Bandit Camp.
Bandits, each holding weapons and torches, with bows and arrows slung on their backs, leisurely roamed through the camp, their movements quite lazy, clearly just for show.
On the two wooden watchtowers in the camp, two bandits wearing headcloths yawned, looking enviously at the bright lights in the barracks behind them.
"I heard there's good wine and food today, but it's our turn to be on duty here. Otherwise, we could have gotten some food and drinks. Damn, what bad luck."
On the watchtower, a bandit spat, speaking resentfully to his companion not far away.
"No choice, whose turn is it but ours?"
The other bandit shook his head, also speaking with some helplessness.
As he spoke, he also sniffed, having already smelled the waves of meat fragrance coming from the camp, which made him Can't help it mutter a curse.
"Damn, after getting off duty tomorrow morning, I'll definitely find two women from the cellar captives to have a good time and vent this frustration."
"Speaking of which, there were a few young women among the captives last time, they were really good. Fair skin, beautiful, clearly sluts."
"Don't even think about those few. They've already been claimed by the Leader. Maybe when the Leader gets tired of them, you might have a chance. For now, just stick to the women from before."
As he said this, the bandit seemed to think of something, sneered again, and continued.
"But you have to be careful. I heard a few brothers have gotten sick down there recently. If you catch syphilis, your line might end."
While talking, the two didn't notice that the patrolling bandits below seemed significantly fewer than before.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the two bandits on the watchtower seemed to notice something unusual during their conversation.
"Huh, what's going on? Where are the brothers patrolling below? Did they go somewhere to slack off?"
The two noticed the anomaly, and this thought arose in their minds simultaneously, but they quickly realized something was wrong. They knew Ba Long's methods were quite brutal; even if they had the guts, they wouldn't dare to slack off so brazenly.
"Could something have happened?!"
The two quickly reacted, just about to blow the sharp whistle hanging around their necks.
Two strong gusts of wind, however, had already arrived nearby.
Only two sounds of sharp blades entering flesh were heard, and blood holes had already opened on their necks.
Their eyes widened, and they simultaneously clutched their throats, trying to shout, but could only make low, hoarse gurgling sounds. Soon, the light in their eyes faded, and they collapsed to the ground, completely motionless.
At this moment, Lin Sheng's figure slowly walked out in the camp.
Big Yellow also followed closely behind, his brown-yellow pupils looking towards the brightly lit tent in the distance.
"You stay here obediently."
Giving Big Yellow a gentle kick, Lin Sheng strode towards the tent.
Regarding this bandit force, he observed for a while. Their numbers were not large, less than a hundred people.
Just now, he had captured a few more bandits and asked about their specific combat strength. There were no Blood Transportation level fighters among them, and the strongest were only two or three Martial Artists at the Forging Tendons Late Stage.
This completely dispelled the last trace of apprehension in his heart.
"Come, come, brothers, I'll toast you a cup. This time, you two have made invaluable contributions..."
Ba Long, with a smile on his face, raised his wine cup and spoke to the two people beside him.
"This is what we should do, Brother, you're being too kind."
The second and Third Brother bandits quickly stood up to return the toast.
Below, some core bandit members also followed suit and stood up.
"Alright, brothers, although we are still in this godforsaken place now, it won't be long before we'll be in the County Town and live like lords again."
Ba Long seemed to have drunk a bit too much, his face was flushed, and he looked at everyone with a bit of high spirits, speaking loudly.
"It's quite lively, but isn't it a bit too early to celebrate?"
An untimely cold voice sounded from outside the tent. The next moment, the tent was torn open, and a tall figure strode in.
"Who dares to break in here? Are you looking for death?"
Seeing the strange figure who suddenly broke in, the attention of all the bandits in the tent was quickly drawn. Immediately, a bandit slammed down his wine cup and glared angrily at Lin Sheng.
Ba Long also squinted at the other party, not rushing to act. Because for someone to be able to break in here without any reaction from the brothers guarding outside, either the people outside were blind, or the brothers outside were already...
Although the bandits on duty outside were ordinary people with low strength, there were still more than ten of them. Without even a grunt, the person in front of him was definitely not weak.
"May I ask who this friend is? Why did you trespass into my camp and attack my brothers? If you don't explain yourself, don't blame Ba for being impolite."
Ba Long spoke coldly. Although he said this, he had already quietly given a look to his subordinates on both sides.
The bandits in the tent had already subtly surrounded Lin Sheng, just waiting for the Leader's command to directly attack.
"My things are not that easy to take. If you hand them over, and also hand over the people who attacked my subordinates and provide some compensation, maybe I will give you a way out."
Lin Sheng spoke calmly as if he hadn't seen the other party's small movements.
"Things? Sir, you have quite the nerve. With so many places to look for your lost things, why choose here? Don't tell me you think my camp is a tourist attraction?"
Hearing Lin Sheng's words, Ba Long's face showed no surprise, just a sneer.
He had already guessed the identity of the person in front of him just now, and now that the other party had said it, he was not surprised. However, since the things were already in his hands, there was no way he would spit them out.
"Kid, if you lost something, go report it to the officials. I'm in a good mood today, so get lost now, and I can let you off."
"Leader, what are you wasting words on him for? Just go kill this kid! I want to see what kind of waves this kid can stir up."
Among the surrounding bandits, a bare-chested burly man with a full beard, holding an iron axe, spoke in a booming voice.
"Is this a refusal? If so, then..."
Lin Sheng's gaze met Ba Long's, and he spoke slowly.
This sent a chill through Ba Long's heart for no reason, and a strong ominous feeling surged within him, as if something bad was about to happen.
"You wet behind the ears brat, I'll fucking kill you first..."
The bare-chested burly man with the full beard seemed unable to restrain himself, cursing and already striding towards Lin Sheng. However, he didn't finish his sentence.
Only a muffled 'bang' was heard.
A large head had already bent back 180 degrees from the neck, the powerful force even causing the head to sink into the back.
"Fuck, this kid dares to attack! Brothers, get him! Skin him alive."
Seeing the tragic state of their companion beside them, the surrounding bandits were first stunned, and the tent fell into a brief silence. The next moment, it completely erupted in roars, and the bandits charged towards Lin Sheng.
Ba Long looked down with a somewhat gloomy expression. The opponent's speed of attack just now was too fast, so much so that he didn't even react.
This intensified the bad premonition in his heart by a few points.
"Get him..."
He roared, and the bandits who were originally resting outside the tent were also awakened at this moment, brandishing their weapons and surrounding him.
Seeing the subordinates surrounding him from outside, some of the unease in Ba Long's heart dissipated.
"You dare to break in alone? Even if you have some skill, you're not leaving here today."
He sneered, drew two short knives from behind him, and charged towards the battle.
He absolutely could not give Lin Sheng a chance to escape.
Bang, bang, bang!
Muffled sounds kept ringing out from inside the tent. With each muffled sound, a bandit would fly out, falling to the ground unable to get up again.
Lin Sheng's figure was like a ghost, constantly moving through the crowd, agilely avoiding the attacks directed at him.
In just a few breaths, more than ten bandits had been sent flying, their life or death unknown.
"Damn it, spread out! Don't crowd together!"
Seeing this scene, Ba Long couldn't help but feel rage surge in his heart. These people were his hard work, and losing too many in the opponent's hands would greatly affect their strength. Naturally, he couldn't just watch his subordinates be served up to the opponent like this.
The crowd of bandits had also seen how fast Lin Sheng was. Crowding together would only hinder each other's performance, so they quickly retreated.
Ba Long, wielding his twin knives, charged towards Lin Sheng. Among everyone, his strength was the greatest. As long as he could hold off the opponent and restrict their ghost-like movement speed, then the opponent would basically be crippled.
He had encountered opponents with such extreme speed several times before, and this method of dealing with them was the most effective.
Furthermore, speed-type Martial Artists are quite fragile. As long as they reveal a slight opening, he was confident he could severely injure them with one blow.
As he thought, he swung the twin knives in his hands, leaving trails of afterimages, heading straight for Lin Sheng's neck and chest.
"Afterimage Chain Blades!"
The martial art he practiced, Afterimage Blade, was continuous like a downpour. As long as he entangled the opponent, they would be unable to escape.
However, the imagination was beautiful, but reality was stark.
The continuous blade shadows were about to fall on the opponent, but he saw the opponent flip their wrist, and two silver lights were already heading straight for his face at an even faster speed.
"Hidden weapons!!"
This thought flashed through Ba Long's mind, and he immediately stopped his movement, dodging to the side barely avoiding the two silver lights. However, before he could swing his knife to attack again, a strong gust of wind was already heading straight for his face.
His reaction was incredibly fast. Without thinking, he crossed his steel knives in front of him to block.
Clang!
As the sound of metal colliding exploded beside his ear, Ba Long's expression suddenly changed. He felt a powerful force surge from the blade.
It made his body sway, and he retreated repeatedly. However, a hand had already lightly pressed against his chest.
Ba Long only felt intense pain from his chest. The powerful force sent his entire body flying backward, crashing heavily onto the wine table. Wine, meat, soup, and water splashed all over him, a sight that could only be described as utterly pathetic.
"Leader!!"
This sudden scene struck terror into the hearts of the bandits.
However, the only response they received was a series of muffled sounds and their continuously decreasing companions.
After more than ten breaths, the commotion within the tent gradually subsided.
Third Brother's short, sturdy body lifted off the ground, suspended in mid-air, a clearly jointed hand gripping his throat.
His face was like a pig's liver, and he struggled and flailed wildly, trying to break free from the restraint. But that hand was like cast iron, completely unmoving no matter how he struggled.
Crack—
Amidst the crisp sound of bones breaking, Third Brother's violent struggles abruptly stopped. His eyes were wide open, and his head drooped powerlessly.
Casually throwing away the corpse in his hand, and looking at the blood staining his palm, he frowned slightly and rubbed it carelessly on the nearest corpse before striding towards the side of the tent.
There, Ba Long was slowly crawling towards the outside of the tent.
Hearing the footsteps behind him, a look of terror appeared on his face. He sped up his crawling, but it aggravated his injuries, and he opened his mouth to spit out a large mouthful of blood.
He turned his head to look. A pair of black riding boots had already reached him. With some difficulty, he raised his head, only to meet a calm face.
"Your things... I... I'll give them to you immediately. Spare me, I... I promise not to bother you at all again... I still have money, I can give you all my savings, as long as you spare my life."
Ba Long's eyes were filled with terror, and he kept begging for mercy.
He hadn't expected the opponent's strength to be so great. The team he had painstakingly built was almost completely wiped out by the opponent.
Such strength made him infinitely regretful.
Looking at Lin Sheng's emotionless gaze, Ba Long's heart sank. The terror on his face quickly dissipated, replaced by a fierce look.
"I... I don't know who you are, but behind me stands the Tongzhi County government. I am Governor's man. Spare my life... you... you still have a way out. If I die, Governor will definitely not let you off."
"Tongzhi County Governor?"
Hearing this, Lin Sheng's face finally showed a change, and a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.
He hadn't expected that this group of bandits, whose strength wasn't particularly high, might have the Tongzhi County government standing behind them.
But soon, he shook his head slightly.
"You're at the end of your rope, just go peacefully..."
"You..."
Seeming to realize something, Ba Long's face showed urgency, and he wanted to say something else.
However, he no longer had the chance, because a hand had already landed on his neck. Amidst the sound of bones cracking, his head slowly drooped, but his eyes were wide open, unwilling to close in death.
He didn't want to delay too long here, because the fact that this group could act against him from within the city and successfully leave the city meant they very likely had backing.
Although he didn't think the Tongzhi County government would have any connection with this group of bandits, he also didn't want to attract other trouble, so it was best to resolve it quickly.
"Big Yellow, come in."
After searching the bodies of a few bandits with decent strength, Lin Sheng called out.
Big Yellow quickly rushed in. After seeing the bodies scattered on the ground, he also seemed a bit surprised, but soon his tail was wagging furiously, and he ran towards Lin Sheng.
"Go find where the things are?"
Avoiding Big Yellow's saliva-covered tongue, Lin Sheng gave him a light kick.
Big Yellow immediately twitched his nose and ran towards the outside of the tent.