Chapter 7

Half an hour later, Gu Yang learned detailed information about the bandits from the young man.

The young man's surname was Zhang, and his name was Zhang Xiaohai. He was originally a village boy from Xiang County. At the age of eleven, he was sent to work as an apprentice in a blacksmith shop in town.

Six months ago, Guoshanfeng's gang attacked the town, looting and killing everywhere. Zhang Xiaohai, who was working in the blacksmith shop, escaped the disaster and was taken away with his master's family.

Such atrocities finally enraged the authorities, who sent troops to besiege the mountain.

Guoshanfeng's gang suffered a major defeat, and even the second-in-command was killed. Hundreds of bandits were either killed or captured.

Only the leader and the third-in-command, seeing the situation was dire, fled into the depths of the mountains with dozens of their men. They eventually arrived in this area and occupied a village as their base.

In the chaos, Zhang Xiaohai's master and his family were killed, and he was coerced into running here.

However, he did not want to be a bandit. Last night, taking advantage of the leader's wedding celebration and the bandits' laxness, he escaped.

Last night, he overheard a bandit saying that a caravan had been discovered nearby, and they were planning to rob it.

Zhang Xiaohai knew the bandits' ways and felt sorry for the caravan, so he came to warn them, only to be treated this way.

He was still somewhat angry when he spoke about it.

Gu Yang neither confirmed nor denied his story and instead asked some key questions, "What is the cultivation level of Guoshanfeng, the leader?"

"Eight Rank."

"What weapon does he use?"

"A saber."

"How many bandits are with him?"

"More than thirty. The rest are captives they took, responsible for feeding the horses and other chores."

More than thirty bandits, half of whom were archers.

Plus an Eighth Rank warrior.

Gu Yang was not very confident.

Then, he asked the most critical question, "What about the treasures Guoshanfeng has looted over the years?"

Zhang Xiaohai said, "There is a large chest. I saw it when they were retreating. Guoshanfeng only lets his most trusted men carry it. It should contain the wealth he has looted over the years."

Gu Yang's eyes lit up. A large chest, even if it were all silver, should contain several thousand taels.

Hmm, although it's difficult, there must be a way.

...

After talking with Zhang Xiaohai, Gu Yang returned to the caravan.

The bodies had been dealt with, and the head of the Ghost of Death had been cut off and packed away.

Old Gao came over with a pile of things and respectfully said, "Young Master, these were found on those people."

Gu Yang looked and saw quite a bit of silver and half a book with yellowed pages.

Old Gao said, "There are over thirty taels in total. And this book was found on the Ghost of Death. He valued it greatly and kept it close to his body."

Gu Yang put away the silver, considering it unexpected wealth. Then he picked up the half-book and flipped through it.

It contained a saber technique, which he found quite profound even with his current perspective. He casually put it in his pocket.

Old Gao rubbed his hands and asked, "What about the bows and weapons, how should we handle them?"

The most valuable things left by the bandits were the eight bows, all of which were high-quality ox-horn bows.

Gu Yang picked up a bow and tried to draw it; it was at least a three-stone bow.

He asked, "How much would a bow like this cost on the market?"

Old Gao replied, "This is a three-stone bow. On the black market, it would cost at least fifty taels each."

A single bow could fund a life simulation.

Gu Yang said, "I'll sell them to you for twenty-five taels each."

The merchants, including Old Gao, were quite interested. Such good bows were always in high demand and would sell easily. They could make a profit by taking them back.

Eight bows would bring in two hundred taels in pure profit, which would be fifty taels each when divided.

"But we don't have that much silver on hand."

"That's fine. Write an IOU, and you can pay later."

Old Gao and the others were overjoyed and quickly thanked him.

For Gu Yang, keeping the bows was useless and a burden. They were only valuable if he could convert them into cash.

After all, it was unexpected wealth.

"Also, we can't go to Wangjiagou; it has already been occupied by Guoshanfeng's gang."

Old Gao and the others were shocked.

If they hadn't encountered the Ghost of Death, they would have walked right into the bandits' lair.

Thinking about it, they were all still shaken.

...

The merchants were discussing where to go next.

Gu Yang walked to one side, recharged, and his balance once again exceeded fifty.

He could use the life simulator again.

[At twenty-two, you become an Eighth Rank warrior. You leave Liujia Village with the caravan and encounter a bandit gang on the road. You deal with them.]

[You go to Wangjiagou to deal with Guoshanfeng's gang but are no match for him. At a critical moment, a group of people attack, and you escape in the chaos.]

[You mistakenly enter a swamp, encounter a mysterious person, and are eaten. You die.]

What the hell?

Gu Yang never expected the outcome of this simulation to be so terrible. He was actually eaten.

He felt a chill run down his spine.

Was the swamp near Wangjiagou that dangerous?

After a while, he managed to shake off the negative emotions and began to think.

This simulation was valuable.

At least it made him realize that he was not a match for Guoshanfeng at the moment.

Also, the people who attacked Wangjiagou at a critical moment might be the Liu family's team.

In previous simulations, they always encountered the Liu family's hunting team near Wangjiagou, which matched this scenario.

In other words, the Liu family was also targeting Guoshanfeng.

After the Liu family dealt with Guoshanfeng, they passed through Liujia Village on their way back and razed it to the ground.

The reason was still unclear.

Gu Yang was piecing together a puzzle, using each simulation to reconstruct the entire event.

Now, he was very close to the truth.

[Simulation complete. You can retain one of the following.]

[1. Martial realm at twenty-two.]

[2. Martial experience at twenty-two.]

[3. Life wisdom at twenty-two.]

It was time to choose one.

Gu Yang thought for a moment and chose the second.

Instantly, a segment of combat memory appeared in his mind.

It was the process of fighting Guoshanfeng in the simulation, with every move and technique deeply etched in his mind.

Gu Yang finally understood where he had lost: the weapon!

In terms of raw strength, Guoshanfeng was slightly superior. He lost so badly because his weapon was inferior.

Guoshanfeng's long saber was very sharp.

Gu Yang used the Ghost of Death's ghost-head saber, which was cut in half during the fight, leading to his defeat.

If he had a good weapon, he might not have lost.

At that moment, Old Gao and the others came over again, "We've discussed it and decided to turn back and take the usual route."

Gu Yang admired their courage; they were still willing to continue their business despite the danger.

He said, "Then we'll part ways here."

Old Gao handed him a money bag and said, "Here are one hundred taels, and this is the IOU. If you ever come to Phoenix City in Bashu, look for me."

He provided a detailed address.

Gu Yang's eyes lit up; this money came at just the right time.