Chapter 130: Drawing the Snake Out of Its Hole

Chen Bo had been walking for quite a while. Beneath his feet lay a narrow dirt road, just wide enough for a single carriage to pass through. On either side grew either human-height weeds or gnarled, twisting trees.

It was impossible to tell what species these trees belonged to, but their shapes were bizarre, their postures exceedingly seductive. This place was absolute prime real estate for bandits to waylay travelers!

If a merchant caravan were to pass along such a narrow dirt path, multiple carriages could certainly not travel side by side.

Even a small-scale merchant caravan required several carriages to haul goods, forcing them to proceed in a single file line through here.

In that case, if bandits were to intercept the rear carriages, those in the front would wish to help but, unable to turn around, would be left completely at the mercy of others.

After all, bandits were unburdened by heavy loads and could move freely through the dense forest.

Even if the merchant caravan was guarded by martial escorts, those bodyguards were required to protect the other carriages and could only watch helplessly as the rear carriages were plundered.

Should they give chase, those bandits would double back and sweep up all the remaining carriages in one fell swoop.

If anyone still failed to understand what this meant, they would just have to figure it out eventually.

Yet, after walking quite a distance, Chen Bo had not encountered a single jumping bandit. Could it be that they deemed his ordinary attire devoid of any grease and therefore unworthy of a grand mobilization? That simply would not do! He still intended to sever this hidden claw of those damn aristocratic families!

How could he possibly let these bandits off so easily? Chen Bo's targets were merely the Ma family of Tianyang City, the Guo family of Tianyang City, along with other noble houses like the Niu family and the An family.

As for the Ma and Guo families, one was a conceited weapon refiner who wanted to slaughter Chen Bo, while the other was an arrogant young master who constantly wished to do the same.

Do not assume that the head of the Guo family, being the Lord of Tianyang City, would not harbor such dark forces. In truth, virtually any organization would cultivate a covert faction similar to this. Even the imperial house of the great Ning Empire was no exception, for these served as their fallback options and their ultimate trump cards.

As for the subsequent families, they were merely Guo Liu’s sycophants. Chen Bo had long since gathered information on them; it was hardly a secret.

However, these bandits were, after all, a major trump card for those aristocratic clans, so powerful experts were bound to be stationed among them. Chen Bo wouldn't even be surprised if there were Innate realm experts present. Yet, his targets were not those peak figures, but rather the mid-to-lower-level foot soldiers.

Do not underestimate these foot soldiers; though they might superficially appear to be mere bystanders, they were all elite death-sworn retainers carefully nurtured by the various clans. Once too many of them died, it would shake the very foundations of those families, causing them enough heartache to last for quite a while.

As for whether Chen Bo would also slash a few times at the hidden forces of families that had never offended him, that remained unknown. Should they truly find themselves targeted by Chen Bo, they could only blame their own poor character.

At present, however, the most crucial task was to lure out some bandits and begin interrogating them.

As for how to conduct the interrogation, back on Earth, Chen Bo had once, out of sheer boredom, studied various ancient forms of torture.

Without further ado, Chen Bo retrieved some primeval stones from his system space. He intentionally tripped over a creeping vine on the ground, causing a pile of medium-grade primeval stones to tumble out.

Primeval stones emitted a faint luminescence. Since Chen Bo had fallen beneath the shade of a large tree, the glow of the stones appeared even brighter.

"Ouch! How did the primeval stones drop? Damn it, what on earth was my old man thinking, actually making me wear these commoner clothes to transport primeval stones? He claimed it was to avoid suspicion, letting bandits see me dressed so ordinarily that they would let me pass."

"There aren't any bandits in this ghost of a place! Worrying for nothing! Furthermore, when transporting primeval stones, he didn't even give me a slightly larger storage pouch, handing me one with a spatial capacity of only a dozen cubic meters, which isn't nearly enough to hold everything. It forced me to carry a portion in my arms—such a hassle."

Chen Bo’s voice sounded like a monologue, spoken very softly. Yet, the surroundings were exceptionally quiet; even speech this hushed carried fifteen or twenty meters away.

Anyone with slightly sharper ears could have heard Chen Bo’s self-talk from even further away.

However, after reciting his lines several times, there was still no movement. Could this trick be ineffective and already seen through?

Just as Chen Bo felt a mild puzzlement, he suddenly heard a rustling sound not far away. The noise was even fainter than his monologue just moments before, but Chen Bo caught it nonetheless.

A secret, cold smile played at the corner of his lips as Chen Bo continued, "I have no idea where my old man acquired so many primeval stones. Our Han family is merely a third-rate minor clan; even though my old man is the patriarch, it's impossible for us to possess this many primeval stones. This is almost comparable to the upper-tier third-rate families in Tianyang City."

"And transporting such a massive fortune with only me to do it—I am only at the initial Skin-Tempering stage, for crying out loud! If I run into evildoers, wouldn't I be slaughtered in a split second?"

With these words, Chen Bo intended to let the bandits know that he possessed a vast quantity of primeval stones, yet his backing was weak and he was being escorted by himself alone.

"Though I've walked this long without seeing any bandits or mountain brigands, it's still best to hurry along. Who knows if some accident might occur next? Once I pass through this road, someone will be there to meet me."

As he spoke, Chen Bo gathered up all the primeval stones from the ground. Then, feigning a cautious look around and finding nothing abnormal, he quickened his pace forward.

Simultaneously, less than a hundred meters away from Chen Bo, a short man dressed in green was darting continuously through the trees. Though his cultivation was extremely meager, his speed was genuinely swift—he must have undergone specialized training.

The short man ran an unknown distance until he spotted a cluster of buildings ahead, where he finally halted, panting heavily, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Big Boss! A fat sheep! A fat sheep has come! On the minor trade route! Primeval stones, so, so many pri—"

Before he could finish his sentence, he stopped as abruptly as a mute, because standing before him was not only his own Big Boss, but also the various chieftains from several other mountain strongholds.

He abruptly remembered that today the Big Boss had invited the leaders of the other mountain camps over for wine and feasting. By blurting out this vital intelligence so carelessly, he had let the chieftains of all the other camps hear it.

Gazing at his own Big Boss's darkened countenance, the short man regretted it so deeply his bowels felt green. He knew that after today, his days ahead would likely be far from pleasant.

"Big Boss Guo, I suddenly have matters at home, so I'll be heading back first. Farewell!"

"Big Boss Guo, my wife is about to give birth; I need to go check on her. Farewell!"

"Big Boss Guo, my illness has flared up, I must return to take my medicine. We can reminisce another time when there's leisure. Farewell!"

"Big Boss Guo..."

This Big Boss Guo was none of other than the short man's superior. The ones speaking were the leaders of the rival mountain camps.

At this moment, Big Boss Guo wore a completely bewildered expression. Too many things had happened in this fleeting instant; he needed a moment to process it all.