Chapter 981 The Bandit Chief
“Don’t be afraid. We might not lose.”
Qinghu knew that those things were not easy to deal with. However, once they guys got into a fight, they might not be completely at a disadvantage.
Lin Mengya was in such a hurry to Lieyun, but she still followed the mountain bandits to the headquarters of Fort Naratha obediently. Qinghu could not figure it out.
“I know that. Who said we were going because we were afraid of him?”
Lin Mengya slightly curled up her lips into a mysterious smile.
Qinghu suddenly got the point and smiled slyly.
“You’re really quick-witted. Fine, let’s go and check out what’s going on behind this.”
There was still a long way to get to the headquarters of Fort Naratha. These guys always carried bows, arrows, and crossbows on them, and similarly, Qinghu and the others also tensed up all the time, not revealing any slack at all.
Lin Mengya closed her eyes, but her brain kept spinning.
The guide had said that this group of mountain bandits did not abide by the rules. So she kept a low profile from the very beginning. Logical speaking, it was better to do them a favor and mind their own business, than to confront them head-on.
As for those armed men, they didn’t look like bandits at all. Instead, they looked like regular armed forces who had been trained.
If it were the same as she had guessed, this battle would be very interesting.
When the group of people arrived at the headquarters of Fort Naratha, they were not blindfolded. Qinghu noticed that this place was easier to defend than to attack. As long as the highest point was occupied, it would be a fortress where one man could hold off ten thousand men.
Their team of 20 people was taken to the courtyard.
The bandit chief got off the horse and walked gracefully up to Qinghu step by step.
“It’s been a long time, Senior Brother.”
His hoa.r.s.e voice was full of hatred. Qinghu’s eyes flashed when he saw the bandit chief’s pale face.
“To my surprise, you’re still alive.”
The bandit chief laughed out foolishly. It was just that his laughter was mixed with madness.
“Yeah, you didn’t expect that I could climb out of a pile of corpses and survive, did you? Thanks to you for all this!”
No one else heard the conversation between them.
Before Qinghu could react, the bandit chief took a step back and returned to his previous state.
Then, he ordered, “Take this respected guest to the front hall and have a rest.”
As soon as he finished speaking, over a dozen men came forward and tried to catch Qinghu.
Qinghu glared at them, and they retracted their hands subconsciously.
“p.i.s.s off!”
With a low roar, Qinghu’s aura was fully released.
The dozen mountain bandits had never seen such a scene before. They took a few steps back and looked fearfully at the gloomy-faced young man in front of them.
“Let’s go. Don’t keep the chief waiting.”
Lin Mengya got out of the carriage, and all the mountain bandits fixed their eyes on her.
This was the first time they had seen such a beautiful woman.
Lin Mengya could sense the evil look in the eyes of the bandits in all directions, and she just snorted coldly.
These were just small potatoes, so she was not angry with them.
The headquarters of Fort Naratha was located on a steep top of the mountain. The front hall, where Lin Mengya and the others were, was a huge cave.
Inside the front hall, it was s.p.a.cious and bright, but the decorations were exquisite and luxurious.
The style was just like that of the main hall of wealthy families in the Capital City. However, some things looked too crude, appearing a little out of place.
Lin Mengya and Qinghu did not stand at the ceremony. After entering the main hall, they took their seats casually.
Except for a few bandits who guarded them, they did not see the bandit chief with a feminine face.
“Do you know the bandit chief?”
Seeing only her people were by her side, Lin Mengya whispered to Qinghu.
Qinghu hesitated for a moment before nodding lightly.
“He can be considered my junior fellow apprentice. Back then, he was a popular artist. Unfortunately, he was forced to eat charcoal, causing his throat to be destroyed.”
Speaking of the past, Qinghu looked a little solemn.
It seemed that the bandit chief was an abandoned p.a.w.n.
“Then you and him…”
“I was the one who gave the order to fill the charcoal into his throat. I’m afraid that I’m the person he hates the most in his life.”
Even in the enemy’s territory, Qinghu was still calm.
He used to kill people and rob them. Even though he was out of business now, he had never regretted it.
“What had he done wrong?”
Lin Mengya was not surprised at the torture methods used in the Candle Dragon Cult.
A chilling look flashed across Qinghu’s eyes, and the smile on his lips became more ruthless.
“He was executed by me in private. He ate the pear soup stewed with children’s lungs to keep his voice. I asked him to find the children outside, but he insisted on finding them in the Candle Dragon Cult. After it was exposed, our master, who was in charge of training, almost beat him to death. However, he didn’t repent and continued to do such things secretly. I didn’t care about others, but he shouldn’t have hurt my subordinate.”
Lin Mengya didn’t know what to say. Qinghu had been trained by the Candle Dragon Cult for years, and his views on right and wrong had long been different from ordinary people.
It had been a miracle for her to see that Qinghu could become what he was now.
Unexpectedly, the members trained by the Candle Dragon Cult all had extremely distorted personalities.
Ling Mengya held her forehead. She felt that it was a little hard to deal with.
Why did she always have to come into contact with these abnormal people?
Qinghu had only told her the reason why they became enemies, but Lin Mengya already had a preliminary understanding of the bandit chief’s character.
He was ruthless, capricious, and fond of hurting people around him. Meanwhile, he was extremely selfish, independent, and crazy.
To deal with such a person, the regular methods would not be workable, so she would have to be more vicious than him.
Fortunately, she had some experience in such things.
At the very least, she wouldn’t be defeated here.
Compared with the bandits outside, the team of over 20 people at Lin Mengya’s side, who were dressed in coa.r.s.e clothes though, obviously had better quality.
Many bandits craned to look at them, but it drew Lin Mengya’s attention that none of those who had the most advanced weapons, came to watch.
“The people in the mountains have never seen much of the world. Sorry for disturbing you.”
The chief, who had changed his clothes, deliberately pretended to be n.o.ble and said in a hoa.r.s.e and unpleasant voice. He swaggered toward Lin Mengya and the others with his trusted followers.
His clothes were made of expensive silks and satins as the previous ones, and even the style was the latest popular.
It seemed that this former popular artist still kept the habit as before.
In Lin Mengya’s point of view, a person like the chief, who was always immersed in his past and refused to extricate himself from it, had no future.
Those who didn’t even dare to welcome the future had no choice but to be buried in the past.
“No problem. Chief, there must be some reason for you to have invited us here. You can go straight to the point.”
Lin Mengya said that abruptly, but the bandit chief did not reveal any surprise on his face.
It was obvious that he knew very well about the situation of Lin Mengya’s group.
“As expected, the Hall Master of Sanjue Hall is straightforward. You’re right. I invited you up here for a reason. By the way, I am Xia Bin. I’d like to ask you for one thing, and I won’t touch the rest.”
Lin Mengya raised her eyebrows and sneered, but Xia Bin did not take her seriously.
“Please go ahead, Chief.”
Xia Bin looked Lin Mengya up and down before he spoke.
“Hall Master Lin, I want your head and Qinghu!”
With his cold voice, the situation was getting worse.
The two sides were at loggerheads, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
“Chief, let me tell you something unpleasant. Too many people want to kill me, but my head is still on my neck. It does not rely on begging for mercy. Also, I’m afraid that the person who asked you to kill me didn’t tell you everything.”
Xia Bin’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he quickly smiled in an unperturbed manner.
He was a man who had experienced a lot in the mortal world, so he naturally knew that the woman in front of him was not easy to fool.
“Hall Master Lin, it seems that you are not going to cooperate. But, I have to tell you something first. Since you have guessed that someone wants to buy your life, I naturally have learned all your weaknesses clearly. I know that you can poison invisibly. However, no one in Fort Naratha is afraid of you.”
Since Xia Bin had said it clearly, both sides already knew very well what he meant.
However, Lin Mengya still sat in the chair steadily, and she looked at the bandit chief in front of her with a half-smile.
“Perhaps the person behind knows some unimportant things. But Chief Xia, I’ll also tell you the truth. If I can’t get out of your territory, everyone here, including you, will die!”
They threatened each other. This was the first round of battle between Lin Mengya and Xia Bin, and they competed in momentum.
Although Xia Bin had that person’s words as a.s.surance, he could not help but hesitate in his mind.
People like them would never trust anyone with their hearts.
Not to mention that Lin Mengya had Qinghu with her.
Xia Bin knew Qinghu’s character better than anyone else. Even those guys in the Candle Dragon Cult could not make him obedient like this.
He had to admit that Ling Mengya had some strength.
The atmosphere was deadlocked. Who was the first to lose their cool would lose this round.
Lin Mengya was truly confident, but she was more eager to find out who wanted to kill her.
“Hall Master Lin, I admire your courage. I can give up this deal. Look, I take a step back. As long as you leave him to me, I will let your men go down the mountain. What do you think?”
Xia Bin’s hatred for Qinghu was more than enough to suppress his greed for money.
Moreover, he was fully confident that Lin Mengya would eventually compromise.
People like Xia Bin and Qinghu were merely playthings in the eyes of those people in the moral world.
In the end, their shameful births caused people to look down on them.
Thirty years ago, Xia Bin was also a plaything, but unfortunately, he was damaged by Qinghu.
Thirty years later, he wanted to destroy Qinghu in person and let him taste the pain he had suffered back then!
Just when Xia Bin was full of confidence and expectation, Lin Mengya’s answer easily shattered his hope.
“I refuse. If you want to touch him, get past me first!”