Start with acting, and you'll achieve immortality!

Li Ping held a short knife in his hand, the blade reflecting the light of the snow.

He stood outside the guest room door, listening to Shi Gan's suppressed groans of pain inside, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.

"My lord, you mustn't!"

Zhou Bo knelt down in the snow with a thud and hugged Li Ping's leg tightly.

"Black Wind Stronghold is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and Miao Jun is a heretical cultivator at the mid-stage of Qi Refining."

"We only have a few dozen brothers; a direct assault would be like throwing eggs against a rock!"

Qian Duo was so anxious that he kept rubbing his hands together, trying to persuade her from the side.

"Yes, sir, Brother Shi Gan is seriously injured, and our fighting strength has been reduced."

"If something goes wrong with you, who will protect you, sister-in-law?"

Li Ping looked down at Uncle Zhou kneeling in the snow, then turned to glance at the dim light emanating from the guest room.

He took a deep breath, sheathed the dagger, and it rang out with a crisp sound.

Get up.

"I'm still clear-headed; it's not worth risking my brothers' lives to fill that bottomless pit."

Li Ping rubbed his frozen cheeks, his eyes as cold as ice.

"A direct attack would be too good for him."

"I want him to crawl down the mountain like a starving dog, begging for death."

Back in the study, the fire in the charcoal brazier was almost out.

Li Ping poked at the charcoal fire and looked at Uncle Zhou.

"How did Hu Guan support the Black Wind Stronghold during his lifetime?"

"With over a hundred bandits, their daily lives were filled with food, drink, and sanitation; the meager wild game from the mountains wasn't even enough to satisfy their hunger."

"Someone in the city must be supplying them with provisions."

Uncle Zhou quickly pulled a yellowed notebook from his pocket, flipped to a few pages in the middle, and pointed to the ink stains on it.

"Your Excellency is wise"

"I have checked the county government's grain depot records and compared them with the private property registers left by Hu Guan."

"Manager Wang of 'Fengdeng Rice Shop' in the west of the city is the prime suspect."

"This old fellow used to be indebted to Hu Guan, and every month dozens of bushels of coarse rice would go missing, all of which was recorded under 'losses'."

"A loss of several dozen shi?"

"Does he keep gluttons in his rice barn?"

Li Ping sneered.

"With so much money, take a few quick-witted brothers and go invite Manager Wang."

"If he refuses to leave, put him in a sack and carry him over."

Half an hour later

In the backyard of Fengdeng Rice Shop, Manager Wang, dressed in a silk nightgown, was bound hand and foot and pressed down onto a grand chair.

He had a tattered rag stuffed in his mouth, and he was so frightened that he trembled all over, his fat quivering.

Li Ping pulled up a chair and sat opposite Manager Wang, toying with a delicate dagger in his hand.

Qian Duo stepped forward and ripped the rag out of Manager Wang's mouth.

"Lord Li...Lord Li! I'm innocent! I've always run my business honestly and have never broken the law!"

Manager Wang screamed like a pig being slaughtered.

"Duty?"

Li Ping patted Shopkeeper Wang's chubby cheek with the dagger.

"Last month, you sent fifty bushels of coarse rice out of the city."

"Feeding the pigs? Or feeding those bandits from Black Wind Stronghold?"

Manager Wang's face turned deathly pale, his eyes darted around, and he stammered an explanation.

"Those...those were sold to merchants from the neighboring county..."

"Pfft!"

With a flick of his wrist, Li Ping plunged the dagger straight into Manager Wang's thigh, pinning him firmly to the armchair.

"ah--!"

Shopkeeper Wang screamed in pain, but Qian Duo quickly stuffed the rag back into his hand.

He could only let out muffled groans, his face covered in tears and snot.

"I have a bad temper and can't stand nonsense."

Li Ping drew his dagger and wiped the bloodstains on Manager Wang's silk clothes.

I'll give you two choices.

"First, I'll kill you now and throw your entire family into an ice hole outside the city."

"Secondly, do me a favor. After you've done it, take all your belongings and get out of Xiyun County. I'll spare your life."

Manager Wang was in so much pain that he was sweating profusely, nodding frantically, barely daring to breathe.

Li Ping ripped off the rag and threw the paper and pen in front of him.

Write a letter to Hu Lie

"Just say the one-eyed assassination attempt failed and the entire army was wiped out."

Li Ping is seriously injured and unconscious.

"The county government is in complete chaos due to the power struggles within its ranks."

"The city is empty, come quickly!"

Shopkeeper Wang picked up the pen with trembling hands, writing and crying at the same time, his hands shaking like a leaf.

"After you finish writing it, have your most trusted buddy deliver it up the mountain overnight."

Li Ping patted his shoulder, his tone gentle yet carrying a chilling undertone.

"Remember this, buddy, if you dare utter a single extra word, your whole family will be reunited in the underworld."

The next day at noon

Black Wind Stronghold Hall of Righteousness

Hu Lie kicked over the wooden table in front of him, spilling several bowls of cornmeal porridge, so thin you could see your reflection in it, all over the floor.

"Where's the food?! I've been feeding you bunch of good-for-nothings, and you can't even get a decent meal!"

Hu Lie's eyes were bloodshot, like a raging wild beast, and his body was writhing with black energy.

Several henchmen knelt on the ground, trembling.

"Young Master, the grain transport carts from the rice shop in the west of the city should have arrived last night, but we haven't seen a trace of them since."

"The food reserves in the mountain stronghold are only enough for two days of thin porridge..."

In the corner, Miao Jun toyed with the eerie green beads and spoke in a sinister tone.

"Young Master Hu, it seems your enemy has already cut off your supply lines."

"The one-eyed man has been gone for so long without a trace; I'm afraid he's probably in grave danger as well."

Just then, a henchman guarding the gate came tumbling and crawling in.

"Young Master! A clerk from the rice shop in the west of the city has delivered a confidential letter!"

Hu Lie snatched the secret letter, tore it open, and his angry expression instantly turned into wild joy.

"Hahaha! Heaven is on my side!"

Hu Lie slammed the letter in front of Miao Jun.

"Immortal Master, look! Although One-Eyed is dead, he fought desperately and severely injured Li Ping!"

"That bastard is unconscious, and the county government is in complete chaos! Manager Wang wants us to go down the mountain quickly and take advantage of the situation!"

Miao Jun glanced at the letter, his withered fingers tapping the back of the chair.

"This letter is suspicious."

"Since Li Ping was able to cut off your supply lines, how could he be so easily seriously injured by the one-eyed man? I'm afraid it's a trap."

"A trap? I can't even afford to eat right now, who cares if it's a trap or not!"

Hu Lie grabbed the nine-ringed broadsword, the iron rings on the back of the blade clanging together with a piercing sound.

"Li Ping is seriously injured, and the city is vulnerable. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Even if it's a trap, I'll tear it open!"

Hu Lie strode to the entrance of the Hall of Righteousness and roared at the starving and dizzy bandits outside.

"Brothers! There are endless white flour buns to eat and unlimited silver to spend in the city!"

"Grab your weapons and come down the mountain with me! We'll raze the county government office to the ground and kill Li Ping!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

A roar of hunger and greed echoed across Black Wind Stronghold.

Miao Jun looked at Hu Lie, who had gone mad, and a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes.

That idiot, his death is near.

However, it would be worthwhile to use him to probe Li Ping's background.

In the wind and snow, hundreds of bandits, like a pack of hungry wolves, surged down the mountain forest and headed straight for Xiyun County.