Volume 1 Chapter 108: Slaying the Bandits

  Ye Wen saw Li Fu, the county's chief of police, with a nose full of snot and tears in his eyes, and couldn't help but want to slap him in the face and curse: "What kind of relationship did we have back then?"

  It's just that this kind of thing can only be secretly enjoyed in one's heart, and if you really want to take action, the trouble will be countless - Ye Wen is a lone swordsman, but the problem is that he is now the leader of a faction with an old nest, and his family business is also taken care of by this Li captain, so he has to give him some face.

  "What's wrong with Captain Li? If there's any trouble, just say it directly." However, Ye Wen still vaguely mentioned: "As long as it doesn't cause trouble, I can help Captain Li out with a favor, no big deal."

  Now the whole Pingzhou knows that Ye Wen has accepted the invitation of Tianle Gang and is preparing to go down the mountain to attend the banquet. Countless heroes are staring at the two, and Li Fu, as the county's capture head, naturally cannot be unclear.

  But since Captain Li knew that Ye Wen had something important on his mind, he still asked for help, so this matter was either a small matter that required Ye Wen's assistance to deepen their relationship, or it was a bit tricky for Li Fu to handle.

  As expected, after Ye Wen's basic response, Li Fu was overjoyed and hastily said: "This matter is naturally a thorny one for us ordinary catchers, but for Ye Zhangmen, it's naturally a small matter."

  "After finishing speaking, he pointed to the road ahead: 'We'll walk and talk as we go. To deal with this matter, Ye Zhangmen doesn't need to change his itinerary.'"

  Ye Wen now understood that this matter and his own journey south didn't conflict with each other in terms of route, so Li Bao Tou came to seek help from him. He knew that as long as it didn't conflict with his own affairs, Ye Wen would definitely give him some face.

  Two men walked side by side, and soon they left Shushan County and headed towards Lishan County. Ye Wen also knew on this road that the matter was not just about Shushan County, but rather it was a public notice from Pingzhou Prefecture to gather all the capture heads in the state to catch the notorious habitual offender who had entered the border.

  "What has this notorious scoundrel done? He's actually provoked the provincial government into issuing such an order?"

  Generally speaking, unless it's a heinous crime that outrages both heaven and man, the authorities rarely go to such great lengths to capture someone. However, such a villain wouldn't need just one provincial government to worry about; the imperial court would naturally dispatch top agents from all over to hunt them down.

  It's a rare thing for the provincial capital to mobilize manpower and go all out to catch one person. I don't know what this villain did, but he actually provoked the provincial governor to be so angry.

  Li Fu listened, looked around, and saw that several of his men were still some distance away. He then glanced at Ye Wende and said, "Ye Zhangmen, this matter comes from my mouth and enters your ear, so let's not let others hear it."

  Ye Wen nodded: "I'll let it go." He figured this matter wouldn't sound good, so he just listened and didn't say anything more. Talking nonsense everywhere would easily bring trouble.

  "I heard that the governor recently took in a new concubine, and this little concubine is even more favored by the governor than his wife. However, unexpectedly, on the first night she entered the house, the governor got drunk and couldn't consummate the marriage, and instead that scoundrel was the first to...". At this point, Li Fu's expression changed, as if he wanted to laugh but didn't dare to, with a stifled feeling.

  Ye Wen's face turned pale upon hearing this, and he too was twisted in a mixture of laughter and pain: "Head Fragrance... you're saying... that's the notorious flower thief?" At this point, Ye Wen no longer found it strange that the green-faced Governor had issued such a wanted notice, for who could endure such a thing?

  Li Fu took a few deep breaths, adjusted his expression, and continued with a sigh: "What made the governor even angrier was that the scoundrel not only got away with the best part of the deal but also snatched several ancient paintings and calligraphy from the governor's mansion. Those things were worth at least a few thousand taels of silver, and the governor almost fainted from rage."

  "Hmm..." Ye Wen didn't know how to respond either, he even admired that guy's audacity, not only stealing people but also stealing things, and stealing all the way into the governor's mansion. This person was really too daring. However, when it came to flower thieves, Ye Wen felt a strong sense of disgust.

  Li Fu said no more, believing Ye Wen should also understand what this trip was about.

  As expected, for a while after that, Ye Wen didn't ask anything. He already knew most of what he wanted to know, and this time Li Fu asked him for help was just to ask him to preside over the scene. The whereabouts of that big thief must have been grasped by these captors, and this trip was specifically to catch them.

  Just a rivers and lakes figure, this person is still a professional thief (part-time treasure hunter), if he uses his lightness skill, these catchers are afraid that they can only close their eyes.

  Ye Wen turned his head and took a look, and indeed there were several people in the team who didn't seem to be ordinary catchers. At first, he thought they were just some miscellaneous workers, but now he realized that those people were probably invited by Li Catcher to help out. Although their kung fu looked quite ordinary, it was better than nothing.

  He even guessed that the catchers in other cities and counties were also ordinary, and they would all shout some familiar Jianghu good hands to support the scene. Considering this was a personal order from the state governor, if any county catcher could catch this person, wouldn't it be a great opportunity to show off in front of the state governor?

  Ye Wen didn't even need to ask around, he knew that the county magistrate of Shu Shan County must have given Li a task: 'Be sure to capture that damned villain and send him to the prefectural governor.' Of course, according to Ye Wen's guess, it should be added with words like 'reward' at the end, which is the original meaning.

  He doesn't care about these things at all, and he doesn't even think that these few guys who know a little bit of three-legged cat style can be of any use.

  Li Fu said little just now, but Ye Wen analyzed some relatively key messages from it.

  This thief is from elsewhere, after entering Pingzhou, he did that case with ease. It's likely that this person has committed many crimes in other places before, but didn't trigger a huge backlash locally, the only explanation is that at the time, he had reservations and didn't dare to be too excessive.

  Arriving in Pingzhou with such arrogance, it seems that he is also quite confident in his own skills, thinking that there are no good hands in Pingzhou that can keep him.

  In that case, this person's lightness skill must have some attainments, but also limited. Otherwise, he would be generally unbridled and arrogant in the Central Plains, why would he be so cautious?

  He traveled south and soon arrived in Lingshan County, it had been a long time since Ye Wen last came here, but he still remembered everything from the last time.

  Li Bao led his men to the county yamen to report, then returned and said to Ye Wen: "Ye Zhangmen, that wicked thief is living in a brothel called Baifangyuan in the county town. The surrounding areas have been surrounded by brothers from various counties like an iron bucket. If we hadn't arrived on time, they would have started capturing him."

  "Oh"

  As Li Fu went all the way to that Hundred Flowers Garden, Ye Wen took a look at the capture heads everywhere and thought that the great thief brother had already noticed something. It's just that there has been no reaction until now, either he is fearless or helpless.

  He would rather it was the second kind, so that he wouldn't have anything to do with it. Here, he could watch a thrilling show of an official catching a thief and exchange a few words with Captain Li before continuing on his journey.

  If it's the second one...

  Ye Wen took a look around and saw that there were many people surrounding them, with some holding clubs. In their spare time, they were chatting and laughing with the common people nearby, seemingly quite familiar.

  Li Fu saw a look of doubt in Ye Wen's eyes, and followed his gaze to understand, "That is the local wooden gang."

  "Wooden club?"

  Li Fu continued: "Although Linshan County is surrounded by mountains, the terrain is gentle and the forests are dense. Many people make a living by cutting down trees and chopping firewood. However, with more people doing it, disputes are inevitable, and over time, a gang was formed to mediate conflicts and ensure that local people would not be robbed of this livelihood by outsiders. Because the gang was originally formed due to the wood business, it was called the 'Wood Gang', and even after its development, it did not change its name, meaning it never forgot its roots."

  "Oh"

  Ye Wen only then knew that the most important business in Linshan County was actually timber. Looking at the continuous mountains outside the county town, the forests on the mountains were dense and connected as one, it wasn't unusual to make a living from this.

  "It's indeed relying on mountains for food and relying on water for food"

  It suddenly occurred to me that Shushan County has always been a small county town, and it's precisely because Shushan County doesn't have anything special about it, nor is it a transportation hub, no wonder its scale can't develop. I reckon being assigned to work in Shushan County would be frustrating for the county magistrate as well.

  Just as they were talking, someone called out to Li Fu from the other side. After exchanging a few words with that person, he came back and said to Ye Wen: "We're about to rush in and catch that little guy, are you coming with me, Master Ye?" He had originally thought he could get Ye Wen's help, and this time the credit would definitely fall into his own hands. Who would have thought that he was a bit late, and the brothers from Linshan County had already set up their net and were just waiting to catch him.

  But anyway, he left himself a little leeway, so Li Fu resigned to his fate. He just didn't think Ye Wen had another chance to make a move, so if Ye Wen said not to go in together, he didn't mind either.

  Li Fu and a group of unhappy people rushed into the Hundred Flowers Garden together. Ye Wen stood at the door, looked around, and finally sat down on a chair he had casually found by the street.

  This was an ordinary noodle shop, which also sold tea. If someone walked in tired, they could rest their feet and fill their belly if needed. However, the table he sat at already had two people sitting there. When Ye Wen sat down, it startled those two people. Once they saw that it was a handsome young man, they smiled and said: "This young fellow must be thinking of going to the Hundred Flowers Garden to have some fun? Forget about it today, the officials are looking for someone who is hiding inside, who knows how long it will take?"

  Ye Wen was taken aback, and only then did he realize that he had been misunderstood. He didn't explain himself, but just smiled and shook his head.

  Those two only thought Ye Wen didn't know about this matter, and after coming they found out they couldn't get in, feeling somewhat disappointed, so they also didn't think much of it, instead chatting casually about their own matters. Only when the two started talking did Ye Wen realize that these two people sitting at the same table were actually members of the Mu Bang, and sitting here was also to help the local police set up the outermost net.

  "That great thief, today is probably unable to fly with its wings clipped. Let's not mention so many officials, just us helping over a hundred brothers surround him like this, who can escape?"

  Another slightly older one said, "Don't say it so absolutely. I heard that the thief is a martial arts master from Central Plains, extremely formidable and unpredictable. If those officials can't stop him, we might be powerless against him too."

  "Where did this come from? Is that a bird flying high up in the air or is it a person?"

  As soon as Ye Wen heard this, he knew that this young man on this side had never seen a true martial arts master, and his vision was not high, so he had such words. Although he knew it wasn't the other person's fault, when he thought of himself being the "not human" existence in the other person's mouth, he couldn't help but curve up the corners of his mouth with a hint of a smile.

  He smiled silently, but the two men, though talking, kept an eye on Ye Wen. Ye Wen's clothes were expensive and he was handsome, making it hard not to draw attention on the street, let alone sitting down at a small stall next to them.

  So the two of them were talking to themselves, but their eyes would occasionally glance at Ye Wen's body. Ye Wen, because he was always looking in the direction of the Hundred Flowers Garden, didn't notice at all. So when his mouth curled up slightly, those two people took a good look and thought that this young man was sneering at them, and the younger one's face immediately became somewhat unbearable.

  Fortunately, the slightly older man had sharp eyes and saw that the young man was extraordinary, holding a long sword, and might be a fellow practitioner. Moreover, his clothes were not ordinary, making it unclear what kind of person he was, because if he were from the Jianghu world, someone who could wear such clothes would definitely be from a major sect. So he stopped the young man and cupped his fists, saying: "I don't know what this young brother is smiling about? Could it be that I'm wrong?"

  Ye Wen only then realized that he had unintentionally offended someone, and cupped his fists in apology: "Nothing, I just found this brother's words to be quite interesting, which is why I couldn't help but smile slightly, no ill intentions."

  "Where is fun?"

  "It was the bird that flew high and low, not a person."

  Ye Wen's words had just come out, and the old man and the young man were both baffled, completely not understanding where the humor was. Just as they were about to ask again, suddenly a chaotic noise came from the Hundred Flowers Garden - the sound of things crashing and banging, followed by a cacophony of voices - shouts, metal clanging, and objects falling to the ground... Hmm, occasionally there were also some women's shrill screams, in short, all sorts of sounds mixed together, chaotic and confusing.

  "It sounds like something is wrong"

  At this time, even if you don't have any experience in the underworld, you know that the capture operation is not going smoothly. If everything goes smoothly, where does such a messy noise come from?

  Several people hadn't even had time to speak when they suddenly saw a figure flash onto the high wall of the Hundred Flowers Garden, stopping there in the blink of an eye. The person sneered at the several wooden clubs and bailiffs guarding the entrance, saying: "Do you think I'm stupid? Would I still go through the door? What's the use of you all guarding that place?"

  As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly jumped up and his body rose into the air, like a large bird spreading its wings, and seemed to be about to break through the encirclement.

  At that time, in the tea shed, the young man stared blankly at the person soaring high into the air and said foolishly: "People can really fly..."

  That year, the elder looked helpless, seemingly having guessed that this would happen, and was not surprised by the scene in front of him. Only Ye Wen glanced at him, his expression calm, and casually pulled out a copper coin, saying lightly: "Thief, don't run..."

  As soon as the words came out, the sound of breaking through the air had already reached the ears of the person who was rising into the air. He hadn't even had time to look and see who was shouting when he felt something rushing straight towards him. If he didn't dodge in time, he feared that he would be struck by the object on the spot.

  "Wow, what a big tone"

  This man actually twisted his body in mid-air, narrowly avoiding the copper coin that Ye Wen had thrown out. Moreover, he still had the leisure to speak and his true energy was not leaked. This lightness skill is indeed worthy of pride, no wonder he has such an arrogant attitude.

  This man was indeed relying on his agility to be arrogant, thinking that in this desolate place of Pingzhou, there wouldn't be any high-ranking officials who could catch up with him. This thief, who called himself 'A Red Dot Under the Moon', thought that no one could pursue him, even if they jumped to a height similar to his own, they still couldn't do anything to him. Moreover, he could also freely change direction, so he wasn't afraid of hidden weapons either - only the military was allowed to possess crossbows, and even officials weren't allowed to carry them.

  Who would have thought that in the midst of pride, a young man suddenly leaped into the air, his long sword flashing with a 'whoosh', and he only saw a purple glow before him, followed by a surge of sword energy pressing in, and his heart was immediately shocked: "This Pingzhou actually has such a master?"

  Ye Wen's throwing knife flew out, but to his surprise, it didn't hit the target. He muttered to himself, "Not bad," and immediately sprang into action, using his Cloud Stepping Light Skill to jump right in front of the thief. With a twist of his body, he drew his long sword and swung it in a single motion, unleashing the Returning Wind Falling Goose Sword Technique.

  The young man with the wooden crutch below opened his mouth: "So many people can fly..."

  This time, Ye Wen is not proficient in the Windfall Goose Sword technique, he can only roughly use it. If he were to face a strong enemy, Ye Wen would never dare to use it so recklessly. However, since he has jumped into the air, the only suitable sword technique he has is the Windfall Goose Sword. Moreover, this sword technique is a fast sword, and once used, one move follows another. If his reaction is not quick enough, he will be stabbed seven or eight times in an instant.

  Ye Wen's Purple Mist Divine Art had already been completed, and his true energy was circulating smoothly. His internal strength had reached a high level, so even if he didn't fully master the technique, he could still exert some of its power. At this moment, casually using this set of sword techniques was also extremely fierce, and it was most suitable for forcing that villain to retreat.

  That scoundrel was indeed shocked and pale, his hand unknowingly pulled out something, aiming at Ye Wenjian's sword momentum which was slightly higher, just as the sound of metal clashing echoed, 'Moonlight Red Point' surprisingly fell directly from mid-air.

  Ye Wen didn't even understand what was happening, until he fell from the air and went to see that guy who couldn't move on the ground. Only then did he realize - it turned out that with one move earlier, this villain had been internally injured by his own Purple Mist Qi, his true energy paused, unable to continue, which is why he fell from the air.

  "You can't even take a single move, yet you still dare to be so arrogant with just this bit of ability?"

  He was about to ask a question when the thief's face turned vicious and said, "Who are you? Why do you want to stop me?" His words were filled with resentment.

  "You've come to Pingzhou and committed all sorts of evil, acting arbitrarily. It's only natural that everyone wants you dead. Let alone detaining you, even if I were to kill you with one sword, what would you have to say for yourself?"

  As soon as this remark came out, many of the surrounding captors shouted in unison "Good!", and even many onlookers cheered loudly.

  That scoundrel saw the people around him responding in unison, his face changed, but he still spoke loudly: "Today I lost to you, it's just my bad luck. We'll meet again on the green mountain and by the green river..."

  Ye Wen heard this and was even more displeased, directly cutting off the villain's nonsense: "Do you still think you have a life today? This kind of thing that harms innocent people, leaving you alive would be a harm to the world. Today I will take the place of heaven and settle you with one sword."

  Before the words had fallen, the long sword in his hand was suddenly flung out. The thief, who had been saying some polite words, suddenly jumped up and took advantage of everyone's unpreparedness to escape. However, Ye Wen would not let him have his way. He directly used the long sword as a hidden weapon, adding to its strength, so that others could hardly react. In the blink of an eye, the long sword had already pierced the thief's chest, stabbing his heart thoroughly.

  Seeing that man open his mouth, staring with eyes still seemingly disbelieving everything before him, Ye Wen said another sentence: "Die and you will die knowing, the one who killed you is the leader of Shu Shan Sect, Ye Wen. Go in peace..." As soon as he finished speaking, his hand waved, and the long sword that was originally inserted into the bandit's heart suddenly flew out again, then returned to Ye Wen's hand amidst everyone's shock.

  Today a friend teased me, saying I'm just a tragedy. I asked why? He replied: The new book monthly ticket and category are both two places behind...