"Amitabha Buddha, esteemed benefactors, my arrival here is preordained by Heaven. The Buddha has guided me, seeking a way out for you all. What are your thoughts?"

Xiang Wan said this very modestly, instantly reducing everyone's enthusiasm for chatting to negative levels.

It was one thing for him to venture into Qingfeng Mountain alone before, but now that they had finally treated him a little better, the monk was still so arrogant. Not to mention Black Tiger, even Hu Er and the others were disgusted.

The atmosphere was tense. Shui Yuntian sneered inwardly, wishing that Xiang Wan would be tied up and sacrificed to the heavens by these bandits.

"Monk, we are outlaws, living a carefree life on Qingfeng Mountain. Why do we need your interference?"

Black Tiger and Yan Zhen remained silent, but the third leader, who always played the good guy, spoke up, expressing the sentiments of all the bandits. For a moment, their gazes towards the third leader were filled with agreement.

Xiang Wan shook his head repeatedly, glanced sideways at Shui Yuntian, and said in a pretentious tone, "Do you all know why this humble monk brought Liao Sha up the mountain?"

Oh? There's a reason behind this?

Not to mention the bandits' curiosity, Shui Yuntian was also very curious.

Having whetted everyone's appetite, Xiang Wan then said, "Because the Tianmen Sect is about to change hands."

Damn it, his leader has been kidnapped for no reason. Is the Tianmen Sect going to wait until the New Year to change its leader?

Shui Yuntian wanted to curse, but Xiang Wan silenced him by pressing her pressure point, so he could only watch as she continued to deceive him.

The bandits were even more curious. Wasn't the leader of the Tianmen Sect this effeminate man behind him? Could there be something else going on?

Gossip has always been an effective topic for piquing people's curiosity.

Yan Zhen looked at Xiang Wan thoughtfully, waiting for him to continue.

"As we all know, the leader of the Tianmen Sect has always believed in the principle of 'those who obey me prosper, those who oppose me perish.' He is bloodthirsty and ruthless. None of his disciples are virtuous. Yet, the Nanyue Kingdom has allowed it to rise to prominence in the martial world and gradually grow stronger. Have you all considered the reasons behind this?"

The underworld is all about the powerful rising to the top; whoever has the ability becomes the boss. What does that have to do with bandits who make a living by robbing?

Bandits have always only cared about money and their own lives. They always felt that things like sectarian disputes that involved high-level battles were very far removed from their lives.

Looking back on our youth, who didn't harbor a chivalrous heart? But so many years have passed, and reality has long since defeated us. Now, all we want is to make a living. Who cares about those conflicts that are so exciting in the storiesteller's mouth but are actually extremely cruel?

Bandits are human too; they also struggle for basic necessities. It's just that their methods of making money are disliked by most people.

"Monk, you might as well speak your mind."

Black Tiger had spent so many years in Green Wind Mountain, and he had thought about what would happen to his brothers if he ever left the bandit life behind. But bringing this up out of the blue felt a bit abrupt. Now that the monk had brought it up, perhaps it wasn't such a bad opportunity.

"The Southern Moon Kingdom is located in the northern part of the continent, a region characterized by numerous mountains and treacherous terrain. The imperial court has always struggled with how to manage the unruly martial arts practitioners, which led to the emergence of a sect that uses killing to stop killing—the Heavenly Gate Sect. With the rise of this sect, has there still been any conflict between sects in the martial arts world? No! In recent years, all I've heard about is the Heavenly Gate Sect killing people everywhere and recruiting disciples from various sects into its ranks. In the past, the imperial army would have already come to suppress them, in order to maintain a balance and restraint among the sects. What are your thoughts on this, everyone?"

While the question was directed at everyone, Xiang Wan's gaze was mostly fixed on Yan Zhen.

Because he was once a scholar, his thoughts and ideas were bound to be more profound than those of others.

In fact, Yan Zhen did not disappoint everyone. He picked up where Xiang Wan left off, saying, "If you want to eliminate them, you must first let them develop. Once the martial arts world is unified, the imperial court will only need to eliminate the dominant Tianmen Sect to directly bring the entire martial arts world under its control."

"Once the martial world is stabilized, do you think the King of Nan Yue will leave you to your own devices?" Xiang Wan countered.

“Of course not. Making an example of someone is a common tactic used by the imperial court,” Yan Zhen replied.

"To appease the people, they will definitely target Qingfeng Village." Xiang Wan was not exaggerating.

"Why are you so sure?" Yan Zhen asked the crucial question.

"Because he has always liked to eliminate problems completely."

That's why the original owner was constantly being hunted down, and it wasn't just because of Shui Yuntian.

At this moment, even Shui Yuntian had to re-evaluate Xiang Wan.

She didn't name the "he" she was referring to, but those who needed to know would naturally understand who she was referring to.

Yan Zhen's eyes flickered, and her hands unconsciously clenched tighter.

If he weren't incapable of taking revenge, why would he have survived until now?

Shui Yuntian was somewhat bewildered. He, who considered himself a highly skilled martial artist, had been defeated by a monk and was even having difficulty escaping. Did he still have a chance to take revenge?

The other bandits were completely baffled. In their minds, not to mention the Heavenly Gate Sect, even the imperial court was a million miles away from them. Why should they be afraid of being besieged now?

Qingfeng Mountain is located on the border of Nanyue Kingdom. Even the government rarely sends officials here. It is unlikely that the imperial court would send troops here, which would be a huge undertaking.

Black Tiger looked around and, seeing that everyone seemed reluctant to believe him, coughed lightly and said, "Brothers, I've wanted to say this for a long time. What's more reliable than a wife, children, and a warm bed when you're a bandit? If there were a better place to go, who would want to do this kind of work? Monk, are you serious about what you just said?"

Yan Zhen glanced at Black Tiger, his eyes filled with gratitude.

This elder brother had long known about his hidden worries and hatred, but he didn't want him to be blinded by hatred, so he kept him in Qingfeng Mountain as the second-in-command, entrusting him with all the trivial matters, trying to keep him too busy to think about those things.

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