1: The yellow sand covered the sun and the demon first appeared

The vast Northwest was filled with yellow sand.

A caravan struggled to advance against the wind and sand.

"Little Wuzi, are you absolutely sure you didn't lead us the wrong way?" the caravan leader roared.

A young man with his face covered by a cloth ran over from behind, "Second Boss, rest assured, I've traveled this road with the shopkeeper before, it's definitely not wrong. Although it's a bit of a detour, there are no horse bandits."

No sooner had he spoken than a dozen swift horses burst out of the yellow sand, with horse bandits in sheepskin coats sitting on their backs. From afar, their excited howls could be heard.

"Charge! Ooh-hoo, boys, we've got business!"

The leader suddenly turned his head and looked at Little Wuzi, "There aren't any, you say?"

Little Wuzi's face instantly turned pale, "I... I didn't see any last time I came this way."

A dozen horse bandits quickly surrounded the caravan. From their midst, a single rider slowly emerged, a leather cap on his head, a black silk mask covering his mouth, revealing only a pair of narrow, squinting eyes, his appearance unclear.

"Leave the goods, and then get out of here."

The person spoke slowly, their voice clear and sounding quite young.

The leader said with a mournful face, "My lord, please at least leave us something. Otherwise, we won't be able to report back when we return."

"If you don't leave now, you won't be leaving at all." The tone was ice-cold, leaving no room for negotiation.

Seeing that the other side only had a dozen people, and looking back at his own caravan of over fifty, the leader felt a slight surge of confidence, "We're all just trying to make a living out here. Don't be too ruthless. Consider this money a token of our respect. How about you let us pass?"

With that, he handed over a cloth bag.

The young horse bandit couldn't be bothered with further words. He waved his hand lightly, "Leave no one alive."

"Ooh-hoo, kill them!"

The surrounding horse bandits immediately became excited, brandishing their sabers and charging forward.

The leader's expression changed, and he roared, "Damn it, brothers, fight them!"

In an instant,

The yellow sand obscured the sun, and the rolling dust grew even more tumultuous. All that could be heard was the clang of weapons mixed with agonizing screams.

Two quarters of an hour later,

The young horse bandit casually wiped the blood from his long saber on a nearby corpse, and with a 'clang', sheathed his saber.

"Let's go home."

A horse bandit busy plundering the corpses squeezed out a face full of wrinkles, grinning to reveal a mouthful of yellow teeth, "Heh heh, every time we come out with Fourth Master, we find a fat sheep."

"Stop talking nonsense. You know how much to take according to the rules, don't you?" Xu Sanyan pulled off his face mask and threw it away. It was stained with blood and smelled fishy.

"Heh, how dare I make Fourth Master worry about such things? We understand," Big Yellow Tooth said with a fawning smile.

Even though he killed people without batting an eye, he dared not be presumptuous in front of this young man. He even had to speak cautiously.

"Mm, let's go."

Because of the goods, their return journey was much slower.

Xu Sanyan rode slowly back on his horse, looking at the vast Gobi Desert, his heart surging with emotion.

Since his Transmigration to this world half a year ago, he had lived every day amidst slaughter. From barely being able to hold a saber at first, he had now risen to become the Fourth Boss.

His current achievements were largely thanks to the panel that had Transmigrated with him. With a thought, a transparent light screen appeared before his eyes.

[Xu Sanyan]

[Age -- 17/81]

[Realm -- Refining Essence]

[Cultivation Technique -- None]

[Technique -- None]

[Skill -- Perfect Stance (Intermediate). Three Tigers Subduing Dragon Saber (Intermediate). Horse Appraisal Technique (Intermediate). Excavator Repair and Maintenance (Beginner)...]

[Qi -- 2]

This 'Qi' could slowly increase over time, and when it reached a certain amount, it could be used to improve his cultivation.

As for methods to actively replenish 'Qi', he hadn't found any yet.

The stance exercises and saber techniques, on the other hand, were passed down to him by his adoptive father, who was the First Boss of the horse bandits, Wu Jue, known as "Three Sabers of No Life."

Of course, he wasn't the only adopted son, but Xu Sanyan had a cheat, allowing him to stand out from the many competitors and secure the position of Fourth Boss.

As he pondered, the group crossed a dirt slope and arrived in front of a village of adobe houses. This was their usual dwelling.

The jumbled adobe houses were packed one after another, hundreds of them, densely arranged. High walls made of yellow earth were built on the outermost perimeter, serving to prevent escapes and block the wind and sand.

The wooden main gate, constantly battered by the wind and sand, looked rough. The few horse bandits guarding it saw them from afar and immediately scurried forward to greet them.

"Fourth Master is back! You must have made a good profit this time!" one of them said enviously.

Big Yellow Tooth swaggered, pulled out a small piece of silver, and casually tossed it to him, baring his yellow teeth, "Master's happy today, this is for you."

The man caught it, "Heh, you old rustic, you just know how to pick up scraps behind Fourth Master."

Xu Sanyan looked up at the swaying dried corpse on the flagpole, frowning, "Find a place to throw it. Don't let it be an eyesore here."

This dried corpse was a saber master, somewhat well-known in the Northwest. He came to challenge Wu Jue for fame and died without even resisting the second saber strike.

After that, he was hung there to air-dry. It had been over a month, and he floated there every day, like a ghost.

"Alright, I'll throw it away right now." Big Yellow Tooth immediately took action.

Xu Sanyan ignored them and rode into the village.

He had looked at this batch of goods: mostly silks, porcelain, and some herbs and general merchandise. It amounted to several hundred taels, which was quite a lot.

He passed through a spacious square and arrived at the main hall in the center of the village.

Though called a main hall, it was actually just a spacious room made of yellow adobe, with a few tables and chairs haphazardly placed. It was where they usually held their discussions.

Xu Sanyan dismounted, casually handed the reins to someone nearby, and stepped inside. The First Boss, Wu Jue, and the Second Boss, Liu Hong, were chatting there. The Third Boss was nowhere to be seen.

Seeing Xu Sanyan return, Wu Jue nodded, "How was this trip?"

"Not bad." Xu Sanyan picked up the teacup on the table and drained it in one gulp.

"Good," Wu Jue said, "When the Third Boss returns, we'll hit something big."

"Where to?" Xu Sanyan looked sideways.

"Dafeng Town!"

"Attack Dafeng Town?"

Xu Sanyan was full of surprise, almost thinking he had misheard.

Dafeng Town was about thirty li south of their stronghold, neither far nor near, a suitable distance. But Dafeng Town had over a thousand imperial soldiers stationed there! With only a little over a hundred people in their stronghold, wasn't that clearly sending themselves to their deaths?

"Just us?" Xu Sanyan still asked.

Wu Jue shook his head, "Of course not just us. You'll know when the time comes."

Seeing that he couldn't get any more information, Xu Sanyan shook his head and said no more, turning to walk towards his own room.

As the Fourth Boss, he had his own independent courtyard. As soon as he entered, a young and beautiful girl came to greet him, taking off his blood-stained clothes while asking with concern,

"Master, are you hurt anywhere?"

Xu Sanyan waved his hand, "I'm fine. Get something to eat."

"Right away," the girl said, walking towards the kitchen.

Xu Sanyan watched the girl's plump buttocks sway as she walked, and a flicker of desire rose in his heart.

This girl was Xiuhe, whom he had recently snatched. The novelty hadn't worn off yet.

Xu Sanyan had grown accustomed to such a life. If he lacked something, he would snatch it: women, money, things. Anything he fancied, he would take by force.

If you don't snatch it, no one will give it to you willingly. Even his position as the Fourth Boss was snatched, taken from the hands of many competitors.

His half-year in the bandit's den had long since removed the timid side of his heart. If he wanted to survive here, there was only one way: ruthlessness!

Be more ruthless than others!

Make them fear you, revere you, and dare not look you directly in the eye!