I Only Stomp on Weaklings

Chen Ming did not participate in the discussion, he just listened quietly from one side, and he was quite impressed with Du Ruesong’s promise to issue a First Grade bounty for his decision.

The Six Gates has strict regulations regarding the bounties for wanted criminals; even a First Grade Governor cannot raise it at will, unless he is willing to convert his own meritorious service into an equally graded bounty.

In other words, even if Du Ruesong can capture Xie Jianqiu this time, it is all for nothing, and he may even incur a loss.

His subordinates also have to share the credit, it is impossible for him to monopolize it alone.

As Chen Ming listened to their conversation, it became clear that Tao Zhiquan has an enemy, a wanted criminal by the Six Gates. Du Ruesong promised to raise the bounty on this enemy to First Grade to attract more First Grade experts to take action, thereby increasing the chances of catching this person.

Even this Divine Capture could not apprehend that enemy; it is unclear what kind of person he must be.

Tao Zhiquan began to analyze, "I have studied the dossier of this person. He comes from a poor background and encountered a fortuitous event in his youth, acquiring the lineage of a peerless cultivation technique. Unfortunately, he took up martial arts too late, barely breaking through to First Grade, after which his cultivation stagnated.

"Until a few years ago, he somehow acquired a technique for gathering energy, initially targeting ordinary women and harvested countless times. Later, he became more audacious and started targeting women from prestigious families. After being exposed, he was captured by Lord Xu.

"This person has been imprisoned for half a year, escaped, and has been hunted relentlessly, consuming a great deal of energy. Additionally, he was wounded by Lord Li and might have sustained damage to his foundational strength. If you were him, my lord, what would you do?"

Du Ruesong replied, "Naturally, I would find a place to quickly recover my foundational strength. The best way would be to capture a few women with deep cultivation and gather their energy. This is the fastest method."

"Exactly."

"Are we supposed to wait until women start disappearing in some place and then investigate?"

Tao Zhiquan, with an air of confidence, said, "I observe this person to be always cautious; he would definitely not randomly abduct women. He will certainly find a place where he won’t be found by others."

Du Ruesong said in a deep voice, "Old Tao, don’t keep us in suspense, please speak directly."

Tao Zhiquan said, "I wonder if you have noticed that in recent years, within the Xiazhou region, women from prestigious families have been disappearing, totaling over a dozen. Upon capturing Xie Jianqiu, ten were rescued, yet there are still a few women whom he persistently denies having abducted."

Du Ruesong’s eyes flashed, "You mean, those few women were hidden by him somewhere else?"

"Definitely so."

"Even if your hypothesis is true, how can we know where he hid them?"

Tao Zhiquan said, "My lord, have you heard about a gang of water bandits on the Danjiang River, whose leader is suspected to have Third Grade cultivation, occasionally robbing passing merchant ships, yet causing no significant harm, hence the local Governor has not undertaken any action against them.

If my conjecture is correct, that gang leader is most likely connected to Xie Jianqiu. Perhaps, he is his secretly adopted disciple."

Du Ruesong suspiciously asked, "Old Tao, why do you ascertain that this gang of water bandits is associated with Xie Jianqiu?"

Tao Zhiquan stroked his white goatee and said, "It’s quite a coincidence; several months ago, my granddaughter and I traveled to Jiangzhou, taking the Danjiang River route and exchanged a few moves with that gang leader. At that time, I felt his Gang Yuan was rather peculiar. Reflecting now, it should be Xie Jianqiu’s exclusive martial arts technique, Ice Xuan Jin.

Furthermore, from the accounts of people around Xie Jianqiu, it appears he visits Qingtian County every six months, claiming to meet a friend, yet he comes too frequently. Based on these two clues, I can conclude that Xie Jianqiu is most likely hiding among that band of water bandits."

Du Ruesong, after listening, had no further doubt, "Old Tao, you truly have an acute mind, perceiving the details. No wonder you are titled Divine Capture. You must have already discerned the hiding place of that band of water bandits."

Tao Zhiquan said, "This matter would probably require inquiring with the local snakes in the area."

Du Ruesong immediately gave orders to four subordinates, "Alright, I leave this matter to you. Act quickly." Upon finishing, he looked at the unassuming Chen Ming and said, "Stay here with us."

"Yes, my lord."

Chen Ming bowed in agreement.

He felt that Du Ruesong would not let him out of his sight.

...

It became a wait of several hours.

Du Ruesong had changed into casual clothes and was meditating on a large stone.

Chen Ming stood under a nearby big tree, looking at the panel.

As for Tao Zhiquan, he went alone to gather information. In fact, he really wanted to follow and see how old veterans go about gathering information, but unfortunately, Du Ruesong wouldn’t agree, so he didn’t mention it.

Currently, he was still short of one million experience points to directly break through to Second Grade.

These days, he used the silver ornament given by Xia Mudan to disguise himself as a woman and challenge young Third Grade experts all over Xiazhou City, gaining considerable experience.

It must be said, even in this world, pretty women always receive favorable treatment. His appearance, modeled after a certain actress from his previous life, under the name "Ye Qingmei," was incredibly regal.

If it were a man, he would have been beaten to death long ago. But using a woman’s identity, not only did no one seriously take issue with him, but he also gained quite a few fans, both male and female.

It was a pity; given a few more days, he could have accumulated enough experience points to directly step into Second Grade.

At this time, under Du Ruesong’s watchful eye, he naturally would not add points.

First Grade experts are of the God Realm, their Divine Thought is extremely keen; if his cultivation suddenly surged, it would definitely raise suspicions.

Chen Ming was pondering how to gather the one million experience points when Zhu Wanlin and the other four returned, holding two persons.

Zhu Wanlin reported, "My lord, we found out these two are accomplices of that group of water bandits responsible for fencing stolen goods. They said the lair of those water bandits is not on the Danjiang River."

Du Ruesong opened his eyes and asked, "Where is it?"

"It’s in the territory of Jiangzhou, at a place called Ring Shou Mountain, over a hundred miles from here."

At this moment, Tao Zhiquan also returned and upon hearing Zhu Wanlin, said, "I know that place, surrounded by water on three sides and filled with reed marshes everywhere. A boat hidden among the reeds would be hard to find."

Du Ruesong stood up, "There’s no time to lose; since we know the opponent’s lair, let’s head out."

Thus, the seven continued on their journey, while those two were responsible for leading the way.

It’s unclear what methods Zhu Wanlin and the others used to make these two obediently lead the way.

...

Before nightfall, Chen Ming and his group had already reached that encircled mountain, a small expanse of reeds that posed a great challenge for ordinary people, but for Third Grade experts, it was nothing, like walking on flat ground.

"Who goes there?"

As soon as the seven landed on the island, a stern shout came from the edge.

Subsequently, Zhu Wanlin and his three companions began a massacre, cutting down everyone they encountered like slicing melons, leaving no survivors.

Chen Ming frowned slightly at the sight, realizing he couldn’t compare to these people in terms of ruthlessness.

"This is the martial world, after all."

Beside him, Tao Zhiquan suddenly produced a dry tobacco pipe, puffing on it thoughtfully. It was unclear if his comment was directed specifically at him.

"Found you!"

Du Rusong, hands behind his back, seemed to sense something. Without any visible movement, he was lifted by an invisible force, flying over everyone’s heads, heading towards mid-mountain.

"This person’s strength should be above Ruan Caixiong’s."

Chen Ming made a mental judgment, of course, without comparing him to Ruan Caixiong wielding the Demon Sword.

Tao Zhiquan said, "Let’s go. It’s not every day you get to see a match between First Grade experts. This chance is rare and precious."

"Yes, master."

Chen Ming responded and followed behind him, heading up the mountain.

Before long, he reached the mid-mountain area and saw the entrance to a large cave. From inside came a voice, both furious and panic-stricken, "Du Rusong, don’t push me too far! If not for my injuries, you wouldn’t be a match for me!"

Du Rusong laughed wildly, "Hahaha... Tell that to King Yan."

As Chen Ming and Tao Zhiquan entered the cave, Zhu Wanlin and the other three had nearly finished off the mountain bandits, and they entered the cave almost at the same time.

Inside the cave was spacious, and Du Rusong, wielding a black-gold long blade, pressed Xie Jianqiu with barely any room to counterattack.

On the other side, seven or eight people watched the battle, among them several young women who looked numb and disheveled, likely the kidnapped noblewomen.

There was also a middle-aged man intently watching the fight between the two First Grades.

Tao Zhiquan pointed at the middle-aged man, "That’s the leader of the bandits here."

Zhu Wanlin was the first to rush out, "I’ll take care of this one! Face my spear!"

The middle-aged man drew his sword and engaged in battle with Zhu Wanlin.

Chen Ming saw that Xie Jianqiu was in dire danger, likely to be slain by Du Rusong within ten moves, which puzzled him.

If things continued like this, the matter would be resolved soon.

What about the calamity prophesied by the Turtle Shell?

No matter how he looked at it, Du Rusong had no reason to kill him, nor did he seem to have intentions to use a borrowed knife.

At this moment, as Xie Jianqiu was about to be cut down, he shouted, "Du Rusong, are you interested in a spot to enter the Secret Realm?"

Du Rusong laughed heartily, "Trying to deceive me? Such tricks don’t work on me."

"Catch!"

Xie Jianqiu abruptly threw something.

Du Rusong didn’t reach to catch it; instead, he used his blade to intercept it. Upon closer inspection, he saw it was a golden token, intricately engraved. His eyes flashed with surprise.

This token seemed genuine.

"Unexpectedly, this trip has such a surprise! However, if you think you can exchange this for your life, you’re too naive. I can still claim the spot after killing you!"

Just as Du Rusong was about to act, the golden token suddenly emitted a brilliant light, stopping him in his tracks.

Xie Jianqiu said, "Right now, this place is the time to enter the Secret Realm. Will you choose to kill me or to enter the Secret Realm?"

Without any hesitation, Du Rusong reached out, grabbed the token, and disappeared on the spot.

The opportunity to enter the Secret Realm is rare and sought after. His choice was not surprising.

However—

The remaining six people watched as Xie Jianqiu turned to face them, feeling as if they had fallen into an icy abyss, their limbs cold as ice.

With Du Rusong entering the Secret Realm, it meant the six of them would have to face Xie Jianqiu, the First Grade expert.

The situation suddenly shifted.

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