several ferocious stabs and twisting movements.
With the hatred of Ling Ziwei, the three Xiantians died in less than a minute under that dagger.
Their heads, their hearts, their everything had been mixed into a meaty pulp. Obviously, their lives didn’t have the slightest possibility of surviving.
Ling Ziqi also felt that his hatred was slaked. He looked to Tianheng, and asked excitedly: “Benefactor, what’ll we do next?”
Tianheng said: “First, call Tianyang over.”
Tianyang was in the cave that Tianheng had previously hidden. At this moment, he came out and asked: “Big brother, did things go smoothly?”
Tianheng smiled: “Quite smoothly.”
Those bandits simply didn’t expect that the Ling Clan siblings would possess such big killing tools like the Trick Pills. Even if they guessed that the sibling pair might’ve had a helper, they never would’ve thought that this helper would be as powerful as Tianheng.
Caught unawares, the bandits were naturally wiped out completely.
Tianyang let loose a sigh: “Now what?”
Tianheng said: “Tianyang, transport these corpses out, and entrust someone to toss them in the vicinity of that Mount An Bandit Gang’s encampment. Let them take a good look at their own future endings.”
The Ling Clan siblings: “…”
Tianyang: “…Okay, big brother.”
To speak frankly, this was a provocation. In the Mount An Bandit Gang, the Black Hand Bandit was considered a leader who wasn’t big nor small. It wasn’t known how the Mount An Bandit Gang would react after receiving these corpses.
Tianheng then spoke to the Ling Clan siblings: “The next time, we’ll still draw people here. However, if things change, if the arrivals are too vicious and you’re unable to escape, then swiftly throw out a signal object and hide yourselves. I’ll be waiting over here. If I see that object, I’ll head out to save you two.”
When the Ling Clan siblings heard this, they promptly nodded: “We understand.”
Hence, it was settled just like this.
Three days later, many rumors circulated underground…
“I’ve heard that the Mount An Bandit Gang has been out of luck recently?”
“That’s right. A fool came out of nowhere and actually threw a pile of bandit corpses in front of the bandit gang’s mountain entrance. It was a huge loss of face!”
“Hey, I also heard that the one who died was that Black Hand Bandit who liked to scoop out people’s brains! This time, it was his own brains that were smashed into mushy watermelon! Too disgusting!”
“You guys, isn’t this news outdated? Right now, it’s not only the Black Hand Bandit who died. That Slaughtering Hand Bandit has also been killed. His corpse returned in a heap!”
“Heh. Yours truly has long said that those people from the Mount An Bandit Gang would kick an iron plate sooner or later…”
“Instead of taking joy in calamity, you’d better pray to Buddha for that fool! I’ve heard that the Bandit Master is furious. This time around, he’s making a bandit leader bring a dozen or so Xiantians to form an encirclement. After catching that fool, it won’t be a good outcome!”
Five days later.
“Breaking news, breaking news! The people led by that Mount An Bandit Gang’s Seductress were wiped out! I heard it was the work of that fool!”
“Hey, don’t try to deceive me. That Seductress is ruthless and cruel, but that face of hers is a huge advantage. Would that fool be heartless enough to ravage a beautiful flower?”
“Ravage a flower? She’s attractive, but she’s past her prime. What’s there to heartless about?!”
“Stop talking. Her head was lopped off, and her face was full of holes. Who knows what kind of poison she suffered. Ah, that fool’s hands are also very black…”
“This time around, that Seductress’ lover is going, too. The remaining bandit leader said that he was going to take revenge, and brought along more than half of the Xiantians. This time, that fool shouldn’t stand a chance.”
“Actually, I feel that this isn’t necessarily so…”
Three days later.
“You all said that the one opposing the Mount An Bandit Gang is a fool, but from what I see, not only isn’t he a fool, he came prepared! I don’t know what kind of fucking luck the Ling Clan siblings got to find such a backer.”
“That bandit gang covets the Ling Clan girl and wants to snatch the heirloom treasured sword. This time, they tried to steal the chicken only to end up losing the rice to lure it.”
“Wait a minute, what’s going on? What don’t I know about?”
“Ah, the Mount An Bandit Gang has already lost its bandit leaders. Only the Bandit Master remains!”
“Speaking of which, that fool is also very powerful, but that bandit leader was a Xiantian stage eight expert! Just look at that Seductress from before. The guy isn’t just cruel, he has great skill, too. Don’t tell me that the fool’s strength is on par with that Xiantian stage nine Bandit Master? In the end, what kind of a person…”
“No, no, no. I heard that that fool is very cunning. He’s never faced someone directly. The couple of deaths from before were all ambushes…”
“That strength also isn’t weak. Otherwise, wouldn’t the sneak attack fail to kill a person?”
“This time around, that Bandit Master shouldn’t be able to sit still…”
Snake Tail Mountain.
A burly man rode upon a wild beast similar to a ferocious bull. Following behind him were four Xiantian stage sevens, quite a few Xiantian stage five and six martial artists, as well as one to two hundred Houtian bandits.
This was nearly the entire force of the Mount An Bandit Gang being dispatched.
Next to the burly man, a gallant young man with a treacherous temperament opened his mouth: “Bandit Master, that guy is truly too insolent. He actually dares to leave behind such words!”
As it turned out, at the base of the mountain, a stone tablet had appeared some time ago. And on that stone tablet, a line of large words were written. It was extremely domineering:
[Mount An Bandit Master, do you dare to enter the mountain alone and fight me to the death?]
The burly Mount An Bandit Master had a fierce-looking face, and his expression was malevolent: “Killing my bandits and still thinking of using this psychological method? This senior has many troops at his disposal. Why would I foolishly fight with him alone?”
Another bandit jeered and said: “That’s an idiot, right? We’re bandits, not righteous sect disciples who’d pay attention to fairness!”
After that, the other people gave a peal of ridicule.
The scars on the Mount An Bandit Master’s face started to twitch: “However, I should actually thank him for plotting against me and killing that bastard and bitch pair. They were in a collusion, wanting to seize my position as Bandit Master. But they didn’t know that I had seen through their ruse long ago. I just took advantage of this opportunity to clean house!”
The treacherous young man promptly praised: “The Bandit Master is wise, so naturally he wouldn’t be deceived by such small characters. Now that we’ve sent out so many people, this net will certainly capture them. This will also attest to the Bandit Master’s peerless domination. At that time, without those two peons and those backstabbing aides of his, the treasure…won’t need to be divided up that much.”
The Bandit Master burst out in loud laughter: “Well said! As this senior has set out, it will be as easy as stretching out a hand and taking it! Underlings, seal up this Snake Tail Mountain and scour the grounds inch by inch. You must capture all of those people who’ve opposed this senior. I’ll give them a lingering execution and dismember their bodies into ten thousand pieces!”
The numerous bandits all made this pledge. Soon after, they charged into Snake Tail Mountain like a flying swarm of locusts.
The various mounts they rode all cried out. There were strong and healthy horses as well as low grade wild beasts. Within that mountainous forest, they set off enormous winds and waves.
And that mountainous forest was like the gaping maw of a ferocious beast that welcomed the arrival of these bandits.
An underground black market.
In a shabby tavern, a woman with a buxom build was packing up a wine jar. It was out of the question to say that her appearance was beautiful and alluring, but there was a certain bearing between every frown and smile.
The beverages here were dry and astringent, not fresh and tasty. Thus, there weren’t many people drinking here. Because this place was too small and depressing, there also weren’t too many people sitting here to relieve their melancholy.
But at this moment, there were suddenly three people wearing conical bamboo hats outside the door. They hurriedly stepped inside.
The one in the lead said in a hoarse voice: “Boss, we want to issue a mission.”
The figure of that buxom woman suddenly flashed, carrying a whiff of fragrant wind. She arrived in front of the three people at once. She used a cleaning rag to wipe the counter, and smiled tenderly: “Oh, so it’s someone who knows the ropes. What kind of mission would this client like to issue?”
That person’s voice was still very hoarse: “I want to find someone to raid the Mount An Bandit Gang’s old lair!”
Once these words were uttered, let alone the buxom woman, all the remaining strays in the tavern looked over.
The buxom woman flung her cleaning rag: “My apologies, but are you sirs close to the hero who’s been clashing with the Mount An Bandit Gang?”
The person wearing the bamboo hat said: “Do you mean that, in order to issue missions here, you must question the entire history of the affair?”
The buxom woman promptly said: “No, no, no. This one talks too much.” She smiled sweetly again, “This client needs to know that the Mount An Bandit Gang isn’t a small force. I’m afraid that no one will want to take this mission…”
The person wearing the bamboo hat laughed grimly: “I’m not asking them to attack the bandit den. The Bandit Master has already taken his people out long ago, and the ones left behind in the bandit den are extremely few. The couple of Xiantians aren’t worth mentioning. I also won’t hide it from this boss, but that Bandit Master certainly won’t be coming back. We’re merely cutting the weeds and eliminating the roots. Plus, putting forth this mission is a bond of good karma with this place. If no one has the guts to raid the bandit den, then the treasury inside will belong to the daring ones.”
The buxom woman hastily smiled again and said: “If it’s like this, then naturally it’ll be fullness for the bold and famine for the timid.”
The person wearing the bamboo hat seemed somewhat pleased. His tone eased: “This boss can explain it. For everyone going to raid that bandit den, whatever one acquires will belong to themselves. Additionally, for every Houtian bandit head, I’ll pay out a thousand gold. For every Xiantian head, I’ll pay out ten thousand gold. If anyone gets the head of that ungrateful Ling Tianen in that bandit den, I’ll offer up a reward of a hundred thousand gold!”
The buxom woman spoke with astonishment: “Such a huge spender? This… However, we still need some guarantees.”
The person wearing a bamboo hat took out a stack of golden banknotes from his sleeve. He leisurely said: “Here’s thirty thousand gold. This should be enough for the time being. If someone obtains Ling Tianen’s head, just spread the word and we’ll come to inspect the goods.”
That buxom woman seized the golden banknotes, and her smiling expression became even sweeter: “Quite enough, quite enough! I will certainly issue this honorable sir’s mission. You just wait for our good news!”
After finishing this business, that person wearing the bamboo hat turned around and led the two people behind him to leave this underground black market.
Someone quietly tailed them from behind. However, a few movements from the three gave that person the slip.
Upon reaching a certain corner, the three people discarded their conical bamboo hats. They changed back into completely ordinary appearances and walked out.
A voice was transmitted between them:
“The benefactor said that during the critical juncture, the Bandit Master won’t allow Ling Tianen to leave his side. In that case, why did he still offer a bounty?”
“Big brother handles matters thoroughly. Even though there are expectations, it’s better to be prepared, just in case… It’s always good to take care of every eventuality.”
T/N: Thanks for the corrections, Charysa. And thank you, everyone, for your wonderful comments last chapter!
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