Chapter 431: Borrowing a Knife to Kill

, if we miss it, we'll be wiped out completely! This time, heaven is on our side!"Wu Lianyi narrowed her eyes, then turned to the earth-element ability user and said:"Hey, can you open a skylight for...After the group led by Ripples left completely, and only women remained in the village, she finally rolled over and entered the room the two had just left.

Through the conversation just now, Ripple determined that they were nothing but bandits through and through, not heroes who robbed the rich to help the poor. She estimated that the group of children had also been fooled by them and were temporarily being kept here.

These children will be one of the bandits' sources of wealth. The trafficking of humans has always been a thriving industry. These children, whether stolen, kidnapped, or snatched away, and even those yet to be born, will ultimately become their silver.

Even selling their own children, this further confirms to Lian Ri that they are scum that needs to be cleaned up. No wonder the county magistrate of Huai Rou wants to encircle and suppress them, but he has never received a reply. The other party doesn't even know how to compromise.

However, this time the ripples got something wrong about the county magistrate of Huai'an. He submitted several petitions to the higher authorities, all mentioning that there were military affairs at the border and asking him to take some action, implying that he should come up with a solution himself.

The magistrate of Huai’ruo County was in a state of deep worry! His white hair was sprouting rapidly, and the presence of such a scourge within his jurisdiction made him restless. He feared that one day these bandits might suddenly storm into Huai'ruo County. Relying only on the county's guards would be utterly insufficient to withstand these ruthless outlaws.

The county magistrate also wanted to unite the wealthy households and prominent families in the county, so that those with money would contribute financially and those with manpower would provide personnel. Then they would organize a joint tax payment campaign to completely purge these bandits.

However, these people all have their own ideas. The large families are not afraid of bandits at all; they can afford to hire top-notch bodyguards and naturally won't suffer any losses. Since it doesn't affect them, they naturally don't want to get involved and make achievements for the county magistrate.

Some wealthy individuals also have connections with these bandits. These people fear that if they cannot completely eliminate the bandits, they will be retaliated against in the future. After all, their entire livelihood is here. If they are targeted, it will only be them and their families who suffer the consequences.

Although some people secretly gave silver to the county magistrate in hopes that he would quickly resolve the bandit problem, not everyone had the backing of a wealthy family or clan.

The County Magistrate also knew these people were limited in their abilities, this was already the greatest sincerity they could offer. As he discussed with the Deputy Magistrate and Chief Clerk, they couldn't come up with a foolproof plan. Just then, he suddenly heard a rumor circulating from the martial arts world that a treasure map had appeared, containing untold wealth.

The county magistrate immediately became interested and sent people to investigate. The news that came back was plentiful, but it boiled down to these three versions.

The first clue is that the treasure map surfaced eighteen years ago from Yinzhe Mountain Villa. The villa's owner was murdered because of this map, but the killer didn't find it and set fire to the villa out of frustration.

Second, the descendants of Yingze Mountain Villa, in order to seek revenge, lured out the person who killed their master and his wife. They intentionally released the treasure map that the other party cared about, just to entice him.

The location of the treasure trove has been found, but the key to enter it is missing. Therefore, those with intentions have spread this news, aiming to lure out the person who possesses the key.

This is the analysis made by the county magistrate after gathering information. He immediately had an idea. Since someone cared about the treasure, he would use this to his advantage and spread rumors outside of Huai'rou County with the help of others.

The treasure has already been unearthed, and it was hidden in the Grand Canyon as you enter Huai'rou County. To conceal their tracks, these people disguised themselves as bandits and hijacked travelers passing through the canyon, scaring everyone away. Then they used the canyon to transport the treasure.

It is said that there are people who have eyes and nose, and some say their aunt's niece's daughter-in-law's brother-in-law once sneaked across the gorge and saw a convoy transporting treasures. The other party also picked up a jade Ruyi and exchanged it for fifty taels of silver in total, which allowed him to buy land, build houses, marry a wife and start a family.

Because there was a very specific address, the message spread quickly. Soon after, a group of martial artists gradually gathered in Huai'rou County. These people were all lone wolves, but they wanted to find out if it was true or not. Under the guidance of someone who meant well, they went to the county magistrate to inquire about the truth.

"County Magistrate, we have heard that there is a band of bandits near Huai'rou County who frequently rob merchants and villagers passing through. The county has launched several offensives against them, but all have been unsuccessful. Therefore, we would like to cooperate with the County Magistrate to help eradicate these bandits."

The banished hero spoke with righteous indignation.

"This magistrate has already submitted a petition to request soldiers to be sent to besiege."

The county magistrate said cautiously.

“County magistrate, but we heard that your folding stone sank to the bottom of the sea, and there has been no order to dispatch troops recently. The longer the delay, the more people will be affected, and when the time comes, public resentment will arise, and you, as the county magistrate, will surely be reprimanded by your superiors.”

"Ouch!"

The magistrate of Huai'rou sighed deeply before speaking:

"As you all have said, this is no secret. If you wish to act chivalrously, the county magistrate naturally cannot stop you. However, I am afraid I cannot afford to pay for your services."

"No, I said it was about doing good deeds, why would I take your money"

The person in the lead immediately refused.

"If you all refuse the silver, then it means you are not hired by the government to suppress bandits. If there are casualties during this mission, you will have to bear the responsibility yourselves."

"This is natural! But if we wipe out the bandits, we have the right to divide up what's in their lair."

"This county understands that even if this is your own action, the government won't interfere. The county won't touch anything in the bandits' den, as long as you bring back the bandit leader's head."

The magistrate of Huai'rou directly decided.

"Alright, let's do this for the fame, play pretend bounty hunters for a day."

With the county magistrate's tacit approval, no officials would be involved. These underworld figures gathered together and, after some planning, disguised themselves as wealthy merchants returning home. They entered the Grand Canyon, naturally attracting the attention of bandits.

The bandits on the lookout saw this flock of fat sheep, their eyes gleaming with greed. There were ten large and small carriages, with thirty or forty servants in brand-new clothes as guards, not to mention the ladies, misses, and young masters inside the carriages. They immediately notified the people in the village and stopped the convoy in the middle of the canyon.

When the two sides met face-to-face, they immediately drew their swords and clashed. One side wanted to rob the other, both driven by treasure. They unleashed killing moves, battling fiercely for a time that was hard to tell who was winning. Qi Qi and Lian Yi happened to pass through the valley at this very moment, right in the middle of the fight.

Qi Qi led people to the bandits' lair, his guards were not weak in martial arts. Their arrival intensified the battle. The bandits had no choice but to retreat back to their stronghold for reinforcements, giving Lian Yi a chance to take advantage of the situation.

After ripples entered the room, he looked around and found a small wooden box under the footstool beneath the leopard-skin armchair.

She gave it a shake, it didn't weigh much, very light. She shook it again, feeling something like paper inside, so she casually put it into the backpack she'd grabbed for cover.

Then ripples inch by inch explored the entire room, and finally discovered a secret chamber under a bed. you’re interested, I can try to get the details on when and where the deal goes down. Whether or not you can pull it off depends on your skills."Ripples emerged from the darkness, a red smile curving...