Chapter 8

Wu Jie's reaction clearly took the bandits by surprise, and his strength left them even more astonished.

The box landed on the ground with a loud thud, and from the sound, it was evident that it was heavy and substantial. However, when Wu Jie had carried it, he had walked as if it weighed nothing, showing no sign of strain.

The bandits were not fools. Seeing the box land and recalling how effortlessly Wu Jie had carried it, they were instantly startled.

This young man looks so gentle, how can he be so strong!

When they saw Wu Jie charging over, they were even more frightened.

How can someone run so fast!

Wu Jie's charge was as swift as a galloping horse. In the time it took to take two breaths, the short distance between them had already passed. Before the bandits could react, he was already in front of the thin man who had shouted, "We kill but don't bury."

He swung his fist and struck.

"Beat him to a pulp!" Mu Li's cheer echoed in Wu Jie's heart, startling him. He remembered the large tree he had felled with a single punch.

If a tree can be knocked down with one punch, what about a person?

Thus, he instinctively held back more than ninety percent of his strength, leaving only a fraction, almost like lifting a heavy object lightly.

But even with less than ten percent of his strength, it seemed to be too much.

Wu Jie's punch sent the man flying, spinning and landing several steps away. He lay on the ground, groaning weakly, unable to speak, barely alive.

Is this punch really so powerful? Did I use too much force?

Wu Jie looked down at his fist, confirming that he had indeed used less than ten percent of his strength.

"Master, you are too merciful! If you had used full strength, one punch would have torn him apart, and his internal organs would have spilled out..." Mu Li protested, clearly dissatisfied. "What's with this soft punch! A true expert can't even kill a farmer with one punch; your fist is crying!"

"Not necessarily to kill from the start."

"What are you saying! An expert must be decisive! If someone insults you, you should cut out their tongue; if they glare at you, you should gouge out their eyes. For those who dare to challenge you, killing their entire family is the least you should do!"

"… Was this the way the Divine Lord used to act?"

"Exactly! Master, you were once so mighty and domineering…"

"But even if I have reformed, that path is a dead end." Wu Jie cut off Mu Li's praise and reminiscence, looked up, and saw the bandits trembling in fear. He sighed.

"I'm a bit tired and don't want to kill."

The bandits felt as if they had been granted a reprieve. They quickly knelt down, kowtowing and expressing their gratitude.

Wu Jie stood there for a while, then suddenly felt a doubt. He found the leader, a large man, and began to question him.

There had been no bandits in this area for a long time, and the sudden appearance of a group of seven bandits was suspicious. Moreover, these bandits seemed too unprofessional… Seven people robbing with nothing but sticks and clubs, and the only decent weapon was the knife in the large man's hand. It was a joke to think they could be bandits!

As it turned out, his questioning revealed something.

"My name is Qiao En, and I am the leader of the Divine Strength Gang in the city. Our gang, to be honest, is just a group of laborers. We sell our strength to those who can pay, and we collect protection fees from the timid. But nine out of ten days, we are just laborers, living a hard life…"

"Get to the point!"

"Sir, please calm down! Last night, Mr. Wang, the owner of the herbal shop in the city, found me. He asked me to come out early this morning and wait outside the Wu family market for a young man carrying a box. He told me to kill him and said the box contained 800 taels of silver, enough for us to escape far away…"

Wu Jie frowned, not expecting that Mr. Wang would want to harm him!

Recalling Mr. Wang's sincere smile and his affectionate words, "Nephew," "Nephew," he felt a surge of anger rise in his chest, unable to dissipate.

Unconsciously, he clenched his fist, and a cold killing intent emanated from him, frightening the bandits so much that they dared not even breathe, fearing that this skilled young man would be displeased and send them flying like the thin man.

After a while, Wu Jie calmed his anger and asked coldly, "So you came to kill me?"

Qiao En, the large man, trembled like a little girl encountering a hungry wolf, his teeth chattering, unable to speak a word.

Wu Jie's aura had completely overwhelmed him. He felt that he could be killed with a single punch at any moment, how could he speak!

After another moment, Wu Jie asked slowly, "Do you often do this kind of business?"

Qiao En still could not answer, but one of the kneeling men, slightly braver, quickly said, "No! We used to just fight people, and this knife was bought by the leader this morning from the blacksmith…"

Even though he was angry, Wu Jie was amused by this.

He bent down, picked up Qiao En's knife, and flicked it. The seemingly bright blade bent slightly. With a little more force, the iron knife turned into an iron ring.

"Can this thing be used to cut people? Are you here to rob or to perform a comedy?"

"To save money…" the man who bought the knife replied with a bitter face.

Wu Jie shook his head and threw the iron ring aside. "I think you are not suited to be bandits. Go back to being laborers!"

"You are right, sir!"

"We will follow your instructions, sir!"

"Being bandits is too dangerous! We dare not do it again, even if we are killed!"

"Qiao En, what do you think?" Wu Jie walked to Qiao En and asked with a smile.

Qiao En was about to swear an oath when a thought flashed in his mind, remembering the most important thing.

"I am willing to testify in court and accuse Mr. Wang!" He pulled out a document from his pocket, with a red fingerprint on it. "This is the contract Mr. Wang signed in advance—this man is unscrupulous, and I was wary of him reneging on the deal!"

Wu Jie finally laughed heartily. He had been waiting for this!

"Master, you are too merciful!" On the way back to the town, Mu Li kept nagging, expressing her frustration. "He's just a mere mortal, and you could have smashed his head with one slap. Why spend so much time and energy? You are an expert, destined to become an immortal! Why report to the authorities instead of taking care of it yourself? What about your reputation as an expert?"

"Killing Mr. Wang would be easy, but what benefit would it bring to my family?" Wu Jie patiently explained to the naive Mu Li. "But by reporting him, we can strengthen the influence of the Wu, Du, and Lin families in the county. Anyone who wants to harm my family will have to think twice about the risks."

"Oh—simply put, it's about scaring others with an example, right? Why not hang his entire family at the city gate? Wouldn't that be more frightening? My senior brothers used to hang the entire families of those who dared to provoke us, and it was very effective!"

"… That's too extreme."

"A true man must be ruthless. Since Mr. Wang wanted to harm you, isn't it fitting to kill his entire family?"

"… Mu Li, the Divine Lord only taught you magic and spells, but he didn't teach you how to act properly. That was his mistake. Now you are with me, so learn well, understand?"

"Even though I don't understand, it seems very powerful…"

Because they were carrying a group of burdens, especially the thin man who couldn't stand after being punched by Wu Jie, their walking speed was slow. It was completely dark by the time they returned to the Wu family market.

Seeing their son return, Wu Jie's parents were overjoyed, and the Divine Strength Gang, whom he introduced as "friends," were warmly welcomed.

With the attitude of "a doctor's heart is like a parent's," Doctor Wu hurriedly examined the thin man, confirming that he only had broken bones and no internal injuries, and would need three months to recover.

"Three months?" The thin man looked distressed. "Not working for three months, I'll starve to death!"

"Nonsense! When we eat, do we ever complain about an extra pair of chopsticks?" Qiao En said angrily. "Do you still respect me as your brother? Do you still respect our brothers?"

The thin man was naturally deeply moved, and Wu Jie, watching from a distance, nodded in approval.

Qiao En might not be good at fighting and lacked courage, but he was at least loyal and knew how to treat people.

After a hearty meal, Wu Jie opened the heavy box and took out one ingot of silver after another.

The air in the room seemed to freeze. The Divine Strength Gang, who had never seen so much money, and Doctor Wu and his wife, who had never seen so much high-quality silver, were all amazed.

More importantly, this money was not someone else's, but what their son had earned!

"I didn't find immortality, but I dug up a high-quality ginseng and sold it for this much money. It wasn't a wasted trip," Wu Jie said casually.

The scene became a bit chaotic afterward. In short, Doctor Wu hurriedly called his two sworn brothers to check the authenticity of the silver, and Du Ruo and Lin Lushan naturally came as well. The group was noisy but joyful.

Taking advantage of the joyful atmosphere, Wu Jie recounted what had happened on the way. The hot-tempered Du Tuanlian immediately wanted to go and kill Mr. Wang, but Doctor Wu and Lin Xiuren persuaded him to calm down.

"With witnesses and evidence, coercion of civilians into banditry, and premeditated murder… Mr. Wang will face execution in the autumn, no matter what. It's not worth staining your sword with his blood!"

Thus, Mr. Wang's fate was sealed.