You can't just do what you want.

In this civilized era, mountain bandits do still exist in some places, but you must know, being a mountain bandit isn't something you can just decide to do on a whim.

Take Zhang San's current location for example, it belongs to the turf of the underworld force 'Hundred Kills Hall'. There are indeed mountain bandits existing in their turf, but they are all certified mountain bandits who have obtained Hundred Kills Hall's permit - in short, certified mountain bandits.

Haven't mountain bandits been eliminated as barbaric underworld forces from a bygone era?

In fact, the underworld forces have quite 'helpless' reasons for doing this.

After all, sometimes when dealing with those rich businessmen who obediently pay protection fees and don't have any bad habits, as well as merchant groups who are just passing through, it can be very difficult to exploit more money and wealth from them.

Of course they could just openly rob them, but after all, whether it's the local rich people's monthly protection fees or the road tolls paid by passing merchant groups, you've already taken their money, so how can you openly rob them?

There are still basic ethics to follow as the underworld.

But at times like this, if some 'mountain bandits' or 'horse bandits' who weren't completely eliminated during the anti-bandit campaigns suddenly pop up and rob those rich people or passing merchant groups, then they wouldn't have anything to say, would they? At most the local underworld might try to negotiate with the mountain bandits on their behalf.

Then the local underworld can conveniently collect another 'negotiation fee'.

It's simply perfect!

To put it simply, in my turf, I am God, I am ghost, even if you go to the temple to worship Buddha, in the end you will only discover that even Buddha is me!

You never know just how 'proper' these legitimate underworld businessmen are when making money.

The only reason Zhang San knows all this is entirely because of what he learned in the past from working odd jobs at various underworld organizations and using his own qinggong and stealth skills to eavesdrop and investigate, which is why he knows these industry secrets that ordinary people, even ordinary underworld members, don't know.

Therefore, although mountain bandits are said to be underworld forces from a bygone era, this profession is still quite useful, of course, on the premise that they are not allowed to grow unchecked.

So within the underworld, there is actually an unwritten rule that 'mountain bandits' and 'horse bandits' can exist, but in a particular underworld organization's turf, only mountain bandits or horse bandits who are completely under their control and hold qualification certificates issued by the local underworld can exist.

This has led to the fact that the profession of mountain bandit isn't actually something you can just decide to do on a whim.

For example, a mountain stronghold chieftain under Hundred Kills Hall is the son of Hundred Kills Hall's Second Aunt, that's an ironclad relationship.

...

...

In summary, when Zhang San saw this group of mountain bandits, he felt they were uncertified mountain bandits.

There were three reasons:

First, their martial arts skills were truly lacking.

Certified mountain bandits approved by Hundred Kills Hall, even if they were the worst, would at least have someone at the lower stage of the Earth Realm among twenty-something people, but unfortunately there wasn't a single person at the Earth Realm in this group.

Second, there was a problem with their location.

Since they had already obtained the local underworld's business permit, why were they stationed in such a remote, obviously very secluded mountain valley?

Of course they should go to the highways, or mountain passes and checkpoints with high traffic flow.

Third, their robbery targets were also questionable.

The bandits and thieves covertly approved to operate by the local underworld are mainly aimed at those rich people overflowing with wealth but who the local underworld can't bear to openly rob, as well as some merchant groups who are just passing through and not local, not people who are clearly penniless scholars and children at first glance.

However, right now, the mountain bandit chief in front of Zhang San looked at him with the expression of someone convinced he was an uncertified mountain bandit, but he actually had other thoughts in his heart.

As a mountain bandit, he naturally knew the inside story of the 'mountain bandit business', but this was the first time he had encountered someone who actually also knew these underworld secrets!

This scholarly-looking young man clearly understands our underworld's workings, even knowing that mountain bandits need certificates. If he were allowed to leave and then told the people of Hundred Kills Hall...

When anger stems from the depths of the heart, evil heads straight for the gallbladder!

The mountain bandit chief looked Zhang San up and down, and his hand slowly moved to grip his blade.

Zhang San's brows furrowed slightly, and his expression turned cold. He said, "What's this? You guys want to make a move?"

With a flick of his sleeve, Zhang San glared angrily at them. He half raised his palm and took three steps forward, this posture looked like he was just standing there, but martial artists who truly understood martial arts could tell with one glance that this kind of posture was deceptively powerful!

It was a stance suited for both defense and offense.

When a martial artist assumes a combat stance, their aura and the impression they give others will have an obvious change.

Zhang San wanted to use this stance to let the other side know that he had considerable martial arts skills, and his earlier conversation had also clearly indicated his understanding of the underworld.

Someone who was very knowledgeable about the underworld and also had exquisite martial arts skills was certainly not someone to provoke lightly.

Normally, uncertified mountain bandits with third-rate martial arts skills like the ones in front of him should have been scared off by him...

Just as Zhang San was thinking this, the mountain bandit chief suddenly slashed at him with his blade!

What the heck?

After easily dodging a blade strike, Zhang San thought this to himself.

Then, without saying a word, the mountain bandit chief slashed at him horizontally again!

After Zhang San easily dodged again, he angrily scolded, "What the heck are you doing!"

The mountain bandit chief was even more furious. He hadn't gotten angry after two missed strikes, yet this scholar had gotten angry instead, so he angrily retorted, "I'm hacking you, can't you see?"

Of course I can see that!

Zhang San angrily said, "I'm asking if you can't see that I know martial arts!"

Now the mountain bandit chief was confused. "Martial arts? What martial arts? You just lifted your hand and stepped your foot forward, you call that martial arts?"

"Didn't I already dodge your two strikes?"

The mountain bandit chief firmly said, "That was definitely because you got lucky."

Damn!

Zhang San finally realized where the problem was. Perhaps it was because all the people he had encountered so far, like Xuwang Chou, Heishan Ke, Lin Nu, and Anlou Jianshou, had at least the lower stage of the Earth Realm as their starting point, so Zhang San had reasonably assumed the other side would be able to grasp some of his strength from his stance.

But clearly, the mountain bandit in front of him was simply an idiot!

Speaking of which.

Even if your martial arts skills are too lacking to comprehend the subtleties of my stance.

As a mountain bandit, you should at least be able to infer that I must be very fierce if I dare confront over twenty mountain bandits alone, right!

Seeing the mountain bandit chief charge at him with a blade again, Zhang San sighed inwardly: No wonder you can't get a certificate, you're an idiot and a fool. You have no future as a mountain bandit!

Thinking this, Zhang San very helplessly had no choice but to use his true strength to make the other side understand what a difference in skill meant.

With a raise of his palm to meet the blade, in the next moment, the blade shattered, the man fell, done in one go.

The crowd of mountain bandits were all dumbfounded.

Big brother Boss, who was at the Human Realm, not only had his blade shattered, but couldn't even withstand a single palm strike before being knocked down?

After quite a while, the mountain bandit chief who had awakened from his brief period of unconsciousness hurriedly kowtowed with the crowd of mountain bandit brothers who didn't dare to move an inch, begging this chivalrous hero to spare their lives.

Zhang San sighed. He had originally intended to leave, but after glancing at the sky, he realized it was already quite late, clearly these lowly mountain bandits had wasted a good amount of his time.

Meanwhile, little apprentice Wang Xiaoer pulled at his master's sleeve, his pair of limpid, bright eyes gazing pitifully as he said, "Master...meat."

Zhang San heaved another sigh. Thinking that the child was still growing, he asked the mountain bandit chief, "Is there any meat to eat in your mountain stronghold?"

The mountain bandit chief lifted his head in confusion. "Huh?"

"Is·there·meat?" Zhang San's brows furrowed slightly as he enunciated each word.

"There is! There is!" The mountain bandit chief kowtowed even more frantically as he hurriedly agreed.

Next, under the lead of the mountain bandits, Zhang San and little apprentice Wang Xiaoer, master and disciple who hadn't found their next lodging, officially began their simple but meat-eating mountain stronghold life (note: the mountain bandits' mountain stronghold).