This band of fierce bandits and vagrants entrenched outside Black Goose City had brought untold suffering to the surrounding people.
The four towns and thirteen villages outside Black Goose City had to tighten their belts every year to pay tribute and protection money. Those who refused would be burned, slaughtered, plundered, and robbed.
Even when the yamen constables went after them, they could only return empty-handed, leaving the people of more than ten places miserable beyond words, with no choice but to endure in silence.
And now, this bandit leader before him actually claimed to be one of Magistrate Gao of Black Goose City's men!
A surging fury rose in Qin Zheng's heart as he asked again, "You're saying that you bandits are all Magistrate Gao's people?!"
Zhang Xiuwen hurriedly nodded. "That's right. This time, I attacked Black Goose City because Magistrate Gao ordered me to act as well."
As he spoke, a trace of viciousness surfaced in his eyes.
"He never told me a master like you would appear. He only said a monk would make a move, and that I only needed to remember to lead my men in a feigned rout at the right time."
"It seems Gao Wusheng wanted to use your hand to get rid of me! Since he is heartless, don't blame me for being faithless!"
A monk?
Wuchang the Monk from Rebirth Temple?
Was he also secretly making deals with Magistrate Gao?
For a moment, all kinds of thoughts churned through Qin Zheng's mind.
"Young hero, spare me this time, and I'll tell you everything Gao Wusheng has done over the years!"
"I—"
He was speaking in a panic when his voice abruptly stopped.
Immediately afterward, the bandit leader's eyes rolled white. His entire body trembled as though someone had seized him by the throat, leaving him unable to breathe.
This strange development instantly put Qin Zheng on high alert.
At the same time, Zhang Xiuwen stretched both hands toward Qin Zheng and forced out, "Save me."
As soon as he said those words, his body suddenly stopped trembling, while his breath rapidly weakened. Clearly, he would not survive.
Seeing this, Qin Zheng did not hesitate in the slightest. He stepped forward and slashed out with the Ghost-Head Saber.
In an instant, blood spurted like a pillar, and a head rolled to the ground.
Merit acquired!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The archers who had fallen silent drew their bows again and fired at Qin Zheng.
Hmph!
A cold gleam flashed through Qin Zheng's eyes. He stamped his foot, his body moving like a shadow as he darted into the nearby forest.
With his current spiritual senses, and after those archers had fired so many arrows at him, he had long since roughly determined their locations.
Once he entered the forest, the layers of trees provided cover, and far fewer arrows flew his way.
A short while later, amid several terrified screams, the rain of arrows ceased completely.
Several breaths later, Qin Zheng emerged from the forest with a lean, wiry man behind him, returning to Zhang Xiuwen's headless corpse.
He had heard that in the south of this world lay the Miao Territory, where a people were exceptionally skilled at raising and refining gu.
Zhang Xiuwen's condition just now had closely resembled the outbreak of gu poison after someone had been afflicted by gu.
That was likely Gao Wusheng's method of controlling him.
Just now, Zhang Xiuwen had harbored thoughts of betrayal and exposed Gao Wusheng's affairs, triggering the gu poison and causing his death.
At this thought, Qin Zheng's expression turned grave.
The waters of Black Goose City ran even deeper than he had imagined!
However, as long as he was strong enough, no conspiracy or scheme could amount to anything before absolute power!
Qin Zheng then used the Ghost-Head Saber to prod the corpse. Only after confirming there was nothing unusual did he begin searching it.
Some loose silver, several banknotes, a mutton-fat jade bottle containing pills, and nothing else.
Qin Zheng frowned slightly.
It seemed the other man had not kept that internal cultivation art on him.
He rose to his feet. Since it was not on his person, it was very likely hidden in the bandits' lair!
This was the first time Qin Zheng had obtained information related to an internal cultivation art.
Whether Zhang Xiuwen had spoken truth or lies, he had to verify it and search for it himself!
With that thought, he lifted Zhang Xiuwen's corpse and casually threw it into the forest.
Drawn by the scent of blood, wild beasts would soon come to gnaw on the body.
Qin Zheng then turned to the archer he had struck with the Black Fiend Palm and said, "Take me to your lair, and I'll spare your life."
The archer's face was ashen. He had only experienced the pain of the Black Fiend Palm flaring up for an instant, yet it had already made him wish he were dead.
Hearing Qin Zheng's words now, light immediately appeared in his eyes.
"Do you truly mean that, hero?!"
Qin Zheng nodded slightly and said, "Lead the way!"
When he had made his move, he had already considered the possibility that he would not find the internal cultivation art on Zhang Xiuwen.
So when he attacked the archers, he had deliberately spared one of them, using the Black Fiend Palm's force to erode his body so that he would not dare move recklessly.
His purpose was to make him lead the way to this band of bandits' lair.
The two crossed mountains and ridges. Though the archer's martial skill was nothing impressive, he was still at the Skin-Refining Realm, so he was not slow when traveling through the wilderness.
Less than half an hour later, they arrived at a stronghold deep within the mountains.
Because they were attacking Black Goose City today, nearly all the bandits had left the stronghold. Only some women, children, and elderly remained.
At the sight of Qin Zheng's arrival, wary expressions appeared on their faces.
"Take me to Zhang Xiuwen's residence."
Qin Zheng ignored them and spoke directly.
Since Zhang Xiuwen was Gao Wusheng's man, after his death, Gao Wusheng would certainly send people to investigate the situation.
He had to find the internal cultivation art and leave before Gao Wusheng's people arrived.
Led by the archer, Qin Zheng quickly reached Zhang Xiuwen's residence.
"This is Chief Zhang's residence. Without his orders, no one was allowed to approach this place."
The archer's face was pale as he trembled while speaking to Qin Zheng.
The Black Fiend Palm's force was once again eroding his body, and the pain was unbearable.
Qin Zheng nodded. It was a small pavilion deep within the stronghold. When he entered, his eyes were met by decorations made from all kinds of beast pelts.
He frowned slightly, then spread out his senses and began carefully searching the room.
The bed, the table, the floor.
Qin Zheng searched every possible place. Only after overturning the bed did he discover signs that the floorboards had been loosened.
After lifting the floorboards, he immediately found a passage leading underground.
Qin Zheng's eyes lit up at once, and he bent down to enter the passage.
Below the passage was a small room filled with chests of gold, silver, jewels, and all manner of calligraphy and paintings.
Besides collecting protection money from the four towns and thirteen villages, these bandits would occasionally rob merchant caravans. They were swimming in riches.
Though the sight was astonishing, Qin Zheng's mind was not on the gold and silver.
He swept his gaze around the room and spotted a jade box on a shelf.
Qin Zheng hurried over, took down the jade box, and opened it.
Inside lay a thin booklet.
Several large characters were written on its cover.
"Five Viscera Internal Cultivation Art"!
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