Chen Yi chuckled and gave an evasive laugh.
"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. You can't beat me, so you'd better just get out of the way."
Xu Linglong mocked him.
"Twenty of us brothers can't beat you alone? Unless you've got two hundred people stuffed in that carriage! Hahaha!"
Hearing this, Da Chun poked his head out from inside the carriage.
"What? There are two hundred people in the carriage? Yi-ge! Where are they?! I can't see them!"
Seeing this, Xu Linglong laughed even louder.
"Hahaha! There's only one fool in the carriage!"
A giant hand blazing with flames swept out, slapping down a whole row of old trees in one blow.
Xu Linglong's laughter died in her throat.
She threw her two hammers to the ground with a clatter and dropped to her knees before Chen Yi with a *thump*.
"Big Brother, my apologies! Little sister offended you! Please just think of us as a fart and let us go!"
The bandit underlings were also adept at reading the situation and immediately knelt down following Xu Linglong's lead.
"Big Brother, spare our lives!!"
"I have an eighty-year-old mother above and a house full of wives and concubines below! I only turned to banditry because I couldn't support such a large family!"
"Big Brother, I swear this is my first time!"
These bandits were way too practiced at this.
Chen Yi didn't plan to make things difficult for them anyway. Officials would soon be coming to wipe them out, so why should he bother doing it himself?
Suddenly, Chen Yi noticed that among these bandits, one fellow had a tuft of red hair on top of his head!
"You! Come here!"
Chen Yi's expression immediately turned stern. He pointed at the small-time bandit and spoke sharply.
Seeing this, Xu Linglong's heart jumped into her throat.
Could it be that one of her brothers was an enemy of this big shot? And he'd been recognized?
Xu Linglong made a snap decision: sacrifice the pawn to save the king!
She was the first to rush over, dragging the little redhead by the ear to Chen Yi's front, and loudly warned him.
"Come here! Confess honestly! If you dare tell one single lie, I'll chop your head off!"
The underling was terrified, shivering as he spoke.
"B-big Brother, y-you called me over, i-is it... is it..."
"Why do you have red hair on your head?"
"H-hair?"
Xu Linglong was stunned. All this grand display was just to ask about a hairstyle?
The underling didn't dare lie, explaining truthfully.
"I, I used to be a disciple of the Chixin Sect. The external technique we cultivated in the Chixin Sect is called the 'Heartfire Art.' The deeper the mastery of this technique, the more red hair grows on one's head.
I heard the elders in the sect have all cultivated it to perfection, each with a full head of flowing red hair!"
The mastery levels of martial arts techniques, or rather, their proficiency, are divided into six stages: Novice, Proficient, Skilled, Minor Mastery, Major Mastery, and Perfection.
This was information Chen Yi had learned in the simulations.
"If you were a disciple of the Chixin Sect, how did you end up here as a bandit?"
"When cultivating this 'Heartfire Art,' you have to be careful about the intensity of the Vitality Energy burning. I failed to control it properly once, the technique went berserk, burned out my Dantian, and I could no longer cultivate martial arts. So I was kicked out.
Later, my hometown suffered a locust plague, the officials embezzled the relief grain, and my parents starved to death. With no way out, I could only become a bandit."
Chen Yi gave a slight nod, indicating he was done with him.
The underling felt as if he'd received a pardon.
Having spent time in a martial arts sect, he deeply understood how powerful high-level martial artists were.
"The Chixin Sect..."
So he had uncovered another clue.
He could go investigate the Chixin Sect more thoroughly in a simulation later.
By following the clues, he would eventually find the true culprit behind the village massacre.
Chen Yi wanted to investigate the massacre case not only to avenge his relatives but also out of concern for his own safety.
Not knowing who these people were, nor their purpose in massacring the village.
He didn't know if they would come after him again, or how to guard against them.
Chen Yi didn't like this situation of being in the dark while the enemy was hidden.
Fortunately, he had the Simulator, giving him many opportunities for trial and error and investigation.
Chen Yi spurred his horse and left.
As he was leaving, considering that this group had provided him with a small clue about the massacre case, Chen Yi casually mentioned that the Second-in-Command in their stronghold might be a traitor.
Watching the carriage gradually disappear from view, Xu Linglong and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"What rotten luck, running into a martial artist at the Spirit Gathering realm or above... I know all the Spirit Gathering realm martial artists in Baiyun County..."
A martial art like the Cloud-Scorching Hand couldn't be unleashed without Spiritual Energy.
So Xu Linglong concluded that Chen Yi's cultivation was at least at the Spirit Gathering realm.
"Be careful of the Second-in-Command? What's wrong with the Second-in-Command?"
Xu Linglong couldn't figure it out.
But she kept the matter in mind.
The slow-moving carriage, jostling along, finally entered Baiyun County Town.
Since transmigrating to this world, Chen Yi had visited the county town many times growing up.
Setting foot in this familiar place again, especially after experiencing three months of inhuman life, Chen Yi felt a surge of complex emotions.
Only Da Chun, carefree as ever, sat on the carriage, pointing at an old man selling candied hawthorns by the roadside, drooling all over the place.
Chen Yi smiled and shook his head, stopped the horse, and bought all the old man's candied hawthorns.
"Keep the change."
Looking at the silver ingot in his hand, the old man was so moved that tears streamed down his aged face.
"I've met a living Bodhisattva today!"
Chen Yi brought Da Chun to the front of the Yuelai Inn.
"Da Chun, I need to go visit my Third Sister's house first. You stay at this inn for now. Remember, you are a guest, not going there to work. Don't be foolish and help out if they ask you to work."
Da Chun's mouth was stuffed with candied hawthorns, his face smeared with red sugar.
"Mhm! I know!"
The situation was different from the simulation now.
In the simulation, Chen Yi had no money and could only have Da Chun work at the inn for a meal.
But the current Chen Yi had robbed a large chest of gold, silver, and treasures from the Black Stone Gang and had suddenly become a rich man.
Naturally, he didn't need Da Chun to work.
He just didn't know who had a courtyard for sale at the moment, so he let Da Chun stay at the inn first. Money was no object anyway.
Chen Yi led Da Chun into the Yuelai Inn.
"Guests, please come in! Are you here for a meal or staying the night?"
Greeting them was still the familiar, enthusiastic Proprietress.
"Staying. Three meals a day, four dishes and a soup, served on time."
"Right away! Please go upstairs! Hmm... young guest, why are you looking at San Niang like that?"
Chen Yi asked tentatively.
"Proprietress, don't you feel like we've met before?"
The Proprietress covered her mouth, laughing so hard her whole body shook.
"Guest, do you ask every woman you meet that? This Mei Sanniang doesn't like men younger than herself, you know."
Chen Yi gave an awkward laugh and pretended nothing happened.
Good, the simulation was just a simulation, not some parallel timeline or something like that.
If the simulation was viewed as another parallel timeline, sometimes memory overlaps could occur with counterparts from parallel universes.
Because Chen Yi had seen this kind of setting in sci-fi movies.
That's why he wanted to test it just now.
The romantic connection with the Proprietress only existed in the first simulation. In reality, Chen Yi didn't want to have too much involvement with her.
After settling Da Chun, Chen Yi headed straight for his Third Sister's house.
Once he reached Third Sister's house, the guiding task would be considered complete.

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