089 Bandit's Den (Part 1)

The gleaming sword flashed, and heads rolled to the ground with a hollow thud. A gaping wound spewed forth a torrent of blood, splattering three or four zhang away. 

Shen Tang casually flicked off the blood clinging to the sword, her eyes coldly observing the headless figure crumpled on the ground. The thick, scorching blood dampened the hem of her garment, covering the entire back of her right foot. In that moment, the sensation was akin to countless tiny insects wriggling and shifting beneath her skin, yet she remained impassive.

With icy brows and a faint curl of her crimson lips, she indifferently uttered, "Even at death's door, your words flow incessantly. Did you truly believe I lacked the courage to kill?"

Zhai Le remained silent. He knew Shen was decisive and formidable, but he hadn't anticipated her striking with such suddenness.

As Zhai Le gazed at the rolling head by his feet, its eyelids still trembling, frozen in an expression of disbelief, he sighed and kicked it away. Better to bury both the head and the corpse together, to grant them a dignified rest, a final semblance of honor.

As for whether they would be unearthed...

That, he couldn't guarantee.

He only saw to the burial.

"Brother Shen, next time, a warning before the strike, perhaps?" Zhai Le suggested.

Shen Tang retorted, "What warning?"

Pointing to the terrified thugs nearby, Zhai Le remarked, "To prepare them psychologically. Didn't you detect the stench of fear?"

Indeed, the timid ones had already wet themselves.

Their crotches were visibly soaked with liquid.

Shen Tang acknowledged, "Yes..."

The odor was undeniably foul and pungent.

Advancing a half-step with her sword, the thugs trembled with fear, prostrating themselves on the ground, their heads knocking against the earth with dull thuds, as they earnestly begged for mercy, swearing allegiance to Shen Tang and pleading for their lives.

Shen Tang tugged at the corner of her lips, a hint of disdain surfacing.

Surely, when they were bullying and terrorizing merchants, driving families to ruin and despair, they hadn't anticipated meeting this end themselves.

Shen Tang's gaze swept over the group of thugs.

No second strike fell for quite some time.

Just when the thugs began to breathe a sigh of relief, thinking themselves safe, Shen Tang swiftly dispatched two more with her sword, leaving two lifeless heads staring back at them. The thugs trembled at the sight of the slain, realizing they were the former boss's "right-hand men."

Henchmen second only to the boss.

Sent by the deputy leader of the bandits.

Pretending to plead for mercy, they harbored hidden intentions, planning to strike when Shen Tang least expected it—ordered by their leader to protect their younger brother, only to have him killed by a stranger, leaving them with nothing but death!

Since that was the case, they might as well lay blame before they died.

Zhai Le, unfazed by the scene, smiled lightly, applauding Shen Tang's discernment. "Brother Shen's insight is as sharp as a blade. Such threats cannot be tolerated!"

Shen Tang remained silent.

She had only targeted the two most troublesome and dangerous ones first; the rest of the thugs would be dealt with together, but she hadn't promised to spare their lives... However, with Zhai Le's praise, Shen Tang felt compelled to relent, lest she appear uncouth.

After a moment's contemplation, Shen Tang sheathed her sword.

Seeing this, the other thugs quickly bowed, pledging their loyalty.

Shen Tang's expression darkened. "Bury the bodies in a pit."

The thugs exchanged glances but complied nonetheless.

Fearful of acting too late and facing the sword themselves—those three spurting blood columns just now would surely haunt them for the rest of their lives!

But lacking digging tools, they had to grit their teeth and use their bare hands. After a while, their fingers turned black, fingertips throbbing with pain, yet none dared to cry out or stop. Seeing this, Zhai Le sighed and stepped forward. "Let a few of you step back."

With such digging, they couldn't even excavate a pit.

Shen Tang hugged her sword, observing his next move.

As the thugs stepped aside, they saw a black-clad youth with a faint glow around his waist, conjuring a long blade out of thin air. Gathering his strength, he condensed his martial energy into the blade, its aura steadily rising, the black glow intensifying, eventually coalescing into a nearly tangible mist.

A resounding shout escaped his lips as he swung the fully powered blade toward the ground, unleashing a torrent of ink-black sword energy. The ground shook with a deafening roar, sand and smoke billowing, the shockwave carrying a barrage of debris.

Shen Tang could only raise her arm to shield her face.

Once the smoke cleared, a gaping crater appeared, more than enough to bury not only three bodies but six.

Yet Zhai Le didn't break a sweat.

Waving at the thugs, he declared, "Bodies buried."

The thugs stared dumbfounded.

They couldn't even think, their legs as weak as grass, unable to stand. They couldn't help but question their life choices—how did they provoke these two harbingers of doom?

Shen Tang mounted her horse, her expression indifferent. "You won't be needed for this. Even if you join, it's futile. Just watch from the sidelines. And remember—one who dares to flee will be treated as a bandit. Let's go!"

The motorcycle seemed to sense their destination, its excitement palpable as its strides quickened, far livelier than usual.

Zhai Le naturally followed suit on horseback.

The bandit problem in Sibao County was severe. Normally, they lurked in the deep mountains, their initial timidity overcome as they resorted to robbery and exploitation of passing merchants for sustenance. However, with Sibao County preoccupied elsewhere and the county magistrate lacking the resolve to root them out, their audacity grew.

With boldness came increased appetite.