I am not a cruel man

Inside the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness.

Qin Shujian sat at the head of the hall and asked the two men below, "How did your investigation into the situation in Rubble Forest go?"

"Otherworlders are running rampant in Rubble Forest. The whole place is in chaos."

"Otherworlders are running rampant?"

Qin Shujian narrowed his eyes.

Zhang Tieniu nodded. "Yes. An Otherworlder Village has appeared in Rubble Forest as well, with no fewer Otherworlders than Beginner Village 10021, which we destroyed.

"And these Otherworlders are growing stronger extremely quickly. The three bandit factions in Rubble Forest originally each controlled their own territory, but under pressure from the Otherworlders, they've gradually joined forces to resist their incursions."

His expression grew grave at the mention of the Otherworlders.

Fortunately, when Liangshan Stronghold advanced to a first-tier power, his own cultivation had risen to the fourth level of martial entry.

Otherwise...

His trip into Rubble Forest would have been a perilous one, with little chance of survival.

Qin Shujian was not surprised to hear this.

The speed at which players grew stronger was beyond anything these NPCs could match.

And given the players' tendency to strip everything bare like a swarm of locusts, once they reached a certain level of strength, the bandit factions in Rubble Forest would inevitably be uprooted.

The fact that the three bandit factions had already joined forces meant they had sensed the threat posed by the players.

Unfortunately...

Judging by what Zhang Tieniu had said...

These bandits still knew nothing about players.

Players were creatures that were almost impossible to stamp out, and their speed of growth was astonishing.

The moment these bandits chose to band together and defend themselves, they had already lost.

To truly suppress the players...

They had to strike with overwhelming force before the players could rise, wiping them out completely.

Otherwise, sooner or later, the players would turn around and bite them.

If Qin Shujian had still been debating whether to move against Rubble Forest before...

Then after hearing Zhang Tieniu's report, he no longer had the slightest hesitation.

He had to act!

Although the players were only running rampant in Rubble Forest for now...

How far was Rubble Forest from Liangshan Territory, really?

With the players' reckless thirst for exploration, it probably would not be long before they reached into his Liangshan Territory.

Rather than passively taking a beating when that happened...

He might as well take the initiative now.

The more Qin Shujian thought about it, the more certain he became.

So he immediately asked, "How strong are those three bandit factions? Do they have any experts above the entering martial sixth layer?"

"As far as I know, the strongest among the three factions were originally only at the martial entry fifth level. But with the Otherworlders running rampant, it's possible they've advanced.

"Still, by my estimate, the entering martial sixth layer should be their limit. The chances of anyone being above that are negligible."

Killing Otherworlders allowed them to level up, but that growth was not unlimited.

To advance beyond the entering martial sixth layer, they had to kill Otherworlders who were at least at the martial entry third level.

That was undoubtedly an extremely demanding requirement.

"The entering martial sixth layer?"

Qin Shujian pondered for a moment, then ordered, "Send a letter on my behalf to the bandit factions in Rubble Forest."

He did not consider himself a cruel man.

Even though he had already prepared to move against Rubble Forest...

Qin Shujian still did not want to attack these bandits unless he had no other choice.

After all—

They were all fellow outlaws.

Now that he had become an NPC, they could even be considered his own kind.

Qin Shujian felt that slaughtering his own kind was not something he could do lightly.

Then...

Qin Shujian wrote three letters, one for each bandit faction, and handed them straight to Zhang Tieniu.

He believed...

The bandits in Rubble Forest would surely feel his profound sincerity when they read these letters.

After giving those instructions...

Qin Shujian immediately assembled the bandits of Liangshan Stronghold.

Those bandits had only one day. Though he thought they were unlikely to refuse, he still had to prepare in advance.

If any problems arose...

He would immediately lead his men to sweep through Rubble Forest.

Meanwhile...

After receiving Qin Shujian's orders, Zhang Tieniu headed straight for Rubble Forest with the three letters.

Only a little over twenty li separated Liangshan from the boundary of Rubble Forest. With the speed afforded by the fourth level of martial entry, the journey did not take long.

However...

Rubble Forest covered far more land than Liangshan Territory, spanning an area two or three times its size.

Though the three bandit factions were not spread too far apart...

They were not right next to one another, either.

So by the time Zhang Tieniu had delivered all three letters, a full six hours had passed.

Whenever he handed a letter over to the bandits, he immediately turned and left, not lingering even a second longer.

He had not read the letters.

But a vague premonition made Zhang Tieniu unwilling to stay.

If the letters contained some unwelcome news...

Then with his cultivation at the fourth level of martial entry, he might not be able to escape if he became trapped in a bandit den.

Zhang Tieniu had not gone far...

When an enraged voice rang out from one of the strongholds.

"This is intolerable!"

Niu Feng's face flushed red. His broad hand crushed the sheet of white paper, and his large, bell-like eyes blazed with fury, as though flames might erupt from them at any moment.

Naturally, he had heard of Liangshan Stronghold.

Their territories bordered each other, after all. Even if they had never interacted, they could hardly be entirely unaware of one another.

As far as Niu Feng was concerned, Liangshan Territory and Rubble Forest had always kept out of each other's affairs.

That was why, when a bandit from Liangshan Stronghold had come to deliver a letter, he had been fairly polite and had no intention of making things difficult for the messenger.

But now—

Niu Feng bitterly regretted not detaining the messenger and hacking him to pieces.

"I am Qin Shujian, chief of Liangshan Stronghold. I have long heard of my fellow outlaws in Rubble Forest and could not help but yearn to meet you."

That was the opening passage of the letter.

It seemed perfectly normal.

What truly enraged Niu Feng, however, was what followed.

"I have heard that Otherworlders are now running rampant in Rubble Forest. Liangshan Stronghold is willing to help eliminate this scourge, but in return, Mingai Mountain must be incorporated into Liangshan Stronghold.

"You have one day to consider this. Should you refuse, Liangshan Stronghold will sweep away every obstacle."

Whether in its explicit words or its implications...

Niu Feng saw nothing but provocation.

Mingai Mountain had held sway in Rubble Forest for over a decade. As its chief, he had never had anyone act so brazenly before him, much less openly threaten him.

If the recent harassment from the Otherworlders had not made Niu Feng unwilling to divide his attention...

He would have mobilized the entire mountain and gone straight to war with Liangshan Stronghold.

As for the deadline mentioned in the letter, Niu Feng paid it no mind whatsoever.

"I'd like to see just what a puny Liangshan Stronghold is capable of, daring to boast that it can sweep away my Mingai Mountain!"

Niu Feng's expression was icy as he spoke, emphasizing every word.

However...

Once his anger subsided, he regained his clarity.

Liangshan Stronghold's actions appeared to target his Mingai Mountain, but viewed more broadly, they were aimed at all of Rubble Forest.

Until he fully understood the other side's strength, Niu Feng had no intention of shouldering everything alone.

"Mingai Mountain isn't the only faction in Rubble Forest."