Legacy of the Spirit Stone-Chapter 37 – Harassment

At the border of White Stone and Clear River, Yang Clan North Mine.
"Please... please, spare me a..."
Crack!
Before the bandit leader could finish his plea, Yang Linghu had already twisted his neck.
Looking at the corpses scattered around, he wiped the blood off his body and calmly turned to leave.
This was the fifth group of bandits he had dealt with in recent days.
These unlucky fools were greedy, thinking they could take over the mine as a base, not realizing that a cultivator at the Qi Condensation Second Layer was guarding this remote mine.
By the time they discovered Yang Linghu was no ordinary person, it was too late to escape.
Returning to the mine, the clan soldiers on guard stood at attention and saluted him.
"Welcome back, Immortal Master Linghu!"
Yang Linghu nodded and returned to his residence.
As soon as he entered, he sat on the meditation mat and began to review the day's events.
Over the past year of guarding the mine alone, he had developed this habit.
He knew he didn't have Lingqing's sharp mind, so he always thought things through carefully to avoid any mistakes.
After going over the day's events in his mind, Yang Linghu slowly opened his eyes.
"Today, that leader had all eleven Qi Nodes open, almost ready to form a Qi Palace."
Yang Linghu thought, "Lingqing mentioned in her letter that this area would be plagued by bandits, and I should be cautious and not act impulsively."
He stood up and walked to the window, looking at the ominous clouds in the sky, feeling a sense of foreboding.
"Wait, something's not right."
A sudden flash of insight hit Yang Linghu. He took out a map and marked the locations where the five groups of bandits had appeared.
Looking at it this way, he could clearly see the commonality in the bandits' movements.
Initially, they entered from the east, then moved in different directions, but all turned south after heading north, aiming for the mine.
It was as if someone had guided them.
Yang Linghu spread out the map and traced his finger northward, stopping at a location.
Mulberry Dew Valley!
Yang Linghu immediately realized that the Zhang family must be involved.
With this realization, he quickly changed his plan.
"Someone, come here."
"At your service, Immortal Master!"
A clan soldier captain wearing vine armor entered the room.
"Pass my order: cease mining operations from today, and within three days, send all stored materials and laborers back home."
Yang Linghu instructed, "After they leave, you and the clan soldiers should return as well."
"What! Immortal Master, are you planning to stay here alone?"
The clan soldier captain exclaimed in shock, "This won't do, Immortal Master Lingqing specifically instructed..."
Yang Linghu raised his hand to signal him to stop speaking and handed over a letter he had prepared.
"This is my letter. Once Lingqing sees it, she'll understand. The upcoming bandit troubles are not something you can handle. It's not worth losing your lives here after the family has worked so hard to train you."
"This..."
The clan soldier captain opened his mouth but eventually agreed, immediately starting to organize the miners to transfer the stored ore.
Meanwhile, north of the mine, on a hill not far from Mulberry Dew Valley.
A group of bandits was entrenched there, having built a camp.
The camp was bustling with over a hundred people, feasting on meat and wine, all of which they had plundered along the way, leaving countless innocent civilians in their wake.
"Young Master Zhang, thanks to you, our three brothers have found our footing. I toast to you!"
In the central tent of the camp, a burly man with a full beard raised a wine jar to toast Zhang Chen.
This man was the leader of the bandits.
Beside him sat two others, one with a sinister face dressed in white, and the other with a scarred face.
These two were the sworn brothers of the bearded leader and the second and third in command of the bandit force.
Seeing their leader toast, the two followed suit.
"Young Master Zhang, you are a benefactor to our brothers. I toast to you as well!"
"Count me in!"
"Hahaha, well said, well said!"
Zhang Chen was in high spirits, downing three large cups of wine, earning cheers from the three.
"Young Master Zhang can hold his liquor!"
"With such boldness, your future is limitless!"
After a round of drinking, Zhang Chen set down his cup and got to the main topic.
"Liao Feng, by helping you three brothers, I've broken some rules and taken quite a risk."
Zhang Chen said slowly, "You must handle that matter well for me."
"Of course! Rest assured, Young Master Zhang, we've been preparing for this for days, just waiting to close the net."
The leader, Liao Feng, readily agreed.
"Good! With your assurance, I'm relieved. Come, let's drink!"
The reason Zhang Chen was mingling with these bandits had to be traced back to the start of the war between the two countries.
Since losing the battle for the mine over a year ago, Zhang Chen had kept it in mind, always thinking about how to reclaim it.
But since Zhang Tianqi and others were focused on the cave mansion in Mulberry Dew Valley, they had no plans in that regard, so Zhang Chen had to temporarily set aside his thoughts.
When the war broke out and bandit troubles became more severe, the Mayor of Clear River Town sought help from the Zhang family, hoping they could assist in dealing with the bandits.
At that time, the Zhang family had made some progress in studying the cave mansion's restrictions, and Zhang Tianqi and others were unwilling to divert their attention. Coincidentally, Zhang Chen had just broken through to the Qi Condensation Second Layer.
Zhang Tianqi wanted to use this opportunity to train Zhang Chen, so he assigned him the task of assisting in the bandit suppression and even gave him a protective jade from the family for his safety.
With this jade, he could handle even cultivators at the Qi Condensation Third Layer.
Initially, Zhang Chen took the bandit suppression seriously, but after a few days, his hidden thoughts began to stir.
"With bandits rampant everywhere, the Yang Clan doesn't have the geographical advantage like our Mulberry Dew Valley. They must be troubled."
"The mine is far from the Yang Clan's home. That old fox Yang Guanfeng surely wouldn't abandon his home to guard this distant mine. It's probably still that Qi Condensation First Layer Yang Clan kid guarding it."
With this in mind, he came up with a plan.
"Why not divert the trouble south, drive the bandits there, and then pick a few strong bandits, offer them some benefits, and have them kill everyone at the mine, including that Yang Clan kid, using a borrowed knife!"
"Haha, this way, it would seem like the Yang Clan couldn't defend their property against the bandits, losing soldiers and resources. Who could they blame?"
"Then I can step in, wipe out the bandits here, and rightfully take over the mine!"
With this plan, he immediately took action, first driving some capable bandits south, then recruiting Liao Feng and his brothers, allowing them to camp near Mulberry Dew Valley and providing them with supplies.
Liao Feng was originally a sergeant under a prince of the Eastern Wasteland Dynasty, entering the path of cultivation through martial prowess, with a Qi Condensation Second Layer cultivation. His two sworn brothers were also Qi Condensation First Layer cultivators.
Among the bandits, they were extremely powerful, having gathered their hundred or so men through battles and annexations.
"Hmph, once I reclaim this mine, you'll all see who truly represents the future of the Zhang family!" With the alcohol warming him, Zhang Chen thought expectantly.