Seeing that no one spoke, Hei Kui nodded in satisfaction. Just as he was about to assign the men, Xue Ren, the silent Second Boss at his side, suddenly opened his mouth.
"Chief, the brothers among the Four Liangtai and Eight Pillars already command quite a few men. If we assign them more now, I'm afraid they won't be able to manage them."
Hei Kui turned slightly, his eyes fixed tightly on Xue Ren. His fists clenched, producing faint cracking sounds that stood out sharply in the silent hall.
"I wonder what insight the Second Boss has?"
There was more than a trace of gritted teeth in those words, especially when Hei Kui emphasized the word "Second."
Xue Ren heard the hostility in Hei Kui's words, but he did not care. They were men who had walked through blades and fire; why would they care about such things?
"My brothers have been idle enough on ordinary days. Why not assign Chen Sanmu's men to them, Chief?"
Among the crowd below, the bandits who had originally followed Chen Sanmu dared to be angry but did not dare speak. What did they take them for, to be fought over like this?
At those words, understanding appeared on Hei Kui's face.
"A biting dog doesn't bark. The moment this dog opened his mouth, he wanted to snatch men."
Hei Kui mulled it over inwardly, but did not voice the insult. For now, he did not want to tear his face apart with Xue Ren.
After all, the Azure Cloud Bandits were pressing down from above. Even an old Blood-Qi Warrior like Hei Kui did not dare defy them.
Hei Kui burst into laughter. "Since the Second Boss is willing to share my burdens, then as the elder brother, I naturally agree."
Hei Kui paused, his tone sincere, as though he were truly considering Xue Ren's interests.
"How about this? The Second Boss has only been in our stronghold for a short while, after all. There are probably still some matters you aren't familiar with."
"Forty percent of the brothers brought by the Third Boss will go to you. The remaining sixty percent will still be led by the Four Liangtai and Eight Pillars."
Xue Ren turned slightly, his gaze sharpening as he stared hard at Hei Kui.
He had thought it would be an even split, but this "black ghost" still intended to secretly withhold ten percent.
Xue Ren was just about to speak, but Hei Kui gave him no chance.
Hei Kui chuckled. "Second Boss, the reason we can sit together peacefully is all thanks to the lords of the Azure Cloud Bandits."
Xue Ren replied with a half-smile, "That's true enough. But Chief, what does that have to do with what we're discussing now?"
"This dog gives me no face at all." Hei Kui glared at Xue Ren's face, secretly furious. Sooner or later, he would give him a brutal lesson.
"Of course it has something to do with it. We came to Azure Radiance Mountain on the orders of the Azure Cloud Bandits' lords."
At this point, Hei Kui suddenly turned and swept his gaze over those below. Then he moved closer to Xue Ren, lowering his voice with pointed meaning.
"The lord has spoken. We must find that great tomb."
"At such a critical juncture, if the two of us start a dispute and ruin the lord's business, neither of us will have any good fruit to eat when the lord holds us accountable."
"And you know the lord's methods."
As he said this, Hei Kui seemed to recall something, and a trace of dread flashed through his eyes.
Xue Ren raised his brows slightly, surprise flashing through his eyes. He had not expected this "black ghost" to see things so clearly.
Sure enough, one could not judge a man by his appearance... Anyone who could cultivate to the Qi-Blood Realm was no fool.
At the mention of the lord's methods, not only Hei Kui but Xue Ren himself felt a chill in his heart.
With that thought, Xue Ren smiled faintly.
"Since the Chief has put it that way, if I continue to make trouble without reason, it would be Xue's fault."
Hearing this, the stone in Hei Kui's heart finally fell to the ground. He was about to pick up a wine cup and share a drink with Xue Ren, putting the matter behind them.
Xue Ren suddenly said, "I heard earlier that the Azure Cloud Bandits' lords bestowed quite a few miraculous pills. Could the Chief let this little brother broaden his horizons?"
Hei Kui's hand, reaching for the wine cup, stiffened slightly. He pulled at his face and bared his teeth.
"This dog..."
"Hahahaha... Fine! Since worthy brother is curious, just follow me." Hei Kui roared with laughter.
After speaking, Hei Kui glanced at the people standing in the hall and said coldly:
"Tan Bing, go and properly divide up the brothers brought by the Third Boss. Understand?"
As he spoke the final three words, Hei Kui gave Tan Bing a meaningful look.
Tan Bing squeezed out from the crowd. Meeting Hei Kui's gaze, he cupped his hands and called out loudly:
"Rest assured, Chief. Tan Bing understands."
Hei Kui waved his hand. "Go."
Then he and Xue Ren headed one after the other toward the depths of the cave.
Tan Bing knew full well that there was much to be gained from assigning men. He could send the capable ones over here, while giving those with weaker cultivation and poorer strength to the Second Boss. That was the meaning behind Hei Kui's look.
After the two bosses left, everyone gathered around and surrounded Tan Bing.
Someone shouted, his voice still carrying a hint of weakness. "Tan Liangtai, I'm still short a few men."
The speaker was Yu Zhutou. He had suffered grievous losses in Azure Radiance Mountain earlier and had nearly become a commander without an army.
Tan Liangtai glanced at Yu Zhutou and gave him a reassuring look.
Then he raised his voice. "Brothers brought by the Third Boss, come over first. Let's properly decide where each of you will go."
In an instant, many people crowded around Tan Liangtai. It was bustling beyond compare, like a marketplace.
Not far away, three men stood together. One of them looked toward Tan Bing and sneered. "That Tan bastard really landed an easy job."
Though he sneered, a trace of envy flashed deep in his eyes. This man was Jin Liangtai, one of the Four Great Liangtai.
"I say, Missing Tooth, if you wanted to take this job, what were you doing earlier?"
Missing Tooth was Jin Liangtai's nickname. Jin Liangtai lacked one of his front teeth, and though he had replaced it with gold, what pleasant names could there be in a bandit den?
The name Missing Tooth was destined to follow Jin Liangtai for the rest of his life.
"Don't talk about me. Old Sword, don't tell me you didn't want this job either." Jin Liangtai curled his lip, sounding displeased.
"Of course I did. Assigning manpower is a cushy job." Old Sword replied with a smile.
Jin Liangtai said helplessly, "As they say, men fear entering the wrong trade, women fear marrying the wrong man. Following a good boss is extremely important in a bandit den."
Old Sword added, "Isn't that the truth? Just because Tan Bing has followed the Chief the longest, the Chief gives all the profitable tasks to him."
Old Sword held a sword in his arms. Though his left eye was blind, his entire person radiated vigorous spirit.
He was skilled with the sword, so the bandits all called him Sword Liangtai.
As for why Jin Liangtai did not call him One-Eyed, it was naturally because Old Sword's sword was too sharp. He had no desire to have several sword holes stabbed through his body.
Thinking of this, Jin Liangtai's eyes smiled as he looked at Zhu Ling beside him.
Feeling Jin Liangtai's teasing gaze, Zhu Ling felt as sick as if he had eaten shit. The old wound in his right chest seemed to throb faintly.
Zhu Liangtai snorted coldly and turned to leave.
"Boring..." Jin Liangtai silently smiled. "Old Sword, I'm leaving first."
Old Sword looked at Tan Bing amid the crowd, then turned and departed with his sword in his arms.
As for Chen Sanmu's corpse lying in the hall, neither the bandits who had once followed him nor the bandits of Blackwind Stronghold spared it another glance.
As Old Sword walked, he thought of the promise the Chief had made him some days ago, and his heart burned with excitement.
At the time, Hei Kui had sought him out alone and told him that once they completed the task assigned by the Azure Cloud Bandits' lord, he would be granted a Blood Exchange Pill.
The Blood Exchange Pill had but one effect: it could only help Bone Tempering Realm martial artists undergo Blood Exchange.
But that effect alone made Bone Tempering Realm martial artists throughout the world flock toward it like ducks, willing to go mad for it.
After taking a Blood Exchange Pill, one could stimulate the marrow to produce fresh blood and replace the old blood within the body. This was also the cultivation process of the Qi-Blood Realm.
At the time, doubt had flashed through Old Sword's heart, and he directly asked why it was him.
Hei Kui's answer had been straightforward—if Tan Bing's strength had been sufficient, he would definitely have considered him first. Unfortunately, Tan Bing lacked the necessary foundation.
The same was true for the other two.
Hei Kui had also said that the pills were bestowed by the Azure Cloud Bandits' lord, and everything was for the sake of finding that great tomb.
Thinking of this, the vigor in Old Sword's body grew even stronger, bursting with life as though he had returned to his youth.
Deep within the cave, Hei Kui and Xue Ren arrived at a secret chamber. Xue Ren casually surveyed the surroundings, then found a stone stool and dropped onto it.
Hei Kui glanced at Xue Ren, took out a white jade porcelain bottle, and tossed it to him.
"Take it. There are three Blood Pills bestowed by the lord inside."
Xue Ren caught the jade bottle in one hand and gently removed the stopper. In an instant, a bloody stench drifted out.
Xue Ren's expression changed as he looked up and asked:
"These are Blood Pills?"
Unexpectedly, Hei Kui sneered. "Asking when you already know."
Xue Ren gripped the jade bottle, his expression grave. "You know that isn't what I mean."
Hei Kui did not care. Smiling, he revealed a mouthful of large yellow teeth and asked in return:
"How does the Second Boss think the Azure Cloud Bandits raised so many martial artists?"
As for the Azure Cloud Bandits, the foremost force of the greenwood, Xue Ren only knew that they commanded an army made up of countless martial artists, and that they possessed beings above Blood-Qi Warriors.
It was said that such figures could ride the wind through empty air and wield the natural forces of heaven and earth, practically immortals.
That was one reason why the Azure Cloud Bandits' lord had made Xue Ren, originally a chief himself, join Blackwind Stronghold with a mere sentence.
Hearing Hei Kui say this, Xue Ren thought of many things at once.
Xue Ren remained silent. He had not known that the pills bestowed by the Azure Cloud Bandits' lord were Blood Pills of this kind.
After a while, he poured out a Blood Pill from the jade bottle, placed it in his palm, and brought it close to smell it.
Mixed with a rust-like scent, it was blood-red throughout. The patterns on its surface twisted in chaotic disorder, like the final struggles and wails of a dying man.
After the rust scent passed, a dense medicinal fragrance rushed at his face. Drawn by that fragrance, the Blood Qi within his body circulated several degrees faster.
"Hehe, I never expected the Second Boss to be so particular." Hei Kui folded his arms. Seeing Xue Ren sniffing and examining it, he could not help pulling at the corner of his mouth.
Then his tone shifted. "But people like us will stop at nothing to survive. Do we still care what a pill is refined from?"
"Enough, Second Boss. I've given you the pills, so I won't see you out." Hei Kui said impatiently.
Xue Ren still said nothing. He merely put away the Blood Pills in silence, turned, and left.
Watching Xue Ren's retreating back, Hei Kui narrowed his eyes and secretly spat.
"Pretentious."
As Xue Ren walked, the bottle of Blood Pills had long since been tucked into his sleeve.
It was not that he was pretentious. He had once been the chief of Vermilion Serpent Stronghold and had killed countless people. Though this was his first time hearing of using people to refine pills, he did not think there was anything wrong with it.
This world was one where the weak were prey to the strong.
He had once heard people say that only by enduring hardship could one become a man above men. He had believed it deeply, running himself ragged for a living, yet he remained poor and destitute.
On the other hand, those idlers who spent their days preying upon the common folk lived in splendid prosperity.
At that moment, he understood. Enduring hardship could not make one a man above men. One had to eat people!
Only by eating people could one become a man above men!
Having grasped this truth, he slaughtered all the hooligans who had bullied him under cover of night, then fled to the mountains overnight to become a bandit.
After all these years of wind and rain, Xue Ren had long stopped believing in right and wrong. Principles? Could they let him live a few more days?
After returning to his quarters, he took out a Blood Pill. After staring at it for only a moment, he picked one up and swallowed it.
At this moment, in the hunting camp built on the outskirts of Azure Radiance Mountain.
Everyone sat gathered together. This was a meeting exclusive to those of the Qi-Blood Realm.
The Three Great Families of Verdant Grain County, as well as all forces with Blood-Qi Warriors stationed among them, had come.
"Everyone, it has been a long time since we last met." One elderly man with a white beard and long whiskers said with a genial smile.
The old man appeared utterly ordinary, his face covered in wrinkles. Only his eyes were exceptionally bright, as though they could see through men's hearts.
The elder was Gu Zhao, master of Golden Eyes Martial Hall within the city.
Gu Zhao was also the alliance leader of Verdant Grain County's Martial Hall Alliance.
"Brother Gu, it truly has been a long time." Another man replied with a smile.
That man's palms were enormous, far larger than those of an ordinary person. He toyed with a pair of white jade walnuts in his right hand, looking kind and amiable. He was Hong Tao, chief of the Azure Flood Gang.
The Azure Flood Gang controlled Water Transport in Verdant Grain County. Their people were spread throughout every corner of the city, and their influence was immense.
The man beside Hong Tao was no less formidable. He was Wei Zheng, chief of the Firewood Gang.
The Firewood Gang's subordinates spread throughout the forests and mountains around Verdant Grain County. Almost nothing that happened in the wilderness escaped the Firewood Gang's notice.
Aside from them were the Qi-Blood Realm martial artists of the Three Great Families and Qin Anming, the Grand Elder of Green Grain Martial Academy.
At this moment, Qin Anming sat in the seat of honor. His beard was long, his robes plain, and his spirit vigorous.
He sat in the seat of honor not because he was the strongest, but because the Martial Academy was an official institution of Great Qian.
Matters large and small occurring in every region were overseen by people from the Martial Academy.
Qin Anming gave a light cough. Only after everyone's eyes had focused on him did he slowly speak:
"Everyone, we have gathered here today mainly to discuss the bandits of Blackwind Stronghold."
"Whatever opinions you have, feel free to speak openly."
"Brother Qin, Blackwind Stronghold has committed countless evils. This is the perfect chance to wipe them out in one fell swoop." Hong Tao said solemnly as he rolled the white jade walnuts in his hand.
The moment those words came out, all the Blood-Qi Warriors present looked toward him.
Who did not know that the Azure Flood Gang controlled Water Transport? Of all the merchant households in Verdant Grain County, who had not suffered oppression at their hands?
Wei Zheng tilted his head and smiled teasingly. "Brother Hong, why do those words sound so strange coming from your mouth?"
Gu Zhao stroked his long beard with one hand, watching the two with a genial smile.
The people of the Three Great Families watched the show in silence.
Hearing this, Hong Tao did not grow angry. Instead, he said meaningfully, "They say nothing in the mountains escapes the Firewood Gang's eyes. So why did the Firewood Gang not discover Blackwind Stronghold's affairs in advance?"
At this point, Hong Tao smiled instead.
"Brother Wei, was Blackwind Stronghold simply hidden too deeply? Or is it that your Firewood Gang and Blackwind Stronghold..."