The aftermath
"Three hundred and fifty-three, three hundred and fifty-four." At this moment, Lu Zhen did not feel any pain in his arm. He happily poured out the Spirit Stone from a Storage Bag with gold-embroidered edges and counted them again.
"There are a full three hundred and eighty-three Spirit Stone!" Lu Zhen couldn't help but smile. He wiped the Storage Bag, which originally belonged to the leader of the Jia Mountain Bandits, with mud and hung it on his waist.
"Kang Dabao is a man of principle." Lu Zhen couldn't help but be happy. As the second head of the Lu Household, his annual salary was only twenty Spirit Stone. This was equivalent to gaining nearly twenty years' worth of basic income.
This... This... Not only did my arm not hurt anymore, but even glancing at my seventh aunt's husband, who was still lying on the ground and not yet completely cold, didn't spoil my good mood in the slightest.
This seventh uncle had cultivated Daoism for nearly thirty years, yet he was so poor that he couldn't even afford the cheapest Storage Bag. There's really nothing to lament about him dying here. Even those three vicious Evil Cultivator were almost wiped out, leaving only two of Ghost Horse Owls alive.
As for why Kang Dabao wanted to keep them, Lu Zhen didn't ask.
Whether it was Yuan Jin's gauntlets stained with blood and bone fragments, or Jiang Qing's still-dripping flying sword, they clearly reminded him that the Lu Household had no say here.
"The Chongming Sect is about to rise again in this generation." Thinking this, Lu Zhen emptied the Spirit Stone from his Storage Bag and started counting them again.
Whether Lu Zhen had other thoughts in his mind at this moment was not important at all; what was important was to make others think that he did not have other thoughts.
Seeing that Kang Dabao had skillfully crippled the meridians of his two henchmen, he left far away and casually found a place to hide, seemingly not caring at all.
The four Kang Dabao brothers had a clear division of labor: Jiang Qing went to find the children from the Ye Household; Pei Yi suppressed his injuries and prepared healing spirit medicine; as for Yuan Jin, the madness on his face had not completely faded, and he looked at the two henchmen who were still panting with murderous intent. Just as he was about to make a move, Kang Dabao slapped him across the face.
"Senior brother!" Yuan Jin roared angrily, provoked by the unexpected slap.
"Slap!" Kang Dabao's response was another slap.
"Ah!" Yuan Jin was so angry that his eyes turned bloodshot, and he raised his arm to retaliate.
"You dare!" Kang Dabao shouted, and slapped Yuan Jin hard several more times until Yuan Jin clutched his head and groaned in pain before he stopped.
"Are you awake yet!" Kang Dabao pretended to hit him again.
"He's awake, he's awake! How could the boss be so ruthless?" Yuan Jin cried, his eyes gradually clearing.
"You need to increase your morning and evening scripture recitations, otherwise you'll get into big trouble sooner or later. In my opinion, since you still have a lot of spare money, you might as well switch to another Cultivation Method as soon as possible. Your violent temper is hard to control, and your willpower is insufficient. The longer you practice the White Ape Scripture, the deeper your violent temper will become. I'm afraid that one day you might really hit me." Kang Dabao's face was full of worry. Although the slap was heavy, his concern was genuine.
"Junior brother would never dare to hit senior brother in his entire life," Yuan Jin said with a forced smile.
He knows his own situation best; how could he not know the drawbacks of the "White Ape Scripture"? Yet, in order to cultivate this powerful Cultivation Method, he has suffered countless hardships both in public and in private, and only now has he achieved some success. To switch to another technique? How easy is that?
Kang Dabao knew Yuan Jin's intentions. Seeing that Yuan Jin didn't respond, he didn't bring it up again. It was true that he was Yuan Jin's senior brother, but he couldn't sway Yuan Jin's Dao Path according to his own wishes. That would be a big taboo.
"Have you thought it through?" Kang Dabao turned to look at his two henchmen, his tone icy.
"I'll take you there, but will you spare our lives?"
"Kang dislikes deceiving people, so he won't be spared, but he can die a quick and painless death."
"Sect Leader Kang is an honest man," a slightly stronger henchman chuckled bitterly, then said, "But your godfather just likes to suffer a little, my good son, let your godfather try out your methods of serving you."
"Ugh." Kang Dabao's face darkened. He rolled up his blood-red sleeve, grabbed the henchman by the collar, and shoved a sharp dagger into the henchman's mouth, stirring it wildly until it produced a lot of bits and pieces.
Then he threw the henchmen on the ground and crushed their wrist bones.
"Leading the way doesn't require a tongue, just eyes. You've come for the lives and fortunes of my entire family, so I can't let you live. To be frank, lead the way properly and I'll let you go. If you don't appreciate this kindness, I have plenty of ways to deal with you. Once I've gone through all the trouble to find Ghost Horse Owls's lair, I'll send the guards down to keep you company."
"But the fate of those mortals is hard to say. I, the Daoist, dare not get involved in too much killing like you beasts. But I have worked as a castrator for a few days, and I still have connections with the Wondrous Cloud Pavilion in Xuanwei City. It wouldn't be difficult for your relatives to live as prostitutes for decades. Are you afraid?"
The henchmen whose tongues had been ripped apart were still in agony, their screams continuing unabated, and they could hardly hear a word Kang Dabao said.
The pale-faced henchman on the other side heard every single word clearly.
"Sect Leader Kang's methods are so cruel and vicious," the henchman sighed, his voice trembling with tears.
"We only wished to preserve our broken bodies and find a secluded place to end our lives. We dared not have any other thoughts. We will forever remember your mercy and beg you, Sect Leader, to have compassion."
Kang Dabao grinned. "I certainly wouldn't believe it. Learn some toughness from the guy next to you, look how heroic he is."
Since his transmigration, Kang Dabao's biggest fear has been making enemies. The cultivators who know him well know that Kang Dabao is a kind and gentle person with few enemies. This is actually because those who have truly become his mortal enemies have all been made to disappear by him through all his efforts.
Who can say for sure what happens in the cultivation world? You dare to hold a grudge overnight? Aren't you afraid that the other person might suddenly have a miraculous encounter tomorrow and crush you with a single finger before ascending to immortality in broad daylight?
For a time, Kang Dabao was so obsessed that he was afraid even if he stepped on a mouse, the person might be a blood relative of the Demon King and be hunted down by the great demon from afar. He's a little better now, but he still wouldn't let two lackeys live.
Seeing that there was no other way, the henchman who had begged for mercy lost his spirit and obediently told them everything he knew with his head down.
Ghost Horse Owls has been wreaking havoc in the area for nearly a decade, earning him quite a reputation. Even though his most valuable possessions are hidden in Zhao Gu's Storage Bag, Kang Dabao doesn't believe that everything in his lair is worthless.
It was, after all, the stronghold of a force that had gathered nearly thirty cultivators, so it must have some valuable items. Kang Dabao, who was used to a life of hardship, couldn't bear to part with them.
After carefully listening to the location of Ghost Horse Owls's lair and instructing Yuan Jin to keep an eye on the two henchmen, he came to Lu Zhen's side. Pei Yi had just treated the external injuries of the three young men and women from the Ye Household, and now he had prepared a medicine for Lu Zhen, but judging from his tightly furrowed brows, he knew that the medicine would not be very effective.
"I boiled red heart vine and lotus seed in water for a short time and had Fellow Daoist Lu drink it, then added half a pill of the 'Dissolving Corrosion Pill' crushed and applied externally. The effect was not great. Go back to the sect and check the classics; perhaps there is a solution. Otherwise, if you continue to treat him with this prescription, Fellow Daoist Lu will need at least two more years to fully recover."
Before Pei Yi could finish speaking, Lu Zhen was already grinning from ear to ear. Two years of recuperation in exchange for twenty years of regular salary—what a bargain! Besides, they didn't even charge for the medicine.
These brothers are very particular about everything they do.
"Then Fellow Daoist Lu should take good care of his injuries." Kang Dabao offered a brief expression of concern. Since being taught a lesson by Jiang Qing's Swordsmanship, the Lu Household had become quite arrogant. Lu Zhen's performance this time was also commendable. Although his combat skills were somewhat mediocre, his concealment Law Technique was quite effective, even making Kang Dabao a little envious.
At this moment, Jiang Qing arrived with the heads of the Lu Household and Xue Household.
The head of the Lu family first threw himself on the corpse of his seventh aunt's husband lying on the ground in the next room and howled for half an hour as if no one else was there, until even Lu Zhen, who was standing next to him, felt embarrassed and pulled him up.
With red-rimmed eyes, the Lu Household head bowed deeply to the crowd in a state of mourning, apologizing profusely. "I, Lu, have lost my composure. Please, fellow Daoists, forgive my rudeness."
Not many people paid attention to his performance. However, whenever the white-browed Xue Household head was about to speak, the Lu Household head would wail incessantly, interrupting him.
After this happened several times, the Xue Household head was so angry that he could barely speak, and sweat broke out on his forehead.
Kang Dabao smiled and remained silent. He had given the cultivators from the Lu Household all the benefits they deserved. Even if the Lu Household head cried himself to death here, he wouldn't be able to get another fragment of spirit material from him.
"Speaking of which, Fellow Daoist Mo's maternal grandmother's maternal grandmother was also a member of the Xue Household. According to seniority, I should call her cousin. This time, you have suffered a disaster, and I imagine your family is struggling to make ends meet. Please take this small token of my appreciation back to help my cousin's family." As the head of the Xue Household spoke, he reluctantly took out fifteen Spirit Stone from his sleeve.
"How can this be? How can this be?" The Lu Household head moved swiftly, his eyes red, as he grabbed the Spirit Stone and put it into his Storage Bag.
This action left everyone present speechless, and Lu Zhen was so ashamed that his face turned as red as blood. Only Kang Dabao nodded in agreement, feeling a sense of kindred spirits meeting, thinking that face was only worth a few Spirit Stone.
After receiving the Spirit Stone, the Lu Household head's eyes quickly dried, and the conversation among the key figures then began.
"I am Chongming Sect that I am not worthy of Chongming Sect's righteous act. It is a pity that the Xue Household is weak and powerless, and cannot serve as the vanguard for Sect Leader Kang. I am truly ashamed."
"The Lu Household thinks the same way."
"We four families have shared joys and sorrows, our bond as deep as the pool above water for a hundred years. Today, the Ye Household has suffered misfortune, and I, an old man, am deeply saddened. My friend Ye Zhongming, whom I have known for many years, far surpasses me in Technique Method and Divine Ability. I never expected that he too would perish at the hands of thieves. It is truly lamentable."
"The Lu Household thinks the same way."
"Thanks to the efforts of my fellow practitioners in the Chongming Sect, the invading bandits were wiped out in one fell swoop. I am deeply grateful and would like to offer a suggestion. As the saying goes, if you don't kill a snake, it will leave you vulnerable. There must still be many Evil Cultivators in the bandit's lair. If we wait for one or two ambitious individuals to get involved, the consequences will be unimaginable. The Xue Household is willing to take responsibility this time and lead the way for Sect Leader Kang, striking right at the heart of the enemy."
"The Lu Household thinks the same way."
The head of the Xue Household glared at the head of the Lu Household. Kang Dabao was also taken aback, as the tone and manner of the head of the Lu Household seemed very familiar.
Putting aside his playful thoughts, Kang Dabao knew the two families' plans. The bones had been gnawed clean, and the remaining fat was definitely for the Chongming Sect. They dared not think otherwise.
Although neither family member had very strong teeth, and they might not even be able to chew the remaining lean meat, they could still tear off a few strips of meat with the Chongming Sect to taste it.
Upon hearing of the defeat of this Evil Cultivator, the two family heads immediately set their sights on the bandits' lair.
That's not surprising. He's the person in charge, after all. How stupid can he be?
It's good to go together. Destroying three well-known strongholds would be too damaging to Kang Dabao's reputation. If the Chongming Sect were to bear the brunt of it, Kang Dabao might find it too conspicuous in the eyes of other forces.
With the reputation of the three companies joining forces, others probably won't care too much. They've already eaten enough of the fat, so they can share a little bit of the oil.
"Sect Leader Kang, may I ask if this matter can be considered as part of our Ye Household?!"
Thank you to all the readers who are supporting this book. Starting next week, Lao Bai will be working the evening shift and will be updating every afternoon.
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