Immortality: Starting with a grave, I'm invincible when burying corpses.

"Your Excellency, the third leader of Qishan arrived in Lingzhou City yesterday, hoping to receive assistance from our sect."

"The third leader of the Qishan bandits?" Venerable Crimson Fire frowned slightly, as if recalling something.

"Cao Hui, who was the third-ranked scholar in the imperial examination fourteen years ago, married into his teacher's family. He was one of the leading figures of the younger generation of the Xilin Party at the time."

However, due to the sweeping reforms implemented by Prime Minister Wang Linming, the Xilin Party suffered a severe blow and was forced to abandon many members.

Cao Hui lost the political struggle, and his wife cheated on him. In despair, the former third-place scholar stole his one-year-old daughter from his wife's family, the Chen clan.

What happened afterward is unknown. All that is known is that when Cao Hui reappeared, he had already gone to Qishan and become the strategist of the Qishan bandits.

A gentle breeze carried the faint fragrance of flowers into the pavilion. Venerable Crimson Fire narrowed his eyes and tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table.

He had heard of Cao Hui before; more precisely, their Blood Robe Cult had also tried to recruit him, but had received no response.

"If I remember correctly, the number of bandits in Qishan is more than what the imperial intelligence reports, isn't it?"

Zhao Liu cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and replied, "Your Excellency is wise. In the past few years, four small forces have joined Qishan and become outlaws. The bandits in Qishan rely on the mountains and forests for their livelihood, and their current number is probably around 50,000."

"Besides the Qishan bandits, how many other small strongholds are there in the mountains?"

"The exact number is hard to determine, but the remaining mountain strongholds combined are no less powerful than the Qishan bandits."

After listening to Zhao Liu's words, Venerable Crimson Fire closed his eyes and leaned back on the stone chair, seemingly resting.

Zhao Liu, standing to the side, didn't dare to disturb them, holding the teacup with both hands and sipping the tea slowly.

Just then, a deep blue butterfly flew in from afar and landed on the rim of the teacup. Its large wings fluttered up and down, creating a unique and beautiful sight.

Whoosh!

A whooshing sound rang out, and the delicate wings were pinched between two fingers, brought to their eyes, and admired closely.

"What a beautiful butterfly!"

"yes!"

Amidst the praise, the butterfly's wings were suddenly torn apart and carelessly tossed into the teacup.

Like a young child who innocently catches a butterfly, only to kill it in his ignorance.

"It looks even more beautiful this way!"

After taking a sip of tea infused with his feathers, Venerable Crimson Fire raised his eyes and looked up at the sky.

"The sect leader was seriously injured due to the fall of the star and has gone into seclusion. Three of the twelve guardians of the Holy Sect were injured, and their strength is currently severely insufficient."

The governor of Lingzhou is an ambitious man. The plague has been spreading for several days, yet the governor has not taken any action. It is clear that he intends to use this opportunity to nurture the enemy and increase his own power, thereby weakening the imperial court.

Under normal circumstances, such actions would be perfectly acceptable and would not affect my plans.

But things are different now. The attitude of that person in Yongning County is hard to predict, and he has no shortage of forces around him to turn the tide.

Young people are always impulsive and can't stand any injustice, especially when they have power.

The bandits of Qishan probably won't live much longer. Since that's the case, let's add fuel to the fire by sending them some pills and talismans, so they can cause some trouble for that little princess, thus ensuring the smooth progress of my plan.

"Yes"

……

Lingzhou is mountainous, with Qishan being the most prominent. Because the mountain range is located on the south bank of the Yangtze River, the weather is favorable and the climate is suitable, resulting in a large number of birds and animals and abundant medicinal herbs.

The main body of the Qishan mountain range is relatively low, mostly below 1,000 meters, except for the main peak which soars into the clouds, reaching over 600 zhang (approximately 330 meters), and is known as Qinglian Peak.

The mountain is full of strange rocks and streams. In the morning mist, you can see the sea of ​​clouds rolling, which is like a fairyland.

Because of its beautiful scenery, Qishan has been a sacred place for literati and poets to admire since ancient times.

Until fifty years ago, a rebellion that swept through several prefectures led to a large number of refugees becoming outlaws and forming several strongholds in Qishan.

Scholars traveling to and from the area were often killed by bandits, and passing caravans were also not spared from disaster.

Over time, Qishan's reputation faded, and it became known as a dangerous place.

When Qishan is mentioned, most people's first reaction is that it is a place of wolves, tigers, and leopards, and that of fierce and evil people.

In the surrounding towns, countless parents constantly mention Qishan, frightening their children into stopping crying and causing them to suffer from the biggest psychological trauma of their childhood.

Only those herb gatherers who make a living by collecting herbs would frequent the outskirts of Qishan to earn money and food to survive.

Deep in the Qishan Mountains.

A middle-aged scholar dressed as a Confucian gentleman rode a gray donkey through the woods.

Unlike the surrounding dense forests that block out the sun, it is surrounded by dense forests.

After crossing a stream that cascades down from the mountains and passing through a small bamboo grove, he was greeted by a peaceful scene.

The paths crisscross, the sounds of chickens and dogs can be heard, and the elderly and children alike live in contentment.

The land was flat and spacious, with neat houses, fertile fields, mulberry trees and bamboo groves, and children playing and frolicking among the trees.

Five-meter-high walls stand on the mountainside, and the continuous fortified villages are connected to each other, forming a human settlement halfway up the mountain.

The gray donkey slowly walked along the ridge of the field, and stopped when it saw a large radish, which it began to chew on.

Cao Hui patted the donkey's rump hard, but the starving gray donkey wouldn't budge an inch.

Left with no other choice, Cao Hui simply jumped off the donkey's back, sat on the edge of the field, and gazed at the beautiful scene before him.

A mountain breeze swept by from afar, carrying a faint smell of sweat to Cao Hui's nose, mixed with a hint of rouge.

The smell wasn't pleasant, but it made Cao Hui's lips curl into a smile.

Cao Hui, sitting on the edge of the field, did not move, but let the person behind him get closer and closer, covering his eyes with those calloused hands and blocking his vision.

A deliberately hoarse voice rang in his ears.

"Guess who I am?"

The person on the ground smirked, finding it all quite amusing.

How could someone at the Innate Realm not hear the footsteps behind him? No matter how tiptoe his daughter was, she couldn't possibly hide it from him.

"Who are you, hero? Don't attack! Don't attack!"

"Quickly! Hand over all your money!"

The person who intended to "rob" couldn't control his laughter, and his voice cracked as he clutched his stomach and laughed uncontrollably.

Cao Hui also stood up and gently ruffled the girl's hair.

"I have no money, but I do have some gifts. Would Xiaomeng like them?"

"Yes! Of course I want it! What gift did Dad buy for me this time?" Cao Meng threw herself into Cao Hui's arms, her voice carrying a hint of coquetry.

Looking at his daughter, who was now only half a head shorter than him, Cao Hui smiled and casually hoisted her onto his shoulder.

"You're all sweaty! Didn't you study properly again? Watch out, or your dad will give you a beating!"

The person on the shoulder stuck out their tongue, completely ignoring their father's intentions, and their restless little hands reached directly into Cao Hui's arms, taking out the gift he had prepared.

"Wow! It's the most popular rouge in Lingzhou City, and pastries from Qiaolefang. How did you know I like these the most, Father?"

Cao Hui patted his daughter on the back and walked towards the mountain stronghold: "I remembered that you ate a lot last time I saw you."

With the rouge tucked into her bosom and a piece of pastry in her mouth, Cao Meng tilted her head and groped around in Cao Hui's arms, but couldn't find anything else for a long time.

Realizing the gift was gone, she pouted and gave a disgruntled snort.

"That's all? Dad, you were gone for a whole month, and this is all you brought back?"

Hearing his daughter's muttering, Cao Hui paused and said irritably.

"They're all in the back. I'm all alone, where am I supposed to get all that stuff for you? How's your homework coming along? You'd better not have done any of it!"

"Ahem... Daddy's the best, let's not talk about that! Come on, come on, Uncle said he'd like to treat you to a welcome-back feast. To celebrate your return, I even cooked two dishes for you myself today!"