Banditry 013

It was yet another bloody massacre. Fang Zhiyi had even invited many nearby villagers to witness it. Fu Yunshen watched the entire wretched end of the bandits, his stomach churning incessantly. He felt like vomiting but couldn't. He had originally thought he would die there too, but they did not kill him.

"The people here don't know you," someone said, slapping his face with the flat of a blade. "You need to go back to Xicheng so those people can recognize you."

Fear gripped Fu Yunshen's heart, but he remained defiant.

The security regiment men were also very "considerate" of him. Even the prisoner cart used to transport him was specially made. They had hastily constructed one from a type of wood covered in sharp thorns. Fu Yunshen could only stand rigidly inside; the slightest movement would cause the thorns to pierce his skin and draw blood.

Soon, someone brought a poster. It was handwritten by Fang Zhiyi: "Chieftain of Qingfeng Stronghold - Down Mountain Tiger!"

Below the title was a list of his crimes. A sense of foreboding washed over Fu Yunshen.

Sure enough, the convoy escorting him did not head directly to Xicheng. Instead, they meandered slowly through various cities, towns, and even villages, parading him around as if he were some rare animal.

Fang Zhiyi had thoughtfully even provided a storyteller for him. At every stop, this man would brew a pot of tea and narrate the story of Fu Yunshen to the gathered onlookers. Once, twice, three times... Fu Yunshen himself grew somewhat bewildered. Had he really committed so many evil deeds?

But it seemed he indeed had. It was just that he had killed so many people he could no longer remember them all.

He was met with the spit and curses of the common folk. If not for the fear of him dying on the road, the escorting soldiers wouldn't have bothered stopping those who threw stones.

Fu Yunshen's gaze gradually shifted from madness and obsession to fear, and then to numbness. Every day, he had to face different people who hurled abuse at him without mercy. He began to reflect: weren't the things he had done perfectly normal? Why did they treat him this way? In this world, wasn't the law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak, the fundamental rule of survival?

When he thought of Shen Zhixia, his mind involuntarily drifted back to the day of their escape. It was pouring rain that day, and they were locked in a cave. In the dead of night, due to the torrential downpour, the earthen wall at the back of the cave collapsed from the erosion. Seeing this, Fu Yunshen didn't hesitate; he scrambled outward, wanting to flee the dangerous place.

However, that foolish woman, Shen Zhixia, clung desperately to his leg, babbling nonsense, refusing to let go no matter what. Didn't she know that in such a life-or-death moment, everyone should save themselves first? When disaster strikes, it's wise to flee separately!

Being a bandit himself, he naturally knew what kind of torment awaited those who fell into bandits' hands. So, hardening his heart, he mustered all his strength and kicked Shen Zhixia squarely in the face. She let go. Then, without looking back, he frantically crawled out, wanting only to escape that dreadful place as quickly as possible.

Later, he encountered General Chen who was out hunting. Relying on his own skills and eloquence, he impressed the General and managed to climb back up, only to end up...

Where was she now? Was she dead?

It might be better if she were dead. She was quite vain. With her face ruined like that, living would be torture.

When would he himself die? No, he wouldn't.

Fu Yunshen possessed a strong, unshakable confidence that he would not die. He definitely would not.

After endless torment and wild thoughts, he finally returned to that familiar place, the place where the dream began—Xicheng.

Yan Qi, who had received the news early, was waiting at the gate. He merely glanced at the half-dead Fu Yunshen in the prisoner cart before quickly walking over to Fang Zhiyi.

"Big brother, you finally decided to come back? Do you have any idea I'm about to die from work? What on earth have you been doing out there?"

Faced with his barrage of questions, Fang Zhiyi didn't answer, only patted his shoulder meaningfully. "You still need to keep working hard."

Yan Qi was speechless. But what left him even more exasperated was that Fang Zhiyi didn't even bother going to the county office. Instead, he went off with great enthusiasm to continue exhibiting Fu Yunshen. Although Yan Qi also disliked Fu Yunshen, the pressing matters now were handling the massive amount of government affairs and reassuring the people. How could his leader be so unconcerned?

Annoyed by his pestering, Fang Zhiyi pointed towards the back of the procession. Only then did Yan Qi notice there were some unfamiliar faces.

"Those are members of the new school of thought who cooperated with our uprising this time. All young people. I think they need experience, and you need to offload work. A perfect match."

Having said that, he slipped away. Joking aside, being a leader was exhausting. How could it compare to the comfort of watching the spectacle?

Yan Qi and the young people looked at each other, exchanging awkward smiles. But with free labor at hand, he couldn't not use it. Yan Qi immediately arranged for these people to have a meeting in the office. He needed to sort out all the various problems for Fang Zhiyi as soon as possible.

Xicheng had suffered the most under Fu Yunshen's tyranny, so the crowd rushing to curse him was also the largest. Looking at these agitated faces, Fu Yunshen gradually began to remember. Scenes from the past flashed through his mind. He watched himself, as if a third party, wielding the butcher's knife. At some point, his trousers were soaked through, and the stench of urine emanated from him.

"Look! The great bandit pissed himself!"

"You can feel fear too? You scum!"

They shook their fists.

Fang Zhiyi glanced over. This was nothing; he had wet himself several times along the journey. He was probably getting pickled in it by now.

After parading around the city, Fu Yunshen was finally taken down. But the moment he was thrown into a prison cell, he stretched his limbs, his mind still clinging to the hope of some miracle that would allow him to escape. Once he made a comeback, everyone—Yan Qi, Fang Zhiyi—would die! He even mentally arranged the most cruel deaths for them.

But soon, he got a fright. He realized there was actually a person curled up in the corner of the cell.

"Who are you?" Fu Yunshen's voice was hoarse but alert.

The person trembled, shrinking further, and slowly looked up.

Fu Yunshen's eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness of the cell. Their gazes met. His pupils contracted, disbelief dawning on him. "Zhixia?"

Shen Zhixia trembled again. She looked at the man before her, reeking of urine. The chaotic images in her mind faded away, replaced by the scene from that night when this man kicked her in the face.

"How are you here? I've been looking for you. How have you been?" Fu Yunshen tried to slip back into his role as the devoted lover.

Shen Zhixia seemed to remember something terrifying. Just as Fu Yunshen approached, she suddenly sprang up. "Go to hell!"

Fu Yunshen never expected Shen Zhixia to pounce on him. He fumbled to defend himself. Gone was Shen Zhixia's former quiet elegance; she was like a madwoman, clawing wildly, even biting him several times. After getting scratched on the face multiple times, he too became furious. The two of them began to brawl.