Chapter 7: Turning to Banditry? I Specialize in Scamming My Own People!

The Azure Cloud City was already far behind, hidden behind the towering mountains and steep ridges.

Lin Xuan clutched his aching chest and stopped beside a secluded mountain stream. Having forcibly broken through the city gates and withstood the attacks of the city guards, he hadn't sustained any fatal injuries, but his internal organs were shaken and most of his spiritual power had been exhausted.

He checked the system rewards.

"Causality Evasion Technique" (Fragment): A supreme divine ability involving the laws of causality. Once learned, one can distort causality within a small range to achieve short-distance "effect without cause" teleportation (e.g., appearing directly at the destination without traversing the intermediate path). Cultivation requirement: Spiritual sense must reach the Golden Core realm. Note: The effect of the fragment is limited and the consumption is immense.

"Causality Evasion Technique! Awesome!" Lin Xuan felt his heart surge with excitement, but the requirement for Golden Core spiritual sense was out of reach for the time being.

Luck Plundering Talisman (Primary): Can briefly steal a small amount of luck from those favored by destiny; duration is one stick of incense. Note: There is a very low probability of being detected by the target.

"Good stuff! Essential for backstabbing people!" Lin Xuan carefully tucked it away; this was a sharp weapon for dealing with Ye Chen.

The most urgent task was to find a place to heal his wounds and digest his recently surged cultivation base. He still needed time to fully master the power of the seventh level of Foundation Establishment.

He looked around; the mountains were high and the forests dense, rarely visited by humans.

"I need to find a place with people to inquire about the situation and, by the way... harvest some emotional value." Lin Xuan licked his lips. Having grown accustomed to the days of harvesting massive amounts of emotional value, he felt somewhat uncomfortable with the sudden quiet.

He followed the mountain stream downstream and finally saw a wisp of cooking smoke before dark.

It was a stronghold built halfway up the mountain, surrounded by wooden fences, where one could vaguely see some figures holding weapons and dressed in disarray patrolling.

A mountain stronghold? A bandit den?

Lin Xuan’s eyes lit up! This was a standard "newbie supply point" and "experience pack" all in one!

He tidied up his tattered purple robe; although he looked disheveled, the material was luxurious, clearly indicating he was either wealthy or noble. He adjusted his expression to look like an injured, panicked, and stranded young master, then stumbled toward the stronghold gate.

"Stop! Who goes there?!" The two bandits guarding the gate immediately raised their blades in alert.

"T-two good men! Help me!" Lin Xuan squeezed an expression of terror onto his face. "I-I am a merchant passing through here. I encountered a demonic beast; my guards are all dead, and I am the only one who escaped. Please, good men, take me in! I will pay! I will pay a lot of money!"

As he spoke, he reached into his bosom (actually from the system space, where he had casually stuffed them earlier) and pulled out a handful of gold leaves, which shimmered with an alluring luster in the setting sun.

The eyes of the two bandits went straight instantly!

A fat sheep! A massive fat sheep!

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing the greed in the other's eyes.

"Wait here! I’m going to report to the Great Chief!" One bandit ran quickly into the stronghold.

Before long, Lin Xuan was brought into the stronghold's Great Hall. The hall was brightly lit, and sitting at the head was a burly man with a face full of flesh, an exposed chest, and a hideous scar across his chest; his cultivation was around the fifth level of Foundation Establishment. He was the Great Chief of this Black Wind Stronghold, Black Bear.

Below him sat several lieutenants, their auras hovering at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

"Kid, you say you're a merchant?" Black Bear’s voice was like a booming bell, his sharp gaze sizing up Lin Xuan, lingering especially on the storage bag at his waist (empty, just for show) and the gold leaves in his hand.

"Y-yes, Great Chief!" Lin Xuan acted timidly. "My family is in the medicinal herb business. This time, I intended to escort a batch of precious herbs to the Imperial Capital, but I didn't expect... wuu wuu..." He even squeezed out two tears.

[Ding! Detected disdain and greed from Bandit A/B, emotional value +233!]

[Ding! Detected the Third Chief's approval of the "fat sheep," emotional value +166!]

Black Bear stared at him, seemingly judging the truth. He couldn't see through Lin Xuan's cultivation (system concealment + higher strength), but seeing this delicate, timid appearance, he figured he was just a useless young master propped up by elixirs.

"Since you’ve fallen into trouble here, you are a guest of my Black Wind Stronghold." A sinister smile appeared on Black Bear's face. "However, it is the rule of my Black Wind Stronghold: you must pay an entrance fee."

"Of course! Of course!" Lin Xuan hurriedly handed over all the gold leaves in his hand. "This is a tribute for the Great Chief and everyone to buy wine!"

Black Bear nodded in satisfaction and gave a wink; a tall, thin lieutenant (the Second Chief) stepped forward to take the gold leaves.

"Take this... Young Master Lin down to rest and 'take good care' of him." Black Bear specifically emphasized the words "take good care."

Lin Xuan was taken to a crude wooden hut. He knew that the other party saw him as fish on a chopping block, intending to slowly squeeze him dry before finally killing him.

"Want to scam me?" Lin Xuan lay on the bed, a wicked smile curling his lips. "Perfect, I’m lacking a temporary base, lacking subordinates, and even more lacking a large amount of emotional value!"

Late at night, most of the stronghold was asleep, with only the sound of patrolling footsteps occasionally heard.

Lin Xuan slipped out of the room silently, moving through the stronghold like a ghost. His targets were the stronghold's warehouse and the living quarters of the chiefs.

The lock on the warehouse was useless to him. Upon entering, sure enough, it was dirt poor; apart from a small amount of gold and silver and ordinary herbs, there was nothing of value.

"What a bunch of useless bandits." Lin Xuan curled his lip, casually pocketing the gold and silver, and then his gaze fell upon the herbs.

Although he wasn't an alchemist, the system shop had a [Hundred Herb Identification (Introductory)] skill that only cost a few hundred slack-off points.

After redeeming it, he immediately recognized several herbs with conflicting properties.

A brilliant "rectification" plan flooded his mind.

He found the stronghold's kitchen and cleverly mixed the conflicting herbs into the rice and meat intended for breakfast the next day. The amount wasn't much, but it was enough to make those who ate it... suffer from endless diarrhea and total weakness.

"Let's give you all a collective 'baptism' first."

Next, he slipped into the room of the Second Chief (the tall, thin one). This guy looked the most sinister. Lin Xuan fished a small ledger out from under his pillow, which recorded the gold and silver he had privately embezzled.

"Yo, an unexpected harvest."

Finally, he arrived outside the room of the Great Chief, Black Bear. Heavy snoring came from inside. Lin Xuan didn't go in; instead, he used a dagger to carve a small, unique mark belonging to the Second Chief (which he had just seen in the ledger) in a conspicuous spot at the door.

After doing all this, he returned to his room without anyone noticing.

The next morning.

"Time to eat! Time to eat!"

The bandits swarmed toward the cafeteria as usual.

However, before they had even finished half their meal, a strange thing happened!

"Ouch! My stomach hurts!"

"I can't take it! The latrine! Where is the latrine?!"

"I... my legs are weak! Why do I have no strength?!"

The entire cafeteria was instantly shrouded in a bizarre atmosphere. Wails, running, and collisions rang out in unison. Over a hundred bandits, from small lieutenants down to lackeys, were almost all hit; one by one, their faces turned pale as they clutched their stomachs and rushed toward the latrines. Some who couldn't hold it anymore just... right there...

A foul stench permeated the air, and the scene spiraled out of control.

Only Lin Xuan, holding a bowl of clear porridge, sat in the corner, sipping it slowly, completely out of place with the surrounding chaos.

[Ding! Detected the bandits' pain, panic, and anger, emotional value +6888!]

[Ding! Detected Lieutenant A's breakdown, emotional value +444!]

The Great Chief Black Bear and the Second Chief and a few others with slightly higher cultivation had eaten less, so their symptoms were milder, but they also felt a dull ache in their stomachs and weakness throughout their bodies. Looking at this bizarre scene, their faces turned extremely ugly.

"What is going on?! Who messed with the food!" Black Bear roared, his gaze sweeping over the crowd like a hawk, finally settling on the only one who was perfectly fine: Lin Xuan.

"Was it you?!" Killing intent flared in Black Bear's eyes.

"Great Chief, please see clearly!" Lin Xuan immediately put down his bowl and stood up with a "terrified" look. "I-I slept like a log last night, I don't know anything! Besides, I just arrived, how would I have the ability to poison the whole stronghold? This must be... someone inside playing tricks!"

"Inside?" Black Bear frowned tightly.

Just then, a trusted lackey came crawling over, whispering a few words into Black Bear's ear with a strange expression; it was exactly about the discovery of the warehouse theft and the mark at the Second Chief's door.

Black Bear's face turned so dark it could drip water; he slammed his gaze toward the Second Chief!

The Second Chief felt his scalp tingle under the gaze: "Big Brother, why are you looking at me?"

"Why am I looking at you?" Black Bear approached step by step, his voice icy. "The money in the warehouse is missing! At my door, there is a mark you use for private contact! Speak! Was it you who played these tricks! Wanting to usurp the position?!"

"What?! Big Brother! I'm wronged!" The Second Chief panicked. "How could I possibly..."

"Impossible? Then how do you explain this mark? How do you explain this ledger?!" Black Bear slammed the ledger that Lin Xuan had "accidentally" dropped nearby onto the Second Chief's face!

The Second Chief looked at the familiar ledger, his face instantly turning ashen.

"Big Brother! Listen to my explanation!"

"Explain my ass! Take him down!"

Immediately, a few subordinates still loyal to the Second Chief tried to resist, but because they were weak all over, they were easily subdued by Black Bear's men. The entire stronghold fell into infighting and chaos.

Lin Xuan stood in the corner, watching this good show he had directed and acted in himself, feeling overjoyed.

[Ding! Detected Black Bear's rage and suspicion, emotional value +999!]

[Ding! Detected the Second Chief's grievance and despair, emotional value +888!]

[Ding! Detected the collective confusion and panic of all the bandits, emotional value +7777!]

Awesome! Another huge wave of income!

Taking advantage of Black Bear being busy dealing with the "internal traitor" and having no time to look elsewhere, Lin Xuan cleared his throat, walked to the center of the Great Hall, and said loudly:

"Great Chief! Fellow good men! Please hear me out!"

The chaotic scene quieted slightly, and everyone looked at this "culprit" (as they believed him to be).

Lin Xuan showed a compassionate expression: "I see that you are all men of spirit, and surely you only turned to banditry out of necessity. But now, because of a villain's schemes, brothers are fighting each other, and your strength is severely damaged. If this continues, I fear there is a danger of total destruction!"

Black Bear's face was ugly, but he had to admit that what Lin Xuan said made sense. After such a commotion, the stronghold's morale was shattered, and their strength had hit rock bottom.

"Does Young Master Lin have any brilliant ideas?" Black Bear asked in a deep voice, his tone softening quite a bit.

"Brilliant ideas, I wouldn't say that." Lin Xuan smiled slightly, his smile carrying a hint of unfathomability. "I just feel that robbing and plundering is ultimately a low-class path; the risks are high, the returns are low, and it’s easy to provoke powerful enemies."

"Oh? Then what is the high-class path?"

"The high-class path is, naturally... sustainable development, making a fortune in silence!" Lin Xuan walked to the stronghold's sand table and pointed at the surrounding terrain. "We can transform!"

"Trans... transform?" The bandits looked blank.

"That's right!" Lin Xuan waved his hand grandly and began his "entrepreneurial plan" pitch:

"We can establish 'Black Wind Logistics,' monopolizing the freight business in this mountain region and charging reasonable protection fees... oh no, I mean logistics management fees!"

"We can develop 'Black Wind Specialty Tourism,' taking those wealthy young masters and young ladies to experience a 'Stronghold Day Tour,' watching you perform chest-breaking-stone tricks; do you understand paid projects?"

"We can also start a 'Black Wind Mercenary Group,' taking on some legitimate tasks like escorting and treasure hunting to build our brand!"

Lin Xuan spoke eloquently, spinning modern business models into a dazzling web, leaving the group of bandits stunned. Although most didn't understand, it felt... like it was very impressive?

[Ding! Detected the bandits' collective confusion and feeling that it sounds impressive, emotional value +5555!]

Black Bear was also stunned by this unheard-of theory; he felt his bandit career had received a huge shock.

"This... can this work?"

"Why wouldn't it?" Lin Xuan said confidently. "With me serving as the stronghold's Chief Strategic Consultant, responsible for planning and operations, I guarantee everyone will eat well and drink well, without having to risk your heads on your belts!"

He looked at Black Bear, his eyes "sincere": "Great Chief, the times have changed. Whether to continue being a bandit with no tomorrow, or to follow me, build a business empire, and reach the pinnacle of life, is all in your single thought!"

The Black Bear looked at the mysterious "distressed young master" before him—the one who could incite the entire city to hunt him down and paralyze his Shanzhai with a mere laugh—and then looked at his own subordinates, who were in a state of chaos and panic, before gritting his teeth:

"Fine! Lin... Consultant Lin! From now on, the development of the Shanzhai will be up to you!"

[Ding! Detected complex recognition from the Black Wind Shanzhai's Great Leader, Black Bear, and the fates of all the bandits have been bound. Emotion points +8888! Achievement 'Shanzhai Reformer' unlocked!]

Lin Xuan smiled with satisfaction.

Very good, the first step, occupying the magpie's nest, is complete.

He patted Black Bear on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Great Leader, trust me, this is the most 'slacker'... ah, no, the wisest choice."

"Now, let us first resolve the first internal management issue—sanitation regulations. From now on, anyone who urinates or defecates in public will be fined! In serious cases, their monthly share will be revoked!"

The bandits looked at this newly appointed "consultant" before them, wanting to cry but having no tears.

Have we... brought back an ancestor to serve?

(End of Chapter Seven)