Chapter 787: Bloody Orders and a Blood-Stained Dagger

In the tall shrubbery within the Shulin, the Bandit Leader dragged several innocent civilians, who were tied together with a Rope, into this spot.

He looked left and right, then swung his Great Axe against the ground twice, hacking several shrubs off at the roots before lifting his leg to kick them away, clearing a small patch of open ground for himself.

The eight male and female civilians did not know what this Bandit Leader intended to do; at this moment, they were all whispering pleas to the leader, praying for the other party to have a change of heart and let them go.

"What are you thinking, daring to have such delusions?" the Bandit Leader snorted with a laugh, giving the Rope in his left hand a violent tug; even though he was only one person, the eight people opposite him were dragged over stumbling and fell into a tangled heap.

Grabbing several handfuls of dead leaves from the ground at random, the Bandit Leader stuffed these dirty, foul-smelling, rotting leaves into the mouths of the civilians, blocking their ability to speak or scream.

Afterward, he drew his Dagger and cut the Rope connecting the eight people, but he did not let them go; instead, he tied each of the eight people up individually.

This time, it was not just their arms, but their ankles were also bound, and the civilians were completely unable to move. With their mouths stuffed full of stinking fallen leaves, they could not even speak words of mercy. They could only twist their bodies on the ground, attempting to roll away.

"Escape? Where do you think you can escape to like this?" Kicking a person back, the Bandit Leader pulled a long face and warned them in a low voice.

He stood with one hand on his hip and the other leaning on his weapon, eyes slightly closed, waiting for the young Bandits who were about to deliver themselves to him.

While waiting, he muttered to himself: "This is really troublesome; I hope the other two groups are in a similar situation to mine."

"Come, have a taste, it's delicious."

A lackey sidled up to a group of young Bandits, fiddling with several pieces of broken-off dried meat in his hands, enticing the young Bandits to talk to him. He had at least spoken a few words to these people before, so he started with this group first.

Although their stomachs were not hungry, young people could never eat enough; while they did not know where this sleazy lackey had gotten the dried meat, the young Bandits could not be bothered to care too much.

Looking left and right, taking advantage of the fact that the other groups nearby were not paying attention to this side, the few young men reached out together and snatched the few bits of dried meat from the lackey's palm.

Some put them directly into their mouths, while others sniffed them vigilantly before eating, guarding against anything being wrong.

"Eat without worry, this is beef jerky that our leader stored with me! It was specially marinated before being roasted, the taste is excellent. Come to think of it, have you ever eaten beef in all the years you've grown up?"

The lackey did not mind that the things in his hands had been snatched away; he even offered a thoughtful explanation.

Once they heard it was good stuff the leader ate, the few young men put the dried meat directly into their mouths; the two-fingernail-sized pieces of dried meat were chewed repeatedly for a long time before they reluctantly swallowed them into their stomachs.

Only after finishing did someone answer the lackey's question.

"Beef? Of course I've eaten it! My family used to raise cattle; one time a calf newly born to a cow got sick and died, and our whole family ate beef for half a month!"

A young Bandit patted his stomach proudly and spoke smugly about his family's life in the past.

Among this group of young people, it seemed only this fellow had a decent family background and had eaten beef before becoming a Bandit. As for the others, they were still licking the gaps between their teeth, searching for the tiny bits of meat fiber remaining in their mouths.

"Then your family was pretty good, why join us and work in this Bandit trade?" the lackey asked curiously.

The young Bandit who had previously claimed to have eaten beef froze for a moment, then said embarrassedly: "My family originally said we were going to flee as refugees, but halfway there I went to take a dump in the Shulin and ended up getting lost. By the time I walked out of the Shulin, there was no one left on the road; my family didn't even wait for me. In the end, they all left."

"I see. Then, brother, do you have any money on you? That guy Bamian just made a trip to the Cunzi and brought back some captured people for the purpose of letting everyone blow off some steam and relax. But I'll say this first, that guy Bamian charges money. If anyone still has money on them, rather than dying and having the money stay on your body, you might as well spend it all now; even if things turn out bad later, it won't be a loss."

The lackey said in a low voice, secretly pointing to a place obscured by shrubs not far from the Bandit crowd.

Although he was speaking to the young Bandit he had just talked to, he was actually saying it to the whole group.

The young Bandit who had spoken earlier narrowed his eyes and asked tentatively in a low voice: "At this time? Doing this thing?"

The lackey leered and said: "It's precisely at this time that we do this thing; ask that brother in your pants, ask it and see if it's willing."

Once these words were out, the few young men were all restless, but there were many people around after all, and many veteran Bandits were currently in the middle of creating obstacles for the Refugee Team or preparing for battle; yet here they were, these young Bandits, not only not fighting or working, but also able to do this kind of thing at such a time?

"Is no one in charge?"

A young Bandit asked, and the lackey's eyes widened: "Who dares to manage Bamian's affairs? That guy has a fierce temper; only the leader can suppress him, but at a time like this, the leader can hardly be bothered with such a small matter, right?"

The lackey poked the few young men with his hand: "I'm just asking if you're going or not; if you aren't, I'll go find others."

The young Bandit who had spoken earlier narrowed his eyes and looked at the lackey: "To tell the truth, are you getting paid to pull people in to do this at this time?"

The lackey hummed and hawed without saying yes or no, which instead made the young Bandits believe there was money involved, so the few of them exchanged glances and each secretly calculated the money they had on them, only to find that the money each of them had was not much, which made things difficult.

"What, didn't bring enough money?"

Seeing that these few people had the intention of backing down, the lackey immediately guessed the reason and asked.

The young Bandits were embarrassed to admit they had no money, so they had to beat around the bush and talk about other things. But the lackey understood the meaning, so he waved his hand: "It doesn't matter if you didn't bring enough money; you can owe the money or use your share of the spoils from this time to cover it in advance. That kid Bamian isn't afraid of others welching on his money, so even if you don't have money, you can go over and enjoy yourselves first."

"What if we don't pay him back?"

A young Bandit asked with his neck stiffened.

"Nothing much, it's just that the next time we go out to handle business, that guy Bamian will demand that the guys who owe him money and haven't paid go along with him, and the leader will mostly just agree directly. As for what happens later, it's about what you'd expect; the guys who owe money just disappear, and who knows if they were killed by that guy Bamian outside or sold off directly. Both are possible. Are you going or not? I'll ask one more time."

Seeing that the lackey was about to leave, the few young men finally decided to enjoy themselves early; it didn't matter anyway if they hadn't brought enough money.

The lackey then led them, chuckling, and avoiding the people around, dove headfirst into the shrubbery.

"Leader!!!"

Once they entered, what the young men saw was not the pale skin of the opposite sex, but the Bandit Leader glaring at them with a long face.

There were women lying on the ground, but they were all tied up!

Someone wanted to turn and slip away, but the lackey, who had been walking behind, pushed them at this moment, and the few young men stumbled in front of the Bandit Leader.

They knew they were no match for the Bandit Leader, nor did they feel that being tricked into coming here was much of a problem; they didn't even realize what the Bandit Leader's appearance here actually meant.

"Stand still. By the way, what did you tell them?"

The first sentence was a reprimand to the young Bandits, and the latter was asked of the lackey.

"Boss, I just said that guy Bamian had brought over a few women here..."

He didn't say much more, but the meaning was just about that. The Bandit Leader didn't care what excuse was used to trick them into coming; he said directly to the few young Bandits: "This time, I've invited you over because there is one thing that needs to be done."

The few young Bandits stood up straight abruptly and said urgently: "Boss, tell us what to do, we'll do it immediately!"

The Bandit Leader nodded: "Very good, that makes it simple. Here, take this."

Having said that, the Bandit Leader handed a Steel Dagger from his hand to one of the young Bandits. The young Bandit scrambled to take the sheathed Dagger, then felt that he didn't know what to do with this thing in his hand, but an ominous feeling had already shrouded this fellow's heart.

"Boss, what is this?"

"Heh heh, nothing much, just seeing that you young people have no spirit after being defeated at noon, so, I thought of a way to boost your spirits."

Having said that, the Bandit Leader lifted his foot and kicked a young girl who had been by his feet toward the front of the young Bandits.

"Draw the Dagger," the Bandit Leader ordered emotionlessly.

The young Bandit holding the Dagger swallowed a mouthful of saliva, his eyes constantly darting back and forth between the Bandit Leader and the bound girl on the ground in front of him.

"Boss..."

He stammered with difficulty, but the next moment, as the Bandit Leader glared, the young man immediately and obediently drew the steel-forged Dagger from its sheath.

Clang—

The leather Dagger sheath fell to the ground, scaring the Villager girl on the ground so much that tears streamed down her face; she could move her neck, so she shook her head incessantly, attempting to use this humble and ineffective method to make the young Bandit holding the Dagger change his mind.

The several innocent people tied up on the ground, regardless of gender, had previously belonged to the 'property' of the Bandit Leader. None of them had expected that the final use of their 'property' this time would actually be this!

The four male Merchants, bound and gagged, wanted so badly to shout out loud to proclaim to the Bandit Leader exactly how much their lives were worth; in any case, being killed by the young Bandit like this right now was an absolute, massive loss.

In the eyes of a Merchant, money that could have been earned but wasn't was an unacceptable loss.

As for the other three females, they all looked at the fat and sturdy Bandit Leader; clearly, this strong man liked their bodies so much, yet they never expected it would be like this at this moment.

"Since you've become Bandits, then act like Bandits! Listen to me, do it!"

The Bandit Leader didn't even look at the innocent male and female people on the ground; his pair of gloomy, cruel eyes stared straight at the young Bandit holding the Dagger, that terrifying appearance almost as if he were using his gaze and words to manipulate a stiff puppet!

"Yes... yes!"

The young Bandit being stared at trembled all over, not daring to look at the Bandit Leader at all, only able to glance left and right; but no matter how he dodged his gaze, this young Bandit felt he could sense the Leader's terrifying and suffocatingly dreadful gaze staring at him.

"Now, lower your head."

"Lower my head..."

The young Bandit stiffly lowered his head, and immediately he felt his hair and scalp tighten.

"Grip the Dagger."

"Grip the Dagger..."

The young Bandit did as told; it seemed that only by doing exactly as the Bandit Leader said could he obtain a moment of respite before the next command arrived. He could feel a little better; otherwise, if he didn't do it, it seemed the one who would suffer pain later would be himself?

"Lower your body."

"Lower my body..."

The young Bandit bent his waist and folded his legs with a stiff body.

He was closer to the young Villager girl writhing on the ground; at this moment, he could even hear the low, pleading sounds made by the girl whose mouth was stuffed with withered leaves. And the tears that kept welling up in her eye sockets.

The young Bandit tried his best not to look at the girl's eyes, merely mechanically executing the Bandit Leader's orders.

"Now, just stab her anywhere."

The Bandit Leader's voice seemed very light, but in this small, quiet, and suffocating clearing in the bushes, even the lightest sound was clearly audible.

"Stab... stab her?"

The young Bandit tremblingly retracted his right arm holding the Dagger's handle, but delayed in stabbing down.

The other young Bandits behind this person were also all trembling and frozen in place, but not a single one dared to flee from here or speak before being called.

"Hmm?"

The Bandit Leader then merely emitted a dissatisfied onomatopoeic syllable, but falling into the ears of this young Bandit at this moment, it was a loud noise louder than a spring thunderclap.

"I'll stab! I'll stab! Don't blame me..."

The young Bandit suddenly widened his eyes, then thrust his right arm downward fiercely; with a squelch, the sharp and pointed Dagger passed through the gaps in the Rope and then stabbed deeply into the young girl's arm.

The Dagger seemed to hit something hard; that was the bone inside the girl's arm.

Fresh blood soon seeped out along the wound through the Rope, and then dripped drop by drop onto the fallen leaves of the forest floor.

The young girl writhed vigorously in pain, making muffled, painful groans through her nose.

Though the sound was small, it whipped against the mind of the young Bandit committing the violence, strike after strike.

"Very good, pull out the Dagger."

The Bandit Leader's unchanging voice came again; the young Bandit immediately and frantically pulled out the Dagger, trembling as he tried to stand straight.

The young man wanted to raise his head, to look up at the man who was more terrifying than the Demon in stories, the man who was manipulating him.

But he did not succeed, because the Bandit Leader's new command had arrived.

"Hand the Dagger to whoever is behind you, then stand to the side."

This sentence was like a key, unlocking the young Bandit who had been stiff all this time.

After the young Bandit was stunned for a moment, he immediately turned around with nimble movements, not caring about the feelings of his companions behind him, shoved the Dagger into someone's hand, and when the other party didn't take it, he forced it into their hand, then flashed to the side, covering his face tightly with his hands, not daring to look at the suffering young girl on the ground at all.

"Step forward." The Bandit Leader commanded a young Bandit who had just received the Dagger.

This young man stiffened all over, only then realizing the pressure the previous person had been under.

He walked forward with stiff movements, even stepping on the ankle of the young girl writhing on the ground.

Yet he didn't realize this at all.

"Heh heh, bend your body, be quick, and stab this girl's body once."

As the Bandit Leader spoke, he gently stroked his single-handed Great Axe. And the young man listening to his command glanced quickly at the previous guy, gritted his teeth, and after bending his body, without even looking, stabbed down heavily.

Squelch—

This wound was even heavier, stabbing into the young girl's abdomen.

More blood flowed, and the young girl bound on the ground struggled even more violently.

"Hand the Dagger to the next person, and stand to the side yourself."

The Bandit Leader didn't even raise his head, lightly stroking the blade of his axe. He commanded softly.

The second young Bandit acted as if he had been saved, immediately stuffing the blood-stained Dagger into the next person's hand and fleeing to the side as if escaping.

However, the Bandit Leader hadn't let them leave; he didn't dare to leave at all, nor did he dare to look down, as if by not looking, he could remain unaware of exactly what he had done.

The Dagger reached the third young Bandit; this person walked forward with stiff movements, and whether it was because he was bold or his mind had already been destroyed by the suffocating pressure here, without waiting for the Bandit Leader to give the order, this young Bandit bent his body and stabbed a knife.

"Very good, very good! The team needs a ruthless person like you. Hand the Dagger to the next person, and stand to the side yourself."

The fourth person received the Dagger; he mustered his courage and looked up at the Bandit Leader, but the Bandit Leader's gaze was fixed right on him, and this person immediately went limp; his legs seemed to lose their strength, and he sat directly on the ground on his backside.

"Hmph! You soft, squishy worm, wield your fangs for me and bite this person once!"

The Bandit Leader's jowly face quivered as he shouted a low, muttered curse.

The fourth young Bandit twisted his body and crawled forward two steps, snot dripping from his nose, then held the Dagger in a reverse grip and swung it a few times, stabbing the innocent girl viciously several times.

"Pass the Dagger to the next person and crawl to the side yourself. Hmph!"

With a cold snort, the fourth young Bandit, who had collapsed to the ground, handed over the Dagger and actually crawled to the side. Only after crawling to the side did he seem to remember the Human ability to stand up.

The last young Bandit, the fifth person, took the steel Dagger, its blade stained red with fresh blood, with a bitter expression on his face.

"What are you standing there stunned for? Stab her!"

The Bandit Leader scolded.

The fifth young Bandit bent over and delivered a heavy stab.

The young girl, whose body had been repeatedly harmed, had her mouth gagged, so the blood surging up from her esophagus could only flow out through her nostrils. She twitched slightly; due to excessive blood loss, she no longer had the strength to struggle as she had before.

The other seven innocent civilians beside the Bandit Leader all wept silently, as if they saw their own inevitable fate in the tragic state of this young girl.

All five young Bandits had stabbed at least once, but the matter was not over; following the Bandit Leader's command, the Dagger was passed back to the first person who started it.

This young Bandit took the blood-soaked Dagger tremblingly, as if he were holding something searingly hot.

"L-Leader..."

The Bandit Leader looked over and said, "Let's do it again, until this person is completely dead."

"Yes..."

The young Bandit bent his body in a tremble and raised the Dagger.

Unlike the casual swinging of worn-out swords and blades picked up or handed out before, this time he truly felt the heavy weight of the weapon.

And, his new identity.

From this moment on, he was no longer a bragging farmer wandering all day in the peaceful Village; his new identity was that of a brutal Bandit.