Banditry Issue 07

Fu Yunshen was now certain he was under house arrest, and not just him—even Shen Zhixia couldn't leave.

Shen Zhixia was furious about this, but Fu Yunshen had already guessed something.

"Perhaps my identity has indeed been exposed."

Shen Zhixia was stunned, her face filled with worry. "What do we do then? Will they arrest you?"

Fu Yunshen glanced toward the door. "I don't know. I'm not clear on what they actually want."

But soon, Yan Qi arrived again, this time bringing over a dozen soldiers. They carried large, ostentatious empty chests into the Fu residence. Then, without any pretense, the beating began. Yan Qi found it strange—why did his hands itch the moment he saw this Fu Yunshen? Why was it so satisfying to hit him?

After Yan Qi and his men left, Shen Zhixia tearfully helped Fu Yunshen up. She had no idea what to do anymore.

However, Yan Qi's actions further convinced the spies of one thing: the former chief of the Qingfeng Stronghold had struck a deal with the authorities!

The spies left the city again. Fang Zhiyi simply had their names and physical features recorded. When the roster reached him, he just glanced at it briefly and listed over a dozen names.

Yan Qi frowned, studying it for a long while without understanding.

"The times the spies left the city were quite concentrated. If you compare this with the records from their last exit, you'll find which names overlap at the same time points. With just three or four more instances, we can identify which ones are the bandit spies."

Yan Qi suddenly understood, his admiration for Fang Zhiyi growing.

Unlike the high-profile bandit suppression campaigns elsewhere, Fang Zhiyi's operations outside the city were exceptionally low-key, almost silent. In less than half a month, nearly half of over a dozen bandit strongholds had been wiped out.

The other bandits who went to investigate were baffled. They couldn't comprehend how the military had pinpointed the locations of these strongholds so accurately.

What was even more chilling was that these eradicated strongholds left almost no survivors. Besides those shot dead, the other bandits seemed to have suffered extremely cruel torture before death. This scene filled the surviving bandits with dread, making them realize that the bandit-suppression army in Xicheng was no ordinary force.

News of their peers meeting disaster kept coming, making the bandits hiding deep in the mountains restless and fearful. Under this pressure, they began to direct all their blame toward the Qingfeng Stronghold, suspecting that if it weren't for Xiashanhu (lit. "Down-Mountain Tiger") tipping off the authorities, how could the troops have found their targets so precisely? After all, no one could guarantee they wouldn't be next.

Originally, the Qingfeng Stronghold had relatively few members, but now they had inexplicably become the target of public criticism, putting them under immense pressure. First, one bandit group suddenly attacked their stronghold, then another followed suit. The Qingfeng Stronghold had just begun to recover slightly from their previous troubles, but these successive raids left them overwhelmed and struggling to cope.

With the third raid, only a few escaped. The rest were either killed on the spot or captured alive. Bandits falling into the hands of other bandits met an even more miserable fate—when it came to torture, they were the professionals.

And so, the Third Chief of the Qingfeng Stronghold and others were tortured to death.

They finally understood what had happened.

"Your chief sold us out! We must avenge this with the lives of your Qingfeng Stronghold!"

A sinister trend of hunting down the Qingfeng Stronghold swept through the mountains, while things were also lively in the Fu residence in the city.

Yan Qi came every few days, no longer bothering to hide his intentions. He would arrive, beat Fu Yunshen, and leave, leaving behind quite a few empty chests.

Because they couldn't leave, the wounds on Fu Yunshen's body never had a chance to heal. Shen Zhixia cried anxiously, but her high-minded, righteous words meant nothing to the soldiers guarding the door. If they dared approach the entrance, the soldiers would attack immediately. Who would show a kind face to a bandit chief and his captive "fortress wife"?

Especially since a wave of enthusiasm for eradicating bandits had swept the city. The families of victims seeking revenge sent gifts of thanks to Yan Qi. Though not valuable, they were enough to move him. More and more details spread, all praising Commander Yan Qi for his prowess and his efforts in suppressing the bandits. The common people finally learned that this official had quietly eliminated many bandits. For a time, Yan Qi became known as a great benefactor among the people, which made him somewhat embarrassed.

He wanted to give credit to Fang Zhiyi, but Fang Zhiyi stopped him.

"This is what you deserve," Fang Zhiyi simply said.

In this atmosphere, both the regular army and the local security corps enjoyed the people's support. Wealthy households and ordinary citizens alike were willing to send them gifts or supplies.

The overall sentiment was very positive.

Chen San was arranging his sesame cakes, his mind preoccupied. Suddenly, his view was blocked. He looked up instinctively. "Sorry, we're closed for the day."

But he was met with two stern faces.

"Chen San, come with us."

Chen San instantly understood. He suddenly shouted, "The soldiers are going to beat someone! Come help!" He knew his identity must have been exposed, though he didn't know why. But now, his priority was self-preservation.

As the surrounding citizens gathered, a soldier suddenly declared, "Chen San! You're a spy for the Black Tiger Stronghold! We've been investigating you for some time! And you dare resist?"

Chen San's heart tightened, but he still shouted with all his might, "I've been wronged! These soldiers are framing me! Everyone, come see!" He had once seen a fellow spy exposed and escape using this method. Those common folks were easily fooled.

But the people didn't step forward to help him. Instead, they said, "Good! I always thought you were strange, Chen San, going home after selling just a few cakes. So you're a bandit!"

"Officers, do you need our help?"

"Beat the bandit!"

As Chen San had hoped, chaos erupted at the scene, but it wasn't quite what he imagined. The target was him.

Beaten half to death, Chen San was dragged away by the soldiers. One soldier muttered, "Why did this guy make it so hard on himself?"

Almost simultaneously, all the bandit spies lurking in the city were apprehended. Those who resisted had their legs broken on the spot.

Immediately after, the security corps posted key points for identifying spies, compiled and written by Fang Zhiyi. They also offered rewards for providing clues. Many citizens gathered to listen as literate individuals read the notice aloud.

As a result of this initiative, several more suspicious individuals were pointed out by the people. However, only one of them was a bandit spy; the others were unlucky fellows privately trafficking opium and medicine.