Chapter 37 – A Man of His Word (2/2)
There were a few martial arts adepts among the other bandits, but most of them were on the same level as the ginseng foragers. They had only practised some martial arts, which was enough to harass ordinary people, but it was definitely not enough to rival him.
I- I’m going to die here! The third boss endured his injuries and shifted towards the back, fearfully looking at Li Qingshan as he made his way over. Li Qingshan seemed like a demon in human form as mentioned in those legends, where he could suddenly transform and reveal his vicious fangs. No matter how many people were by his side, they could not save him.
“If I die, the entire Crouching Ox village will be buried with me. Don’t you know who my elder brother is?”
Li Long’s expression became even uglier. He went up and grabbed Li Qingshan. “Qingshan, don’t be rash!”
The third boss used this opportunity to climb onto his pony, grabbing the reins and riding off at top speed. Even without his orders, the other bandits all followed behind him. They even left behind the injured bandits.
Li Qingshan broke free from the grip and grabbed Li Long’s throat firmly. He lifted him up. “Do you want to die as well?”
Li Long struggled. “Y- you can’t kill a boss of the Black Wind stronghold. Have you heard of Under Elm village?”
“Under Elm village!” Caretaker Liu, who had collapsed on the ground and had been frightened half to death, suddenly cried out.
“What Under Elm village?!” Li Qingshan loosened his grip.
“Under Elm village has a custom of practising martial arts. Their villagers are all fierce and brave, and they managed to kill a boss of the Black Wind stronghold. But before long, the master of the Black Wind stronghold personally arrived with the five other bosses and slaughtered the entire village, a population of several hundred people, regardless of age or gender. There were so many corpses that it formed a hill. The master of the Black Wind stronghold had brought the other bosses to hold a memorial service for their deceased brother. Do you want something so horrific to happen to the Crouching Ox village?”
“Then are we supposed to just let them tread over us?” Li Qingshan growled.
“Qingshan, I understand how you feel, but we are all helpless given the current circumstances.”
“Then I’ll become even stronger!”
The expressions of all of the villagers changed. At this moment, all they heard was an extremely vicious promise the third boss left behind from afar. “Just you wait for the Crouching Ox village to be massacred!” Some people collapsed on the ground in fright as the cries and sobs began once more. There was no joy from repelling the bandits.
An injured bandit clutched his chest and smiled viciously. “All of you will die with me!”
“Are you done?” Li Qingshan asked.
“What?”
Li Qingshan released Li Long and kicked the broad blade near his foot. The tip stabbed through the mountain bandit’s throat, immediately taking his life. “I never go back on something I’ve said.” Li Qingshan finished off the other injured bandits and turned back to the villagers. “Nothing will happen. I promise!” Afterwards, he strode off in the direction that the bandits had fled in without looking back.
The sun fell in the west, and the last ray of light vanished from the sky. Darkness descended on the mountains.
Around a roaring bonfire, two bandits helped the third boss pull out the arrow. The third boss groaned in pain, slapping a bandit away. “Can you be a little more fucking gentle?”
The bandit’s mouth bled from the slap, but he faltered, afraid to talk back.
The other bandits were all dejected. With the infamy of the Black Wind stronghold, it had already been a very long time since they had experienced a failure like this. They had already grown accustomed to gazes of fear and flattery. They were used to taking silver and women whenever they wanted to.
“All of you fucking liven up. We will have our revenge. Once I get my hands on that kid…” The third boss smiled viciously.
“We’ll cut him to pieces!” a bandit immediately answered.