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The three of them carried as much treasure as they could. But before leaving, Shu-ming took out a robe and threw it on the ground. Luo Yan asked, "What are you doing?"
A calm smile appeared on Shu-ming's face. "This is a Guang Clan robe. I stole it before we came here."
They understood what this meant… A war that could lead to annihilation between the Guang Clan and the Tu Clan. Once one of them was weakened, the Luo Clan would destroy the other and become the only clan in Yancheng City!
Of course, they tore the robe apart. They also brought the fourth elder, killed him, and poured his blood over the robe. They destroyed the wall and a few other things to make it look like traces of a fierce battle.
After that, they hurriedly left the Tu Clan and headed back to the Luo Clan.
Time passed quickly, and night fell. Shu-ming sat on a chair in his room in the Luo Clan. Luo Feng and Luo Yan sat with him. They divided the treasures among themselves. Luo Yan and Luo Feng each received 500,000 silver coins along with some herbs and two elixirs, while Shu-ming took the rest of the items.
As for the battle between the two clans earlier, it had ended with the complete destruction of the Yu Clan. Their wealth and lands were looted. However, it turned out that the Tu Clan had attacked with support from the Floating Cloud Sect. Because of this, neither of the other two clans dared to attack the Tu Clan. Of course, the death of the fourth elder was discovered, and now the situation between the two clans was critical. The Guang Clan was about to launch an attack but stopped after learning of the Tu Clan's connection to the Floating Cloud Sect. A war between the two clans could break out at any moment.
After talking for a while, Luo Yan left, leaving only Shu-ming and Luo Feng.
"Luo Feng, I will leave the Luo Clan tomorrow. Will you follow me?" Shu-ming spoke seriously.
Luo Feng didn't answer with words. He simply got off his chair and knelt on one knee in front of him. Shu-ming smiled calmly.
The next day, Shu-ming and Luo Feng gathered their belongings and headed to the clan master's residence.
They quietly opened the door. Upon seeing them, the Luo Clan master spoke, "Hmm? What's going on? Where are you two going with all that luggage?"
Luo Feng bowed and cupped his hands. "Father, we are leaving the clan today."
"What?! Why?" Luo Xin raised his eyebrows.
"What I mean is, we are leaving to gain experience. We may not return for several years, so I came to say goodbye."
The clan master did not object. After all, the Luo Clan could no longer contain Luo Feng's talent. Keeping him here would only restrain him and prevent him from advancing further… What the clan master wanted most was to see his son succeed, so he did not object.
Luo Feng smiled upon seeing his father's approval. "Thank you, Father…"
The clan master looked at Shu-ming with a smile. "Take care of my son, you bastard."
"Of course. Also, my name is Shu-ming, not 'bastard,'" Shu-ming replied calmly. He asked the clan master to pass their regards to Luo Xuan, and with that, they left the Luo Clan.
While walking through the streets of Yancheng City—Luo Feng carrying the luggage—Luo Feng asked, "My lord, what will we do now? Where are we going?"
Shu-ming walked with his hands behind his back, wearing a white robe. "I wanted to go to the imperial capital, but let's head to the Flying Sword Sect instead."
The Flying Sword Sect was located five days away from Yancheng City. The sect had recently been destroyed and gone bankrupt. Now, the entire sect grounds were up for sale by the last remaining disciples.
Neither of them spoke after that. They simply continued walking out of the city. Once outside, they would take a carriage to their destination. Since the journey would take five days, they couldn't walk the entire distance on foot.
After leaving the city walls of Yancheng, the two boarded a carriage. They paid a total of one hundred silver coins—fifty each. Now, all they had to do was sit for the entire journey until they arrived.
"My lord, why do you want to go to that destroyed sect?" Luo Feng asked, curiosity filling his face.
Shu-ming replied, "We will buy the sect and build our own power. Power is important right now."
Shu-ming had wanted to go to the imperial capital to see the prince he had "written," but going there now would bring him no benefits. At this moment, he lacked both the power and influence needed to support the prince on his path to the throne. Therefore, he decided to build his own power first.
After saying that, Shu-ming sat in a lotus position and began gathering his internal energy. After consuming the elixirs from the Tu Clan along with Luo Feng's elixirs, he was close to breaking through to the third vein. This would take his strength to another level. He might need just one month to achieve the breakthrough.
Two days passed in this state. On the evening of the third day, while they were camping in the forest beside the road, Luo Feng suddenly stood up. Shu-ming followed and both looked toward the forest.
"There are fifteen of them, my lord," Luo Feng said with sharp eyes.
Immediately after, fifteen people emerged from the forest. Their faces were dangerous, like bandits. The burly man in front carried a huge sword on his shoulder and laughed loudly.
"Hahaha, what a day! You're the second group we're robbing today. Hand over your money, you bastards!" The big smile on his scarred face made him look truly ugly.
Shu-ming placed his hand on his face. "Ha~ These bastards! Luo Feng, beat them up!"
Their auras weren't strong. Only the man in front had an aura slightly stronger than Shu-ming's, but so what? He had no chance against Luo Feng.
"Yes, my lord." Luo Feng drew his sword but did not remove the sheath. The order was to beat them, not kill them.
At that moment, the bandits felt a chill run down their spines.
"Hahaha, come on, kid. I'll show you what hell feels like," the burly man spoke again.
But moments later, the fifteen bandits were sitting politely in front of Shu-ming, their faces covered in bruises.
"W-we're sorry, young master!"
Before Shu-ming could speak, the carriage driver—who had gone to fetch water earlier—returned and saw the scene. "Y-young master?"
Shu-ming turned his head and waved his hand. "You're here, driver. You can go now. We'll pay you. We found a better way than horses!"
"Huh?" The driver didn't fully understand, but he took the money and left the way he came. What mattered more than that? He had received the agreed amount in less than half the journey.
Shu-ming looked at them again. "Now… are you the leader? How many of you are there? And where is your base?"
The burly man trembled after hearing him and answered quickly, "Y-yes, I'm the leader. There are sixty of us. We live in a village nearby…"
A village? How could bandits live in a village? That was what came to Shu-ming's mind. The imperial government should have known about this, at least.
"How? Aren't you afraid of the empire?" They should have been wiped out by now, at the very least.
"Huh? What empire? Those bastards only care about themselves. That village… we were going to rob it, but the villagers there look like skeletons! Since that day, we've dedicated ourselves to helping them. That so-called empire does nothing but spread famine," the group behind him began to cry as they remembered the appearance of the villagers.
Shu-ming felt a strange, indescribable feeling. Bandits these days were merciful?
"Why do you rob people if your hearts are as fragile as glass?"
The burly man looked at him. "What do you mean? We don't rob the poor."
Shu-ming stood up from his seat. "Stand up and lead us to your place."
The man was slightly suspicious in his heart, but he decided to guide them. After all, Shu-ming hadn't killed him on the spot.
After an hour of walking, they arrived in front of a village in the middle of the forest. The houses were ruined, and the air carried a foul smell. The night breeze that had gently caressed his face earlier now smelled like garbage. They had very few livestock, and even those were in poor condition—their bones were visible under their skin.
There were no people outside. It was already evening, so the place was quiet at this time.
But from the scene before him, Shu-ming realized the horror of the famine this village was suffering. "You… are you sure this village's condition isn't because of you?"
"N-no, my lord!! I swear it would have been worse without us!" The fifteen people answered in one voice.
"You can sit here today and see the condition of the villagers tomorrow. We have many mouths to feed. Please help us, my lord!"
The burly man knelt on the ground, and the others followed, saying in unison, "Please help us!"
Looking at their faces, they were truly poor. Even their clothes were torn in many places. Yet they had still reached a decent level of strength.
"Why do you think I will help you?" Shu-ming asked coldly.
The man raised his head and looked at him with a face full of doubt. "T-then… why did you come with us?"
Shu-ming sighed softly. "Naturally, I came to rob you… since you tried to rob me earlier."
"W-what?!"
Shu-ming smiled with a calm yet wicked smile. "I said I came to rob you, just as you intended to rob me. But… since I don't steal food from the mouths of the poor…"
He turned his gaze back to the dark village, where the smell of hunger filled the entire place. "I will steal your loyalty instead…"
Shu-ming looked at the burly man. "What is your name?"
"Me? I am Wang Li, my lord."
"Alright, Wang Li. I am Shu-ming. This is my follower, Luo Feng." Shu-ming pointed at Luo Feng, who stood silently with his hand still on the hilt of his sword. "From today onward, you are no longer bandits. You are my followers."
Wang Li trembled. "Y-your followers? But… we are just thieves… and we can't abandon the village—"
"The village will be part of the deal," Shu-ming cut him off. "I will feed these villagers. I will give you food that lasts for months, medicine, and clothes. In return, you will follow my orders. You will stop random robbing. And in the future… we will build something bigger than just a sect."
Luo Feng looked at his lord with slight surprise but remained silent. He knew Shu-ming never did anything without a purpose.
One of the younger bandits whispered behind Wang Li, "Is… is he joking?"
But Wang Li was looking at Shu-ming with eyes filled with a mix of hope and doubt. After months of hunger and despair, a strange young man was offering them salvation?
"And if we refuse?" Wang Li asked in a low voice.
Shu-ming smiled coldly. "I won't force you, but in that case, I will steal your lives instead of your loyalty. Choose."
"You are actually forcing us…" Wang Li thought to himself.
Silence fell once again. Then… one by one, the fifteen began pressing their foreheads to the ground.
"We… will follow you, Lord Shu-ming!"
Wang Li was the last. He raised his head and said in a rough voice, "We will follow you. But please… save the villagers first. They are not criminals. They are just… poor people abandoned by the emperor."
"Very well, I promise," Shu-ming nodded and continued, "Luo Feng, give them some money to buy food from the city. Tomorrow, we will reassess the villagers' condition."
That night, everyone slept in a state of tension mixed with hope.