Chapter 41: Pacifying the Bandits

Feng Zi's figure was like a ghost, weaving wantonly among the mountain bandits.

Every time his form vanished, three mountain bandits would fall to the ground, yet the crowd was completely unable to track his movements!

Finally, one mountain bandit's heart could no longer endure such terror; he panicked, threw away the weapon in his hand, and fled in a rout, unable to help but shout aloud:

"This isn't a human, this is clearly a ghost... I don't want to die!"

His reaction was like a domino being pushed over, igniting the fear in the hearts of the other mountain bandits all at once.

The mountain bandits who still had some fighting spirit could tremble as they gripped their weapons, but most had already abandoned all caution and were fleeing in every direction.

Regarding this, the six Martial Artists in the main hall did not attempt to stop them, but instead let them be:

Anyone could see that the current situation was completely one-sided; let as many escape as can, for they could not all die here.

But how could Feng Zi ever allow such a situation to occur?

Within a few breaths, a series of sounds of arrows piercing the air rang out beside everyone!

Under frequent and deliberate training, the progress of Feng Zi's archery techniques had long since advanced by leaps and bounds—

【Archery (Pure Mastery): 101/2000】

Before the crowd could even regain their senses, they saw the fleeing mountain bandits falling like mown grass, one after another, collapsing heavily to the ground, never to rise again.

"Truly a strange affair; did I ever say that I would allow you to keep your lives?"

Another series of sharp, piercing sounds echoed through the air.

By the time these six "leaders" reacted, they were the only Martial Artists left in the entire Black Bamboo Stronghold.

As for Feng Zi... he even fetched a basin of water for himself, leisurely washing the bloodstains from his face, and sighed:

"Debts must be repaid, and murder must be paid for with one's life. This is not only the law of the Great Xia Dynasty, but also the most basic human sentiment. Why would you think you could escape this truth?

"Is it because your master is Sun Min? How pitiful, to the point of being laughable..."

Perhaps because he lived in a world governed by law in his previous life, Feng Zi was very persistent in achieving justice through reasonable procedural means.

But it was obvious that in Daishan County, the County Magistrate and the County Government Office, which represented the "official" authority, had already been replaced by the Sun Family.

Since that was the case, he could only execute "belated justice" according to his own will.

Looking at the six Martial Artists standing in battle formation, Feng Zi sighed and said helplessly: "Do you have any final words?"

"To commit unrighteous acts is to naturally provoke figures one should not provoke. From the moment we submitted to that fellow Sun Min, our brothers already foresaw this day.

"To put it plainly, it's just that the 'figure one should not provoke' happens to be you. I accept my fate."

Although he said this, the head leader clearly did not want to sit and wait for death.

The opponent gripped his Pudao tightly and slashed toward Feng Zi!

Seeing this, the other five Martial Artists, like moths to a flame, each used their own methods to attack him.

The gap between a Martial Artist and a Martial Master is as vast as the heavens and the abyss.

Moreover, even if they were placed among the group of Martial Artists in Wutai County, they would still be considered the "unlearned and unskilled" sort.

Dealing with these mountain bandits, Feng Zi truly did not spend any effort—

Where his eyes reached, his fists followed; in just one exchange, the throats of those six Martial Artists were all crushed by him.

Ignoring the pungent smell of blood in the surroundings, Feng Zi immediately leaned down and began searching the corpses of the six Martial Artists.

He was naturally not looking for treasure, but searching for a key that might be hidden on their bodies to open a secret place similar to a treasury:

As the dirty gloves forced into service by Sun Min, he absolutely did not believe that these people would not keep evidence of the orders they were given!

Feng Zi's vision was not limited to the present, but focused on the long-term future:

Wiping out the Black Bamboo Stronghold and the Sun Family was certainly satisfying, but what about after that?

The common people of Daishan County not only needed someone to uphold justice for them, but also needed to live a peaceful and good life in this world—

After these few days, Feng Zi had realized profoundly that this world was indeed chaotic, unlike Wutai County, and one could only rely on a reliable backer with sufficient strength!

But the problem was, for the people of Daishan County, who should this backer be?

Rely on him, Feng Zi? That was naturally impossible; he still had to continue south to Baishan Jun to attend the Martial School.

After thinking it over, Feng Zi discovered that the only forces he knew of that were trustworthy seemed to be the government and the powerful clans of Wutai County.

And as long as he found the crimes of the Sun Family colluding with mountain bandits to harm the people, the official forces of Wutai County could intervene as a matter of course.

Even if the Governor of Baishan Jun were to hold them accountable later, a *fait accompli* could be created, at least allowing the forces of Wutai County to take root in Daishan County!

The reason Feng Zi thought this way was not only for the sake of the people of Daishan County; there were naturally some personal motives of his own:

He was destined not to stay in his hometown for long, and for the sake of his parents, he should also form a stable alliance of interests with the powerful clans of his hometown.

And in the process, he could also ensure the peace and happiness of more people; why not do it?

Sure enough, as Feng Zi expected, after a search that was not too difficult, he really did find a key with a strange shape in the inner lining of the head leader's clothing.

"It's you!" Feng Zi said to himself, then turned and left the main hall.

But afterward, even though he circled the entire Black Bamboo Stronghold, he did not find any similar "door lock."

"Could there be a secret room?" Feng Zi wondered, and casually pushed open the door to the treasury where the loot was stored:

If there really were a secret room, the possible options were few; it would be nothing more than the treasury where loot was stored, the main hall, or the rooms of the leaders.

Feng Zi picked up a torch hanging on the wall and walked through the dim treasury—

It was called a mountain bandit's treasury, but in reality, there was hardly any gold or silver inside; many of the shelves that should have been piled with wealth were covered in dust.

It was evident that what the mountain bandits said was true; the bulk of the "harvest" had been taken away by the Sun Family, and the remaining wealth was only enough to maintain the daily expenses of the stronghold.

The only things that interested Feng Zi slightly were the herbs carefully stored in boxes, but their quantity was not large.

Judging by his limited knowledge of herbs, most of these were used for healing wounds, with only a few used to replenish Qi and Blood.

"Since I'm already here..." Seeing this, Feng Zi casually wrapped up the herbs and put them into his pack.

Of course, he had not forgotten the true purpose of this trip.

But after a search, he still did not find the existence of any "secret room."

"Could it be that such a thing truly does not exist? Do not be anxious, calm your heart and steady your breath, and test it one last time..."

Feng Zi muttered to himself, then immediately smoothed out the restlessness in his heart, slowly closed his eyes, and sensed everything around him.

And then, he discovered:

In front of one of the walls in the storeroom, the flow of air showed a clearly unnatural turbulence!

"Found it!" Feng Zi thought with secret joy, then immediately followed his perception to that wall.

Following that, he threw a punch—

Instantly, countless fine cracks appeared on that thick brick and stone wall.

In a moment, the wall turned into powder, revealing the cast-iron door behind it!