CHAPTER 104: THE ROBBERS’ HOPE

"It’s me." A deep and low voice boomed in their ears.

Only the burly men were able to hear it.

They hurriedly stopped their glance and lowered their heads.

Scared that the cultivator would take their glance as intimidation.

No mortal in their right mind would dare to do so.

A fate worse than death might be waiting.

"Take these pills. Your family shall be taken care of as the Dark Lord had promised." The voice spoke again.

The burly men knelt and kowtowed to whoever it was.

Pills suddenly appeared in the air and floated towards them.

These pills gave out a putrid and pungent smell like rotten flesh mixed with blood and other ungodly ingredients.

They reached out their hands and grabbed onto the pills while they tried with their utmost effort to stop themselves from vomiting.

One of the burly men held the pill in his hand, and he saw that a dark glow appeared with small tentacles coming out from it.

He hesitated for a moment.

Imageries of how his family was starving came into his mind.

They had eaten everything they could, even the tree barks, and they even tried to eat the soil.

But it was not enough.

His parents had passed away from hunger.

They had weighed less than thirty kilograms when they finally closed their eyes.

His children had skinny limbs, and their bellies were all swollen from the malnutrition.

There was no hope for him and his family, not until the Dark Lord appeared.

Even though the Dark Lord seemed to be a deranged man, talking about overturning the Da Qian emperor and all the cultivation sects, he offered them a way out.

The Dark Lord’s miracle talisman, mixed with some porridge, had given them a sliver of hope and he didn’t know whether it was the talisman or porridge that helped, it didn’t matter to him.

His family was fed and survived.

That was all that mattered to him.

Even if it meant that he would sacrifice his life for the Dark Lord, it was worthwhile to him.

His wife, daughter and son would be taken care of by the Dark Lord.

And with these thoughts in his mind, the man took a deep breath, plopped the pill into his mouth and he swallowed it in a mouthful.

All around him, the other robbers did the same.

They knew what was in store for them, but they went with it, for the chance and hope for their family.

Surprisingly, nothing happened after they swallowed the pills.

The wood turned back into silence, except for the howls of beasts and insects chirping in the distance.

Rustle.

The foliage rustled and constables appeared from them.

"Got you! You better lay down your weapons before you get hurt really bad." The head of the constables shouted and drew out his saber.

He held the saber tightly in his hand and he panted continuously due to the chase he had to make earlier to catch these robbers.

His men also did the same and held their weapons.

The robbers were heavily outnumbered by the constables at least with a three to one ratio.

That gave the head of constables confidence, and he waved his hands.

"Tie them up! The Magistrate shall reward us handsomely after this!"

His men shouted and lunged at the robbers.

Thud.

One of the robbers was knocked out cold by a constable with a frontal kick to his chest.

"Er Gou!"

The other robbers wanted to help but stopped themselves.

They had their mission to complete.

Clank.

The robbers threw their weapons down onto the ground and they raised their hands up in the air.

It was not enough for the constables.

Some of them kicked the robbers from the back, making them fall onto the ground.

Thud.

They stomped onto the backs of the robbers and spat at them.

"If it was not for you, we would be enjoying our life in the city instead of sweating out here."

Some of the robbers turned their heads and stared at the constables.

They gritted their teeth and said nothing.

Their stare gave the constables a spooky feeling, and the constables quickly got to work tying them up.

Soon, they were lined up, tied in a chain, and forced to walk towards the city.

When they got back to the city, the constables were met with cheers.

The residents of the city were glad that these robbers were finally apprehended.

With them menacing the routes to the city, food was getting in short supply, and it made their lives difficult.

Even though they didn’t like the constables, the constables at least did their job this time.

"Go rot in hell, you scum!"

Some of them started to throw rotten vegetables and food at the robbers.

The man who had taken the pill earlier glanced at their faces, smirked at them and told himself silently to stay calm.

These people don’t know what is to come for them.

Zhao Jia Rui stood among the crowd and frowned.

She couldn’t understand what was going on.

Why would these robbers give up just like that?

She knew how corrupt and ill-disciplined the constables were.

And she had dealt with those robbers, some who were strong enough to hurt her.

But right now, it seemed surreal to see the robbers chained up.

The constables waved at the crowd and said, "Don’t worry folks. This is just the beginning. There will be more of these robbers apprehended in the following days."

Zhao Jia Rui gave up trying to figure things out and she turned around.

Maybe Senior martial brother Hong Hai would know more about what was going on.

...

"Really?" Senior martial brother Hong Hai was equally surprised when he heard Zhao Jia Rui’s report.

He paced around for a few moments trying to come up with something.

Zhao Jia Rui, Du Feng and the other disciples from Qing Feng Sect followed him with their gaze.

After a while, Zhao Jia Rui stopped looking.

It was making her dizzy.

Du Feng tried to offer her a cup of tea, but she ignored him as usual.

After the incident with Lin Xuan Qi, her disdain for him was now out in the open.

Finally, Hong Hai stopped pacing around.

He glanced at Zhao Jia Rui and the others and said, "I think it’s best for you to go and investigate where the robbers were hiding.

"I shall seek help from our master."