I asked you to go hunting, and you ended up wearing a yellow robe?

Qi Shan moved swiftly, and in a few moments he removed the woman's tattered armor.

The moment the armor was completely ripped off, a snow-white and alluring body was revealed beneath the clothing.

The thick bodice wrapped tightly around the woman's body, but it could not completely conceal her breathtaking curves.

Those full breasts, however, were deeply sunken, drawing Qi Shan's gaze intently.

If this injury is left untreated any longer, even a miracle won't save it.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch the edge of the cloth strip, something unexpected happened!

The woman, who had been unconscious, suddenly opened her eyes.

Cold, sharp, and filled with a chilling killing intent!

The woman instinctively reached for the dagger at her waist and slashed at Qi Shan.

Qi Shan felt a chill run down his spine.

With a flick of his wrist, he deftly dodged the chop, while his other hand shot out like lightning and grabbed the woman's shoulder.

"I'm here to save you!"

A look of surprise flashed across the woman's eyes, as if she hadn't expected her surprise attack to be so easily thwarted.

She tried to struggle, but due to excessive blood loss, her vision went black, her head lolled to the side, and she fainted again.

"Ungrateful wretch."

This time, he had no more reservations. He quickly unwrapped the bandage around her chest, fully exposing the wound, and began to stop the bleeding.

In my previous life, as a special forces soldier, wilderness survival and first aid were fundamental skills.

Only after doing all this did he have time to deal with his own affairs.

He took out some dry rations from his pocket, ate a couple of bites, then got up and moved through the forest like a ghost.

Before long, he returned carrying a wild rabbit with its neck broken.

Processing, peeling, and placing it on the fire—all done in one go.

After an unknown amount of time, a rich aroma of meat wafted through the woods.

"Are you really saving me?"

A faint sound came from the side.

Qi Shan turned his head and saw that the woman had woken up and was looking at him with a complicated expression.

The woman's gaze first fell on the wound on her chest that had been properly treated.

"Awake? Your clothes are over there."

The woman blushed, quickly grabbed her clothes, turned her back, and, enduring the excruciating pain, hurriedly put them on.

Although the movement aggravated her wound, causing her to break out in a cold sweat, she gritted her teeth and didn't utter a sound.

After she finished dressing, the untimely "gurgling" sound from her stomach started again.

A hint of embarrassment and awkwardness flashed across the woman's face.

Qi Shan tore off a piece of the golden-brown, juicy rabbit leg and handed it over, saying, "Eat up."

The woman looked at the glistening rabbit leg, her brows furrowed, as if she was hesitating.

"Don't worry, I didn't poison it."

The rabbit meat was sprinkled with several secret spices, and its aroma was so strong that it could steal one's soul.

After eating and regaining some strength, she finally began to really look around.

She looked in that direction, and her pupils suddenly contracted.

In the clearing in the woods, ten corpses lay scattered about—the same band of bandits from Little Black Wind Village who had attacked her earlier!

Each one died a gruesome death, killed instantly by a single blow.

A tremendous storm raged within her.

Ten ruthless bandits... just like that... all dead?

Have the government's reinforcements arrived?

No, if it were reinforcements, the commotion would be far too small.

Her gaze finally settled on Qi Shan.

It's him?

One man, with a knife and a bow, killed ten notorious bandits who roamed the area with impunity and were a headache even for the local guards.

How is that possible!

He looked like an ordinary countryman, wearing a patched old cotton-padded jacket. How could he have such terrifying skills?

The woman's gaze unconsciously fell on the standard-issue sword that Qi Shan had casually placed on the ground.

When she saw the barely visible cloud-shaped markings where the hilt met the blade, her heart skipped a beat.

This pattern... looks so familiar!

It seems to be...

"Have you seen enough?" Qi Shan's voice interrupted her thoughts.

The woman snapped out of her daze, her eyes instantly returning to their cold and wary expression. She stood up, enduring the pain from her wounds, and said coldly, "Thank you for today's events, but you saw something you shouldn't have seen. If you dare to utter a single word, I will kill you."

Upon hearing this, Qi Shan didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, his heart completely unmoved.

Kill me?

With your mediocre skills, you'll need to practice for another twenty years.

The woman was taken aback by his nonchalant attitude. Her pretty face turned cold, and she wanted to say something, but for some reason, she couldn't utter a single harsh word.

She gave Qi Shan a deep look, then without saying a word, she turned and, dragging her injured body, limped away into the depths of the dense forest.

Qi Shan then stood up, walked to the bandit's corpse, drew his machete, and with a swift and clean motion, cut off ten pairs of ears, which he then wrapped in cloth.

Ten bandits, according to the imperial court's bounty: one leader... no, one pair of ears, three taels of silver. That's thirty taels!

That's enough to redeem the second and third children!

Without further delay, he slung his bow over his shoulder, slung his knife over his arm, and strode towards the county town at the foot of the mountain.

……

Qingyang County Government Office.

"stop."

The yamen runners stopped Qi Shan, who was carrying a bow and arrows and looked travel-worn.

Qi Shan threw a blood-soaked cloth bag on the ground: "This is for the bandit suppression and the reward."

The constable kicked it, scattering the bloody ears from the cloth bag all over the ground, and his expression changed.

"Hold on!"

Soon, a middle-aged official rushed out in a hurry. His name was Chen Chong, and he was the local county magistrate.

"How many bandits did you wipe out?"

"Back mountain Xiaoheifeng Village, ten of them, ears in the bag."

Chen Chong frowned, a hint of doubt in his eyes.

Although the Black Wind Strongholds were small in number, each member was exceptionally fierce, and he had sent several groups of men to take them down without success.

Looking at Qi Shan's attire as a farmer from the mountains, how could he possibly defeat ten bandits?

He immediately ordered ten constables to examine the body.

The corpses were all killed with a single blow.

He was so shocked that he opened his mouth in disbelief.

When the news reached back, Chen Chong personally came out to greet him, his attitude completely changed: "Brave warrior, what skill you have! Thirty taels of silver as a reward. Also, would you be willing to stay and serve as a constable?"

Qi Shan accepted the silver: "Thank you for your kindness, sir. I am used to a life of leisure."

After saying that, he turned and left.

He had to hurry to Fuyuan Casino to redeem his two wives.

Chen Chong watched Qi Shan's departing figure, his heart filled with utter shock.

He could kill ten bandits single-handedly, something even he couldn't do, not even a seasoned centurion in the border army could do. Yet a mere mountain hunter did it so easily, without even a trace of injury on his body.

"Investigate this person's background for me."

"A fine piece of jade should not be allowed to be covered in dust."

……

Fuyuan Casino remains as chaotic and noisy as ever.

As soon as Qi Shan stepped in, the once noisy hall fell silent for a moment, and all eyes were on him.

"Hey, isn't this Qi the Scoundrel? What, you just sold your wife yesterday, and you're already making money to win it all back today?" a gambler with a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks said with a sarcastic laugh.

"Haha, I think he's itching to sell again; maybe he's going to sell that last bed!"

"That little wench Zhou Xue is probably going to cry her eyes out, getting stuck with a man like this!"

Mockery and ridicule rose and fell.

Qi Shan, expressionless, walked straight to the counter and slammed the heavy bag of silver onto the table with a "thud".

The crisp sound of the impact silenced all the laughter.

Everyone's eyes widened, staring intently at the money bag.

Thirty taels!

Where did this scoundrel get so much money?

The manager behind the counter was also taken aback, then said with a forced smile, "Qi Shan, you're on a winning streak today? How much do you want to bet?"

"I have come to redeem people."

The manager's smile froze. "Redeem someone? Redeem whom?"

"My two wives, Lin Wan and Su Yue."

Upon hearing this, the steward gave a strange smile. He shrugged and said slowly, "Oh dear, what a coincidence. Just half an hour ago, Young Master Li from the county town came to visit and took a liking to your two ladies at first sight."

Qi Shan's heart sank suddenly, and an ominous premonition surged into his mind.

"Young Master Li said he's willing to pay double the price to buy them and take them back to his mansion as bed warmers." The steward looked at Qi Shan with schadenfreude. "Now, the people... are probably already Young Master Li's people."

"Where are they?!" Qi Shan's eyes were bloodshot, his voice filled with suppressed rage.

The steward gestured towards the inner room with a look of anticipation: "Young Master Li is currently... inspecting the goods inside."

The voice just fell.

Two piercing and desperate screams suddenly came from behind the door of the inner room!

"Help!"

"Husband, save me!!"

It's Lin Wan and Su Yue's voices!