You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

With a tap of the finger, one is instantly transported to the exciting world of Chapter 248, where one punishes evil and earns military funds.

"Good! With the Seven Heroes' help, this matter will be accomplished!"

Guo Xiaotian was overjoyed and quickly stepped aside to make way: "This is not the place to talk. Please, Seven Heroes, move to the camp so we can discuss this in detail."

Ke Zhen'e and the others no longer refused. They tied the skinny horse outside the camp and followed Yang and Guo through the sentry posts into the camp.

The soldiers in the camp, who had not yet rested, all cast curious glances at the two generals leading in seven distinguished strangers.

But due to discipline, no one made a fuss; they simply practiced their drills even more diligently, as if they wanted to display their military might to the new guests.

The group arrived at the central command tent.

The tent was simply furnished, with only a simple wooden table in the center, a few chairs, and a rough map of the area around Lin'an hanging on the wall.

After everyone was seated according to their roles as host and guest, Yang Tiexin spoke up, saying, "I am deeply grateful for the kindness of the Seven Heroes, who are willing to lend a helping hand."

"However, this matter is of utmost importance and requires meticulous planning in order to strike decisively and without leaving a trace."

"What insightful opinions do the Seven Heroes have?"

Ke Zhen'e: "General Yang is absolutely right."

"Dealing with these corrupt officials is different from suppressing bandits. Bandits mostly live in the wilderness, so we can gather troops to attack them."

"Officials were in the city, with many eyes and ears, and their relationships were deeply intertwined."

"If we act openly, we will surely alarm his cronies and even his superiors, which will easily lead to complications."

"In my opinion, this matter should be won by surprise, by speed, and above all, by secrecy."

"What Master Ke means is..." Guo Xiaotian leaned forward.

"The martial arts world has its own rules and methods."

Zhu Cong lightly waved his feather fan and continued the conversation: "These corrupt officials may be cautious in their official duties, but when they are accumulating wealth, they inevitably have to deal with all sorts of people."

"They also needed the help of local powerful figures, unscrupulous merchants, and even scoundrels to hide their ill-gotten gains and run illicit businesses."

"They don't trust government officials when it comes to such dealings, but they might trust certain underworld forces to some extent, or at least have some contact with them."

He paused, then looked at Yang Tiexin: "My seven siblings and I have a small reputation in the Jiangnan region, and we know a little about the ways of the underworld and shady dealings in Lin'an and even the surrounding prefectures."

"I have even heard of, and personally witnessed, that certain officials or their confidants have connections with some notorious underworld figures, underground banks, and gambling dens."

"It is much more discreet for us to investigate from the periphery using our江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) identities, than for military scouts to directly search officials' residences. It also makes it easier to get to the core."

Yang Tiexin's eyes lit up: "Zhu Erxia is right!"

"Military scouts are good at gathering intelligence and geography, but they are not good at dealing with such official corruption and the shady dealings of the common people, and their faces are easy to arouse suspicion."

"If the Seven Heroes intervene using their martial arts methods, it will be the perfect remedy!"

"That's exactly right."

Ke Zhen'e nodded and said, "However, with only the seven of us siblings, if we need to monitor multiple targets at the same time, or if we need to strike swiftly, we may not have enough manpower."

"Furthermore, in some situations, it is necessary to have some 'tough guys' to keep things under control and get the truth out of people."

His gaze swept over Yang and Guo: "Therefore, I have an idea."

"General Yang and General Guo can select a group of brave, meticulous, and skilled men from the army who are relatively unfamiliar with each other. Twenty or thirty men will suffice."

"With a little guidance from us, and by changing their attire, they will temporarily serve as my brother and sister's newly recruited 'disciples' or 'comrades' in Jiangnan."

"We usually lead the way, mingling in the streets, gathering information, and identifying targets. When it's time to 'recover the stolen goods,' these are the main force."

"They are well-trained, disciplined, and fight in formation, making them far more powerful than ordinary rabble in the martial arts world."

"Afterwards, people only said that the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan led a group of Jianghu friends to 'eat each other up' or 'rob the rich to help the poor,' and would never have thought that it was the government troops."

"Brilliant!" Guo Xiaotian slapped his thigh, his face beaming. "This is a great idea!"

"Our men have learned some martial arts from the Seven Heroes; they can get things done!"

"Even if someone becomes suspicious in the future, they won't be able to trace it back to the new army!"

"Tie Xin, what do you think?"

After thinking for a moment, Yang Tiexin also felt that this plan was quite appropriate. It could make use of the Seven Heroes' experience in the martial arts world and their intelligence network, give full play to the advantage of their own well-trained martial arts, and perfectly conceal their military background.

He cupped his hands and said, "Master Ke's plan is profound and far-sighted, and I admire it greatly."

"I will immediately select thirty alert, brave, and clean-cut fighters from the army and place them under the command of the Seven Heroes."

"All their actions are under the command of the Seven Heroes!"

"Good! General Yang is straightforward!" Ke Zhen'e clapped his hands, then his expression turned serious: "In that case, let's not delay."

"I have a few ready-made 'targets' here for the general to consider. My siblings and I have been secretly investigating them in Lin'an for the past two months and found them to be quite suspicious and have a lot of public resentment."

He gestured to Zhu Cong.

Zhu Cong took out a thin, old booklet that looked like an account book from his pocket. He opened it, but it didn't contain accounts. Instead, it contained brief names, official titles, addresses, and notes.

"Liu Bingren, Registrar of Household Affairs in Lin'an Prefecture."

"This person does not hold a high official position, but he is in charge of collecting part of the grain tax and city tax, which is very lucrative."

"He owns three residences in Lin'an City and two estates outside the city, but that's not much."

"Suspiciously, his brother-in-law secretly ran the city's largest gambling den, 'Happy Gambling House,' and two pawnshops. Business was booming, but the accounts were chaotic, with large sums of gold and silver coming in and out of unknown origin."

"A gambler who owed a huge debt once saw Liu Canjun's trusted advisor talking in a private room with the gambling den manager."

"We suspect that the gambling den is a place for money laundering and accumulating wealth."

"His ill-gotten gains were likely hidden in the gambling den's secret vault, or laundered through a pawnshop and transferred to his brother-in-law's villa."

"The second one is Zhou Fu, the magistrate of Renhe County, which is under the jurisdiction of Lin'an Prefecture."

"This man was known as 'Zhou Qingtian' (a paragon of integrity), and appeared to be honest and upright. However, his son, Zhou Wenchang, was a notorious playboy in Lin'an who associated with gangsters, engaged in forced buying and selling, and seized farmland from the people."

"We followed his son's men and discovered that they were secretly trading with a group of bandits active on Taihu Lake. They used cheaply purchased silk and tea to exchange for gold and silver jewelry stolen by the bandits, and then transported them out of Lin'an to sell through Magistrate Zhou's connections."

"There is an artificial hill in the back garden of the Zhou mansion. According to an old man who once worked as a day laborer in the mansion, there is something strange about it and it may contain a secret room."

"The third one is Shen Wanjin, a wealthy merchant from Lin'an, known as 'Shen Half-City'."

"This man had a wide circle of friends and maintained close ties with many officials in Lin'an and even the surrounding prefectures. His business spanned salt, iron, tea, and horses, and it was said that he was even secretly involved in overseas smuggling."

"While his warehouses were heavily guarded, my sixth brother, Jinfa, once infiltrated his caravan as a laborer and discovered that a seemingly dilapidated tea plantation outside the city was frequently visited by mysterious caravans late at night."

"The guards are all highly skilled, unlike ordinary guards."

"It is suspected to be the place where they actually hid a huge amount of cash and accounting records."

Zhu Cong mentioned four or five targets in a row, including officials and businessmen. The details of the information varied, but they all pointed to the same thing.

With each one mentioned, Yang Tiexin and Guo Xiaotian's expressions grew more serious. The extent of these corrupt officials' greed and the depth of their concealment exceeded their previous expectations.

"Good! With these clues provided by the Seven Heroes, we're no longer wandering aimlessly!"

....

Several days later, late at night, west of Lin'an city.

The night was as dark as ink, with dark clouds obscuring the moon, and only a few scattered stars outlining the contours of the high walls and deep courtyard.

The streets and alleys, which were quite bustling during the day, were now deserted, with only the faint sound of the night watchman's clapper echoing in the distance.

The residence of Liu Bingren, the military advisor of Lin'an Prefecture, was located in a relatively quiet but sizable neighborhood in the western part of the city.

The vermilion gate and high walls, with ferocious stone lions in front of the gate, indicate that although the owner was not a top official, he was still quite wealthy and powerful.

In the shadows of the corner, hundreds of dark figures silently gathered. They were all dressed in dark night clothes, their faces covered with black cloths, revealing only pairs of cold, sharp eyes.

The weapons in their hands were all wrapped with strips of cloth to conceal reflective parts, and their movements were almost silent, with only the faint sound of their clothes rubbing against the air, demonstrating their strict discipline and training.

The leader, however, was not masked; he was none other than Ke Zhen'e, the leader of the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan, also known as the Flying Bat.

He still wore that bamboo hat, held an iron staff, and stood at the front like a cold stone statue. His sharp gaze pierced through the darkness, fixed on the closed gate of the Liu residence and the watchtower on the courtyard wall.

"I heard you all clearly."

Ke Zhen'e's voice was very low, but it clearly reached the ears of every masked man: "There are about forty guards in the Liu family mansion, divided into two shifts. At this moment, there are about twenty in the inner courtyard, more than ten in the front courtyard and gatehouse, and two in the watchtower."

"There is a small door in the east wall that leads to the empty house next door. We have already checked it and there is no one there."

"Han Ju and A Sheng, take twenty men and sneak in from the east side. Head straight for the inner courtyard and take control of the women. If they resist, kill them without mercy."

"Thirty men with blond hair, take care of the front yard and the gatehouse, block the main gate, and don't let a single person escape."

"The rest of you, follow me and break down the door from the front, heading straight for the main hall and the study in the back courtyard where Liu Bingren is!"

"Act swiftly and discreetly, but show no mercy if you encounter obstacles!"

"Yes!" The deep reply was almost inaudible.

Ke Zhen'e pointed his iron staff forward.

Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!

The shadowy figures moved instantly, like phantoms blending into the night. Han Baoju and Zhang Asheng led their two teams, nimbly leaping towards the low wall on the east side, forming human ladders and using grappling hooks, and silently scaling over.

The group with all the blond hair scattered like geckos, crouching along the wall and creeping towards the front yard.

Ke Zhen'e, along with the remaining fifty-odd skilled men, swaggered toward the main gate of the Liu residence.

He made no attempt to conceal himself. Reaching the bottom of the stone steps, he exhaled sharply and shouted, his voice booming like thunder: "Open the door!"

The sound was not loud, but it contained immense inner strength, like muffled thunder rolling across the door panel, causing the dust on the lintel to fall in a flurry.

"Who is it? In the middle of the night..." came the doorman's sleepy and impatient question, along with footsteps, from inside the door.

Before he finished speaking, Ke Zhen'e had already swung his iron staff, bringing a gust of evil wind, and slammed it hard against the heavy copper-clad wooden door!

Boom!

Click!

Wood chips flew everywhere, copper nails shattered, and the two large doors were blasted open by this incredibly brutal blow! The broken latches flew far away.

"Enemy attack! Grab your weapons!" The two guards who had just come in were terrified by the loud noise and the collapsing gate. They shouted and frantically drew their swords.

"Those who block the way shall die!"

Ke Zhen'e took a step forward and swept his iron staff across!

Amidst the howling wind, the two guards were sent flying with screams as if struck by giant logs, crashing into the screen wall with broken bones, clearly beyond saving.

"Charge in!" Ke Zhen'e didn't hesitate, using his iron staff to clear a path and charging straight into the inner courtyard.

Behind them, more than fifty masked experts swarmed in like tigers released from their cages, forming groups of three and teams of five, cutting down anyone they saw and breaking through any obstacles they encountered.

They were all elite soldiers carefully selected by Guo and Yang, and had received several days of guidance from the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan on combined attack techniques and martial arts skills. When they started fighting, they were ruthless, decisive, and extremely efficient.

"Who dares to trespass on the official residence!"

"Stop them!"

More than ten disheveled guards poured out of the front wing rooms and side rooms, hastily attempting to form a defensive formation.

However, what greeted them was a barrage of crossbow bolts!

Several guards who rushed to the front were shot into pincushions on the spot.

"Who are you...?"

A guard chief screamed in horror, but before he could finish speaking, a masked man approached like a ghost, slashed his throat with a short knife, and cut it open.

The carnage spread from the front yard to the central courtyard in just a few dozen breaths.

Occasionally, a few more elite guards would rush out from the inner courtyard, attempting to stop them with their individual bravery.

But under the siege of the masked squad, he quickly fell to the ground in a pool of blood.

The sounds of clashing weapons, screams of the dying, and shouts of alarm and anger shattered the tranquility of the night, only to be drowned out by the even more intense sounds of blades piercing flesh and footsteps.

Ke Zhen'e had a clear objective. He ignored the scattered resistance along the way, swung his iron staff, smashed away two guards who tried to block his path, and kicked open the tightly closed carved wooden door of the main hall.

Inside the main hall, candlelight blazed. A middle-aged man, dressed in a silk undergarment, overweight and pale-faced, was being supported by two loyal servants as he attempted to escape through the back door. This was Liu Bingren.

He was surrounded by four skilled bodyguards, armed with swords, nervously facing the door.

"Military Advisor Liu, where are you going so late?" Ke Zhen'e blocked the doorway, his gaze beneath his straw hat as cold as ice.

"Who...who are you?"

"How dare you break into the residence of an official of the imperial court at night and kill my guards! This is tantamount to rebellion!" Liu Bingren roared, his voice stern but his voice weak.

"rebel?"

Ke Zhen'e sneered, "Compared to your embezzlement of taxes, collusion with illegal gambling, and harming the people, what is my little commotion?"

"Take it down!"

Immediately, several masked men rushed in and pounced on the four guards.

These four men were indeed skilled; with flashing swords and clashing blades, they temporarily blocked the attack.

Ke Zhen'e, impatient, moved with lightning speed, cutting into the fray like a ghost. The iron staff, though seemingly heavy, moved with the agility of a snake in his hands. With a few clangs, he parried two swords and blades, and the tip of the staff, like a poisonous dragon emerging from its cave, struck a guard in the chest.

puff!

The guard was struck as if by a heavy hammer, spitting blood as he flew backward.

Ke Zhen'e swept his staff across, sending another man staggering backward before being killed by a masked man beside him.

The remaining two were terrified, and if they were distracted for even a moment, they were hacked down by a flurry of blades.

The two servants were already paralyzed with fear, and Liu Bingren also collapsed to the ground with a thud, his face deathly pale.