"Alright, I'll tell you. But you have to tell me first, are you a human or a demon?"
The bandit leader was quite courageous. Although he was in pain, he gritted his teeth and endured it. His forehead was covered in sweat, but he still had the heart to bargain with Gu Zheng. He didn't answer Gu Zheng's question, but instead asked another one.
"Not bad, at least you didn't call me a demon right away. You're much stronger than those people, but your eyesight is really not good. Is there a demon like me?"
Gu Zheng was a little impressed. After this person saw his ability, he didn't treat him as a demon like the villagers in the big market. At least, he didn't treat him as a pure demon. He even asked if he was a human or a demon.
"It's good that you're a human. Then are you an immortal?" The bandit leader let out a long breath and continued to ask.
"You can say that. I'm currently an immortal cultivator, but I haven't reached the immortal realm yet."
Gu Zheng nodded. He was not far from the Celestial Immortal Realm. If he didn't reach the Celestial Immortal Realm, he couldn't call himself an immortal. However, he was using immortal power, so it was barely possible to call him an immortal.
"My name is Mado, and I'm from a village five hundred miles away. There aren't many people in our village, only about thirty families, and less than two hundred people. Seven years ago, our village encountered a calamity. A group of demons attacked our village and captured many people. I escaped with three people from the village and wandered around. My life was incomparably difficult."
The bandit leader finally talked about his situation. He was also a person with a bitter life. The village was attacked by demons, and there were only four people left in the village. They relied on each other for survival, but life was not easy. No matter where they went, they had to work a lot, eat little, and were often bullied.
Once, when he was working as a helper in a village, because he didn't finish on time, not only did he not have food to eat, he was also beaten up by the master and chased out. One of them was starved and beaten. After leaving, he became seriously ill and died.
The bandit leader, Mado, was too angry at that time. In a fit of anger, he brought the remaining two people and killed the master's family. The family of thirteen people were all killed by the three of them. Mado was a smart person. Although he went to take revenge, he was not reckless. He knew that there was a kind of poisonous grass, although it couldn't kill people, it would make people vomit and feel powerless. He pretended to repent and wanted to go back to work. Moreover, he would only eat half of the food and do the same work, so the master's family took the three of them back.
That night, he secretly put the poison from the poisonous grass into the main family's drinking water. The next day, after the main family ate, they all vomited and felt nauseous. They felt weak all over. He took the remaining two people to find knives and sharp objects in the house and killed all 13 members of the family, not even sparing the children.
After committing such a crime, it was impossible for him to work for others, so he decided to become a bandit. After a few years, they had developed a bit of a faction. Now, they had 30 or so people, and most of them were pitiful people who couldn't make a living.
They only had 20 or so people, and there were also ten or so women waiting in their base. They didn't have any elderly people, as they would have died long ago.
Even though they had become bandits, they still had a good life. They would occasionally rob some passersby, but their gains were too little. These days, most of the people walking around were poor, and they didn't have the strength to attack villages. Mado was quite smart, and he had thought of this method of intimidation.
They prepared more torches and went out at night, deliberately scaring people. Then, they would get the villagers to give them food, and they would leave. In this way, they successfully robbed three villages and gained a lot of food. This was the fourth one, and they didn't expect to die here.
"I'm done. I know we have done a lot of evil, and you can kill us as you wish. But after they followed me, they haven't killed anyone. When we robbed passersby, we only took things and didn't kill them. Since you are an immortal, can you let them go?"
After Mado finished speaking, he looked straight at Gu Zheng. Gu Zheng didn't expect him to be a man. In the end, he actually pleaded for his subordinates.
However, Gu Zheng believed what he said. These people shouldn't have killed anyone, and they didn't look so cruel. Gu Zheng wasn't an ordinary person, and they couldn't deceive Gu Zheng.
However, this Mado still dared to say that he would let his subordinates go at this time. It was really not easy.
"Logically speaking, you killed 13 of their people. Although there was a reason, you didn't even let the child go. It's really too much!"
Gu Zheng sighed. He didn't object to killing for revenge, and he had done it before. However, he had never done it to weak old people. He couldn't accept this.
"I know, but that child looked at me with eyes full of hatred. If I don't kill him, sooner or later, I will be harmed by him. It's fine if I'm alone, but I still have brothers and possibly family. I have to kill him. I have no regrets!"
Mado nodded. Gu Zheng was surprised again. He didn't expect this person to know how to cut the weeds and dig up the roots. He didn't kill purely for the sake of killing.
"Well, since evil is unforgivable, I will enforce justice on behalf of the heavens today!"
Gu Zheng stretched out his hand, and Mado closed his eyes. He knew that he was no match for Gu Zheng. He only wanted to die. It would be good for him to die peacefully.
Gu Zheng suddenly clapped his hands, and Mado's body flew out fiercely. Then he was pulled back by Gu Zheng, but his body was limp and his head was hanging there.
"Big brother!"
Several people behind him shouted, and their faces were full of pain. It could be seen that his prestige was not small among these people. Everyone respected him very much.
A faint figure emerged from Mado's body. This was Mado's soul. At this time, Mado was already a ghost, but others couldn't see it. Only Gu Zheng could see it, and he also saw Gu Zheng.
When people died, their souls would enter the Underworld for reincarnation. The Underworld was a separate world, not in the Untainted Land.
However, the Underworld should not be fully formed at this time. At least Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was not there, and neither were the Ten Yama Kings. As for what the Underworld looked like, Gu Zheng didn't know at all.
Gu Zheng was right about this. The Underworld was indeed quite chaotic. In short, it was similar to the warlord era. Many Ghost Kings occupied mountains and became their own forces. The disobedient ghosts were destroyed or eaten by them. There were also conflicts between several forces, but there were no particularly powerful masters. The environment of the Underworld was too bad, and there were too few resources. Moreover, ghosts were born with defects in their cultivation. There were very few experts in the realm of Daluo Jinxian, let alone Sage-to-be.
If not, the Underworld would not be occupied by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and the Ten Yama Kings.
At this time, Gu Zheng could still capture a soul. Even if he was not an immortal, after all, he had Immortal Power and Immortal Skills. It was not difficult to prevent a soul from entering the Underworld.
"Am I dead? You, you are really an immortal. I didn't expect you to be able to control ghosts!"
Mado said bitterly. To be exact, Mado's ghost said. He had seen his dead self, and also saw Gu Zheng who was looking at him.
"You are right. I can control ghosts, so death is useless in my hands. Since I can kill you, I can also let you live. Do you want to die or live?"
Gu Zheng said to Mado's ghost. Mado was stunned at first, and then nodded wildly, "Great Immortal, I want to live, of course I want to live!"
"If you want to live, you can, but you have to remember, in the future, don't kill people. If I can let you live, I can naturally let you die. The next time you die, it won't be so easy. I will prepare a pot of oil and fry you every day. I will let you suffer the pain of being fried every day!"
Gu Zheng said to Mado. Mado's ghost could not help but shiver. The current Underworld did not have the punishment of being fried in a pot of oil, but he could imagine what it would be like to fall into a pot of oil and be fried. The most important thing was that this was not just once, but every day. It was ten thousand times worse than death.
"Yes, yes, I understand. I will definitely not harm people again. I will only do this once. It was because that family was too much. They killed my brother. That's why I am like this!"
Mado quickly nodded. Gu Zheng did not say anything else. He stretched out his finger and lightly tapped Mado's ghost. His transparent body instantly returned to his body.
Ghosts could not stay in the world of the living for too long. Fortunately, it was night time. If it was daytime, Mado's ghost would have been scattered by the sun's Yang Qi, and there would be no time to talk to him.
After the soul entered his body, Gu Zheng tapped Mado's body a few more times. Mado violently coughed, coughing out a large mouthful of blood, and then struggled to get up.
When Gu Zheng saved him, he had already set his arm back to its original position and could move his legs.
Mado could be considered to have died once and received his punishment. The current Mado was no longer the Mado from before, but the Mado after his rebirth. Gu Zheng felt that Mado was a good person. If he used him well, he would be able to help him in the future. Right now, he only had Wu You by his side.
What's more, he was a bandit with a bottom line. He had never killed anyone. He only swindled some food to survive. His crime did not warrant death. Gu Zheng did not plan to kill these people, so naturally, he would not kill him.
"Take them all back, and then wait for me at the east side of the village tomorrow!"
Gu Zheng instructed Mado, and then walked back. He did not help these people to reset their arms, but dislocation was something that happened occasionally at this time. Many people knew that those who knew could reset it themselves, and those who did not know could find someone to help them.
No matter what, these people were bandits, and it was necessary to give them some punishment.
At the entrance of the village, many people were still discussing. After Gu Zheng went out alone, everyone was worried for him. However, what happened next left them scratching their heads. First, they heard two people screaming. Then, the number of people increased. However, they were far away and could not hear clearly what the commotion was about.
They were worried that the bandits were doing it deliberately, so they did not dare to go over and see. The family head where Gu Zheng lived was a little anxious, but when he saw that Wu You and the others were not anxious at all, he could only give up. That was not his child, and since the adults in his family were not anxious, there was no reason for him to be anxious.
"There's someone, there's someone!"
The people at the village entrance quickly shouted. After a while, they saw Gu Zheng coming out of the darkness alone. He came back the same way he went.
Seeing that Gu Zheng was fine, many people's eyeballs almost fell out of their sockets.
"The bandits have realized their mistake, and they have all left, and they will not come back in the future. Everyone, don't worry!"
Gu Zheng grinned and said to the people in the village. Regardless of their reaction, he went over and took Taotie's little hand, and walked into the village together, Wu You and Aunt Cui followed closely behind.
The villagers at the village entrance looked at each other, and then they saw that many of the torches on the opposite side were extinguished, and the remaining ones were also far away. After those light spots turned a corner, they could no longer see them.
A few bold villagers ran over to see and found that the bandits were indeed gone, so everyone was relieved. After searching, the villagers on duty were left, and the others went back to rest.
Early the next morning, Gu Zheng and the others left under the respectful eyes of the family. The family specially returned the animal skin that Wu You had given them, and said that they did not want it anymore, saying that they wanted to thank them for saving the entire village yesterday.
Even a fool would understand that the child had not gone out to play yesterday, but to teach the bandits a lesson and drive them away. As for what method Gu Zheng had used, they did not know, but as long as they knew that he had saved them, it was enough.
How could he accept gifts from the person who had saved his life?
After a few times, seeing that the family was very persistent, Gu Zheng gave up. However, after leaving the village, he secretly asked Wu You to let them go again. Afterwards, he left the village. They did not want it, but Gu Zheng would not take it back. He would just give it to them in another way.
Five kilometers east of the village, when Gu Zheng arrived, Mado was indeed waiting for him. Gu Zheng believed that Mado would not dare to run, especially after knowing of his abilities.
However, Gu Zheng did not expect that Mado would not be the only one who had come. There were 30 or so other people, and all of the bandits had come. There were seven women, three children, and 27 adult men.
These 37 people were all of the bandits' members. Yesterday, they had sent out 22 people, and the remaining five had stayed behind to guard the village.
"Why did you bring all of them?"
Gu Zheng frowned and asked Mado. He only wanted Mado alone, not so many people. So many people would not be of any use to him, and they would only drag him down.
"Great immortal, if they don't become bandits, they can only starve to death. But you told me that they can't be bandits anymore. They had no choice but to follow me. Great immortal, you must have a way to help them. They are very capable. As long as you give them something to eat, they won't starve to death!"
Mado knelt down and begged. He was right about one thing. If these people did not become bandits, they would really starve to death.
They could also go hunting, but it was not easy. The risk was great, and there was no guarantee that there would be a harvest. Moreover, they were not hunters, and no one knew how to make traps. Mado knew a little, but not much. They had tried before, but the result was that they did not catch any prey, and two of them died. One of them was the first person to follow Mado out. Since then, they did not dare to hunt casually.
When Mado knelt down, the bandits all knelt down and begged Gu Zheng together.
"Little Tie, they are also pitiful people. Why don't they follow us back to the village?"
Aunt Cui came over and whispered. Five years ago, Hui Yuan Village suffered a great loss. Most of the powerful people in the village were lost. Although these people were sallow and muscular, there were more than 20 adult men. As long as they did not do evil and lived in Hui Yuan Village, they could replenish the village.
Aunt Cui was still a villager, after all, and she thought about her village.
After returning yesterday, Gu Zheng briefly told them about the bandits, letting them know that these bandits were actually poor people who did not really want to be bandits to harm people.
"Alright, then let's take them with us!"
After thinking about it, Gu Zheng quickly nodded. It would be good to take them to Hui Yuan Village to settle down. This way, they would have a place to stay and would not starve to death. When he returned to Hui Yuan Village, he would talk to the people there not to bully them.
Huiyuan Village had suffered a great loss five years ago and had yet to recover. If these people went there, it would only strengthen their strength. They probably wouldn't be so stupid as to bully them. However, just in case, Gu Zheng planned to talk to them.
Seeing that Gu Zheng had agreed to take them away, these bandits were very happy. They all stood up and followed behind their carriage, walking slowly.
These people walked very slowly. After all, they had not eaten their fill and did not have much strength. It was already very good that they could walk.
"Wu You, light the fire. I'll get something to fill their stomachs first!"
Gu Zheng and the others had already eaten, so they were not hungry for the time being. However, these people could not. Gu Zheng asked Wu You to light the fire and set up the pot to make the food and jerky in the carriage. He himself went to see if there was anything he could catch to eat.
Wu You quickly cooked a pot of meat porridge. The fragrance made the bandits and their families constantly swallow their saliva. After cooking, Wu You asked each of them to bring a bowl to eat. Those who did not have a bowl took out their wooden bowls.
These wooden bowls were also made by Gu Zheng, but there were not many of them. If there were no more, they would wait for others to finish eating.
They had just finished a pot. When Wu You and Aunt Cui continued to cook, Gu Zheng returned with a porcupine and a bison behind him. Gu Zheng's thin body dragged two big prey, looking very disharmonious.
"Don't just stand there. Go and help. Those who have eaten, go and help the master bring the food back!"
Wu You scolded. Mado immediately got up and ran over with more than ten people. Everyone else had eaten, but Mado had not. After all, the pot was so big that it was not enough for more than thirty people to eat in one pot. They had to cook separately.
Seeing these two prey, Mado was secretly shocked. The porcupine and bison together weighed at least 500 kilograms. Not to mention how Gu Zheng killed these two prey, how much strength would it take to drag these two big guys back? In any case, he could not do it.
However, when he thought of Gu Zheng's identity, he was relieved. This was an immortal. Not to mention two immortals, an immortal could drag twenty of them back. In the eyes of mortals, immortals were omnipotent people who could call the wind and summon the rain, move the mountains and drain the sea.
With the help of Mado and the others, Gu Zheng did not have to drag them back by himself. With more than ten people, they could drag these two big things back. With these two prey, the meat on them could last for at least a few days.
In these few days, they had to hurry to find a place with people and exchange for more food. In the past, a little bit was enough. They had few people. Now, with these people, there were more than forty people. It was really necessary to prepare more.
Gu Zheng was not worried about how to carry them this time. When they were all full, except for the children, everyone carried some food on their backs and put some in the carriage. They could always put it down. However, if there was a chance, Gu Zheng would still find a way to get a few more carriages. This way, the children and women could all sit in the carriages and hurry on.
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