Then over ten people surged out from both sides of the mountain path. Each carried a large knife on their shoulder, faces filled with malice, grinning.

The leader was a short man with a square face from Mountain Wind Stronghold, nicknamed "Fang Yaozi." Due to his short stature, when he fought with others, he would hack people at the waist, hence the name "Fang Yaozi."

"Stop, stop, stop."

"Telling you to stop, can't you hear?"

Fang Yaozi shouted several times, glaring fiercely, and letting out a shout through Qi Movement.

Fu Bo and the others felt their eardrums shake, seeing stars, and had to stop.

"Which village are you from, looking pretty affluent." Fang Yaozi's eyes were like mung beans, but trained in martial arts, they shot a sharp glare. Having lived in a bandit lair for a long time, he exuded a seven-part evil aura, his glare chilling.

"Master, from Black River Village, we're from Black River Village."

Fu Bo stepped forward to negotiate.

"Black River Village?"

Fang Yaozi pondered for a moment, "Oh... I remember now..." As he spoke the word "now," he spun his large knife, slicing off half of Fu Bo's ear.

He spoke harshly, "All right, all right, you said you had no money!"

"Last time the fourth boss came to your village, taught you farming, mediated village disputes. Several girls in your village were infatuated with the boss's good looks, insisting on following him back to the stronghold."

"You say we put in manpower and effort, didn't get any hard-earned money, didn't see any gestures from you, and now you have money to go to the market?"

"So you were deceiving us."

As Fang Yaozi spoke, the bandits roared with laughter, finding it extremely amusing.

Yet among the village men, several had reddened eyes. In the taunts, there were sisters in their families who had been taken up the mountain.

After Fang Yaozi finished, he further kicked Fu Bo to the ground.

"Fu Bo!"

Everyone cried out in surprise. When they came, they were equipped with machetes and sticks, but now they dared not wield them.

Luckily, there was snow on the ground, softening the fall. Fu Bo exclaimed in pain but could still move.

"Master, listen... listen to our explanation."

"We sold the old cow to… to exchange for some grain."

Fu Bo forced himself to stand, cupped his hands in apology, smiling wryly.

"Master, consider half of this grain a tribute, a tribute to you all."

"Please, be kind and grant us a path. Leave us half the grain, just enough to get through this winter."

"You say we must live first, to always serve you, right?"

Fang Yaozi nodded, "You do speak some truth. I see you, old guy, are quite sensible. How about this, give us sixty percent of the grain."

Fu Bo felt painful distress but was truly helpless, with a total of ten bags of yellow coarse millet, he painfully handed over six bags to Mountain Wind Stronghold.

At least four bags were left.

"One more bag."

Fang Yaozi laughed.

"This... this..." Fu Bo was very troubled, but could only endure, and let someone hand over another bag.

"Old fool, you're really pathetic, living to such a state, you've no regrets."

"No wonder you've lived so long, turns out you have some tricks."

The bandits laughed heartily. Fang Yaozi suddenly drew his blade, slashing open the remaining three bags of grain.

The yellow millet scattered all over, mixed in with the snow.

"Go pick it up then."

"Better hurry, it will be dark soon."

Fang Yaozi said with a smug smile.

"Bastard!"

A young man, unable to suppress his anger, raised his club, charging at Fang Yaozi.

"No!" Fu Bo's face changed, he hurried to stop him. But it was too late, the young man had already swung his club, striking Fang Yaozi on the shoulder.

Fang Yaozi, feeling the pain, shrugged his shoulder, the club shattered section by section, sneering, "Good boy, you sure are gutsy to strike at me." He grabbed the young man.

The young man shouted angrily, "With no food, we can't survive anyway. Hitting you with a club is worth it!"

"It's worth it for you." Fang Yaozi looked at the others, "What about them? Besides, your swing doesn't hurt or itch me."

"Heh heh, when the big knife chops into you later, that will hurt..."

Suddenly there was a strange noise.

Just as he spoke "hurt," an arrow had already shot forth, pinning Fang Yaozi to the ground.

The club stroke didn't hurt or itch him, but this powerful flying arrow did penetrate into flesh and bone.

It hurt like hell!

His smug expression twisted instantly.

But this flying arrow, filled with strong Inner Qi, pierced through his shoulder, embedding into the ground, causing him to howl in pain yet unable to rise.

Li Xian shot another arrow.

One, two, three...

The ordinary mountain bandits were all struck through the throat, dying cleanly.

One bandit, quickly reacting, drew a knife to block. Li Xian suddenly dropped from above, kicking him in the lower back. With a "bang," the bandit was paralyzed from the kick, collapsing on the ground, limbs twitching uncontrollably.

"Watch my blade!"

A bandit immediately swung at him, but Li Xian was quicker, punching him in the face.

Once Li Xian appeared, his moves were viciously ruthless.

After dealing with several in succession, his divine might descended, intimidating everyone. He saw a bandit with a stunned expression, just three steps away. He immediately took a large stride forward, punching the bandit's chest, the Inner Strength exploding his heart.

Then, turning with the momentum, he swung the Narrow Blade, killing another bandit.

In that instant, seven or eight bandits were already dead.

The three remaining bandits had lost all will to fight, desperately fleeing. Li Xian drew his bow once more...

Whoosh—

The arrow flew in a perfect arc.

One bandit fell.

[You killed a bandit, Skill Level +4]

Li Xian's expression remained indifferent, loosening his finger.

[You killed a bandit, Skill Level +4]

The last bandit had run quite far, obscured by greenery.

Li Xian raised his bow, utilizing Qi Movement, shooting an arrow in a higher, longer arc, indescribably graceful.

The last arrow struck home.

[You killed a bandit, Skill Level +4]

In the twist of fate, not a single one was left.

"Does it hurt?"

Li Xian walked toward Fang Yaozi, stepping on his arrow wound.

"Pain your grandpa!"

"If you dare to touch me, I'll make sure none of you survive!"

Fang Yaozi said harshly.

Li Xian took out an arrow, thrusting it into his left shoulder fiercely, blood gushing, "Does it hurt now?"

Fang Yaozi held back his words. Li Xian sneered, "You sure have some backbone."

"Too bad you won't live long."

Without further ado, Li Xian nocked his bow, slowly pulling the bowstring. During this process, Fang Yaozi's expression showed visible fear, just as he was about to plead...

An arrow had already shot forth, nailing his head dead.

"No..."

He said the word, dying with eyes open in disbelief.

"Master... this..."

Fu Bo and the others showed no signs of joy.

"Bury these bodies."

"Let's pretend this never happened."

Li Xian said calmly, "Oh, and remember to loot the corpses."

"Hurry up!" Fu Bo came to his senses, instructing everyone to dig a pit and bury the bodies.

All of them being farmers, they quickly dug a large pit, threw all the bodies in, and buried them completely.

They scavenged a total of seven taels of silver and several iron knives and iron spears.

Li Xian gave three taels to Fu Bo, saying, "If this gets exposed, Black River Village will certainly be ransacked. However, if we don't resist, we'll either starve or freeze to death."

"You all don't need to panic, just act according to my orders, and we'll face soldiers with generals and water with earth subsides."

"Overall... things won't get any worse."

Li Xian's calm demeanor influenced everyone.

The villagers' eyes gradually grew determined, with nowhere to go, they had no choice but to follow the Nursing Home master.

"Guarding Black River Village, it's inevitable that Mountain Wind Stronghold can't be avoided."

Li Xian thought, knowing he couldn't guard it alone. It would be better to arm the villagers and increase assistance.

Those knives, sticks, axes, hammers, and other weapons, Li Xian instructed them to bring back to the village, dig another large pit and bury them again.

They might be able to retrieve them and use them later.

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