Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

Lu Ci watched as the women finished kowtowing and said in a cold voice:

"Take the money and hurry down the mountain, don't delay."

His tone was icy, but to the tormented women, this brief instruction was more reassuring than any gentle words. They thanked him profusely, hastily gathered what they could carry from the bandit's den, and, supporting each other, staggered out of the stronghold.

After watching them leave, Lü Ci began a thorough search of the bandit's den.

He searched through the so-called "warehouse" and the houses where the leaders lived, and the cash, silver dollars, gold and silver jewelry he found totaled only enough to fill a small package. It was so light that it was practically nothing compared to the gold and silver in the Luo family mansion.

Lu Ci was not surprised by this. Bandits were different from landlords. Landlords had assets and surplus grain, and with the recent legal tender policy, they had all hoarded large amounts of silver dollars at home.

Bandits lived a life of constant danger and reckless abandon. Anyone with a modicum of sense would never save money, because if they did, they would lose their lives – that would be a tremendous injustice.

“Although I expected that bandits who serve landlords wouldn’t be very rich,” Lü Ci said, weighing the light bundle in his hand and chuckling softly, “it’s still rare to see someone this poor.”

"However, it is truly a blessing from heaven that you, such cowards, were able to die at my hands."

He then tied the package around his waist, and with a swift movement, left the blood-soaked mountain stronghold.

On his way down the mountain, he saw in the distance a group of women supporting each other and walking carefully.

The mountain path was rugged, and the women, who were already weak and still somewhat shaken, walked very slowly.

Although Lü Ci was impatient, he still slowed down and followed at a distance, intending to protect them for a while.

Along the way, a woman stumbled several times and nearly fell off the cliff. Each time, Lü Ci secretly activated his Ruyi Jingu Bang (a magical energy technique) to send out a gentle push that helped her right herself and averted danger.

Only after they reached the foot of the mountain and were in a safe place did Lü Ci feel relieved. She then darted out, turning into a blurry shadow, and headed towards the meeting point she had agreed upon with Zhang Zhiwei.

The agreed meeting point was next to Rossini's field.

Because the land that Rossini had seized had all been distributed, the fields were now filled with farmers who had received land. Overjoyed, they sang and danced in the fields, their laughter carrying far and wide.

When Lü Ci arrived, he was greatly surprised and couldn't understand why these people were so happy. Wasn't it just because the landlord had been killed?

Along the way, he had followed Master Tang Jiaren to kill quite a few landlords, but he had never seen those people so happy!

He walked up to Zhang Zhiwei, who was standing with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance, looking puzzled: "Senior Brother Zhang, what... is going on?"

Zhang Zhiwei said calmly, "I had the Huode Sect distribute the land to them."

Lu Ci was startled: "Won't doing this cause problems?"

In fact, when he was dealing with the landlords with the master and others, he had thought about this as well, and even asked the master if it was feasible.

The usually smiling patriarch, upon hearing this question, lost his smile and told him with a serious expression that they could not do that. Even if they killed everyone, the tenants could forcibly take the land, but they could not be allowed to divide it among themselves.

They killed landlords and robbed them of their money; no matter how you look at it, it was nothing more than banditry. Only the local landlords were on edge, like frightened birds, extremely nervous.

The other landlords, though outwardly concerned, were actually watching the show with glee, perhaps even thinking, "Let them die, the more the better. Once they're all gone, their businesses and influence will be freed up, and we can enter the fray."

Therefore, even though there was such a commotion here, nothing particularly difficult happened. This was partly due to Liu Mang's leniency, but also because the bottom line of the other large landowners had not been crossed.

At this point, the master paused for a moment before telling Lü Ci, word by word, that it wasn't just nouveau riche who were called landlords; even their Lü family, the Celestial Master's Mansion, and various other powerful families were all called landlords.

Each of them owns tens of thousands of acres of land and thousands of tenants. Are they all going to give away all of this land?

Just robbing money is banditry, but if robbing money is combined with dividing land, then the nature of the crime changes completely. It's like flipping the table, challenging the fundamental interests of all those who possess large amounts of land.

Upon hearing this, Lü Ci abandoned his plan.

But he didn't expect that Senior Brother Zhang would succeed on his very first mission.

"A problem?" Zhang Zhiwei looked at the crowd in the field, immersed in immense joy, and said nonchalantly, "Isn't everyone very satisfied? What problem could there be?"

Lu Ci was speechless for a moment. Yes, Senior Brother Zhang was here, what problem could possibly arise?!

He paused, then asked, "What about those people from the Fire Virtue Sect? Senior Brother Zhang, how did you deal with them? Did you... do something like this?"

He gestured with his hand across his neck.

“Why would I kill them? I just taught them a lesson. Speaking of which, this land was allocated by the Huode Sect. One of them, Yan Yang, seems to have had an epiphany after this incident and is determined to use his skills to do something for this world. I am quite gratified,” Zhang Zhiwei said.

Lu Ci immediately became curious and quickly asked for details.

Zhang Zhiwei was never one to keep secrets, so when Lü Ci asked him about other things, he naturally didn't hide anything. He briefly recounted how the land was distributed, Yan Yang was awakened, and finally, the punishment was revoked and his cultivation was restored.

After listening, Lü Ci was filled with respect: "Those people are truly fortunate to have met Senior Brother Zhang. However, Senior Brother Zhang, were the methods you displayed in front of the people of the Fire Virtue Sect a bit... too shocking?"

"Those methods, in the entire world of supernatural beings, you can count the number of people who can do them on your fingers. Plus, you're in Sichuan, so unless they're stupid, they'll definitely guess that 'Zhang Mazi' is you!"

“Yes, they could guess, and even Fengping almost recognized me, but even if they knew it was me,” Zhang Zhiwei said calmly, “so what? What can they do?”

Lu Ci was taken aback by his question. What could he do? What did he expect? These words were indeed too arrogant, but they were also true.

Even if those people from the Huode Sect, or even the sects behind them, guessed that Zhang Mazi was Senior Brother Zhang, so what? Would they dare to openly say it out loud, or come to cause trouble for Longhu Mountain?
If we don't tell anyone, people can still be indignant about "Zhang Mazi" and shout for his execution to save face. But once this secret is revealed, do we really have to "annihilate" the Little Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain?
Who would dare to do that? But if we do nothing, wouldn't that be a clear sign that we're afraid of Senior Brother Zhang?

Although being afraid of Senior Brother Zhang isn't exactly shameful, it's still embarrassing to talk about it.

Therefore, the best course of action in this matter is to pretend not to know, even if you do.

Even when outsiders speculate that Zhang Mazi is Senior Brother Zhang, they might immediately come out to refute the rumors and explain, "What kind of person is Little Celestial Master? He is upright and honest, how could he do such a thing? Someone must be slandering him."

Having figured out the key point, Lü Ci said, "Then, Senior Brother Zhang, does this mean that the landlords we deal with next will be able to distribute their land like this time?" Zhang Zhiwei shook his head: "It's enough to start something like this. It's not the right time yet. But next time when you rob someone, don't take the land deeds with you. Opportunities are always reserved for the bold. If they really want land, they should have the courage to take it themselves."

Lu Ci nodded thoughtfully: "That's good. This way, we can avoid attracting too much criticism."

“Let’s go, there are still a few targets on the list waiting for us to ‘visit’,” Zhang Zhiwei said.

……

……

Just as Zhang Zhiwei and Lü Ci continued to advance "Zhang Mazi" operation, undercurrents began to surge in the direction of Chongqing.

After extensive verification, the Japanese intelligence agency finally confirmed that the "Little Celestial Master" stationed in Chongqing had left after the successful relocation and upgrade of the "Tiantong Steel Plant".

This news caused the ninjas, who had been lurking around Chongqing since the construction of the Tiantong Steel Plant, to begin to stir.

The Koga ninja from Japan were in charge of this matter.

Koga ninjas are different from Hiezan ninjas. Hiezan ninjas were just a rabble of outcasts, dispensable tools, not valued, and unworthy of living in the sunlight.

The Koga ninjas, on the other hand, were an official ninja group that was affiliated with the "daimyo" from the very beginning. They shared the glory and disgrace with the shogun and the emperor. They also assisted the shogun in defeating the Iga ninjas, an assassin group that acted recklessly without a ruler.

Therefore, their status is much higher than that of the Hieiyama ninja.

They are talking right now.

"With the Chinese Little Celestial Master gone, our opportunity has arrived! This steel mill is the most important industrial pillar for the Chinese in the southwest region. We must destroy it and cripple their war potential!"

"Is the information reliable? Could those incompetent Special Higher Police officers have made another mistake?"

"Not only the Special Higher Police, but also multiple sources have confirmed that this news is true. This should be our best opportunity. We have been waiting here for too long. Although the longer we wait, the greater the chance of finding a flaw, the greater the possibility of being discovered."

“You’re right. It’s not easy to stay hidden in this place for a long time. The supernatural beings here speak a long string of obscure dialects every time they meet. Our people have been observing for a long time, but they still haven’t been able to figure out their language. We dare not infiltrate rashly. Staying here any longer is not very meaningful. We need to finish this quickly.”

"Agreed. Then we'll infiltrate Chongqing tonight, pinpoint the steel mill's location, and conduct final reconnaissance. Once confirmed, we'll split into two groups and launch a simultaneous surprise attack, making sure to destroy it in one fell swoop!"

"Hai!"

A chilling killing intent filled the secret room. A sinister raid targeting a vital strategic objective had begun.

That night, the Koga ninjas who had infiltrated Chongqing pulled down their masks to cover their faces and hid in the darkness high above.

The ninja leader in charge of the operation stood on high ground, looking down at the faint light filtering through the mountains, his eyes filled with disdain:

"These lowly Chinese people are clearly like ants, yet they try to resist the Emperor's grace with their meager strength."

At that moment, a dark shadow darted closer with the agility of a raccoon dog.

The leader asked in a deep voice, "What's the situation?"

The shadowy figure reported in a low voice: "According to our investigation, the Tang Clan has indeed strengthened its defenses, but all indications suggest that the Little Celestial Master of China is definitely not here."

"In that case, let's take action!"

With a wave of his hand, the ninja leader in charge of the operation sent the Koga ninjas silently disappearing into the boundless night.

Meanwhile, in the woods surrounding the Tiantong Steel Plant, Gao Yingcai hung upside down from a tree like an owl, his aura completely concealed, vigilantly sensing any subtle movement around him.

Gao Yingcai is the most skilled in Illusionary Body Barrier among the disciples of the Tang Clan this generation. He has almost reached a state of perfection. If he simply lies dormant and does not make any unnecessary moves, there are very few people in the entire martial arts world who can discover him.

A person skilled in infiltration is naturally also skilled in counter-infiltration, so he was assigned by the Tang Clan Chief to be in charge of the security of the Tiantong Steel Plant, and he has been doing a very good job over the past few years.

Since the Tiantong Steel Plant began its relocation and upgrade, the Tang Clan Master was worried about problems and came to oversee the operation himself. Not long ago, even the Grand Master came to the steel plant to take charge.

With the arrival of the two bigwigs from within the sect, everyone realized the seriousness of the problem, so their patrols became exceptionally diligent during this period.

Gao Yingcai was hanging on the tallest tree in the area when he suddenly noticed something unusual. The airflow around him had changed slightly, and a shadow darker than the night was drifting past him not far below.

He was extremely close to his opponent, close enough that he could easily pierce the opponent's throat with a poisoned dagger with a single reach. But he did not move.

Because he sensed that there was more than one person approaching, he couldn't judge their numbers and strength. He worried that if he made a move, he would reveal himself and be killed by the opponent's experts.

Gao Yingcai wasn't afraid of death, but his primary task at the moment was to send out the alarm.

He held his breath and remained still, one hand in his pocket writing and drawing. In his pocket was the Yin-Yang Paper distributed by Wang Ai. This Yin-Yang Paper had been networked by Wang Ai, and the information only appeared on the papers held by the Tang Clan members guarding the steel mill.

To ensure efficiency, they used a simple symbol system. Gao Yingcai's fingers moved rapidly, and a few concise symbols were already displayed:

—An enemy has infiltrated. Their identity, number, and strength are unknown.

In an instant, all the Tang Clan experts felt a chill run down their spines, but they did not show it. Instead, they secretly circulated their Qi and observed their surroundings more vigilantly, like venomous snakes poised to strike, ready to launch a thunderous attack at any moment.

Once they were sure there were no immediate threats around them, they all took out their pocket watch-shaped "observation devices".

On the display screen in the viewing room, there is the location of each of them.

The message was sent by Gao Yingcai; they were planning to move closer to Gao Yingcai's position.

The message from the Tang Clan leader arrived: "It might be a feint. Don't be led by the nose and lose your formation. Everyone, lie in ambush, be on high alert, and kill any attackers. I'll personally go to Gao Yingcai's side." (End of Chapter)