Chapter 70 The Carefree Swordsman

The man in black gave Li Xi no chance to catch his breath; he suddenly drew his sword and charged at Li Xi.

The sword's edge was cold and sharp, like the scythe of death, slashing towards Li Xi. Li Xi's heart tightened, but she reacted quickly, dodging to the side.

She glanced at the man and found him expressionless, his eyes filled with only indifference and murderous intent.

At this moment, the sound of people coming down the mountain grew closer and closer, as if they had arrived nearby.

Knowing she couldn't let the man in black hold her back, Li Xi decided to strike first. She took a deep breath, suddenly accelerated, and rushed towards the man in black.

To the man's astonishment, Li Xi leaped up and kicked him in the head.

The man reacted instantly, swinging his sword to parry. Li Xi used the momentum to leap forward and kicked him in the chest. The kick was extremely powerful, sending the man in black staggering back several steps before crashing into the mountainside.

At this point, Li Xi had no time to hesitate. She quickly ran down the mountain, hoping to leave before those people arrived.

However, the man in black did not seem to give up. He struggled to his feet and chased after Li Xi again.

Li Xi ran with all her might, her heart pounding as if it were about to jump out of her chest.

She felt she had used up all her strength, but still couldn't see the end.

She glanced back and saw that the man in black had caught up. His eyes were filled with murderous intent, as if he was determined to kill her.

Li Xi's heart tightened; she knew her situation was extremely precarious. However, she did not give up; she continued running, hoping to find a chance of survival at the last moment.

Just as she was about to be caught, a figure suddenly rushed out of the forest and stood between her and the man in black.

It was Elder Sun! Li Xi felt relieved. The two of them worked together and subdued the man in black in just a few breaths, knocking him unconscious with a single palm strike.

"Master, what brings you here?" Li Xi asked in surprise.

"Let's go back first." Old Sun gestured for Li Xi to carry the man in black away.

The two returned to their stronghold at the crack of dawn. Although the city gates were closed, their secret sect had its own way of doing things.

"Tie him to the bench." Old Sun gestured to his men to search the man in black thoroughly before tying him up.

"Master, how did you know I was there?" Li Xi asked curiously.

"Our men have discovered some things about the magistrate of Luzhou County. He conspired with the people of the Sihai Chamber of Commerce to set a trap for us and those bandits," Old Sun said angrily.

Li Xi was furious that she had been outmaneuvered. "That old bastard is tired of living."

“Our men overheard that they’ve been sending people to follow you, waiting for you to come down from the mountain so they can ambush you. They think you’ve got that group under control, so they want to kill you and reap the benefits.” Old Sun handed the secret letter to Li Xi.

It turns out that the magistrate of Luzhou County's aunt was the illegitimate daughter of the owner of the Sihai Chamber of Commerce. The magistrate and the Chamber of Commerce owner wanted to prevent outsiders from earning a single penny.

The county magistrate had a copy of the account book in the hands of the bandits, so he hadn't dared to make any rash moves against them in recent years.

He happened to hear that Li Xi was skilled at dealing with bandits, but he didn't want to pay her 50,000 taels.

Hiring an assassin wouldn't cost more than a hundred taels, so he had the merchant guild owner take some money with him when he went out to trade, and revealed which route he would take.

After the fish takes the bait and steals his valuables, Li Xi will tie him up, so that they can accomplish this with the least amount of money.

"These two old scoundrels, burning incense and smashing the Buddha statue—they don't know what's good for them!" She was furious.

Is 50,000 taels a lot? It's a huge sum for ordinary people, but not much for the county magistrate who accepted the bribe.

They had all investigated the magistrate of Luzhou County and knew his background before setting their prices.

In fact, Li Xi set his prices selectively, specifically targeting corrupt officials. He also offered bounties in counties and prefectures plagued by banditry, offering hefty rewards to find skilled individuals from the martial arts world to resolve the bandit problem.

The magistrate of Luzhou County acted irresponsibly, trying to save money and trouble.

He was probably worried that Li Xi might accidentally get her hands on that ledger.

Their idea was naive; they just found a master from who-knows-where, and by sheer luck, she almost got herself into trouble.

“Master, this man in black is no ordinary assassin; he’s not just any ordinary killer in the martial world.” Li Xi pondered deeply, reflecting on his own actions.

"Yes, he is the carefree swordsman," Old Sun affirmed, having just examined his sword closely.

"Huh? Then why did he switch careers to become an assassin?" Li Xi was speechless. No wonder it was so difficult to fight him.

"I don't know. I'll ask him properly when he wakes up." Old Master Sun never expected that a swordsman of such renown in the martial arts world would kill someone for a hundred taels of silver. There must be some unknown inside story behind it.

No matter how powerful he was, Li Xi now only wanted to settle accounts with the magistrate of Luzhou County.

She's still too naive to have fallen for their trick. It seems she needs to improve her martial arts skills; a strong fist is the only true measure of strength.

"Master, you should rest first. I have something to do and need to go out for a bit." Li Xi wouldn't be able to sleep until she got her revenge.

"Take it easy, don't hurt his face," Old Sun advised.

"I understand, don't worry." Li Xi waved her hand and walked towards the door.

Before the fourth watch had passed, under the bright moonlight, Li Xi, like a nimble cat, lightly landed on the roof of a family's house.

She carefully lifted a tile and, by the faint moonlight, looked down into the room below.

The thirty- or forty-year-old Magistrate Lu was fast asleep, holding his delicate concubine. Sure enough, men all like eighteen-year-old young women.

She took a deep breath and jumped off the roof.

He quietly opened the door, walked to the bedside, pressed the woman's pressure point to put her to sleep, and whispered hoarsely in the magistrate's ear, "Robbery."

The magistrate, still half asleep, opened his eyes to see a dark figure in front of him. Startled, he was about to call for help when Li Xi silenced him by pressing his pressure point.

Magistrate Lu was terrified, his heart filled with doubt and unease. He tried to cry out.

"Don't waste your energy. I'm just here for money. Cooperate well and nod if you understand." Li Xi gently pinched his neck.

Magistrate Lu nodded his head as fast as a chicken pecking at rice.

"Alright, good boy, go get me ten thousand taels of silver. Sigh, don't say you don't have any. I know you have some. Which is more important, your life or the gold? Don't try to make any noise. It's useless. Everyone in the manor has been drugged."

Magistrate Lu had no choice but to nod in resignation, and Li Xi pulled him outside.

After walking through the corridor to the warehouse, Li Xi cleaved the lock with a sword and pushed Magistrate Lu through the door.

He stuffed a stack of silver notes into his pocket, and Li Xi knocked him unconscious with a single blow.

"Get a good night's sleep, Your Excellency."

Li Xi didn't go back immediately after receiving the silver note. Instead, she went to the orphanage. She slipped into the director's room and slipped a five-hundred-tael silver note under a teacup. No one noticed she had been there.

Li Xi knew the director of the Luzhou Orphanage Bureau, a couple in their forties. She had met them when she first arrived; they were truly kind and compassionate people.

They used all their family's money to support the children in the orphanage, often leaving themselves in dire financial straits. Li Xi greatly admired their generosity.