Chapter 80 Reputation in the Martial World

The innkeeper said that the bandits executed the girl who stole the secret and killed everyone associated with her, so they thought no one knew about the weapons.

Little did they know that the girl had already sent out the secret and, before her death, framed the three thieves as allies.

Lord Huang preferred to kill the innocent rather than let the guilty go free, forcefully suppressing the unrest.

However, without revealing the military equipment, they also placed great importance on the manpower in the mountains.

It does not refer to the young men and women who were captured and brought up the mountain, but only to the four hundred men he brought with him.

However, according to the letter, the weapons manufacturing site was only accessible to thieves...

Could it be that they lack the manpower to manufacture weapons?

The scheme to exchange grain for prisoners was set up to see how they would treat the prisoners.

If the attack comes at midnight, killing the thief who knows the secret first means that the secret is important, but the person is not.

Nothing happened last night, but today everyone was replaced.

It would have been enough to simply probe and obtain information from someone who knew the secrets or a capable lieutenant.

They know Jiang Xi is not someone to be trifled with, so they don't bother him at night. Yet, they would rather kill the innocent than let the secrets slip through their fingers. And now they're in such a hurry to redeem him. The reasons behind this are intriguing.

Under what circumstances would this happen?

This reminded her of something: when there was a severe shortage of manpower, besides having to make one person work three times, there was also the situation where the company wouldn't approve her resignation and would hold back her resignation letter.

Of course, once the difficulties are over, layoffs will be implemented without hesitation...

Unfortunately, she was one of those laid off.

Why did I suddenly think of my past life?

Returning to the present, to understand why the bandits acted this way, we can only analyze it from the perspective of the motives of the forces behind them.

...distinguished people connected to the capital.

First, we can rule out the eldest princess. With the iron-casting method she submitted, it would be no problem to create divine weapons that surpass the current military strength of Da'an.

They wouldn't come to Yangzhou to manufacture swords that are slightly inferior in appearance.

The bandit leader who came down to cause trouble was carrying a broadsword that wasn't even as sharp as the longsword Jiang Xi used for training.

Moreover, with Yining around, she would always inform me about matters concerning Yangzhou, especially those related to "new things".

Manufacturing weapons privately is a capital offense, and the eldest princess had long since gone beyond the emperor's notice.

Although the weapon she showed the emperor was 30% better than the weapons in the Da'an army, and she had kept the technology under wraps, the emperor was so pleased that he assigned her the task of manufacturing weapons.

Strictly speaking, the princess was a sleight of hand, while the bandits were a clandestine, clandestine operation.

If both sides are aiming for a higher position, they'd better keep their tails hidden.

Unfortunately, the bandits have now slipped up, and their plan has backfired.

It remains to be seen whether the powerful figures behind them can bring them back.

A gentle breeze swept by, and the light cast upon the wooden table swayed and danced, like a dream.

Recalling the bandits' words, Shang Yuji turned to look at the person who was busy packing: "You were the one who killed those people?"

Although it is unclear who exactly died, the bandit with the broken leg must have been among them.

The most abnormal thing is that an ordinary person who has both legs broken, receives little medical treatment, and still looks normal on the outside.

Something is keeping him alive.

All she could think of was what Jiang Xi had done inside.

It's safe to say that the price of this kind of extended life will not be good.

“Yes!” Jiang Xi looked up and replied with a bright smile, “If someone tries to stab us, we should stab them back first.”

"So if he wants to kill us, we have to kill him first."

A pure, straightforward, and bloody law of survival.

Shang Yuji's eyes deepened as she slowly realized that she had forgotten to teach him to follow the law.

but……

"Good riddance, it's too good for him to die so young."

Putting that person aside, Shang Yuji even considered having him summon hundreds or thousands of insect beasts to devour the entire den of thieves.

The filth inside is so disgusting that it's a favor to them to live another day.

Hearing her praise, Jiang Xi was even happier: "No one can hurt us!"

Shang Yuji nodded in agreement, but added, "Next time you try to kill us, just tell me. No matter what you say, you can't avoid the authorities. If they arrest us, we'll be locked up behind bars with tears in our eyes."

"Of course, wandering the world and disappearing without a trace is also a good method."

He walked over to the stool next to her and sat down, looking troubled. "Did I do something wrong and cause trouble for Aji?"

“You did nothing wrong this time, and the person didn’t die at our hands, so what does it have to do with us?” She smiled. “What I mean is, we should memorize all the laws, make sure the law can’t cover this before we act, or take someone’s life without anyone noticing, so that no one can find out our mistake.”

She patted the back of his hand and comforted him, "The worst that can happen is that we both end up in jail."

"No! Ah Ji can't go to jail!"

They said the prison was dirty and chaotic, with poor food, cold clothes, and sleep, so Aji couldn't go in and suffer.

"I can go in."

Their serious expressions made it seem as if the two were facing a life-or-death dilemma.

"Alright, if Aji doesn't want to go in, then Aji and Xiaoxi will memorize the law together, and make sure there's nothing wrong before you act in the future."

Jiang Xi obediently replied, "Mmm!"

Fortunately, there were quite a few江湖人士 (jianghu figures) in Da'an, and some laws were lenient in terms of sentencing.

The law is a microcosm of the times, and the evolution of social forms will lead to the revision of the law.

Influenced by the chivalrous spirit of the martial arts world, when people seek revenge against each other, the government often chooses to stand by and do nothing.

But when it comes to ordinary people, the situation is different.

However, what Jiang Xi realized was that he would not offend others unless they offended him. As long as others were not blind enough to offend him, they would not be killed by him.

She trusted him greatly, both in character and martial prowess.

As evening fell and the sun set, someone stopped their horse in front of the inn. The innkeeper, who had heard the commotion, went out to investigate.

They breathed a sigh of relief when they realized the visitors were not bandits.

The sprightly old woman looked up and said, "You're the shopkeeper? Get us the shop sign!"

The girl in the blue and purple floral short dress glanced at the inn sign several times: "Is this the Fulai Inn you mentioned, miss?"

Upon hearing the mention of the young lady, the innkeeper guessed that the two people in front of him were the reinforcements that Miss Shang had invited, so he greeted them, "Our inn is the only Fulai Inn in Quanshan."

Yisha and Acuo exchanged a glance: "It seems this is the place."

Hearing the commotion, Shang Yuji came downstairs, ran to the lobby entrance, and said with a smile, "I knew it was a senior; I heard your voice from far away."

"You two have come in a hurry. Please tidy up first, and then I will explain the situation to you in detail."

After scanning around to make sure neither of them was injured, Yisha handed the horse to the shopkeeper and nodded in agreement to her suggestion.

After finishing their meal and listening to Shang Yuji's explanation, Yi Sha, who was the most righteous and indignant among the petite girls who had served the dishes, slammed her fist on the table and exclaimed, "Outrageous! Bullying the weak and humiliating ordinary people... They deserve to be torn to pieces!"

This band of mountain bandits destroyed countless happy families because of their greed!

If you want to secretly manufacture weapons, you should honestly hide them and make them in the mountains.

For the sake of living comfortably and luxuriously, they kidnapped the young and strong men in the village to do hard labor. With fewer laborers in their homes, who knows how many more fields will be left uncultivated this spring!

In order to fill their coffers, they abducted young girls in the prime of their lives. The implication in Xiao Shang's words was that these villains didn't even spare girls who were a little younger!

A bunch of beasts! Animals!

Yi Sha felt an urge to unleash her long whip; she was determined to kill them all without leaving a single one alive!

A-Cuo's baby face lost its smile, his expression turning grim and sinister, like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike and kill.

The two men's eagerness to splatter blood on the bandits' den was genuine. Shang Yuji hesitated and asked, "If you want to wipe out the entire bandit den, don't you need to inform the authorities?"

Seeing her genuine confusion, A-Cuo tilted his head expressionlessly: "In the Southern Frontier, anyone who sees the abuse of women and children can be killed."

Yi Sha laughed loudly: "When you encounter such thieves, you can't feel at ease if you don't kill them. Only by killing them can you feel satisfied!"

The shopkeeper replied, "Most government officials would love to get rid of such a malignant tumor as soon as possible. If someone actually takes action, they will be rewarded for their chivalrous act."

Some local governments do not want to eliminate such scourges, but the villains are so skilled in martial arts that they are sometimes helpless. Therefore, the wanted lists of local governments are mostly set up for martial arts practitioners.

Is that really the case?

Is this the unique atmosphere created by the dual ecosystems of the martial arts world and the imperial court?

It was as if a door was slowly opening before Shang Yuji's eyes, and a new world was welcoming her.

So she herself is the conservative?!

So this is what the martial arts world is like!

That's what she said, but Shang Yuji still stopped the two who were about to get up and go up the mountain: "When Miss Yi arrives, we'll discuss the division of labor. Some people will go to arrest people, and naturally, some people will go to protect the girls."

"Don't alert them. If we scare them into doing something reckless and hurt someone, that would be bad."

It makes sense. Yi Sha put away her whip, which can be considered as her fulfilling her words, while A Cuo felt quite regretful.

Before returning to the house, the shopkeeper suddenly approached mysteriously and whispered, "Is that senior the First Whip of the Western Regions, Senior Yi Sha?"

"yes."

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, his voice rose involuntarily: "So you're that Miss Shang from Yangzhou?!"

"..." Shang Yuji paused for a moment, "If you're talking about the famous one in Yangzhou, it should be me."

"Haha—" Upon hearing the result, the shopkeeper burst into laughter, leaving behind a dashing silhouette as he walked away. "Truly, heaven hasn't forsaken me! Heaven hasn't forsaken me!"

The merchant girl from Yangzhou was a great philanthropist. To receive her help and protection was tantamount to being protected by the Shaolin Golden Bell Shield.

Shang Yuji was puzzled as to why he was so happy, and asked Jiang Xi with her eyes.

Jiang Xi was stunned, then shook her head and said, "I don't know either."

In the world of martial arts, sometimes a person's reputation is enough to attract followers.

If someone has a reputation that is widely recognized, even if the two parties are enemies, they will stop fighting for that person's sake.

At this time, Shang Yuji was unaware that the reputation of Miss Shang, who was said to be a rare and virtuous person, had been circulating among the people for many days. It had already spread throughout the streets and alleys of Yangzhou and even reached distant places with the help of travelers.

Perhaps some people will one day have their hypocrisy exposed and suffer a backlash from their reputation.

But Shang Yuji's consistent behavior over the years only made people trust him more and more.

One day, in a fit of rage, she berated two gangs for fighting, which disturbed the peace of the surrounding people. Upon learning her name, the two gangs immediately shook hands and made peace, taking the initiative to apologize to the people.

She then vaguely realized that she seemed to have a great reputation.