The Yamen Bounty, Righteous Heroes Meet Violent Deaths!

"Chaotic times..." Over these days, Lu Changsheng had come to realize that the world was falling apart, steadily descending into an era of chaos. In such times, human life was as cheap as grass, and ordinary folk lacked even the slightest ability to protect themselves. Yet, judging by the patterns of history, troubled eras often gave rise to many powerful martial artists. By "powerful martial artists," that meant those above the Divine Strength Realm. Anyone below the Divine Strength Realm was far from earning the label of powerful. Lu Changsheng could only sigh in helplessness. No matter how the matter of the Thirteen Desert Riders played out, there was nothing he could do about it. Days slipped by, one after another. The trouble stirred up by the Thirteen Desert Riders grew larger and larger. By this point, even the wealthy merchants and affluent magnates had finally begun to feel fear. With the imperial troops having suffered a crushing defeat, it was impossible for the court to dispatch a grand army at a time like this. Consequently, many prominent merchants and magnates hired large numbers of martial artists and guards. Safety could still be guaranteed inside Nanyang City, but beyond its walls, the countryside had truly become the playground of outlaws. Bandits ran rampant outside the city, leaving the common people in unspeakable misery. Lu Changsheng maintained his daily routine of treating patients and cultivating. He could sense that more than half of his bone marrow had been "replaced." Fresh marrow was gradually spreading through the bones across his entire body. Perhaps in just a few days, his marrow transformation would be completely achieved. On this particular day, he walked from Miaoshou Garden toward Miaoren Hall. Refugees lay crowded along both sides of the streets, practically covering every road in sight. A rancid, foul stench drifted faintly through the air. Bandits running amok outside the walls had torn countless families apart and destroyed their homes, leaving them no choice but to drag their elders and young into Nanyang City for refuge, thus swelling the ranks of refugees. So many displaced people was an unmistakable omen of a chaotic age! *Clang! Clang! Clang!* Suddenly, a loud ringing resounded through the street. Lu Changsheng followed the sound. He saw crowds gathering outside the yamen. Several yamen runners were pasting up a notice board. One of the runners called out at the top of his lungs, "Bandits run rampant outside the city, and the Thirteen Desert Riders kill with ruthless bloodlust! Yet the imperial troops have suffered a bitter defeat, and the court has no leisure to dispatch a grand army to sweep away the bandit scourge. "His Honor the Prefect has specially posted this 'Righteous Heroes Notice,' in the hope that brave and noble men will step forward to slay the Thirteen Desert Riders, eliminate the scourge of bandits, and restore peace and order to Nanyang Prefecture! "Should any righteous hero succeed in slaying the Thirteen Desert Riders, the prefectural yamen shall reward them with a Divine Strength Realm martial art and five hundred taels of gold!" As the runners posted the Righteous Heroes Notice, an uproar broke out among the onlookers. The so-called Righteous Heroes Notice was, in truth, much like a recruitment proclamation for talents. It was the best solution the prefectural yamen could devise. Those five hundred taels of gold had undoubtedly been wrung out of the local gentry and prominent clans by the prefect. In fact, this was no reckless, spur-of-the-moment decision. Quite the contrary, it was a choice made after thorough deliberation. The imperial forces had been defeated by the Thirteen Desert Riders largely because mountain forests were ill-suited for pitched warfare; the Thirteen Desert Riders had allied with martial arts masters of the White Lotus Sect to carry out a decapitation strike, throwing the army into total rout. They had not been defeated in open battle formation. To deal with formidable martial artists of the jianghu, one naturally needed martial artists who were even stronger. Divine Strength Realm experts stood high above ordinary mortals, and the prefectural yamen had no means of enlisting them. Their only choice was to recruit martial artists from the jianghu—whether those swept along by righteous indignation, those coveting gold and silver, or those who desired a Divine Strength Realm martial art. Whatever their motive, martial artists were bound to accept the notice. After all, the prefectural yamen had truly paid a steep price this time. "A Divine Strength Realm martial art..." Even Lu Changsheng felt a slight tug of interest. However, he already possessed the Overlapping Peaks Divine Strength Art. Otherwise, even if only for the sake of that Divine Strength martial art, he would have stepped forward to tear down the notice and give it a try. Sure enough, not long after the notice was posted, several burly martial artists strode over and ripped down the Righteous Heroes Notice. "We, the Seven Brothers of Yunshan, will take this Righteous Heroes Notice!" shouted the burly martial artist in the lead. "It's the Seven Brothers of Yunshan?" "Impressive! The Seven Brothers of Yunshan have practiced martial arts together since childhood, and four of them are Refining Organs martial artists. What's even rarer is that the seven of them have mastered a coordinated strike technique that is utterly terrifying. Rumor has it they've bested quite a few Refining Organs experts!" "Still, all of the Thirteen Desert Riders are Refining Organs martial artists, and they're colluding with the White Demons. Can the Seven Brothers of Yunshan really pull it off?" "The Seven Brothers of Yunshan aren't fools. If they dare take down the notice, they must have some confidence!" The crowd buzzed with lively chatter. Lu Changsheng swept his gaze over them. The Seven Brothers of Yunshan radiated robust qi and blood, and their physical constitutions were extraordinarily powerful. Most of these seven were probably born with monstrous natural strength, just like the Blade-Trailing Heavenly King, Li Ji. If they had a combined strike formation on top of that, they were indeed not to be underestimated. A renewed burst of fervent discussion swept through the crowd outside the yamen, with the Seven Brothers of Yunshan standing firmly at the center of attention. Lu Changsheng did not linger to watch. He turned and headed to Miaoren Hall. In the blink of an eye, two days passed. The moment Lu Changsheng arrived at Miaoren Hall, he overheard Zhang Huan and several other apprentices murmuring among themselves. "Zhang Huan, what are you all discussing?" Lu Changsheng asked. "Dr. Lu, the Seven Brothers of Yunshan are dead. Their bodies were dumped right outside Nanyang City," Zhang Huan whispered. "Those Thirteen Desert Riders are truly ruthless!" "The Seven Brothers of Yunshan are dead?" Lu Changsheng's brow knitted slightly. The Seven Brothers of Yunshan were by no means weak, yet they had still perished. For a moment, the atmosphere throughout Miaoren Hall turned somber. Though none of them had ever laid eyes on the Thirteen Desert Riders, the gang's atrocious deeds left no room for goodwill toward them. In the hearts of many ordinary folk in Nanyang City, the Seven Brothers of Yunshan had been heroes. Alas, heroes rarely lived long. "Still, even though the Seven Brothers of Yunshan fell, the One-Armed Hero has gone and torn down the notice." "I hear this One-Armed Hero is exceptionally formidable, and his single-armed blade technique has never suffered a single defeat. It was purely by chance that he arrived in our Nanyang City and stepped up to take the notice." Lu Changsheng had never heard of any One-Armed Hero. Yet for someone to tear down the notice even after the Seven Brothers of Yunshan had been slain, he had to possess some degree of confidence in preserving his own life. Lu Changsheng began seeing patients, though there seemed to be very few. "Zhang Huan, do you know why fewer and fewer patients have been coming by?" Lu Changsheng asked. Although winter had passed and the weather was steadily warming, it was hardly possible that no one was falling ill. Yet Miaoren Hall was now so deserted that sparrows could nest at the doorstep. Zhang Huan hesitated, but eventually spoke up. "Dr. Lu, the world is in utter turmoil right now. Bandits run rampant outside, trade routes are cut off, and human life is treated like grass. People don't even have enough to eat—where would they find money to see a physician? "Even if they fall sick, they can only grit their teeth and endure it at home. They simply don't dare come for treatment." Lu Changsheng understood. It was not that fewer people were sick—plenty were surely suffering from ailments. Rather, most patients had no money to consult a physician, leaving them with no choice but to bear their illness on their own. "A chaotic age..." Lu Changsheng felt the tangible weight of this era of unrest. And this was not yet true chaos; at most, it was merely bandits running rampant. A true chaotic age would be far crueler than what they were witnessing now. The following day, Lu Changsheng arrived at Miaoren Hall. Zhang Huan wore a dejected expression. "Dr. Lu, I heard you've already sensed qi and blood and can be considered a martial artist. Just how formidable are those Thirteen Desert Riders?" Zhang Huan could not help asking. The apprentices in Miaoren Hall were aware of some of Lu Changsheng's background. Lu Changsheng had never deliberately concealed that he had sensed his qi and blood and become a martial artist, so Zhang Huan and the others naturally knew. "The Thirteen Desert Riders are likely all Refining Organs martial artists. They are very formidable," Lu Changsheng replied honestly. "No wonder even the One-Armed Hero died." Lu Changsheng was taken aback. "The One-Armed Hero only took down the notice yesterday, and he's dead today?" "Yes. The One-Armed Hero's corpse was discovered outside the city today, covered in multiple blade wounds. He met a gruesome end. "With the Thirteen Desert Riders so overwhelming, and with the Seven Brothers of Yunshan and the One-Armed Hero all dead, who knows if anyone else will dare tear down the notice?" Worry showed on Zhang Huan's face. This was likely the fear weighing on the entire city of Nanyang. One day, two days, three days... Three more days slipped by, yet not a soul stepped forward to take the Righteous Heroes Notice outside the yamen. Whenever Lu Changsheng passed by the yamen, he saw a crowd gathered beneath the notice, but not one person dared tear it down. After all, the Thirteen Desert Riders were so savage that tearing down the notice was practically suicide. *If I break through the life-and-death gateway and advance to the Divine Strength Realm, perhaps I could take down that Righteous Heroes Notice...* Lu Changsheng despised the Thirteen Desert Riders as well. In his heart, he had come to regard Nanyang Prefecture as his own territory. Having the Thirteen Desert Riders run rampant across Nanyang Prefecture felt like a slap in his face. Even so, Lu Changsheng was currently undergoing marrow transformation, which was a critical phase. He did not wish to invite needless complications. Just as Lu Changsheng was about to turn and leave, a familiar figure flashed before the Righteous Heroes Notice, tearing it down with a swift rip. "I'll take this Righteous Heroes Notice!" Lu Changsheng narrowed his eyes, gazing at the distant figure. *It's actually him?* Lu Changsheng was genuinely surprised. He had never expected this person to step forward and tear down the Righteous Heroes Notice at a time like this.