170: Chapter 170 Another person added!

"Kill!!"

Blade light flashed like snow, and blood splattered everywhere.

Over a dozen bandits were cut down before they could even let out a scream.

Ma Lie charged at the very front, the large blade in his hand whistling through the air; with every strike, a bandit fell.

With his Seventh Layer of Qi Refining cultivation, he was like a tiger among a flock of sheep amidst these bandits.

The Second-in-Command tried to flee, but Ma Lie decapitated him with a single stroke. The headless corpse spun twice on the spot before collapsing with a thud.

"Ah!!!"

"Run!!"

"We can't win! We can't win at all!!"

The remaining bandits completely broke down and scattered in flight.

But the three hundred Yunzhou Army elites had long since surrounded them so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak through. Where was there any path to escape?

Screams, pleas for mercy, and the clashing of weapons blended into a single cacophony.

Ma Liu's eyes turned red as he watched his subordinates fall like wheat being harvested.

He wanted to rush forward to help, but Su Bai's cold eyes remained fixed on him, making him completely afraid to move.

It only took a single charge.

More than half of the seventy or eighty bandits were slaughtered.

The remaining dozen or so knelt on the ground trembling, kowtowing like pounding garlic.

"Spare us! General, spare our lives!"

"We won't dare do it again!"

But the Yunzhou Army soldiers had no intention of stopping.

Blades flashed.

The last dozen bandits also fell into pools of blood.

The entire Martial Arts Arena of Su Family Village was strewn with the corpses of bandits; blood converged into a small stream, shimmering with an eerie light under the moonlight.

Watching this scene, Ma Zhenhua completely broke down.

Those dead bandits were the uncles who had watched her grow up since she was a child.

Although they didn't engage in honest work, they had always been very good to her.

Now, they were all dead.

Dead right before her eyes.

"No... don't..."

Tears burst from Ma Zhenhua's eyes as she looked at Su Bai, her body trembling, and shouted in a raspy voice:

"Don't kill my father! Please, don't kill my father!"

"I'll agree! I agree to be your woman!"

"Please let him go!!"

Su Bai looked down at the tearful girl in his arms, a flash of complexity in his eyes.

Then he looked up at Ma Liu.

Ma Liu's face was ashen, and his whole body was shaking.

He looked at the corpses covering the ground, then at his daughter's tear-streaked face; his lips quivered, but he couldn't say a single word.

Su Bai fell silent for a moment, then suddenly released his hand from Ma Zhenhua's shoulder.

"Ma Liu."

Su Bai's voice was very calm.

"Today, for your daughter's sake, I will spare your life."

"But remember, from today on, your daughter is my, Su Bai's, woman."

"If you dare to commit evil again, I guarantee that next time, your head will hang from the gates of Yunzhou City."

Ma Liu's whole body jolted, and he fell to his knees with a thud.

"Yes... yes... thank you, General, for your mercy..."

He kowtowed like pounding garlic, his forehead striking the bluestone slabs until it bled.

Su Bai didn't look at him again. Instead, he looked down at the sobbing Ma Zhenhua in his arms and said:

"From today on, you will follow me."

"I will let you know that following a truly powerful person is ten thousand times better than being a bandit."

Ma Zhenhua looked up at Su Bai with tear-filled eyes.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but not a single word came out.

Ultimately, she could only nod silently.

Su Bai sighed softly, reached out to wipe the tears from her face, then looked up at Ma Lie.

"Ma Lie, have the injured Disciples taken for treatment, and bury the fallen Disciples with honors."

"Give each of their families one hundred taels of silver as compensation."

Ma Lie knelt on one knee and shouted in response:

"Yes!"

Su Bai glanced again at the Su Family Village Disciples kneeling on the ground who had escaped death, and fell silent for a moment.

"As for you..."

His voice paused before he continued:

"Today, you did not run away; you guarded the village gate."

"I have seen this display of courage."

"Previous matters are now wiped clean."

"Starting tomorrow, I will rearrange for people to train you."

"If I see you being arrogant and domineering again—"

Su Bai's gaze became sharp.

"Then don't blame me, Su Bai, for being merciless."

Hearing these words, the Su Family Village Disciples were moved to tears, kneeling and kowtowing incessantly.

"Thank you, General! Thank you, General!"

"We will certainly Cultivate well! We will not fail the General's expectations!"

Su Bai waved his hand and said nothing more.

He turned around, putting his arm around Ma Zhenhua's shoulder, and walked toward the Side Courtyard.

Behind him were corpses and blood everywhere.

The night wind blew, and a lingering scent of blood permeated the air.

However, the lights of Su Family Village began to flicker on one by one.

Having endured this night of storm and blood, this small village had instead become even more solid.

...

Inside the Side Courtyard.

Zhou Qingying, Lin Weiwei, and Lin Chanchan had long since heard the commotion outside, but they knew Su Bai was handling things and didn't come out to cause trouble.

Seeing Su Bai walk in with an unfamiliar girl in his arms, the faces of the three women all showed expressions of surprise.

"Husband, this is..."

Zhou Qingying looked at Ma Zhenhua's face, where the tear stains were not yet dry.

She then looked at Su Bai, an inquiring look flashing in her eyes.

Su Bai gave a bitter smile at this scene and briefly explained what had happened.

After listening, Zhou Qingying was silent for a moment, then walked up to Ma Zhenhua and reached out to gently take her hand.

"Sister, don't be afraid."

"From today on, this is your home."

Ma Zhenhua looked up at the incredibly beautiful woman before her, and tears welled up once more.

She had grown up in a bandit's den; although those people were good to her,

she had never felt this kind of warmth.

"Thank... thank you..."

Ma Zhenhua said with a sob.

Lin Weiwei also walked over, smiling gently as she said:

"Don't cry anymore, sister. We'll be with you from now on."

Lin Chanchan curiously circled Ma Zhenhua, clicking her tongue in wonder:

"Wow, you're actually at the Ninth Level of Qi Refining? That's amazing! I'm only at the Third Layer of Qi Refining!"

Being spoken to by Lin Chanchan like that, Ma Zhenhua felt a bit embarrassed.

She wiped her tears and said softly:

"I... I just had good luck..."

Su Bai felt relieved watching this.

He had originally worried that Zhou Qingying and the others would be unhappy, but he hadn't expected them to be so understanding.

"Alright, it's late. Everyone, go get some rest."

Su Bai yawned and waved his hand.

"There's still a lot to do tomorrow."

Zhou Qingying nodded, took Ma Zhenhua's hand, and led her to the room next door.

Lin Weiwei and Lin Chanchan also returned to their respective rooms to rest.

Su Bai stood alone in the courtyard, looking up at the night sky.

The moon revealed half its face from behind the clouds, casting a clear radiance over the ground.

He took a deep breath, a flash of determination in his eyes.

Bandits were only a small problem.

The real big trouble was yet to come.