Immortal Dao Fruits, Cards to Help Me

Chapter 32 The Old North Wind and the "Compendium of Crafts"

Old North Wind and his gang of "bandits" were quite famous in Shuangcheng.

After all, it's a 30-year-old brand.
His family has been robbing people on the road since his father's generation, and they would occasionally come down from the mountains to wreak havoc on villages. They would kidnap young women and wives to take back for their own lustful pleasure!

Although they were attacked and suppressed several times, they were never completely wiped out.

By now, the Wild Boar People of Jianzhou in northeastern Liaoning, and even further north in the Nurgan region, have been unified by the Pig King. He has even established the Jin Kingdom, which is now eyeing the region covetously.

The Liaodong garrison was even less capable of managing such a minor problem.

It's been around for thirty years anyway, and my predecessor didn't even handle it, so why should I bother?

They were very sensible and didn't make a big fuss.

Let the people who come after handle it themselves!
……

Chen Xiuxian found Cao Bianjiao, the battalion commander of Wadang Fort, and told him that he wanted to get rid of Lao Beifeng and his gang.

Cao Bianjiao didn't say anything. Although he had heard that Old Beifeng had some connection with Shuangcheng, since you are a thief and we are soldiers, it is only normal for the government troops to arrest thieves.

Furthermore, these are turbulent times, and the Liaodong General's Office has issued a directive instructing all regions to minimize instability within their jurisdictions.

This bandit with the beard is also a destabilizing factor!
However, Cao Bianjiao was too lazy to pay attention to that old Beifeng; he was just a bunch of bandits.

He was worried about something else.

He took out three scrolls and showed them to Chen Xiuxian. Chen Xiuxian knew what they were as soon as he held them in his hands.

He also pulled out two scrolls—one containing evil spells made from zombie skin and the other from ghost skin.

These three volumes are all similar... Cao Bianjiao found them while handling matters during this period.

One or two of these things could be explained, but there are five of them!

"This wasn't an accident; someone's sabotaging us behind the scenes. I've already reported it to Commander Qian, and he's reported it further and invited professionals to handle it!"

……

Chen Xiuxian roughly knew what was going on.

After learning about Liaodong and searching through many forum posts, he discovered that before the Boarmen officially declared war, they had also carried out many similar infiltration and sabotage operations.

It wasn't the boarman who came to cause trouble; after all, the boarman isn't good at that, and besides, their appearance was easily recognizable.

However, the Boar People's Kingdom of Jin also has many human people!

Given the vitality of the human race, they can be found in most places.

And places occupied by foreign races naturally became subordinate to those races.

Those who truly do not wish to serve a foreign race will naturally run away long ago, just like an old ox.

The remaining ordinary people, to be honest, have it tough to survive anywhere, and they don't have the ability to run away.

However, the Kingdom of Jin, inhabited by the wild boar people, is different; they are still living in a state of slavery!
The humans over there all have to call the boarmen "master."
Therefore, it would not be surprising if some wicked cultivator were working for the boar-men.

Although he was curious about who that professional was, Chen Xiuxian couldn't care less about that right now.

Let's resolve the old North Wind issue first.

This band of robbers numbered about a hundred, all able-bodied young men and women; they were stationed halfway up North Peak Mountain.

The terrain there is very complex, with many natural caves that they have dug through.

So much so that when the government troops actually came, they ran away through the mountain caves.

The government troops couldn't go in to chase them, nor could they afford to waste time, so they had no choice but to let it go.

However, isn't this perfect for a small team like Chen Xiuxian's?
Chen Xiuxian and Lao Niu, along with the Rat Immortal and the Gambler, set off.

They didn't even stop at Twin Castles, nor did they accept the bounty—fearing that word would leak out.

—It's not too late to come back and get the mission after you've cut off my head.

Old North Wind's mountain stronghold wasn't large; he was based on the idea that if he couldn't win a fight, he would retreat into the mountains. It was built very hastily and was abandoned at any time.

Apart from a hundred-meter-long wooden fence at a crucial point halfway up the mountain, there are only a few rows of adobe houses.

The truly vital things are hidden in the crisscrossing caves.

Normally, without a traitor, there's really nothing you can do to them. Because if you can't beat them, you can just run away, and you won't even be able to find your way.

However, Chen Xiuxian had two subordinates, a rat spirit and a gambling addict, who were both particularly good at this kind of work.

Chen Xiuxian instructed, "Don't be careless and get close to that old North Wind. That cultivator might have left behind some magical treasure that could hurt you again. Just explore the route in the cave and where things are hidden."

……

"Ugh~" The bandit who was "keeping watch" leaning against the wooden fence and warming himself by the fire let out a sigh of relief and collapsed to the ground.

Chen Xiuxian pulled the Long Rainbow Sword from his back and wiped the blood off his clothes.

Although it's only late October, it's already quite cold tonight.

But if you set up a campfire, who else would they kill if not you?
On the other side, the gambler Ma Si'er also strangled another bandit who was on lookout duty.

Both of them are level 5, and the experience points they received were decent.

Chen Xiuxian raised the torch and waved it. A moment later, the old ox tiptoed to the gate of the village.

He was too big, and although he had the "Raging Bull Strength" internal skill passed down in his clan, he was only good at head-on battles and not at sneaky tactics.

As for the Rat Immortal, he was rather averse to killing and harming others, as it would hinder his cultivation. The gambling addict Ma Si'er, however, didn't care about that.

Chen Xiuxian led the gambler through the rooms one by one, taking care of them all while they were asleep, without making a sound.

However, after killing a row of bandit huts, suddenly lights came on in the last large brick house near the mountain cave. Chen Xiuxian, hiding in the shadows, heard voices coming from the doorway of that large brick house.

"Go and see what's going on!" a cold male voice called out.

I don't know how the bandit leader realized something was wrong, but now it seems he can't hide it any longer.

These bandits were still somewhat vigilant.

With a shout from the old north wind, oil lamps were already lit in the mud-brick houses before the assassination attempt could even take place.

Chen Xiuxian decided to go all the way – "You wanted to see this, didn't you?" Taking advantage of the bandit's retreat into the shadows, he killed him with a single sword stroke!
Then he threw a fireball at the entrance of the big tile-roofed house, where Old North Wind, wearing a coat, stood.

This old man from the North Wind possessed a "family heirloom"—his father had obtained it after killing the cultivator severely injured by the demon, and then passed it down to him; wasn't that a family heirloom?
This treasure is a mirror, about the size of a palm, made of polished bronze.

His father poisoned the severely injured cultivator who sought help, and no one knew what the poison was for.

However, he also knew that the person he had killed was a capable and extraordinary individual, and that what he was carrying would not be an ordinary item.

Later, it was discovered that this mirror actually had the ability to issue warnings!
If the government troops were to go up the mountain to suppress the bandits, let alone the Guo family of Shuangcheng, they would surely inform them. Even if they didn't, the mirror would still emit a faint light and buzz before the government troops even entered the mountain.

After several uses, the old man and his son knew that this treasure could provide early warnings.

In this way, they escaped several crises.

However, something unexpected happened today.

Chen Xiuxian is the "one who has vanished (gold)," and this small bronze mirror is far from sufficient to detect his presence.

If it weren't for the gambling addict Ma Si'er helping to kill the bandits, even if Chen Xiuxian held them down one by one and bled them out at his doorstep, the mirror probably wouldn't have reacted.

Even now, although the old North Wind Mountain stronghold has been alerted, Chen Xiuxian has already killed more than forty people!

Now that we've been exposed, let's go all out!

Chen Xiuxian: I originally wanted to resolve the issue quietly, so everyone could be happy, but all I got in return was a cacophony of noise. I'm laying my cards on the table, I'm not pretending anymore! Take this!
The fireball was still smoking when it was thrown. Old North Wind seemed to have already recognized what it was!
That's true, I've seen firearms even if I haven't handled them.

In fact, Old Beifeng had also bought twenty bird guns through connections with the Guo family in Shuangcheng. Although he didn't have any connections to get the thunderbolts, he still managed to get three for self-defense.

To my utter surprise, in the dead of night, such a living devil was thrown out of the darkness!

Old North Wind was so frightened his face turned pale!

With a loud "boom," the campaign to suppress the bandits began!

Old Niu, carrying his iron rod and wearing a half-body armor he got from Ma Yuan of Jingren, charged towards the bandits like an armored vehicle.

Meanwhile, Chen Xiuxian secretly made his move, and the magic weapon Scorpion Tail Hook flew silently toward Old Beifeng's back!
Don't blame Chen Xiuxian for being cunning; this old North Wind is actually at level 12! He clearly has some skill, so we can't let him use it!

Old North Wind did indeed get some benefits from that cultivator back then.

But that cultivator was only half self-taught; what kind of skilled practitioners could he have trained with his personal notebook?
This "evil wind technique" can cause people to have splitting headaches, and can also be used to ambush enemies, causing them to suffer a stroke and become crooked in the mouth and eyes.

They also had a trick up their sleeve: "talisman water" that allowed their bandits to drink without fear or pain, greatly increasing their fighting power in a short period of time.

But that’s about it.

Later, when Chen Xiuxian obtained the cultivator's belongings, he learned that the man was a cultivator of magical artifacts, and most of his abilities lay in magical artifacts.

These two minor spells were obtained by chance.

……

Chen Xiuxian had Old Niu block the gate of the stronghold, and had Rat Immortal Dou Zhongde move stones to block the cave entrance on the back mountain. Then, he used Scorpion Tail Hook to ambush Old North Wind. In three rounds plus a [Flying Pounce (Green)], he took off the head worth 200 taels of silver!

"Ding~ You have killed the level 12 bandit leader Old North Wind, and you have gained 330 experience points."

This old bastard supposedly preys on a young virgin every year on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, claiming it's for health reasons.

Damn it, beheading him would be too lenient!
As for the other bandits, Chen Xiuxian casually released his newly acquired low-level magic weapon, the [Mining Cart (Green)]!
A massive mining cart, taller than a person and made of iron-clad wood, roared and crashed into everything!
The four bandits were crushed and flattened on the ground, and two others were knocked away and coughed up blood, seemingly doomed.

That's amazing!

Chen Xiuxian even wanted to sing them a song called "We are all living life to the fullest~".

The remaining scattered bandits were also dealt with by him with a flick of his Changhong Sword, a foot-long sword aura protruding from the tip, which was virtually indestructible.

Kowtowing and begging for mercy is unnecessary.
Grandpa is here today to punish you all on behalf of Heaven!
He can kill two people in ten steps, and even begging for mercy won't save him!

These beasts would often rob poor families of their grain during the autumn harvest, and kidnap rich people as hostages, even cutting off a little finger to carry a message to the victim's home!

A worthy death!

After Chen Xiuxian had killed almost all the enemies, the Rat Immortal found the small bronze mirror and the "Hundred Crafts Manual" and presented them to him.

Chen Xiuxian took the yellowed, frayed booklet and looked at it:
"Ding~ You have unlocked 'Crafts and Skills', system upgrade in progress..."

Damn it, I haven't finished upgrading yet!

Double upgrade! System, you're going to fly!
　Some readers say that my writing isn't funny anymore and I've run out of jokes.

　　To be honest, I acknowledge this, and I'm aware of the problem myself.

　　I am now bent over by the burdens of life and my edges have been worn down by the helplessness of society.

　　I've forgotten how to laugh...

　　I realized that I'm already old before I've even become famous.

　　My heart is old; I can no longer write lighthearted things. Every time I think about this, my heart becomes heavy.

　　I no longer feel pain, no longer feel that heart-wrenching pain; only numbness and heaviness remain.

　　I've become so pathetic!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)