However, for Yan Qi, they all deserved to die.
Xicheng held its first public trial. After the trial concluded, these spies were all taken outside the city and executed by firing squad.
Yan Qi hadn't expected that just a day later, bandits would come to surrender.
"General, spare my life!" The man who arrived was covered in filth, with traces of blood in some places. Several others followed behind him, equally disheveled.
Yan Qi frowned at him. "Who are you?"
"I am the Second-in-Command of the Qingfeng Stronghold!" The sound of rifles being readied clicked all around them.
The Second-in-Command was terrified. "I've come to surrender!"
Hearing that bandits had turned themselves in, many townsfolk came to watch, spitting at the man from a distance. The Second-in-Command paid no mind; he was truly desperate. They couldn't stay in the mountains either. Bandits from other strongholds seemed to have reached a consensus to wipe out their Qingfeng Stronghold completely. To survive, this was the only path left.
Yan Qi looked at him, but in his heart, a storm was raging. Mr. Fang had only said yesterday that Fu Yunshen's good days were coming to an end. He truly was a remarkable man!
Seeing the iron-willed general before him remain silent, the Second-in-Command hurriedly shouted, "I have important information to report!"
"Oh?" Yan Qi narrowed his eyes.
"Fu Yunshen from the Fu family in Xicheng is our Big Boss, 'Down-the-Mountain Tiger'!"
Fang Zhiyi, sitting in a high building nearby sipping tea, smiled and shook his head. All that talk of loyalty and honor among thieves—bandits were just bandits. No matter how grandly they spoke, wasn't it all for plunder? When truly faced with life and death, the first one they'd betray was the closest to them.
"How is that possible? I know the Fu family. Didn't they say Commander Yan was on good terms with them?"
"Exactly! I heard their family even provided a lot of supplies for the bandit suppression!"
The Second-in-Command was confused by the chatter, but he knew that to live, he had to drag Fu Yunshen down. "He is the Big Boss of the Qingfeng Stronghold! Myself and the men behind me can all testify!"
His eyes darted around. "He must have deceived you, General! Let us confront him face-to-face!"
Yan Qi frowned, glanced over and caught sight of Fang Zhiyi upstairs. They exchanged a look. Yan Qi sighed. "Fine, I'll let you confront him. But you should know, he donated a considerable amount of gold and silver that day. For you to accuse him now... I... ah."
These words were what Fang Zhiyi had instructed him to say in advance.
Although he didn't understand Fang Zhiyi's intention, following his advice had never steered him wrong.
The group arrived at the Fu residence. Yan Qi pushed the several ragged men inside. "Go on and have your confrontation! Call me when there's a result!"
Watching the gate close behind them, the Second-in-Command and his men were surprised. What was going on? But when they saw the two people who came out before them, a flash of resentment crossed the Second-in-Command's eyes.
That officer just now said the Big Boss had donated a lot of gold and silver for them. Thinking with his toes, he knew it must have been from Fu Yunshen's private stash! He had never been that generous with his own brothers!
"What are you doing here?" Fu Yunshen asked, suspicious and alarmed.
"What are we doing here? You have the nerve to ask!" the Second-in-Command gritted his teeth.
"What are you talking about?" Fu Yunshen was also furious, his mind still racing for a way out.
"Fu, you bastard! We recognized you as our Big Boss, and you actually tried to silence us to clean your own slate!"
"????" Fu Yunshen was completely baffled.
"You're really something, hiding gold and silver for yourself, giving it away to curry favor with officials, then turning them around to exterminate your own brothers!"
Hearing this, Fu Yunshen's brow furrowed tightly, his heart filled with confusion and bewilderment. Gold and silver? He suddenly realized something, but before he could think it through, the men before him gave him no time.
One of them suddenly lunged forward, reaching out to grab Fu Yunshen, clearly intending to drag him out to trade for their own lives. Fu Yunshen, of course, wouldn't wait passively. He swiftly sidestepped, dodging the grab.
However, this action angered the others. Seeing this, they all closed in, confronting Fu Yunshen. The atmosphere instantly grew tense. Neither side backed down, and a fierce fight seemed imminent.
Shen Zhixia, standing to the side, was frantic with worry. "Tiger, don't fight! He's Yunshen! Your Big Boss!" she shouted, stepping forward to try and pull the Second-in-Command back.
"Get lost, you bitch! I never liked you from the start, acting all high and mighty!" Tiger snarled viciously, simultaneously raising his hand and slapping Shen Zhixia hard across the face. The blow was so forceful that Shen Zhixia staggered immediately and fell to the ground.
Seeing this, Fu Yunshen flew into a rage. His eyes widened as he roared, "You're looking for death!" With that, he pounced without hesitation on the man who had hit Shen Zhixia, grappling with him.
At this moment, neither side was in good condition. One group was exhausted and hungry, their strength clearly failing; the other was already injured. Though slightly better off, being just one man, he wasn't much stronger. Thus, the fight was awkward. Neither side had the capacity to fight at full strength, merely lashing out driven by rage. Fu Yunshen even resorted to a vicious clawing technique, making one bandit howl in pain.
No one knew how long they had been fighting when the door finally opened.
Yan Qi's voice sounded from outside. "Finished your confrontation? I'm coming in!"
As he spoke, he led soldiers and townsfolk pouring into the courtyard.
At that moment, the Second-in-Command seemed to find some trigger. He sprang up from the ground and slapped Shen Zhixia again.
Fu Yunshen bellowed in fury, "Tiger! Back in Qingfeng Stronghold, I treated you well! How dare you..." He suddenly realized something was wrong.
Turning his head, he saw the shocked and angry eyes of his neighbors, along with Yan Qi's mocking gaze.
"So it's true! A bandit! You almost fooled us! Take him away!" Yan Qi waved his hand.
The soldiers moved forward to drag him away. Fu Yunshen suddenly shouted, "I am a bandit! But she's not! Her family background is clean!"
Yan Qi glanced at Shen Zhixia, who was covering her face in a daze. He truly wasn't the type to arrest people arbitrarily. He nodded. "If that's the case, then we'll hold you accountable."
Unexpectedly, Shen Zhixia stood up as if her spirit had returned. "No, no, he's a good man..."
Fang Zhiyi's voice came from outside. "Miss Shen, Young Master Fu is the 'Down-the-Mountain Tiger' of Qingfeng Stronghold. Back then, he did his share of killing and kidnapping. By shielding him like this, even if your family background is clean, isn't that still aiding bandits?"
These words ignited the townsfolk's anger. Some women even rushed forward, slapping her several times and calling her shameless. Yan Qi opened his mouth but then closed it again, gesturing for the soldiers to drag the prisoners away first.
Shen Zhixia felt her hands and feet turn cold. Why was it like this? Yunshen had reformed! He'd done so many good deeds! He helped repair Aunt Wang's cracked wall next door, escorted Uncle Liu home, and...
Victims of the Qingfeng Stronghold arrived, but they missed Fu Yunshen. They vented their anger on Shen Zhixia.
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
esick Sect? Well, at least it's considered a respectable orthodox sect. Wait a minute— What kind of vibe are you all giving off? Shouldn’t this be a love-struck, romance-obsessed sect? Why does everyone here sound more like demonic cultivators? "Master, today he’s getting married. This disciple wishes to descend the mountain and crash the wedding, then toy with him to death right in front of his wife..." "Elder, I only got into your sect through connections, so why won’t you teach me anything?" "Because I also became an elder through connections." Thankfully, Su Ji was just an outer sect labor disciple. Surely, nothing too crazy would— "Junior Brother, you’ve broken through to Qi Refining. Once you sever your useless spiritual root, you can officially become an outer sect disciple." "The Great Dao is merciless. Don’t let a worthless spiritual root waste your essence and spirit, hindering your cultivation." Is this really the Lovesick Sect? ... Three years later, Su Ji sat in the seat of the Lovesick Sect’s sect master, sighing with emotion. His rise to this position all started when his junior sister adamantly insisted on preserving his "spiritual root." "Mmm... Senior Brother, what’s our relationship now?" "Stop talking. Keep going." "By the way, that newly promoted top-tier sect—didn’t they come to buy our Love Beans?" "One top-grade spirit stone per Love Bean—is that really so expensive?" "I suspect they’ve eaten too many Love Beans." "Now they’re lovesick." Well, this really is the Lovesick Sect after all.
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
