"Thank you, Daoist Mei. I'll think about it for a few days and let you know," Ling Yun replied.
Ling Yun was no fool—joining a sect was a significant decision, one that needed careful consideration.
Mei Xue felt a bit anxious. Ling Yun was stunningly beautiful, and once he joined a sect, he would undoubtedly rise quickly and be pursued by countless admirers. If she could convince him to join the Clearwater Sect, even if she couldn't enjoy him herself, she could offer him to a core disciple or sect elder. The benefits from that would last her a lifetime.
Despite several more attempts to persuade him, Ling Yun's answer remained the same.
Having no other choice, Mei Xue urged Ling Yun to reconsider and then bid him farewell.
"This Mei Xue, she definitely has ulterior motives." Ling Yun had noticed her strange behavior from the beginning. Pushing so hard for him to join the Clearwater Sect upon their first meeting was certainly suspicious.
"Ding! System has issued a timed mission: Eliminate the Black Wind Stronghold within three days. Please complete the task promptly," the system suddenly announced.
"Black Wind Stronghold... That's the group of bandits who attacked the caravan. Looks like I won't be heading to Moon Spirit City just yet."
Ling Yun had no intention of missing out on the system's rewards, as they were far too enticing.
With that, he found Mei Xue and the others to take his leave, explaining that his master had summoned him and that he needed to return.
Before he left, Mei Xue gave him a detailed map of the area and invited him to visit the Mei family in Moon Spirit City once he arrived.
"Miss, are you really going to let him leave like that?" Mei Tao asked, her face revealing a sinister smile as her true aura was finally exposed.
She was at the ninth level of Foundation Establishment, even stronger than Mei Xue.
"Don't worry, he won't get far. It would be such a waste to let a man as perfect as him slip away. If it weren't for the fear of his master, we'd have tasted him tonight." Mei Xue licked her lips.
"Hehehe… ssslurp…" The two women exchanged knowing looks, their sleazy laughter echoing through the night.
…
In the dead of night, Ling Yun arrived at the site of the previous day's battle, tracking the bandits who had fled.
By noon the next day, he finally found traces of the bandits by a small river.
"Damn, that guy was fierce yesterday! He took out the boss with one strike!" one of the female bandits said, gnawing on a deer leg.
"But damn, was he good-looking! Especially those legs—I could play with him forever," another bandit laughed.
"When we report back to the chief, we'll capture him and bring him up to the mountain—hehehe."
The group of bandits had their upper bodies exposed, and from a distance, the stench of sweat and grime was overwhelming. It was clear they hadn't bathed in a long time.
Ling Yun boldly walked up to them.
"Who's there!? Wait… it's that pretty boy!" One of the bandits quickly recognized him.
"Spare us, young master, spare us!"
Realizing they couldn't possibly defeat Ling Yun, the bandits all dropped to their knees, begging for mercy.
"Relax, I won't kill you. But you're going to take me to Black Wind Stronghold," Ling Yun said calmly.
Huh?
The bandits thought they had misheard him and looked at each other in disbelief.
Swoosh!
A flash of black light appeared, and one of the bandits immediately turned into a dried corpse.
"Didn't you hear me? Take me to your hideout," Ling Yun repeated.
"Yes, yes! Right away, sir. We'll take you there!"
Terrified by the strange weapon, the remaining bandits quickly agreed, leading the way in fear, lest they be the next to meet the needle's tip.
They led Ling Yun through dense forests and a mountain cave, finally reaching Black Wind Stronghold by nightfall.
"Young master, the stronghold is just ahead. So… about our deal?" one of the bandits asked, forcing a smile.
"Right. As promised, I'll send you on your way."
Bandit: ???
Before they could react, their throats were slashed, blood gushing from their necks.
Ling Yun casually tossed their bodies into a nearby thicket and quietly approached the stronghold's gate.
With a surge of spiritual energy, he leapt over the several-meter-high wall.
What's this squishy feeling?
Looking down, Ling Yun realized he had accidentally landed on a bandit's stomach.
The bandit, still fast asleep, drunkenly grabbed Ling Yun's leg, muttering "Pretty boy" and other incoherent words in her sleep, clearly intoxicated.
Seeing the greasy handprint left on his leg, Ling Yun's face darkened.
"Die!"
With a single palm strike, Ling Yun ended the bandit's life.
From the bandits he had interrogated, he knew that Black Wind Stronghold had three leaders.
The first chief, Lin Ruoxi, was at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment and specialized in sword techniques.
The second chief, Lin Ruobing, Lin Ruoxi's younger sister, was at the fourth level of Foundation Establishment.
The third chief, Han Zheng, was at the third level of Foundation Establishment and wielded an iron fan with great skill, having killed many with it.
"Looks like I'll have to take them down one by one. Han Zheng is the weakest, so I'll start with her."
Ling Yun captured a patrolling bandit to learn the exact location of the three chiefs before sneaking toward Han Zheng's quarters.
Under the cover of night, Ling Yun easily reached her residence.
Inside, Han Zheng was whipping a man she had captured from the town below.
"Filthy worm, how do you like that? Hahaha!"
Han Zheng was extremely sadistic, enjoying the sight of men being beaten to the brink of death before she indulged her other desires.
The man's groans grew weaker and weaker as he approached his limit.
Han Zheng tossed him onto the bed and began to remove her clothes.
Crash!
Suddenly, a blade pierced through the window, aimed at Han Zheng.
Caught off guard, she failed to dodge in time and had one of her ears sliced off.
"Damn it!"
Ignoring her injury, Han Zheng rolled to the side, reaching for her iron fan.
Nearly all of her combat ability was tied to the fan. Without it, her strength would be severely diminished.
But Ling Yun wouldn't give her the chance. He burst through the door and struck her in the stomach with a powerful palm strike.
Thud!
Han Zheng's body slammed into the wall, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Nine Dragons Flame Art!"
A small flame dragon shot toward her, charging straight into her open mouth.
"Spare me…"
Before she could finish pleading, Han Zheng was reduced to a pile of ashes.
"Whew, good thing that idiot set up a soundproof array for herself. Otherwise, killing her would have been much more difficult."
All three leaders of Black Wind Stronghold had strange, perverse habits, and each had soundproofing arrays in their rooms to avoid being overheard during their "activities."
Ling Yun approached the man on the bed, noting that he was still breathing.
Taking out a healing herb, Ling Yun crushed it and mixed it with water before feeding it to the man.
In a time of urgency, this was the best he could do. Whether the man survived or not would be left to fate.
Cough, cough…
Luckily, the man woke up after only two minutes.
"Shh! Don't yell, don't scream. Just answer my questions quietly, got it?" Ling Yun whispered.
Seeing Han Zheng's charred remains, the man seemed to understand what had happened and nodded frantically.
"What's your name, and why are you here?"
If the man had screamed, Ling Yun would have been forced to kill him. But seeing his calm response, Ling Yun relaxed.
"My name is Bi Gouyu. I'm the son of the Bi family in Moon Spirit City. I was caught and brought here when I snuck out of the city," Bi Gouyu explained, tears streaming down his face as he spoke.
"Alright, enough crying."
The man's tears grated on Ling Yun's nerves. He understood the man's reaction was reasonable, but he still found it annoying.
Bi Gouyu quickly stifled his sobs, his tear-filled eyes gazing up at Ling Yun.
Good grief…
"You stay hidden and don't move. I'll go deal with the rest of the bandits and come back for you."
Ling Yun would rather face bandits in battle than spend another second in the same room as Bi Gouyu.
Bi Gouyu wanted to say something, but seeing the fierce look in Ling Yun's eyes, he swallowed his words.
After Ling Yun left, Bi Gouyu decided the bed was too unsafe and curled up under it, clutching the blanket.