It all started with one person becoming a shaman, but the Stand user...

“This village was originally occupied by another small band of bandits. Last year, Lu Bashan led his remaining troops here and only sent about ten people to take it over. Now he has naturally gathered defeated soldiers and recruited refugees, and now he has about a hundred men.”

As for who first built the village here, it is impossible to know.

In the midst of chaos, the vast Taihang Mountains are never short of bandit strongholds.

Qinghe Miao gazed at the flickering campfire, his eyes gleaming with excitement, and asked in a low voice:

"Have you investigated the situation thoroughly?"

"It has already been scouted."

Huang Wulang, with a serious expression, beckoned to a shrewd young member of his tribe:

"Give the diagram to the Taoist priest."

The tribesman came closer and took out a tanned animal hide from his bosom.

Huang Wulang took it and handed it to Qing Hemiao:

"The locations of the main leaders' residences, as well as the approximate locations of weapons, provisions, and horses, are all marked on it. The kidnapped hostages are all imprisoned in solitary cells."

Those who are on guard duty and can sleep inside are their own people; the Taoist priest can deal with them as he sees fit. Once the Taoist priest has succeeded, he can take the opportunity to set fire to these granaries and stables, creating chaos, and then we can storm in from the front to provide support.”

Chapter 51 Making Money in the Mountains is Not Shameful

Qinghe Miao took the animal skin and examined it closely in the cool moonlight.

It was indeed the same recipe.

The leather was covered with crooked lines, circles, and markings, making it look gaudy.

Maps drawn in this era, without specialized training and in dim lighting, are completely incomprehensible.

Even so, without the help of local forces, the average person wouldn't be able to get it!

Fortunately, someone was there to explain things to me.

Although it's a rough sketch, the general route and location are clear.

"Goro, whether or not to set fire depends on the situation."

Qinghe Miao pondered for a moment, then rolled up the animal hide and put it away.

"After all, these things are still useful to you, and it would be a waste to burn them all. I'll try to kill as many leaders as possible to create enough chaos. Then you wait for my signal, how about that?"

Who knows if the arsonist's head counts as his?

Huang Wulang was slightly surprised.

He felt that Qing Hemiao's decision was a bit too greedy.

A night raid on a mountain stronghold without setting fire to create chaos undoubtedly increases the difficulty significantly.

However, upon further reflection, since they weren't the ones doing the actual work, and all they had to do was wait for the signal, the risk remained the same, so they nodded in agreement.

"Since you are confident, we will follow your advice. But remember, if something is impossible, we should not hesitate to do it."

"I'm sorry to trouble Goro."

Qing Hemiao took a deep breath of the cool air, his internal energy quietly circulating to dispel the chill, and a sharp light gathered in his eyes:

"I'll be off now. Please await good news."

Having said that, he said no more, and with a slight movement, he silently slid down the hill.

Wearing a specially chosen black cotton coat, he blended into the night and made his way towards the dark mountain village with its flickering campfires.

Huang Wulang watched his rapidly disappearing figure, waved to signal the people behind him to be quiet and lower their heads, and turned his gaze back to the distant mountain stronghold, his hand unconsciously tightening its grip on the hilt of the knife at his waist.

Under the cold moon, the murderous intent gradually intensifies.

Once he was sure he was completely out of Huang Wulang and the others' sight, Qinghe Miao stopped and patted his cotton coat, which was covered with dry grass and leaves, with a touch of heartache.

These ancient mountain paths are truly not easy to traverse.

Especially on this cold winter night, when the ground is deep and desolate.

The clothes he's wearing were a new one his mother bought for him before the Lunar New Year.

Well, that's terrible, I've only worn it for a few days.

"Going back will inevitably mean another round of nagging."

Qinghe Miao shook his head helplessly, feeling annoyed.

But now is not the time to worry about clothes; let's get down to business.

He focused his mind and first manipulated the stand-in to circle around him.

After confirming that there was no one else nearby, it activated the invisibility ability of the [Metallic Object].

His body seemed to be coated with a thin film, which then quickly became transparent and eventually blended completely into the background.

"The Stands in JOJO might not be considered top-tier in terms of base stats compared to those in worlds with internal energy cultivation and special abilities."

Qinghe Miao walked towards the distant mountain village, pondering to himself:

"But some mechanisms are so useful that they're almost unfair."

For example, this invisibility.

Without any special techniques or advanced technology, this would be considered a divine art unless one encounters a master.

He swaggered toward the mountain stronghold's wooden fence.

We may need to be more careful during the day.

But in the pitch black, even footprints are not easily visible.

The wall wasn't high, but it was covered with sharpened wooden spikes, which Qing Hemiao couldn't overcome with his current skills.

Behind the earthen wall were two bandits guarding the place, each clutching a spear, hunching their shoulders and stamping their feet to keep warm.

They were muttering complaints under their breath, their eyes half-closed, clearly not very wary.

It's not that I don't want to be lazy and take a nap.

I just can't sleep outside in this weather.

Qinghe Miao walked lightly through the village gate right under their noses.

When the Stand [Metal Product] uses its abilities, it inevitably generates electromagnetic force.

The two guards felt their spears tilt slightly, and a cold wind rushed into their collars. They shivered in unison and cursed, "This damn weather."

Following the information provided by Huang Wulang, Qing Hemiao entered the village and headed straight for the area where the chieftain lived.

The village is laid out in a mess, with most of the houses being earthen and wooden structures, some of which are even just simple huts.

Several bonfires burned in the open space, and some ragged bandits gathered around them to warm themselves. The smells of alcohol, sweat, and food mingled together.

Qinghe Miao glanced at them leisurely, then ignored them for the time being, and passed through these areas to arrive at a row of relatively neat wooden houses.

This should be the boss's residence.

Upon arriving here, he was still unable to pinpoint which of the residents of Luba Mountain was living there.

We decided to start cleaning from the outside.

He manipulated his Stand, [Subspace Miasma], to lightly bump against the simple wooden door.

There was no sound, no flash of light.

As if erased by the most precise eraser, it vanished without a trace in an instant, leaving a smooth, mirror-like cross-section.

The clear water drifted into the house.

Through the faint moonlight filtering through the window, one could see a burly man lying on a straw mat, covered with a dirty leather blanket, fast asleep.

A ghost-head knife was placed on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) within easy reach.

This time, Qinghe Miao did not use [Sub-Void Miasma] again.

The wounds caused by that ability were too neat and bizarre to explain to anyone, and were likely to arouse suspicion.

He controlled his Stand, Red Hot Chili Pepper, its yellow fist clenched, floating directly above the bandit leader, aiming at his temple, gathering power, and then—

Slam it down hard!

A muffled thud.

The man on the kang (a heated brick bed) shuddered violently, his snoring stopped abruptly, his head tilted to one side, and he fell silent.

The whole process was as fast as lightning; the man didn't even wake up from his dream.

You have defeated a level 6 bandit and gained a small amount of experience.

A system notification flashed through my mind.

Qinghe Miao quietly withdrew and continued to the next room, controlling his stand to do the same thing.

The second and third rooms... mostly housed leaders between LV5 and LV8, who were defeated in their sleep by the Stand's powerful punches.

Extremely efficient and completely silent.

It wasn't until they arrived at a wooden house that Qing Hemiao noticed something was wrong as soon as he entered.

I noticed that there were more decorations inside the house, and it was also noticeably cleaner.

He still instructed [Spicy Red Pepper] to prepare, intending to resolve the issue in the same way.

An invisible substitute floated above the earthen bed.

A particularly robust figure lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), taking up almost half of the surface, snoring loudly.

The Stand swung its fist, making a whooshing sound, and slammed it down on his temple!

Unexpectedly, a sudden change occurred!

Just as the fist was about to touch the target's skin, the muscular body, which should have been asleep, suddenly rolled down onto the bed and kicked off with both legs.

With an agility disproportionate to its size, it leaped up like a giant sandbag and landed with a thud!

A light dust rose.

The moment he landed, his large hand had somehow managed to grasp a thick-backed machete that had been placed at his side.

With a clang, the sword was drawn, its gleaming blade slicing through the dim light of the room, pointing directly at the spot above the kang (heated brick bed) where the stunt double's fist had landed. A low, brutal shout followed:

"Who goes there?! Get your ass out here!"

The sound was like muffled thunder, echoing in the small room.

Faced with the sudden unexpected event, Qinghe Miao immediately held her breath and shifted her gaze to avoid staring directly at the other person.

I know we've probably run into Lu Bashan this time!

Furthermore, it seems the opponent can sense the Stand's attacks?!

Chapter 52 Bandits must be eradicated at all times.

Lu Bashan was shirtless, revealing his rock-like, well-defined muscles and several menacing old scars.

His eyes widened, gleaming with sharp light, as he stared intently at the top of the kang (a heated brick bed), his face filled with shock and anger.

His shock and anger stemmed from the fact that he didn't know who had managed to find his place so quietly.

But at the same time, there was also a hint of...confusion?

Because he clearly sensed the approaching attack.

But the area above the earthen bed where he slept was completely empty.

This caused him to pause in surprise for a very brief moment.

"Get lost, you big dummy!"