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Once the hunting ban began, the mountains would be off-limits.

So taking advantage of the period before the ban, villagers who were hunters put all their energy into hunting in the mountains.

As a result, this time the mountain goods piled on Shen Qing\'s cart were more than double the previous load.

The winter morning sun pierced through the thin mist, slowly illuminating the endless stretch of green mountains.

The snow-clad peaks gradually revealed patches of greenery under the caress of the morning light.

The golden radiance fell on the faces of Shen Qing and the others, making them feel warm and comfortable.

Seeing that Shen Xiaohu and Tian Xiaohu were feigning sleep to rest, and with nothing else to do, Shen Qing checked the items he carried on his person.

A bow, fifteen arrows, a bag of poison powder, and a dagger, four items in total.

His most familiar weapon now was the bow and arrows, but although useful, they could only be employed against distant foes.

Should he come to close combat with an adversary, their effectiveness would be greatly reduced.

Moreover, for someone at the Great Perfection of Qi and Blood, ordinary bows and arrows were of little use.

After all, the power of the arrows ultimately depended on the bow.

The Elm Wood Bow was good, but its strength was limited, at most two shi, approximately a hundred kilograms.

The one he had used for a long time had diminished in power, probably below two shi.

"After reaching the Great Perfection of Qi and Blood, I can mobilize my Qi-Blood to increase the toughness of my muscles; such a bow can no longer shoot through me. If I were to go and kill Old Ba, the bow and arrows would not be a good choice."

"Therefore, the best approach would be to use poison and assassination."

Shen Qing sat on the cart, listening to the chirping of the birds in the surrounding woods, silently weighing his options.

From Hongshan Village to Taiping County, there was a distance of fifty to sixty li. After the snow melted, the mountain roads became muddy and difficult to traverse.

It took Shen Qing nearly half an hour to make just half the journey.

By that time, more and more carts began to appear on the road.

Upon closer inspection, it was evident that various carts, big and small, were loaded with more or less mountain goods, all making their way to the county.

There were even some carts carrying boys and girls; some had red-rimmed eyes, clearly having just cried.

If Shen Qing wasn\'t mistaken, these were likely brokers involved in human trafficking.

Every winter, many families couldn\'t make ends meet and were reduced to selling their children.

These kids were destined for sale to wealthy households.

His own younger aunt was sold off in this way.

After a while, two fine horses suddenly charged forward.

Shen Qing quickly steered his cart to the side and looked intently at the approaching horses.

The two horses had glossy coats and were plump and strong, clearly of excellent breed, and the two riders atop them were no ordinary people.

They wore iron armor and sat erect on their steeds, with swords hanging at their waists and eyes as sharp as eagles, exuding an awe-inspiring presence.

They were the government officers from the Guardian Martial Department of the county government!

Accompanied by a crisp whip crack, the horses\' hooves thundered, and two strong gusts of wind blew past with incredible speed as they dashed by their sides.

Shen Qing and the others couldn\'t help but watch those two figures until they completely disappeared from view.

After the two government officers had left, Shen Qing gradually began to hear the murmurs of the surrounding people.

"I heard that traces of the Huang Tian Sect bandits were found outside the county town, and many from the Guardian Martial Department were dispatched to conduct searches."

"There are people from the Huang Tian Sect in Taiping County too?"

"Hard to say. Recently the Huang Tian Sect attacked Jinzhou, and the court\'s several expeditions have been fruitless, with the bandits only growing in number. The Huang Tian Sect\'s momentum is getting bigger. If this continues, it won\'t be long before it affects the county town."

"Taiping County is an important stronghold outside the county town, strategically located and hard to access. If the Huang Tian Sect were to attack the county town, Taiping County would likely bear the brunt. There are signs that the county government\'s Military Department is expanding recruitment, and many martial masters have already been drafted as officers."

"Then I\'ll let my fellow sect members know to avoid any involvement with the Guardian Martial Department at all costs. The Huang Tian Sect is not to be trifled with."

The discussion of the crowd gradually faded away until it was no longer audible.

Shen Qing, sitting on the cart, became increasingly silent.

All this talk of the Huang Tian Sect, Jinzhou, and the court, he couldn\'t understand.

All he knew was that chaos seemed imminent.

What a wretched world!

"Drive!"

Shen Qing cracked his whip and urged the tired horse into a jog.

An hour later.

Shen Qing and the others arrived at the Outer City of Taiping County.

"We\'re about to enter the slum area, lads. Stay sharp and keep an eye on the merchandise. I\'ve got to relieve myself, wait here for me."

Shen Qing leaped down from the cart, threw the reins to Tian Xiaohu, and headed towards a thicket nearby.

Tian Xiaohu puzzled, "Why does your brother take a bow and arrow with him for a shit?"

"Dunno, maybe for self-defense. This place is pretty chaotic."

"Makes some sense," Tian Xiaohu nodded but still felt something was off.

...

The slum area.

In a cramped small room that could barely fit a bed.

Old Ba Zi lay on the bed, his chest wrapped in white gauze, his complexion somewhat pale.

Little Six, holding a piece of black plaster, said, "Boss, sit up, and I\'ll change your dressing for you."

The fat on Old Ba Zi\'s body quivered. He sat up at the mention, slapped the bed plank hard, and growled, "I never thought that damned Wang Mazi would be so shameless as to get help, making us suffer such a big loss. Once I\'m healed, I\'ll kill him."

"Fuck, take it easy," Old Ba Zi kicked Little Six away with one foot.

The latter quickly got up, put on a smiling face, and resumed changing the dressing.

"Wait a second." Old Ba Zi suddenly perked up his ears and listened before asking, "Don\'t you think something\'s not right?"

Little Six, puzzled, "What\'s not right?"

"Where are the brothers I stationed outside? Why is there no sound at all? Go check it out."

"Oh." Little Six put down what he was doing and ran out quickly.

After a while, there was no response from Little Six.

"Little Six, Little Six." Old Ba Zi called out twice but got no answer.

He immediately had a bad feeling, pulled a shiny long knife from under the bed, tucked it behind his back, and cautiously approached, then used the knife to poke open the door.

There was nobody outside the door.

Old Ba Zi took a few steps and saw some bloodstains on the ground. Following the direction, he looked and was immediately terrified.

All his men had turned into corpses piled up together.

Old Ba Zi turned to run but was suddenly blinded by a clump of white ash thrown in his eyes.

"Ah!"

Old Ba Zi let out a piercing scream, waving the long knife wildly, hitting everything around him before staggering through the door into the room.

Just when he thought he was safe.

A shadow slowly emerged behind him, holding a dagger, stabbing fiercely towards him.

Thump.

The dagger sank into flesh.

Old Ba Zi cried out in pain, turning around to swing his knife.

Bang!

In a rush, Shen Qing ducked low, throwing a punch.

Old Ba Zi sensed it, took the punch head-on, and countered with a punch of his own.

Bang bang bang.

All the furniture in the room was smashed to pieces from the force of their punches.

"Stance training! Nine Skills! You fucking Wang Mazi?" Old Ba Zi quickly realized, his body trembling uncontrollably as he lunged over in extreme excitement, "I\'m gonna kill you!"

The room was too small; the bow was useless, and Old Ba Zi, also blinded, was lashing out in desperation.

Shen Qing decided not to fight him head-on but silently moved behind Old Ba Zi.

Picking up a piece of broken wood from the ground, he hit him with a dull thud.

Thump!

A muffled sound, Old Ba Zi was dazed.

Just then, the poison powder began to take effect.

Old Ba Zi started to stagger, unable to stand steadily.

Seeing the opportunity, Shen Qing took the dagger and plunged it into Old Ba Zi\'s body repeatedly, turning him into a bloodied mess.

Old Ba Zi, unwilling to accept his fate, felt a surge of Qi-Blood, roaring, "Wang Mazi, you won\'t die a good death!!! Boss won\'t spare you!"

The sound spread far and wide.

Shen Qing didn\'t bother to argue, channeling his Qi-Blood to cut Old Ba Zi\'s throat with a knife, silencing him forever.

Pocketing the dagger, he rummaged through the room and found some Silver Tael to stuff into his pocket.

Then, crouching down, he climbed out through the rear window and left quickly, his figure vanishing in the alley.