The 4th Volume Chapter 29 The Mystery of the Bandits

  As we couldn't shirk anymore, in the end, we had no choice but to stay and accept the villagers' warm hospitality. I quietly ordered all the guards that no matter whose house they ate at, they must quietly leave gold coins afterwards. We had just started promoting the Beast God, so we had to make a good impression.

  When I left, I told the village chief that all beast god messengers belong to the Beast God Sect and our totem is the Beast God. He expressed his determination to firmly believe in the Beast God and be a loyal believer of the Beast God Sect.

  I and my guards, one by one, ate our fill and left the village. As soon as we walked out, Meng Ke ran to my side and said: "Young master, the feeling of helping people is really good, just now they all called me a messenger, and they were so respectful." This guy, after just a short while, has already forgotten his pain.

  "You, be honest with me, especially when speaking, you must pay attention to your tone, and absolutely cannot put on that superior attitude in front of ordinary people, did you hear?"

  Meng Ke patted his belly and laughed: "Alright, young master, where are we going next?"

  I glared at him and said, "Don't listen in, remember, don't ask questions you shouldn't. By the way, where's that werewolf? Bring him over, let's take a break on the mountain slope ahead, I want to interrogate him. Also, release the carrier pigeon immediately, report the situation here to His Majesty and ask him to send over the beast god in charge of farming and production to assist the village. I believe that from now on, all the villagers will be loyal followers of our Beast God Cult."

  The guards surrounded the hillside, resting in their original positions. At the top of the hill, I stood with my hands behind my back, coldly staring at the werewolf bandit leader who had just been freed from his sealed meridians and restored his vision and hearing. The werewolf trembled under my gloomy gaze and pleaded: "Sir, sir, spare my life, I'll tell you everything, anything you ask."

  I snorted coldly and said, "It depends on whether you cooperate or not."

  The werewolf hastily said: "Cooperate, I will definitely cooperate."

  I nodded in satisfaction: "Alright, you first tell me, why would a group of bandits who are usually scattered and disorganized suddenly launch an organized attack on the village?"

  The werewolf replied without hesitation: "It's because we received news that the Beast Emperor issued a decree to eradicate us. In order not to be exterminated, thieves from all over the place have basically organized themselves. We are just a small group, with less than two hundred people, so we decided to plunder more things and then find an uninhabited valley to hide for a while, avoiding this storm before coming out again..." The werewolf trailed off, unable to continue speaking.

  "I sneered: 'Continue your evil deeds, right?'"

  The werewolf said in a panic: "I don't dare to, I won't dare to, from now on I will never be a thief again, I will definitely follow the law and be a good person."

  "Speak less with me, your future depends on your own performance. I'm asking you, around the Imperial Capital, which other bandit groups are active in which areas, do you know?"

  The werewolf's face showed some difficulty, and suddenly, as if he had made up his mind, he gritted his teeth and said: "I'm willing to say it, I'll tell you everything. Since I'm a somewhat famous thief in the imperial capital, I know the human world quite well, so I basically know what you're asking about."

  I sneered and smiled, saying: "So you're still a celebrity."

  The werewolf's face revealed a proud expression, puffed out his chest and said: "That's right, in this area, there is no thief who doesn't know White Eyed Wolf." Hearing his words, I almost burst out laughing, calling himself White Eyed Wolf while being self-indulgent.

  "Cut the crap, this is a map. Tell them everything you know and have them gather at the exact location." I turned around to summon my trusted subordinates.

  "Master, I'm here." Meng Ke rushed up from the side with a carrier pigeon in his hands. "Please instruct me, I was just about to release the pigeon."

  I said: "Just right, don't let him go for now. This guy knows all the gathering places of thieves around the Imperial City. Watch him write them down, and then send them together with the things I asked you to send back earlier. If he dares to play any tricks, you know what to do."

  Meng Ke revealed a sly smile, patted the wolf man's shoulder forcefully and said to me: "Don't worry, young master. Kid, be smart and write it out obediently..." I shook my head, found a quiet place to sit down, this beginning was very smooth, eliminating the bandits around the imperial capital and handing them over to the Beast Emperor would do.

  I carefully took out the strand of hair that Yanzhen gave me from my bosom, gently smelling the lingering fragrance on it, and my heart had already flown to Yanzhen's side.

  I wonder if Ziyuan has already returned to the Dragon God's capital and told Zixue about my situation. Will Zixue accept me like this? As I thought, I was completely immersed in memories. I don't know how long it took, but Meng Ke's voice suddenly woke me up from my beautiful dream: "Young master, young master."

  "Ah! Is it done already?"

  Meng Ke nodded and said: "It's already done, I've also released the carrier pigeon. Do you have anything else to ask that guy? If not, I'll take care of him."

  What he meant by "dealing with" was simply to hack the werewolf to death with one swing of his axe after another. This guy is even more bloodthirsty than I am. "You don't have to worry about it, go find a place to rest, I still have questions for him, if there's anything I'll call you."

  I walked back to the top of the slope, and the werewolf was still kneeling there. Looking at him, he was indeed frightened by us. As soon as he saw me, he immediately showed a humble appearance and begged: "Sir, I've already said everything I can say, please let me go."

  My expression was much softer than before, and I said lightly: "Letting you go is fine, but you still have to answer one last question for me."

  The werewolf was taken aback: "What's wrong? I've already said everything."

  I asked: "Where are you from?"

  The werewolf replied: "I am from Yunna, almost all the werewolves are from Yunna." He looked at me as if my question was stupid.

  "I've heard that the bandits in your territory are the most organized and powerful of all. Is this true?"

  The werewolf looked somewhat embarrassed and said, "Yes, the thieves of Yunna are of the highest quality. They not only steal but also work as mercenaries for other territories. There are about three thousand of them, and only werewolves with a certain amount of strength can join."

  "Why didn't you join the bandits within your own clan's territory?"

  The werewolf's face turned even redder with shame and he said, "My level is still not enough to enter the number one bandit group of beastmen."

  "Oh? Aren't you quite famous?" I sneered.

  "That's just in this piece."

  "Alright, then tell me about the situation with your Cloud Bandits gang. I want to know just how formidable this so-called 'Beastman Nation's' largest bandit gang really is!"

  A glimmer of confusion flashed through the werewolf's eyes, accompanied by a hint of longing and jealousy: "That bandit gang is absolutely the pinnacle that all bandits hope to reach. They have militarized management, far surpassing the Wolfman Long Gunner Corps in strength. Their high-ranking members are as numerous as clouds, and even an ordinary member would be stronger than me. Someone once said that only when the great King Bimon leads the Bimon Army to come, is there a possibility of annihilating this bandit gang."

  "I asked: 'In Yun Nan, there is such a powerful force, and the local lord doesn't care? Just letting them develop like this, aren't they afraid of being overthrown?'"

  The werewolf said disdainfully: "What kind of thing is the lord of Yunna? He has to look at the face of that bandit gang when doing things. Once, Yunna offended the neighboring Fengyan Lord, do you know Fengyan Lord? That's a leopard person's gathering place, their tribesmen are very brutal, not bullying people is already someone else's luck, let alone Yunna offending them. The lord of Fengyan mobilized all his soldiers to punish Yunna, and the lord of Yunna had no choice but to personally bring heavy gifts to beg the leader of that bandit gang. As a result, the leader helped them out because of their kinship. The strong and fierce folk customs of Fengyan actually retreated like this, and the lord of Fengyan never mentioned it again. No one knows what happened back then... I once heard our werewolf tribesmen mention it unintentionally..." He seemed to have said something he shouldn't have, suddenly covering his mouth with both hands, his eyes filled with fear.

  "Why didn't you continue?"

  The werewolf suddenly kept kowtowing to me: "Sir, don't ask anymore, these are things I absolutely cannot say, even if it's death."

  The more he didn't say, the more it piqued my interest: "Not saying is it? Then I'll have my men send you back to that village immediately. How do you think those villagers will welcome you? If you want to live, tell me about the situation of that thief gang." The wolf-like man lifted his already bruised forehead, his eyes filled with despair, staring at me fixedly.

  Suddenly, he seemed to have made some kind of decision, and let out a mournful howl towards the sky. His right hand quickly plunged into his own chest.

  His actions really scared me, and by the time I wanted to save him, it was already too late. Actually, just now when I said I would send him back to the village, it was just a joke, but I didn't expect that he, being so afraid of death, would be so stubborn and rather die than speak. The wolf-like man's mouth kept gushing out blood, and in a hoarse voice, he told me: "If I'm not mistaken, you should be the ones responsible for eliminating bandits for the country, right? I advise you not to go to Yunna, otherwise, you will die without a complete corpse. Ah——"

  After spitting out a mouthful of blood, the werewolf swallowed his last breath. Until the end, he still wanted to protect that gang of thieves. Could it be that this gang of thieves was really as formidable as he said? What kind of person would the leader of the gang be, to make a greedy and timid werewolf thief use his own life to keep this secret? This enigma has always been full of doubts for me.

  "Master, master, what's happened?" Meng Ke rushed up with several guards.

  I shook my head and said, "Nothing, let's just bury this werewolf. After all, he told me quite a few things."

  Can a gang of three thousand thieves intimidate me? Absolutely not, I'd like to see who the leader of that gang is, and among the beastmen, there aren't many opponents who can match me.

  Meng Ke and several guards who had buried the werewolf came to my side, asking: "Young master, are we leaving now? Which direction should we go?" I looked at the azure sky and said firmly: "To Yunna."

  A flash of killing intent flickered in my eyes, and I thought to myself: the mysterious person from Yunna, I've arrived. Let's see who's more formidable, you or me? Only by facing challenges head-on can I increase my experience and gain valuable lessons. Moreover, this is also a great way to hone my skills. To reach Yunna Territory, we must first cross through Saishi Territory.

  Sasser is the territory of the snake people, where a large number of snake people gather. Although the snake people's army cannot play an important role on the battlefield, in daily life, no race dares to provoke them. This is because the snake people are very united and vengeful, and will attack their opponents for even small matters. Moreover, the terrifying aspect of the snake people lies in their venomous fangs. The brighter the scales on their body, the more frightening they are. If their teeth or claws scratch an enemy's skin, the venom will immediately enter the bloodstream, and the most potent snake venom can be fatal in an instant. This advantage is useless on the battlefield because most armies wear armor, making it impossible for the snake people's fangs to penetrate.

  Like this, we set out again under the scorching sun. Meng Ke walked at the very front of the group, I could only vaguely see his blurry figure, a half-man-half-horse guard followed closely beside Hei Long, responsible for protecting my safety, while everyone else continued to advance scattered.

  I unfolded the map and took a look, then asked the centaur guard, "We should be in the territory of the snake people by now, right?"

  "Yes, young master. The bandits in the Snake People's territory itself are not many, they have all gone to other territories to plunder."

  I sneered and said, "These guys are good at protecting their own kind."

  The centaur guard said: "Yes, the snake people have a very strong cohesion, their totem is the nine-headed saint, which is actually a kind of nine-headed snake, their totem is different from others."

  I asked: "Oh? What's different?"

  "Their totem is real, unlike those of other tribes which are just legends."

  I exclaimed in surprise: "Are you saying that a nine-headed snake really exists on the mainland?"

  The centaur guard Zheng focused his head and said, "Indeed, there is, but the number is extremely rare. I heard that the reason why the snake people are united as never before is because their tribe leader has a nine-headed snake. This snake is very ferocious and will eat other beastmen, but surprisingly, it doesn't eat the snake people, which makes them believe even more that the nine-headed snake is their protective god. The appetite of the nine-headed snake is extremely large, if it's an adult nine-headed snake, one day can eat two adult bearmen."

  "I thought for a moment and said: 'So, if we want to successfully recover the Sa Si Ling, we must first kill this nine-headed snake.'"

  The centaur didn't expect me to think this way, and hastily looked around, saying in a low voice: "Young master, this has already been taken care of by the Sa people. You mustn't say such things again, otherwise, if the snake people here hear it, they will definitely use all their might to fight to the death. Didn't you say you wanted to deal with the thieves in Yunna first? Let's talk about the Sa people later. This place is basically all mountainous and doesn't have any useful resources. As long as we do everything according to their rules, they won't bother us casually."

  Looking at the centaur guard's appearance, it's clear that they have some fear of the snake people. I thought to myself: "Can't the nine-headed snake really be killed? What if it was an assassination? They won't find the killer, what will happen then? They won't go slaughter all the beastmen, right? However, what the centaur said is also correct, our current priority is to first pacify the bandits in Yunna. The vast plains and mines there are very important. I thought it would be easy to annihilate the bandits, but unexpectedly, among us beastmen, there are so many tough bones to chew on.

  Thinking of this, I said to the centaur guard: "Go and call Wolf over, you take his place." Wolf was the only werewolf among my twenty guards.

  "Master, you're looking for me?"

  Wolff's build was slightly larger than that of an ordinary werewolf, his mouth not as protruding as a normal werewolf, and the brown hair on his face was less. He and I were both hybrids of human, demon, and beast bloodlines, but he was even more unfortunate than me. Due to his unusual appearance, he was abandoned by his tribe at a young age and later discovered and adopted by the Beast Emperor who happened to be passing by.

  "Hmm, Wolf, I want to ask you something. That werewolf thief actually killed himself rather than reveal the secret of the Cloud Thief gang. I think that there must be a huge connection between him and that secret. If it wasn't related to something more important than his own life, how could he have been so desperate as to take his own life? What I want to ask you is, do your wolf tribe have any totems or anything?"

  Wolff thought for a moment, and smiled bitterly: "Young master, I'm really not too clear about these things, because I didn't grow up in the werewolf tribe. However, I did hear from the werewolves I've come into contact with that our totem should be the double-headed wolf."

  I burst out laughing: "Double-headed wolf, the snake tribe worships a nine-headed snake, your wolf god only has two heads, how can you compete with them?"

  Wolf said with a bit of discontent: "What's wrong with two heads? It can still bite off nine heads."

  "How bold, who dares to be so presumptuous." A strange and sharp voice rang out in the air.

  My heart tightened, I didn't want to cause trouble here, but still ran into trouble. I whispered to Wolf: "Quickly, tell everyone to be on guard."

  Just as Wolf was about to leave, "hiss, hiss, hiss" sounds came from the trees, and more than a dozen snake people jumped down. The three in front had exceptionally bright scales on their bodies, and at a glance, it could be seen that they held some status within the snake tribe.

  More than ten snake people surrounded us, Wolf cautiously stuck to the black dragon's side, reached back and pulled out his usual three-section long gun, stared at the opponent while twisting the long gun together.

  The snake-headed man swung his big tail and pointed at Wolf: "Just now, was it you who insulted our Nine-Headed Saint?"

  I grabbed Wolf impulsively and jumped off the black dragon, clasped my fists together in a salute and said politely: "I'm really sorry, my friend was tactless earlier, please forgive us, leaders of the snake people. We have great respect for the Nine-Headed Saint, don't misunderstand."

  Look at my humble appearance, the snake man leader's face looked a bit better, nodded and said: "Hmm, you're still talking like a human, so be it. I think you're more pleasing to the eye, leave this kid behind, you can go yourself. Insulting the Nine-Headed Saint, no matter what the reason, must be repaid with fresh blood, he will serve as food for the Nine-Headed Saint to make up for his grave mistake."

  I cursed inwardly, but smiled on the surface and said: "Leader, can you please make an exception? We're willing to pay a portion of the money as compensation."

  The leader of the snake people's face changed, and he angrily said: "Do you think we are thieves? We are from the lord's mansion. Letting you go is already a great kindness. Don't waste words here! If you keep wasting words, I'll take you in too. Get out!"

  I quietly mobilized the Crazy God's Fighting Qi and asked in a calm tone: "Is this all the people your Lord's Manor has sent?"

  The snake-headed man said with a proud face: "What's wrong, are we not enough to collect you? Are you going or not?"

  I turned back to Wolf and gave him a signal, suddenly turned around, the fierce aura burst out of my body, both fists charged forward, and I shouted: "Fierce Battle Under Heaven".

  With a loud shout from me, a yellow column of Dou Qi shot out and heavily smashed onto the chest of the snake man leader I was talking to.

  Even if I, a fallen angel, can't bear it, let alone a snake person who only slightly understands some kung fu. In the midst of the huge roar, not only was the leader beaten beyond recognition, but under the violent fighting spirit, the snake people behind him were also blown away one by one, with blood spraying wildly, and they seemed to be unable to survive.

  Don't look at their beautiful scales, they're useless, much worse than Bimon's defense.

  Wolff didn't idle either, his two-meter-long red spear transformed into a myriad of spear shadows that pointed at the snake people. In an instant, three of them were sent flying by his long spear. I gave a low shout: "Concentrate and kill, leave no one alive."

  The rest of the guards did not rush up; instead, they dispersed even further after hearing my voice, cautiously observing their surroundings.

  Wolff had been holding back his anger, and now it was fully vented. He didn't even need me to lift a hand; the remaining snake people were transformed into vengeful spirits under his meter-long red spear.

  The last scale of the snake man suddenly pounced on Wolf from behind, but his long gun was still in another snake man's chest. At this critical moment, Wolf showed his usual tenacity, his body suddenly arched back, his waist twisted like a broken reed, and his long gun was pulled out from the previous snake man's body with a swoop. The last scale of the high-ranking snake man came with an open belly, what a beautiful iron plate bridge.

  My expression suddenly changed, and I flashed to Wolf's side like lightning. Mo Ming suddenly swung out, cutting off a large piece of flesh from his thick shoulder, then used the hilt of Mo Ming's sword to tap on his shoulder, sealing his blood vessels and preventing excessive bleeding. Wolf looked at me in confusion, his face pale due to the intense pain.

  I shouted to the guards in front: "Meng Ke, you quickly bring a few brothers to bury them, and the action must be fast."

  "Wolff's voice was a little hoarse: 'Young master, what did I do wrong?'"

  I nodded and said in a low voice: "Your mistake is that you are too careless, take a look yourself." As I spoke, I pointed to the piece of flesh on the ground that I had just cut off from him.

  Wolff lowered his head and took a look, and his expression changed drastically. The fresh wolf meat from just now had turned into a puddle of black water. Even if he was stupid, he knew I had saved him, and immediately knelt down on the ground with a thud: "Thank you, young master, for saving my life."

  I pulled out the antidote from my bosom and carefully examined his wound, saying lightly: "Fortunately, the toxin hasn't invaded internally, otherwise, you might not have been able to keep this arm. Since we knew they were snake people, why did we give them a chance to get close? What if their claws had touched your head, how could I have explained it?"

  As I spoke, I tore a piece of cloth from my own clothes and carefully bandaged the wound with medicine: "Alright, you walk at the back later. If you feel uncomfortable, find me quickly."

  Wolf's eyes were red as he stared at me, excitedly saying: "Young master, I..." I coldly shouted: "What you, you remember this, your life isn't yours, it's mine. If I don't let you die, you can't die. No matter what kind of battle, you must go all out. Tonight when you're resting, come find me. Your marksmanship is very good, but your aura is weak and can't bring out its full power. I have a set of aura here that matches well with your marksmanship."

  Wolf rubbed his eyes with his hand: "Thank you, Young Master."

  "Let's go to the back first. Meng Ke, is it done?"

  Meng Ke rushed back with a large axe, his face looking somewhat unpleasant, and said: "Young master, it's over."

  I punched him in the face and angrily said: "You're done for."

  Meng Ke spat out his tongue and stood up straight, saying: "Reporting to Young Master, we have finished cleaning up, not even leaving behind any bloodstains. We failed to discover the enemy in time, causing you to be startled, please punish me."

  I said calmly, "This can't be blamed on you, these snake people are too cunning, relying on the color of their scales to hide in the big trees. Stay by my side and let Wolf rest at the back."

  Meng Ke only then discovered that Worf was injured, and exclaimed in surprise: "Ah, brother, how are you? Are your injuries severe? Which bastard cut you up like this... Ah, young master, why did you hit me again..." Worf quickly pulled this old fellow who had always been kind to him aside and explained what had just happened. I rode the black dragon forward, issuing orders that no one was allowed to cause trouble or speak out of turn; everything would be done according to the rules of the Snake People.

  My goal is not here, so I don't want to find more trouble. Meng Ke hurriedly ran up and followed me, saying with some embarrassment: "Young master, I, I really didn't mean to scold you just now, I..."

  I glared at him impatiently and said, "Alright, be quiet for a bit, I'm thinking." Muge followed closely behind me with an innocent face, but didn't dare to speak again. Along the way, all of us tried our best not to talk much, and when we arrived at the checkpoint, we handed over some more gold coins, and smoothly passed through the customs.

  When I stayed in some snake man villages, I also thought of bribing the local snake men with gold coins to spread our beast god cult, but their worship of the nine-headed snake had reached a blind level, and there was no room for maneuver. It really made me helpless, and this hard bone could only be put aside for now.

  To avoid trouble, I had Mank specifically use the pelt of a deceased lion-man thief to make me a fake headpiece. Don't look at his usual careless attitude, but his craftsmanship is actually quite good. Wearing this fake headpiece he made, I surprisingly feel very comfortable, and if I don't take off my clothes, it's hard to tell that I'm an imposter lion-man.

  Suddenly, Meng Ke excitedly said: "Young master, after passing the mountain ridge in front of us, we will arrive at Yunna Territory." I nodded and said: "Good, tell everyone to rest on the mountain ridge for a while."

  As soon as I climbed up the mountain ridge, I was completely stunned by the scene in front of me, and not just me, my guards were also the same. In front of us, looking out at the blue sky and white clouds, there was a vast plain stretching as far as the eye could see, the entire plain was lush green with all sorts of crops planted, countless wolf-like farmers wearing straw hats were busy tilling the fields. To prove that I wasn't dreaming, I turned around to look at the snake-like Sasser behind me.

  Although this side of the Sa family is not a plain, the land adjacent to Yun's side can also be considered flat, separated only by this mountain ridge. However, what's completely different is that the land on this side is barren and desolate, with most places showing exposed soil.

  I turned to the cloud again, and that endless, lush green fields still lay before my eyes. I didn't expect that in the beastman's country, there would also be farmers who face the yellow earth and back towards the sky. "Wolf, come here."

  Although Wolf was walking towards me, his eyes never left the plain of Cloud that he had been staring at. He didn't notice the uneven ground and tripped, falling straight towards me.

  I grabbed him and said, "Concentrate."

  "Wolf's eyes were filled with intoxication: 'It's too beautiful, our wolf people's territory is actually so beautiful.'"

  My current mood is heavy, the Beast Emperor has never told me that there is a piece of cultivated land in the Beastman Country, he only told me that the land of Yunna is fertile and flat, nothing more.

  This proves that he also doesn't know the situation here, and Yunna's confidentiality work is done too well. Such a large plain, with an annual grain output, should be enough to support a 500,000-strong army for several months of war without any problem.

  Yunna is so determined to develop agriculture, what does he want to do? If the brown iron is successfully smelted by them, it will be an elite army. Perhaps they are afraid of Father's Bimon Army and have not taken action yet. If all else fails, we can only call in the main force to completely eliminate them.

  I said to the wolfman beside me with a silly look on his face, "Wolf, go down and find a wolfman who is farming to ask about the situation." Wolf happily said, "No problem, young master, I'll take care of it." After finishing speaking, he immediately ran down excitedly.