Battle Against Xinming Stockade

"Not yet. Wait until the great hegemony is complete, and I will grant Boling land to establish a kingdom. By then, anyone living on my land who does not follow orders will be executed," Zheng Donglin thought to himself.

"Compared to conquering a land, teaching the common people martial arts for self-defense... I find the latter even more difficult," Su Dongliu said, shaking his head as he touched the long sword at his waist.

"I will still do it," Ding Boling replied firmly, as if his purpose in life was for the sake of the common people.

Zheng Donglin rubbed his nose, feeling that compared to the eternal emperor before him, the patriotism he always took pride in was truly too small.

"Where is Xinming Stockade stationed? Speak quickly!" Su Dongliu did not continue the topic, instead grabbing the only surviving bandit to interrogate him.

"Don't dream of me telling you!" The bandit's eyes were full of hatred, and he spat toward Su Dongliu, but the latter reacted quickly and easily dodged it.

"If you don't want to die, speak quickly!" Su Dongliu was angry, punching the bandit hard in the stomach. The bandit's stomach churned, the pain so intense his eyes nearly popped out.

He lay curled on the ground, hands clutching his stomach, mouth tightly shut, with only rapid breathing and flickering eyes showing his resolve to die.

"Let me, Su Dongliu." Zheng Donglin saw that Su Dongliu's methods were ineffective and touched his shoulder. He knew that torture didn't always solve the problem; there were ways to make people willing to talk other than violence.

Su Dongliu glanced at Zheng Donglin. Although he didn't know what method he would use, one thing was for sure: he didn't have much faith in Zheng Donglin. He sighed, waiting to see how he would handle it.

"I guarantee that if you reveal the location of Xinming Stockade, you will not die. In fact, I will tell Brother Dongliu to give you gold and silver treasures," Zheng Donglin said softly, squatting down to eye level with the bandit.

"Also, what is your name?" Zheng Donglin continued.

"Qin Mu," the bandit replied, not understanding but answering anyway. Sensing Zheng Donglin's friendly tone, his internal defenses began to crumble.

"Qin Mu, do you have a family?" Zheng Donglin asked.

"I have a family, an old mother and a fiancée," the bandit replied.

"Then Qin Mu, as long as you reveal the location of Xinming Stockade, you will have gold and silver, and your future life will be worry-free. Your old mother and young wife are waiting for you back home. Let me analyze the current situation for you. You are clinging to your loyalty to Xinming Stockade, so you can't speak, fearing the name of a traitor. But think about it, can you bear to let your mother die, Qin Mu?" Zheng Donglin smiled.

"I..." The bandit's eyes were panicked as he stammered.

"Think of your wife, of your future children. This brother here is the Vice Chief of the Yunluan Bureau in Xiangdong City; a word spoken will surely not change," Zheng Donglin said, his eyes slightly lowered.

"I... will talk," the bandit said as if he had just made the most difficult decision of his life, bowing his head.

"Excellent, Brother Dongliu," Zheng Donglin clapped his hands, looking at Su Dongliu.

Su Dongliu's eyes showed surprise as he stroked his chin. It seemed this person was somewhat unusual. Ding Boling was not surprised; in his heart, Zheng Donglin was always very mysterious, and it seemed everything in his hands could happen.

...

Xiangdong Forest.

This was an ancient forest with lush green trees stretching out, located in a corner of Xiangdong City. The terrain was treacherous, but it was also a shortcut to other cities instead of going around through Xiangdong City. However, entering the forest was not a wise choice because here, besides wild beasts, there were bandits.

Four figures entered the forest. One person led the way, gently parting a layer of leaves. It was Zheng Donglin's group of four. The bandit had revealed that Xinming Stockade was established inside the Xiangdong Forest, but it was hard to find because the forest was too vast, so he had to lead them personally.

"Everyone, follow this way, we're almost there." The bandit looked at the terrain, carefully observing the surroundings before speaking.

"Good, once finished, you will surely be rewarded," Su Dongliu said with his hands behind his back. Whether there truly was a reward, only he knew.

"Lords, please be careful." The guide bandit hunched over, gently hiding in a bush, and said.

Zheng Donglin's group of three followed suit. Their strategy was to find a hidden path and launch a surprise attack, causing chaos among the enemy to make it easier to succeed.

*Rustle, rustle, rustle!* Sounds came from the bushes, and a flock of white birds flew out from within, causing a commotion. Zheng Donglin frowned, having a bad premonition.

"Lords, that is Xinming Stockade," the guide bandit said nervously, pointing to a white tent camp set up in the mountains, consisting of ten large tents and eight small ones, surrounded by a wooden stake fence.

"It seems the opponent has many people," Zheng Donglin observed.

"Don't worry, the Stockade Master is only at the peak of the Fifth Rank; I can handle him. The rest of the lackeys are not a concern," Su Dongliu said confidently, his hand lightly touching the long sword at his waist.

"I hope so," Zheng Donglin said, then glanced at Ding Boling with some worry, for he knew Boling was only at the Third Rank.

"It's fine, my foundation is solid, I can challenge those above my level; I have few rivals in the same realm," Ding Boling said confidently, as if sensing Zheng Donglin's gaze.

"Report, there are enemies near the camp!" At this time, a group of black-clad bandits appeared, their faces fierce and malicious, staring at the four of them. It seemed they had known they were coming.

More and more people poured out from inside, totaling two hundred. The most prominent was a tall man with one eye, looking like the leader.

"Welcome to Xinming Stockade. It seems the hunting dogs of the Yunluan Bureau have a very quick scent. Qin Mu, how are you?" the one-eyed bandit said coldly, not at all surprised.

"I... I was forced, Great Chief, forgive me!" Qin Mu was terrified, his whole being falling into an abyss of despair.

"Foolish! See how many people are waiting for you here. I had intelligence that you received a mission to eliminate my Xinming Stockade. Young newly appointed Vice Chief, that's exactly why I left a message saying Xinming Stockade has returned. I didn't expect Ten to be such a waste, dying at your hands," Great Chief Li Yuan said.

"It seems he thinks I killed Ten, not knowing that Ten's group failed at the hands of those two," Su Dongliu thought to himself, glancing at Zheng Donglin and Ding Boling.

The two hundred people of Xinming Stockade were led by Great Chief Li Yuan. The next ten were leaders of small groups, distinguished by numbers from One to Ten.

"I want to kill him, avenge Ten!" One and Two spoke together.

"Kill!" Three roared, brandishing a scimitar, leading a group to surround Zheng Donglin's group.

"You run first!" Zheng Donglin said to Qin Mu. In this situation, leaving Qin Mu here would only be a hindrance. Although he planned to let An Nam's law punish him after it was over, he didn't want Qin Mu to be killed by these bandits.

"No!" Qin Mu's face turned pale, stumbling as he tried to flee. But immediately after, he let out a miserable cry as a snow-white scimitar chopped off his head.

"Those who betray Xinming Stockade should not hope to survive," Six, a tall, thin man with sunken eyes, said, licking his lips.

In an instant, Zheng Donglin's group was surrounded by the enemy's counter-trap. Su Dongliu drew his long sword, the blade's light flashing as blood splattered everywhere.

"Such fast sword techniques!" Zheng Donglin's pupils contracted; it seemed Su Dongliu was only now showing his true prowess.

"Sudden Arrival!" Zheng Donglin's palms were as hard as steel; with one sweep, both the scimitar and the head of a bandit were shattered.

Ding Boling's footwork was divine; with a series of "thuds," many bandits' chests caved in, their internal organs shattered as they died miserably.

Six swung his scimitar toward Ding Boling. Being at the peak of the Fourth Rank, his strength was a level higher than Boling's. Ding Boling dodged to the side, preparing to counterattack, but he saw Zheng Donglin effortlessly crush Six's head with one hand.

Ding Boling stared at Zheng Donglin with his mouth open. A difficult opponent was settled in just a moment. It seemed Brother Donglin had become even stronger; he couldn't let himself be left behind.

Ding Boling kicked One's scimitar. One snorted coldly; the opponents this time were all formidable. He was annoyed that his scimitar was blocked by a kid.

A sword strike like lightning harvested One's head. Su Dongliu smiled, as if to say, no need to thank me.

Ding Boling was stunned looking at the two of them. *I don't need your help, I can handle it myself!*

"Kid, you dare to be distracted!" Two sneered. Seeing Zheng Donglin distracted by killing Six, he along with Three and Four attacked simultaneously, thinking Zheng Donglin was dead for sure. To their surprise, their scimitars only struck a layer of earthy-yellow True Qi and stopped.

"Weak." Zheng Donglin looked at the three of them indifferently. Without using any techniques, just with the advantage of the Fifth Rank, a single sweep of his palm crushed three skulls.

His figure turned into a blur; everywhere he went, bandits' heads shattered, white brains staining the leaves red. Li Yuan frowned; the opponent's strength was very high.

"Sword Intent!" Su Dongliu's long sword drank blood but did not turn red. He spun in a circle, and countless sword shadows whirled, forming a sword world that shredded a row of bandits, making them cry out in agony.

"Great Chief, save me!" Seven cried out in fear as Ding Boling kicked and broke his kneecap, making him kneel. Ding Boling delivered a kick that exploded his head.

"You seek death!" Li Yuan's eyes were icy, and his scimitar moved. Even with his agile movement, Ding Boling was hit by a blade strike in the center of his chest, blood spraying out.

"Let me!" Su Dongliu said. He knew well that at the Third Rank, Ding Boling could hardly deal with the Fifth Rank Li Yuan.

"Watch my sword!" Su Dongliu's long sword swept past Li Yuan's face. Li Yuan flipped his hand, his scimitar slashing at Su Dongliu's head. Su Dongliu quickly raised his sword to block but was sent flying by the residual force.

Li Yuan laughed coldly, his strength increasing by several parts. Su Dongliu continuously retreated, unable to face him directly, and small wounds began to appear on his body.

Zheng Donglin was like an evil ghost; not a single bandit could resist him. With every pass, he was like a death god harvesting lives, crushing Eight's head without any resistance. Only one leader, Nine, remained.

"Please spare me!" Nine knelt down in fear.

"You want your life spared?" Zheng Donglin raised an eyebrow.

"I can be your ox or horse!" Nine said hurriedly.

Zheng Donglin suddenly struck out and crushed Nine's head, blood splattering. He smiled. For some reason, from a modern person who had never even killed a small animal, he now felt a craving for the sensation of ending a life.

"Fast Sword!" Su Dongliu's sword techniques became faster. The blade slashed toward Li Yuan's waist. He raised his scimitar to block, only to realize it was a feint; the real strike was aimed at his heart.

"Vajra Body Protection!" Li Yuan's body became as hard as pure gold, and Su Dongliu's sword could not pierce his skin.

"Not good!" Su Dongliu knew the attack was ineffective and realized the danger. The opponent had intentionally let him attack to lure him into a trap. The weakest moment for an expert is the moment right after finishing a move.