Chapter Eight, The Robber.

Zhao Hao also laughed and said, "Okay, you can chop it!"

Zhao Haodao: "Master, your disciple has also opened a silver shop in the capital city. Please stay at your disciple's house when you arrive in the capital city."

Li Qiang asked with great interest, "Hey, I said big guy, why should I give you my money? It's better for me to keep it and spend it myself."

Li Qiang smiled slightly and said, "I bet you can't beat my disciple. If you win, you can have everything we have, but if you lose, what will you do?"

With both hands holding a large axe, it swung down from above, forcefully splitting even a large stone into two halves. Zhao Hao's martial arts skills were considered top-notch, and he had no interest in this kind of brute force without any technique. Using the "four ounces move a thousand pounds" technique, he lightly flicked the side of the axe, and with a loud "bang!", more than half of the axe head was buried in the ground. Zhao Hao rubbed his hand on the axe handle, causing Zheng Peng to cry out and release his grip, his hands trembling and covered in blood.

Liqiang asked, "Aren't you going?"

Oh, why doesn't the government come to eliminate these bandits and let them run rampant? Li Qiang found it somewhat unbelievable. Isn't this the crucial passage to the capital city?

It's not fair to blame Feng Kaiyun. No matter which country Li Qiang appears in on the Heavenly Star, as long as he is discovered by the local officials, they will immediately report it.

Zheng Peng looked at his bleeding hands in disbelief and said with a gloomy face, "Uh, I lost. I will honor my bet. You can kill me." Not only Li Qiang, but even Zhao Hao started to like this straightforward man.

The cold sweat was dripping down from Cheng's forehead, and he panicked, saying, "This won't do. Disobeying the imperial decree means death, not only for you but also for the entire Zhao family. Absolutely cannot happen." He thought to himself, "If he doesn't obey the decree, I'm afraid my own head won't be safe either. If he really refuses to accept the decree, who can stop him?"

A girl emerged from behind the tree, swinging a whip in her hand, and gracefully walked over.

Cheng Zizhong urgently kept pulling Li Qiang's trousers behind him, and Li Qiang lowered his head and said, "Master, stop pulling, your trousers are about to be pulled down by you." Cheng Zizhong almost fainted.

Zhao Hao carried a precious sword and said, "All kinds of people exist here, including fleeing prisoners, defeated deserters, and desperate civilians. The bandits and robbers here are well-known in the green basin, with complex backgrounds and people from all countries."

Hello, who hit my brother? Xiao Heizi, tell sister who bullied you, sister will teach him a lesson!

Li Qiang exclaimed, "There are female bandits?"

Li Qiang secretly thought to himself: "I cannot indiscriminately kill like this. I am just a traveler, a mere passerby on this planet. There is no need for me to get involved in the conflicts of this world." In fact, Li Qiang realized that it was no longer possible for him to remain aloof from the situation, unless Fu Shan took him away immediately. He was already unable to control his own actions.

Zhao Hao really didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he heard it, thinking to himself, "Most people would be scared to death when they see a bandit, but Master treats it like a show, which is really not taking it seriously."

He raised the long axe again and shouted, "Leave your silver, goods, and clothes. I won't kill you. Hurry up!"

The terrain of Qicha Ridge is very peculiar, as if a giant fork fell from the sky and deeply split the earth, leaving behind seven deep grooves. These seven grooves extend for more than ten miles and converge at the handle of the fork, forming a road that leads forward. For bandits and robbers, this crisscrossing terrain allows for both offense and defense, and it is also a must-pass route for merchants and travelers. It is truly an ideal gathering place.

Li Qiang thought to himself, "What is dictatorship? This is it, it's unjust. If I were to escape, no one could do anything to me, but my disciple and his family would be ruined. Oh well, forget it, I'll deal with it when the time comes."

Li Qiang is sticking to Cheng Zizhong and Zhao Hao to understand the local customs and practices.

Zheng Peng is straightforward and approachable, but not foolish. Others can still tell whether they treat him well or not. Hearing what Zhao Hao said, he quickly replied, "Since I lost the bet, I'll leave it up to you. If you spare my life, I'll follow you."

Ling Hongxuan felt very at ease this time transporting goods because he had Li Qiang and Old Master Zhao accompanying him. He thought Li Qiang was very mysterious, often giving them things they had never seen before, without any airs, always laughing and appearing very happy, interested in everything, constantly asking questions, and everyone in the caravan liked him.

Li Qiang couldn't hold it in any longer and burst into laughter: "Haha, hahaha, was it me who said it wrong, or was it the tall guy who said it right."

Li Qiang felt indifferent: "Okay, please arrange it and see what else needs to be prepared?" Then he said meaningfully to Cheng Zi, "Master Cheng, are you also going to the capital?"

Li Qiang said with a smile, "Brother, my knee is injured and I can't kneel. Let's just help each other out casually. If you give me the imperial edict, I will consider it as accepting the order. If it's convenient for you, it's convenient for me, and it's convenient for everyone. Can we do that?" He thought to himself, "No, no, the last sentence is wrong. Isn't 'convenient' just a euphemism for going to the bathroom? Ah!"

All the people standing, all knelt down, only Li Qiang stood straight there.

The lackeys behind Zheng Peng became noisy. "The third stronghold leader lost, quickly inform the main stronghold leader!" "Oh no, this old man is very powerful." "Run away quickly, we can't defeat this old man." The lackeys scattered in a panic.

Cheng Zi smiled faintly and remained silent.

Li Qiang thought to himself: "This tall and dark guy seems to be quite shrewd, yet a bit silly and fun to be around."

The emperor has issued an order to inquire about the birth of Li Qiang. The official document has been sent back and forth several times, but still without any substantial information. Finally, it is determined that he may be a descendant of a scattered member of the royal family.

Li Qiang suddenly became playful, jumped in front of the tall person, and laughed, saying, "Hey! This mountain is mine! This tree is planted by me! If you want to lose your life, leave behind some money for the road!"

Upon reaching the intersection of Qicha Ridge, Ling Hongxuan waved his hand to stop the convoy and said to Zhao Hao, "Old man, it's up to you to make arrangements."

Li Qiang looked at Cheng Zi and thought to himself: "Hey, he's quite clever. He can even guess this."

Cheng Zizhong really wants to find a reason to go with Li Qiang. Upon hearing this, he laughed and said, "Haha, yes, with a master like you, the journey will be much safer." He thought to himself, "Wow, he is really extraordinary."

Li Qiang could only nod and say, "Alright."

Li Qiang guessed correctly. Since the first day he moved into the prefectural yamen, Feng Kaiyun sent an urgent official document, which was delivered to the capital through the post station.

Li Qiang curiously asked, "Is it a place where bandits often appear?"

Zhao Hao smiled bitterly and said, "I hope they are not a large group of bandits. Master, please don't act first, let me handle this."

Zhao Hao continued, "Ling Ji Trading Company has a batch of local specialty products and mountain goods that need to be transported to the capital. Just now, in the hall, there was a tall man in a blue shirt named Ling Hongxuan. Master, could you please see if he is the one accompanying him?"

Cheng Zizhong stood up and walked to his side, whispering in his ear.

Cheng Zizhong knew it was not good. Seeing the trembling body of the imperial edict official, he could tell that an outburst was imminent. In a hurry, he kowtowed and said, "Your Excellency, I have important information to report."

Li Qiang suddenly thought of a question and asked, "How many days does it take for us to travel from Fengling Town to the capital city?"

Ling Hongxuan's caravan entered from the second road. Li Qiang and Zhao Hao, the master and apprentice, were scouting ahead, followed closely by ten armed men. Li Qiang was not nervous at all. He knew very well that as long as it was not a fight between fellow cultivators, ordinary people would not be able to harm him, even if they were martial arts masters. Zhao Hao had no intention of letting Li Qiang take action, as he still vividly remembered everything that happened in Hanlin City.

Ling Hongxuan smiled and said, "If we hurry, it will take about forty days. If we go slowly, it's hard to say."

Zhao Hao "puchi" laughed, thinking: "Master is really good at talking, I'm so confused by all the back and forth."

When you turn around, call Zhao Hao. I saw that the incense table in the hall had already been set up, and the official in charge of announcing the decree was standing behind the incense table. He unfolded the imperial decree and elongated his tone like singing: "The imperial decree has been issued, Li Qiang has received the decree."

After the two of them started fighting, Zhao Hao immediately understood that Zheng Peng was only relying on his innate divine power, and he only knew three martial arts moves, which made the gap between them too far apart. It was a bit unsportsmanlike to win like this.

Zhao Hao laughed heartily and said, "I was mistaken, I was mistaken!"

The big black guy answered decisively: "Because I am a robber, my fists are big, my axe is powerful, so you have to listen to me, put down your things and I won't kill you."

Who is Li Qiang? As long as he wants to listen, it doesn't matter how low the volume is. He listened to Cheng Zizhong saying to the imperial envoy, "I have a secret decree, please give me the imperial edict and let me proclaim it as I see fit." Li Qiang looked at Cheng Zizhong with a sudden realization.

Li Qiang smiled and said, "You lost!"

Li Qiang smiled and said, "Could there really be robbers?"

Walking on the road at the bottom of the valley, Li Qiang's head is like a tambourine, looking east and west, asking, "What kind of people are the bandits and robbers here?"

Cheng Zizhong looked at Li Qiang nervously, only to see his face changing constantly. He advised, "You should still accept the imperial edict and listen to what it says before making a decision, okay?"

Li Qiang laughed so hard on the side that his legs went soft, saying, "Exactly, exactly, just give him a chop."

Li Qiang thought to himself: "It would be quite interesting to meet the old emperor. I have never seen a real emperor before. I should go and take a look, broaden my horizons." Li Qiang smiled and said, "I was just thinking of going to the capital for some fun. Let's go, I will definitely go."

A large group of people rushed out from the roadside forest, and Li Qiang couldn't help but laugh.

Departing from Fengling Town to the capital city, one must pass through three extremely dangerous places. These three places are the Seven Forks Ridge, the Terrifying Slope, and the Bewildering Forest. The caravans that pass through must gather together and form a large group of people and horses before daring to pass.

Li Qiang felt that someone like Zheng Peng becoming a robber was a pity, so he decided to take him away instead and said, "Okay."

Li Qiang returned to the room and fell into contemplation. After the sudden battle in Hanlin City, Li Qiang became aware that he was not strong enough to fight against cultivators, and that killing ordinary soldiers was meaningless since they didn't even have a chance to fight back. It was truly an unfair victory.

Li Qiang said seriously: "Tall guy, I don't think you have what it takes to be a robber. You should go home and not become a robber. I won't kill you either."

Ling Hongxuan interjected, "What our caravan fears the most is passing through the Seven Forks Ridge and encountering small groups of bandits. If we're lucky, we can give them some silver and pass through. Otherwise, we have to rely on our numbers to forcefully proceed. But we're especially afraid of encountering a large group of bandits. If we fail to negotiate with even one of them, our goods will definitely be lost. And if we can't escape, that would be even more disastrous."

Zhao Hao shook his head and said, "Master, I think he is a homeless person. Otherwise, he wouldn't have become a bandit. If you don't want him to be a bandit again, you have to take him in."

Li Qiang patted Cheng Zizhong's shoulder and said, "Master, I can't underestimate you. Tell me, what does the imperial edict say?" Li Qiang didn't want to expose him, he just lightly tapped him, meaning that he already knew.

Hei Da Ge has confused the two of them. In their hearts, they are wondering, "Who is the real thief? Why aren't they afraid at all?"

Zhao Haogang was about to answer when he heard a sharp whistle, "Squeak..." Zhao Haogang exclaimed, "It's a signal arrow!" He immediately waved his hand to the assistant behind him, and one of the assistants turned around and ran back to deliver the message.

The official in charge of issuing edicts nodded and said, "Good, it's all up to you to resolve." He handed the imperial edict to Cheng Zizhong.

Zhao Hao was a little angry and said, "Hey, I'm telling you, Black Big Guy, don't talk nonsense. My master is easy to talk to, but I'm not!"

The report from Feng Kaiyun directly alarmed the emperor. The reason is that Li Qiang can speak the court language, and it is the kind spoken by members of the royal family within the palace.

Black Da Ge Zheng Pengdao: "I won't lose. If I lose, I'll give my life to you. Watch the axe!"

Li Qiang is also unwilling to kill again, saying, "Okay, I'll just watch from the side."