Out here, it's all about backing!

Qian Kuidou took a closer look, and his expression immediately darkened.

His bronze-bell eyes widened even further, and a thick wave of killing intent instantly swept through the surroundings.

Clearly, he too had recognized Ning Que and Yin Jiuyou as the men who had killed his younger brother that day.

He and his brother Qian Zhao had never been particularly close. He even felt some contempt for that gambling scoundrel who spent his days running gambling dens and abducting women to sell to brothels.

But he was still his own flesh-and-blood brother!

Besides, this incident reflected badly on his father, Magistrate Qian. If he wanted the Black Kui Stronghold to keep expanding and grow bigger and stronger, he needed the magistrate's backing.

If this incident brought his magistrate father down, then no matter how far the Black Kui Stronghold expanded, it would ultimately be doomed to face a reckoning.

However powerful a bandit might be, he could never fight the authorities.

Qian Kuidou had understood that truth from the moment he entered the mountains to become a bandit.

Therefore, these two men had to die!

In those fleeting moments, all these thoughts flashed through Qian Kuidou's mind.

These two men had not only killed his brother, but had also slaughtered every last enforcer at the Treasure Abundance Hall.

Among them had been quite a few men from the grasslands whom even he had coveted.

That was proof enough of their strength.

"Go gather the brothers from the eastern and western camps. Hurry!"

Qian Kuidou issued the command in a low voice.

"If necessary, notify my father and tell him to send troops to reinforce us!"

He refused to believe that bandits and officials working together couldn't capture these two desperadoes.

"You two look rather familiar..."

After issuing those two orders, Qian Kuidou grew much more composed.

He stepped forward and looked at Ning Que and Yin Jiuyou, a cruel smile curling his lips. "You killed several brothers of my Black Kui Stronghold, and you killed that good-for-nothing younger brother of mine... Do you know who our father is?"

Ning Que and Yin Jiuyou were waiting for the people from the Qingzhou Branch to arrive.

Hearing Qian Kuidou's words, a hint of amusement appeared on their faces as they asked, "Who?"

"The magistrate of Lotus County!"

Qian Kuidou straightened his back and looked at Ning Que. "Out here, it's all about power and backing! Kid, you're out of luck. You've offended the biggest local emperor around!"

"No matter where you came from or where you're going, if you kill the magistrate's son, you'll leave your lives here!"

"Pay with your lives!"

"Pay with your lives!"

The bandits behind Qian Kuidou roared deafeningly.

Just then, the bandit who had left returned.

He told Qian Kuidou, "Chief, the pillars of the eastern and western camps have arrived..."

Pillar was a general title. Within a stronghold, they usually ranked directly beneath the chief.

The Black Kui Stronghold, for instance, had four camps-east, south, west, and north-with a pillar stationed at each.

When the chief was absent, they gave the orders!

Rumble...

The ground trembled, and even the rocks across Black Kui Ridge seemed to slide loose with the vibrations.

Two more bands of men hurried toward Qian Kuidou.

"Luo Tong of the eastern camp!"

"Ma Wu of the western camp!"

"Greetings, Stronghold Chief!"

Two figures came before Qian Kuidou and called out in deep voices.

They were the pillars of the Black Kui Stronghold's eastern and western camps!

Now, all the Black Kui Stronghold's forces had assembled.

Qian Kuidou's imposing air also reached its peak.

He took two steps forward and stared at Ning Que and Yin Jiuyou, his presence surging like a flood. "Boys, what you've done has enraged men and gods alike. Even a bandit horseman like me can't stomach it!

"Will you kneel and surrender, or must I take you down myself and haul you before the authorities?"

Ning Que chuckled and said to Yin Jiuyou beside him, "These bandits have even taken on the soldiers' work..."

Yin Jiuyou said nothing, but a faint trace of mockery surfaced in his indifferent eyes.

That made Qian Kuidou's expression darken.

Beside him, the two pillars, Luo Tong and Ma Wu, were already itching to act.

Quite a few of the bandits Yin Jiuyou had killed earlier had belonged to their eastern and western camps.

"Chief, why waste any more words? Just kill them!"

"That's right! Forget taking them to the authorities. Make them pay with their lives!"

Luo Tong and Ma Wu roared.

A hint of mockery appeared in Ning Que's eyes. "A rabble like you dares demand that we surrender?"

Beside him, Yin Jiuyou stepped forward and pulled a pitch-black iron seal from inside his robe.

"Open those dog eyes of yours and take a good look! What is this?"

Rumble...

At Yin Jiuyou's fierce shout, the bandits led by Qian Kuidou really did freeze.

Qian Kuidou's eyes widened in disbelief, and his expression shifted.

"What is that?"

"Never seen it..."

The other bandits also looked bewildered.

The Black Kui Stronghold had gotten its start in Lotus Town, and Lotus Town lay tucked away in a remote corner of the Great Li Dynasty.

Having never left this place in their lives, they naturally had scarcely heard of Flowing Sand.

Only Luo Tong had come from elsewhere. His expression shifted as he stared at the iron seal, seemingly struggling to remember.

Recovering, Qian Kuidou flew into a rage as though he had been humiliated. "You little bastard, trying to bluff me! Do you think you can just pull out any old token and pass it off as the Emperor's Token?"

"..."

At this sight, Yin Jiuyou fell silent.

Ning Que glanced at him. "Didn't I tell you? Nobody in a backwater nook like this would know who we are..."

Against these bandits, they still had to rely on sheer strength!

"Get them! Take an arm and a leg off each, then claim your reward!"

"My old man put a hefty bounty on these two!"

Qian Kuidou roared, and the bandits surged forward as one, charging at Ning Que and Yin Jiuyou.

Ning Que turned to Yin Jiuyou. "When will the people from Qingzhou arrive?"

"They should be here soon..."

Yin Jiuyou murmured.

But as he spoke, he had already taken the long saber off his back.

Rumble...

Just as he was about to strike, the ground suddenly began trembling again.

The tremor was so faint that without paying close attention, one would never have noticed it.

Yet both Ning Que's and Yin Jiuyou's expressions changed.

Yin Jiuyou silently put his saber back.

Seeing this, Qian Kuidou burst into laughter. "My wolves, these two brats are scared out of their wits! That brother of mine was utterly useless, getting killed by these two spineless shrimps!"

Bullying the weak and fearing the strong was a bandit's nature.

At this sight, the bandits grew even more excited, tightening their grips on their blades.

Rumble...

The rumbling of the ground grew louder and louder, until it drowned out the bandits of the Black Kui Stronghold.

A towering wave of killing intent swept toward them. It was like standing at the heart of a battlefield where two armies clashed; that terrifying, murderous aura nearly tore them apart.

"Hm?"

Qian Kuidou, Luo Tong, Wang Wu, and the others turned to look in surprise.

They immediately witnessed a terrifying sight-a densely packed mass of people was advancing toward them.

Every one of them carried a grim, murderous aura. These men were only a band of mountain bandits. When had they ever seen anything like this?

They all froze on the spot.

At last, all those people gathered before Ning Que and Yin Jiuyou.

The man in the lead looked them up and down. When he spotted the jade pendant hanging at the neck, a sharp light instantly flared in his eyes.

He called out loudly, "Qi Shanhe, branch master of the Quick Sand Qingzhou Branch, pays his respects to the Juzi!"