Mountain Bandits

The location of Chaotian Capital is called Jingzhou, which was the most central part of the Great Shang's territory of thirty-six prefectures in the past.

Southwest of Jingzhou, bordering it, is Yunze Prefecture. This prefecture is characterized by its many peaks and ranges, countless towering mountains, and sheer cliffs of a thousand feet.

For the myriad mountains and peaks of Yunze Prefecture, the scholars of Chaotian Capital have always described them with the phrase "supernatural craftsmanship."

A wide official path was built between Jingzhou and Yunze Prefecture, serving the people, caravans, and post stations of both prefectures for mutual transportation.

However, a few days ago, there was an "Earth Dragon Overturn" in Yunze Prefecture, which collapsed over ten mountain peaks, burying and blocking the official path and drastically altering the terrain.

It is unknown how long it will take to clear and restore this road to its original state.

Zhengwu, following his master's instructions, was heading to Cloud Mist Mountain to visit Master Chan Hui, who was stationed there, so it was naturally inconvenient to be delayed by this accident.

Ning Xiu and the others followed Ren Qianxing onto another road that led to Yunze Prefecture.

However, compared to the wide and flat official path, this road was extremely poor.

"Taking this road will add about one to two days to our arrival in Yunze Prefecture. Before that official path was built many years ago, this was the only road for people traveling from Jingzhou to Yunze. But due to years of neglect and lack of maintenance, the ground has inevitably become full of potholes," Ren Qianxing said, sitting on the back of a Black Wind and looking at the surrounding mountain scenery as he explained to Ning Xiu.

They had already traveled more than 140 li from Chaotian Capital. As they gradually moved away from human settlements, the natural environment outside had clearly become much more primitive.

This meant that the chances of encountering wild beasts and malevolent spirits would greatly increase.

What the world calls "Malevolent Spirits" is actually just a general term for various evil entities, encompassing a large number of dangerous and malevolent beings.

The Demon Subduing Bureau has been established for hundreds of years, and they actually have a classification system for these.

It is broadly divided into: Malevolent Spirits, Demonic Creatures, Fierce Gods, and Malevolent Spirits.

Malevolent Spirits: Filthy, yin-corrupted beings born from places of deep yin, or those who died with grievances, manifesting with immense resentment.

Examples include the Resentful Yin Woman and Grievance Yin Fetus that Ning Xiu dealt with previously at the Yun Family Cloth Shop, as well as Solitary Souls and Hairy Zombies that might arise from wild tombs and graves.

Demonic Creatures: Flying birds and beasts that have developed intelligence and can cultivate. They prey on humans and rely on blood energy and flesh to increase their strength.

For instance, Fish Demons that live in great rivers and sometimes come ashore to attack people, and Wild Boar Demons and Wolf Demons that live in the deep mountains and sometimes descend to capture people.

Fox Demons and Snake Demons that hide in the secular world, feeding on the essence of men.

Fierce Gods: These are rarer, referring to those great mountains, forests, rivers, and fields that have developed intelligence and possess powerful divine abilities incomparable to Demonic Creatures.

They often perform techniques such as summoning wind and rain, and dispelling clouds to reveal the sun for their respective regions, leading the people living nearby to believe these are divine methods.

They are widely worshipped as Mountain Gods, Forest Gods, River Gods, Earth Gods, and so on.

These Fierce Gods are the most difficult to control. Some are neutral and harmless, not harming people; as long as you don't provoke them, they won't become your enemy.

However, some Fierce Gods are more ferocious. The areas they inhabit are inevitably filled with overwhelming yin energy and littered with white bones. The areas affected by them are like desolate ghost realms, devoid of life, and even birds and beasts dare not approach.

Malevolent Spirits: These are caused by ignorant commoners, out of fear, worshipping deities whose origins and backgrounds are unclear. Human faith generates a kind of wish power.

Although this wish power is ethereal, it possesses great strength, causing deities who do not truly exist to manifest spiritual bodies due to the widespread faith from the populace.

These spiritual bodies mostly manifest in human form, making them more recognizable to the ignorant masses.

After all, no one would place a statue of a pig or a dog in a temple for worship. However, if the deities largely resemble humans, it makes people feel a sense of familiarity.

Spiritual bodies can increase their strength by obtaining wish power, so they secretly dispatch preachers, spreading their names through loyal believers everywhere.

These spiritual bodies are called deities by the people who believe in them, but the Demon Subduing Bureau uniformly refers to them as Malevolent Spirits.

This is because they are not true deities and do not possess the disposition or Daoist methods of true deities; their essence is to obtain wish power.

Therefore, for the sake of wish power, they are capable of doing anything, posing a threat to the nation and its people.

Many people who believe in Malevolent Spirits also obtain unorthodox cultivation methods from them. The cultivation methods of these paths are often accompanied by blood and cruelty.

The entire cultivation process is inseparable from harming human lives, seizing flesh, capturing souls, and absorbing essence. These deluded people were the demon-folk of earlier times.

One to two hundred years ago, there were several popular uprisings and rebellions within the Great Shang territory due to Malevolent Spirits inciting the populace.

At that time, many Iron Horse Demon Subduing Captains unfortunately lost their lives due to the demon-folk under the Malevolent Spirits, resulting in significant losses.

The Demon Subduing Bureau then formulated a sweeping plan, initiating a large-scale demon-subduing operation.

All deities and Buddhas within their jurisdiction whose origins and backgrounds were unclear and not recorded in ancient texts were eradicated.

Temples were dismantled, statues were smashed, and scriptures were burned.

Demon-folk were beheaded, and the deluded populace was punished. The intensity of this action was unprecedented in the history of the Great Shang.

Therefore, this operation was also known in historical records as "Son of Heaven Subdues Demons."

"It seems that with the official path blocked, many people have also chosen to take this road to Yunze Prefecture," Zhengwu said, looking at the fresh tracks of varying depths on the ground.

"That's only natural. There's a lot of trade between the two prefectures. Every day the path is closed means lost business. People can't be held back by a bit of water; even if there's no road, those merchants would surely carve one out through these mountains," Ren Qianxing replied.

The four continued for another five li. The journey had been quiet and peaceful, with Ren Qianxing and Ning Xiu occasionally discussing matters concerning the Demon Subduing Bureau.

Monk Zhengwu and Xia Yunsi would also interject with information they knew, and the atmosphere was extremely harmonious.

Just then, a clang of metal suddenly echoed from ahead, quite loud. It was clear that someone was fighting with weapons.

Large-scale armed confrontations were strictly prohibited within and outside Chaotian Capital, but it was inevitable for some merchant guilds or forces to have grievances and friction.

Therefore, it was not uncommon to see large-scale armed confrontations in the wilderness.

At this point, the group was nearly 150 li away from Chaotian Capital, where strict regulations could be relaxed.

If the other party was fighting due to some deep-seated hatred, then even as a Demon Subduing Captain, I'd just smooth things over if I happened to see it.

When Ning Xiu and the other three arrived at the site of the brawl, driving their respective exotic beasts, they saw two groups of people fighting each other desperately, the situation extremely chaotic.

One group was dressed in exquisite dark green fitted outfits, with a 'Li' character embroidered on the chest of each person.

The other group looked like disaster refugees, all wearing tattered clothes and covered in dirt and grime.

The only noteworthy aspect was the good quality of the weapons in their hands.

All the men in the dark green fitted outfits were surrounding four carriages, unwilling to move even half a step away from them; it was clear they were the defensive side.

"So it's mountain bandits. We've got work to do," Ren Qianxing said immediately.

In this current era, the common folk all lived within cities, towns, villages, and hamlets, all of which had personnel dispatched by the Demon Subduing Bureau stationed to oversee them.

The lowest rank was a Ninth Rank Iron Horse Demon Subduing Captain. Many apprentices from the Champion Camp, if not chosen by the Demon Subduing Bureau by the age of eighteen, would be sent to various locations to assist Demon Subduing Captains with these tasks.

In this world, unless a master was in seclusion, it was basically impossible for normal people to dare live in the wilderness or deep forests.

However, even so, mountain bandits and robbers had never disappeared. They built their mountain strongholds deep in the mountains and survived by descending to rob and plunder.

They dared to do this because most mountain strongholds had a demon residing in them. Those mountain bandits needed the demon's protection, and the demon also needed the mountain bandits to go out and snatch back what it needed.

With mutual benefit, the mountain bandit groups became one of the few entities that could settle down in the wilderness amidst this chaotic era of malevolent spirits.

What Ren Qianxing meant by "got work to do" was to find the location of these mountain bandits' stronghold and arrest the demon behind them.

Xia Yunsi, though not one for many words, was extremely efficient in action.

She leaped directly from the back of her black tiger mount, drew the twin short clubs from the scabbard at her waist, and plunged into the crowd, swiftly and fiercely striking every person who looked like a mountain bandit.

As a Martial Dao Seventh Rank martial artist, Xia Yunsi's dual-club technique was highly skilled, executed with fluid grace and excellent control over force.

With every strike, someone would fall, but without being fatally injured.

Soon, as more and more mountain bandits fell, the remaining bandits, who had been fighting with bloodshot eyes, all noticed this tall woman who had suddenly appeared.

On any other day, if they saw a woman of such a figure, they would have been overcome with lust. But seeing the Mysterious Silver Lock Armor on Xia Yunsi at this moment, everyone's expression drastically changed.

A Demon Subduing Captain!

On the other hand, the strong men with the 'Li' character on their chests, upon seeing the arrival of a Demon Subduing Captain, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief on the spot.

Everyone knew there was no need to fight anymore. No matter how many mountain bandits there were, they couldn't possibly be a match for a Demon Subduing Captain.

"Retreat!"

From whom among the mountain bandits took the lead to shout, all the bandits turned and fled, intending to dive into the nearby mountains. They knew the mountain paths better than anyone.

As long as they entered the mountains, even a Demon Subduing Captain couldn't do anything to them.

Unfortunately for this group of mountain bandits, they had encountered not just one Demon Subduing Captain today, but four.

Bang!

Ning Xiu, having anticipated this, stood under a tree holding his hammer. With a swing of his hammer, the tree at its base instantly snapped and rapidly toppled to one side.

The direction of the fall was precisely towards the entrance to the mountains, directly scaring a large number of fleeing mountain bandits into retreating. If they advanced further, they would be crushed by the tree.

While escape was important, life was paramount.

Before the tree even hit the ground, Ning Xiu moved to other trees, smashing them at the base, one after another.

In a short while, the trees on the mountainside fell one after another, forming a wall that completely blocked the mountain bandits' path into the mountains.

Ren Qianxing's two puppets ran over. Their palms automatically separated, revealing a square opening.

Then, a large amount of tough rope netting was sprayed out from within, covering the crowded mountain bandits like a vast net, capturing them all.

As a Buddhist Seventh Rank, Zhengwu's efficiency in subduing mountain bandits was no less than Xia Yunsi's. Unlike Xia Yunsi's method of one club per person, Every time Zhengwu placed his hand on a mountain bandit, that person would immediately become immobile, stiffly standing in place and unable to take another step.

This was very much like the acupoint striking divine art that Ning Xiu remembered.

With the combined efforts of the four, all the mountain bandits were subdued, not a single one managing to escape into the mountains alive.

The entire process was swift and smooth, leaving the mountain bandits with no power to resist.

This scene made the men in fitted outfits secretly marvel, "As expected of a Demon Subduing Captain."

After all the mountain bandits were subdued, a woman in a green dress slowly descended from one of the carriages.

She looked to be around twenty-five, with a slender figure, possessing both the appearance of a young maiden and the demeanor of a young married woman. She walked directly to Xia Yunsi, who was sheathing her clubs, and bowed. "Greetings, honored Demon Subduing Captains. Thank you all so much for your help today. If it weren't for your intervention, I believe we would have lost quite a few good men trying to drive them away."

"No need. We draw our swords when we see injustice. Mountain bandits harming the common folk also falls within our scope of protection," Xia Yunsi said with great righteousness.

"May I ask where you Demon Subduing Captains are heading in Yunze Prefecture? If our destinations are on the way, perhaps we could travel together.

I have plenty of delicious food and fine wine in my carriage, and I'll cover all the expenses once we reach a town. We definitely won't let you adults endure hardship or boredom on the road," the woman in the green dress invited invitingly.

Her words naturally conveyed a clear meaning: this road only led to Yunze Prefecture, and if she could get Ning Xiu and the others to travel with her, their journey would be a hundred times safer.

What mountain bandits or malevolent spirits, none of them would be a threat, and they could rest easy.

However, since Ning Xiu and the others had captured these mountain bandits, they naturally had to go to the bandits' lair first to deal with the demon who sheltered them, so they couldn't accept the woman in the green dress's invitation.

Ren Qianxing refused, "We cannot continue on our way at the moment. We need to go into the nearby mountains to destroy this group of mountain bandits' stronghold."

The woman in the green skirt showed a hint of disappointment in her eyes. Her Li Family Caravan was in a hurry to deliver some important goods to the prefectural capital of Yunze Prefecture this trip and couldn't afford to be delayed on the road.

Since she couldn't wait for Ning Xiu and the others to return from dealing with the bandits, the suggestion of traveling together naturally had to be abandoned.

The woman in the green skirt could only say, "Then I wish you all a safe and smooth journey, sirs."

After speaking, she bid farewell to Ning Xiu and the others before returning to her carriage. The Li Family Caravan set off again, slowly departing.

"Let's go too. Hurry up and deal with the demons. Each of you take one and interrogate them. You must find out the true location of the mountain stronghold," Ren Qianxing said, grabbing a demon that Xia Yunsi had knocked unconscious. He dragged it onto Black Wind's back, intending to wake it up and force it to reveal the location of the demon's lair.

As for the remaining bandits, those who had already passed out were left alone. Xia Yunsi and the monk Zhengwu went to the ones caught in the ropes and nets and finished them off one by one, either knocking them unconscious or incapacitating them with pressure point attacks.

This was to prevent them from running back to report the news prematurely and allowing that demon to escape.

The biggest advantage of exotic beasts over ordinary horse mounts is that they can easily travel to terrains that horses cannot.

For example, forests, slopes, mountainous areas, and so on.

Grabbing a bandit whose pressure points had been sealed, Ning Xiu sat back on the Iron Eater Beast's back and urged it towards the nearby mountain forest.