A group of mountain bandits blocked the three of them. The burly man leading them, holding a broadsword, shouted, “I planted this mountain, I planted this tree, I planted this road... Hand over your money, this is a robbery!!”
Having said that, the group glared at them menacingly, clashing their gleaming broadswords together in a clanging symphony.
Jiang Moran leaned over and whispered into Fengqingzi's ear, “I think they are definitely real bandits.”
“Why do you say that, Senior? Aren't they already bandits?”
“Tsk!” Jiang Moran looked at him with disappointment, saying earnestly, “How can you believe whatever others say? Have you never been swindled since you entered the jianghu?”
“...Then how did you figure it out, Senior?”
“To say something so uncultured, what else could they be but bandits?”
Fengqingzi's lip twitched as he forced himself to keep a straight face.
The bandits glared at them whispering, their faces already betraying their impatience.
Just as the leader was about to fly into a rage, one of his lackeys suddenly pulled at him.
“Boss... that guy in the white clothes is so delicate. Hehehe, I like him!” The lackey licked his lips, his eyes shining as he stared at Fengqingzi.
He didn't bother lowering his voice, so everyone heard him loud and clear.
“Hahaha!”
Jiang Moran slapped Fengqingzi on the shoulder, completely ignoring his dark, gloomy expression.
“Little Feng's got quite the charm! Even men can't resist him, hahaha!”
Zhang Wuji also couldn't help but turn his head away, afraid of being seen laughing.
However, Jiang Moran did not expect that he had laughed too soon.
“Boss, I also like the one in the black robe~”
Jiang Moran: ?
Swoosh! Fengqingzi suddenly drew his long sword, pointing the tip directly at the disgusting man.
He admitted, he was genuinely losing his temper.
Not only was the bandit boss startled by this move, but even Zhang Wuji beside him was frightened, truly worried that Fengqingzi might kill him too in his rage.
“What are you doing! You actually want to fight!” the bandit boss roared, pointing a finger at them. “Fine, fine. I'll give you a chance today.”
Saying so, he waved his hand, and the bandits parted to make way, letting a tall and sturdy burly man step forward.
Compared to the bandit boss, this burly man clearly possessed more of a leader's aura. He was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, standing there like a mountain.
“Brother, pick anyone you want to fight. If you win, we eat meat tonight!” the bandit boss said, pointing at the trio.
“Meat! Meat! Hahaha!” The younger brother was incredibly excited, rubbing his hands together in preparation for a big fight.
He first looked at Fengqingzi, but the moment he met those cold and sharp eyes, he couldn't help but shiver.
Even though he knew his physique was much larger than Fengqingzi's, he couldn't stop his heart from turning weak.
Shifting his gaze, he looked over at Zhang Wuji on the other side.
Seeing the bandit look his way, Zhang Wuji lightly tapped a nearby stone with his toe. It instantly shot out like a sharp sword, piercing through a tree trunk beside them.
The bandit brother quickly looked away and turned his gaze to the man in the black robe, who was currently picking his ear out of sheer boredom.
“You it is, kid!” he huffed.
? Jiang Moran looked left and right, and finally pointed to himself. After receiving the other party's confirmation, his eyes widened.
A 1v1? You're picking on me?
You really have some massive guts.
The bandit brother was already prepared. He ran forward with zero technique, raising his right fist high.
Slap!
A massive slap landed squarely on the bandit brother's face, sending him flying through the air in a neat parabola before face-planting onto the dirt.
“Waaah...” After crashing, the bandit brother lay face down on the ground, weeping bitterly, not daring to lift his head.
Everyone present stared dumbfounded at the scene. They had never expected things to develop this way—it was too sudden, too unexpected, too disastrous...
Fengqingzi was practically bursting at the seams. He had wanted to laugh the very moment Jiang Moran was picked.
At the same time, Zhang Wuji wasn't doing any better. Although he hadn't seen Jiang Moran's true strength, based on that display just now, fighting him would probably be like beating a grandchild.
Thud.
The bandit boss was the first to fall to his knees. “Big brother! My lord!”
“We are just trying to scrape together a living! Spare our lives, spare our lives!”
Seeing this, the others also fell to their knees one after another, continuously begging for mercy.
Seeing this, Fengqingzi turned to look at Jiang Moran. He had assumed the senior would leave none of them alive, just like before, but this time, he had guessed wrong.
“Go report yourselves to the local authorities. Don't harbor any wishful thinking, or you'll die,” Jiang Moran said indifferently.
Hearing these words felt like a grand amnesty to them. They hastily nodded and bowed in gratitude, emptied out all their valuables onto the ground, and bolted as fast as they could toward Jinling City.
Watching their scrambling figures, Fengqingzi couldn't help but feel a wave of confusion, though he didn't ask further.
Yet, how could he hide his thoughts from Jiang Moran? Jiang Moran simply chuckled softly and said, “Bandits seek wealth, not lives. They're just poor wretches who can't afford to eat.”
“Though taking money by force is indeed wrong, when every mountain peak has bandits and every road has outlaws, it is no longer their fault. It is the fault of the world.”
Hearing these words, Fengqingzi's heart shuddered slightly, and his respect for the senior deepened once more.
To kill or not to kill... who deserves it and who doesn't.
The bandits' territory was located not far from the city outskirts. After walking for half an hour, the three of them arrived at the gates of Jinling City.
Don't ask why they weren't riding horses. If you must know, Jiang Moran had drunk too much along the way. In a sudden burst of overwhelming benevolence, he set the horses free. The reactions of Fengqingzi and Zhang Wuji at the time were as follows:
【Fengqingzi: The senior is about to set the horses free! Quickly, go stop him!】
【Zhang Wuji: Honestly, I think he's doing the right thing.】
【Fengqingzi: You're just scared.】
【Zhang Wuji: Who the hell wouldn't be?!】
...
Zhang Wuji paid the entry fee for the three of them, leading them into the city.
The moment they entered, Zhang Wuji took his leave first. He had to head back to the Martial Alliance to pack up his things, as he had no intention of staying there anymore.
Before leaving, however, he promised the two of them that he would definitely return tonight and meet up with them at the nearby inn.
After Zhang Wuji left, Jiang Moran set his sights squarely on his target: the local delicacies of Jinling City.
Unfortunately, fate was always full of coincidences.
“Fengqingzi?”
A voice rang out, halting Jiang Moran and Fengqingzi's steps just as they were about to head out for food.
Both of them looked in the direction of the voice, spotting a man with a hollow right eye socket standing there. When he saw them turn around, a maniacal grin spread across his face.
“Long time no see, great swordsman Fengqingzi.”
“Who is this?” Jiang Moran asked Fengqingzi in confusion.
“His name is Yan Xie. He's an absolute lunatic. He lost that right eye of his in exchange for killing someone at all costs,” Fengqingzi explained, his brow tightly furrowed as he glared coldly at the man before them.
Yan Xie's grin widened even further. His sole remaining left eye drifted away from Fengqingzi, landing on Jiang Moran beside him.
“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Yan Xie, but I prefer it when people call me the One-Eyed Lunatic.”
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