The strategist, Tuo Tianliang, agreed. "The Chief is wise. Heartless Pillar’s leg techniques were formidable. He was known as the Flying Harrier even before he joined our mountain fortress."

"Whatever tricks those two used to corner Heartless Pillar, it shows their intelligence and bravery are anything but ordinary."

Drilling Mountain Leopard nodded and looked toward the door. "They leave the city every night, so they must be finding a place to rest."

"Third Shopkeeper, take the Fragrant Mink. Bring twenty—no, thirty of our brothers and drag them out for me!"

The Third Shopkeeper shouted his assent, "Yes!"

A purple-faced fat man in the crowd looked like he wanted to speak but hesitated. Drilling Mountain Leopard glanced at him. "Zheng Chuan, what is it?"

The purple-faced fat man stepped forward. "Chief, that kid carries chili powder on him. My Fragrant Mink took one whiff last time, and it still hasn’t recovered."

Drilling Mountain Leopard’s face twitched. "Then take a few more!"

The Third Shopkeeper hurried off with his men. Drilling Mountain Leopard looked at the headless corpse on the ground and waved his hand. "Take the body back and bury it. Burn the house down!"

A short while later, a great fire erupted at Zhao Lin’s house, its blaze dyeing half the sky red.

Watching the flames, Tuo Tianliang suddenly remembered something and said to Drilling Mountain Leopard, "Chief, doesn’t that Zhao Lin fellow have parents and brothers? How come they’re all gone?"

Drilling Mountain Leopard froze for a moment, then raised an eyebrow. "A good reminder, Strategist. That was an oversight on my part. I’ll contact the Water Dragon Gang and the Tiger Head Gang right away to find out where they’re hiding."

He let out a sinister laugh. "And if that kid refuses to submit, I’ll flay his family, pull out their tendons, and carve out their hearts and livers right in front of him..."

His laughter grew louder and louder, carrying far into the night.

The group of bandit leaders waited at the village entrance for a long time. It wasn’t until the latter half of the night that they saw the Third Shopkeeper galloping back with his men, two rabbits dangling from his hand.

The Second Shopkeeper’s small eyes widened. "Third, the Chief sent you to catch people, and you came back with two rabbits?"

"Damn it, we’ve been played!"

The Third Shopkeeper swung himself off his horse, fuming. "That brat tied his clothes to the rabbits, sending the Fragrant Minks on a wild goose chase. Wasted my whole damn night, and all I caught were these two stupid rabbits."

He then looked at Drilling Mountain Leopard. "Boss, why don’t we just block the four city gates? I refuse to believe they can fly their way in."

Drilling Mountain Leopard’s expression darkened. "Blockade the county seat? You think the government soldiers and patrolmen are just for show? They can’t do anything about us when we’re holed up in the mountains, but if we serve ourselves up on a platter, you think they won’t make a move?"

He paused, sweeping his gaze over the crowd. "Let’s put this aside for now. Just send some men to keep an eye on them and make sure they don’t escape. We have a big job coming up in a few days. I want everyone gathered and lying low for the time being."

...

Zhao Lin and Liang Song spent the night in a mountain kiln.

Ever since he’d gained hearing as sensitive as a bat’s, Zhao Lin could finally sleep with some peace of mind.

Having absorbed the Essence Soul of a Horseshoe Bat, Zhao Lin’s ears could not only pick up ultrasound undetectable by ordinary people, but his sensitivity to sound waves was also a cut above the rest.

The walls of the mountain kiln were thick, and ultrasound couldn’t penetrate them, so he wouldn’t be able to pinpoint the location of any person or beast approaching.

However, as long as there was any noise—that is, normal sound waves—he would still be able to detect it early.

When they awoke, the eastern sky was just beginning to whiten.

The two left their long spears and bows in the kiln. Long weapons and bows couldn’t be brought into the city.

The bandit’s head was a more troublesome matter. Carrying it openly would be shockingly unconventional. Zhao Lin gathered some long grass and large leaves, wrapped the head up, and managed to conceal it.

Arriving at the county gate, a guard saw the strange object in Zhao Lin’s hand and asked casually, "What’s that you’re holding?"

Zhao Lin replied, "Reporting to you, General. It’s the head of one of the bandit Drilling Mountain Leopard’s men."

The gate guard, hearing himself called "General," grinned from ear to ear before the words registered. "What? A head?"

His shout drew several other soldiers over.

"Which bandit’s head?"

"He just said it was one of Drilling Mountain Leopard’s men."

The lead soldier took the head from Zhao Lin, pushed aside the grass and leaves to inspect it for a moment, and asked, "Is this a common bandit, or a named leader?"

Zhao Lin took a few steps back and pointed to a wanted poster on the city wall. "I killed him last night. I think he looks a lot like Heartless Pillar from the notice. I’ll ask you generals to identify him."

The soldiers were all startled to hear the name Heartless Pillar.

The lead soldier carried the head over to the base of the city wall.

"You know, it really does look a bit like him."

"Yeah, the more I look, the more it seems so."

In truth, the head only bore a slight resemblance to the portrait on the wall. Catching someone from a sketch like this was impossible, but it was useful enough for verification.

The lead soldier, sensing this was no small matter, said to Zhao Lin and Liang Song, "I’ll go report this to the county office right away. I’ll have to trouble you two to come with me."

"I’m the one who killed him," Zhao Lin said, patting his chest. "I can go by myself."

The soldier’s gaze fell on Zhao Lin’s training clothes. "That works too!"

Liang Song whispered, "Are you sure you’ll be okay on your own?"

Zhao Lin waved his hand. "It’s safer if I go alone."

The lead soldier took Zhao Lin to the county office and reported the matter up the chain of command. Soon, a bailiff came out and led Zhao Lin to wait outside the Registrar’s office.

The Registrar was in charge of documents, household registration, and criminal cases. His position was second only to the County Magistrate and the County Adjutant, making him the third-most powerful figure in the county office. He had his own designated office to work from.

"The Registrar will summon you at any moment. You are to wait here. Do not wander off."

The bailiff said this and left.

’Wait here... do not wander off?’

Zhao Lin was stunned for a good while, half-amused and half-exasperated. If he weren’t in a different world, he’d have suspected the bailiff was trying to be clever at his expense.

He waited until it was nearly noon before the bailiff returned to inform him, "The Registrar summons you. Go on in."

Zhao Lin stepped into the Registrar’s office and saw a middle-aged man sitting behind a desk, flanked by several patrolmen.

It was obvious that the middle-aged man was the Registrar.

Zhao Lin looked over and saw that the man’s Qi and Blood were abundant and his breathing was long and steady. He had clearly practiced martial arts, and his level was likely quite high.

This confirmed a suspicion he’d long held: in a world of martial arts, even the so-called civil officials were warriors.

"Greetings, Lord Registrar."

Zhao Lin had managed to get his older brother out of hard labor by going through the Registrar, so he held a faintly positive impression of the man. He performed his cupped-fist salute with utmost propriety.

The Registrar gestured to a chair in front of him and said gently, "Ah, so you’re a distinguished disciple of the Liuhe Sect. Please, sit."

"Thank you, Registrar."

Zhao Lin sat down. The Registrar asked him a few questions about his name and background, then his expression turned serious. "Some men in the Garrison Army have seen the bandits before. I had them examine the head you brought. It is indeed one of the bandit leaders on the wanted list."

At this, the Registrar smiled. "Were you the one who killed him, or...?"

Zhao Lin wasn’t surprised by the question. Heartless Pillar was a notorious bandit, while he himself was just an apprentice of the Liuhe Sect.

In the eyes of others, ten of him tied together might not have been enough to kill Heartless Pillar.

"I’ve done some hunting in my time and know how to set traps. It was a lucky kill."

The Registrar didn’t intend to press the issue and nodded. "You did well. The bandits hide in the mountain forests, their movements are unpredictable, and the county has sent troops to pursue them several times without success."

"Although we have Blood Realm masters in Qinghe County, most of them cherish their reputations and are unwilling to take risks."

The Registrar glanced at Zhao Lin after speaking.

Zhao Lin said nothing, keeping his eyes down and his expression neutral.

’My own master, Zhu Huaishan, the Master of the Liuhe Sect, is a Blood Realm expert. The man’s words seemed to carry a hidden meaning.’

Seeing Zhao Lin avoid the topic, the Registrar didn’t press further. Instead, he said, "In any case, you killed a bandit leader, so a reward is essential. Tell me, do you want fame, or do you want fortune?"