Legend of Swordsman

They arrived at the warehouse.

Scar Sui greeted everyone one by one.

“Second Leader!”

“Brother Dao!”

“Scarred Xui!”

Each title made Jian Wushuang and Xiang Yang suppress their laughter.

From the introductions, they learned that not only were there bandits here, but also their families.

There were only about a hundred skilled robbers, but they had to take care of a total of six hundred family members.

There was no other way; in this era, if you didn’t engage in this trade, even surviving was a problem.

Moreover, they could be considered honorable thieves, robbing only merchant ships or government ships.

Ordinary folks had nothing worth stealing anyway.

Scar Sui led them to a small, partitioned living room and invited them to sit down.

“Rest here for a bit. I’ll go get my big brother. Today, we must have a good drink together!”

Hearing this, Jian Wushuang and Xiang Yang couldn’t help but swallow.

They hadn’t had a proper meal at a tavern since they were on the road.

They had planned to eat and drink heartily once they reached Yong City.

Unexpectedly, they were robbed by bandits.

If getting robbed wasn’t bad enough, they also encountered soldiers suppressing bandits.

By sheer luck, they ended up in this bandit den.

As Scar Sui left, Xiang Yang licked his lips and teased, “Who would’ve thought our first meal and drink would be here!”

The two of them hadn’t eaten meat in over a month, and they were drooling over the pork pastries. They couldn’t wait any longer.

They momentarily forgot they were in a bandit den.

They didn’t even worry about the bandits potentially killing them.

This time, they didn’t overthink it.

The other side didn’t think too much either.

Before long, Scar Sui returned with the big brother he had mentioned.

“I am Wang Lun. Greetings, brothers!”

“I am Jian Wushuang, and this is Xiang Yang!” the two replied in unison.

Engaging in a chivalrous exchange, they talked for quite a while.

In truth, they didn’t discuss much of substance.

Mainly because Jian Wushuang and Xiang Yang knew nothing about the Great Tang.

They had to make things up as they went along.

Fortunately, this was the mundane world. These bandits had never even left Bin Hai Prefecture, let alone knew what the Great Tang was like.

So Jian Wushuang and Xiang Yang started bragging.

By the end, they forgot what they had said earlier, resulting in many inconsistencies.

Thankfully, everyone had drunk a lot, so the details were glossed over.

They had a long, enjoyable conversation that night.

They exchanged a pile of lies for genuine camaraderie.

Caught up in the excitement, Scar Sui and Wang Lun pulled them into a brotherhood pledge.

From then on, this small dock had four leaders.

Big Leader “Wang Lun”

Second Leader “Jian Wushuang”

Third Leader “Scar Sui”

Fourth Leader “Xiang Yang”

The hundred or so bandits cheered enthusiastically.

This made Jian Wushuang and Xiang Yang feel a long-lost sense of respect.

It seemed like they had regained some of their initial momentum.

Besides these matters, they also understood some things about the current Binhai Prefecture.

For instance, of the four major cities, only Yongcheng had stationed troops.

The other three major cities had long been emptied.

They had all fled along the sea to the Tang Dynasty.

To take enough treasures with them before they left, the canal was busy transporting the belongings of the dignitaries day and night.

That’s how they were able to make a fortune and support hundreds of people.

The reason there were officials and soldiers suppressing bandits during the day was because they had robbed the dignitaries of their gold and silver.

Upon hearing this, Jian Wushuang used his eloquence to restore some confidence in these people.

“Brother Wang Lun, you can’t say that. Think about it, this gold and silver is the fat and marrow of the people, plundered by the dignitaries from the common folk. It’s only right for us to rob it back. In the future, not only should we rob, but we should rob more, build ourselves bigger and stronger. How can a hundred or so people be enough? We need to expand our team, make the small dock into a big dock. Didn’t you mention that blood port upstream? Let’s rob it the same way!”

His words ignited a fiery passion in everyone.

A vast blueprint also unfolded from his mouth.

“First, rob Sha Family Town, then seize Sha Family Port, and then go north to take the entire blood port. By then, the entire canal will be ours. With money, we can recruit troops, and the big brother can become the emperor. Wouldn’t that be satisfying?”

It sounded satisfying indeed.

But Jian Wushuang didn’t consider that he had drunk alcohol.

Now that he was a mortal, after drinking, he too would become muddleheaded.

But the others believed it.

Especially Xiang Yang, who had lost interest in cultivation altogether.

“Become the emperor!”

“Become the emperor!”

In the chants of “become the emperor,” Wang Lun lost himself.

Even Scarred Zhuan was the same, shaking Jian Wushuang’s arm and saying, “Brother Wushuang, what about me? Can I become the crown prince?”

“Uh….”

The drinking continued until the next morning.

Jian Wushuang woke up groggily.

He found himself lying in a large room.

Beneath him was soft animal skin.

Climbing up, he felt his throat burning with thirst.

Hurriedly, he stood up, ran to the table, picked up a pot of tea, and gulped it down.

After drinking several big gulps, he finally felt better.

He didn’t know how much he drank yesterday, but he woke up with a headache.

Shaking his head, he leaned against the animal skin.

Only then did he remember the words he said yesterday.

He felt embarrassed and somewhat regretful.

However, he also learned about the world outside Jiang Kingdom from Wang Lun.

The place they were in was called the Seven Profound States.

The Seven Profound States were near the sea.

There were seven major countries within its jurisdiction.

Jiang Kingdom and Yue Kingdom were among them.

As for the Tang Dynasty, it was another continent called “Central Divine State.”

It was rumored to be a continent inhabited by immortals.

It was many times larger than the Seven Profound States.

Yesterday, he had forgotten about the path of cultivation because he was too happy at the wine table.

Now, thinking about it, he felt a bit regretful. Knowing that the Central Divine State had immortals, why was he still waiting here?

Growing big and strong was not his goal.

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but knock on his head.

At this moment, the door opened.

A simple-looking maid walked in carrying a basin of water.

“Second Master, you’re awake?”

The maid was very obedient and a bit shy. She walked up to Jian Wushuang, put down the basin, took out a towel, and was about to wipe Jian Wushuang’s face.

Jian Wushuang hurriedly stopped her.

“No need, I’ll do it myself!” He took the towel and wiped his face, feeling a bit more awake, and said, “You are… Tu… family member?”

The maid shook her head and said, “No, I was a maid rescued by Brother Zhuan from a landlord’s house. Brother Zhuan asked me to serve Second Master.”

“What’s your name?”

“Second Master can call me Qing’er.”

The maid said, stepping forward. Jian Wushuang, having seen big scenes, still felt a bit resistant to a little maid, quickly waved her off, and asked her to call Xiang Yang over.

Without needing to ask, Xiang Yang had also become the fourth master in their mouths.

One drink had surprisingly elevated his status.

But on second thought, he had lived countless eras.

It wouldn’t be a loss even if they called him an ancestor.

Qing’er left, and after a short while, the door opened again.