Chapter 271: Siege

Cheng Bao cast a cold glance at Lai Jianshen’s still-twitching body split in two, then sneered at his other four men.
“Are you still my men, Cheng Bao’s men?”
The four men nodded in unison. One of them shouted, “Chieftain, I’ve only been in this bandit camp for a year, though it’s been seven years since I arrived here. But in my heart, I’ll always be a bandit—a bandit of Tiansha Camp.”
“Good. Follow me! I’ll lead you out!” Cheng Bao dragged his golden sword, staring at Feng Yu and Feng Zhu with eyes blazing like raging fire.
Lin Dong tensed up as the four men quickly gathered around Cheng Bao. He slowly stepped forward to stand in front of Ling Zhengyang and his two companions.
Glancing at Chang Tai’s twisted arms, Lin Dong asked gravely, “Are you okay?”
Chang Tai shook his head slowly.
Meanwhile, seeing that Cheng Bao wasn’t trying to break through the main gate but was marching straight toward their building, Feng Yu and Feng Zhu channeled their spiritual energy into their throats and shouted loudly,
“Come out!”
Instantly, rustling sounds came from all directions, along with thudding noises. Suddenly, with a loud roar, all four walls collapsed inward. Dust filled the air, and wood shavings obscured everyone’s vision.
“What an impressive display!” Cheng Bao couldn’t help but praise. “Two at the seventh level of the Mental State phase, over thirty martial artists at that stage, and thousands of soldiers. Killing officials is truly satisfying. They’ve all taken the Sixth-Level Soul-Death Pill, yet still such a massive force is needed!”
Feng Yu shook his head slowly. “You’re lucky. Senior Liu is in the capital on business. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be just the two of us leading this attack.”
“What’s Liu Zhongshan anyway? He might be strong, but his methods are despicable,” Cheng Bao said disdainfully. “Even if I have to slit my own throat, I’ll never die at his hands.”
Feng Zhu snorted. “Bandits kill indiscriminately and use cruel methods. Who would’ve thought we’d have to criticize others for their unscrupulous tactics?”
Cheng Bao paused for a moment before laughing loudly and raising his sword. A faint golden light emanated from his body, enveloping the four men as well.
“Chieftain, let us out! Killing one of them will be enough to make it worth it!” The four tried to break through the golden light but found it as solid as iron walls.
Lin Dong was stunned. He was 100% certain that Cheng Bao’s spiritual skill was an extremely rare Ninth-Level spiritual skill—impenetrable, capable of reflecting damage, and even protecting others around him. Nothing other than a divine Ninth-Level spiritual skill could achieve such things.
“The more you move, the faster my spiritual energy drains,” Cheng Bao ordered. “Stand still and watch how I’ll lead you out a bloody path!”

As soon as the words were spoken, the golden sword slashed down with thunderous force, flying straight at Feng Yu’s head. Feng Yu moved like a ghost, weaving through the narrow stair railings, and swung a black hammer the size of a watermelon at Cheng Bao. Nearby, Feng Zhu did the same—after passing through the railings, he threw his black hammer as well. Boom! The ground shook violently as the two heavy hammers exploded into countless fragments the moment they touched the golden light. Whoosh! The next second, over thirty warriors outside threw their hammers, while behind them, thousands of soldiers raised their crossbows, firing arrows in unison. The sound they created was deafening, like a tsunami breaking through barriers. In an instant, the arrows and hammers formed an impenetrable net, covering Cheng Bao and his group like a sky-blocking canopy. The golden sword swung repeatedly, turning the entire staircase into wood chips in an instant. “Go!” Cheng Bao stepped forward abruptly, wielding his golden sword against the barrage of arrows. In the distance, Lin Dong saw only flashes of golden light advancing, with arrows and hammers pouring down like rain. The momentum was terrifyingly intense, like endless waves. “Third, third young master, are you alright?” Perhaps seeing that the arrows were avoiding him and his companions, Wang De got up from the ground and cautiously approached Ling Zhengyang. Ling Zhengyang shook his head slowly, his face pale. Thousands of arrows attacked repeatedly yet failed to kill a single warrior, not to mention he was also poisoned and had to protect four of his subordinates. The fact that he had managed to escape alive from such a person made him break into cold sweat just thinking about it. “Let’s retreat first!” Lin Dong suddenly said. Confusion flashed in Ling Zhengyang’s pale eyes. “If we don’t leave now, we’ll be crushed to death.” Lin Dong pointed toward where the golden light kept moving—there was already a long trail of ruins. Under the combined pressure of the golden light and arrows, columns, beams, floors… along with the peeled-off walls, the entire restaurant resembled a skeleton frame. On one side of this skeleton frame, destruction was relentless, and with the destruction spreading, collapse was only a matter of time. Lin Dong had originally planned to destroy the entire restaurant to escape, and controlling a few falling beams and floors wouldn’t be a problem. But since they were already safe, there was no need to waste more effort. After the fierce battle just now, with life and death hanging in the balance several times, Lin Dong felt utterly exhausted, with no interest in controlling any more beams or floors.

Staring blankly at the pillars and inner walls being destroyed repeatedly, Ling Zhengyang took some time to regain his senses, his already pale face turning even whiter. The four of them stepped back quickly, and the warriors and soldiers outside, armed with crossbows and hammers, adjusted their attacks slightly to leave them a path about three to four meters wide to retreat. Not long after leaving the tavern, there was a loud crash as the entire building collapsed. “Push harder! His spiritual energy is almost gone,” a warrior beside him shouted. Instantly, more crossbow arrows appeared in the air. Lin Dong looked up in the direction of the arrows—Jin Mang had broken out of the tavern, but his glow had clearly dimmed. If he could maintain this offensive, it wouldn’t be long before Cheng Bao, no matter how skilled he was, could no longer escape. “Third young master, are you guys going to stay and watch or return to Fenglin Tavern?” Lin Dong asked. Ling Zhengyang hesitated. He was worried that Cheng Bao might escape and wanted to see him killed before leaving, but thinking of Chang Tai, who had already lost both arms, his expression darkened, and he said, “Let’s return to Fenglin Tavern.” “Alright, let’s go together!” Unlike Ling Zhengyang, Lin Dong wasn’t interested in whether Cheng Bao was alive or dead. It was almost impossible for Cheng Bao, having taken the Sixth-Level Spirit-Death Pill and accompanied by four subordinates, to break through the attacks of two warriors at the Seventh Stage of Mental Focus, over thirty warriors at that stage, and thousands of crossbowmen. Yet, given Cheng Bao’s cooking skills, dominance, loyalty, and strength, Lin Dong faintly hoped to see him create another miracle. This thought made him extremely uncomfortable. Mountain bandits were cruel and ruthless; although some of them had been forced to become bandits in the beginning, the mere rule of killing innocents upon entering their stronghold already amounted to indiscriminate slaughter. It could be said that after being a bandit for over a decade, Cheng Bao’s hands were stained with countless bloods. Hoping he wouldn’t die was a desecration to countless souls. Lin Dong didn’t consider himself a great saint—he had also helped Yang Ling, another bandit, gain status in the Yang family—but the idea of a bandit escaping alive from an encirclement was still hard for him to accept. Seeing that the four of them planned to leave, a warrior said, “Guys, you might need to stay temporarily. Although it’s almost certain you have nothing to do with Cheng Bao and even helped us reduce losses by triggering the effects of the Spirit-Death Pill, you’re quite strong, so to be safe, we need to examine you before letting you go.” Lin Dong nodded and handed over his warrior’s badge to him.

The warrior took Lin Dong’s warrior card, examined it carefully, then returned it to Lin Dong with a smile. “Warriors registered in the Great Han Nation are not bound by this rule. However, I hope you’ll cooperate when we send people to check.”
Lin Dong placed the warrior card back on the mobile counter, nodded, and looked at Ling Zhengyang and the other two. “One of these three is also a registered warrior, but his arms are disabled, so he can’t show his warrior card. Can I vouch for them to leave?”
The warrior nodded and waved at the soldiers behind him. With a rustling sound, a passage about a meter wide appeared.
The four of them stepped out quickly and rushed back to the Maple Forest Tavern. The sun still hung high in the sky, even more intense than when they arrived. But none of them paid any attention.
Wang De took out his folding fan to blow gentle wind on Ling Zhengyang’s back, but Ling Zhengyang waved his hand to stop it.
“Third young master, at the tavern, I… I…”
Ling Zhengyang said calmly, “After we return, ask Manager Jiang for a hundred taels of silver, then find a place to hide under a fake name for a while. You must be aware of my second brother’s temper. With such a major incident today, he will definitely pursue this to the end. Chang Tai has lost both arms, while you’re unharmed. No matter how you try to cover it up, it’s impossible.”
Wang De’s legs gave way, and he knelt on the ground, sobbing, “Thank you, third young master, for sparing my life.”
Lin Dong shook his head slightly. In his view, this matter actually had nothing to do with Wang De. Chang Tai was a guard whose duty was to protect Ling Zhengyang. As for Wang De, he was just a servant whose duty was to serve Ling Zhengyang. It was only natural for him to flee and abandon his master in danger—there was no fault in that.
Of course, the rules of noble families never allowed for such naturalness. Seeing that Ling Zhengyang had shown mercy to Wang De, Lin Dong didn’t say much.
“Brother Lin, thank you for what you did just now,” Ling Zhengyang suddenly said, looking at Lin Dong and bowing slightly.
“Don’t call me Brother Lin. It’s better to call me Manager Lin or Lin Dong. Otherwise, it’ll be hard for me to be harsh on you,” Lin Dong said without hesitation. “What happened just now was simply because I’m treating you to a meal.”
Ling Zhengyang’s gloomy mood was left in a dilemma by Lin Dong’s words.
“I was just thinking whether to leave you a chance at Lin’s Inn in Xilan City in the future. And here you are, worried that I won’t be harsh on you… You need to understand that Lin’s Inn won’t last much longer.”
Lin Dong smiled and glanced at the calm-faced Chang Tai. “If you have any troubles in the future, come to Lin’s Inn to see me.”

Chang Tai nodded and said, “Thank you for your kindness, Manager Xie Lin. Actually, there’s no need for you to feel guilty. It was the third young master who found this restaurant, and it wasn’t you who arranged everything. It can be said that your willingness to stay and stop Cheng Bao earlier was a kindness, not a fault.”
“My thoughts are the same as Chang Tai’s,” Ling Zhengyang said, somewhat puzzled. “Manager Lin, what exactly is your purpose in coming to see me today?”
“The purpose…” Lin Dong replied ambiguously. “Just be mentally prepared before entering!”
Ling Zhengyang’s heart tightened. Could it be that they were deliberately luring him out? Just as he wanted to ask further, a carriage arrived. On the carriage, Liu Hua was waving his whip, looking extremely pleased—clearly, the task had been completed.
Lin Dong jumped onto the carriage, bowed to Ling Zhengyang, and said, “Third young master, thank you for the tea and wine. Also, given our friendship today, I’d like to remind you to prepare more of our Lin’s Inn’s maple-leaf stewed turtle. Anger harms the body; with our maple-leaf stewed turtle, even if you get so angry you vomit blood, you’ll still remain healthy.”
Ling Zhengyang was completely confused. Just as he wanted to ask more, Liu Hua had already waved his whip and ridden away.
A sense of dread spread in his heart. Ling Zhengyang quickened his pace, and the three of them entered Maple Forest Restaurant.
In just a moment, Ling Zhengyang rushed out of the restaurant. His face, which had been pale when he entered, was now twisted and ashen.