Blood Cloud Bandits!

The burly man suddenly fell into thought. "Come to think of it, the Blood Cloud Bandits have been giving us a headache lately... If Tang Jie joined us, perhaps we could deal with them!"

"You wait here. Wait for me." Having thought of this, the burly man ordered the other soldiers to stay where they were while he hurried out of the woods.

"Senior Brother, I've really implicated you this time. We have to leave Qingshan Temple."

The three of them returned to Qingshan Temple, and Tang Tianhao said apologetically,

"Now that our whereabouts have been exposed, we can't stay at Qingshan Temple any longer. We have to leave, and Du Jue will most likely be treated as our accomplice. We can only leave together."

Du Jue shook his head. "I've stayed at Qingshan Temple for decades. It's a good time to go down the mountain and take a look."

Tang Jie was helpless. Being wanted was truly miserable—he had to hide everywhere. He had grown used to living at Qingshan Temple, where he could cultivate in peace without anyone disturbing him. But now that his whereabouts had been exposed, he had no choice but to pack up and leave.

"Are you still going to pester us?"

Tang Jie turned his head and saw the burly man catching up. His expression darkened as he spoke. Just now, he had merely intimidated these soldiers, but if the other party continued to pester him, Tang Jie would show no mercy!

"Don't misunderstand! Don't misunderstand! I have something I want to discuss with you."

The burly man hurriedly explained, signaling that he meant no harm. He knew perfectly well that the Tang Jie before him was someone he could never deal with. If Tang Jie wanted to kill him, it would be effortless.

Du Jue and Tang Tianhao exchanged a glance before entering the room to pack their luggage. No matter what, they definitely could not stay at Qingshan Temple any longer.

Tang Jie looked at the burly man, wanting to hear what he had to say.

The burly man coughed and said, "Tang Jie, I want to hire you on behalf of Fengyue City."

"Hire me?"

Tang Jie was rather surprised. He was a wanted criminal, yet this burly man wanted to hire him?

Seeing this, the burly man hurriedly said, "Tang Jie, I can tell that you aren't some vicious criminal. You shouldn't have been wanted in the first place. I have a way to get your warrant revoked."

The burly man was a martial artist himself, so he spoke very directly.

"Recently, a group called the Blood Cloud Bandits appeared near Fengyue City. They aren't numerous, only twenty or thirty people, but they're ferocious to the extreme. They've repeatedly attacked small villages and towns. In just one month, nearly a thousand innocent people have died. They kill people and dig out their hearts, sparing no man, woman, old person, or child. They're extraordinarily brutal."

The burly man recounted some of the details.

Tang Jie was somewhat shocked as he listened. A group that specialized in killing people everywhere? And they killed people by digging out their hearts, displaying monstrous cruelty—nearly a thousand victims already!

"We in Fengyue City sent soldiers to suppress them, but those bastards are extremely cunning. They can always sense danger beforehand and avoid it. They roam around committing crimes, and our Fengyue City authorities have been unable to do much about them." A trace of anger colored the burly man's voice. He himself had led troops to suppress the Blood Cloud Bandits several times, yet he had always returned empty-handed.

"You mean you want to hire me to deal with the Blood Cloud Bandits?"

Tang Jie questioned him in return. He wasn't stupid and knew why the burly man had chased after him.

"Yes. The Blood Cloud Bandits are extremely difficult to deal with. Once, a force of two hundred soldiers from Fengyue City encountered them and engaged them in battle. We outnumbered them nearly ten to one, yet we were chopped down like vegetables and sent fleeing in disarray. According to the soldiers who escaped, every one of those Blood Cloud Bandits is a terrifying martial artist, a master capable of fighting ten men alone. They're so powerful they hardly seem human. They kill without batting an eye, and even teams of fewer than a thousand soldiers can do nothing when they encounter them."

The burly man clenched his fists as he spoke.

The Blood Cloud Bandits were terrifying. Not long ago, two hundred elite soldiers from Fengyue City had faced twenty or thirty Blood Cloud Bandits and been slaughtered until nearly half of them fled in defeat. The Blood Cloud Bandits had suffered no casualties at all!

But whenever they encountered more than a thousand soldiers, the Blood Cloud Bandits would not linger in battle for even a moment. They would avoid them and flee without hesitation. Coupled with their secretive movements, they had left Fengyue City completely at its wits' end, utterly helpless against them.

Thus, dealing with the Blood Cloud Bandits required a small force of elites. If the numbers grew too large, the Blood Cloud Bandits simply would not fight.

A cultivator from Fengyue City had even led a force against them, only for the entire group to be killed and dismembered by the Blood Cloud Bandits. Their methods were vicious beyond words!

"The Blood Cloud Bandits have already been listed as major criminals on the Death Warrant List. If you can help exterminate them, that merit will be enough to revoke the warrants against you and your father!"

The burly man spoke with utmost sincerity. Even ordinary cultivators could not deal with the Blood Cloud Bandits, but after witnessing Tang Jie's strength, he felt that Tang Jie was far stronger than ordinary cultivators. If Tang Jie joined them, they might actually have a chance of wiping out the Blood Cloud Bandits!

"Revoke the warrants?" Tang Jie's heart stirred slightly. The days of hiding everywhere truly weren't pleasant. If the warrants against him and Tang Tianhao could be revoked, that would undoubtedly be wonderful!

The Blood Cloud Bandits had committed crimes everywhere, leaving nearly a thousand innocent people dead beneath their hands. They had also routed pursuing troops several times and had already been listed as major criminals on the Death Warrant List—a designation that meant there could be no rest until one side was dead.

For example, if a Level 2 Fugitive killed a Level 1 Fugitive, their warrant could be revoked, allowing them to atone for their crimes through merit. But the major criminals on the Death Warrant List had no possibility of redemption whatsoever. They had committed deeds that enraged both gods and men, and had to be destroyed!

Tang Jie himself was a Level 1 Fugitive, but if he killed a major criminal on the Death Warrant List, his warrant could also be revoked!

Tang Jie pondered for a moment before looking at the burly man. "Where are the Blood Cloud Bandits?"

At these words, delight spread across the burly man's face. He knew that Tang Jie had agreed.

The burly man immediately said, "The Blood Cloud Bandits have been quiet for several days. Judging by their past patterns, they're sure to commit another crime in the next few days. Why don't you leave with me? Once we receive word, we'll set out together and exterminate them!"

After saying this, the burly man seemed afraid Tang Jie would misunderstand, so he added, "Or you can give me a way to contact you, and I'll come find you as soon as there's news."

"Fine. If you try anything underhanded, I'll make you regret it." Tang Jie nodded slightly and issued a warning.

Although Tang Jie felt that the burly man probably wasn't lying, he had to be cautious. There was no guarantee the other party wasn't trying to keep him calm before bringing people to deal with him.

"Three days from now, I'll wait for you outside Fengxi Village, east of Fengyue City." Tang Jie gave the burly man a way to contact him.

Fengxi Village was a great distance from Fengyue City. Tang Jie had occasionally gone down the mountain recently and visited Fengxi Village to purchase necessities. The area there was broad and flat, and anyone approaching could be seen immediately. He wouldn't have to worry about the other side laying a massive ambush for him.

"Good. I'll come find you then," the burly man said happily.

The burly man then took his leave, but before departing, he thought of something and added, "I'm Sun Tielong, a thousand-man commander of the Fengyue City Guard."

After they agreed on the details of working together to exterminate the Blood Cloud Bandits, the burly man, Sun Tielong, led his group away.

"I hope... everything goes smoothly." Sun Tielong thought silently.

The Blood Cloud Bandits had left the entire Fengyue City in a state of panic and confusion. They were absolutely not easy to deal with. One cultivator had even already died at their hands!

With Tang Jie added to the force, could they really succeed in wiping out the Blood Cloud Bandits? Sun Tielong had no confidence in his heart either.