Banditry 010

"The scout saw it all, you and that officer are good buddies, right? He even came to see you with expensive gifts. Tsk tsk tsk, you're living the good life, huh? A big mansion, under official protection, and even a..." He turned back to glance at Shen Zhixia, his face full of disdain, "...though the woman is a bit ugly. Tell me, why did you have to go and collude with the authorities? Let me tell you something, your Qingfeng Stronghold is wiped out too!"

As he spoke, he turned around, and one of his underlings took an object from his waist and threw it. Fu Yunshen looked down in horror—it was the shriveled head of the Third in Command!

"Hahahaha, this is your fate! Take him away!"

"I didn't! I'm innocent... I'm blameless... I didn't do those things!" He struggled, but it was useless.

The bandits took him and Shen Zhixia captive to their mountain hideout deep in the wilderness. They didn't seem intent on killing the two outright, but instead subjected them to localized torture. Fear grew in Fu Yunshen's heart. He seemed to see, from this new perspective, the desperate pleas of the hostages he himself had once captured. So this is what it looked like from this side?

He was terrified, but he felt no regret.

Growing tired of tormenting Fu Yunshen, they turned their attention to Shen Zhixia, interrogating her about why she was with him. After Shen Zhixia finished her tearful explanation, the bandit chief raised his hand and slapped her across the face.

"You damn bitch, your uncle's whole family was killed, and you're here having a romance with him? What a cheap slut!" He shook his hand, muttering, "Bad luck."

"Fu, maybe your rotten luck is all because of this cheap slut, hahahaha."

The bandits left. The two looked at each other. Shen Zhixia wanted to lean against Fu Yunshen, but he shifted his body away, causing her to fall to the ground.

"Yunshen? You..."

Fu Yunshen's tone was icy: "Was it you who told them I would be there?"

"Yes... but it wasn't like that, I didn't know you had escaped..."

Fu Yunshen glanced at her somewhat distorted face, then looked away, calculating in his mind how to escape.

Shen Zhixia looked at him, feeling he was somewhat unfamiliar, and suddenly remembered the bandit chief's words.

"Your uncle's family was killed by him, and you're here having a romance with him?"

It seemed she had never considered that question before.

Yes, Uncle was killed by bandits, Auntie died too... why did I...?

In that moment, new thoughts arose in both of them.

A dull thunderclap sounded, followed by a downpour.

Fang Zhiyi stuck his head out to look at the sky and saw Yan Qi, cursing and leaping about, rushing over.

Seeing him look like a drowned rat, Fang Zhiyi found it somewhat amusing. The adjutant running behind him said, "Mr. Fang, you have no idea, our regiment commander almost got struck by lightning."

"Damn it, that bastard Heaven! A lightning bolt struck right in front of me! If I hadn't reacted quickly, we'd be holding a funeral right now!" Yan Qi cursed and grumbled.

Fang Zhiyi turned his head. It felt good to have someone else attracting the lightning.

But what had happened? Had the male and female leads died?

Because Fang Zhiyi's Security Regiment was advancing rapidly and he was willing to spend money, the bandit-suppression troops were like they were on stimulants every day, drilling through the mountains. Some lookouts and small-time bandits surrendered outright, and to show their sincerity, they became Fang Zhiyi's informants.

The next day, as soon as they entered the mountains, an informant came to report.

"The Panlong Stronghold bandits captured the Big Boss of Qingfeng Stronghold, but then they ran away again."

"Huh?" Fang Zhiyi was speechless. They could still run?

Led by the informant, they easily surrounded Panlong Stronghold, as some bandits, seeing the situation turning bad, had slipped down the mountain early to pick up their hoes and become farmers again.

After just a few warning shots fired into the air, the Panlong Stronghold bandits all surrendered their weapons.

The nickname "Bandit Fang" had already spread. Not surrender? Wait to be skinned and put on display! They could do that to others, but when it came to themselves, they had to weigh the consequences.

However, they still underestimated Fang Zhiyi's ruthlessness.

It was another on-the-spot trial. One wicked deed after another was read aloud by Fang Zhiyi. The bandits bowed their heads in prayer—conscription was fine, exile was okay too, just please don't kill them.

But their illusions were shattered once again. After Fang Zhiyi finished reading the crimes, he leisurely took a sip of tea: "Carry out the sentences."

The bandits erupted.

Some shouted, "Surrender your weapons, no killing! Surrender your weapons, no killing!"

Others yelled, "Lenient treatment for prisoners! Lenient treatment for prisoners!"

Still others cried, "There are so many of us, you can't kill us all! Heaven has a virtue of cherishing life!"

Fang Zhiyi spat out his tea: "Damn it, now you remember Heaven has a virtue of cherishing life."

There were many people in Panlong Stronghold, and the trial had lasted a full day and night. The bandits judged earlier died gruesome deaths—some beheaded, some hanged, some even drawn and quartered. Blood splattered everywhere, the scene exceptionally bloody and terrifying.

Those bandits who had not yet been judged were already scared out of their wits. Many fainted on the spot. Even if revived with cold water, they would only be lucid for a short while before fainting again from extreme fear.

Yet, amidst this chaos and terror, Fang Zhiyi was the anomaly. He remained calmly seated there, drinking tea, occasionally going to relieve himself in the wild.

"Regiment Commander, these bandits... are they all to be killed?" one of Fang Zhiyi's subordinates approached him and asked hesitantly.

Fang Zhiyi turned his head, looked at the subordinate, and said flatly, "If we don't kill them, are you going to feed and support them?"

"But..." The subordinate seemed to want to say more, but Fang Zhiyi cut him off.

"I know what you want to say." Fang Zhiyi sighed. "Eradicating bandits isn't a matter of a single day. Of course I understand that. But first, we have to make these bandits afraid. Only then will they have some restraint. What I want is for them to be afraid."

Hearing Fang Zhiyi's words, the subordinate nodded thoughtfully, and his gaze gradually grew resolute.

Rumors about this bandit-suppression campaign spread around Xicheng. The common folk vividly described how bandit heads hung from every tree, as if the scene were truly unfolding before their eyes.

Although these were clearly exaggerated tales, it was undeniable that everyone who witnessed the actual scene was deeply frightened, haunted by nightmares for several days in a row.

Fang Zhiyi's Security Regiment had now become the nightmare of bandits. Not only that, but bandits within a hundred-mile radius were also terrified by the news, packing their belongings and fleeing in panic deeper into the mountains, afraid of crossing paths with this "madman."

After all, no one wanted to provoke such a cruel and powerful opponent.