On the stone walls of Goose City, Prefect Ma Bonde, clad in a suit of armor, paced back and forth anxiously. A circle of government officials stood around him, their faces taut with nervous terror, alongside a sparse number of city defense soldiers. Daoist Xi Menzi had gone to pursue those White Lotus demon cultivators. If the Daoist returned triumphantly, all would be well. But if the plan failed, and the White Lotus demon cultivators came to Goose City seeking retaliation, then these mortals would have to be the first line of defense.

Ma Bonde pinched his stiff, cold shoulders. This armor doesn't fit well at all, he thought. It can't accommodate my already misshapen figure; wearing it feels so awkward. Coupled with the bone-chilling wind blowing from above and the gnawing hunger in my belly, I almost feel like I've returned to the dream world.

"Go down and bring up some meat soup; distribute it to everyone," Prefect Ma whispered to a government official by his side, sighing imperceptibly.

As an official responsible for protecting the people of his region, Ma Bonde knew that many civilians naively believed the White Lotus Cult was a Holy Church dedicated to relieving suffering and saving all sentient beings. Little did they know that the White Lotus Cult excelled at inciting foolish men and women from the shadows, storming County Governments, collaborating with displaced people and Rebel Armies, pillaging cities, slaughtering and looting, and bringing calamity to entire regions. Afterward, they would cunningly push all the blame onto the rebels, even stepping forward to comfort and "save" the suffering masses, thereby winning hearts and minds.

As the prefect, Ma Bonde was determined that Goose City would not suffer the same fate as those destroyed counties. He had already distributed weapons from the Wude Guard armory to the city defense soldiers, hoping that if the White Lotus demon cultivators attacked, they could use magic artifacts, the sturdy city walls, and their superior numbers to deter them.

"My lord, look quickly!" an official holding a torch exclaimed, his eyes brightening as he pointed toward a dark corner outside the city gate.

Ma Bonde squinted and saw a Daoist in black robes emerge from the dark, dense woods, seemingly strolling towards the gates of Goose City. It was Li Ang.

"Daoist Xi Menzi has returned?" Ma Bonde's heart leaped with joy. He quickly ordered, "Open the city gate! No, wait! Keep the city gate closed. Let down a basket from the city wall."

The White Lotus Cult is full of tricks, Ma Bonde mused. Some of them are masters of disguise. I can't be too careful.

The basket was lowered by the soldiers from the city wall. Before it was even halfway down, Li Ang hooked his fingers into crevices in the wall, kicked against its outer surface several times, and effortlessly ascended to the top. Ignoring the city defense soldiers who were poised for battle, he cupped his hands in a salute to Ma Bonde and said with a smile, "Prefect Ma, you can sleep soundly tonight. Those White Lotus demon cultivators were hit by my Palm Thunder and all suffered grave injuries. They fled in a panic and shouldn't come to attack Goose City anytime soon."

"That's truly wonderful!" Ma Bonde finally breathed a sigh of relief. He was about to ask Daoist Xi Menzi who those Looters from the White Lotus Cult were, so he could report to the Wude Guard soldiers arriving tomorrow, but he swallowed the question before it left his lips.

The White Lotus Cult's corruption of the imperial court is severe, Ma Bonde considered. It's possible that even now, their devotees are hiding on this very city tower. Daoist Xi Menzi might have actually killed one or two White Lotus demon cultivators but claimed to have merely repelled them for some reason. And judging by the Daoist's demeanor, he doesn't seem to want any involvement with the Wude Guard...

"Alright, since the Wude Guard soldiers will arrive in Goose City tomorrow, this poor Daoist has nothing further to do here. I shall take my leave," Li Ang said. He waved his sleeve, leaped agilely, stepped onto the exterior of the city wall, descended outside the city gate, and strode briskly into the pitch-black night.

「In the far distance, amidst the mountains.」

A man and a woman sprinted along a narrow mountain path. The man was bare-chested, carrying a large saber; the woman was wrapped in opulent fur, a soft sword belt cinching her waist. They were none other than Yi Yeqing and Owl Fer-de-lance.

The pair climbed the hillside, arriving before a stronghold nestled within a cave. The stronghold was brightly lit. A young bandit perched on an arrow tower, spotting Yi Yeqing and Owl Fer-de-lance by the light of the torches lining the mountain path, grinned. He formed a circle with two fingers, brought them to his lips, and whistled sharply.

"The Chief is back!"

The bandit stronghold instantly buzzed with activity. The leading bandits, ranked just below the two chiefs, came forward to welcome them with warm greetings, ushering Yi Yeqing and Owl Fer-de-lance into the cave.

"Where's my son?" Owl Fer-de-lance asked his subordinates coldly. He sat on a tiger-skin chair inside the cave, his face rigid.

The son he referred to was a child Yi Yeqing had adopted for amusement. She had raised him for two or three years and gradually developed an affection for him. If Yi Yeqing remained unable to bear children, they might even let him inherit the stronghold.

"Reporting to the Chief, the young master has already gone to bed."

Owl Fer-de-lance nodded, his expression unchanging. "Wake him up," he said. "And gather everyone in the stronghold. I have an important announcement to make."

The hearts of the bandit leaders leaped, and they exchanged excited glances, hardly able to contain their anticipation. They had long heard that both the Chief and the Deputy Chief had connections with the White Lotus Cult. If Owl Fer-de-lance announced today that they were joining the White Lotus Cult, it would be far more advantageous than lurking in the deep mountains to rob and plunder.

The bandits dared not delay. Soon, everyone was assembled, including the boy whom Yi Yeqing treated as her own son.

Owl Fer-de-lance and Yi Yeqing sat upright on their tiger-skin chairs, scanning the bandits gathered in the cave. "Is everyone here?" Owl Fer-de-lance asked.

"Reporting to the Chief, everyone is here, including the cooks. Only the hostages we captured a few days ago are still locked up in the prison on the back mountain."

"Good." Owl Fer-de-lance's gaze finally settled on his fifteen-year-old son, who had begun to sprout a light beard. He asked hoarsely, "Ten days ago, you went down the mountain to plunder. You kidnapped a woman and held her for ransom. Her parents spent their entire fortune, borrowing from every relative and neighbor, to gather the ransom, only to receive her mutilated corpse hanging from a tree by the river. Is this true?"

The boy, puzzled, touched his short hair. Father and Mother already know about this, he thought. They even praised me back then, saying I had their style. Why bring it up again today?

However, given Owl Fer-de-lance's commanding presence and usual grim demeanor, he could only bow his head respectfully and say softly, "It is true. I thought the woman was rather good-looking and initially wanted to ask Mother about making her my wife, the future lady of the stronghold. Unfortunately, she refused vehemently and wounded me. So, I had no choice but to lock her up. I didn't expect her to be so fragile; she died after just a few blows. I had intended to enjoy her myself before giving her to my brothers as a reward."

"Good." Owl Fer-de-lance nodded faintly. He picked up the large saber resting by his feet and slashed diagonally.

Blood sprayed into the air. A head spun, the boy's face still bearing a faint, somewhat complacent smile. The headless body crumpled to its knees.

Shocked screams erupted.

Owl Fer-de-lance stood up, his saber tearing through the bandits. Beside him, Yi Yeqing drew her soft sword and, expressionless, cut the ropes at the cave entrance. The wooden door slammed down, blocking all escape routes for the bandits.

Shouts of battle and pleas for mercy shook the air. Then, a moment later, an eerie silence fell.

The heavy wooden door was shattered by a single slash.

Carrying a severed head, Owl Fer-de-lance and Yi Yeqing walked out of the cave side by side.

They maintained expressionless faces, bathed in blood and riddled with wounds, yet not a single drop of their own blood flowed from their injuries. Green fuzz slowly pierced the surface of their skin, dancing in the wind. It absorbed all the blood on them and caressed their wounds, causing them to heal completely.

It was time to set out.

The beings that were once Owl Fer-de-lance and Yi Yeqing twisted their stiff necks. They rummaged through the stronghold, found a few plain outer garments, put them on, and continued their journey towards Lvzhou.

No one noticed two bizarrely-shaped insects circling above them. Their appearance resembled the ordinary Scout Soldier Bees that Li Ang had modified using the Origin of Life, but their heads were unusually large, as heavy as watermelons. Their massive heads made one worry they might suddenly plummet from the sky while flying.

These two strange insects were accompanied by four ordinary Scout Soldier Bees, which guarded them as they all proceeded northward together.

The next morning, the dozen or so hostages in the prison on the stronghold's back mountain discovered to their astonishment that the chains locking their cells had been cut at some unknown time. After fleeing in a panic, they further discovered that not a single bandit could be seen in the stronghold.

All the bandits had vanished.

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