May I seek good fortune and avoid misfortune, and live a long and prosperous life.

The shadows of Xianyuntan are lingering, and things change for a few times in autumn.

Three years have passed.

Inside the Poison Dragon Pool cave, Li Heng sat cross-legged on a straw mat.

On the ground lay the Blood Lotus Sect's method for quick success, written on silk.

At this moment, powerful internal energy was surging through his body, breaking through numerous acupoints.

And wisps of smoke were continuously rising from his back.

The whole process lasted about an hour.

"Phew, mission accomplished! I've finally advanced to the third rank!" A glint flashed in Li Heng's eyes, his excitement barely concealed.

Hard work pays off!

Li Heng has completely secluded himself for the past three years, avoiding contact with outsiders. Now he has finally seen the results. The hardship he endured was worth it!

Now that he has become a third-rank expert, he can be considered to have the initial ability to protect himself.

The Blood Lotus Sect's technique is truly wicked; if it weren't for his immortal body, his lifespan would certainly be almost over.

However, with such a high price paid, the rewards are naturally also substantial.

Now, his internal energy can be described as extremely abundant; even a martial artist at the late stage of the third rank does not have as much internal energy as him.

In a one-on-one fight at the same level, he has no rivals.

After leaving the Poison Dragon Pool, Li Heng disguised himself once again and entered Maple City.

First, he went into Songfeng Teahouse again and sat down in a quiet corner.

Today, the teahouse was as bustling as ever, with tea drinkers sharing their news and experiences while enjoying their tea.

"Have you heard? The Northwest has suffered from a severe drought for years, leading to famine. Taking advantage of this, bandits have rebelled and occupied the entire Liangzhou region. They are currently leading a group of starving people eastward, attacking cities and plundering villages everywhere they go."

Wherever they go, nothing grows. Now, they're almost at our Ji Province. Although the court is furious, it has only ordered each province to organize its own defenses and hasn't sent a large army to reinforce them. I think the situation is not good.”

"Shh, keep your voices down. It's all because the current Emperor Xiangqing is incompetent and tyrannical, doting on his harem and neglecting state affairs, which has led to eunuchs seizing power. Alas, if this continues, the country will cease to exist, and our lives as ordinary people will not be easy either."

Upon hearing this news, Li Heng, who was eating tea cakes, stopped what he was doing and frowned slightly.

"A severe drought in the Northwest, and bandits are threatening to attack Ji Province with the help of the people? This news is indeed crucial."

Li Heng had heard many stories in his history classes about bandits holding starving people hostage. This was like a snowball rolling downhill, growing bigger and bigger, with an almost unstoppable force. Wherever they went, it was like a locust plague, leaving behind widespread suffering and barren land.

When people are starving, they will eat anything and everything; the horror is like a living hell!

"It seems we can't head west, and we can't stay in Fengcheng any longer. The Chu Emperor is incompetent, and we don't know when reinforcements will arrive. Perhaps the entire Ji Province will be reduced to ruins. I need to make plans as soon as possible. It's a pity that Yun City is also in Ji Province; that's my hometown in this life."

Not long after, Li Heng got up, put down the money for the tea, and quietly left.

By this time, the Blood Lotus Sect in Yuncheng should have been destroyed by the Six Doors, and it would be time to go back to his hometown for a visit.

……

A day later, Li Heng walked on the official road leading to Yuncheng.

Affected by the bandits' eastward plundering, many people have already taken their families and luggage and headed towards Yuncheng.

Yuncheng is located at the easternmost part of Jizhou, which is considered the rear area of ​​Jizhou and is relatively safe.

Li Heng blended into the crowd, appearing unremarkable, and no one noticed him.

As we traveled along a road surrounded by mountains on both sides, a loud roar suddenly rang out.

Suddenly, a group of bandits rushed out from the mountains on both sides. There were about a dozen of them, each carrying a weapon and with a fierce look on their faces. They stopped him and the other villagers.

The leader of the bandits was very strong, wearing an animal skin vest, with several dirty braids on his head. He carried a heavy hammer weighing over a hundred pounds in each hand, and one of his eyes was blind, with a bandage on it, making him a one-eyed man.

He said fiercely:

"This road is mine, these trees are mine, if you want to pass, leave your toll!"

In an instant, cries, screams, and pleas for mercy filled the air.

"You bad people, don't steal my mother's bundle! Stop it, don't hit my mother!"

"Please, sir, have mercy! My daughter and I only have this much money left. Her father cruelly left us a few years ago, leaving us to depend on each other. How can we survive without this money?"

A woman in her early twenties clung tightly to her bundle, while a six-year-old boy, dressed in very thin clothes, helped to distract the bandit trying to steal it from her.

"Get away from me, you brat!" The bandit was immediately enraged and kicked the little boy away.

The little boy was kicked aside, rolled around several times, and lay on the ground with snot mixed with blood flowing out of his nose.

"Zhou'er! No! Don't hit my Zhou'er!" The woman finally let go of her bundle and scrambled over to hug the little boy in her arms.

The little boy clung to his mother, and the two of them embraced and cried together.

"How noisy! If you cry again, I'll kill you!" The bandit rubbed his ear with one hand and rummaged through the bundle for money with the other.

At this moment, all the people around were trembling with fear, and not a single person stood up to speak for the mother and child.

Li Heng, standing in the crowd, looked extremely angry.

He had considered avoiding trouble and keeping a low profile.

But now, it's not something he can solve by keeping a low profile.

As a civilized modern person, I cannot tolerate these beasts bullying a defenseless woman and child like this.

Moreover, Li Heng had observed that among these people, they were all third-rate martial artists, with the one with the highest martial arts skills being the one-eyed dragon, a mid-stage sixth-rank martial artist.

So he decided to lend a helping hand.

A wise person knows what to do and what not to do.

When there's no more room for compromise, then there's no need to compromise any further!

"You beasts, you all deserve to die!"

Li Heng stepped forward expressionlessly and slowly walked towards the group of bandits.

"Oh, so someone actually dares to step in and do a good deed? Pshaw, who do you think you are?"

"Since you dare to come out, I'll start by taking you out on you." The bandit who had snatched the woman's bundle threw it aside, picked up his broadsword, and strolled over to Li Heng, completely disregarding him.

Soon, he will pay a bloody price for underestimating his opponent.

When the two were a meter apart, before the bandit could even bring down his broadsword, Li Heng's furious fist had already met the bandit's lewd face.

In the blink of an eye, the bandit's cheek was smashed as if hit by a heavy object; half of his face was shattered, leaving a bloody mess and covered in blood.

"You..." Before the bandit could react, fists the size of sandbags came one after another, repeatedly hitting the bandit's face.

In the blink of an eye, the bandit had been beaten beyond recognition by Li Heng, his skull caved in, and he was lifeless, lying stiffly on the ground.

"Third brother!" At this moment, the bandit leader, One-Eyed Dragon, was also on the verge of madness.

"Brothers, charge! Avenge the Third Boss!"

The bandits stopped robbing the people and focused all their attention on Li Heng.

"Kill them!"

All the bandits grabbed their weapons and charged at Li Heng.