beastly personIt was the few villagers from the outlying hamlets who, from start to finish, couldn't help but shrink their necks in discomfort.I had heard that this band of men came through the mounta...Obviously, only two bandits came to deliver a letter and extort money in the morning, and they really didn't take the villagers seriously.

Because the footprints were so obvious and left plainly in the snow, with no attempt to conceal them.

Li Laosi and the others were delighted. They chased after them at this time, which was definitely beyond the bandits' expectations. The chance of successfully rescuing the child had greatly increased.

Everyone pursued relentlessly, scaling mountains along the way, while also wary of the bandits' slow pace. The two sides eventually met.

This way, walking and stopping, there is a lot of snow in the mountains, making it difficult to walk.

By the time everyone saw the lights in the distance, it was almost nightfall.

Li Lao Si and Liu Biatou discussed with others, and Liu Biatou led his men to hide. Li Lao Si and Qiong's wife then went in to investigate the situation, hoping to find out where the child was hiding.

People endured the beating of their fervent hearts, took out the cloth they brought and blankets, just like that, lay down on the spot, completely blending with the snow.

Don't say that things are only visible in the dark, even in broad daylight you need to get closer to see them clearly.

Qiong and Li Laosi crept toward the light one after another, but just as they were about to leave the woods, they were both nearly scared out of their wits.

Originally, they thought those dark things hanging from the tree were broken branches.

But as he drew closer, he discovered that it was... several people! They were stripped naked and hung from the trees, frozen to death!

"Damn it!" Li Laosì cursed under his breath, gripping the long sword in his hand even tighter. These bandits were too cruel; today's battle was a fight to the death, there was no escaping it.

Although she was a woman and knew some martial arts, Qiao’s wife was so frightened that her face turned pale.

Their eyes met, both seeing the seriousness and caution in each other's gaze, before continuing forward cautiously.

Although it's called a mountain bandit's hideout, this place is actually just a small courtyard.

I don't know if the previous residents were mountain people or wealthy landowners with a kind of manor.

The small courtyard was square, with three main rooms, three wing rooms on the west side, and a firelight in the ear room, as if it were a kitchen.

At the entrance of the yard, a bonfire was lit, with two bandits huddled around it, talking. There wasn't a single person seen on patrol or guarding the surrounding walls.

Qiong Sao gave a hand signal and then quietly flipped over the wall.

Old Li si crept up to the front door. Two bandits were talking obscenities, and one of them, perhaps frozen stiff, called out.

"I'll go in and take a look at the commotion. You keep watch for a while, and I'll come out and switch with you."

"That one wasn't too pleased, " 'If the boss sees this, he won't be happy. Those peasants might have come looking!' "

"Looking for a damn thing Today's my day to deliver the letter. You don't know those peasants who lost their children, crying like they lost their mothers, a complete mess! Give them ten thousand guts and they wouldn't dare come cause trouble. We just wait for tomorrow to collect the silver! Besides, the Big Brother is feeling good, hasn't been off his bed all night. What are you afraid of!"

The bandit who was speaking didn't care at all, he just turned his head and went in, leaving the rest of the bandits dumbfounded. They didn't stop him, so he got up, unbuckled his belt, and found a sheltered spot to pee.

His mouth was covered before he could even urinate, and a cold axe was placed against his neck.

"Shut up, if you dare to speak again, I'll slit your throat!"

The bandit instinctively struggled, but when Li Laosi kneed his back leg, he plopped to his knees on the stone, shivering in pain.

"I ask you, answer truthfully. If you dare to lie or speak loudly, I'll immediately send you to meet the King of Hell!" Li Laosi pressed down on his chopper, and the bandit's neck was slashed, blood flowing.

The bandits trembled uncontrollably, nodding repeatedly.

"How many of you are there in total Where is the child who was tied up yesterday hidden"

"Three...thirty, there are thirty of us. Yesterday that child...was shoved into the cellar!"

The bandit stammered, fearing Li Laosi wouldn't believe him. He pointed to the wall beside him, "The cellar is in this corner of the courtyard wall. A large stone slab covers the entrance."

Li Lao Si asked again, "Where are you from Are there any others with you"

"No…" The bandit hesitated, and Li Laosi let him have another taste of blood.

He quickly confessed, “During the summer, there was a severe drought in the south. We couldn't make a living there, so we came here to make some money. Later, when the barbarians invaded, the emperor and wealthy families all fled south. We blocked the official roads and robbed the fat sheep…”

"Just tell me if you have any accomplices"

"No, no more! Our families are all in the south, we don't know anyone here!"

Li Lao Si let out a slight sigh of relief, just hesitating whether to kill the bandit and silence him, when Qiao Sao jumped out from the wall.

She lowered her voice and said, "The poison has been administered, but only those gamblers in the west wing will be affected. There are still seven or eight people in the main hall; it's too much to handle now. Let's be careful when we make our move later."

Li Lao Si didn't wait for a response, the bandit suddenly struggled to the side, straining his neck about to shout.

He casually slashed, and the bandit's neck was severed. A gurgling sound escaped his throat before he slumped limply to the ground.

Li Lao Si, enduring the nausea of being drenched in hot blood, pulled him away and threw him several steps.

This signaled to the qiong-sao to stay, then he turned and returned to where everyone else was hiding.

“Qiong's wife has already drugged them, and I asked by biting my tongue. There are a total of thirty bandits, most of them gambling in the west wing, and half of them in the main hall. The child is in the cellar on the right side of the courtyard, with a large stone covering the entrance.”

"After we get inside, I'll go save the child. Remember to spare no one, kill them all! There are no accomplices outside. We need to eradicate them completely!"

Everyone was holding their breath, listening intently, and paying close attention.

Li Laosi, afraid they would start fighting soon, hesitated and pointed to a tree on the edge of the forest.

"Those hanged there froze to death, all taken back from the official road by bandits! These bandits are too cruel, today it's their death or ours. Otherwise, if we let one go, they'll probably find someone to seek revenge!"

Everyone's face turned pale, and they replied in hushed voices, "Don't worry, we'll hack them to death."

Approaching the time, Li Lao Si and Liu Biato led the crowd forward cautiously.

Dr. Zhang's medical skills were top-notch, and his poisons were equally effective.

Having heard that there was no more movement from the West Chamber, Qiong's mother grew anxious. Seeing people approaching, she went straight into the courtyard.

Then, Li Lao Si dashed straight to the corner.

As expected, a large stone was pressed against the corner of the wall. It probably took three people to move it, but for him, it was easy. With a single effort of his arms, he moved it aside.

He flung open the wooden board, ignoring his fear and jumped down directly.

The cellar was pitch black, silent as death. He felt a chill run down his spine and struck a match to light a piece of pine torch, barely illuminating the surroundings. At first glance, he couldn't help but gasp in horror.

But in the cellar, only a few steps away, there were five children crammed inside, while Gou Sheng leaned against the corner wall.

He strode forward and grabbed Gou Sheng. Gou Sheng was burning hot all over, so feverish he couldn't even tell what was going on.

He dashed to the other children, but his face changed...

In the courtyard, Liu Biaotou listened to make sure there was nothing moving in the west wing, then gently pushed open the door.

Three or four oil lamps were lit in the room, and there was a crackling stove burning, so it wasn't too hard to see.

In the middle of the room was a square table, with four people sitting around it. Seven or eight lay dead on the floor, and seven or eight more were dead on the kang (a type of traditional Chinese heated bed). They all had blood gushing from their mouths and noses, beyond any hope of resuscitation.

Perhaps someone felt unwell when they were poisoned and tried to open the door, their hands still resting on the threshold...

Liu Biaotou let out a breath of relief and was about to go in for the kill when he heard the front door of the house creak open with a loud bang.next morning, Li Lao'er went out with the Marquis.When it was almost noon, Li La Er hired a dozen or so carriages and ostentatiously transported a large amount of cloth, cotton and other supplies into...