Chapter 23 (1/2)

The Uncle and the Bandits (part 1)

Uncle Bone spoke very frankly and a.s.suredly, giving me a concrete general idea of the entire situation.

A long, long time ago….actually it wasn’t a long long time ago, it was just some time ago.

A demon lived in the nearby forest and would irregularly attack the village, appearing like a G.o.d and vanis.h.i.+ng like a ghost. Even the inspection official was at his wit’s end. The first time the demon attacked the village, it killed seven hundred people, and over time it led to a large-scale ma.s.sacre. Afterwards, a group of people came, calling themselves the Citizen’s Warriors. They sent away the inspection official, and “beat back” that monster.

At first, the townspeople celebrated the victory, but in time they discovered an abnormality.

This group of people weren’t any kind of good people, they weren’t brave men or heroes, they were just a group of intelligent bullies. They colluded with the people with the greatest power in town, the n.o.blemen, extracting the money of the citizens. Behind the flouris.h.i.+ng little town was a group of workers enduring the cold and suffering the hunger, feeding the owners who were reaping without sowing. Though it looked bright and lively, actually it was lifeless.

What’s even more urgent is that some of the townspeople tried to resist, but there were barely any results. They thought of making the town go through a stringent investigation, and had already gotten people to report about the matter to the government. But the n.o.blemen, who squandered money like dirt, oppressed the issue, and the informants were brutally killed.

There was also a time where there was no food to eat. The whole town started a large-scale uprising, but the bandits were exceptionally strong. Moreover, the demon suddenly appeared. The townspeople’s casualties were disastrous, and they could only listen to the commands of the bandits.

Although I had originally thought that the issue couldn’t be simple, I didn’t think that the officials and the brigands would collude in such a big show. Even the demon appeared. The uprising and rebellion were not successful. They created a group of female slaves who longed for death, and who remained only could lament their fate.

“Talking so much, who are you really?”

Ho, Uncle Bone, you really are hale and hearty.

“A travelling salesman. However, my companion is an investigation official.”

“You’re lying to me. I only need to look once and I can see that you are a forger, moreover, quite the accomplished one. This old man cannot even compare.”

Bone had great intuition. The gaze shot out from his eyes was very swift and fierce.

This person wasn’t like the rest. He wasn’t longing to lose his life.

He was a tough bone.

I had prepared to say goodbye when suddenly I heard a rough knock on the door.

“Hey! Ya old man! Get out here!”

Uncle Bone immediately squeezed into a box, hinting at me to not open the door.”

“If you don’t pay up, next time I’ll stab you to death.”

Dongdongdong, dongdongdong.

So annoying.

I pulled open the door. At the entrance were three coa.r.s.e thugs. Each had dumb faces, muscular bodies, exaggerated hairstyles, and a large iron sword.

“Ah? Who is this youngster?”

“Sorry, I am a travelling salesman. I wanted to come in here to count my inventory, but discovered that the owner wasn’t here.”

They immediately changed their expressions.

This town placed a lot of importance on businessmen. After all, if businessmen didn’t come, this town would be like a pool of stagnant water, and there wouldn’t be any money to collect. As such, they encouraged businessmen to trade, taxes were also low. Even if it was a bandit, they were probably taught to not offend a travelling merchant. It really was a convenient position.

“Oh oh, a businessman, we’re very sorry. Could you please uncover your face?”

I pressed three silver coins into the hand of the leader.

“I’m really sorry, my face was scratched up by wolves in the forest. I can’t show it in good company. I beg of dage to be understanding. That old guy is my old customer. If he owes you money, then I am also somewhat responsible. I don’t know if this much is enough?”

That person immediately patted his hair and burst out laughing.