Chapter 124: Redeeming the Bounty and Verifying Identity

The Under Heaven Silver Bank!

This silver bank with its deep background opened its doors and lit its lamps overnight, and all one hundred and eight managers arrived in full.

The scene was solemn; there was not even the sound of a single cough.

In the center of the silver bank's main hall, the bounty for the flower-plucking thief was displayed.

The bounty was surrounded by a circle of red silk; viewed from above, it looked strikingly like a blooming flower.

The bounty was gathered from the contributions of all the city's victims and wealthy citizens, consisting of medicinal pills, weapons, and gold, silver, and jewelry.

Conservatively estimated, the value of the bounty reached as much as 100,000 taels.

Once this astronomical sum fell into someone's hands, they would instantly become a mid-level wealthy person.

A single flatbread could allow a family of three among the refugees to barely survive, and 1 tael of silver could buy 200 to 300 flatbreads.

A sumptuous banquet of fish, meat, chicken, and duck, despite the soaring prices, would only cost 5 taels.

A sixteen-year-old virgin on the market with average looks would be valued in the range of 10 to 20 taels.

5,000 to 8,000 taels of silver could buy the three largest houses in the safest and best locations in Gongliang City.

Even if one were to gamble and debauch wildly, it would not be easy to squander 100,000 taels; the average person's body could not handle it, and perhaps they would die of exhaustion from lust before the money was wasted away.

"Gulp!"

A silver bank clerk standing at the entrance could not help but swallow his saliva.

The news that had arrived was too shocking!

The flower-plucking thief was dead, and someone had come to the silver bank to claim the bounty.

Because of this news, all 108 managers were summoned; when some were notified, they were still exerting themselves in their concubines' beds, so frightened they almost couldn't pull themselves out.

This bounty was only deposited at the silver bank; they were only responsible for safekeeping and could not decide the ownership of the wealth.

The only ones who could truly decide the destination of this bounty were the two great clans: the Qi Family and the Xu Family.

"Clan Head Qi, Clan Head Xu!"

Upon seeing the arrivals, the managers rose one after another to welcome them.

The two Clan Heads nodded politely; they were accompanied by their clan descendants and formidable guards.

Residual fatigue remained on their faces; it was clear they had also just learned the news and had come from their mansions.

"Fengzhang, have you heard of this person, Poison Goose?"

Clan Head Qi took a sip of strong tea, his spirit lifted, and he turned to ask his son.

Qi Fengzhang was his third son, not the eldest son of the main branch who would inherit the family business, so he had chosen to forge a different path by practicing boxing and martial arts.

This time, when organizing the Hunting Team, Qi Fengzhang had volunteered to represent the Qi Family and control this force.

"Du Zhigang, a native of Su Cheng, is an Apprentice at the martial arts hall of Yanxing Quan practitioner Liu Dasong."

"After Su Cheng was destroyed, Liu Dasong was besieged and died, Yanxing Quan declined, all the Blood-Qi experts died, and the remaining successors were of no consequence; Du Zhigang is one of them."

"He appeared a while ago, leveled up his Blood-Qi, fought on behalf of the Lost Dog Gang, and killed Tu Laoer with a single Poison Palm."

"The child suspects he may have encountered an eccentric and learned some wicked martial arts."

Clan Head Qi smiled upon hearing this; the Wild Fox Gang was the Xu Family's black glove, and they had been in a flurry over this matter for a while.

Who could have guessed that the flower-plucking thief, pursued by the entire city, would end up killed by Du Zhigang.

"Tianying, how are your preparations coming along?"

The Xu Clan Head nearby asked the young man beside him in a low voice.

Xu Tianying, a clan descendant as famous as Qi Fengzhang, also chose to forge a different path through martial prowess.

Previously, Lu Zhigang had killed Tu Laoer, who had been an obedient and sensible vicious dog.

To fill the gap left after Tu Laoer's death, the Xu Family had expended quite a bit of effort.

Although they had pressured the Lost Dog Gang in every way afterward, Lu Zhigang seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth, leaving no trace.

It was a coincidence that this time, the other party had delivered himself to their doorstep.

"Clan Head, it is prepared; once Lu Zhigang appears, he won't be leaving alive." The Xu Clan Head nodded, "Don't make it look too ugly; wait until we have left before you make your move."

After speaking, he exhaled, rubbed his sagging cheeks—so sleepy! In the courtyard behind the silver bank's main hall, a group of Hunting Team members gathered under the night sky.

Shi Gaofei from the Jian Xiong Martial Arts Hall, Mao Lang from the Jiba Martial Arts Hall, as well as experts from the Yiyao Hanghui, the Craftsman Guild, and so on.

They were all discussing it; who exactly was Lu Zhigang? As those who had engaged the flower-plucking thief at close range, they understood better than anyone how troublesome the flower-plucking thief was.

The flower-plucking thief had excellent Lightness Skill, and his Bone-Crushing Awl was vicious and immensely powerful; the combination of the two far exceeded the average second-stage Blood-Qi expert.

When they had previously besieged the flower-plucking thief, not only were they unable to stop him, but they were also struck by the flower-plucking thief's repeated use of the Bone-Crushing Awl, and seven or eight people had been wounded.

In the end, it was only because the flower-plucking thief's Blood-Qi was depleted and he could no longer sustain the fight that he summoned a strange bat beast to escape.

In all fairness, if it were one-on-one, they would not lose to the flower-plucking thief, but they would be unable to capture him alive or kill him.

The difficulty was too great; they had previously concluded that it would only be possible if a Martial Master made a move.

"A fine Poison Goose; his Lightness Skill and Poison Palm clearly show he is no pushover!"

Shi Gaofei crossed his arms; he was just here to make up the numbers and had no ambitions.

Now that the flower-plucking thief was dead, he could return to the martial arts hall and continue drifting along.

Beside him, Mao Lang's gaze was deep; hearing the name Lu Zhigang, he was somewhat eager to try and wanted to find him for a fight.

The others also had their own thoughts; a 100,000-tael bounty was an astronomical figure!

Lu Zhigang was only one person; could he even carry it away?

"Someone is coming!"

The entrance of the silver bank became restless...

Head Constable brought Zhou You to the silver bank; seeing this display, he knew it was not simple.

He was grateful to Zhou You for crippling the flower-plucking thief and avenging his niece, so he couldn't help but warn, "Be careful!"

Zhou You held the flower-stealing thief, who looked like a dead dog, in one hand and dragged him across the floor into the bank's main hall.

"State your name."

This was a show of force, asking a question when the answer was already known!

"Lu Zhigang from Su Cheng, bringing one living flower-stealing thief; I am here to collect the bounty."

The one hundred and eight shopkeepers on both sides were all moved, their gazes converging on the human body on the ground with broken limbs and a gaping hole in his lower back. This person was still alive?

Zhou You's ears twitched; he heard over a dozen powerful breathing sounds from behind the main hall, all at the Qi-blood level. The Qi-blood experts of the Hunting Team were all present! Clan Head Xu let out a cold snort, "Whether it is the flower-stealing thief or not, it is not for you to say."

"Someone, verify his identity."

Shi Gaofei walked into the main hall, pinched the flower-stealing thief's broken arm, and nodded.

"Confirmed, the wound on the wrist is deep enough to see the bone; it was left by my junior brother using our sect's fist technique."

Qi Fengzhang explained to the Clan Head, "Winged Tiger Zhou You."

Shi Gaofei then lifted the flower-stealing thief's limp palm and explained to the crowd.

"The palm's outline and the lines of the joints match the characteristics of the flower-stealing thief's unique skill, the Bone-Crushing Awl."

"Although his leg bones are broken, his muscle fibers are strong; he is definitely a Lightness Skill expert at the Qi-blood level."

Strength, wounds, and unique skills—these three items had already confirmed the flower-stealing thief's identity by seventy or eighty percent.

"There is one more point!"

Qi Fengzhang suddenly spoke up, "Release the dogs."

Amidst heart-palpitating roars, several slender-waisted hunting dogs rushed out, drooling.

The hunting dogs twitched their noses, avoided the crowd by unspoken agreement, and pounced on the flower-stealing thief to feast.

The people in the hall witnessed the bloody scene before them and all breathed a sigh of relief; this was settled.

The hunting dogs had all tasted the flower-stealing thief's blood, and their sense of smell had formed a memory, so they recognized the real culprit the moment they met.

It was one hundred percent certain; this guy was the flower-stealing thief! (End of chapter)