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Sensing Qin Hao's icy gaze, the bandit leader quickly came to his senses.

He immediately threw his horse-chopping saber aside, dropped to his knees, and kowtowed. "Please! I know I was wrong! Spare my life!"

"I'll never dare again! Please spare my life!"

As he kowtowed, he even wept. He could not have looked more sincere.

The people in the nearby caravan merely glared viciously at the kneeling, apologizing bandit leader. None of them dared interrupt, afraid of offending Qin Hao.

Qin Hao said nothing. He simply stared coldly at the bandit leader, then walked toward him step by step.

Thud! Thud! Thud! His footsteps rang in the bandit leader's ears like the death-knell melody of an emissary from hell.

With every step Qin Hao took closer, the bandit leader's face grew paler.

Soon, Qin Hao arrived beside the bandit leader and crouched down.

"Be more careful in your next life."

Before the bandit leader could react to Qin Hao's words—

Qin Hao wrapped both hands around the bandit leader's head and gave a slight squeeze!

There came a splat!

The bandit leader's entire head instantly burst apart, and blood splashed all over Qin Hao.

Qin Hao disgustedly shook the chunks of blood from his hands. If he had not seen the beastly things these bandits had done, he would never have killed such trash with his bare hands and dirtied them.

Covered in blood, Qin Hao stood and looked toward the caravan.

"All right, you don't need to worry anymore. The bandits have all gone in peace."

"Hurry up and leave."

Although Qin Hao was their lifesaver, everyone had been frightened half-stiff by what he had done.

"Many thanks, benefactor! If not for your aid, we would likely have perished here!"

After a long while, it was still that elderly man who slowly stood and thanked Qin Hao.

"It was nothing. Hurry up, pack your things, and leave."

Qin Hao waved a hand, preparing to depart.

He intended to see whether there was a river or stream nearby where he could wash himself and his clothes.

Otherwise, if he went to the county town covered in blood, he might not even be allowed through the gates.

Qin Hao mounted his horse and headed toward the county town, no longer paying attention to those people.

Only after Qin Hao was preparing to leave did the mother and son in the caravan rise and run to the badly injured husband.

Just as Qin Hao had already gone far away from them, the man who had stepped forward for his wife and child called out.

"Wait, benefactor!"

Hearing someone calling him from behind, Qin Hao reined in his horse and turned around.

He saw the injured man slowly approaching him with the support of his wife and child.

"Benefactor, please wait!"

"Hm? Is there something else?"

Qin Hao looked at the injured man before him and asked in confusion.

"Phew!"

"Thank you, benefactor, for saving the lives of my entire family!"

As he spoke, the family of three immediately knelt and began kowtowing to Qin Hao.

"Hey, hey! Big brother, there's no need for this."

Qin Hao hurriedly dismounted and helped them up. He was not used to having people kowtow to him.

"This is necessary. Otherwise, we would not be able to ease our hearts."

As he spoke, the man began rummaging through his bundle.

Qin Hao thought the man was taking out silver to give him and had intended to refuse, but what the man took out was not silver—it was a book.

"Big brother, this is?"

"Benefactor, this is a body-tempering secret manual passed down through my family."

At the words "body-tempering secret manual," Qin Hao raised a brow and sized up the man before him.

He truly could not tell that this man possessed something like that. The main reason was that the man was neither thin nor brawny, merely of average build.

He did not look at all like someone who practiced external hardening.

Seeing Qin Hao's scrutinizing gaze, the man knew what Qin Hao was thinking.

"Heh heh, I hope you won't laugh at me, benefactor. I could not endure hardship and had no talent for martial arts, so I never managed to master it."

"My ancestors obtained this item through a lucky coincidence, but none of them ever succeeded with it either."

"I can see that you are a martial artist, benefactor, so I offer it to you. I hope you will not disdain it."

With that, he presented the secret manual with both hands.

"You're giving me your ancestral treasure just like that?"

"And it is such a rare external hardening technique."

Besides, it was someone else's ancestral treasure, and Qin Hao felt too embarrassed to accept it.

The man shook his head. "You jest, benefactor. It is merely a technique that no one has ever mastered. How could it compare to the lives of my wife and child?"

"Please accept it, benefactor."

"Please accept it, benefactor!"

Even the man's wife and child spoke in unison.

Qin Hao had no choice but to accept the secret manual from the man's hands.

Only when Qin Hao accepted it did the man straighten up with the support of his wife and child.

"Thank you, benefactor!"

"Hey, hey! Big brother, don't call me benefactor either. Just call me Little Hao or Qin Hao."

"Hearing 'benefactor' all day long feels a little strange."

Qin Hao waved his hand as he spoke.

"Uh..."

"All right, then I'll call you Little Hao. After all, I seem to be a little older than you."

Only then did the man carefully examine Qin Hao. Though Qin Hao was broad-shouldered and powerfully built, his face looked exceptionally young, somewhat out of proportion with his body.

"Haha, that's more like it. By the way, big brother, what's your name? I still don't know how to address you."

"Cough, cough. My full name is Ma Wei. Just call me Brother Ma. This is my wife, Miao Yulin, and this is my son, Ma Bin."

"Hello, big brother!"

Ma Bin also stepped forward and timidly greeted Qin Hao.

"Hello, little brother."

He reached out to pat Ma Bin's head, but when the little fellow saw Qin Hao's huge hand extending toward him, he instinctively took a step back.

Only then did Qin Hao realize that this child had personally witnessed him crush a man's head with his bare hands.

Qin Hao could only give an awkward laugh and withdraw his hand.

"Little Hao, judging by the direction you're heading, are you going to Qingshi County?"

At this moment, Ma Wei looked in the direction Qin Hao was headed and asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Qingshi County is haunted right now. You'd best not go there."

"It is very dangerous."

Ma Wei spoke with lingering fear.

Seeing the terrified expression on Ma Wei's face, Qin Hao found it strange. Could it be that he had seen one?

"Brother Ma, have you seen a ghost?"

"Yes! Otherwise, I would not have hurriedly taken my wife and child back to my hometown to hide."

Ma Wei spoke with a helpless expression.

"What? Is the situation in the county town that serious?"

Seeing Ma Wei's expression, Qin Hao felt that it was not simply a case of haunting in the county town.

"Yes! Many people in the county town have already vanished without rhyme or reason, and many others have suddenly died violent deaths."

"The authorities have no way to control it now."

Hearing this, Qin Hao immediately sensed that something was wrong.

Zhong Li Dao had previously told Qin Hao that every prefecture and county had one or more Human level Heavenly Dragon Guards stationed there.

Moreover, the local authorities should have corresponding experts as well. How could they allow ghosts to run rampant like this?

If you can't find it by searching the book title, try searching for the author instead! It may simply have been renamed!