Fang Wushang stood frozen on the slope, his entire body trembling with suppressed fury as he stared at Fan Shanyue below. Every instinct screamed at him to charge down immediately and cut the man down where he stood, ending this once and for all.
But before he could act, Fan Shanyue had already made his decision.
A messenger came sprinting up from behind, his face pale and his breath ragged as he shouted, "Leader, terrible news. The Second and Third Leaders were ambushed by Xing Honglang. They are dead. All of them."
Fan Shanyue's eyes widened in disbelief. Tears welled up and streamed down his face as his voice broke.
"My second brother… my third brother…"
He threw his head back and let out a howl of grief that echoed across the mountains, raw and filled with anguish. When he lowered his head again, his expression had hardened into something cold and resolute.
"Retreat!"
At once, the bandit army began to withdraw, their formation collapsing into disorder as they scrambled down the slope in a chaotic retreat.
The moment Fang Wushang saw them fleeing, exhilaration surged through him.
"Pursue them!"
He had barely taken a step forward when his Deputy Military Inspector lunged in and grabbed him, shouting urgently, "No pursuit. No pursuit!"
Fang Wushang turned sharply, his anger flaring. "What do you mean? Earlier, you stopped me from charging down, and I tolerated it. But now they are retreating, and you still forbid me from pursuing?"
The Deputy Military Inspector forced himself to remain calm despite the pressure of Fang Wushang's fury.
"General, once we descend this slope, we will enter Heyang County."
The words struck Fang Wushang like cold water.
He was the Military Inspector of Chengcheng County, not Heyang. Crossing into another county's jurisdiction with armed troops was no small matter. If he had powerful patrons at court, it might be praised as decisive initiative and rewarded accordingly. But if political enemies seized upon it, they could twist it into an accusation of overstepping authority, or worse, rebellion. Such charges could cost him his head.
Fang Wushang feared no blade, but the pens of civil officials were another matter entirely. Those invisible weapons could kill far more efficiently than steel.
His body stiffened as he exhaled slowly.
"...Fine. No pursuit."
The Deputy Military Inspector finally allowed himself a breath of relief. This new commander was brave, but far too impulsive. Compared to him, the former commander Cheng Xu had been far more composed and calculating, someone who understood restraint as well as aggression. In fact, the very principle he had just invoked had originally been taught to him by Cheng Xu.
A faint sense of nostalgia stirred within him.
General Cheng… wherever you are, I hope you are well.
Far away, Cheng Xu suddenly sneezed.
"Clear the battlefield," Fang Wushang ordered, his voice heavy with lingering frustration.
He remained where he stood, watching as the bandit army gradually disappeared into the distance, resentment gnawing at his chest. To see the enemy so close and yet be forced to let them go simply because of an invisible boundary was an indignity no soldier could accept easily.
As the soldiers carried out their work, one of them hurried back with a report.
"General, we have discovered a large number of bandit corpses in a nearby gully."
Fang Wushang frowned. "A gully?"
He immediately followed the soldier to investigate. When he reached the ravine, his eyes widened slightly as he saw the bodies of Suifengxiong and Erchun lying near the entrance. Further inside, dozens upon dozens of corpses were scattered across the ground, forming a grisly testament to a brutal ambush.
He clicked his tongue.
"This must have been the work of the Gao Family Village Militia."
"Most likely," the Deputy Military Inspector agreed quietly. "The Gao Family Village Militia is far from ordinary. Previously, Wang Er personally led a night raid against them, yet he was severely wounded, while Zheng Yanfu and Zhong Guangdao lost their lives. Officially, however, all credit was attributed to General Cheng Xu."
Fang Wushang raised an eyebrow, his expression turning thoughtful.
"So I underestimated them."
At that moment, voices rose from the western slope near Zhengjia Village as a group emerged into view. It was the Gao Family Village Militia.
Cheng Xu, Xing Honglang, and the salt smugglers had already withdrawn, leaving the militia behind. They had removed their armor and returned it to the smugglers, and many now wore only their undergarments. Leading them was Flat Rabbit, striding forward with exaggerated confidence.
Flat Rabbit himself was still slightly stunned by the sudden responsibility placed upon him. At first, he had assumed Gao Chuwu or Zheng Daniu would take command due to seniority, but after thinking it over, he realized those two lacked the necessary cunning. Clearly, Master had recognized his superior intelligence and entrusted him with this important mission.
Of course. This Rabbit Lord was no ordinary rabbit.
He approached Fang Wushang and gave an exaggerated bow.
"General Fang, you have driven off the bandits. Truly impressive. We are deeply grateful."
Fang Wushang stared at him, recognition flickering across his face. Was this not the same fool he had tripped earlier?
And this fool was their leader?
He snorted dismissively.
"Your militia performed adequately as well. Those rolling logs and boulders, they were your preparations, were they not? And the bandits crushed in the gully, was that also your doing?"
Flat Rabbit immediately threw his head back and burst into loud laughter.
"Hahaha. Of course. All of it was accomplished by this Rabbit. These bandits were no match for me. From this day forth, this Rabbit is invincible under heaven."
Fang Wushang's lips twitched slightly.
"Then why were you absent when I arrived?"
Flat Rabbit hesitated briefly before declaring solemnly, "This Rabbit executed a tactical retreat in order to advance later. It was part of my strategy."
"Why not simply admit that you ran away?" Fang Wushang said coldly.
Flat Rabbit froze.
"...Ran away? Impossible."
He quickly drew his rusty sword and struck a dramatic pose.
"This Rabbit led his forces to prepare an ambush, waiting for the bandits to advance so that I could unleash my supreme technique, the Heaven-Splitting Rabbit Overlord Sword, and annihilate them completely."
Fang Wushang lost interest entirely.
He had initially believed the Gao Family Village Militia possessed genuine competence, but now it seemed he had overestimated them.
Flat Rabbit, meanwhile, grinned inwardly.
Mission accomplished.
Instructor He Jiu had instructed him to create a convincing performance, and clearly, it had worked.
"Well then, we shall take our leave," Flat Rabbit announced. "We must return to our training."
He signaled to the others, and they began to withdraw.
"Stop," the Deputy Military Inspector suddenly called out. "Since you are here, assist us in burying the bodies."
Flat Rabbit replied immediately, "This Rabbit only kills. This Rabbit does not bury."
The Deputy Military Inspector could not help but laugh bitterly at such shamelessness.
"If these corpses are left exposed, disease will spread. Your Gao Family Village will suffer first."
Flat Rabbit stiffened.
Disease?
Even Rabbit Lords feared disease.
"...Fine."
And so, soldiers and villagers worked together, digging graves and burying the fallen as the battlefield was gradually cleansed of its grim remnants.
Watching from above, Li Daoxuan nodded with quiet satisfaction.
Even without his direct intervention, his people had demonstrated remarkable growth. They had learned to fight, to think, and to survive on their own.
This was the correct path.
Not to shield them from every danger, but to guide them, allowing them to grow stronger through their own efforts under the watchful gaze of Tianzun.
With nothing more to observe for now, Li Daoxuan withdrew his attention and prepared to leave. He still planned to visit his father and pick up those comic books, and he also made a mental note to retrieve the fish tank, sensing it might prove useful in the future.