"You were a bit too ruthless; there was no need to kill them. They were already subdued, handing them over to the authorities would have sufficed."
Bai Zhantang pushed Lin Feng away, scolding him for being too heartless.
After all, he was just the Saint of Thieves and had never killed anyone, so he felt a bit uneasy.
Lin Feng chuckled and retorted, "You feel sympathy for their brotherly bond, but why don't you think about those poor bailiffs they killed?"
Bai Zhantang was momentarily speechless, looking at the ground littered with soldiers' corpses, a wave of guilt and a deep sense of weariness towards the martial world surged in his heart.
Lin Feng continued, "Do you think leaving one of them alive is merciful after the other six are dead? Wrong, it would only make him suffer more. The best way is to reunite him with his brothers."
Bai Zhantang remained silent, knowing Lin Feng was right, yet unable to agree.
After a long pause, he sighed, "Perhaps this is why I want to retire from the martial world; it's not suitable for me."
With the death of the Seven Brothers, the remaining infamous bandits lost their will to fight, surrendering or being killed.
Lin Feng, while bending down to clean the battlefield, responded to Bai Zhantang without looking up.
"You think the martial world isn't for you because you haven't truly fought with people, experienced life and death. If you had, you might not say that."
"You're wrong. Some people are just not suited for the martial world. I can't even bear to kill a chicken, let alone a person. My martial arts may be good, but I can never be like you. Mercy doesn't get you far in the martial world."
"You're right about that. Being merciful to enemies is being cruel to yourself. Survival in the martial world follows the law of the jungle."
Bai Zhantang shook his head with a bitter smile, watching Lin Feng rummage through the bloody loot as if nothing had happened, feeling a sense of admiration.
"You truly are suited for the martial world. Perhaps we were wrong about you before. Maybe you'll make a name for yourself in the martial world."
Lin Feng turned back with a smile, "Thanks, brother."
Bai Zhantang said nothing more, only reminding Lin Feng not to forget his promise before disappearing from the courtyard.
He didn't need any credit or reward.
After this incident, Bai Zhantang distanced himself even more from the martial world, wanting only to live a peaceful life with Shopkeeper Tong.
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Lin Feng, on the other hand, unceremoniously searched through the bodies of the Seven Brothers.
To his surprise, the spoils were abundant, enough to fill his 50-pound backpack to the brim!
"Young Hero Lin, Magistrate Lou is here!"
Not long after the battle ended, Magistrate Lou arrived with his men, his heart pounding at the sight of the corpses scattered across the courtyard.
Constable Xing recounted the battle's brutality, leaving Magistrate Lou in a cold sweat.
If Lin Feng hadn't been there today, his men would likely have perished, and even he, the magistrate, might have faced dire consequences.
"Thank you, Young Hero Lin. I knew you could do it. Haha, you've done a great service for Seven Heroes Town!"
Magistrate Lou beamed with a smile.
Lin Feng unceremoniously extended his hand, "Can you fulfill your promise now? Or do I have to help you find the stolen silver first?"
"Of course not. I'll interrogate the surrendered bandits, and we'll find out soon enough. No need for you to worry, and I've already prepared something for you."
With that, Magistrate Lou's men presented a token and a set of clothes.
Lin Feng first took the token.
[Seven Heroes Town Yamen Consultant]: An officially certified token from the Imperial Court, Charisma +5 points, Reputation +200 points. Holding this token upgrades the attitude of Han officials on any map to friendly, allows for special handling of minor matters, and provides numerous conveniences such as waiving entry fees to unimportant towns.
This token was quite useful, applicable beyond the novice map, and Lin Feng was very satisfied.
Then he looked at the set of clothes, surprised to find it was a complete Bandit Suppression set, consisting of four pieces of equipment.
Lin Feng thought to himself that the task was worth it, as the reward matched the risk.
"Ding! You have collected all 5 pieces of the Bandit Suppression set. Wearing them will upgrade all equipment by one grade. If any piece is removed or lost, all equipment will revert to its original attributes."
Lin Feng unceremoniously equipped all the items.
[Bandit Suppression Saber]: Yellow Grade Medium, Force +60, Blade Technique Damage +8%, triggers an additional 600-point bleeding effect after hitting the same enemy three times.
[Bandit Suppression Armor]: Yellow Grade Medium, Defense +55 points, Weak Point Protection +25%.
[Bandit Suppression Boots]: Yellow Grade Low, Agility +55 points, Evasion +8%.
[Bandit Suppression Belt]: Yellow Grade Low, Vitality +500 points, Health Recovery Speed +8%.
[Bandit Suppression Bracers]: Yellow Grade Low, Internal Strength +200 points, Energy Recovery Speed +8%.
A complete set of Yellow Grade Medium equipment, Lin Feng nodded in satisfaction.
Magistrate Lou smiled, "Young Hero Lin, wearing this, you look impressive and extraordinary. This Bandit Suppression set is the best equipment in our yamen. Are you satisfied?"
"Not bad, thank you, Magistrate. Since there's nothing else, I'll take my leave. You can take these bandits to claim your reward."
"Hahaha, a win-win for both of us. Congratulations to us both."
Lin Feng didn't linger, turning to leave. To be cautious, he specifically asked Magistrate Lou to send a team to escort him.
Not for any other reason, just to prevent those 'rat-like players' outside from ambushing him.
Magistrate Lou agreed without hesitation to this small request.
Thus, Lin Feng returned to Tongfu Inn under the escort of a team of officers.
"Why are you back so late? Hey, that outfit looks quite imposing."
Bai Zhantang teased him with a smile upon his return.
Unknowingly, his previous aversion to Lin Feng had completely vanished, and Lin Feng even checked to find that Bai Zhantang's attitude towards him had improved to friendly.
This was quite unexpected for him.
"Had a chat with Magistrate Lou, you know how officials love to ramble."
"Alright, stop showing off. You reek of blood, and your face is covered in it. Go wash up quietly, everyone else is asleep, don't wake them."
"No problem, you should get some rest too."
Lin Feng headed straight upstairs, stopping at the staircase to turn back and say to Bai Zhantang, "Brother Bai, thanks for this time."
Bai Zhantang smiled knowingly, waving his hand, "Alright, I wasn't just helping you. I was also doing my part to rid the world of evil, and, for my token."
Lin Feng nodded and was about to leave when Bai Zhantang added, "You're not such a bad person, actually."
Lin Feng didn't respond to this, heading straight to his room.
As soon as he left, Tong Xiangyu and the others sneaked out from the kitchen.
"Old Bai, did he really kill seven infamous bandits by himself?" [Tong Xiangyu covering her mouth]
"Is that kid really that powerful? Doesn't that make him more impressive than me, the Hero of Guanzhong?" [Scholar Lü, unconvinced]
"Oh my god, one against seven, what does that even mean? How did he do it? Did he rely on the three martial arts we taught him?" [Guo Furong, shocked]
"I scolded him before, will he hold a grudge and come after me too..." [Li Dazui, scared]
"He's that strong? Can I ask him to teach me martial arts?" [Mo Xiaobei, hopeful]
"I told you Big Brother Lin is a good person, fighting evil and protecting the people, that's a true hero! And, he looks even more handsome in that outfit~~" [Guo Qiangwei, lovestruck]
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