To be honest, Lu Tu didn't believe that the other men he had summoned would dare to betray the bandits. Among them, the most courageous was Huo Ting.
Huo Ting's expression changed drastically. He didn't dare to look up at Lü Tu and stood with the others on his own.
When Niu Er and the others heard Lu Tu mention the traitor, their legs went weak. They had all been present when Lu Tu killed Zhang Bo.
Niu Er stammered, "Sir, you must investigate thoroughly. Although I, Niu Er, am prone to telling little lies, I really dare not inform the bandits."
The others all nodded in agreement: "Sir, we are innocent!"
Lu Tu observed their micro-expressions throughout, especially the expressions of the mountain bandits.
He grabbed one of the bandits and questioned him, "Tell me, who told you who betrayed you? Tell me and I won't kill you!"
The bandit's eyes swept over Huo Ting, Niu Er, and the others, and he hesitated for a long time before daring not to speak.
Lu Tu severed his life force with a single stroke, then grabbed another one: "It seems this person is quite prestigious among you. You're willing to risk your lives to hide him!"
The second bandit glanced fearfully at Huo Ting, but Huo Ting looked away, not wanting to meet his gaze.
Just as the bandit was about to speak, Lu Tu killed him with his knife, a scene that left Huo Ting and everyone else puzzled.
Lu Tu casually tossed the bandit's corpse aside, grinned at the few survivors, and said, "If you're too slow to speak, you'll die too!"
This smile, when seen by the remaining bandits, was even more lethal than killing them outright. One of them burst into tears, crying out, "I told you, Boss, don't blame me!"
"Don't kill him, these are all my brothers." At this moment, the usually honest hunter Huo Ting stepped forward with unusual composure and came to Lu Tu's side.
Upon hearing this, the villagers present all gasped in shock!
No one could have imagined that Huo Ting, who was always helping others, was actually the chief bandit leader of Guanyin Mountain! The contrast was truly astonishing!
Lu Tu stared coldly at Huo Ting: "How have I treated you in the past?"
Huo Ting dared not look directly at Lü Tu, and lowered his head: "You have been good to me, even very good. If I were not a bandit, I would definitely follow you faithfully."
Lu Tu glanced around and saw that the people looking at Huo Ting not only had anger in their eyes, but also a natural fear.
After all, Guanyin Mountain was the largest and most ruthless band of bandits within a fifty-mile radius, and at least eighty to one hundred innocent civilians had died at their hands.
The only rumor was that the leader of Guanyin Mountain was a man as strong as a bear who could swallow an infant whole. Who would have thought that he was the honest and simple Huo Ting in front of them?
"Just because of greed?"
Huo Ting suddenly laughed loudly: "Just? Chief Lu, Lord Lu, you are naturally brave and can gain military merits as easily as taking something out of a bag, so you can get so many rewards that you can't hold back, and there is even extra grain that can be distributed to everyone."
But do you know how hard it is for us to survive? Did we all want to be bandits from birth?
Lu Tu raised his leg and kicked Huo Ting squarely in the stomach, angrily shouting, "What kind of bullshit logic are you spouting? Every single military merit I've earned, wasn't earned with my own hands? You can't survive, so you only dare to become a bandit and plunder ordinary people, and that's your logic?"
Huo Ting coughed up a mouthful of blood, grinned at Lü Tu, and said, "Of course it's not your fault, but my brothers and I have to rob to survive! You're the richest man in this area, and I know I'm no match for you, but I won't just surrender!"
With that, Huo Ting raised his arm, and a tiny, almost invisible hidden arrow shot towards Lü Tu's head.
"Husband, be careful!" Song Yuxi noticed the abnormality the moment Huo Ting raised his hand and rushed over, trying to use her body to shield Lü Tu from the fatal blow.
But Huo Ting underestimated Lü Tu. Since he was able to let him get this close after discovering that he was a traitor, how could he not be on guard against him?
The moment his shoulders trembled, Lü Tu anticipated this and dodged. With a flash of cold light, Huo Ting's two hands were severed at the root!
"Ah, Lu Tu, I hate you! How dare you marry such a beautiful wife? I was the one who took a liking to her that day, but Zhou Taishan made me choose someone else. I didn't want to attract his attention, so I was forced to choose that wretched woman!"
"But you're so good at fighting. Even ten of me wouldn't be a match for you. This is the only way I can try to take you away. Once you're in shackles, I can kill you!"
Why aren't you afraid of the government troops?
Lu Tu looked at the hysterical Huo Ting with only a cold glint in his eyes. He caught Song Yuxi who was rushing towards him and gently pulled her into his arms: "Silly girl, why did you rush over? Do you think I'd get hurt?"
"I'm worried about my husband."
Lu Tu left a kiss on her forehead: "Go inside first, boil some hot water, and wash off the blood and impurities from my body later."
"Hey! Lu Tu, I'm talking to you, are you even listening to me?! What gives you the right to be so arrogant?"
Huo Ting had no idea that the bandits on Naizi Mountain were Zhou Taishan's men; otherwise, they wouldn't have made a false order to arrest him under the guise of a captain's command.
It seems that Huo Ting was secretly in love with Song Yuxi, which is why he took the risk of trying to kill himself.
Lu Tu stood in front of him, looking down at him condescendingly, and said, "Because I'm not a coward like you. If I take a fancy to a woman, I dare to marry her in front of the whole world."
"Why should I be afraid when I have the confidence? Do you think I'm a piece of trash like you, only daring to fight your own kind, but scared out of my wits when I see the Wuhuan people, wishing I could crawl back into your mother's crotch?"
At this moment, Huo Ting's eyes were red, whether from pain or anger at Lu Tu's words, it was hard to tell.
The surrounding villagers shouted, "Kill him! Foreman, kill this bandit!"
Lu Tu came up behind Huo Ting and said loudly to the villagers, "Huo Ting has become an outlaw and killed countless civilians. Today I will act on behalf of Heaven and kill him to serve as a warning to others!"
As he finished speaking, the broadsword severed Huo Ting's head, which rolled to the side.
Lu Tu was filled with killing intent and had no intention of stopping. After turning around and killing all the remaining bandits, he looked at the crowd present.
"Everyone has seen what happens to traitors. If our two villages can't stand together like an ironclad fortress, we'll only be bullied, and everyone will be envious and try to take a bite out of us!"
"If I find out anyone dares to tell outsiders about what's going on in the village, don't blame me, Lü Tu, for being ruthless!"
The villagers present couldn't help but shrink back, their awe of Lü Tu deepening even further than before. Even those few who harbored wicked intentions had to suppress their thoughts.
Lu Tu then looked at Liu Hu and said, "Xiao Hu, go and get some food and medicine, and distribute them to the men who protected my wife earlier!"
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