Chapter 49: Respectfully Shouting a Single Call to Lady Hero Bao

"You two did well."

Glancing at the two who were bowing and standing aside, Niu Dingtian turned his head with a warm expression, smiling and freely offering praise.

"It's what subordinates should do! It's all because the chief leads wisely!"

Zhu Quan and Liu Da, seeing Niu Zhaizhu satisfied, felt an instant relief and quickly offered a flattering remark.

The methods of this Niu Zhaizhu before them were unfathomable, and they had experienced it firsthand; following someone like him promised a future. Thinking back, the days under Chief Peng seemed as if they had lived as dogs.

"Speak up, is there anything else?"

Just now, seeing the two's hesitant expressions and wanting to say something, they held back because senior sister was nearby and seemed cautious.

Zhu Quan and Liu Da exchanged glances, then stepped forward, clasped their fists carefully, and replied:

"After the chief left that day, someone in the village suddenly led a disturbance, trying to rally many brothers to set up a separate stronghold elsewhere."

"We—We killed many people to stabilize the situation."

Having said that, the two stood there respectfully, appearing to await punishment.

A flash of sharp light glimmered in Niu Dingtian's eyes; he tapped the table lightly with his fingertips without speaking, and the atmosphere grew oppressive, cold sweat forming on the foreheads of the two.

At that moment, Niu Zhaizhu slowly spoke:

"You two remember, from now on in this village, I, the chief, only need people who obey orders!"

His voice was extremely cold, without asking how many had died.

"In the next two days, I will pass down profound martial arts manuals; regardless of gender, those with good aptitude, who are obedient and learn quickly, will be sent to train, while the rest continue to clear land and farm!"

Thus, the policy of "if you don't study well, go farm" will be enforced throughout Woniu Zhai.

"In a few days a shipment of goods will arrive, and there will be people to cooperate with you; first, find a way to acquire a batch of fine horses, train the core team quickly, within two years! I need to make Taihang Mountain famous in the jianghu, and the entire Taihang range will be ruled by Woniu Zhai!"

"You two,"

"can you accomplish it?"

After speaking, Niu Zhaizhu's eyes flashed like lightning, staring intently at the two.

Niu Dingtian now thought a saying was especially apt: all martial arts in the world originate from Shaolin, and more will continue to emerge.

As the saying goes, make full use of things; he began to entertain the idea of using Shaolin techniques to spread across the world.

The two, after hearing Niu Dingtian's words, were overjoyed, their faces unable to hide their excitement.

Even mountain bandits want to mix into the jianghu martial world now?

The chief is truly preparing for something big!

Without hesitation, they raised their fists in unison and shouted:

"We, your subordinates, guarantee to complete the mission!"

"Hmm, you two first." Niu Dingtian raised his hand to signal the two to step back, seemed to recall something, his gaze flashed, then he paused briefly before continuing his instructions:

"The people I bring back must not be neglected! Everyone in the village must be treated with the highest level of respect."

"Alright, you may go down."

For a moment Niu Zhaizhu couldn't think of how to show reverence, so he simply let the two raise the standards to the maximum; after all, that couldn't be wrong.

"Yes!"

The two bowed and stepped back, each feeling a hint of doubt inside:

To honor at the highest level?

The chief is so attentive; could it be the chief's wife?

If so, then the child must be...

Sss~

At that thought, the two lackeys both inhaled sharply.

After Zhu Quan and Liu Da left, Niu Zhaizhu remained reclining on a tiger‑skin chair, eyes closed, deep in thought.

Now his influence in the jianghu was gradually rising, and establishing a new front in Taihang Mountain was also necessary.

On one hand, he planned to covertly control this strategic area in advance; on the other, to prepare for possible future jianghu conflicts.

Reputation, reputation—jianghu reputation is merely a collection of voices, and having one's own voice added to the jianghu never hurts.

Even the northern beggar Hong Qi Gong, a figure of overwhelming chivalry, could not simply let the temple‑destruction incident pass, even if the Beggar Sect acted first. Otherwise his massive band would be hard to command; the five peerless would certainly understand this.

Thinking of the rift with the Beggar Sect, Niu Zhaizhu couldn't help but curl his lip.

As the illustrious leader of the Divine Sect, a man destined for great deeds, sparring with Hong Qi Gong is one thing; could he really bully a bunch of beggars himself?

It depends on whether the Beggar Sect members are sensible; if not, at worst he could unleash bandits to attack the beggars—after all, the shame wouldn't fall on him.

Thinking this, Niu Zhaizhu grinned, laughing shamelessly.

"Niu Dingtian, what are you thinking, smiling so happily?"

Niu Zhaizhu closed his eyes, lost in pleasant thoughts, when a fragrant breeze swept in, followed by a crisp sound that shattered his train of thought.

When he opened his eyes, he saw senior sister Bao Xiruo staring at him with a half‑smile; Niu Zhaizhu felt a bit embarrassed, wondering if his earlier grin had been too lecherous.

Nevertheless, he forced composure, stood up, and asked with a smile, "Senior sister, why are you here? I was just about to go find you."

"Niu Dingtian, aren't you going to say something to me?" Bao, with coquettish eyes, teased, "Right, Niu Zhaizhu?"

She truly hadn't expected that her father's prized disciple would become a bandit chief; thinking of his terrifying martial skill, she felt relieved, since he had abandoned scholarship for warfare, yet she was genuinely curious.

Niu Zhaizhu, having just heard senior sister's teasing, thought she had caught him in an awkward pose, and a slight embarrassment colored his face.

Now seeing her pouting with beautiful eyes, teasing him curiously, he poured a cup of tea, handed it over with a grin, and explained:

"Hehe, senior sister, I was just about to speak to you. A few days ago, while searching for you on this mountain, I ran into a band of bandits that tried to rob me, so I eliminated several of their leaders."

"Later I found this fine spot and was reluctant to abandon it, so I assumed the name Niu Hao Tian and became their chief, also corralling the remaining people, clearing fields and building the village daily. Senior sister, don't let this slip out later."

Bao Xiruo, after hearing this, was suddenly enlightened and couldn't help laughing, "Then from now on I'll have to call you Junior Chief Niu."

Niu Zhaizhu, upon hearing this, seemed to recall something, his expression turning odd, then he grinned and chuckled:

"Sister, have you ever thought that after people in the jianghu witness my prowess, if they hear me call you sister they'll probably assume you're a martial‑arts master and will respectfully shout 'Bao the heroine,' hahaha."

At the end of his speech, Niu Dingtian couldn't help but laugh heartily.

Sister Bao, after hearing that, blushed bright red with embarrassment, then, feeling ashamed, raised her hand as if to grab him and spat fiercely, saying:

"You fellow, you're already so grown yet still have no decency; could it be that the tug back then wasn't painful enough and you want to experience it again?"

Vote, vote; there should be another chapter tonight.

(End of chapter)