48: bandits

In the dark night, Qin Yi got up and slowly walked towards the Giant Tiger King.

He walked by the sea.

In this world, the boundless ocean seemed so small and insignificant.

But in the eyes of the Giant Tiger King, it was a different scene.

Under the terrifying pressure, he seemed to return to his cubhood.

That day, he ran around when his parents weren't paying attention.

As a result, he was discovered by the Iron Wolf King, another king in the mountain range.

The young cub,

facing the Iron Wolf King's step-by-step approach, was so helpless.

"Don't come over, my father is the Giant Tiger King of the God Descent Mountain Range. If you eat me, you will definitely not survive."

The Giant Tiger King tried to raise his head, letting out weak roars.

In his eyes, the person in front of him seemed to have transformed into his childhood trauma, the Iron Wolf King.

However, just as the Giant Tiger King was extremely terrified, the pressure from Qin Yi suddenly disappeared.

The Giant Tiger King was instantly released from his unparalleled fear.

"I am one of the top powerhouses in this realm."

"Yet I couldn't resist the pressure from Su Han and directly fell into an illusion?"

He reacted at this moment, his eyes full of disbelief.

"How boring. I originally wanted to spar with you and test the strength of pure physical body, but you directly fell into an illusion out of fear."

While the Giant Tiger King was extremely terrified, Qin Yi had already arrived in front of him.

At this moment, his aura was restrained, and he was no different from an ordinary person.

He looked at the enormous Giant Tiger King, sighing and shaking his head.

The Giant Tiger King, as a king, was somewhat aggrieved by such a blow from the person in front of him.

He subconsciously wanted to retort.

"Alas... never mind."

"If I had withdrawn my pressure any later, I don't know how embarrassed I would have been."

The Giant Tiger King sighed inwardly.

He calmed himself down slightly.

The Giant Tiger King asked, "Have you completely broken through the limit? Like Ling Yuan?"

"Yes, I finally broke through the limit!"

Qin Yi looked back at the boundless sea, feeling a little emotional.

"Although it only took two months to break through the limit."

"To outsiders, it seems that breaking through the limit wasn't that difficult for me."

"But in reality, these were my most difficult two months."

"Rebuilding the foundation of cultivation back then seemed to take three years."

"But in reality, during those three years, I had a plan."

"This time, if it had taken longer, I might have had a plan as well."

"But three months was too short."

Qin Yi looked back at the bits and pieces of these two months, his heart feeling somewhat complex at this moment.

"What a monster, even more monstrous than that monster Ling Yuan..."

The Giant Tiger King got up, circling and observing Qin Yi, muttering to himself.

"I wonder who would be stronger if you two who broke through the limit fought?"

The Giant Tiger King asked curiously.

Qin Yi merely smiled upon hearing this, saying nothing more.

Seeing that the night was still deep, Qin Yi couldn't help but want to fall into a deep sleep.

Not a true sleepiness.

It was simply that after completing an extremely difficult task,

he wanted to completely empty his mind and sleep without thinking about anything.

Qin Yi acted on his thought, lying directly on the beach.

The next moment, he fell completely asleep.

He slept until dawn!

Qin Yi was woken up by a group of playing children.

Of course.

Those children were actually quite far away; it was just that Qin Yi himself felt it was time to wake up.

Qin Yi opened his eyes and sat up.

The morning sun was not dazzling; instead, it gave a very warm and comfortable feeling.

Having completely broken through the limit, the pressure on his body and mind was gone.

Qin Yi sat comfortably on the beach like an ordinary person, basking in the morning sun.

"Big Brother Qin, I thought powerful martial artists like you didn't need to lie down to sleep."

Fish Egg Kid saw Qin Yi get up from afar and came trotting over.

It was his first time seeing Qin Yi sleeping while lying down.

"By the way, Big Brother Qin, have you broken through?"

Fish Egg Kid suddenly asked with some anticipation, handing Qin Yi some food.

Qin Yi ate the food Fish Egg Kid brought.

He smiled and said, "I've already broken through. You should also work hard."

"Really broken through?"

"Sister saw you lying here from afar this morning and said you might have broken through. I didn't believe it."

"I can't believe you really broke through!" Fish Egg Kid was very excited.

"Big Brother Qin, are you stronger than Mr. Han the Great and the Great Bandit Leader now?"

Fish Egg Kid couldn't help but ask.

"Probably stronger than them."

Qin Yi chuckled.

"Really?"

Fish Egg Kid's eyes widened, and he subconsciously clenched his fists, his small face flushed with excitement.

"Of course it's true!"

Qin Yi said with certainty.

He was already stronger than everyone else in this world.

"Big Brother Qin, you're amazing! Let's see what they'll say now!"

Fish Egg Kid hummed, rubbing his hands excitedly at this moment.

He had just been arguing with his little friends.

His friends all thought Big Brother Qin couldn't be stronger than Mr. Han the Great and the Great Bandit Leader.

Now that he had the answer, he couldn't help but trot back to show off.

Seeing Fish Egg Kid's appearance, Qin Yi shook his head.

He could bet that it wouldn't be long before Fish Egg Kid would get even angrier.

Sure enough.

Not long after.

Fish Egg Kid returned.

He was so angry at the other children that tears were almost falling.

"Big Brother Qin, why don't they believe what I say? They even said you were bragging!"

Fish Egg Kid said, aggrieved and with a crying voice.

Qin Yi shook his head with a bitter smile and comforted Fish Egg Kid well, after which Fish Egg Kid brightened up again.

"Hmph, they're all weaklings, they can't see what the world of the strong is like!"

Fish Egg Kid said proudly.

He looked back at the little brats rolling in the sand.

Suddenly, he felt there was no point in arguing with those little brats; it was better to practice martial arts.

So Fish Egg Kid, imitating Qin Yi, began to cultivate by the sea.

Qin Yi felt that a lot of his inner force had disappeared from his Dan Sea, so he also began to cultivate.

Evening!

Qin Yi returned to Uncle Lin's house and ate with them.

"Big Brother Qin, now that you've broken through, are you leaving soon?"

Little Fish asked, a hint of reluctance in her eyes.

Fish Egg Kid's excitement from the day hadn't faded.

Hearing his sister say this, he was first stunned.

Then he remembered what Big Brother Qin had said before, and immediately felt sad.

At this moment, he unconsciously shoveled the food in his bowl into his mouth.

"Yes, I'll be leaving in five or six days at most!"

Qin Yi nodded.

At this moment, he hadn't actually reached his peak state.

After the acupoints were opened up to a larger space,

inner force could exist permanently like the former Dan Sea.

It could strengthen the physical body at all times.

However, the later-opened acupoints hadn't been strengthened enough yet.

So, he still needed to stay a few more days.

Having received a definite answer,

Little Fish was even more reluctant: "Then, Big Brother Qin, will we ever meet again?"

Qin Yi was slightly stunned upon hearing this, unsure how to answer.

If he were to stay in this realm forever,

this place, facing the sea and backed by green mountains, would indeed be a good destination.

After this departure,

let alone coming here, the probability of him returning to this realm was slim.

Seeing that Qin Yi didn't answer for a moment, the four members of the Lin family already knew the answer.

They were all somewhat disappointed.

The other villagers didn't know that Qin Yi was extraordinary.

Having spent so much time together, how could they not know Qin Yi's extraordinary nature?

Especially when the bandits attacked last time, Qin Yi easily subdued the Red-Bearded Bandit.

Although that Red-Bearded Bandit wasn't a leader, he was among the strongest under the leaders.

Coupled with their interactions during this time, they also roughly understood Qin Yi's character.

They knew.

What Qin Yi said about being stronger than Mr. Han the Great and the Great Bandit Leader was probably not false.

Such a great figure, once he left, how could he still remember such a small fishing village?

Qin Yi saw that they had all misunderstood and didn't explain.

He also couldn't say that he was going to ascend.

Especially since Fish Egg Kid was still young, even if he warned him, he might accidentally blurt it out.

It could easily bring unrest to this still relatively peaceful small fishing village.

"Whether I can't come here due to ascension, or I don't return to this realm, there won't be much difference; it's all a final farewell."

Qin Yi secretly shook his head.

Seeing the atmosphere become somewhat heavy.

Uncle Lin also made small talk, saying, "On the beach west of the village, another body, waterlogged, was found this morning."

"Alas, I wonder which nearby village they were from."

"They probably encountered strong winds and waves while fishing and met with disaster!"

"Someone else met with disaster? What's going on lately? I remember a few days ago, one was found, and it's only been a few days since then?"

Fish Egg Kid's mother frowned, speaking with great concern.

Although going out to sea for fishing, these things are unavoidable.

But in the past, incidents didn't happen so frequently.

After all, living by the sea means relying on the sea, and fishermen by the coast would more or less check the weather before going out.

"Perhaps it's because the bandits have been raiding more often recently, and many families can't make ends meet."

"They have no choice but to go out fishing on days that aren't suitable for it?"

Uncle Lin also found it a bit strange, but after thinking it over, this was probably the only reason.

Qin Yi also found it a bit strange upon hearing this.

However, he didn't say much.

He had already broken through his limits some time ago, but he didn't plan to kill those bandits.

Such was the state of the world.

In his opinion,

Even if he annihilated this group of bandits,

The next group of bandits might rise again quickly.

After all, it was a tempting piece of meat; if you didn't eat it, someone else would.

Would the next group of bandits be as reasonable as this current group?

Would they understand the principle of not draining the pond to catch all the fish?

Qin Yi couldn't be sure... A few more days passed in a flash, and Qin Yi could feel himself growing stronger.

At this moment, he didn't dare to use his full strength when practicing martial arts.

That feeling he had in the small world had returned.

Even the so-called Divine Rules couldn't suppress his impending ascension.

But suddenly, Qin Yi's eyes narrowed.

Right in front of him, a floating corpse was washed onto the beach by the waves.

"Another person died! And it's a woman, she seems to be pregnant."

The children on the beach seemed accustomed to seeing dead people and weren't afraid, gathering around to look at the pregnant female corpse.

"What's going on? According to the customs here, aren't women generally not supposed to go out to sea?"

"Especially a pregnant woman?"

Qin Yi was a bit puzzled, and he carefully examined it.

He found that this pregnant woman wasn't thrown into the sea; she simply drowned... Late at night.

Yun Ning County City.

Lord's Mansion.

"Why such a hurry, calling me here without even letting me go home to change? What is the matter?"

A middle-aged man dressed in scholar's robes leisurely sipped tea, unhurriedly asking Lu Yuan, the city lord.

It was as if no matter how monumental the matter, it couldn't greatly affect his emotions.

"Brother Han, you've returned!"

"These past few days, I've been so anxious my hair is almost falling out."

"If you hadn't come, it's hard to say whether the people in the fishing villages around our Yun Ning County would have all been abducted."

Unlike Mr. Han the Great's leisurely demeanor, the city lord, dressed in luxurious robes, was extremely anxious at this moment.

"What?"

Mr. Han the Great, who had been leisurely just a moment before, suddenly changed his expression.

"Didn't Fan Ying only have his subordinates rob money and grain?"

"Even abducting women was only occasional."

"Why is he starting to abduct people now? Can his bandit lair even accommodate so many people?"

Mr. Han the Great said with a grim expression.

The seafood business was a crucial part of his and the city lord's income.

If these fishermen were abducted, their business would undoubtedly be greatly affected in the short term, and they wouldn't be able to gather so many fishermen in a hurry.

"It's all because the Great Ling Dynasty is about to be established."

"At first, he just robbed a bit more."

"Now, he's planning to withdraw from the land entirely."

"His subordinates found an island deep in the ocean, and he's preparing to go there to live like a petty king."

"So, while you were away, Brother Han, he began to abduct people on a large scale."

Lu Yuan said with some resentment.

After Mr. Han the Great understood the specific ins and outs.

He also sneered repeatedly, "Does he really think I, the number one expert in Yun Ning County, am just for show?"

"Everyone thinks that even if I'm stronger than Fan Ying, it's not by much, which is why I haven't been able to eliminate Haiyun Stronghold."

"In reality, I just saw that Fan Ying was more discerning than most bandits, so giving him some profit to maintain long-term stability was acceptable."

"But now, he's courting death!"

Mr. Han the Great's eyes were somewhat gloomy at this moment, and killing intent burst forth from them.

"How was your trip, Brother Han?"

Seeing Mr. Han the Great agree to act, he seemed to let out a sigh of relief, then asked with some curiosity.

"Looking at the world, although my strength is average, I am still the number one expert in Yun Ning County, after all."

"As the representative of Yun Ning County, I am still qualified to accompany and pay respects to the Emperor and the one-word peer king."

Mr. Han the Great stroked his chin beard, saying with some pride.

Thinking that he would soon see the unparalleled demeanor of the Emperor and the one-word peer king, he couldn't help but feel a little excited... Haiyun Mountain.

This is an extremely steep mountain, with only one path leading to the summit.

However, despite its steepness, pavilions have been built on the summit, resembling a small city.

At the center of the summit, in a pavilion not much inferior to the City Lord's Mansion.

Several bandit leaders were gathered together at this moment, their faces filled with excitement, discussing their next move.

"A spy from the city sent back news that Old Thief Han has returned."

"When we act tomorrow, we might as well leak our whereabouts."

"Then, at a critical moment, we'll give this old thief a surprise."

The Fifth Leader, who looked like a scholar, laughed at this moment.

"I was worried that Old Thief Han wouldn't have returned after we evacuated the land."

"Now it seems, heaven has still given us a chance to eliminate Old Thief Han."

"He's suppressed me my whole life, but that's fine."

"I only need to win this last time!"

Sitting in the primary position was the Great Bandit Leader, who sneered at this moment.

His appearance matched his name; his eyes were like an eagle's, and his nose was hooked, like an eagle's beak.

Ordinary people felt pressure just by looking at this person's face.

"Which village should we set up an ambush in?" one leader asked.

"Let's do it in Lin Family Village."

"Ambushing Old Thief Han in Lin Family Village; the location there is also relatively convenient for going out to sea."

The scholar leader said, already having a plan in mind.

"Hmm, I think Lin Family Village is feasible!"

Fan Ying pondered for a moment, then nodded... The next day.

The sun had just set, and the sky was gradually darkening. Qin Yi was eating at Uncle Lin's house.

But outside, cries of alarm were heard again; it seemed more floating corpses had been washed onto the beach.

Qin Yi followed them out, and indeed, they were more drowned floating corpses.

However, judging by the degree of immersion, they seemed to have met their demise at the same time as the floating corpses from a few days ago.

They were just washed onto the beach one after another.

But suddenly, someone else cried out in alarm.

Because,

At this moment, numerous small dots of varying sizes appeared on the sea surface.

And they were rapidly approaching Lin Family Village.

At the same time,

From afar, the rumbling sound of horses trampling the earth came.

"It's bandits... and a lot of them!"

Someone, feeling the earth tremble, cried out in fear.

And Qin Yi looked at the boats on the nearby sea.

Then, feeling the number of bandits, which was several times more than last time.

He looked at the floating corpses washed ashore, and vaguely, he probably knew what was going on.

"Big Brother Qin... I feel like this group of bandits is a bit different from before."

Little Fish recalled how she was almost abducted last time, and there was some panic in her eyes.

She had never seen so many bandits before.

Even with Qin Yi here, she was still very anxious.

She subconsciously grabbed Qin Yi's sleeve, her body trembling with fear.

"It is very different."

Qin Yi nodded, his eyes very calm.

Not only had the number of bandits in the open surroundings far exceeded last time's, but it also seemed there were other people hidden in the nearby secret places?