Chaos Begins

At such close range, even he was not confident he could retreat unscathed. Don't look at how many people were in the hall—if they truly fought, not one of them would be Chen Luo's match. An Internal Training Master, once he let loose, could slaughter every last one of them.

"I never expected an Internal Training Master to honor us with his presence. Cai Mou has failed to welcome you properly."

This was the situation created by the Martial Dao blockade.

Ordinary bandits simply had no way to come into contact with the true Martial Dao, much like how small gangs in his past life could never get their hands on guns.

"Great Chieftain, there is no need for courtesy. Third Uncle and I came only to find a way to survive."

Chen Luo Concealed his Aura.

Revealing his strength was only to gain the right to speak, not because he truly intended to fight these bandits to the death. Even if he could slaughter them all, Third Uncle behind him probably would not come out well. Besides, he bore no grudge against these people. On the contrary, he still needed their channels to escape.

"Find a way to survive?"

If Leader Cai had merely been somewhat suspicious before, now he believed it completely.

A storm that could make even an Internal Training Master flee was certainly not something a small fry like him could withstand. If he had that kind of capability, he and his brothers would not be scratching out a living in this godforsaken wilderness.

"Could you explain in more detail?"

Leader Cai's expression changed, losing its earlier calm composure.

If Chen Luo had merely been an ordinary refugee, he would never have taken him seriously. But now that the identity of an "Internal Training Master" had been revealed, its meaning was entirely different. Anything that could force such an expert to flee for his life was certainly no small matter. It might even concern bandits like them, who lived off the mountains.

As he spoke, Leader Cai waved a hand. Several Mountain Bandits beside him immediately caught on, rising and giving up their seats for Chen Luo and his uncle.

"Qingya County is about to fall into chaos. This began half a month ago."

Chen Luo did not know the exact details, but that did not stop him from making them up on the spot.

An Imperial Clan member had died—that was true.

A eunuch had died in Qingya County—that was also true.

The Imperial Clan member and the eunuch had both died in the same place. How could things not descend into chaos? Chen Luo strung nine truths and one lie together, turning it into an earth-shattering conspiracy that made the bandits break out in cold sweat.

"So you're saying someone in Qingya County was bold beyond all bounds, murdered an Imperial Clan member, and hacked down a palace eunuch?"

"This is rebellion!!"

The Mountain Bandits of Fierce Tiger Stockade could not sit still either.

Once anything involved rebellion, the problem became truly enormous.

Thinking of the blockade outside, no one had the leisureliness they had before. They vaguely felt disaster looming over them. Rebellion would surely bring troops to suppress the unrest. Once those soldiers arrived, would bandits like them still have any way to live? They would surely be beheaded for merit. Such things were not uncommon in history.

Fish caught in the calamity of the pond!

"Is the information true?"

Leader Cai could not help asking.

"I saw it with my own eyes!"

Chen Luo said with a grave expression.

More than with his own eyes—the eunuch in question had been beaten to death by his own hands. He had held a brick at the time and slapped until his hands went numb.

Leader Cai Stood Up at once.

Whether the news was true or false, he decided to leave himself a backup plan. Fierce Tiger Stockade had survived the Imperial Court's encircle-and-annihilate campaigns until now because of his caution.

"Little Six, take the brothers to prepare some Wooden Barrels along the waterway by the side gate. Old Four and Old Five, have the brothers pack up and get ready to run away. Old Three, you and Old Seven go to Qingya County and find Steward Li. See if you can gather any useful information."

Steward Li was Fierce Tiger Stockade's contact in Qingya County. Much of the stockade's stolen goods was handled through Steward Li.

A crafty rabbit had three burrows. Bandits like them naturally had backup plans as well; they could not simply take everything Chen Luo said at face value.

"Yes!"

Along With the order being given, the entire Fierce Tiger Stockade sprang into action.

"You two, come with me to the Inner Room for a talk."

Leader Cai walked over to Chen Luo and spoke very courteously.

As he spoke, he returned the thirty taels of silver he had just received from Chen Laosan. Not only that, he added another ten taels.

"This really isn't necessary, is it?"

Chen Laosan felt somewhat embarrassed. They had come to ask for help, yet not only had they spent no money, they had even earned ten taels.

"Take it."

Chen Luo said one sentence.

He knew Leader Cai was still uneasy. First, because of Chen Luo's strength; second, because of the news he had brought. No matter what, this concerned the lives of everyone in the stockade. There was nothing wrong with being cautious.

"Since Leader Cai is so sincere, I cannot stand by and watch you die. I happen to have an inside piece of information here. I will give it to Leader Cai."

Chen Luo walked over to Leader Cai's side and spoke as if they were merely chatting.

As for what this inside information was, and exactly whose inside it came from, only Chen Luo himself knew. Chen Laosan, following behind him, had already fallen completely silent. He discovered that when his nephew fooled people, he had one trick after another—what he said sounded even more real than the truth.

"Please, tell me."

Leader Cai kept his posture very low. Compared to the image Chen Luo had seen when he first entered the stockade, he seemed like a completely different person.

"There isn't much time left."

Chen Luo said mysteriously.

Exactly what time was running out, and why there was so little of it left, was entirely up to the imagination.

Hearing Chen Luo's hint, Leader Cai clearly thought of something. Even his expression changed slightly.

In his eyes, an Internal Training Master like Chen Luo would not come deceive him for no reason. Given the other man's strength and status, he surely knew information that outsiders did not.

After leading the two into the Inner Room, Leader Cai asked several more detailed questions. Chen Luo answered them very carefully. During this, he even took out that Imperial Family Token and placed it on the table. This made Leader Cai, who had still held the faintest trace of suspicion, believe him completely.

"Xiao Luo, isn't this a little...?"

Watching Leader Cai hurry away, Chen Laosan finally could not help speaking.

"I am saving him."

Chen Luo knew what Third Uncle was thinking, but matters had already reached this point. There was no need to fuss over such details.

Surviving came first!

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, Half a Day had gone by.

Something had clearly happened in Qingya County during those several hours. Old Three and Old Seven, who had gone there to gather information, had completely vanished without a trace. No one knew whether they were trapped in the city or had encountered some other accident. This result made everyone in the stockade even more uneasy.

"Smoke is rising from Qingya County! There are also sounds of blades clashing and fighting. I saw many banners surrounding it."

The Mountain Bandit responsible for watching the situation rushed in and reported to Leader Cai.

"Smoke is rising?"

Leader Cai's face changed.

Thick smoke visible even in broad daylight needed no explanation. A fire had surely broken out over there.

Someone had set the city on fire!

"Eldest Brother, what do we do now? Third Brother and Old Seven still haven't returned."

The remaining men asked anxiously.

Leader Cai had not expected the upheaval to arrive so quickly. Their stockade was some distance from the city, so they still had a little time to react. Had they been closer, they might already have been swept into it.

"Old Five, take the women and children from the stockade and leave first. The rest of us will stay behind to cover the retreat."

After weighing matters for a little while, Leader Cai made his decision.

"Yes."

Old Five, whose name had been called, quickly rose and went straight out the door.

"Third Uncle, you should go with them too," Chen Luo said at the right moment.

As long as Third Uncle escaped, handling things alone would be much easier for him.

"Let's go together! Why are you still dawdling?"

Chen Laosan immediately grew anxious. The one he worried about most was his nephew Chen Luo. In his eyes, his nephew's life was far more precious than his own.

"I'll catch up soon."

Chen Luo was not truly unafraid of death. He was not staying behind to cover the retreat either—he merely wanted to see whether there might be a good opportunity to pick up another couple of heads.