The Bandit King?

Translator: CinderTL

Song Zhu endured the excruciating pain in her body and spoke in a hoarse voice, "I know. Heavenly Earth Treasures are naturally formed. In some special places—where there is heavy killing intent, deathly aura, abundant spiritual energy, or lingering resentment—under certain coincidences, there is a small chance for a Heavenly Earth Treasure to be born."

"You must have investigated Shannan Village, right? Tell me about it," Xu Sanyan said, showing respect by withdrawing his hand from her embrace.

Song Zhu took a slight breath of relief. "From my investigation, the location of Shannan Village was the site of a major battle during the previous dynasty. Tens of thousands of soldiers were buried there. After hundreds of years of nurturing, it's possible that a treasure was born."

"Possible?" Xu Sanyan frowned.

Song Zhu shook her head. "I haven't seen it myself, but it feels like a treasure."

Xu Sanyan thought for a moment. "What are the usual characteristics of such treasures?"

Song Zhu pondered. "It's hard to say. It could be a sword, a blade, or even a stone. You can only recognize it when you see it."

Xu Sanyan nodded. "You're just a mortal. Even if you obtained such a treasure, what use would it be to you?"

Song Zhu didn't want to say more. She closed her eyes and pursed her lips, feeling she had already said enough.

Xu Sanyan raised an eyebrow and slowly reached out to undo her collar. "Oh, so you're getting addicted to this, huh?"

Song Zhu hurriedly opened her eyes. "I said, take your hand away!"

Xu Sanyan withdrew his hand and gestured for her to continue.

"Treasures have extraordinary uses, each with different effects, but undoubtedly, they are all highly significant. Legend has it that hundreds of years ago, a young man accidentally obtained a treasure—an ancient wine cup. Every morning, a cup of fine wine would appear in it."

Xu Sanyan asked curiously, "That's indeed peculiar, but what use is it?"

Song Zhu explained, "If it were ordinary wine, it would be useless. But that was wine brewed by immortals. It's said that its effects surpass precious medicine a hundredfold. Just one sip could allow one to break through a cultivation realm."

Xu Sanyan looked astonished. "One realm a day? That's too overpowering."

Upon closer thought, it might be an exaggerated rumor, growing more outrageous with each retelling. The immortal wine's ability to enhance cultivation was likely true, but breaking through a realm every time seemed too terrifying.

"What happened to that young man later?" Xu Sanyan asked, glancing sideways.

Song Zhu shook her head. "It's said that he died. The news of the treasure leaked out, attracting countless immortals to fight over it. He was killed in the process."

Xu Sanyan nodded. Heavenly Earth Treasures are each unique, born from the creation of heaven and earth, with extraordinary effects. Naturally, they would attract envy.

"I've said enough. Give me a quick death."

Song Zhu closed her eyes. She wasn't afraid of death; she only regretted not being able to avenge her brother's murder.

Xu Sanyan nodded and said one last thing, "I didn't kill your brother. When you go down, remember to say hello for me."

Xu Sanyan reuniting her with her brother—wasn't that a good deed?

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Sanyan gathered his qi and raised his palm, striking directly at Song Zhu's forehead.

Song Zhu closed her eyes, waiting for death to come.

At that moment, a loud shout came from afar, "Stop!"

Hearing the voice, Song Zhu's heart leapt, thinking she had a chance to survive. But as soon as she opened her eyes, she saw a pair of fleshy palms rapidly enlarging in her vision, and with a "bang," they struck her skull.

Song Zhu didn't make a sound and fell to the ground, lifeless.

Xu Sanyan then turned to see who had been so rude as to shout in public.

A young man in plain clothes rushed over from the distance. Seeing Song Zhu lifeless on the ground, his expression turned grim. "Didn't you hear me tell you to stop?"

Xu Sanyan narrowed his eyes. "May I ask who you are…"

The young man's sword-like eyebrows rose, and his eyes glared fiercely. "Hmph, you're not worthy of knowing my name."

Xu Sanyan nodded faintly.

…

A moment later,

Two bodies lay side by side on the ground. Xu Sanyan kindly closed Song Zhu's eyes. "Finding you a handsome companion for your burial isn't a bad way to end your time in this world."

This young man, who had appeared out of nowhere, dared to act chivalrous with only Qi Refinement cultivation. It was a miracle he had lived this long.

With everything settled, a crescent moon had risen in the sky. The city gates were closed, and Xu Sanyan could only shake his head helplessly. The city walls were too high, and there were patrolling soldiers atop them. He couldn't get in and had to spend the night outside the city.

The next morning, when the city gates opened, Xu Sanyan returned home. Madam Wu hurried over. "Fourth Master, you're back."

"Yes. Do you know where Shannan Village is?" Xu Sanyan asked.

Madam Wu shook her head. "I've never heard of it."

Xu Sanyan left his home and went to the gang's headquarters. He summoned Wang Gang and inquired about the location of Shannan Village, only to find out it was quite far—about seventy or eighty li away.

It was better to act sooner rather than later. The treasure was of great importance, so Xu Sanyan decided to set off immediately. He turned to Wang Gang and said, "Gather twenty brothers to come with me. We leave at once."

Wang Gang hesitated slightly. "Boss, what's happened?"

Xu Sanyan's eyelids drooped, and he gave Wang Gang a cold look. Wang Gang immediately broke into a cold sweat. "Understood. I'll go right away."

A moment later, the twenty men were assembled. Xu Sanyan waved his hand. "Let's move."

The size of Shannan Village was still unclear, so bringing more people would make the search easier. As for the concern of information leaking…

Xu Sanyan sneered inwardly. With everyone dead, there was naturally no risk of leaks.

…

As the sky gradually darkened, the group finally arrived at the outskirts of a village. They had ridden for an entire day to cover the seventy-plus li.

Xu Sanyan stood on the slope, looking down at the peaceful and serene village. He spoke softly, "Wake up the villagers."

"Yes."

Twenty fierce swordsmen rushed into the village, immediately causing a frenzy of barking dogs. Many villagers were awakened and opened their doors to see a group of burly men on horseback wielding blades charging in.

"Bandits! Bandits are here!"

"Run for your lives!"

One of the gang members was displeased and shouted, "You're the bandits! Your whole family are bandits! We're righteous outlaws!"

Xu Sanyan stood on the slope, watching the chaos in the village, and slowly urged his horse forward.

Shannan Village wasn't large. He had just counted about forty households, with roughly two hundred people if each household had four members.

To the south of the village was a small open area. Xu Sanyan had everyone herded there and surrounded. He rode over, glanced at the terrified villagers, and smiled lightly.

"Don't be afraid, everyone. We're not bad people. We're just here to find something. Who's the village chief? Bring him out to speak."

A frail old man tremblingly stepped forward, knelt on the ground with a thud, and said with a mournful face, "Bandit King, we're just ordinary folks. We don't have anything valuable. Please spare us."

Bandit King?

Xu Sanyan curled his lips, unsure how to respond to the title.

"Old man, don't worry. We're just here to ask some questions. Answer truthfully, and we'll leave you be. We're not bandits."

With that, Xu Sanyan took out a silver ingot from his pocket and casually tossed it in front of the old man. "Answer well, and there's more."

(End of the Chapter)

---

📖Read (HB) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c64. [+4]

🔑Early Access at $5.

✍Translated (6) Series, (3K+) Chapters, (4.2M+) Words.

💥Flat 30% Discount on All Tiers Available Till 26th July, Use Code 3KCHAPTERS to Avail.

If you want to support me, consider becoming a patron, or you can also help me for FREE by giving this book powerstones, reviews, comments and recommendations.