Chapter 1 Goose City

Goose City, stone city walls.

Magistrate Ma Bangde, draped in armor, paced anxiously back and forth on the city wall. Surrounding him were a group of yamen runners with tense, fearful expressions, as well as a small number of garrison soldiers.

Right now, Daoist Ximenzi had gone to pursue those White Lotus cultists.

If the Daoist returned triumphant, that would be fine and dandy.

But if the plan failed,

and the White Lotus cultists, out of spiteful retaliation, came to Goose City...

Then they, the mortals, would have to be the first to hold the line.

Ma Bangde kneaded his stiff, cold shoulders. The armor didn't fit him well, unable to accommodate his already out-of-shape figure. Wearing it was quite awkward.

Coupled with the biting cold wind blowing from the heights, and the gnawing hunger in his abdomen,

Ma Bangde almost thought he had returned to the dream world.

"Go down and fetch some meat broth, and distribute it to everyone."

Magistrate Ma whispered to the yamen runner beside him, sighing almost imperceptibly.

To be an official of one area, protecting the people of that area,

Many commoners only knew that the White Lotus Sect was a sacred sect that rescued people from suffering and delivered them from hardship,

But they didn't know that the White Lotus Sect was best at hiding in the dark, inciting foolish men and women, breaking through county yamen, coordinating with rogue rebel armies, looting cities, burning, killing, robbing, and harming one area.

In the end, they would push all the responsibility onto the rebel army, and even come forward to comfort and save the afflicted masses, buying people's hearts.

As the magistrate, Ma Bangde couldn't allow Goose City to follow in the footsteps of those destroyed counties, no matter what.

He had already distributed the weapons from the Wude Guard armory to the garrison soldiers,

Hoping that when the White Lotus cultists came, they could use magic tools, sturdy city walls, and a large number of people to scare them away...

"My lord, look quickly!"

A yamen runner holding a torch brightened up and pointed to a dark corner outside the city gate.

Ma Bangde squinted and saw a Daoist in a black cloak walking out of the dark, dense forest as if strolling in a courtyard, and coming to the outside of Goose City's gate.

It was Li Ang.

"Daoist Ximenzi is back?"

Ma Bangde was overjoyed and quickly ordered, "Quickly open the city gate... No, wait, keep the city gate closed, lower a hanging basket from the city wall."

The White Lotus Sect was full of tricks, and there were many demons who were good at disguising themselves. He couldn't be careless.

The hanging basket was lowered from the city wall by the soldiers. Before it was halfway down, Li Ang used his fingers to grip the cracks in the wall, and his feet kicked a few times on the outside of the city wall, easily reaching the top of the city wall.

Ignoring the garrison soldiers who were facing a great enemy, he cupped his fist at Ma Bangde and said with a smile, "Magistrate Ma can sleep soundly tonight.

Those White Lotus cultists were struck by this poor Daoist's palm thunder. All of them were seriously injured and fled in panic. They shouldn't dare to attack Goose City in a short time."

"That's really great."

Ma Bangde finally breathed a sigh of relief. He was just about to ask Daoist Ximenzi who the jailbreakers were in the White Lotus Sect so that he could explain to the Wude Guard soldiers who would arrive tomorrow,

But the words were swallowed back.

The White Lotus Sect's corruption of the imperial court was extremely serious. Perhaps at this moment, there were believers of the White Lotus Sect lurking on this city tower.

Daoist Ximenzi had likely killed one or several White Lotus cultists, but out of some consideration, he only said that he had repelled them.

Moreover, judging from the Daoist's appearance, he didn't seem to want to get involved with the Wude Guard...

"Alright, since the Wude Guard soldiers will be able to reach Goose City tomorrow, this poor Daoist has nothing else to do. Farewell."

Li Ang waved his sleeves, leaped up nimbly, stepped on the outside of the city wall, went down to the outside of the city gate, and strode into the dark night.

——————

Far away, in the mountains.

A man and a woman were running wildly on a narrow mountain road. The man was bare-chested and carried a broadsword on his back, while the woman wore luxurious furs and had a soft sword belt around her waist.

It was Yiye Qing and Xiao Fu Snake.

The two climbed up a hillside and came to a mountain village located in a cave.

The mountain village was brightly lit. The young bandit squatting on the watchtower saw the figures of Yiye Qing and Xiao Fu Snake by the torches on both sides of the mountain road. His face lit up, and he put two fingers together, stuck them in his mouth, and whistled.

"The chief is back!"

The mountain village suddenly became lively. Several bandit leaders below the two of them got up and led people to greet them, showering them with concern and warmth, and welcoming Yiye Qing and Xiao Fu Snake into the cave.

"Where's my son?"

Xiao Fu Snake sat on a tiger skin chair in the cave, his face stiff, and asked his subordinates coldly.

The son he was talking about was a child adopted by his wife, Yiye Qing, for fun. They had raised him for three or two years and slowly developed feelings for him. If Yiye Qing couldn't have children in the future, he might let him inherit the mountain village.

"Reporting to the chief, the young master has already gone to sleep."

Xiao Fu Snake nodded and said expressionlessly, "Wake him up, and call everyone in the mountain village in. I have important matters to announce."

The bandit leaders' hearts jumped. They looked at each other, unable to hide their excitement.

They had long heard that the chief and the second-in-command had a White Lotus Sect background. If what Xiao Fu Snake was saying today was about joining the White Lotus Sect,

That would be much better than staying in the deep mountains and forests, robbing passersby and looting homes.

The bandits did not dare to be negligent and quickly gathered everyone, including the adopted son who was usually regarded as his own by Yiye Qing.

Xiao Fu Snake and Yiye Qing sat on tiger skin chairs, scanning all the bandits in the cave, "Is everyone here?"

"Reporting to the chief, everyone is here, even the cook. Only those hostages who were kidnapped a few days ago are still locked in the dungeon on the back mountain."

"Very good."

Xiao Fu Snake's gaze finally focused on his fifteen-year-old son who had grown a shallow layer of stubble, and he said in a hoarse voice, "Ten days ago, you went down the mountain to plunder and robbed a woman, demanding ransom from her family.

Her parents were ruined and borrowed from neighbors and relatives, finally raising enough ransom, but in the end, they got a broken corpse hanging on a tree by the river.

Is there such a thing?"

The young man touched his short hair, a little puzzled. His father and mother had already known about this matter, and they had praised him for having their style. Why did he mention it again today?

However, Xiao Fu Snake was usually stern and serious, and didn't smile.

He had no choice but to lower his head properly and said softly, "There is such a thing. I thought that woman had some beauty, and I originally wanted to tell my mother that I would marry her as the mountain village lady in the future, but she resolutely refused and even injured me.

I had no choice but to lock her up. I didn't expect her to be so fragile, and she died after a few blows.

I originally wanted to enjoy her before rewarding her to my brothers."

"Good."

Xiao Fu Snake nodded lightly, picked up the broadsword placed at his feet, and slashed diagonally.

Fresh blood sprinkled in the air, and the head spun. The young man's face still had a faint, somewhat smug smile.

The headless corpse knelt on the ground,

A burst of exclamations and screams.

Xiao Fu Snake stood up and slashed at the bandits with his sword.

Yiye Qing beside him drew out his soft sword and expressionlessly cut off the rope at the entrance of the cave, lowering the wooden door and blocking the bandits' way out.

The shouts of killing and begging for mercy shook the sky.

After a while, all was silent.

The heavy wooden door was smashed with a single slash.

Including the head, Xiao Fu Snake and Yiye Qing walked out of the cave side by side.

They were still expressionless, their bodies covered in scarlet blood, and covered with large and small wounds, but not a single drop of blood belonging to them flowed out of the wounds.

Green fluff slowly pierced through the surface of their skin, fluttering in the wind, absorbing all the blood, gently caressing all kinds of scars, and healing all injuries.

It's time to be on our way.

The existences that were once Xiao Fu Snake and Yiye Qing twisted their stiff necks, found a few simple coats in the mountain village, put them on, and continued to walk towards Luzhou.

No one noticed that there were two strange-looking insects hovering and flying above them.

Their appearance was the same as the ordinary scout bee that Li Ang had modified with the Biological Master, but their heads were unusually large, as heavy as watermelons.

It was worrying whether they would suddenly fall while flying.

Surrounding these two strange insects were four ordinary scout bees, protecting them and heading north together.

The next morning, the dozen or so hostages in the dungeon on the back mountain were shocked to find that the prison cell that held them had been cut off from its chains at some point.

After fleeing in panic, they discovered that not even a single bandit could be seen in the mountain village.

All the bandits had disappeared.