Chapter 259: Inside the Luodai Cave – The Jianlao and Xiao Simengsi

Zhao Ji tiptoed back into the main hall of the Shandong; it was still deserted, with only snoring and sleep-talking drifting out from the various rooms.

Randomly selecting a few ordinary wooden huts, Zhao Ji discovered they were all filled with Bandits, and many of the Bandits were living together as men and women; he did not see any place that resembled a Jianlao.

Carefully approaching a wooden hut with a door lamp lit, Zhao Ji pushed the wooden door, finding it locked from the inside. Although this hut had no windows, Zhao Ji could tell from the five such lit huts that these were likely the residences of the Bandit leaders.

Zhao Ji recalled seeing a group of Bandits heading out to raid earlier, and the one leading them was clearly a Bandit leader. Looking at it this way, one of the five huts with door lamps in this hall should be unoccupied. It was likely that only the families of the other party lived inside; perhaps he could make contact. After all, those women locked up here must have been snatched by the Bandits and lost their original families; perhaps there was still some hatred for the Bandit Group in their hearts?

However, after thinking it over carefully for a while, he gave up the idea of finding that Bandit leader's hut. He had to focus his attention on finding and rescuing the kidnapped Merchant. Even if he had an inside contact who hated the Bandits, what could they do?

In the end, it would still come down to a real fight with blades and guns. These Bandits who had a lair must be eliminated; if they were not eliminated, they would take root here, and in the future, more innocent travelers and the Merchant Guild would suffer harm.

Zhao Ji carefully spent some time scouting all the open wooden huts; basically, every hut had some number of Bandits living in it. The Bandits kept some poultry and livestock around the huts, though not many. Some of the guard dogs noticed Zhao Ji scurrying about but only stared at him, not barking.

Zhao Ji estimated that these guard dogs had been beaten for barking randomly at night before, so now, seeing the clearly suspicious Zhao Ji, they only tucked their tails and lay on the ground.

After searching a circle, he did not find any hut that was a Jianlao, so there was only one possibility: the hall connected to another passageway!

Unlike the other passageways, this one sloped slightly upward, and there was lighting here. This forced Zhao Ji to scout each corner of the passageway carefully and cautiously after turning it to see what the situation was.

After a few upward turns, Zhao Ji discovered he had suddenly emerged from the Shandong. This surprised him quite a bit; after carefully examining his surroundings, he realized he hadn't actually come out of the Shandong, but rather that the ceiling of the passageway here had a wide crack extending to the outside of the mountain.

Through the crack, he could see the night sky outside; the stars, the moon, and the mysterious celestial bodies of the gods could all be seen one by one.

Passing through this roofless passageway, Zhao Ji finally reached the end of the path.

He carefully poked his head out from the bottom of the passageway to observe, discovering that the opposite side was a fairly large cave; storerooms for supplies and tools were on the left, while on the right were a few prison cells and a slightly more spacious training ground.

Many damaged weapons and wooden dummy targets were placed casually on the training ground. Unlike other places, this area was guarded by three people, presumably left here specifically to prevent those in the Jianlao from escaping.

Those three Bandits were sitting at a table by the small training ground, drinking water and talking. Although it was the middle of the night, they seemed to be in the middle of a lively discussion, arguing about something from time to time.

Zhao Ji looked at his current position and the distance and cover between him and the three of them. He found that not only was no one paying attention to this area, but there was also something at the entrance of the passageway that could conceal his figure.

Just like in the hall below, the object that could conceal his figure was a large water vat, also carved out of stone and filled with water; needless to say, this was a safety measure left to prevent stored supplies from being burned.

Although it was only a few steps from the passageway entrance to the large water vat, Zhao Ji did not act rashly. He leaned his back against the inner wall of the passageway entrance, listening carefully to the words of those Bandits to see if there was a suitable opportunity to pass.

If it really didn't work, he would just have to fight his way in later; there were only three of them, and perhaps he could take them out before they could sound an alarm.

Moreover, this place was still some distance from the hall in the Shandong below; he didn't know if the sounds of fighting would carry down below, but if they didn't, it would be easier for him.

After listening for a while, Zhao Ji discovered that the Bandits were just guessing how long it would take for each of the people locked up to submit. Aside from young women, the captives they kept were some talents they particularly needed.

One Bandit believed that among those locked up, the Merchant was the most likely to submit first. He felt that as long as they waited until next spring, when the other party's uncle had no other options and submitted to their Luodai Cave group, the captive would naturally lose the resolve to resist and would surely obediently become the eyes of their Bandits.

The other two Bandits followed this topic and mocked how weak the people in the Simons Chamber of Commerce were when they had originally raided it. They had thought a chamber of commerce that had never been robbed would be very formidable, but it turned out to be nothing more than that.

Speaking of this, those two Bandits who must have participated in the night raid on the Simons Chamber of Commerce laughed loudly, even cursing and insulting toward the direction of the Jianlao.

"What 'Simons Chamber of Commerce never gets robbed'? They're actually just a bunch of cowards who obediently follow behind the big merchant guilds, never daring to trade alone! Haha, we should have burned that damn Simons Chamber of Commerce to the ground back then, so those suckling Soldiers at Bingxun Pass would know that people who only know how to hide in the pass are just old dogs without guts, only fit to eat leftovers."

A faint retort also came from the Jianlao.

"Is that so! Then, you formidable Bandits, why didn't you burn our chamber of commerce to the ground back then? Could it be, oh, I guess after burning it, you wouldn't have been able to get out of Bingxun Pass, right? Using the lives of our chamber of commerce people to trade for the lives of your main force of vicious Bandits, I think it's still worth it, ha. Hahahaha. When I have a chance to get out, next time you come again, I will definitely make you die with me."

Zhao Ji guessed that the owner of this retort was likely his target, Mr. Kendo's nephew—Xiao Simengsi.

Hearing that the other party still had the strength to retort to the Bandits' mockery, Zhao Ji breathed a sigh of relief. This showed that the other party had been locked up for so long, but at least his will had not yet surrendered. At the same time, being able to speak to retort meant his physical condition was at least not too bad.

This faint retort from Xiao Simengsi seemed to have angered the three Bandits, making them lose face in front of the other prisoners in the Jianlao.

These few Bandits picked up several leather whips hanging on the wall, walked over together, and opened the Jianlao where Xiao Simengsi was being held.

Then, the sound of whips landing on a person's body came from inside, along with the pained groans Xiao Simengsi couldn't help but let out.

"Hit me, beat me to death, you trash will have to die with me too! Your leader still needs me alive. A few more lashes, hit me! Come on!"

Then came the sound of loud whips again.

"Damn it, this guy is looking for death. Guys, stop! Everyone stop!"

Then came the arguing of the Bandits, though the whips didn't strike again: "Want to be whipped, huh? Listen well, from now on we will come every day to reward you with a few lashes, hmph! Now, spring is still far off, and you'll have a hard time in the days to come. You guys too, dying is impossible, we aren't stupid, but why must you resist so stubbornly? Join our Luodai Cave, and there will be good food and fun things later. Although things might have been unpleasant before, the life ahead is still long as long as you're alive."

"That's right, join us and you won't have to suffer. Some of the things that happened when we invited you here were just because those boys were quick-handed. Join us, you all know how to do something; after joining us, your status will definitely be above those lackeys! You can rely on your status to bully them, right? This world is just like that. That person killed your family, and after you join us, you can quietly take revenge. The three of us will definitely keep it a secret, how about it?"

No one in the Jianlao made a sound, and these three Bandits, in their anger, gave each of the people locked in the Jianlao one more lash.

It was evident that the so-called being valued after joining the Bandits was just nonsense spoken by these few people. These Bandits had always believed in the importance of power; how could people they had kidnapped ever be valued in the slightest?

The three Bandits walked out of the Jianlao cursing and swearing with whips in hand. The Bandit walking in front was just about to turn his head to speak to his companions behind him when a Long Sword swung out from the side of the Jianlao entrance, cutting through most of his neck in one strike.

This man died instantly, his twitching body lying at the entrance, fresh blood gushing out in large amounts from his severed neck.

Zhao Ji pulled the Long Sword out from the fallen corpse's neck, first stepping back to dodge the whips swung by the two Bandits behind. Then he rushed up and forced back the "Who is it?" that the Bandit had only managed to shout halfway.

Zhao Ji saw that these three Bandits were careless and did not carry their personal weapons in their lair, only taking three leather whips when disciplining the prisoners.

Ignoring the whip lashing from the left, Zhao Ji held the Long Sword with both hands and thrust it straight into the chest cavity of the Bandit in front.

No one wanted to die; the Bandit he aimed at did not counterattack Zhao Ji, but instead directly pulled the arm of his attacking companion, dragging the companion in front of himself to take the fatal blow.

Although the target had changed, Zhao Ji still thrust the Long Sword into the unlucky Bandit's chest, piercing straight through the chest cavity and out the back.

The ruthless Bandit who had traded his companion's life for a chance rushed straight out past Zhao Ji. He ran straight toward the nearest place, the small training ground next to the Jianlao, where those old training knives and swords were placed casually.

It wasn't that he didn't want to cross the training ground to retrieve his own standard weapon, but right behind him, following closely, was Zhao Ji.

Zhao Ji pierced the chest of the Bandit who had been pulled by his companion to act as a shield, realizing that the Bandit who had rushed out definitely wanted to retrieve a weapon and go out to call for reinforcements.

He didn't bother to pull the Hunting Longsword out with effort, instead turning around to chase after him.

The timing was perfect; the Bandit had just picked up a weapon when Zhao Ji chased him down, making the other party afraid to face him with his back turned, forcing him to fight head-on.

Although Zhao Ji was empty-handed, he only dodged sideways with his feet twice before swapping positions with the Bandit.

Also picking up an old Long Sword, Zhao Ji looked at the Bandit opposite, who was holding an old Cleaver full of notches. Zhao Ji revealed a smile, held the Long Sword in a front grip, and stood far apart from the nervous Bandit.

"Who are you? How did you appear here?" Perhaps realizing he was no match for Zhao Ji, this Bandit spoke first.

However, Zhao Ji had no obligation to answer this Bandit; aside from giving a little smile to this Bandit who was about to die, he had no interest in saying more.

After all, where would a normal person talk to a dead man?

The worn-out Long Sword hung down, lightly tapping the rock on the ground, making a knocking sound that made the Bandit opposite nervous.

Zhao Ji no longer stood still but circled half a turn around the Bandit. Just as the Bandit was twisting his body with his footsteps to adapt to Zhao Ji's movement, Zhao Ji suddenly kicked off sideways, his whole body suddenly returning to his previous position, and the old sword slashed upward diagonally.

The Bandit suddenly realized the other party was launching an attack, but just as he wanted to turn back to swing his blade, Zhao Ji had already attacked from the Bandit's left side. Before the Bandit's blade could arrive, Zhao Ji's sword had already slashed the left side of the Bandit's waist.

Originally, if the opponent had been willing to sacrifice their left arm, this sword strike might only have sliced off half their palm, but the Bandit opposite subconsciously clenched their fist and retracted their arm to facilitate swinging the old Cleaver with their right hand.

With this, Zhao Ji's upward-slashing sword swept deeply across the opponent's left waist; the thick, messy clothing on the opponent's body provided not a shred of defense and was sliced open directly, exposing the Viscera.

The Bandit, whose left waist had suffered a heavy blow, only let out a cry of pain, and the Cleaver in their right hand lost its strength and speed, being directly and boldly seized by the wrist by Zhao Ji.

Pressing the Bandit's right hand against their own neck, due to the vast disparity in strength between the two, this Bandit, who looked somewhat burly, was actually suppressed by Zhao Ji.

The blade of the old Cleaver, full of notches, made contact with the filthy neck; this Bandit's eyes were filled with despair, but they dared not open their mouth to scream. They relied on this final breath to sustain their strength; once they opened their mouth, the tension in their arm would slacken, and they would die instantly.

Zhao Ji had no expression, merely increasing the pressure again to force the opponent's wrist down, then pulling the opponent's wrist left and right, letting the old Cleaver tightly gripped in the opponent's hand act like a saw to break through the tree trunk that was the Bandit's neck.

After pulling back and forth a few times, several large Blood Vessels on the Bandit's neck were sliced open, fresh blood bubbled out, and in just a few seconds, the Bandit passed out.

Zhao Ji released the old Long Sword he was holding, gripped the old Cleaver that had shredded the Bandit's neck with both hands, and exerted force downward, embedding the Cleaver deep into the depths of the opponent's neck.

After killing this Bandit, Zhao Ji returned to the opened Jianlao, pulled the Hunting Sword out from the chest of a Bandit who was still twitching, and then stabbed the sword into the eye of the fallen Bandit, driving it into the brain to ensure the Bandit was truly dead.

During the previous battle, the several prisoners locked against the wall in this Jianlao had all seen half of the battle process and heard a little fighting outside the Jianlao, but none of them had opened their mouths to make a sound.

Only now, after Zhao Ji killed the three jailer Bandits, did they begin to sob in low voices while asking for Zhao Ji's identity.

But Zhao Ji did not report his identity; he had no idea yet about saving these superfluous people.

Walking up to Mr. Xiao Simengsi, who had previously taken many lashes, Zhao Ji leaned into Mr. Xiao Simengsi's ear and whispered, "Is it Mr. Thrace Simons?"

With eyes full of hopeful tears, Mr. Xiao Simengsi nodded urgently: "I am, I am, I am Thrace Simons, the Vice President of the Simons Chamber of Commerce. Are you the person my uncle sent to rescue me?"

Nodding to confirm, Zhao Ji still asked one more question: "Please let me confirm, what is your uncle's name?"

"Kendo Simons. Kendo Simons!"

After receiving confirmation, Zhao Ji used a Dagger to cut the Rope binding Xiao Simengsi to the wall; this kind of Rope was soaked in oil and was thick, not something a person could bite through with their teeth.

Moreover, the Bandits did not provide much food or water at all, only enough to keep a person at a level where they would not starve to death; these prisoners simply did not have the strength to use their teeth to bite through the oil-soaked Rope binding their hands.

"Please, save us too, I beg you!" The prisoners nearby, seeing that Zhao Ji was specifically here to rescue this Simons, all opened their mouths to beg for rescue.

This put Zhao Ji in a difficult position; he knew these people were all suffering commoners captured by the Bandits and all held hatred for the Bandits, and he also wanted to save these people.

But now they were deep in the Bandit's lair, and in the Shandong hall outside, there were at least over fifty or sixty Bandits sleeping, and there were at least four Bandit Leaders of unknown strength.

How could he escape with these commoners?

Arm everyone? Then fight their way out?

How could that be possible? There were at least four Refining Qi Bandits at the entrance of the Shandong; if their luck was bad, they might even run into two returning patrol squads, ten people.

At most, there would be fourteen Bandits at the entrance.

Zhao Ji had to first pacify these commoners, neither saying he would save them nor saying he would not.

He first let Mr. Simons go out to eat something to replenish some physical strength.

This was the place where the Bandits stored supplies, and there was a water vat for extinguishing fires nearby; there was both food and water. Mr. Simons excitedly came out to rummage for something to eat.

Sure enough, a leather bag was filled with horse jerky prepared by the Bandits for the winter; Mr. Simons used the water from the water vat to wolf down the horse jerky.

This horse meat was likely made by the Bandits after slaughtering horses injured during raids. This jerky was covered in salt and then dried, making it very durable for storage.

The many bags indicated that these Bandits did not know how many Caravans they raided every year; of course, it might also have been one big haul.

Zhao Ji came to the adjacent Jianlao; in the several Jianlao nearby, other commoners were locked up, both men and women. The women all had dull expressions and were barely covered in rags. The men all had more or less suffered non-light injuries.

Calculating, there were at least twenty-three people in the entire Jianlao, eight women and fifteen men.

What should be done?

Zhao Ji walked to Mr. Xiao Simengsi's side and whispered the current situation to him.

Mr. Xiao Simengsi then excitedly said: "I have an idea, there is a Tianjing crack in the side passage that leads directly outside. If we don't pass through the hall where the Bandits live below, we can find a way to escape from there!"

That's right! There was indeed a path in the outer passage.

Zhao Ji let Mr. Xiao Simengsi continue eating first, while he would go to see if it was possible to get out from there.

Just as Zhao Ji entered the passage, Mr. Xiao Simengsi looked at the nearby Jianlao, and after considering it with rapid breathing for a while, he still picked up the old swords and blades from the training ground nearby and returned to the Jianlao to rescue the other bound commoners.

"Everyone don't worry, I'll let you all out right now! Those who have untied their ropes, go and rescue the people in the other Jianlao first. Then there is plenty of food nearby, eat something first, drink some water, and after that, we will escape from here. Once we escape from here, we will bring people back for revenge!"

The other commoners who had been untied: "Right! Right! Right! We must have revenge! Kill all these Bandits who call themselves Luodai Cave!"