The lively atmosphere in the hall lasted for quite a while, and the bandits who had just been shown a new path by Ning Qingtian finally felt some peace in their hearts.

Perhaps there were people born evil in this world, but Ning Qingtian believed that the vast majority would not choose robbery unless they were truly left with no way to survive.

Still, since they had already come this far, he would not be sentimental about it.

Since he had the chance to live a second life, free from the crushing burdens of his previous world, Ning Qingtian wanted to fully unleash the ambitions he kept buried.

As the saying went: Those who steal a hook are punished; those who steal a kingdom become lords.

Since he was already a bandit, then he would become the greatest bandit of all.

Once the hall quieted again, Ning Qingtian collected his thoughts. Seeing all the bandit leaders looking at him, he said loudly, “As the saying goes, without rules, nothing can be achieved. To keep things fair, the stronghold will reward based on merit, and everyone will have opportunities for promotion. As long as you make contributions to the stronghold, only those with merit may enter this Hall of Brotherhood.”

The crowd rejoiced once more.

In the past, the stronghold master didn’t bother with such things. Everything was controlled by the second-in-command, and more than half of the stronghold’s leaders were his cronies.

No matter how hard others worked, they received no rewards. Over time, people became discouraged and lost all motivation.

But now this “husband of the stronghold master” was offering promotion opportunities to everyone—how could they not be delighted?

Of course, where some rejoiced, others worried. The bandit leaders who had once relied on flattering the second-in-command to rise in rank now wore dark expressions.

Ning Qingtian naturally noticed this. He had ignored them earlier because removing too many leaders at once might create dissatisfaction among the others.

Now, seeing the majority excited, he knew his plan had succeeded.

“You, you, you, and you… come out.”

Ning Qingtian pointed to seven or eight bandit leaders, summoning them forward. All of them had been Wang Shuye’s trusted followers. Hearing this “pretty boy” call them out made their already uneasy hearts leap with fear.

The other leaders looked down on them as well, waiting to see how the “stronghold master’s husband” would deal with them.

Ning Qingtian showed no mercy to these parasites.

“I won’t waste words. Based on your past behavior, I’m giving you two choices. One, die. Two, hand over all the money you embezzled and get out of the stronghold immediately.”

Wang Shuye had been killed with a single finger. Though these men had some ability, none dared fight Ning Qingtian.

They glanced at the stronghold master behind him. Seeing she remained silent even now, they wisely chose the second option.

Once they made their decision, Ning Qingtian ordered people to supervise them, seize their stolen wealth, and push them out of the stronghold.

After the corrupt leaders were removed, Ning Qingtian called out to the man who managed the stronghold’s finances—an elderly man over fifty named Luo Youcai, who had long served his wife.

So Ning Qingtian asked politely, “Uncle Luo, how much money and grain does the stronghold still have?”

Luo Youcai glanced at Yan Bailu behind them.

Seeing she did not object, he answered, “Reporting to Mister Ning, since autumn began, travelers passing through the mountain roads have become scarce. It has been half a month since we last seized any goods. A few days ago, this old servant made a thorough calculation. All the gold, silver, jewelry, silk, and copper coins in the stronghold amount to less than three thousand guan. As for grain, it is even scarcer—barely one thousand shi. If things continue decreasing without replenishment, I fear it will not even last three months.”

Ning Qingtian’s expression darkened. Gold and silver were low but manageable for now—he wasn’t too worried about that.

But one thousand shi of grain would not last long. One shi was only about sixty kilograms. It sounded like a lot, but with more than seven hundred people in the stronghold—not counting the elderly, women, and children—it would not last long at all.

Only now did he understand why meals had been reduced to two per day over the past two months, even for himself and his wife.

The grain crisis was upon them.

After grasping the stronghold’s overall situation, Ning Qingtian looked outside at the sky. It was almost dusk. He glanced at his wife, still sitting like a statue.

He paused, then turned back to Luo Youcai.

“The way to create wealth is nothing more than increasing income and reducing expenses. But we can’t cut expenses any further—everyone will starve if we do. Since travelers are scarce, we must take the initiative and go down the mountain to borrow grain.”

The other leaders were delighted. They had long wanted to go down the mountain to “borrow grain,” but the stronghold master had always forbidden it, fearing government attention.

Now that this “husband” had suggested it—and the stronghold master did not object—how could they not rejoice?

Of course, they did not know that Wu Qianlan was not silent out of agreement but out of lack of authority.

Inside, she was furious that this man dared to order robbery in front of her. She wanted nothing more than to execute him immediately, but she had no grounds to object.

Still, she etched this score into her heart.

Once she found a way to switch bodies back, she would be sure to behead this lawless wretch and expose his corpse to the public as justice demanded.

Ning Qingtian had no idea that someone had just marked him for death. He only looked at the stirred-up bandit leaders and then said to Luo Youcai, “Uncle Luo, tonight prepare a flowing feast throughout the stronghold. First, to celebrate the stronghold master’s awakening, and second, to let the brothers have a full meal and regain their strength. Tonight, while the wind is dark and the moon high, we will go down the mountain to borrow money and grain from those wealthy, heartless landlords whom the people resent. It will also be in line with acting in Heaven’s name.”

Luo Youcai agreed at once.

The lackeys, already excited, erupted with enthusiasm again.

Ning Qingtian calmed them and sent them off to spread the news.

Soon, the hall was empty once more.