Chapter 66 - 66: Successful Marrow Replacement, Soaring
Translator: Daoist6fubtiW
This method has become much more practical. However, when Lu Changsheng looked deep within himself, he couldn’t find anything that made him extremely sad or happy.
Lu Changsheng reflected on his memories; he had traveled through time, originally being a beggar with no parents. Even if he were to find his biological family now, they would be strangers to him, and he wouldn’t feel any emotional connection.
Furthermore, in the current chaotic times, finding his biological relatives would be an exceedingly difficult task.
“What could make me extremely angry, sad, or happy?” Lu Changsheng pondered.
Without understanding this, he couldn’t temporarily sense the crucial connection between life and death. However, overall, sensing this connection was not difficult; it was merely a matter of time.
Lu Changsheng wasn’t in a hurry. He collected his energy and left the courtyard, heading towards Miaoshou Garden.
During his “Easy Marrow” period, he had spent many days. Now, he needed to sense the vital connection between life and death, and he didn’t mind waiting a few more days.
While passing by the yamen (local government office), Lu Changsheng noticed a crowd of people gathered outside. Yamen officials were posting the “Righteous Heroes List,” and they shouted loudly, “The Thirteen Riders of the Great Desert are causing havoc in Nanyang, bringing disaster to the region. Many righteous heroes have attempted to eliminate this menace, but all have been killed by the Thirteen Riders of the Great Desert.”
“Today, we are increasing the rewards on the ‘Righteous Heroes List.’ Anyone who can eliminate the Thirteen Riders of the Great Desert will receive a reward of one thousand taels of gold and access to divine power-level martial arts.”
Lu Changsheng’s heart sank. The government had increased the reward significantly, and one thousand taels of gold was not a small sum; it was equivalent to ten thousand taels of silver. The last time the government mobilized, many wealthy merchants and nobles could only barely come up with three thousand taels of silver.
This time, the government was willing to offer one thousand taels of gold, indicating that the wealthy and powerful figures in Nanyang City were truly desperate.
Lu Changsheng pushed through the crowd and saw a corpse lying on the ground, covered in numerous wounds, as if it had been struck multiple times. The face was beyond recognition, but the clothing on the body unmistakably belonged to the man known as “Shen Ying.”
Evidently, the corpse was that of Shen Ying. This man had been relentlessly pursuing the Venomous Sect for over a decade, carrying deep-seated grudges. He hadn’t died at the hands of the Venomous Sect but had met his end at the hands of the Thirteen Riders of the Great Desert.
Lu Changsheng didn’t inquire about the cause of Shen Ying’s death, but there were already numerous discussions among those around him.
“Shen Hero used poison in the water source of the Thirteen Riders of the Great Desert’s stronghold.”
“He had successfully poisoned many bandits, but unfortunately, he was discovered by the White Demon’s men and ultimately met a gruesome end.”
“Look at the state of Shen Hero’s death. He was killed by various potent poisons, and his death was extremely tragic. The Thirteen Riders of the Great Desert and the White Demon are truly ruthless!”
“Alas, now that Shen Hero is dead, who would dare to take up the challenge?”
Many people shook their heads and sighed, lamenting Shen Ying’s fate.
To eliminate the Thirteen Riders of the Great Desert, many had died over the years.
“Quick, make way!”
“Lord Prefect, please send troops to wipe out the Thirteen Riders of the Great Desert!”
“Our Liu Family’s caravan, consisting of over a hundred people, all paid the road toll, and yet we were still slaughtered by the Thirteen Riders of the Great Desert.”
“They left a letter on the bodies, to be delivered to the Prefect’s yamen.”
At this moment, members of the Liu family were carrying corpses outside the yamen.
In total, there were 136 bodies!
For a moment, a strong odor of blood filled the air, and many people were shocked to witness this scene.
The head of the Liu family adhered to the rules and paid the road toll as demanded by the Thirteen Riders of the Great Desert without any resistance.
Yet, they still faced a brutal massacre.
The Prefect was present outside the yamen, his face grim, and he ordered, “Open the letter and read it aloud in public.”
“Yes, my lord.”
The yamen officials opened the Thirteen Riders of the Great Desert’s letter.
The letter explained the reason for killing the Liu family caravan, which was to retaliate for the Prefect’s continuous dispatch of “righteous heroes.”
Furthermore, the Thirteen Riders of the Great Desert issued a threat in the letter.
If the Prefect’s yamen sent assassins to target the Thirteen Riders of the Great Desert again, for each attempt, they would massacre a nearby village.
“This is outrageous!”
“Small River Village has hundreds of residents. How dare they?”
“Those damned bandits have no scruples!”
“Report…”
Just then, city guards hurriedly arrived to report, “Your Excellency Prefect, there are refugees from Small River Village outside the city gates, accusing that the village has been massacred by a group of bandits. They request your help to eliminate the bandits!”
The Prefect’s body swayed, almost stumbling.
“This is too much…”
The Prefect gritted his teeth, his eyes almost shooting flames, but he felt powerless.
Although he held the position of Prefect, he was truly helpless against the Thirteen Riders of the Great Desert.
Many citizens in the city were filled with righteous anger, but that was all they could do.
Lu Changsheng didn’t watch any further. He went straight to Miaoshou Garden.
There, he saw Wang Ruohai with a pale face, tears in the corners of his eyes. “Doctor Wang, what’s wrong with you?” Lu Changsheng asked.
Wang Ruohai, with bloodshot eyes, gritted his teeth and said, “Those damned bandits massacred Small River Village, and that’s my hometown…”
Wang Ruohai’s parents were still living in Small River Village, enjoying their old age. Unfortunately, most of them had likely fallen to the bandits’ blades.
It was no wonder Wang Ruohai was so distressed.
However, Wang Ruohai, like many others, was powerless.
Not to mention Wang Ruohai, even Miaoshou Garden would be helpless in the face of bandits like the Thirteen Riders of the Great Desert..