The New Rules of Yang Family Town

Out of sight, but this was no place to linger.

After running some distance and rejoining Cao Hongzhuo and the others, Shen Xiu found Cao Hongzhuo, Steward Chen, and the rest confronting another group.

Everyone looked grave and wary.

This group was a mounted band.

Five or six tall, burly men sat astride horses, long Horse-Slaying Sabers hanging from their saddles, their blades stained with dried blood.

Red headscarves were tied around each of their heads. By the look of them, every one was a vicious villain. As they watched Shen Xiu's group, their eyes held mocking amusement, as though they were looking at lambs waiting for slaughter.

After listening briefly, Shen Xiu understood. These were the Crimson Fire Bandits, whose name struck terror into the hearts of everyone around Taixi City.

For some unknown reason, they had encountered one another here in the wilderness.

Shen Xiu examined them. He could not see through the other side's cultivation. On his own side, Steward Chen and another man were second-realm martial cultivators. Seeing that the bandits had yet to make a move, they clearly had their own misgivings.

"Ha ha ha... The gift I sent you was not bad, was it..."

The scar-faced leader laughed wildly. "That White Bone Demon—I blew the bone whistle for quite a while before luring it over to your side. What a pity, though. You really did run fast."

The crowd was stunned for a moment, then quickly understood. So that inexplicable red figure, that so-called White Bone Demon, had been lured over by the Crimson Fire Bandits.

Several sturdy men glared furiously, yet they were cowed by the Crimson Fire Bandits' fearsome reputation and did not dare step forward.

Steward Chen waved a hand, his brow slightly furrowed. "What you did was rather dishonorable, was it not?"

The scar-faced man grinned viciously. "We're bandits, you know. Have you ever seen bandits who cared about honor? It's your privilege to share the pressure for me. I was only doing it for fun, heh heh..."

Steward Chen stared at him, one hand gripping the hilt of the saber at his waist, saying nothing.

"Today, I robbed a medicine caravan. I'm in a good mood, so I'll spare your dog lives."

With that, the scar-faced leader slapped his saddle and rode past Steward Chen's group toward the rear.

Yet as he passed Shen Xiu at the side, he suddenly gave a wicked grin and slashed out without warning!

The blade came with terrifying force!

It was aimed straight for his life!

The Crimson Fire Bandits had never acted according to common sense.

He simply disliked the way this youth looked at him, and the youth was a little better-looking than he was.

Destroying perfect things gave him an exhilarating sense of sin. As he brought his saber down, he felt as though he had cleaved something apart, filling his heart with satisfaction and pleasure.

Even Shen Xiu—

Though he had heard of the Crimson Fire Bandits' ruthless cruelty, this sudden ambush still caught him off guard.

He gritted his teeth as Dragon Subduing Qi surged wildly within him. He only had time to raise his saber to block.

With a clang, the Hundred-Refined Saber caught the enemy blade, but was pressed back in an instant, striking his shoulder with searing pain.

But the very next moment!

The killing move of Shen Xiu's Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming Art erupted from his left hand!

With a bang, his fist smashed hard into the body of the tall horse beneath the scar-faced man.

The instant that punch struck the saddle, the saddle shattered to pieces!

Its remaining force still slammed into the horse's flank.

The tall horse beneath the scar-faced man cried out in pain and bolted away.

The scar-faced man atop it swayed violently as well, then withdrew his Horse-Slaying Saber and slapped the horse, steadying it.

Everything had happened in the time it took for sparks to fly from flint. Before the others could react, the battle was already over.

The scar-faced man pressed a hand down to steady his horse, then stared at Shen Xiu with a dark expression.

This youth's strength had exceeded his expectations.

He wanted to step forward again, but Steward Chen darted out at just the right moment.

Both groups immediately drew their sabers and moved forward. As they closed in, the atmosphere became taut as drawn swords and bent bows.

It was not because they were bound by loyalty that reached the clouds. Rather, at this moment, they were all in the same boat. The Crimson Fire Bandits were powerful and ruthless; if they did not band together, they would only be picked off one by one.

They possessed at least this much discernment.

Seeing this, the scar-faced leader's face darkened like water. He gave Shen Xiu a deep look, then suddenly chuckled. "Nice saber. Boy, I'll remember you."

Then he slapped his horse on the rump with his saber and galloped away.

Steward Chen kept his eyes fixed on that mounted group until they had left. Only then did he finally relax and let out a breath.

The Crimson Fire Bandits' reputation and nature were known to all. Even three-year-old children in Taixi City knew of them. No one would believe such childish words as sparing them.

Especially not when the speaker was the ruthless Third Boss.

It was merely an excuse. He had weighed the strength of both sides, decided their bone was a little too hard to chew, and therefore could not bring himself to attack.

The incident at Heyuan Town, which had been slaughtered clean a month ago, was still talked about endlessly and had long since reached everyone's ears.

Behind the others, Shen Xiu calmly watched the departing line of light cavalry, committing each of their faces to memory.

He had made up his mind. If he got the chance, he would kill this lot. As the saying went, he who did not avenge a grudge was no gentleman.

Once the Crimson Fire Bandits had left and they reached a safe area, Steward Chen distributed the rewards according to their prior agreement.

Since the White Bone Demon had appeared only after they wiped out the Black Demon Bears, they had still managed to transport out nine Black Demon Bear corpses.

The others received the rewards due to them.

As for the Black Demon Bear corpse promised to Shen Xiu, he was still given one, though the bear bones, tendons, and gallbladder were retained as appropriate.

As for the corpses left in the mountain valley, along with the remaining Black Demon Bear corpses, they abandoned them without even a moment's hesitation.

Who knew whether that powerful White Bone Demon was still there?

Some things could only be taken if one had the life to take them.

Having narrowly escaped death, they no longer wished to take such a risk.

Shen Xiu also checked the Face-Preserving Fruits he had picked earlier. After confirming none were missing, he returned to Yang Family Town to rest, intending to head back to Taixi City in a few days.

Yet he suddenly thought of something. Those men had been intimidated by the White Bone Demon and did not dare return to collect the remaining Black Demon Bear corpses.

But he had Golden Cicada's protection. He did not need to care about such things at all.

Did that not mean all those Black Demon Bear corpses were as good as his?

At that thought, his eyes immediately shone brilliantly, sparkling with light.

Afraid that the Black Demon Bear corpses would rot, Shen Xiu left the remaining corpse at the inn. The next day, he retraced his steps and headed for the small mountain valley from the day before.

Sure enough, the Black Demon Bear corpses they had left behind were still in the valley. Aside from one that had vanished without a trace, the other two were largely intact.

Fortunately, he did not encounter the White Bone Demon the Crimson Fire Bandits had mentioned again along the way.

Thus, Shen Xiu exerted his strength, carrying a Black Demon Bear corpse on each shoulder as he headed for Yang Family Town.

At the entrance to Yang Family Town, the young man in the tattered red robe was still there.

When he saw Shen Xiu, along with the two Black Demon Bear corpses on his shoulders, surprise flickered across his face before his eyes filled with intense greed.

With a snicker, he stepped forward and said, "Five taels of silver to enter town."

Hearing this outrageous demand, Shen Xiu laughed in anger. "Are you sure it's five taels?"

Seeing the dangerous aura radiating from Shen Xiu's entire body, the young man in the tattered red robe was not afraid in the slightest and straightened his back.

"The rules of Yang Family Town. Five taels means five taels!"

"The previous rule was one mace."

"Heh heh, what I say now is the Yang Family's new rule..."

With the masters of Yang Family Town standing behind him, why would he fear martial cultivators of any realm?

Anyone entering this town, whether snake or dragon, had to bow their head and coil themselves up.

Countless heads of those who had challenged Yang Family Town hung from the wooden pillars at the town entrance. Those heads were where his confidence came from.