Chapter 418: Evil by Nature

"Rules are fences built for the mediocre."

Rain fell like a waterfall, and the world was dim.

A tall male corpse held a petite female corpse in his arms. The rain washed their honeycomb-like wounds until they turned white, and a long sword had skewered them both together.

The one gripping this sword was the young Zuo Lishan.

"Brother Zuo..."

The young Zhao Wuji collapsed to the ground, murmuring.

Zuo Lishan slowly pulled out the long sword, kicked both corpses into the abyss before him, and then spoke to him calmly.

"Brother Zhao, you are too pedantic."

"I do not wish to kill you, but I am about to succeed as the sect leader of the Taishan Sect. Today's events cannot be spread."

The young Zhao Wuji shuddered violently. He glanced at the petite female corpse held in the tall male corpse's arms, then fell to his knees with a thud, smashing his forehead against the ground.

"Brother Zuo—no, Sect Leader Zuo, for the sake of the months we spent traveling together, for the sake of the time I joined you to hunt down the 'Great Asura' Meng Nan!"

"As long as you are alive, I will never walk the Wu Lin again!"

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Zhao Wuji opened his eyes wide.

The screams of women, the shouts of mountain bandits, the aroma of wine and meat, and the stench of filth all pulled him back into the mountain stronghold.

"Great Chief, what is wrong?"

His second-in-command asked.

Zhao Wuji slowly shook his head.

"I just dreamed of a trivial past event from fifteen years ago."

Although he said this, Zhao Wuji knew that this memory was far from trivial.

One sentence had made a young hero vanish without a trace.

One sentence had created a villainous bandit leader.

"Rules are fences built for the mediocre."

Zhao Wuji chewed on these words and laughed softly.

At the same time, he scanned his surroundings.

This was the summit of this nameless mountain, and also his lair.

On top of silk and satin, jade-like bodies lay sprawled.

Amidst the clutter of cups and plates, swords and blades stood like a forest.

Unlike the peripheral bandits down the mountain, the dozen or so people drinking and making merry here were all burly, and their weapons gleamed with cold light, without a speck of rust. This was the core team Zhao Wuji had built for himself.

He would not be a mountain bandit forever.

Since the year before last, the imperial court's suppression of the Wu Lin had gradually loosened, and the Wudang and Shaolin sects, as leaders of the righteous path, had also reined in their influence. At the same time, several evil experts had emerged, pushing the chaos of the Wu Lin to its peak.

This was his opportunity.

Zuo Lishan's bones were likely already rotten; no one remained to stop him from making a name for himself.

And he... now had enough capital.

Aside from the subordinates in the room and the silver amassed through burning, killing, and looting, his greatest asset was one person.

Zhao Wuji looked toward the corner of the room.

The wild man who had led Li Miao to this place was leaning against the Lean Tiger, holding a piece of raw meat and tearing it into small bits to feed into the tiger's mouth. A foolish smile was on his face, and occasionally, when a bandit passed by and spilled wine or food on him, he did not take offense at all.

If Zhao Wuji hadn't tested it himself, he might never have known that this simple-minded, easily bullied giant was an expert who could almost rival Zuo Lishan.

Several heroes with high-level Wu Gong who had broken through his heart-questioning barrier and reached him had ultimately been defeated by the wild man.

As long as he was here, Zhao Wuji did not need to fear anyone.

This was also the reason why he acted so ruthlessly yet lived better and better.

Zhao Wuji narrowed his eyes and sipped his strong liquor.

"In another year, once I have trained this big guy well and saved up enough men and silver, it will be the time for me to officially step into the Wu Lin... With a supreme expert to hold the line, I can absolutely establish my own sect!"

"With my methods and his martial power, I can earn back all the time Zuo Lishan forced me to spend in this backwater for over a decade! And I will live longer and more majestically than he ever did!"

"As long as—"

Bang!

The main door was kicked open with a boom. A bandit stumbled into the room, and before he could speak, he tripped over the scattered wine jars, crashing into a pile of objects.

"Bad! It's bad!"

Zhao Wuji frowned but did not speak.

He was gradually adopting the demeanor of a big shot who kept his emotions hidden.

The second-in-command beside him stood up consciously and scolded angrily.

"So panicked, do you have no sense of rules at all! If you disturb the Great Chief's mood, how many heads do you have to pay for it!"