Bandits Descend Upon the City! (Seeking Reads)

As the steady voice rang out, all eyes turned to follow.

Qin Zheng also felt a flicker of surprise and looked at the young monk.

"Good! Good! Good!"

"As expected of Saint Monk Wuchang from Rebirth Temple!"

Magistrate Gao repeatedly exclaimed "good," his face filled with excitement.

"Advisor Liu, quickly fetch the silver notes for the Saint Monk!"

He turned to Advisor Liu beside him and spoke.

"Understood!"

Advisor Liu turned and left swiftly.

But just then, the monk's expression sharpened, and he said, "Benefactor, there's no need. Saving the suffering and delivering relief is my monastic vow; it is not for the reward of silver."

Magistrate Gao smiled and said, "I was too attached. But you must accept this silver, Saint Monk. Consider it my incense offering to Rebirth Temple."

After these words, the monk's expression relaxed slightly.

The crowd watched this scene, their thoughts varied, but no one spoke.

When Advisor Liu returned with the silver notes, Magistrate Gao personally handed them to the monk before turning to everyone else.

"As you all have seen, the promises I made earlier are all true."

"Participating in bandit suppression as an individual will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver, and participating with a gang's influence will exempt you from taxes for three years!"

He repeated the conditions he had promised.

Several gang forces were immediately tempted, including the Canoe Gang. The First Boss, Zhang Wei, also showed a hint of desire at this moment.

The Canoe Gang's profits were too substantial, and the taxes they paid to the yamen each year were also a considerable sum.

If they could be exempted from taxes for three years, that would be an enormous amount of money!

Moreover, if they themselves did not act, Black Goose City would surely be doomed.

Once the bandits entered the city, his entire fortune would likely be plundered.

With this thought, Zhang Wei slowly stood up, his expression serious as he said, "Count the Canoe Gang in!"

After his declaration, the remaining forces quickly followed suit.

"With Black Goose City in crisis, the Black Tiger Gang will not stand idly by!"

"Expelling the bandits also counts the Vermilion Bird Gang in!"

"Our Three Origins Gang..."

"I..."

In an instant, everyone declared their willingness to participate.

The smile on Magistrate Gao's face grew even more radiant.

"Excellent! Since you are all willing, my yamen cannot be stingy!"

"Advisor Liu, quickly! Distribute the silver to these heroes!"

He waved his hand generously.

Advisor Liu immediately took out a stack of silver notes and began distributing them one by one.

Qin Zheng, blending into the crowd, silently accepted a silver note.

With his current strength, venturing out to suppress bandits would not pose a significant danger. In fact, it could be a prime opportunity to accumulate a large amount of Merit.

Furthermore, with everyone agreeing now and no one objecting, Qin Zheng, after careful consideration, chose to accept silently.

A thousand taels per person; judging by those present today, the yamen must have disbursed tens of thousands of taels.

This Black Goose City yamen was truly wealthy!

"Good! Everyone, we will rest peacefully in the city for the next few days. Three days from now, when the bandits approach the city, we will march out to suppress them!"

Magistrate Gao's decision settled the matter.

Thus, the banquet concluded.

Everyone dispersed from the yamen.

While the others resided in the west of the city, Qin Zheng lived in the east.

Therefore, on the way back, Qin Zheng was alone.

His mind was entirely focused on suppressing the bandits in three days, and he paid little attention to his surroundings.

Suddenly, mist gathered behind him, coalescing into a human-shaped silhouette, as if watching Qin Zheng from behind.

At that moment, Qin Zheng's brow twitched slightly, and he was instantly jolted awake.

He glanced back suddenly.

The evening mist was thick, but nothing else appeared.

Qin Zheng frowned slightly, then stopped thinking about the bandit suppression. He used his Qinggong [lightness skill] and swiftly headed towards the dilapidated temple east of the city.

The north of the city was indeed quite eerie and not a place to linger.

Upon returning to the broken temple, several children had already fallen asleep under Qi Yan's care. However, Qi Yan was still awake, waiting, a hint of worry faintly showing.

Seeing Qin Zheng return, her expression relaxed, and the worry in her eyes disappeared.

"Brother Qin."

Qi Yan walked over.

"Mm."

Qin Zheng nodded, then thought for a moment before speaking, "In three days, I will go out of the city to suppress bandits. I will find you all a new place to stay during these days."

Going out to suppress bandits, Qin Zheng didn't know how long it would take.

Leaving the group in this dilapidated temple was also not safe; it was better to find a clean place elsewhere.

After Qin Zheng finished speaking, he went to rest.

Qi Yan, however, remained slightly stunned on the spot. When she looked at Qin Zheng again, her gaze was truly filled with worry.

Time passed, and it wasn't even three days.

On the second day, large groups of bandits began to appear outside Black Goose City.

Instantly, the city became extremely tense once more.

Qin Zheng found a larger courtyard in the south of the city and settled the people from the broken temple inside.

Afterward, he was found by people from the yamen [government office] and invited to the city gate in the west to rendezvous.

As he was leaving, Qi Yan hurriedly found Qin Zheng.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her expression was shy, looking at Qin Zheng as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

Finally, she took out a small sachet from her embrace and handed it to Qin Zheng, whispering, "Brother Qin, this is a sachet I embroidered these past few days."

"Inside is a peace charm I got from the Daoist temple. The bandits are fierce, and I can't help you much."

"Giving you this sachet, I hope you can be safe on your journey."

Qin Zheng took her sachet and smiled, saying, "Thank you. You all also need to be careful these days."

After speaking, he left directly.

Only Qi Yan remained in place, her eyes filled with worry.

When Qin Zheng arrived here, carrying the ghost-head saber on his back, the area was already densely packed with disciples from various factions.

And there were many young monks also wearing white monk robes, who should be monks from Rebirth Temple.

However, Qin Zheng was a little puzzled. Had these monks entered Black Goose City long ago, or had they appeared recently?

He always felt as if these monks had suddenly emerged.

This doubt flashed through his mind and then disappeared.

Advisor Liu was already waiting there. He respectfully led Qin Zheng onto the city wall.

Saint Monk Wuchang of Rebirth Temple, the First Boss of the Canoe Gang, Leader Wei of the Black Tiger Gang...

A group of Muscle-Refining Realm experts who had broken through the three major levels were all present here.

Qin Zheng walked forward and greeted everyone.

Immediately after, he looked towards the city below.

The west of the city was the main city gate of Black Goose City, so the bandits' attack was primarily focused here.

Thus, when Qin Zheng's gaze shifted, he saw that the bandits below had already gathered, appearing like a dense black mass under the city gate.

A burly man, holding a crescent saber, with his eyes closed, seemed to be accumulating his power.

This was the leader of the bandits, Zhang Xiuwen!

Seeing this scene, Qin Zheng's eyes immediately sank slightly.

As if sensing Qin Zheng's gaze, the burly man opened his eyes and looked over.

Instantly, their gazes collided in the air.

"Kid! Open the city gate, and we won't kill you later!"

The burly man spoke slowly, his voice like thunder, clearly reaching the city gate.

Qin Zheng narrowed his eyes and ignored him.

"I'll give you another half an hour. If you don't open the city gate, our army will directly storm in!"

"And during this time, I'd like to invite all of you to watch a performance!"

The burly man's voice continued to ring out.

After he finished speaking, the crowd behind the big man parted, creating a passage.

Immediately, several people with their hands tied and wearing dog leashes were led to the big man's side.

"These are the troops from your Black Goose City who went to suppress the bandits. They have all been captured by us!"

"From now on, every quarter of an hour, I will behead a group of people!"

"If the gates aren't opened within half an hour, I will directly begin the assault on the city!"