Black Wind Stronghold Bandits

Lin Feng flicked his wrist, and a flash of saber light streaked past. The Imperial Inspector failed to dodge in time, and his head fell to the ground.

Killed the Imperial Inspector. Obtained 350 Slaughter Points.

As the notification rang out in Lin Feng's mind, his gaze had already fallen on the travel pack lying beside the Imperial Inspector's corpse.

He bent down and picked it up. After a brief search, besides some gold, silver, and miscellaneous items, a thin thread-bound book with a blank cover fell into his hands.

When he opened it, he found that it was a palm technique called Blood Fiend Palm. Judging from the method of channeling force, it was sinister and vicious—the sort of martial art that might be secretly passed down by the Imperial Inspector's aristocratic lineage.

"Not a bad haul." Lin Feng sneered inwardly and tucked the manual into his robes.

With these 350 Slaughter Points, plus this martial art he had obtained by accident, the trip had not been in vain.

He turned around to face the soldiers under his command, his voice returning to its usual cold severity. "Squad Leader."

"Your subordinate is here!" The Squad Leader immediately stepped forward, clasped his fists, and bowed. Besides awe, there was now a hint of fervor in his eyes.

The killing method Lin Feng had displayed moments ago, like that of a ghostly god from the netherworld, had already been branded into the hearts of every Northern Garrison Command soldier.

"Collect everything from the battlefield. Burn the Imperial Inspector, as well as these..." Lin Feng pointed at the corpses of the aristocratic soldiers strewn across the ground. "...the remains of our brave fallen brothers. Burn them together to prevent the spread of plague."

The Squad Leader was slightly startled, then understood at once. In a deep voice, he said, "Understood!"

He knew that this was meant to destroy the evidence, while also laying the groundwork for what came next.

Lin Feng continued issuing orders, his tone calm yet carrying unquestionable authority.

"Record the battle. The Imperial Inspector colluded with the Black Wind Stronghold bandits and intended to stab our army in the back during the bandit suppression.

"Fortunately, the accompanying aristocratic soldiers noticed something was wrong and fought back bravely. However, the incident happened suddenly, and the bandits were ferocious. The aristocratic soldiers all died in the line of duty.

"When the soldiers of our Northern Garrison Command heard the news and rushed over, we fought a bloody battle and finally put down the traitorous Imperial Inspector and the attacking bandits. To prevent plague, all the remains have been cremated on the spot. Is that clear?"

The Squad Leader understood perfectly. Lin Feng intended to pin the entire blame on the dead Imperial Inspector and Black Wind Stronghold. Not only would this absolve Lin Feng of the crime of killing the Imperial Inspector, it would also allow him to strike back and even claim merit for the dead aristocratic soldiers, silencing the families behind them. At least on the surface, they would have nothing to say.

He immediately replied, "Understood! I will record everything clearly, with every detail accounted for!"

Soon, roaring flames rose and devoured the corpses, temporarily concealing the truth as well.

The air was thick with a mingled stench of charred flesh and blood.

The Northern Garrison Command soldiers silently carried out their orders. Their movements were swift and their discipline immaculate. When they looked at Lin Feng's back, their eyes were filled with trust.

This newly appointed Lord Qianhu possessed not only terrifying strength but also decisive and ruthless methods. Following him, they might truly be able to hack out a bloody path through this chaotic situation and win glory and achievement.

A hopeful anticipation for the future, along with a faint thrill, rose involuntarily in the hearts of all the soldiers.

After dealing with the corpses of the Imperial Inspector and the aristocratic soldiers, Lin Feng wasted no more time. He mounted his horse and ordered in a deep voice, "All troops, heed my command. Leave the city!"

The group of riders left through the ruined city gate, but the siege they had imagined was nowhere to be seen.

Outside the city lay a vast emptiness. There was only the wailing wind sweeping across the wilderness and the faint cries of birds drifting from the distant mountain forests.

The Black Wind Stronghold bandits had actually retreated without a trace, utterly at odds with the Northern Commander's claim that they had been "heavily surrounded."

Lin Feng pulled on the reins, his eyes narrowing slightly. Something was wrong.

Had the Northern Commander's intelligence been mistaken? Or... was there some other hidden truth?

The retreat of the Black Wind Stronghold bandits reeked of strangeness from every angle.

"My lord, should we return to the city?" The Squad Leader rode closer and asked in a low voice.

Lin Feng shook his head. His gaze swept across the surrounding terrain before pointing toward a wind-sheltered rise not far away.

"No. The bandit situation is unclear. If we return to the city rashly and encounter an ambush, it would put us at an even greater disadvantage.

"Pass down my order. Set up camp here and construct simple defensive fortifications.

"Squad Leader, personally take a team of elite brothers and patrol within five li of the camp. Search for traces of the bandits. If you find anything, report back immediately. Do not engage them!"

"Understood!"

The Squad Leader clasped his fists. He quickly gathered the ten most alert and hardened soldiers, then galloped toward the edge of the distant mountain forest.

The camp soon began to take shape.

Lin Feng stood at its edge, watching the direction in which the Squad Leader and his men had disappeared. His brows drew together slightly.

The ominous premonition in his heart grew ever stronger.

The Black Wind Stronghold's retreat was far too abnormal, as if they had deliberately lured them out.

Time passed bit by bit. The setting sun sank in the west, and the sky gradually darkened.

Suddenly, a burst of hurried hoofbeats came from outside the camp. Only one rider!

A Northern Garrison Command scout, covered in blood and with shattered armor, staggered into the camp. The moment he dismounted, he collapsed to the ground and shouted hoarsely.

"Lord Qianhu! This is bad!

"We... we were ambushed! The Squad Leader... he was captured alive by the bandits, and the rest of the brothers... all died in battle!"

The atmosphere inside the camp instantly froze. Every soldier gripped his weapon tightly, flames of fury surging in his eyes.

The Squad Leader was known for his loyalty and had considerable prestige in the army. Yet now he had been captured by the bandits, while the brothers under him had been wiped out to the last man!

"Where? How many of them are there?" Lin Feng's voice was cold enough to pierce bone. It revealed no joy or anger, yet the air around him seemed to congeal beneath his killing intent.

"It's... three li east, at Fallen Eagle Ravine... There aren't many, only a dozen or so, but the one leading them... he's far too strong! The Squad Leader couldn't last three moves against him!"

The scout spoke with grief and fury.

"A dozen or so? He captured the Squad Leader in three moves?"

A cold glint flashed through Lin Feng's eyes.

The Squad Leader was at the peak of the seventh rank. Anyone who could capture him in three moves had to be at least sixth rank!

It seemed these were the true elites of Black Wind Stronghold—or rather, this was a "welcome ceremony" specially prepared for him, Lin Feng.

"Leave half our men to guard the camp. The rest, come with me!"

Lin Feng mounted his horse, drove his heels into its flanks, and charged first toward Fallen Eagle Ravine.

Behind him, fifty Northern Garrison Command soldiers followed close on his heels, their hearts filled with fury and grief.

Fallen Eagle Ravine was a narrow valley.

When Lin Feng led his men there, they saw several bonfires burning at the mouth of the valley. A dozen or so burly bandits dressed in black stood or sat around a central figure.

The man was tall and powerfully built, with a rugged face. A nine-ringed ghost-headed saber hung at his waist. At that moment, he had one foot planted on a man—none other than the Squad Leader, who was bound in ropes, covered in wounds, and unconscious.

When he saw Lin Feng and the others arrive, the saber-wielding man grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. His booming voice carried undisguised mockery.

"Well, well? The main man has arrived? The Northern Garrison Command's Qianhu? You look so soft and tender, just like a woman! I thought Shen Old Dog had sent out some three-headed, six-armed big shot to die!"

He exerted force through his foot and ground it against the Squad Leader's injured arm. Even unconscious, the Squad Leader let out a muffled groan of pain.

"Your men are useless. They can't take a beating. I'm Mountain Crusher Saber Hu Biao, a sixth-rank martial artist!

"Killing you lot will be as easy as crushing ants! Boy, if you know what's good for you, kneel down obediently, kowtow three times, and call me Grandpa three times!

"If I'm in a good mood, I might leave your corpses intact! Hahaha!"

The bandits behind him burst into laughter as well, hurling filth and abuse without end.

The Northern Garrison Command soldiers were so enraged that their eyes reddened. They wanted nothing more than to charge forward and fight to the death, but the openly displayed aura of a sixth-rank martial artist, along with the captured Squad Leader, made them wary of acting recklessly.

Lin Feng raised a hand and stopped the commotion among his subordinates. He stared expressionlessly at the laughing Hu Biao, his eyes looking at him as though he were already a dead man.

At that moment, the familiar, icy notification sounded once more in his mind:

Suppress and kill the Black Wind Stronghold bandits to obtain 350 Slaughter Points!