Warehouse

Seeing everyone eagerly setting off to hunt them down, Yang Qingyun did not stop them.

His goal this time was clear. Revenge was not the purpose. He intended to seize the Black Wind Bandits' accumulated wealth and use it to fund his own cultivation and advancement.

"Where could they have put it?"

After crossing the broad open ground, he arrived at the main hall of Black Wind Stronghold.

Looking at the empty hall and the vacant Tiger Skin Throne standing atop the steps beneath the withered tiger head at the far end, Yang Qingyun fell into thought.

It seemed I had killed them too early!

Who knew where they had hidden the wealth they had plundered over the years?

This sort of thing—

Only the three chiefs of the Black Wind Bandits would probably know!

"Forget it. I'll search every place one by one."

Yang Qingyun shook his head slightly and helplessly prepared to search the surroundings.

However—

Hmm?

Someone?

He planted one foot on the ground and suddenly exerted force. The dark brick shattered with a crack, sending a thumb-sized fragment of stone flying upward and rising before him.

Yang Qingyun flicked a finger. The fragment instantly shot like a bullet toward the wooden wall hidden behind the ragged cloth!

With a sharp hiss,

The ragged cloth was pierced, and the stone struck a figure hiding behind it!

"Ah!"

The figure cried out miserably. The stone pierced through his shoulder, and he tumbled out from behind the wall.

"Looks like I don't have to worry anymore. Can you tell me where your chiefs kept their wealth?"

Yang Qingyun slowly walked over to the figure sprawled on the ground, clutching the wound in his shoulder, and spoke indifferently.

Lying on the ground

Was a servant dressed in gray.

Clutching his wounded shoulder, he trembled all over and looked up at Yang Qingyun in terror.

He was a servant in Black Wind Stronghold, responsible for sweeping and cleaning.

"I've recalled some things. They aren't exactly pleasant memories."

A cold glint flashed through Yang Qingyun's eyes.

These people were servants seized from the countryside by the Black Wind Bandits. They held the lowest status in the stronghold and suffered endless abuse at the bandits' hands.

Yet—

They dared not resist the powerful people who inflicted pain upon them,

But they dared to turn their blades against those weaker than themselves!

Such as the slaves once abducted and imprisoned in the rear mountain together with Yang Qingyun by the Black Wind Bandits!

Withholding food, framing, bullying, whipping, using them for amusement—

It truly had not been a pleasant memory.

Fortunately,

The temperament honed by a life of wandering in his Previous Life had taught him to keep his emotions from showing. Though he loathed them inwardly, nothing appeared on his face.

"I—I don't know!"

"Great hero, great hero, spare me!"

The servant trembled all over as though he had been scared witless. He lay flat on the ground and begged for mercy in a piteous voice.

Anyone who saw this scene would probably feel pity.

However,

This act had no effect whatsoever on Yang Qingyun.

After all, in his Previous Life, he had personally seen these people torture an innocent villager to death for the crime of supposedly trying to escape, taking pleasure in it one moment, then kneeling with trembling bodies the next, pressing their faces to the ground as they fawned upon the Black Wind Bandits, humble as dust beneath their feet.

Bullying the weak and fearing the strong, inflicting even more brutal methods upon those weaker than themselves—this was their way of survival!

As for right and wrong, Yang Qingyuan did not want to comment.

What he cared about was the wealth the Black Wind Bandits had accumulated over many years!

In this empty mountain stronghold's hall, everyone else had already fled. Only this fellow had not escaped in the chaos, instead hiding in some corner of the hall.

Clearly, he had his own plans!

Moreover,

Yang Qingyun could faintly sense a fresh bloody stench from him. It seemed this fellow had killed someone not long ago.

Interesting.

"Is that so? Then I'm sorry, but it seems you're useless to me."

Yang Qingyun's expression remained flat, revealing not the slightest emotion as he spoke calmly.

"No! No! Great hero, I'm still useful!"

"I know where Black Wind Stronghold's warehouse is! Spare my life! I'll take you there!"

"Then lead the way."

Yang Qingyun's expression remained unchanged.

The servant immediately scrambled to his feet and fearfully led the way.

Under the servant's guidance, Yang Qingyun circled around the stronghold's main hall and entered a secluded path. He moved away from the stronghold's disorderly thatched and wooden huts, following a shaded trail and passing several unmanned watchposts. The locked wooden barricade had already been opened, and they ultimately arrived before a sheer cliff!

A narrow plank path wound and folded upward along the cliff, extending all the way to a cave more than a hundred meters above the ground, hollowed into the middle of the precipice!

"Great hero, that cave is Black Wind Stronghold's warehouse! All the wealth of the entire stronghold is gathered there!"

The servant spoke cautiously, his eyes repeatedly stealing glances at Yang Qingyun's expression.

When he saw Yang Qingyun staring at the cave atop the cliff without speaking, he carefully retreated to the side.

But then Yang Qingyun grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up. He leaped several times along the narrow plank path, soaring like a Great Roc, and swiftly landed inside the cave midway up the cliff.

The cave was not small. The ground was four or five meters wide, while the ceiling arched irregularly overhead. Jagged rocks filled the cave and stretched deep into the darkness.

It was impossible to tell whether it had formed naturally or been constructed by human hands.

After the Black Wind Bandits occupied this place, they had built an iron gate at the cave entrance, altered the cavern in the cliff, and turned it into a warehouse.

At this moment,

The iron gate at the entrance had already been opened. Quite a few corpses lay on the ground, while several Black Wind Bandits nearby carried heavy bundles on their backs and fought one another with drawn weapons. The bundles carried by the dead had split open, scattering white silver across the ground.

This was definitely the warehouse!

Seeing this scene, Yang Qingyun knew he had come to the right place. He casually tossed the servant aside.

At that moment, one of the Black Wind Bandits, driven wild with bloodlust, saw Yang Qingyun appear and charged over, bringing his blade down toward Yang Qingyun's head.

"Courting death!"

Yang Qingyun naturally had no intention of indulging them. His gaze turned cold.

Two fingers easily clamped down on the incoming blade. Then, under the other man's astonished gaze, he flicked it with deft force, knocking the long blade free from his grasp before smoothly snatching it away.

At the same time, he drove out a fist with his left hand. It shattered the Black Wind Bandit's ribs and caved in his chest. His entire body flew backward like a cannonball and slammed into the stone wall, vomiting blood in great mouthfuls. He was clearly beyond saving.

This scene

Was witnessed by the other Black Wind Bandits still fighting, and they were all startled.

Yang Qingyun did not waste words with them. His figure flashed, his blade glimmered, and blood sprayed in all directions. In the span of a few breaths, he hacked several of them to death where they stood!

Yang Qingyun carried his blade into the depths of the warehouse.

Several large wooden chests lay scattered on the ground. Silver had spilled into the dirt and become stained with blood. Several groups of Black Wind Bandits had fought here, throwing the entire warehouse into chaos. Everyone had fought themselves into a frenzy.

Without another word, Yang Qingyun sent all those maddened Black Wind Bandits off to calm down.

Before long,

Yang Qingyun was the only living person left in the warehouse.

He used his blade to pry open the wooden chests one after another. Shimmering silver, silks and satins, paintings, jade articles, and all kinds of precious collections were revealed.

It was a tremendous fortune, enough to lift anyone's spirits.

With this huge sum of money, there was no doubt that Yang Qingyun's Martial Path would become much smoother from now on!

"With enough money, I can buy enough medicinal ingredients, refine pills, and temper my Qi and Blood. I must improve my cultivation as quickly as possible. Only then will I have the strength to compete for the opportunities that never emerged in my Previous Life."

"Still, isn't this a little too little?"

After thinking it over carefully, Yang Qingyun frowned slightly.

These things looked like a lot, but added together, they were probably worth only around ten thousand taels of silver.

The Black Wind Bandits had occupied this place for many years. During that time, they had thrown half of Huangshi Town's wilderness into chaos, broken through at least dozens of villages, and plundered countless wealthy households. How could they have only this much?

Suddenly,

Yang Qingyun seemed to realize something.

His figure flashed,

And he withdrew.

However,

The iron gate they had passed through on the way in had somehow been completely closed. Not only had heavy locks been fastened, but a massive sliding stone mechanism was firmly blocking the gate from behind.

The iron gate had been sealed shut!

A murderous chill entered Yang Qingyun's gaze!

"Ha! Ha!"

Amid the chaos of Black Wind Stronghold, the servant who had led Yang Qingyun to the warehouse hurried nervously toward the stronghold's main hall.

At this moment, several more corpses lay on the floor of the stronghold's Assembly Hall, but no one else was in sight. After all, this was merely a place where the Black Wind Bandits gathered, and there was no profit to be found here.

After finishing their fighting, some people had already left for other places.

The servant cautiously surveyed the surroundings. After confirming that no one was there, he suppressed his irrepressible excitement and tiptoed toward the Tiger Skin Throne.

He climbed onto the chair and rose onto his toes, removing the withered Tiger Head Trophy above. Then he reached into the hollow behind its head and pulled out several soft sheets of paper, two books, and three boxes.

Just as delight filled his face,

Pfft!

A blade suddenly pierced through his body from behind. The servant's eyes flew wide as he tried to say something.

But Yang Qingyun gave him no chance to speak. He struck the servant's head with one palm, shattering his skull and killing him completely.

"Did you think these little tricks could trap me to death? How laughable!"

Yang Qingyun's expression darkened.

Though this had caused no serious consequences, he was extremely displeased at having been schemed against.

He snatched the things from the servant's hands.

The first things to catch his eye were five soft sheets of an unknown material, their patterns seemingly embroidered with golden thread.

Amid the dense golden threads, each line exquisite enough to be called a work of art, several large characters were written.

Sihai Trading Company,

Gold Note,

One thousand taels!

Yang Qingyun raised his brows. These were notes for one thousand taels of gold!

And there were

Five such Gold Notes!