Chapter 103 - 78: Leveling the Bandit Stronghold

Chapter 103: Chapter 78: Leveling the Bandit Stronghold

Power that didn’t belong to him would never truly be his. What he really needed to do wasn’t to constantly rely on the Military Array and preach about "strength in numbers," but to train diligently and achieve a genuine breakthrough in his Realm.

Otherwise, even with a million armored soldiers, a lack of personal strength would still leave him no match for a Dharma Aspect or True Martial expert.

"When fortune smiles, heaven and earth align to help; when luck departs, even heroes are bound by fate."

He already possessed a nearly game-breaking treasure like the Great Tao Martial Book. He needed to focus more on himself, treating the Military Array as a mere auxiliary tool.

With this realization, Zheng Jun felt a sudden sense of enlightenment. The world suddenly seemed vastly wider.

At that moment, the United Righteous Thieves in the valley had finished assembling. They surged forward together, staring at Zheng Jun with extreme vigilance.

The leader was a burly, bald man. He carried a versatile Blade in his hand and glared fiercely at Zheng Jun, his appearance particularly hideous and menacing. He was none other than the Qi Storage Martial Artist, the infamous "Sick Worm" Zhang Kang.

Beside him stood five other Blood Refining Martial Artists. They were all prominent figures among the United Righteous Thieves, living large and indulging in meat and wine alongside Zhang Kang. Right now, they were looking at Zheng Jun and his County Soldiers with solemn expressions.

Ever since County Captain Lin led the Black Mountain Guard into a disastrous defeat, Black Mountain County hadn’t bothered with these bandits for a long time. As a result, the outlaws had lived quite comfortably over the past two years. They slept after eating their fill and went down the mountain to abduct women after waking up. It was a truly carefree and unrestrained life.

Zhang Kang had heard rumors about the Black Mountain Guard getting a new Captain. Hearing it was a young man, he didn’t take it seriously. He wondered what kind of skills a kid who was still wet behind the ears could possibly have.

But to his utter surprise, they had actually shown up at his doorstep!

What was this young kid’s name again?

The bald Zhang Kang rubbed his head and thought carefully. He vaguely remembered the new Captain’s surname was Zheng. He immediately cupped his hands in a polite gesture and said, "Captain Zheng, although we of the United Righteous Thieves are bandits, we have always respected true heroes and have never provoked the county town. With your busy official duties, why bring your troops to our door for a slaughter?

"Our little mountain stronghold is just scraping by in the mountains. It’s truly unwise for you to come and exterminate us. Although our overall strength isn’t great and our numbers are few, we still have one Qi Storage and over ten Blood Refining Martial Artists! If we fight to the death, how many of your men will perish? You might not even be able to take me down!

"My brothers and I have worthless lives, but you have a promising future ahead of you. It’s not worth risking it! You should think this through. As it happens, we recently robbed a shipment escorted by the Zhenwei Escort Agency. It contained several hundred taels of silver and a bottle of Qi Storage Pills. We are willing to offer them to you, Captain Zheng, as a truce."

Zhang Kang watched Zheng Jun warily as he slowly delivered this speech.

They were bandits, and they had no desire to clash with the County Soldiers. Although they were extremely ruthless and had killed countless people in their daily lives, it depended on who they were targeting. When they went down the mountain, they never dared to attack the wealthy Gentry families; they only vented their cruelty on commoners.

Fighting the County Soldiers meant a brutal, life-and-death struggle. Even if they won, the Court would be furious and send even more troops to wipe them out. Sooner or later, they would die under wave after wave of military assaults. Therefore, Zhang Kang was entirely unwilling to conflict with the County Soldiers under any circumstances. Similarly, if a Captain lost too many soldiers under his command, his career prospects would be severely damaged.

Because of this, Zhang Kang wanted to persuade this hot-blooded young man to drop the constant talk of bandit extermination. Jianghu wasn’t just about fighting and killing; it was about relationships and worldly wisdom.

"At worst, whenever we rob those commoners, we can just give you a cut of the profits," he reasoned to himself.

Zhang Kang pondered this, though he felt a bit gloomy inside. He had no idea who had completely leaked the exact location of his stronghold.

"Hah."

Hearing this, Zheng Jun’s face remained stern. He immediately used his True Qi to amplify his voice, making it ring out like a massive bell. "You bandits have grown far too rampant! You slaughtered the Yan Clan, the Village Heroes of Nansha Town, leaving no one alive. It’s utterly despicable! Zhang Pingteng has already confessed. As the Captain of the Black Mountain Guard, it is my duty to apprehend you wicked scoundrels and restore peace and justice to Black Mountain County!"

Zhang Kang was stunned by Zheng Jun’s words, and a wave of panic quickly washed over him.

He wondered if Zhang Pingteng had actually massacred the entire Yan Family.

Zhang Kang didn’t overthink it. Upon hearing Zheng Jun’s declaration, he instantly assumed that Zhang Pingteng had led his men to slaughter the Yan Family. Terror gripped him. The Yan Family was a dominant power in Nansha Town! If they were massacred, it was no wonder the Black Mountain Guard had come knocking!

"Zhang Pingteng, you’ve doomed me!" Zhang Kang roared inwardly. He forced a strained smile and said, "Captain Zheng, I had absolutely no idea! That Zhang Pingteng isn’t from our stronghold. You must look into this clearly—"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Zheng Jun issued a command. The County Soldiers swarmed forward like ants, launching their assault on the stronghold.

Seeing this, Zhang Kang was forced to swallow a bitter pill in silence. He could only shout, "Brothers, fight these government dogs to the death!" before immediately trying to figure out how to escape.

Did anyone actually think he would stay behind and fight these County Soldiers?

However, just as Zhang Kang was about to flee, he suddenly felt an overwhelming wave of killing intent erupt right in front of him.

He looked up and saw Zheng Jun charging at him, Blade in hand. Using his momentum, Zheng Jun swung the weapon, which was already caked in someone else’s dried blood. It whistled through the air as he Slashed toward Zhang Kang, unleashing a massive arc of brilliant blade light!