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墨書 Inktalez
Upon arriving at Black Wind Mountain, Xunuo finally understood why this place was so difficult to eradicate evil. Suzhou was already barren, and this area was even more desolate, with mountains stretching endlessly and not a blade of grass in sight. Any band of robbers could easily hide in the mountains, and as fewer people came to hunt them down, the situation only worsened. When more people arrived, the supply lines became severely strained; even drinking water had to be brought in from outside the mountains.
The robbers here were holed up at the few available water sources. Limited by their access to water, they couldn't grow too powerful. Although they troubled the locals, they posed no real threat to the current regime. Situated at the intersection of several prefectures, this area was effectively abandoned, becoming a lawless wasteland that no one wanted to deal with.
As soon as Xunuo arrived, he encountered a group of robbers. Dressed like a scholar and with the Azure Mystical Sword tucked away in his storage pouch, he naturally appeared to be an easy target for these bandits. Xunuo was searching for his parents' remains and was in no mood for games. The sight of these brazen robbers ignited his fury, and with a single stroke of his sword, he dispatched them all.
Almost immediately afterward, Xunuo regretted his impulsive action. He had come alone to this unfamiliar terrain without any experience in manual labor. While he had enjoyed the thrill of battle, it did nothing to further his quest.
Fortunately, not long after, he stumbled upon another group of robbers. With the Azure Abyss sword already strapped to his back, he found these bandits still boasting and threatening him. Without hesitation, Xunuo struck down their leader on the spot.
Seeing their leader fall, this ragtag group scattered like frightened birds. Xunuo leaped into action, taking down a few more fleeing bandits until they surrendered. He then led them back to their hideout and executed several more leaders, effectively subduing this bandit faction.
Next, he inquired about possible locations where his parents' remains might be buried and ordered these bandits to search and dig at each site one by one. Xunuo had no idea where his parents were laid to rest; even the corrupt officials accompanying Gao Feng had met their end at his hands. Thus, he compelled these bandits to excavate around areas where remains might be found.
To his surprise, they actually uncovered several bones. However, upon inspection, Xunuo quickly realized they did not belong to his parents.
He had some knowledge of identifying remains.
Finding nothing here, Xunuo instructed the bandits to rebury the bones and mark the spots before driving them onward in their search.
The robbers of Black Wind Mountain based their territories around water sources. As Xunuo pushed this group away from their own water supply toward other areas, it inevitably raised tensions with other factions. The bandits he drove away would have no choice but to invade others' territories for water. A few days later, under Xunuo's leadership, they attacked a nearby stronghold.
As usual, Xunuo executed the Bandit Leader and reorganized the remaining followers; those who resisted were swiftly dealt with. Noticing that this stronghold was well-equipped, he took a day to rest before melting down all weapons into several shovels and picks.
The next day, he set out again with a slightly larger team to continue digging. Thus began a journey of excavation and recruitment.
Xunuo's digging team eventually grew to over five hundred members. Despite their numbers, none harbored any thoughts of rebellion. This was largely due to an earlier encounter when Xunuo confronted the largest bandit group on Black Wind Mountain. This gang was fierce; dozens chose death over surrendering and fought back valiantly. In an instant, Xunuo severed heads from bodies with a single strike of his sword.
Seeing this display of power left the remaining bandits feeling hopeless. They realized that even their hundreds were no match for just ten or so strikes from him.
Some began to think that perhaps escaping was a way out but gradually realized it was also a dead end. No matter day or night, anyone who strayed beyond the designated area would find their head appearing right where they had just left.
For instance: when a few sat resting together and one could no longer bear it and tried to flee, as soon as he left their sight, his head would appear among them moments later—followed by the fleeting shadow of Xunuo passing by.
The young man in white had once candidly expressed, "I wish you would run, so I would have a reason to kill you. Otherwise, I would have to do the hard labor of taking you to the authorities."
In the end, these bandits realized that there might still be a chance for survival at the official's office. Following this Killing God would surely lead to death. They felt relieved and prayed that this Killing God would send them to Officialdom sooner rather than later.
Xunuo had been busy on Black Wind Mountain for three months but had not found the remains of his parents. Instead, he had gathered seven or eight bandits from Black Wind Mountain. As he calculated the time, he realized that his appointment with Dongfang Yunqing was approaching. Venturing deeper into Black Wind Mountain would yield no remains of his parents; he suspected that Gao Feng wouldn’t dare to go deep into Black Wind Mountain while committing his crimes.
Thus, Xunuo drove the bandits out and left Black Wind Mountain. However, instead of heading to Suxzhou, he went to the neighboring Xitang Prefecture.
One day, the guards stationed at Fenggu City in Xitang Prefecture noticed a group of several hundred people approaching from a distance. They were instantly terrified. This area was located in the heart of the Great Liang Kingdom, and naturally, there were no heavy troops stationed here. The defenders consisted of just over a hundred Guerrilla fighters, along with some minor officials at the city gate assisting with personnel identification.
Upon realizing there was trouble, the guards on the city wall fell into chaos. They hurriedly closed the city gates and raised the drawbridge. The merchants outside who couldn’t make it inside fled in panic, fearing for their lives.
However, as the group drew closer, they noticed that their formation was orderly and they did not disturb anything by the roadside. The guards stopped running away and began to observe from a distance. As they got even closer, they saw that these individuals were carrying hoes and shovels, which piqued their curiosity even more.
The defending Guerrilla received word and rushed to the city wall to take a look, becoming dumbfounded. Below them stood a large mass of men carrying farming tools, yet it was eerily silent—clearly well-trained individuals. He could not fathom that these people were intimidated by Xunuo.
Seeing only the young man in white sitting on horseback, this Guerrilla assumed that Xunuo was their leader. He shouted down from the wall, "Where do these audacious commoners come from? Dare to gather and cause trouble? Hurry up and disperse!"
Xunuo shouted back, "These are bandits from Black Wind Mountain, whom I have captured to bring to justice. Open the city gates quickly so we can escort them inside."
The Guerrilla, upon closer inspection, recognized some familiar faces among the captured bandits from Black Wind Mountain. His scalp tingled with fear as he concluded that these bandits were attacking the city. He ordered his men to prepare arrows for defense while cursing at those below, "You scoundrels! Stop deceiving your military superiors! You must have tied these people up; only then will I believe you."
Xunuo retorted angrily, "You tie them up yourself; I don’t have time for that."
The Guerrilla, seeing that despite their numbers there was no further attempt to attack and noticing they were only carrying farming tools, began to believe him somewhat. After all, if he had tied them up himself, he wouldn’t feel secure either. So he sent a few men down from the wall to bind each of these bandits one by one.
After observing for a moment from atop the wall, this Guerrilla noted that not only did these bandits not resist but seemed eager to surrender. Seeing no resistance prompted him to send more men down; within half an hour, they had securely bound hundreds of them.
Only then did this Guerrilla truly believe everything was real. Overcome with emotion, tears streamed down his face. This was an unexpected windfall; such an achievement could easily earn him three promotions.
He hurriedly ran down from the wall and personally opened the city gates to thank Xunuo. However, he expressed concern, saying, "There are too many people; I fear there won’t be enough room in the holding cells."
Xunuo coldly replied, "If there isn’t enough room, just execute them."
The bandits all knelt down in unison and loudly proclaimed, "We can squeeze in; we’re not afraid of being cramped!"
Guerrilla finally realized how this group of hundreds had been brought here by the young man. It seemed that countless had been killed along the way, leaving these people terrified.
Xunuo, seeing that the matter was settled, rode off.
Guerrilla hurried to catch up and asked, "Please, hero, leave a name so I can express my gratitude."
Xunuo laughed heartily and said, "Wuhua Sword Sect, Lu Zaisheng."
Finished speaking, he passed through the city.
By the time they reached Zhaosheng City and the Su Family, the name of Wuhua Sword Sect and Lu Zaisheng was already well-known, like the sun at noon.
Even though martial arts names spread far and wide, they only circulated within the Jianghu. Compared to the speed of word-of-mouth in the streets, it was still lacking. Xunuo revealed the name of Wuhua Sword Sect and Lu Zaisheng to ensure it reached Lu Duhou's ears, letting him know that his family was doing well and had not let him down.
Similarly, when Xunuo arrived at Zhaosheng City and announced Lu Zaisheng's name, the Su Family was filled with surprise and excitement, rushing to share the news.
Xunuo did not stand on ceremony with the Head of the Su Family; after a brief exchange of pleasantries, he stated his purpose for coming. He wanted to take away the Heavenly Shadow Spike that the Su Family had kept.
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