On the wide threshing ground, the villagers stood in a circle, watching the village head and his son—those who had long bullied the innocent—now weeping and trembling before these powerful men. Many could not help feeling secretly satisfied.

Ning Qingtian didn’t care what the villagers thought. He looked at the village head and his son grovelling at his feet, then pulled Zhang Kai forward and asked, “Are these the two?”

Seeing the murderers of his parents, Zhang Kai’s eyes were already bloodshot. Hearing Ning Qingtian’s question, he gritted his teeth and nodded fiercely.

The village head and his son saw Zhang Kai and finally understood the situation.

The old village head immediately began crying and begging for mercy before Ning Qingtian.

“Great King spare us! My family has ten thousand strings of wealth—we’ll give it all to you! Just spare our lives!”

Hearing this, Zhang Kai immediately looked toward Ning Qingtian, terrified that he might spare them for money.

Ning Qingtian sneered inwardly.

Fools.

Once you’re dead, won’t all that wealth belong to my stronghold anyway?

But he didn’t say this aloud. Instead, he patted the trembling Zhang Kai on the shoulder and said, “Go. A parent’s killer cannot be allowed to live. I leave these two for you to handle.”

Zhang Kai trembled violently upon hearing this. He turned around, eyes blazing with hatred.

Seeing this, the village head and his son crawled toward him on their knees, begging,

“Zhang Kai—Lord Zhang! In the past, we were blind and offended you. Please, for the sake of us being neighbors, spare us this once! Spare our lives!”

“Offended? Beating my father and mother to death— you call that ‘offending’ me? When you tried to defile my wife, did you ever think about this day? My family served yours for generations—did you ever show mercy?”

Hearing this, the village head and his son did not dare argue. They slammed their heads against the ground repeatedly, the sound loud under the night sky.

Zhang Kai ignored their pleas.

He grabbed a gleaming broadsword from a nearby bandit. Veins bulged on his forehead, his face flushed red under the firelight. The smell of the village head’s fear was foul as the man lost control of himself.

Zhang Kai roared, “If I spare your two dog heads today, then I would be failing my parents who were beaten to death!”

The blade flashed.

A head rolled across the threshing ground like a gourd.

The begging fell silent.

Zhang Kai, killing for the first time, stared at the bloody weapon, eyes wide. Then he raised his head and let out a roar, “Father! Mother! I’ve avenged you!”

And with that, he fainted dead away.

A few quick-handed men rushed to catch him. Seeing Ning Qingtian’s gaze, one of them said, “He’s only overwhelmed. He fainted from emotion. He’ll be fine.”

Ning Qingtian nodded and had Zhang Kai carried aside for care.

Standing behind him, Wu Qianlan couldn’t help recalling a man from thirty years ago: The Prefect of the Capital—Bao Longtu.

This man was holding a public trial assembly like a proper official. Announcing crimes, then immediate execution…

Only missing Bao Longtu’s three famous execution blades.

She also thought of how Ning Qingtian had lit the Wenqu Star, and how upright his behavior was.

If he hadn’t become a bandit… Perhaps he really could have been the next Bao Longtu.

Her gaze grew complicated as she watched him.

An odd thought surfaced—Perhaps, when she returned to the palace… she could recruit him?

Ning Qingtian suddenly felt someone staring at him. He was just about to turn around when Yang Ba came running out of the village head’s house, holding a large chest in his arms.

While running, he was shouting wildly, “Master! Master! We’re rich! We’re rich!”

Ning Qingtian quickly looked toward him.

Yang Ba set the chest down in front of him, panting heavily.

Even with martial training, after a night of chaos and excitement, he was still breathlessly excited.

Ning Qingtian had his trusted aide hand Yang Ba a water gourd.

Yang Ba gulped it down in great swallows and, once he caught his breath, he said excitedly, “Master! We searched the village head’s home and found over nine thousand shi of grain in the back courtyard! Two hundred taels of gold! Three thousand taels of silver! Five thousand seven hundred guan of copper coins! And jewellery worth at least two thousand guan! We’re still counting the cattle, sheep, and livestock!”

A collective gasp filled the threshing ground.

Ning Qingtian felt his lungs tighten. The surrounding bandits looked stunned, sucking in cold breaths.

This amount…

This was worth more than the entire stronghold’s accumulated wealth.

If they relied on robbing travelling merchants, it would take countless raids to gather so much.

Even though Ning Qingtian had expected a corrupt landlord to hoard vast wealth, the reality still surpassed his imagination.

But then doubts stirred.

The village head’s household wasn’t large. Wasn’t he afraid that grain stored in such massive quantities would rot?

While he pondered, a nearby man cursed loudly, “This miser is shrewd as a fox! Didn’t he hear Jiangnan just suffered a flood? He was planning to sell these nine thousand shi of grain there for a fortune! He’d make far more than we ever could robbing travellers!”

“Profiteering off national disasters!”

Ning Qingtian instantly understood.

He hated such vile men the most.

He looked at the man who had spoken—a short, thin fellow with sharp eyes and quick wit.

Someone useful.

So he said, “What’s your name? Would you like to serve as my personal attendant?”

The man’s eyes lit up.

“Little one is called Wang Wen. Thank you, Master, for your favour! Of course I’m willing!”

Near water, one reaches the tower first—staying close to the stronghold master meant more opportunities.

The surrounding bandits looked at Wang Wen with envy.