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墨書 Inktalez
A group of Lads stared at Liu Guanfeng standing at the door, holding Twin Halberds, his body and face covered in blood. In the night, illuminated by the firelight, he looked terrifying.
The Lads exchanged glances, none daring to step forward. Liu Guanfeng had just declared that he had killed their Boss; approaching him would be tantamount to seeking death.
At the same time, the Lads instinctively began to retreat as they observed Liu Guanfeng's demeanor.
Seeing that the Lads were already somewhat frightened, Liu Guanfeng shouted again, "Quickly drop your weapons and surrender, or I will surely kill you here." After speaking, he clashed his Twin Iron Halberds together, producing a metallic clang.
The Lads hesitated, looking at each other. Suddenly, a scream echoed from behind them: "Ah!" Startled, the Lads turned to look. Liu Guanfeng felt more at ease. They saw a dark beast with a head resembling a dragon and a body somewhat like a horse—Little Black had arrived.
Little Black began to set fire at the entrance. By the time Bao Rui and several others rushed in from outside, Little Black had effortlessly fended off an attack and killed two Squad Leaders. After Bao Rui and his companions joined in, Little Black took down another leader, causing chaos among the robbers. Taking advantage of the confusion, Bao Rui and his two companions charged in while Little Black set all the houses ablaze and headed straight for Liu Guanfeng.
When he arrived, Liu Guanfeng was still shouting at the robbers, and Little Black appeared to bolster his confidence. Upon seeing this beast, everyone completely abandoned resistance; they recognized Little Black as a formidable creature that resembled an Earth Dragon. If Little Black knew they mistook him for an Earth Dragon, he might have had mixed feelings.
The more than thirty robbers surrounding the entrance stood frozen in place; one of them accidentally dropped his weapon with a clatter. This sound seemed infectious as others followed suit and dropped their weapons as well.
As dawn broke gradually, the battle neared its end, and the shouting grew quieter. Liu Guanfeng instructed the thirty-odd robbers to find rope and bind themselves before leading them to the Gathering Hall. Standing on the steps of the hall, Liu Guanfeng soon saw Bao Rui, Copper Bull, and Iron Bull bringing dozens of robbers before him. Only Dai Yi returned empty-handed without any captives.
Liu Guanfeng glanced around; there were still about three hundred robbers in the square while others had either been killed or fled. He coldly regarded the robbers before him:
"If you behave while you're here, I will guarantee your lives. As for your crimes, that will be dealt with by the authorities when they arrive. I will ask you one question; those who can answer will have a chance to survive. You only have one opportunity—make sure to seize it."
After finishing his statement, Liu Guanfeng scanned the robbers again. The ones who had been bowing their heads in despair immediately lifted them upon hearing there was a chance for survival, looking at Liu Guanfeng with eager eyes.
"Does anyone know about the Five Elements Gathering Stone Mine?"
Upon hearing Liu Guanfeng's question, everyone present lowered their heads, except for one person lying on the ground who wanted to speak but thought better of it and closed his eyes instead. This did not escape Liu Guanfeng's notice, and he pointed at the lying bandit: "Iron Bull, bring this person to me."
Iron Bull stepped over to the man and, before he could understand what was happening, was dragged in front of Liu Guanfeng by one leg, while the bandit let out a scream like a slaughtered pig.
Liu Guanfeng looked down at the man at his feet and asked, "It seems you know something about the Five Elements Gathering Stone Mine?"
The man closed his eyes again. "What can I do if I know? I'm already a dead man. Whether I say it or not, the outcome will be the same."
Liu Guanfeng squatted down to observe the man. He appeared to be around forty years old, with a bronze-colored face and well-defined muscles.
"Do you have parents?"
"They're all dead."
"Do you have a wife and children?"
The man opened his eyes and glanced at Liu Guanfeng. "I'm just a lad; how could I afford to marry a wife or have children?" He then closed his eyes again.
"Would you like to have a wife?"
The man opened his eyes again, possibly too excited. He then grinned slightly, sweat appearing on his forehead, but he gritted his teeth and remained silent. "Who wouldn't want a wife? But in my current state, no matter what kind of wife you give me, I can't marry her. I've already been severely injured by your subordinate." He glared fiercely at Copper Bull as he spoke.
Liu Guanfeng was quite satisfied with this man's performance. He knew that the severely injured man in front of him was a tough character. It was evident from his demeanor that he was much stronger than the other bandits, as none of the more than three hundred bandits in the square dared to look him in the eye; only this man not only dared to meet his gaze but also stared fiercely at Copper Bull.
Liu Guanfeng felt a strong liking for such a man. He leaned close to the man's ear and whispered, "What if I could heal you?"
"Don't joke with me. You're just a kid; what do you know about medicine? I'm well aware of my injuries. If I were taken to the city, I probably wouldn't make it. Don't waste your time here; I just need to wait for death," he said, closing his eyes again.
Liu Guanfeng did not give up. "Would you be willing to follow me and stop being a bandit?"
This time, the man didn't even open his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "If there were a way out, who would want to be a bandit? As for following you, I'd rather pass. If I had met you earlier, I might have agreed."
"It's not too late to agree now."
"It's late—very late. I can feel my time is short. Cough, cough!" After speaking, he coughed twice and spat out a mouthful of blood. He then sighed heavily, "Ah! Father, your unfilial son has come to serve you."
Seeing that this man was on the verge of death, Liu Guanfeng quickly took out a Nine-Turn Golden Elixir from his pocket and placed it in the man's mouth. He then placed his right hand on him, using his Fighting Qi to help him digest the medicine. Perhaps he was too exhausted; under Liu Guanfeng's assistance, the man fell asleep.
After dispersing the medicinal energy, Liu Guanfeng said to Copper Bull and Iron Bull, "You two carry him into the main hall and let him rest for a while. I estimate he will be fine in about an hour."
The bandits watching Liu Guanfeng's actions were dumbfounded. Could it be that the dying man was already recovering? A commotion arose among them when suddenly a young man in his twenties, bound at the hands, hurriedly approached Liu Guanfeng and knelt down on both knees. "Please take me in, young master; I don't want to be a bandit anymore."
Liu Guanfeng glanced at him disdainfully. "Are you afraid of death?"
The young man shook his head. "Not afraid."
"Then why do you want me to take you in?"
"I don't want to die because I still have a grudge to settle. If you can help me take revenge, I would have no complaints even if it means going to my death."
In fact, Liu Guanfeng had already considered taking in these bandits because he still needed manpower. Relying solely on his five thousand private soldiers was not enough for revenge. He had long set his sights on these bandits, as those who survived encounters with Bao Rui and others should possess considerable strength. Moreover, taking in these people wouldn't pose much of a problem since he still had five thousand soldiers and wasn't afraid of the trouble that three hundred bandits could cause.
However, he couldn't just accept anyone without knowing whether they were genuinely surrendering. Even though he wasn't afraid of them causing chaos, it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble. Liu Guanfeng needed to observe their behavior and character; if any of them turned out to be truly vicious, he wouldn't hesitate to deal with them.
"You can go back for now. Let me think about what you said."
Liu Guanfeng looked up at the three hundred bandits before him: "Are you willing to follow me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, all the bandits were taken aback for a moment before kneeling down before Liu Guanfeng. Only two individuals remained standing. Liu Guanfeng smiled at them; both appeared to be around forty years old: "Are you two unwilling to follow me?"
One of them shot a glance at Liu Guanfeng: "Since you've caught us, just kill us or let us go quickly. Serve as your subordinates? Have you grown up yet? Ha ha!" He laughed heartily after speaking. This infuriated Copper Bull, who immediately stepped forward and punched the man in the stomach. The man endured the pain without crying out, glaring at Copper Bull instead.
Copper Bull shook his fist: "You don't accept this? If I could catch you once, I can catch you again. What’s wrong? Do you think being a bandit gives you some sort of privilege? For the innocent people who died at your hands, I wouldn't mind killing one more."
Hearing Copper Bull's words, the man felt ashamed and closed his eyes, lowering his head. The other standing man did the same but did not kneel.
Liu Guanfeng smiled as he looked at the two men, thinking: These two are also men of character; they dare to admit their mistakes and possess strong resolve. It seems that if used well, they could become valuable allies. Liu Guanfeng had already marked these two as his subordinates in his heart.
After a while, loud noises came from the entrance of the stronghold again. Liu Guanfeng looked up and saw Qifeng Ge and Leo approaching with many knights and warriors behind them. Upon seeing a group of people kneeling before Liu Guanfeng, they were momentarily stunned. Qifeng Ge quickly walked over to Liu Guanfeng's side: "Junior brother, what is going on here?"
After explaining the situation to Qifeng Ge, Liu Guanfeng received a thumbs up from him. "Junior Brother, I didn't expect you to have such charm at such a young age, able to win over such strong bandits. I'm really envious," Qifeng Ge said.
Liu Guanfeng smiled slightly. "Thank you for the compliment, Senior Brother."
"Junior Brother, do you plan to take them all under your wing like this?"
Liu Guanfeng shook his head. "I still need to conduct a small test. Those who pass will stay, and those who don't will be reported to the authorities."
"A test like that?"
Liu Guanfeng smiled mysteriously. "You'll understand when the time comes."
About an hour later, Bao Rui walked out of the hall and approached Liu Guanfeng, whispering, "Third Brother, the person inside has woken up."
"Let's go take a look." After saying this, he led Bao Rui and Copper Bull into the Gathering Hall, accompanied by Qifeng Ge. At this moment, the man who had been unconscious was now awake and looking relaxed.
Liu Guanfeng walked over to the man. "How do you feel? Still want to die?"
The man looked at Liu Guanfeng in shock. He never expected that he, who had thought he was doomed, would come back to life like this. He moved his limbs and felt great; not only could he move them, but it also didn't hurt at all, and the feeling of chest tightness had disappeared.
Looking down at his hands in astonishment, the man said, "How... how did I get better?"
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