Harassment Raid

At the border between White Stone and Qinghe, at the Yang Family's northern mine.

"P-please... spare m—"

Crack!

Before the bandit leader could finish speaking, Yang Linghu had already twisted his neck with one hand.

Looking at the corpses strewn across the ground, he wiped the blood from his body and calmly turned to leave.

This was already the fifth group of wandering bandits he had dealt with in recent days.

These unlucky fools had been too greedy, each hoping to seize the mines here as a base. They had never imagined that a Second Level of Qi Gathering cultivator was stationed in these remote mines.

By the time they realized Yang Linghu was no ordinary man, it was already too late to leave.

Yang Linghu returned to the mine. When the guarding Clan Soldiers saw him, they all stood at attention and saluted.

"Welcome back, Immortal Master Linghu!"

Yang Linghu nodded and returned to his quarters.

The moment he entered, he sat on a meditation cushion and began reviewing the day's events.

This was a habit he had gradually developed over the year or so he had guarded the mine alone.

He knew his mind was not as sharp as Lingqing's, so he always thought things over and reflected more before and after acting, lest something go wrong.

After going through everything that had happened today in his mind, Yang Linghu slowly opened his eyes.

"The leader today had all eleven Qi Meridians open. He was already on the verge of Condensing Qi Mansion."

Yang Linghu thought, Lingqing also mentioned in her earlier letter that my side would become a place plagued by bandits. I must not act rashly in anything and must be extra careful.

He rose and walked to the window, looking at the dark clouds on the horizon. A faintly ominous feeling lingered in his heart.

"Wait. Something isn't right."

A sudden flash crossed Yang Linghu's mind. He took out a map and marked the trails left by the five groups of wandering bandits.

Looking at it this way, he immediately spotted what the five groups' movements had in common.

They had initially entered from the east, then gone in different directions, yet all of them had turned south after traveling northward, heading straight for the mine.

It was as though someone had pointed out the way for them.

Yang Linghu spread out the map and studied it carefully. His fingertip traced northward before stopping at one place.

Sanglu Valley!

Yang Linghu understood at once. The Zhang family was undoubtedly involved in this.

The moment he realized this, he immediately changed his mind.

"Someone."

"This subordinate is here. What are Immortal Master's orders?"

A captain of the Clan Soldiers, clad in rattan armor, entered the room.

"Pass down my order. Starting today, halt all mining. Within three days, send all stored ore and laborers from the mine back home."

Yang Linghu instructed, "After they leave, take the Clan Soldiers and return as well."

"Ah! Immortal Master, you intend to remain here alone?"

The captain of the Clan Soldiers was greatly alarmed. "That will not do. When we came here, Immortal Master Lingqing specifically instructed—"

Yang Linghu raised a hand to stop him, then turned and handed him a prepared letter.

"This is my personal letter. Lingqing will understand when she sees it. The bandit troubles to come are not something you can handle. The family did not raise you up easily; throwing away your lives here would not be worth it."

"This..."

The captain of the Clan Soldiers opened his mouth, but in the end, he accepted the order. He immediately began organizing the miners and laborers to move the stored ore.

Meanwhile, on a hill north of the mine, not far from Sanglu Valley.

A group of wandering bandits had taken up residence there and even built a stronghold.

Over a hundred people had gathered in the stronghold, drinking and tearing into meat in wild feasting. They had seized all of it through burning, killing, and plundering along the way. Who knew how many innocent people had suffered disaster at their hands?

"Young Master Zhang, thanks to you, the three of us brothers have managed to gain a foothold. I offer you a toast!"

Inside the main tent at the center of the stronghold, a burly, bearded man raised a wine jar and toasted Zhang Chen.

This man was the chief leader of the bandits.

Two others sat beside him: one was pale and delicate-looking, dressed in white, while the other was Scarface.

The two were the bearded man's sworn brothers, as well as the second- and third-ranking figures among the bandits.

Seeing their eldest brother offer a toast, the two followed suit at once.

"Young Master Zhang, you are the benefactor of us brothers. I toast you as well!"

"Count me in too!"

"Hahaha, no need for such ceremony!"

Zhang Chen was in high spirits. He downed three huge cups of wine in succession, drawing repeated cheers from the three men.

"Young Master Zhang can truly hold his liquor!"

"With such bold spirit, your future will surely know no bounds!"

After a round of drinking, Zhang Chen set down his cup and brought up the serious matter.

"Liao Feng, by making things convenient for you three brothers this time, I have broken the rules. The risk is no small matter."

Zhang Chen said slowly, "You must handle that matter properly for me."

"Of course! Rest assured, Young Master Zhang. We have laid the groundwork for many days. All that remains is to cast the net."

Chief Liao Feng readily agreed.

"Good! With those words, I can rest easy. Come, drink!"

As for why Zhang Chen had gotten involved with this band of wandering bandits, one had to begin when the war between the two countries had first broken out.

Ever since failing to seize the mine more than a year ago, Zhang Chen had kept the matter buried in his heart, always thinking of how he could take it back.

However, Zhang Tianqi and the others had focused all their attention on the cave dwelling within Sanglu Valley and had no such plans. He could only set those thoughts aside for the time being.

Once war broke out between the two countries and banditry began to emerge and grow increasingly severe, the Qinghe Town chief sought aid from the Zhang family, hoping they would help clear out the bandits.

At that time, the Zhang family had made some progress in researching the cave dwelling's restrictions. Zhang Tianqi and the others were unwilling to step away, while Zhang Chen happened to break through to the Second Level of Qi Gathering.

Zhang Tianqi wanted to use the opportunity to temper Zhang Chen, so he handed this task of assisting with bandit suppression to him. To ensure his safety, he also gave him a protective jade treasure from the family.

With that jade treasure, even a Third Level of Qi Gathering cultivator was someone he could handle.

At first, Zhang Chen had taken the bandit suppression seriously. Yet after only a few days, the crooked thoughts he had been hiding began to stir.

"Wandering bandits are running rampant everywhere now. The Yang Family does not have the geographical advantage my Sanglu Valley possesses, so they must be tearing their hair out as well."

"That mine is far from the Yang Family. That old bastard Yang Guanfeng certainly will not abandon the family to guard such a distant mine. It should still be that First Level of Qi Gathering brat from the Yang Family watching over it."

With that thought, an idea came to him.

"Why not divert disaster southward? Drive all the wandering bandits over there, then pick out a few formidable bandits and offer them some benefits, letting them slaughter everyone at the mine along with that Yang Family brat. Kill with a borrowed knife!"

"Hehe, then it would simply mean the Yang Family lacked the ability to protect its own holdings against wandering bandits. They would lose troops and generals—who could they blame but themselves?"

"Afterward, I can step forward and sweep away the bandits in this area. That would count as merit in suppressing bandits, and I could take over the mine openly and legitimately!"

With this plan in hand, he immediately began acting. First, he drove some of the more capable wandering bandits southward. Then he recruited Liao Feng and his two brothers, allowing them to establish a camp near Sanglu Valley, and supplied them with abundant provisions.

Liao Feng had once been a squad leader in the army of a prince of the Eastern Wasteland Dynasty. He had entered the Dao through martial arts and possessed Second Level Qi Gathering cultivation. His two sworn brothers were both First Level Qi Gathering cultivators as well.

Among the wandering bandits, their strength was exceptionally formidable. The hundred-odd men beneath them had been gathered through fighting, killing, and swallowing up other groups along the way.

"Hmph. Once I reclaim this mine, you will all see clearly who is truly fit to represent the Zhang family's future!" With wine in his belly, Zhang Chen thought expectantly.