I planted the spiritual roots for my people, and they bestowed upon me a body inscribed with incense

"What weapon do you wield? It is indeed formidable."

Li Daqiang didn't reply. He took a step forward and slashed at Li Daqiang with a horizontal slash. Luo Batian saw this and rolled into the crowd, grabbing the machetes from two of his men.

Luo Batian, wielding two swords, only managed to block one move. Seeing that this had no effect on increasing his internal energy, Li Daqiang threw the horse-slaying sword in his hand to Li Yuan.

He then roared at Luo Batian.

"Come."

Luo Batian's eyes widened when he saw that the man was unarmed.

"You really think I'm afraid of you?"

And so the two of them were locked in battle once again.

After a brief struggle, both men sustained injuries, but Li Daqiang's fighting spirit grew stronger with each blow, forcing Luo Batian to retreat repeatedly.

Just as Li Daqiang was about to win, Luo Batian suddenly exerted his strength and spat out a silver needle from his mouth. Li Daqiang had no chance to dodge it at all. At that moment, Li Yuan's Mo Dao and Zhan Ma Dao flew out at the same time.

One needle pierced Luo Batian's chest, while the other blocked the silver needle.

Upon seeing Luo Batian's miserable state, the more than twenty bandits scattered in a panic, some even dropping their weapons.

Seeing this, Li Yuan and Li Daqiang asked Wang Tiezhu to guard the house, and then began the real massacre. These people were no good, so the two of them had no psychological burden when killing them.

Soon, only a few of the more than twenty people managed to escape.

The two did not stop, and soon arrived at a farmer's house with the door tightly closed.

Li Daqiang gestured to Li Yuan, who then went and knocked on the door.

"Uncle Liu, I am Li Yuan from the Li family. Bandits are here, and the village chief has ordered everyone in the village to gather and resist them."

After saying that, Li Yuan waited at the door for a while, and then a deep voice came from behind. Although the voice was deep, it trembled a little, which made it seem somewhat comical.

"The Li family's son? Did the village chief really say that?"

After confirming that he was at home, Li Yuan stopped talking and with a single stroke, he cleaved the door and Uncle Liu inside in two.

Next, they dealt with the remaining members of the Liu family. Soon, Li Yuan and Li Daqiang wiped the blood off their bodies and left the Liu family.

There were three such families in the small fishing village. As for the rest of the people, Li Yuan and Li Daqiang saved as many as they could.

Those bandits who were unaware of what had happened and were still burning, killing, and looting naturally became victims of Li Yuan's blade.

Even with Li Yuan and Li Daqiang's rescue efforts, more than a dozen people in the village were still slaughtered, including newborn babies.

The next day at noon, at the entrance of the small fishing village.

Even with heavy snow falling, hundreds of soldiers and officials, as well as the county magistrate and his master chef from the city, all arrived at the small fishing village.

Looking at the county magistrate who was feigning anxiety, Li Yuan would have actually believed him if he hadn't sensed his young wife in the sedan chair.

Just as Li Yuan was about to leave, a middle-aged man with a fan and a scholarly air walked over.

"I am Zhou Boyuan, the registrar of Luoshan City. May I ask if you two valiant men are the Li family father and son?"

Seeing this, Li Yuan nodded.

"Exactly..."

"You two are truly skilled. Magistrate Tang invites you to come along." After saying this, Zhou Boyuan gestured for the two men to proceed.

Seeing this, Li Yuan and Li Daqiang followed Zhou Boyuan's pace at a leisurely pace.

Soon, the two arrived at a sedan chair, but of course, the county magistrate's young wife was not inside.

Once inside the sedan chair, the county magistrate was sitting upright, looking at the two of them with a smile.

"Li Yuan and Li Daqiang did not hesitate and bowed to the county magistrate before sitting down."

"You two brave men, it must have been hard work to get rid of these bandits."

"Not at all, sir, you are very busy. You are the one who is truly working hard." Compared to Li Yuan, who could flatter without batting an eye, Li Daqiang seemed rather naive.

What official doesn't like being praised? Seeing how accommodating Li Yuan was, the magistrate's smile widened.

"This must be Li Yuan, the brave warrior."

Li Yuan nodded, and then said:

"My lord, just call me 'youngster,' I'm not worthy of the title 'hero.'"

The magistrate waved his hand and then said:

"Sigh... Not at all. You two have rid our Luoshan City of a major cancer."

"Do either of you have any intention of serving the imperial court?"

Seeing this, Li Daqiang quickly stood up and said:

"Your Excellency, we are just two country folk, unfit for any important task."

Seeing this, the magistrate waved his hand and then glanced at the registrar Zhou Boyuan. Seeing this, Zhou Boyuan obediently got out of the sedan chair and waited outside.

"You two are overthinking it. You only need to be listed as members, and you will still receive your monthly salary."

Upon hearing this, both Li Daqiang and Li Yuan were somewhat tempted, and Li Daqiang spoke first:

"What conditions does the magistrate have?"

Seeing that the two were interested, the magistrate smiled and then said:

"All you two need to do is agree on what to say. I will provide additional compensation afterward."

Seeing this, Li Yuan pretended to be confused and asked:

"I wonder what the magistrate meant?"

Seeing this, the magistrate lowered his head and whispered:

"My term is almost over, and all I need is one achievement that is neither too big nor too small."

Seeing this, Li Yuan quickly stood up and said:

"This was all arranged by the magistrate. My ability to quell the banditry is entirely thanks to the magistrate."

Seeing this, Magistrate Tang laughed so hard that the wrinkles on his face looked like piled-up pigskin.

"Very good, very good. You two are indeed heroes in suppressing bandits. As the magistrate, I will certainly report your deeds truthfully. When the time comes, you can welcome your rewards at home."

Seeing that the matter was settled, the magistrate immediately got out of his sedan chair and began to appease the people of the small fishing village, showing his love for the people.

Soon, a fire broke out outside the village, burning the bodies of the bandits and the murdered villagers.

The burning of the corpse was partly to prevent the plague, and partly a scheme by the county magistrate.

Three days later, the snow outside had lessened considerably, and the entrance to the small fishing village was bustling with activity. Zhou Boyuan was seen walking at the front, carrying documents, followed by a group of city guards carrying grain and supplies.

The soldiers stopped in front of the Li family's house. A number of villagers, some smiling broadly and others looking worried, had already followed behind them.

Li Daqiang of the Li family, hear the seal

Li Yuan and Li Daqiang were already standing outside the house.

"This humble subject is here."

Upon seeing this, Zhou Boyuan immediately began reading the letter aloud.

"Li Daqiang of the Li family, under the arrangement of Magistrate Zhou of Luoshan County, infiltrated the bandit gang. Disregarding his own safety, he lay in wait for a long time. Finally, when the bandits entered the small fishing village, he completed the task assigned by the magistrate and wiped out more than one hundred bandits from the nearby Black Wind Mountain."

"Among them are even Luo Batian, a martial artist who has been wanted by the imperial court for a long time, as well as many other notorious villains."

Therefore, the imperial court bestowed upon him a reward of one hundred dan of grain, one hundred bolts of cloth, and one hundred taels of silver from the county magistrate's own salary, given as a gesture of compassion towards his subordinates.

"Finally, in order to completely eliminate the bandit problem, Li Daqiang was specially appointed as the bandit suppression captain of Luoshan County, with the official rank of ninth grade."

Li Daqiang stepped forward to receive the envelope.

Upon hearing this, Li Daqiang quickly stepped forward and took the letter and a bronze token.