10: Jiangyang Thief [Please collect and read]

Time flew by, and a month passed in the blink of an eye.

The chill of early spring completely dissipated, and the world returned to warmth.

In the courtyard, a phantom flashed quickly, and the next second, he appeared under the large elm tree in the courtyard.

It was Han Li.

In one month, his frantic Cultivation had made remarkable progress.

Stopping his figure, Han Li's eyes showed a panel.

name: Han Li.

Realm: Body Forging Fifth Layer!

martial arts: Fierce Tiger Fist (Major Achievement 89%), Divine Travel Eight Desolations (Beginner 95%)

skill: Archery (Perfection)!

Heaven and Earth Demon Seed: (Level 1 50%)

"He hasn't even reached Minor Achievement yet, but he has such speed. If he reached Perfection, what level would he achieve?"

Looking at the panel, Han Li's eyes were burning.

Only after Cultivating Divine Travel Eight Desolations did he realize how powerful it was.

Divine Travel Eight Desolations, unrivaled in the world!

This was probably not an empty boast.

If he achieved Perfection, he would definitely reach that level.

Divine Travel Eight Desolations could not only burst out extremely fast movement techniques in an instant but also maintain speed for a long time, the kind that even a galloping horse couldn't catch up to.

"If that guy hadn't been poisoned by that 'Killing Green Powder' back then, even if he couldn't win, at least escaping wouldn't have been a problem..."

A thought flashed through Han Li's mind.

Even with his current level of movement technique Cultivation, escaping would definitely not be a problem.

Divine Travel Eight Desolations would be his life-saving skill.

"Hmm?"

"What's that sound outside?"

Suddenly, Han Li came back to his senses and looked outside the courtyard, where noisy sounds were coming from.

"Something's happening!"

Pushing open the courtyard door, Han Li saw many villagers heading towards the village entrance, and curiosity instantly surged in his heart.

"Clang clang clang!!!"

The sound of gongs and drums came from the village entrance, very lively.

"Auntie, what's going on? Why is it suddenly so lively?"

Han Li couldn't help but step forward and stop a woman.

The woman glanced at him and said, "It seems like people from the government have arrived. They're gathering everyone in the village. Hurry to the village entrance to gather."

"Hmm?"

"People from the government!"

Hearing this, Han Li became even more curious.

Why would people from the government suddenly come to Han Family Village?

What were they doing with such a grand display?

Big question marks appeared in Han Li's mind, and seeing other villagers heading towards the village entrance, he came back to his senses and followed them.

If the government was gathering everyone in the village, he certainly couldn't hide.

Such a grand display did pique his curiosity... Following the crowd, Han Li and a group of villagers soon arrived at a large open space at the village entrance.

As soon as he reached the village entrance, Han Li immediately saw eight or nine government officials dressed in official uniforms, each riding a tall horse, with sabers at their sides, exuding a formidable Aura.

The leading official was a middle-aged man with bulging temples and a pair of tiger eyes that emitted an Aura of unangered authority. This was clearly not an ordinary official but a Martial Artist who had achieved success in Cultivation.

A group of villagers gathered in front of the open space at the village entrance, their eyes all on the group of officials riding tall horses, their eyes flashing with light, and they couldn't help but whisper to each other.

"What's going on here?"

"Why would the government suddenly make such a big fuss? What are they going to do?"

"I'm not sure, but something big must have happened."

"Tsk tsk, with this kind of display, the matter must not be small."

"I did hear something. The day before yesterday, a group of officials also came to Wang Family Village. I heard they were looking for someone, but I'm not clear about the details."

"Oh, now that you mention it, I remember seeing something in Beishan Village a few days ago. I also saw a group of officials there."

"Could it be the same target?"

"Who could warrant such a grand display? Could it be that the County Magistrate's son ran away?"

...The villagers whispered, one by one, chattering away.

Han Li stood in the crowd, listening to the villagers' discussions, and couldn't help but narrow his eyes.

Although these villagers were all chattering, he seemed to have heard about the same thing.

Looking for someone!

Beishan Village, Wang Family Village, Hongnan Village... these villages were all subordinate to Changshan County, and they were not far from Han Family Village, separated by seven or eight li, or about ten li for the furthest ones.

And in these villages, groups of officials had appeared.

From the villagers' discussions, these officials seemed to have the same purpose: to look for someone.

But who could warrant such a grand display?

Even if the County Magistrate's son was lost, there wouldn't be such a big fuss, right?

However, he didn't speak, just stood quietly in the crowd.

He would know soon enough... After a burst of gongs and drums, almost all the villagers who were home in Han Family Village had arrived.

One or two hundred people gathered at the village entrance.

Seeing the villagers gather, the leading Martial Artist official dismounted, and the several officials behind him also dismounted.

"Who is in charge of this village?"

His tiger eyes swept across, and his voice, like muffled thunder, rang out among the crowd. Instantly, the villagers quieted down.

The common people do not contend with officials!

The official uniform naturally carried a sense of oppression for ordinary people.

Coupled with the Aura of a Martial Artist, it was even more extraordinary.

"Old man greets official sir."

In the crowd, the village chief's voice sounded, and he stepped forward, coming before the official and bowing with cupped hands.

"Official sir, this old man is the village chief of Han Family Village. May I ask why official sir has come here?"

The village chief spoke politely.

The tall and mighty official looked at the village chief, his tiger eyes sweeping over him: "Have all the people in the village arrived?"

Hearing this, the village chief immediately said, "A few are missing because they are too old and sick, unable to get out of bed. Please forgive us, official sir."

"However, most of the people have arrived," the village chief added.

The official looked at him and said, "How many people are there in your village in total?"

Village Chief: "A total of seventy-two households, two hundred and forty-seven people."

The official nodded, looked at the village chief, and said, "This official is acting on orders. I am here today to look for someone."

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and an official behind him immediately took out a thick stack of papers from his satchel.

The eyes of the villagers also turned to that stack of papers.

The leading official picked up one of them and placed it in front of him, and everyone's eyes looked at the paper.

It was a portrait of a human face.

The villagers looked at the portrait of the human face, each showing curiosity.

"This drawing... why does it feel a little familiar?"

Looking at the portrait in the official's hand, Han Li felt a sense of familiarity.

"Official sir, is this...?"

The village chief was also stunned, looking at the portrait of the human face, feeling curious.

Official: "This person is a notorious bandit. According to information, he is currently at large in this area. Anyone who can provide accurate information about this person will receive a reward of two hundred taels of silver."

"Notorious bandit..."

The villagers exchanged glances, each feeling incredible.

A notorious bandit, did he warrant such a grand mobilization?

Could it be that he stole something incredibly important?

And was the reward silver not ridiculously high?

A notorious bandit, worth two hundred taels of silver as a reward?!

What kind of bandit was so valuable?

The villagers were filled with curiosity.

Even the village chief felt incredible.

He was also a man who had seen some of the world. Government bounties were usually posted on the city walls of the county town, or in the streets and alleys within the county town, but he had never seen officials personally go to villages, one by one, with criminal portraits to distribute them.

What did he steal to make the government mobilize so grandly?

"Has anyone among you ever seen this person?" The official's voice sounded, and the villagers shook their heads.

The official frowned, then handed the stack of portraits behind him to the village chief: "You distribute these portraits. Remember, anyone who has information about the person in the portrait must immediately report it to the government. If anyone is found to be harboring him without reporting, they will be punished with the same crime and be executed immediately!"

"Yes, yes, yes, this old man understands."

The village chief nodded repeatedly.

The official looked at him, then said, "Send a young and strong person to lead the way. We still need to enter the village to look around and inspect."

"Good, good, good, no problem, official sir, please!"

The village chief nodded and immediately arranged for someone. Then, the leading official waved his hand, and seven or eight officials instantly poured into the village.

The villagers exchanged glances, all looking at each other in dismay.

What exactly did this notorious bandit steal to make the government mobilize so grandly?

This display, they had never even heard of it... A group of officials searched for about an hour before leaving.

And when the group of officials left, Han Family Village also exploded.

The arrival of this group of officials directly broke the tranquility of this quiet mountain village.

Suddenly, it was bustling, and the entire village was abuzz with endless discussions.

The village chief distributed the stack of portraits, and Han Li also received one.

Returning home, Han Li sat under the old elm tree, looking at the portrait in front of him.

Outside, it was bustling, but Han Li's brows were tightly furrowed.

He knew the person in the portrait.

The moment the officials spoke, he already knew who it was.