Bizarre Cultivation: Starting from Being Beaten Up by Reality

Chapter 197 Suicide out of fear of crime

Cao Zifan felt uneasy looking at the densely packed bandits of Crab Mountain outside the county town.

Holy crap, do the bandits in this world respawn automatically? We've only been suppressing bandits for less than half a year, how come so many have appeared already?

He saw the leader of Crab Mountain under the banner of "Acting on Behalf of Heaven," but it was no longer the burly man with a thick beard; Lin Fan had already killed him. This time, it was a man with a long beard carrying a large sword.

Master Zhu, panting, climbed up the city wall. The old man, wearing a helmet that was obviously much too big, cupped his hands to Cao Zifan and said, "Magistrate, the defenses of the four walls of the county town are in place, and we have enough food for half a year. As long as we hold our ground, they will naturally retreat."

Cao Zifan looked at the young man beside him, "Officer Xu, what do you think?"

Officer Xu was the top expert in Wujiang County, an unrivaled third-tier martial artist—or, in Cao Zifan's understanding, the peak of the third tier! Therefore, Cao Zifan transferred him to the militia, originally intending only for him to train the militia, but he turned out to be quite adept at management. So, he simply gave him the title of officer, effectively making him the militia commander.

The young man stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, “Holding our ground is indeed the best strategy. However, we have been training our troops for so long, and the enemy has not yet established a firm foothold. Why not try a surprise attack tonight? If we succeed, the enemy will retreat on their own. If we fail, we can continue to hold our ground. I am willing to volunteer to take down that commander.”

Cao Zifan and Master Zhu looked at each other and nodded.

Cao Zifan looked at Constable Xu again, "Are you confident you can kill that commander?"

Cao Zifan had no doubt about the success of the night raid, but he knew that it would be impossible to force the enemy to retreat if they couldn't take down the enemy leader in one fell swoop.

Even if a night raid achieves some success given the enemy's numerical advantage, it may not change the current situation.

Officer Xu cupped his hands and said, "I am willing to die for the magistrate!"

Cao Zifan frowned slightly, indicating that he was not confident.

He pondered for a moment, then said, “Alright, go on the night raid, but you don’t need to be the one to carry out the beheading. I will do it.”

Three updates.

The newly established Crab Mountain camp suddenly caught fire, and a group of men sneaked out of the city gate that had been secretly lowered, launching a surprise attack and setting the fire.

Cao Zifan rode his horse straight towards the banner that read "Acting on Behalf of Heaven." Sentinels around him reacted and fired arrows at him using the firelight. The black rice, like a layer of soft velvet, caught all the incoming arrows.

By the time Cao Zifan returned to the county town carrying the head of the bearded man, it was already dawn.

Constable Xu excitedly cupped his hands towards Cao Zifan, "Magistrate, my lord! We have won a great victory! The leader of the Crab Mountain bandits has been beheaded, and the rest of the rabble have scattered like birds and beasts."

Cao Zifan looked at the eye he was holding in the cloth and asked, "What happened to your eye?"

"I was accidentally hit by an arrow, but it's nothing. I still have one eye, so it won't stop me from wielding a knife!" Officer Xu said readily.

Cao Zifan sighed, "What were our losses?"

Officer Xu replied, "About twenty brothers died and thirty were seriously injured."

Cao Zifan nodded. Compared to the results of the battle, the losses were indeed very small, but this was also the first time he had commanded troops and faced these inevitable casualties.

After completing the commendation and reward activities, Cao Zifan stayed alone in the county government hall.

He understood the current predicament better than anyone else; in fact, disregarding the loss of rice, he could have achieved this result single-handedly. Indeed, it was the most prestigious and powerful technique in the world; in practical application, it was truly an invincible force.

However, he had to consider the limited amount of rice and the depletion of his own manpower. Reviewing last night's battle, he realized he had done his best; personnel losses were minimal, and while a significant amount of rice was used, it wasn't wasted. It was used specifically to deal with tough opponents like fourth-tier martial artists.

He couldn't discuss these matters with anyone, since the manpower and supplies that Wujiang County could organize were limited. Joining forces with Duan Ye to defend the area meant greater strength, but it also meant a wider area to defend.

It's already so difficult to deal with the insignificant Crab Mountain now. How will we protect ourselves when we encounter a powerful force that spans multiple states and counties in the future?

If this happens a few more times, you'll run out of rice.

A voice in his mind naturally reminded him that the answer was actually quite simple: the answer was the obvious.

The militia suffered only about fifty casualties this time, but in reality, the amount of property and people looted in Wujiang County was far greater. They plundered their way from Xieshan to the county seat.

If I were to exploit the people and cultivate a righteous spirit, wouldn't I be able to protect the entire county on my own? It's certainly better for the people to be slightly oppressed than to be plundered by bandits.

It's better to have a tough life than to live in constant fear.

My purpose in studying the essential arts is different from that of Magistrate Cao. A knife is just a knife; how it is used is what matters.

"No." Cao Zifan bit his tongue hard to bring himself back to his senses.

The dominant field of study is the root of all problems, and one must never compromise on it in the slightest.

"There's more than one dominant school of thought in this world, why should I fixate on just one?"

Thinking of this, Cao Zifan couldn't sit still any longer and immediately went out to summon the militia group that had just rested for a short while.

A group of militiamen, fully armed and ready for battle, followed Cao Zifan to the Hundred Sons Temple outside the city.

This Taoist temple is not far from where the troops were previously stationed at Crab Mountain, yet it remains unharmed. A peaceful and solemn atmosphere prevails.

Cao Zifan knew, of course, that the Taoist priest here was a fence-sitter. He expressed his firm support for the county government's efforts to suppress the bandits, but in the end, he only contributed ten taels of silver. People often came and went from Crab Mountain, but he wasn't deeply involved with them.

Cao Zifan knocked on the door, demanding that the other party hand over all the secret manuals and techniques. Just as the Taoist priest showed a hint of reluctance, a barrage of arrows rained down on him.

It's a pity that this Taoist priest, who claimed to be incredibly strong and capable of carrying mountains on his shoulders, died before he could even use any of his supernatural powers.

His body was covered in arrows, making him look like a hedgehog.

"Master, incomplete loyalty is complete disloyalty."

Cao Zifan looked at the militiamen behind him and said, "Remember, the Taoist priest committed suicide out of fear of punishment for colluding with Crab Mountain."

The one-eyed constable Xu's lips twitched slightly. Good heavens, this was the first time he had ever seen someone commit suicide with dozens of arrows in their back.

Soon, the disciples and acolytes either surrendered or committed suicide, and the entire Taoist temple was quickly brought under control.

Several Taoist books were found among the items seized.

Immortal Cultivation Technique: "Power Chamber Fire"

Human Practice Methods: "Great Strength," "Drinking Water," "Continuing the Head," and "Lying in the Snow"

There was also a pile of other miscellaneous magical treasures and rare materials.

Cao Zifan breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at his haul. He then turned to Officer Xu and asked, "Officer Xu, have you ever slept with a woman?"