ALL NOVEL A Tough Decision
“May I know what else you need from us?” Jin Kequn asked through gritted teeth. “...Is it money?”
“Haha, don’t worry, you can keep your money,” Zhao Yunxiao laughed. “Instead, tell me something. What do you intend to do after I leave? Will you continue practising the Moonlight Sutra?”
“This...” Jin Kequn had a guilty look on his face.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to answer. Of course, you will,” Zhao Yunxiao answered rhetorically. “And that’s where the problem lies.”
Even though Zhao Yunxiao would be taking away the manual, that was not going to stop the bandits from continuing to practise whatever they remembered.
They had already gotten a taste of the power of cultivation, and were unlikely to stop despite not having the physical copy of the manual in hand.
Instead, they would probably try to practise according to what they remembered, and that was where the danger lay.
Because what they remembered might be wrong.
Practising a cultivation technique in the wrong manner could easily result in cultivation deviation, which would in turn lead to drastic outcomes, including death!
In fact, that was still the likely outcome for these bandits, even if they got to retain the manual.
They were all ordinary mortals and had no cultivators around to guide them on the basics of cultivation.
So, how could they ever have the right understanding of what was being mentioned in the manual?
It was already surprising enough that they had managed to get to where they were without any obvious issues, but that could be attributed to pure luck.
At the same time, there could already be underlying issues brewing within, just that they had yet to grow into an obvious problem.
The situation would only get worse as they progressed, until a point where things became completely irreversible.
When that happened, the entire group would be completely wiped out!
This was also why Zhao Yunxiao had decided to gather everyone and assess them altogether, instead of going straight to the leader.
It was to decide what he should do with these bandits next.
If they retained the vile mentality of bandits, Zhao Yunxiao would not have cared less about their eventual outcome.
But looking at things now, be it due to the Moonlight Sutra or otherwise, their behaviours were certainly different from the generic bandits.
Rather than bandits, they acted more like combat scholars?
In that case, Zhao Yunxiao did not want to just stand by and watch as they indulged in their newfound power, only to end up meeting a tragic death where they might not even understand how they died!
“Don’t worry, we won’t abuse our power for our personal gains,” Jin Kequn assured. “I am not sure how much my words are worth, but I promise that we will not become a problem that you will have to fix in the future.”
Zhao Yunxiao locked eyes with Jin Kequn, and proceeded to assess him from head to toe.
The scenes from before replayed in his head, depicting the bandits’ mannerism and loyalty, as well as Jin Kequn’s rationality and decision making.
From the start, the bandits had never shown any bloodlust or anger.
Everything they did had been coming from a defensive stance, which was understandable since Zhao Yunxiao had suddenly shown up while demanding their most prized possession.
On top of that, the villagers at Kindness Village did say that the bandit activities had stopped, which corroborated their account that they had stopped with the banditry.
All of that pointed to them having changed their ways.
Still, this was a tough decision that he had to make.
Should his assessment be wrong, Zhao Yunxiao’s next step could very well end up creating a group of powerful bandits that even he might be unable to control in the future!
Even so, he would like to trust in his judgement this time.
Huu-!
“From today, forget about everything that you have learnt,” Zhao Yunxiao said after letting out a deep breath. “I will look through the Moonlight Sutra and leave you a proper mantra before I leave. Practise that instead, and I will be back to teach you further in time to come.”
“You mean...?!” Jin Kequn widened his eyes in astonishment.
“This...!” Qiao Yulang was just as surprised.
Only the hidden Nie Hanchang rubbed his chin in amusement upon hearing this, an image of the future slowly forming in his head...
“For that reason, I will be staying a few days to slowly comprehend the sutra. Go, prepare a place for two people to stay,” Zhao Yunxiao instructed.
The confused bandits turned towards Jin Kequn for instructions.
One moment, they were fighting together against this intruder.
The next moment, this intruder was suddenly ordering them to prepare accommodations for him to stay with them.
Just what was going on here?
However, Jin Kequn did not hesitate.
“Brother Qiao, come help me tidy up my hut. I will be staying with you while the young sirs rest in my hut,” Jin Kequn instructed.
“Y-Yes, Leader!” Qiao Yulang immediately understood.
The two of them did not take long to clean up Jin Kequn’s hut, returning within a mere fifteen minutes.
“Allow me to show you to your hut, Young Sirs,” Jin Kequn offered in a deferential tone.
“Mm,” Zhao Yunxiao nodded. “Let’s go, Senior Martial Brother Nie.”
With a snap of his fingers, Zhao Yunxiao Two crumbled to the ground.
At the same time, Nie Hanchang leapt down from atop the tall gate, landing softly beside Zhao Yunxiao.
The sudden appearance of Nie Hanchang, coupled with Zhao Yunxiao Two disappearing, caused the bandits to gasp in horror.
They thought that the two people who would be staying with them were going to be Zhao Yunxiao and his twin brother Zhao Yunxiao Two.
Who knew that Zhao Yunxiao Two was fake, and that there was actually another person in hiding?
A chill ran down their spines at this moment, as they found out just how precarious their situation had been up until now.
They understood far too little about the people whom they were facing.
Had it not been for Jin Kequn’s wise decision to surrender, they might never live to see the sun rise tomorrow!
Amidst the tense silence that had fallen over the bandits, the nervous but excited Jin Kequn led Zhao Yunxiao and Nie Hanchang over to his hut.
His hut was right in the middle of the area.
But as they were slowly walking over, a shout suddenly came out of one of the huts that they were passing by.
“Don’t trust them! They are bandits, and always will be!”
It was a short message, albeit one that caused Zhao Yunxiao to stop in his tracks.
“What was that?” Zhao Yunxiao narrowed his eyes at Jin Kequn.
“This is a little difficult to explain...” Jin Kequn revealed an awkward look. “It’s basically someone whom we have invited back in the past. After we changed our ways, we tried to let him go, but he simply wouldn’t leave.”
“Who would dare to trust a bunch of bandits like you?!” the voice came from within the hut once more. “Maybe you are just waiting for me to leave the safety of the hut so that you can kill me, just like how you treated all your past victims!”
“Would we need to keep feeding you if we really wanted to get rid of you?” Jin Kequn answered helplessly.
“So, that’s the case...” Zhao Yunxiao finally understood.
This was someone whom the bandits had abducted in the past.
Now that they had changed and wanted to let him go, he was too afraid to actually leave the psychological safety of the hut.
It was much easier to believe the bandits’ words in this situation. After all, it would not be too difficult for the bandits to just break down the door.
If they truly wanted to harm this man, there was nothing stopping them from doing so.
“Come out, I will ensure your safety,” Zhao Yunxiao said.
“You are already falling into a trap yourself, so what makes you think you can ensure my safety?” the man shouted again. “The hut they are bringing you to is probably laced with poison everywhere!Heed my advice and run while you still can!”
“Should we open the door so you can speak to him, Young Sir?” Jin Kequn asked Zhao Yunxiao in a hushed whisper.
“Open it,” Zhao Yunxiao nodded.
Rather than let this man continue suffering from his own imagination, it was best to free him right now.
Jin Kequn signalled to Qiao Yulang, whose body started glowing once more after stepping forward.
“Hah!” with a loud cry, Qiao Yulang pushed open the door with all his might.
Screech-!
The heavy movement of furniture could be heard coming from within, a testament to just how many items the man had used to block the door.
Nevertheless, all of that was in vain in the face of overwhelming strength.
The door swung open, revealing the furniture that had been thrown around the room from the impact, as well as a young man standing there with an expression filled with complete shock.
Apart from how quickly his face was turning pale, his clothes immediately caught Zhao Yunxiao’s attention.
Smooth silk laced with golden threads could have easily looked tacky, but it came together in a wonderful design that not only screamed luxury, but also perfectly fitted his youthful face.
He seemed to be slightly older than Zhao Yunxiao, but was probably still in his mid twenties.
“Y-You! You!” the man hurriedly backed up against the further end of the hut.
“Calm down,” Zhao Yunxiao stepped into the hut. “They won’t be able to harm you, at least not when I am around.”
“Those movements... Black Tortoise Sect?” the man’s eyes lit up upon noticing Zhao Yunxiao’s movements.
“Hmm?” Zhao Yunxiao furrowed his brows immediately. “Who are you?”
It definitely did not feel good to be instantly figured out by someone whose identity he did not know.
“I knew it! I am right, aren’t I?” the man finally smiled in relief after seeing the expression on Zhao Yunxiao’s face. “I am the famous designer, Lou Yuan!”
“Famous designer, Lou Yuan?” Zhao Yunxiao looked at Nie Hanchang. “Have you heard of him, Senior Martial Brother Nie?”
“Never in my life,” Nie Hanchang shook his head.
“How clueless! Clueless and rude!” Lou Yuan complained. “You have no idea just how many powerful characters queue up just for a slight chance at getting their hands on one of my works. In fact, I have helped to design quite a few items for the seniors in your sect as well! Wait, don’t tell me you haven’t heard of the designer Wushuang, either?”
“Of course, I have heard of the designer Wushuang!” Zhao Yunxiao scoffed. “Are you trying to say that you are on the same level?”
“Well, that’s about right,” Lou Yuan answered. “After all, I am his disciple! Have you heard of the phrase, each new generation will be more excellent than the previous?”
“Wushuang’s disciple? You?” Zhao Yunxiao raised an eyebrow in response.
“What? Can’t you tell with a single look?” Lou Yuan challenged.
“This...” Zhao Yunxiao hesitated as he scrutinised Lou Yuan from head to toe.
Wushuang was a world-famous designer sought after by all sorts of powerful and influential characters far beyond his league.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the price of each set of clothing was far beyond what Zhao Yunxiao could ever afford!
In that regard, Lou Yuan’s dressing did seem a little too precious for a random traveller, even by cultivators’ standards.
He could sense Lou Yuan’s robes emanating a faint wave of energy – a definite proof that it was a treasure item and not just some random clothes.
Still, would a disciple of the famous Wushuang really be weak enough to be captured by a bunch of ordinary bandits?
Even if he was personally weak, surely he should have been rich enough to employ escorts for his travels.
For someone of such lofty status to have landed in such a state... that was simply too unbelievable!