Chapter 35: A Domineering Cultivation Method

The night was shrouded in darkness, the pitch-black sky dotted with stars. In the mountain forest, only the sound of insects remained, along with mottled tree shadows swaying in the wind.

Suddenly, in the shadows of the mountain woods, a black figure flashed by and vanished. This figure was as fast as lightning; even if someone had seen it, they would have thought it was merely an illusion seen in the blink of an eye. Where it passed, only a few leaves drifted slowly down with the wind.

"This must be the old lair of the Zhangnan Bandits!" After speeding forward for a long time, the black figure suddenly stopped, hiding in a corner, and gazed at the towering fortress gate not far away.

The terrain here was treacherous; in narrow places, it could barely accommodate two or three people passing at once. The surroundings were mostly sheer cliffs and precipices, the terrain steep and difficult to traverse; a moment of carelessness could lead to a fall.

Once one reached the fortress, the surroundings were completely bare, nothing but rocks, without even a place to take cover. It was likely that as soon as anyone poked their head out, they would be discovered immediately.

No wonder the imperial court had returned empty-handed after several sieges. With such terrain that was easy to defend and hard to attack, unless a master stepped in to wipe out the bandits with absolute, overwhelming power, it would be difficult for ordinary soldiers to achieve success!

Although the Zhangnan Bandits were famous, they were not worth the imperial court dispatching top-tier masters. The entire dynasty was vast, likely more than ten times the size of his previous life. Bandits like the Zhangnan Bandits were too numerous to count.

If they sent top-tier masters for every such force, they would be worked to death. Besides, these people had their own standards; how could ordinary people be worth their intervention?

"Close enough!" After observing the surroundings for a while, Shen Yu had generally figured out the locations of the hidden and open sentries. Taking advantage of a gap, he slipped into the fortress without a sound.

Coming to the headquarters of the Zhangnan Bandits under the cover of night was a highly risky affair in itself. But Shen Yu was unwilling to wait any longer; everyone knew the Prefect was a calculating old fox, and who knew what schemes he was cooking up against him at this very moment.

Moreover, he had encountered an assassination attempt at noon, which was likely the masterpiece of that old bastard. Of course, regardless of whether he did it or not, in Shen Yu's heart, he had already pinned it on him!

As the saying goes, it is impolite not to reciprocate. Shen Yu was not one to suffer in silence, and he didn't act often, but once he did, he had to finish them off. Damn it, did they really think he was easy to bully? In any case, they were already locked in a life-or-death struggle!

Actually, Shen Yu had considered just finishing him off, but thinking about it, the Prefect's official rank was not low; acting directly would likely enrage the imperial court. The Capture Gate, the Tiger Tooth Guard, the Black-Clad Guard, and the like were not just there to eat for free.

If one had a deep background, it would be fine, but if one lacked strong backing like Shen Yu, who relied entirely on himself, he would likely be made an example of, and it would inevitably lead to a wanted warrant being issued. By then, let alone signing in peacefully, he probably wouldn't even have a stable life.

Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, he could not act directly. The best method was to beat him to death completely within the rules. Thinking it over, what crime could be greater than colluding with major bandits? A Zhangnan Bandit force of ten thousand people—what were you planning? Were you plotting treason?

Since the Prefect had done it, there must be evidence. Everyone cooperated, so they had to hold leverage over each other; otherwise, what would happen if you decided I was useless and kicked me aside?

Shen Yu did not believe these bandits were pure little white rabbits, nor did he believe they would have no defenses against someone like the Prefect. If that were truly the case, the Zhangnan Bandits would never have developed to their current scale.

Of course, Shen Yu had his own confidence. Ever since he signed in and obtained the Wind God Leg, he had been practicing diligently. Now, his Wind God Leg had reached the minor success stage, possessing a hint of its true essence. His speed was shadowless and fast as a meteor, his force like raging fire and thunder.

If one added the Spiral Nine Shadows and the Horizontal Void Shift from the Nine Yin Manual, he wasn't bragging, but there were very few who could catch him.

Even if he encountered trouble here, he could at least save his life relying on his two long legs. Even if there were many people here, they could only stare helplessly if they couldn't catch him.

Therefore, to survive in the martial arts world, one must first have good light-body techniques. Think of Chu Liuxiang, think of Bai Zhantang, think of Duan Yu, think of Tian Boguang—cough, cough, that one doesn't count. Didn't these people rely on light-body techniques to save their lives in the beginning?

Countless predecessors' blood and tears tell us that you don't have to be a good fighter, but your light-body technique must be good.

Once inside the fortress, there were hundreds of houses one after another. At midnight, most had entered their dreams; the quiet fortress was terrifyingly silent at this moment, yet several places seemed to be brightly lit.

Borrowing the moonlight and following the lights, Shen Yu landed lightly on the eaves. He casually lifted a roof tile and carefully exposed a hole to peek inside. This place appeared to be a great hall, and inside, there were candle stands and bonfires every few steps.

When Shen Yu looked inside, a sound of debauchery drifted into his ears through the small hole. The sound seemed joyful yet painful, gradually becoming shrill and harsh, and in the end, it felt as if someone was enduring some kind of torture, painful and unbearable.

To a single dog like Shen Yu, this sound was no different from torture. Thinking about how he had been a County Magistrate for some time now, yet no one had dared to corrupt him with sugar-coated bullets, nor had anyone thrown themselves into his arms.

Shen Yu really wanted to tell them that they could throw all the sugar-coated bullets they wanted at him; he really couldn't resist the temptation. Especially the Beauty Trap—it was actually the more the merrier!

"No, this sound seems a bit off!" Although the sound was very shrill, Shen Yu could be certain that what reached his ears seemed to be a man's voice. Could it be...

"Hiss!" In an instant, Shen Yu felt a chill run through his entire body. Could it be that someone among the Zhangnan Bandits was into this kind of stuff? It made him afraid to look, fearing it would burn his eyes!

However, his curiosity still compelled Shen Yu to look down, and only then did he see the situation inside clearly. There were indeed two people embracing, but it was a man and a woman, not as Shen Yu had imagined.

For a grown man to make such a sound—tsk tsk, just how drained must he be!

"Wait!" Suddenly, Shen Yu frowned. The man seemed to be losing weight at a speed visible to the naked eye. The Qi and blood that had been rolling within him a moment ago seemed to be dissipating bit by bit. No, to be precise, they were being absorbed by the woman.

By the end, the man, who had originally looked quite sturdy, had become thin and gaunt right before his eyes. This feeling made Shen Yu's skin crawl.

"What a domineering Cultivation Method of Harvesting Yang to Replenish Yin, what a terrifying woman!!" The erotic scene before him no longer made Shen Yu feel the slightest excitement; instead, it made him gasp in cold air. Especially at the end, the man's essence, energy, and spirit seemed to have been completely absorbed, leaving nothing behind.

The effect of this Cultivation Method was incredibly domineering. Shen Yu had only heard of such methods, but this was his first time seeing one with his own eyes.

"Useless trash, truly worthless! Someone, drag this trash away and bring another medicine slave over. Be quick, or this slave won't be able to hold back!" A charming voice rang out in the hall, seemingly carrying infinite temptation, making even Shen Yu, who was peeking, feel a wave of dry mouth and tongue.

"Damn it, what a powerful Charm Technique, I almost couldn't hold back!" Taking a deep breath, he forcibly suppressed the heat in his heart, and Shen Yu then frowned.

"Medicine slave? Aren't the Zhangnan Bandits just a bunch of bandits? How are they playing with this?"