Chapter 527: Peaceful Life, Blood Cloud Bandits

Chapter 527: A Peaceful Life, the Blood Cloud Bandits

Dingbo Prefecture.

A carriage traveled along a broad street.

A young man wore a gentle smile on his face.

"Of the thirteen prefectures under heaven, Dingbo Prefecture has the clearest governance, where the people live and work in peace."

Chi Changle was gaunt, with sunken eyes, his robe draped over him like a coat on a rack.

Qi Yuan looked out the window; on both sides of the street, various vendors hawked their wares. Though clad in coarse linen, few were sallow and emaciated, their bones jutting out.

If one stripped off their clothes and judged by physique alone, Chi Changle would likely be the poorest.

"It's indeed much better than other places," Qi Yuan remarked.

Whether it was Ninghe County, Fengshan Commandery, or Yeshan Lake, none compared to this prefecture.

"Dingbo Prefecture, also known as Willow Prefecture," Chi Changle said meaningfully.

This Willow, naturally, was the Willow of the surname Liu.

"Back then, many of the policies left by the God of Judgment were overturned by the imperial court, only Willow Prefecture preserved a few," Chi Changle sighed. "But ever since the Zhenyuan King took control of Dingbo Prefecture, who knows how long such days will last."

As he spoke, worry clouded his eyes.

"Is the Zhenyuan King strong?" Qi Yuan asked.

Chi Changle paused, surprised that anyone didn't know of the Zhenyuan King.

"Among the seven gods of the realm, the Zhenyuan King is one," Chi Changle said in a low voice. "Duke Liu is also one of the seven gods."

Duke Liu, the strongest in Dingbo Prefecture, the sole divine-level Imperial Arms Master.

"It seems the Zhenyuan King trains hard," Qi Yuan offered his assessment.

Chi Changle chuckled. "You'd best speak less of the Zhenyuan King's name. In Dingbo Prefecture, his spies are everywhere, known as the Blood Hands. Wherever they appear, bloodshed follows!"

"What strength do they have?" Qi Yuan asked.

"Four overseers are all peak Heaven-level Imperial Arms Masters, and the thousand-households beneath them are Heaven-level..."

"They don't seem to train hard enough."

"Brother Qi, be careful with your words. Offend the Blood Hands, and even the authorities can't save you!" Chi Changle said urgently.

"What's there to fear? We're walking bounties anyway, why worry about offending the Blood Hands?" Qi Yuan felt Chi Changle lacked self-awareness.

Having joined the Judgment and openly clashed with the court, why fear this?

Chi Changle paused, realizing Qi Yuan had a point.

After joining the Judgment, being discovered by the court authorities meant immediate execution—so why fear the Blood Hands, the Zhenyuan King's lackeys?

"You make a good point," Chi Changle nodded seriously.

The carriage wove through the streets, moving slowly.

Cries of vendors rang out.

"Candied hawthorns..."

"Flatbread, flatbread..."

"Golden West plums... fresh golden West plums..."

Qi Yuan's gaze lingered on the overly bright fruit.

"What's this?"

Chi Changle smiled. "These are fool's fruits. As an outsider, you must be seeing them for the first time!"

"Why are they called fool's fruits?"

"I don't know, but they're called fool's fruits anyway."

Qi Yuan's eyes grew deep.

Only fools buy fool's fruits, right?

Indeed, this world bore his deep influence.

Even fool's fruits existed.

He had once told the Voiceless Voice the story of fool's fruits.

...

Settled in the Judgment's stronghold, Qi Yuan's life entered a period of calm.

Though calm, there was much to do.

On one hand, he had to strive to elevate his Artificer realm, aiming to reach the divine Artificer level as soon as possible.

But it was too difficult; even with the blind Artificer's talent, his progress was slow.

On the other hand, he prepared for his role as Divine Descent, slowly seeking out Divine Descent's followers.

Lastly, he awaited news from the Judgment, seeking out specters and evildoers to uphold justice.

"Brother Qi, a job's come in!"

Just then, a gruff voice came from outside the door.

A flash of joy crossed Qi Yuan's eyes.

Finally, something to do.

"Wang Keng, just come in, the door's unlocked."

Outside, a short, wiry man in a short tunic, with dark skin and sweat dripping from him, sniffed his own body odor, hesitated, but still pushed the door open.

"Just unloaded some cargo at the dock, I'm all stinking with sweat." Wang Keng rubbed his crew cut awkwardly. He stood in the room, not sitting, perhaps afraid of dirtying the chair.

"You've worked all day, sit." Qi Yuan poured water for Wang Keng.

Seeing this, Wang Keng sat down, but only perched on the edge of the seat.

Wang Keng was also a member of the Judgment.

His experiences were no small tale.

He came from a family of laborers, specializing in unloading cargo at the docks.

A tiger's son is still a tiger; a laborer's son is still a laborer.

A hundred years ago, his great-grandfather was also a laborer, but not an ordinary one.

In the era of Divine Descent, the Raksha Kingdom had many strange and peculiar regulations.

One such rule was that all people were equal, with no distinction between noble and humble professions.

Even as a laborer, if one did well, they still enjoyed "rights" and had various "voices," ranking alongside high officials.

The same applied to night-soil collectors, weavers, and so on.

Wang Keng's great-grandfather was a laborer who ranked alongside high officials.

The kind that actually works.

Though these people vary in "quality," constant suggestions might plunge governance into chaos.

But fortunately, with a divine presence akin to an intelligent AI, the Raksha Kingdom suffered no disorder, even earning the words "fair" and "just."

At least, wherever the divine presence saw, darkness was swept clean.

Even tales like a brothel girl slaying the third prince with a sword spread far and wide.

Yet after the divine presence fell, all the decrees of that era were abolished.

According to the royal court, Wang Keng's great-grandfather was merely a laborer, his contribution nothing but hauling goods—how could that compare to the merits of the court ministers? Thus, such privileges were revoked.

"I was unloading cargo at the dock today and got word: the Blood Cloud Bandits... are about to strike the Zhao family's caravan!" Wang Keng took a gulp of water and swallowed hard.

Ten years ago, a band of outlaws suddenly appeared in Dingbo Prefecture, known as the Blood Cloud Bandits.

They burned, killed, looted, and committed every evil.

The Liu family sent troops to wipe them out once, but they quickly rose from the ashes.

The court, citing the Liu family's failure to suppress the bandits, dispatched the Prince of Zhenyuan to oversee Dingbo Prefecture.

In recent years, the Blood Cloud Bandits' power has only grown, and the Prince of Zhenyuan, through his "bandit suppression," has effectively taken root in Dingbo Prefecture.

"Is this information reliable?" Qi Yuan asked curiously.

"Absolutely reliable!" Wang Keng nodded. "Among the Blood Cloud Bandits, we have brothers from the Judgment! Others may not believe it, but the brothers of Judgment are trustworthy!"

"So we're going to kill the Blood Cloud Bandits this time?" Qi Yuan asked.

"The Judges will handle it; you and I... will go see the world." Wang Keng said. "Sister Liu said you're too kind-hearted, wouldn't even kill an ant—she wants you to see how things are."

As Wang Keng spoke, he bared a mouthful of yellow teeth.

The Sister Liu he referred to was naturally Liu Chudong.

Sister Liu had said that this Qi Yuan was too soft-hearted, wouldn't even kill a fish.

Now, he needed to see blood, to understand the cruelty of this world. "Oh, and Sister Liu will be there for this operation too," Wang Keng added.

"Fine, I'll go and watch the fun." Qi Yuan stretched lazily.

He was thinking whether he should take this chance to find the Blood Cloud Bandits' lair.

Though he couldn't bear to kill a fish, he had no qualms about slaying bandits.

Wipe out the Blood Cloud Bandits and leave behind the words: "Hold the light, drive out the dark; if injustice calls, summon the Divine Presence."

Then the name of the Divine Presence would surely be known throughout the land.

Moreover, killing the Blood Cloud Bandits would net him plenty of experience.

It was definitely worth it.

Half a day later, on the mountain pass road.

Liu Chudong wore a tight-fitting outfit, looking almost underage, cute and playful. When she saw Qi Yuan, her face lit up with a bright smile.

"You're finally here, Brother Qi!"

Beside Liu Chudong stood two figures in black robes with masks on their faces.

Both were Earth-rank Weapon Masters, silent and still—the Judges of the Judgment organization.

The Judgment organization had two parts: one was formal members like Liu Chudong, and the other was combat members like these Judges.

When on missions, they wore black robes and masks, their faces hidden.

The main combat power for this mission was these two Judges.

Qi Yuan's gaze slid over the two Judges, a look of interest on his face.

Both Judges were surnamed Liu.

One was called Liu Twenty-Two, the other Liu Twenty-Three.

"Hehe, Brother Qi, this time you just stand aside and watch how I, your auntie, uphold justice!" Liu Chudong said with a mischievous grin. "Don't be scared when you see blood!"

"Don't worry, I'm kind but not squeamish," Qi Yuan said nonchalantly.

"Enough chatter, we're here to carry out the mission." Liu Chudong quickly got serious, her small face earnest. "The Blood Cloud Bandits have been doing nothing but evil, acting like beasts. This time, we'll make sure they come out alive but never return!"

At the mention of the Blood Cloud Bandits, Liu Chudong's face was filled with anger.

When officials committed evil in Dingbo Prefecture, they at least put on a show on the surface, but bandits didn't—they might as well have "villain" carved on their faces.

"According to the intel, the Zhao family will pass by here in a quarter of an hour. Strange... where are the Blood Cloud Bandits?" Liu Chudong found it odd.

Normally, the Blood Cloud Bandits would have set an ambush.

But now, where were they?

"Could the information be wrong?"

Chen Kangbao, Qi Yuan's strategist, quickly asked.

"No, unless... the plan changed, or something else happened," Liu Chudong replied seriously.

"Should we wait a bit longer, or spread out to search?" Chen Kangbao suggested again.

"No." Liu Chudong shook her head. "Except for the Judges, the rest of us are too weak. We'd be in danger if we ran into the Blood Cloud Bandits."

The two Judges nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Qi Yuan felt more and more that the Judgment organization was a shoddy setup.

But then he thought, the world itself was a huge shoddy setup, so it made sense.

After a moment's thought, he turned the drone into a mosquito.

"Oh, a mosquito bit me!"

Qi Yuan swatted at his face, and a few mosquitoes appeared in his hand.

He opened his hand and let them fly away.

Liu Chudong saw this: "Brother Qi, you're too kind! These mosquitoes were sucking your blood!"

Beside him, Wang Keng also gave Qi Yuan a second look.

He wouldn't even kill a mosquito—too kind.

"No, they don't suck blood!"

"Don't suck blood?"

"They're male mosquitoes."

The group waited there, but a quarter of an hour passed—no sign of the Blood Cloud Bandits, not even the Zhao family's convoy.

Everyone present felt something had gone wrong.

Just then, Qi Yuan's eyes lit up: "Everyone, follow me. I have sharp ears—I hear sounds of fighting from a certain direction."

"Huh?" Liu Chudong blinked. "Where?"

The two judges' gazes swept over Qi Yuan, doubt flickering in their eyes.

"Follow me."

Qi Yuan mounted his horse.

The others thought for a moment, then without hesitation, they too climbed onto their horses.

Elsewhere, on a remote road, dozens of bandits surrounded the Zhao family's caravan.

This caravan had only ten people—aside from the old man at the lead and a young woman, the rest were burly men.

"Old Zhao, you've got some nerve. Miss Zhao is the one the Supervisor Liu's godson has his eye on.

What, now that you've latched onto General Li, you don't recognize Supervisor Liu anymore?"

The leader of the Blood Cloud Bandits was a one-armed swordsman, his face twisted with menace.

Hearing this, Old Zhao's face turned pale.

As a wealthy man in Dingbo Prefecture, ever since Prince Zhenyuan took control, his shrewd mind knew the skies over Dingbo were about to change.

His daughter was born with a bewitching beauty, a woman on the state's beauty roster—a rare prize to be traded.

Now, he had finally found a chance to offer his daughter to General Li, who served under Prince Zhenyuan.

But who knew that Supervisor Liu's godson had also taken a fancy to her.

Supervisor Liu wielded immense power, a blood-handed overseer who made men tremble.

Yet... to Old Zhao, a spy was ultimately beneath notice, let alone a spy's godson?

Better to give her to General Li for a brighter future.

So he secretly set out with his daughter toward Nanshan Prefecture.

But who could have guessed the Blood Cloud Bandits would block their path.

Now, with dozens of bandits menacingly blocking the way, Old Zhao was terrified.

"Chief, this old man lost his wits for a moment. I'll offer my daughter to the Thousand Household Officer right now!" Old Zhao changed his tune quickly.

Compared to the threat to his life, a momentary future meant nothing.

The one-armed bandit's face twisted into a savage grin. "Too late. The Thousand Household Officer says he's no longer interested in Miss Zhao."

As he spoke, he leered at Miss Zhao.

"Before you die, you can still have a wild time with me—that's your good fortune!"

Miss Zhao's pretty face instantly turned deathly pale, her body going limp like rose petals battered by a storm.

Old Zhao was terrified to the core.

"It's over, it's over!"

How could any of them stand against these Blood Cloud Bandits?

Just then, suddenly the sound of hooves rang out, and a few riders came galloping toward them.

A glimmer of hope lit up Miss Zhao's ashen face.

"Save me! They're Blood Cloud Bandits, Supervisor Liu's men!"

She screamed wildly, hysterically.

Seeing this, Old Zhao also shouted through gritted teeth.

The one-armed bandit leader knew full well what Miss Zhao was thinking; a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

"Miss Zhao, seems you think the road to the Yellow Springs is too lonely and want more company?"

He hefted his broadsword with one hand, his expression murderous.

"I'll grant your wish."

"Kill them all—except the woman!"

(End of chapter)