Terrifying Heavens: I'll directly worship the Black Law of Fengdu!

Chapter 155 Suppressing Bandits
Although Fukang County is called a county seat, its actual population is sparse, with only over 20,000 people. Other counties, on the other hand, have at least 80,000 or 90,000 people...

But having fewer people also has its advantages; if a few people from out of town come, they will be recognized very quickly.

While Li Xuan was practicing swordsmanship and saber techniques, basking in the joy of his rising martial prowess, his four fellow disciples, Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning, rushed back from outside Dafangbo Village to report the latest news.

Feng said, "Mr. Li, recently someone saw a group of strange people in the county. A man with an odd hairstyle and wearing a red Taoist robe led a group of people wearing headscarves and dark robes walking on the street."

The strange thing was that the people in the dark-robed procession, whose heads were clearly hidden under airtight veils, could walk normally on the road, albeit with slightly stiff postures, and at the same time, they emitted a dizzying, foul stench of vegetation.

Li Xuan honed his swordsmanship in the backyard, wielding the sword with one hand, thrusting upwards and slashing downwards with overwhelming momentum.

Normal people don't talk much when they're doing strenuous exercise, except for groans and shouts, to avoid getting a stitch. But he was perfectly fine, and as he moved around, he said slowly and deliberately, "It seems that this strange Taoist priest is the corpse-driving craftsman from western Hunan."

Feng hurriedly replied, "After receiving the news, we immediately began tracking and found that the last place this person was seen was at the foot of Tiger Head Mountain outside Fukang County."

In the past few days, Li Xuan has thoroughly investigated the situation inside and outside Fukang County, and knows that Tiger Head Mountain is actually the location of the bandit leader Tang Longde's stronghold.

He stopped what he was doing, flicked his long sword, and it flew out as a blur, landing precisely in the scabbard on the weapon rack.

Upon seeing this action, the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning all constricted their pupils and hurriedly lowered their stances.

Li Xuan was twenty paces away from the weapon rack. The scabbard had only a small opening. If he could sheathe his sword within three paces, his master Mao Qing might be able to do it, but he couldn't do it beyond ten paces.

Such precise force.

Feng quietly wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "We haven't found out yet whether this corpse driver is colluding with Tang Long, but we're afraid of making a hasty decision and alerting him, so we came back to see what Mr. Li thinks."

Li Xuan said, "I have made a lot of progress recently, and with the Sword King Old Master Zhao in charge, you all get ready. We will launch a night raid on Tiger Head Mountain and wipe out Tang Long's stronghold."

The main hall of the Jiang family.

After carefully listening to Li Xuan's idea, Dao Wang and Master Jiang thought about it for a while and decided it was feasible.

Master Jiang said, "I have been keeping an eye on the Tiger Head Mountain stronghold. There are more than two hundred bandits in total. Apart from Tang Long, who is quite talented and has high martial arts skills, the rest are just a rabble!"

However, the officials in Fukang County were corrupt, and the county was in complete disarray. For a skilled but impoverished bandit like Tang Long, it all seemed like a losing proposition, and so the matter dragged on until now.

He grew increasingly agitated, slamming his right hand on the table. His face darkened, and his voice rose as he declared, "Although I haven't been a constable for many years, now that young friend Li has brought this up, I'll indulge my craving for bandit suppression tonight!"

The Sword King sat to the side and said quietly, "I don't have the same passionate reasons as Jiang Pifu. Anyway, I'll do whatever my genius new Sword King apprentice says. While I'm still over seventy and can still move, I'll show a little more of my sharpness to help him gain momentum in the future."

Li Xuan suddenly said, "It's said that the Jiang family mansion has a considerable amount of gold and silver jewelry. If we make our move tonight, the Jiang family will definitely be empty. If someone takes advantage of the situation and loots it, wouldn't that be..."

The Sword King chuckled and said, "No need to worry, Jiang Pifu can guard the mountain. You and I, master and apprentice, can take fifty able-bodied men from the county up the mountain. A night raid won't be a problem against two hundred men." Master Jiang also chuckled and said, "Zhao Gou Dan, don't act like an old man and talk nonsense. Although I haven't fought Tang Long before, I know from intelligence that he's troublesome. You go... don't drag Li Xiaoyou down at the crucial moment! My gold and silver are in a very safe place. Even if they are found, it doesn't matter. I'll see them if I live, but I won't be able to take them."

The Sword King paused for a moment, then said with a meaningful expression, "It must be you, you old scoundrel, who put something in the gold and silver jewelry. Let me guess, it's either poison or explosives."

Master Jiang was taken aback, then coughed and said, "Stop guessing. We'll let you experience it for yourself when the time comes. Anyway, the matter of Tiger Head Mountain is settled. The three of us, along with Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning, plus fifty able-bodied men from the county, will go up the mountain tonight to suppress the bandits!"

……

While they were discussing things in the lobby, the wind, rain, and thunder power station was in the courtyard, staring blankly at the sky.

Yu said, "While I was wandering around the county these past two days, I met a lovely girl by chance. She's Xiaoling, the daughter of the coffin shop owner in this county. Isn't her name beautiful? And let me tell you, she's also very cute, petite and charming, simply too lovely to look at..."

Dian, rather dull-witted, said, "It's not time to talk about love now. Mr. Li said our master is in Fukang County, but we haven't made any progress these past few days. I'm really worried about our master..."

Yu didn't take it seriously and said, "Of course I miss my master, but what can I do if I can't find him? A living person can't just let themselves die from holding their pee, right? I'll definitely pursue the right girl when I meet her. Maybe if I miss this opportunity, I'll never have another one. You guys aren't really planning to be Maoshan Taoist priests for the rest of your lives, are you?"

After these words were spoken, everyone fell silent...

They were not like their master Mao Qing, and they did not have such noble sentiments as to dedicate their entire lives to fighting monsters.

Life on Maoshan Mountain was hard, and coming down the mountain meant enduring wind and rain. They had never had a good life in their lives, and they longed for a comfortable life...

Lei stood there looking at the dim sky, Tang Shanshan's face appearing in his mind again. He rubbed his cheeks vigorously with both hands, trying to drive the image away.

Just then, Yu suddenly said, "If we go to Tiger Head Mountain tonight to suppress the bandits, what will happen to Tang Shanshan in the woodshed?"

Dian Pingjing said, "Tang Long's wicked intentions are a fact. As long as any evidence of Tang Shanshan's crimes is found in Tiger Head Mountain, her least severe punishment will be to put her in a pig cage and throw her into the water."

Died by being drowned in a pig cage?

Isn't this a special method for punishing adulterers?
Tang Shanshan's pitiful face, soaking in the water, kept flashing through Lei's mind, and his fists gradually clenched...

……

In the evening, Master Jiang spent money to bring back fifty able-bodied young men from Fukang County. Each man was equipped with an iron knife, and dressed in uniform dark clothing, they looked quite imposing. While he was giving these young men a brief explanation of the precautions for climbing Tiger Head Mountain, Lei slowly withdrew from the group and ran towards the woodshed…

Although the Sword King was old, his eyes were still sharp. He noticed Lei leaving quietly, coughed, and left with the teapot in his hand.

In the woodshed, Tang Shanshan leaned weakly against the hay. She had been locked up here for several days, eating only bran soup and no meat at all. Her stomach was constantly half full of hunger, and she could barely stand up...

(End of this chapter)