"Boss, something terrible has happened! Someone's come to steal the bride!"

The scout, along with several other accomplices, ran and shouted as they went up the mountain. Before they even reached the village, the news had already spread to every corner of Qingfeng Mountain.

"You bastard, how dare you interrupt my good time! Brothers, grab your weapons!"

The bandit leader of Qingfeng Mountain was a burly man, but also a bachelor. Because he was a bandit, what family would marry their daughter to him?

Most of these bandits were criminals, with only a few driven by poverty. Those with the greatest courage and skill in martial arts became the leaders. From the eldest leader, Black Tiger, down to the eighth leader, the hierarchy continued.

This gang usually robbed caravans, and as long as the victims obediently handed over the money or half of the goods, they wouldn't kill them. But when they encountered people who wanted money but not their lives, they were much less lenient, killing them without burying them, which is why the surrounding people called them ruthless bandits.

Ordinary people dared not pass through here, fearing they would be targeted. However, this route was a necessary passage for water transport; bypassing it to load goods would waste too much time and effort. Over time, an unwritten rule developed among traveling caravans: those passing through here would always carry extra silver, hoping for safety, and so they all lived peacefully.

But just before Xiang Wan arrived, the leader of their Qingfeng Village, for some unknown reason, not only collected tolls from the previous caravan but also kidnapped their daughter, saying he wanted to make her his wife and they were preparing to get married.

This is the first time we've ever tried to snatch someone away.

They could live a carefree life on a small income, which is quite nice. Why would they rob someone?

The reason for this lies with Black Tiger.

Bandits, besides robbing and plundering with knives and guns, often frequented nearby brothels or casinos, living a carefree life. But their leader, Black Tiger, neither gambled nor frequented brothels; he only loved drinking. And when he drank too much, he was prone to making fools of himself.

The second-in-command of Qingfeng Mountain was a pale-faced scholar, skilled in literature but not in martial arts, yet everyone respected him. The reason was simple: after he entered the stronghold, the lives of all the bandits improved considerably. Money was distributed properly, no officials or江湖人 (jianghu people, referring to the martial arts world) came to cause trouble, and they could even flirt with young women occasionally—their lives couldn't be more comfortable.

The second-in-command was good in every way, except that he was a bit too delicate-looking and lacked the bearing of a bandit. Many bandits had privately complained about this, but dared not say it to his face, fearing his retaliatory schemes. Didn't you see those few who were secretly gossiping, overheard by the second-in-command, are now chopping firewood in the back mountains, supposedly to train their will and improve their fighting skills? This is blatant targeting!

The leader, Black Tiger, was no longer young, nearing forty, and still a bachelor. As the boss, no one dared speak ill of him to his face, but he was well aware of the looks they gave him. That day, after drinking a couple of ounces of liquor, he went to chat with some of the other leaders. Everyone was in high spirits and drank a few more cups, and somehow, he got the second-in-command drunk. When the second-in-command woke up, he still had his arm around the man's waist.

Since then, except for necessary meetings, no one dares to stay within a meter of Black Tiger, for fear of being harmed by him.

Black Tiger was so frustrated. He considered himself to be an upright and honest man, so how could he have made such a foolish mistake? Especially the second-in-command, who looked at him as if he wanted to kill him, just short of sharpening a knife and taking action.

To prove his innocence, Black Tiger personally went down the mountain to rob a road, where he encountered a beautiful young woman. In a moment of impulsiveness, he took her up the mountain with him.

Everyone was back to normal, and Black Tiger secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although the second-in-command somewhat disagreed, the deed was done, and he could only try to resolve the matter. However, the caravan had fled quickly after being robbed, leaving them nowhere to settle the score.

Now that things had come to this, the second-in-command strictly ordered everyone to immediately go up the mountain and report if anything seemed amiss, and not to act impulsively.

And here comes this trouble today.

"Brother, you mustn't act impulsively!"

The second-in-command immediately stood up to stop them, and the others also stopped.

The head of the gang was getting married, and the second through eighth leaders all gathered together to discuss how to make the wedding a respectable occasion. But their plans were ruined, and no one looked happy.

"Hu Er, tell me everything you saw."

The second-in-command let Black Tiger sit back in his seat and had the spy Hu Er recount the whole story.

Hu Er was a tall, thin man who wasn't particularly good-looking, but he was agile, quick-witted, and especially had sharp, cunning eyes—he was good material to be a spy.

"Second Master, I was just loitering in the woods at the foot of the mountain when a shady monk suddenly appeared, with a tall, effeminate man tied to his back. He immediately ordered me to rob him. He said the effeminate man was the leader of the Heavenly Gate Sect, and if we kidnapped him, we could get at least ten thousand taels of silver. Second Master, this is too strange. I think he's either here to cause trouble or to kidnap a bride. You see, if he dares to kidnap the leader of the Heavenly Gate Sect, our leader is so handsome, this bald man definitely wants to kidnap him to become a monk. So, we must be prepared and not let this monk succeed."

After hearing Hu Er's analysis, not only Black Tiger couldn't sit still, but all the bandits present also stood up, their faces full of anger.

This is outrageous! They're kidnapping people, how can we let them get away with it? Especially their leader!

None of the group thought there was anything wrong with Hu Er saying that Xiang Wan came to snatch Black Tiger, and none of them even considered the possibility of snatching back the girl.

"Hu Er, is the person tied to the back of that monk really the leader of the Tianmen Sect?"

The second-in-command hesitated. If the newcomers had indeed kidnapped the universally acknowledged leader of the Demonic Sect, then this matter would likely not end well. He needed to confirm this further.

"I saw it clearly. That aura, that gaze—if you say it's not the leader, I'll gouge my eyes out and stomp on them," Hu Er said confidently.

"You clearly just said sissy." The second-in-command still didn't quite believe it.

"Yes, the leader of the Demonic Cult is a sissy. Anyone who has ever met him or offended him has basically been killed. He's a ruthless killer, and people are terrified of him. Perhaps that's why." Hu Er finished his analysis and nodded emphatically.

"What was that monk wearing? What expression did he have on his face?" the second-in-command asked carefully.

"He was dressed in a Taoist robe and did look quite like a monk, with a kind face. But after I bowed to him, I clearly saw a flash of excitement in his eyes." Hu Er thought about it carefully and added, "Oh, right, this monk was dressed much better than the sissy behind him."

After listening, the second-in-command gave Black Tiger a mysterious look.

Black Tiger froze, his anger flaring, and roared, "What kind of damn monk dares to come to Green Wind Mountain? I'll make sure he never leaves!"

Black Tiger felt guilty. If he hadn't acted impulsively, would the second-in-command have dared to look at him like that? He would have taught him a lesson in no time!

"Brother, this guy doesn't have good intentions. Why don't you give in to him for everyone's sake?"