First, he had to account for the food needed to feed 150 people. The Bandit Village would probably send out hunting parties like the other nonhuman villages. Sure enough, before long, 40 people came out of the village and split into four groups, heading off in different directions.
Seeing this, Zhao Fu immediately sent three groups to intercept them. He took his own people after the remaining group, then watched from the bushes as the men swaggered along with their swords slung over their shoulders. Zhao Fu called Bai Qi over and quietly explained his plan.
Bai Qi looked a little embarrassed. "Your Highness, I'm afraid I can't do that."
At this, Zhao Fu turned to look at Liu Mei.
"What?"
Under Zhao Fu's gaze, Liu Mei shuddered. A bad feeling welled up inside her, and she immediately asked him what was going on.
But after Zhao Fu briefly explained, Liu Mei's face lit up. She took Bai Qi and three others with her and walked straight toward the bandits.
"Hey! You lot, stop right there!"
Liu Mei and the four others caught up with the bandits, and she shouted at them.
Hearing her, the bandits turned around. They saw a seductive beauty in a red dress, and there were only five of them while their own group had ten. They had nothing to fear. In fact, lecherous grins spread across their faces. "What can we do for you, beauty? Do you want to have some fun with us brothers?"
Liu Mei flashed them a charming smile. The next second, she swung her whip and lashed it hard across them. Bai Qi and the others charged in too. The fight started and ended in moments. Bai Qi alone killed four men, while each of the other three killed one.
Liu Mei's group left three alive.
Liu Mei casually flicked her whip and gave them a sultry smile. "What was it you said earlier?"
The three bandits knelt on the ground and begged for mercy. "Please, miss! We know we were wrong. Let us go just this once!"
"Ah!"
As soon as one of them finished speaking, a whip cracked across his body. Liu Mei snapped, "Who are you calling 'miss'? I'm your granny!"
The bandits hurriedly nodded and agreed. "Granny, granny..."
"That's more like it! Where are you from?" Liu Mei asked with a smile.
The three bandits hastily replied, "We're from Tiger Village. Our chief is Wang Meng, and there are more than two hundred tough brothers in the village."
They said they were from Tiger Village, named their chief, and exaggerated how many people lived in their village. They thought this might scare Liu Mei into letting them go.
But another whip lashed hard across all three of them. The bandits cried out in pain as a fresh welt appeared on each of their bodies. Liu Mei snorted. "What's so special about Tiger Village? That fellow called Wang Meng sounds like all talk and no action!"
The three bandits, cowed by Liu Mei, hurriedly nodded in agreement.
Crack, crack, crack!
She whipped them several more times. Looking displeased, Liu Mei gave a soft snort. "I'm not sure I heard what you three just said."
The bandits cried out in pain and hurriedly shouted, "Wang Meng's a coward! Wang Meng's useless in bed! Wang Meng's a eunuch!"
"Ha ha!"
Liu Mei burst into laughter, her ample chest swaying. Then she whipped the three bandits hard again and cooed, "I still can't hear you!"
The three bandits could only grit their teeth through the pain and curse Wang Meng again.
But Liu Mei kept smiling sweetly as she went on lashing the three bandits.
Hidden nearby, Zhao Fu realized that Liu Mei might have some peculiar tastes. But she was only carrying out his orders, so he said nothing.
"Enough! Get back there and tell Wang Meng to come lick the soles of my shoes. Otherwise, I'll cripple him."
After whipping the three bandits for a while, Liu Mei felt quite satisfied. She smiled happily as she spoke.
When the three battered bandits heard her, they were overjoyed that the female devil was finally letting them go. They scrambled back to the village and exaggerated the story, claiming the woman had threatened to skin Wang Meng alive and chop him to pieces, then drag over a sow to do that with him. Now she was telling him to come over and lick the soles of her shoes.
Wang Meng was instantly enraged. His face flushed red. When he learned they only had five people, he shouted, "Brothers, follow me!"
Wang Meng then led out more than fifty people, over half the village's fighting force. They marched furiously toward where Liu Mei was.
Before long, Wang Meng reached an open clearing. He glared at Liu Mei and shouted, "So you're the bitch who told me to come crawling over and lick your shoes? I've brought my brothers, and we're going to have our way with you!"
Liu Mei wasn't angry. She simply smiled. There was no point arguing with a dead man.
"Fire!"
At the command, a rain of arrows swept over Wang Meng and his fifty-plus men. They were completely unprepared. Countless arrows struck them, and they fell dead to the ground.
Zhao Fu's other three groups had already intercepted and killed the other three hunting parties from Tiger Village. Now, Wang Meng and his fifty-plus men faced fire from 40 Goblin Crossbowmen and 60 Archers. They were caught entirely off guard, with no cover at all. How could they possibly survive?
Wang Meng and all the others with him were killed. Not one survived!
Only then did Zhao Fu lead his people out of the concealed bushes. He ordered them to clean up the battlefield, then went over to Wang Meng's corpse and searched it. He found only a small pouch containing a few dozen silver coins, though the broadsword in Wang Meng's hand was of blue quality.
Afterward, they headed toward Tiger Village. Liu Mei followed behind Zhao Fu with a smile. Zhao Fu glanced back at her and said softly, "You did well this time."
Originally, Zhao Fu had wanted Bai Qi to go out and provoke them, swearing at them as viciously as possible. But Bai Qi was a general of a state and couldn't bring himself to use that kind of foul language. So Zhao Fu had sent Liu Mei, who had once been a bandit, to do it instead. She had contributed the most this time.
Liu Mei gave a soft snort. She was no longer as reserved as before, and said proudly, "Of course! I'm a pretty formidable woman, after all!"
Zhao Fu chuckled at this but said nothing. They had reached Tiger Village, and only forty or so people remained there. They were no longer a threat.
At Zhao Fu's signal, Bai Qi stepped forward and shouted, "You've all received the notification, haven't you? Your chief and the others are dead. If you surrender now, I promise we won't kill you."
Seeing the more than three hundred enemies surrounding their village, the bandits thought it over several times. In the end, they didn't choose to fight to the death. Instead, they surrendered obediently.
Zhao Fu also found the blacksmith who could forge iron armor. He was a dark-skinned man named Deng Li.
Afterward, Zhao Fu went to the village hall and chose to occupy the village. A notification said he had obtained 50 Battle Merit. Because the village was quite far from Great Qin Village, Zhao Fu chose to relocate it as well. A notification said Great Qin Village had gained 280 experience.
Another notification rang out!
"Congratulations! Great Qin Village has upgraded to a Mid-Level Village."
P.S. Thank you so much for all your votes and support! I hope you'll keep supporting the novel, and I hope you'll join the reader group too: 542862279. "Onii-chan! I'll let you in on a little secret—there are benefits!"