Watching Ian Song stomp and curse in the center of the main hall, all the bandit chiefs felt a strong urge to swear—was it really okay to rob your fellow outlaws so brazenly?
But this guy's strength was just ridiculous. After seeing him send Lone-Blade Gideon flying with a single move, not one of them dared to resist his robbery—or even complain.
Suddenly, Ian yelled at Burt "Bull" Bolton, "Bull, can't you use your damn brain for once? Hurry up and go collect silver from all the chiefs!"
"Yes, Boss!"
This time, Bull didn't even stutter. The scene just now had nearly scared him witless, but now he felt his blood boiling—how thrilling was this? The Boss had actually robbed every chief in the Blackwind Mountains.
Half a quarter-hour later, Bull stared wide-eyed at the pile of gold and silver stacked in the center of the main hall. In all his life, he'd never seen so much treasure. Barely believing it, he turned to Ian and asked, "Boss, is all this silver really ours now?"
"Pathetic!" Ian scoffed. "But I'll allow you to sleep hugging all this silver tonight."
"Really?" Bull said, face full of excitement.
Ian couldn't be bothered with him anymore. His gaze landed on Valerie Loneblade, and he said mischievously, "Hey, beauty, looks like you still haven't paid up."
"I don't have any silver on me." Valerie instinctively stepped back. At first, she thought this guy was a bit of a fool, but now she saw he was a complete troublemaker.
"No money? Perfect. Come back to Clearwind Stronghold with me—I just happen to need a fire-tending maid." Ian said with a cheeky grin.
Valerie's pretty face changed instantly. "Don't even think about it!"
"Come here, you!"
Ian reached out and grabbed, and Valerie was pulled toward him, completely against her will. The bandits all looked on in shock—he'd just snatched a living person out of thin air.
Rumor had it that only Innate-level martial artists could move objects at a distance—could Ian really be Innate?
"Bull, grab the silver—let's go!" Ian tapped Valerie on the forehead to knock her out, picked her up, and headed for the door. It wasn't that he wanted to do anything to Valerie; he just figured that robbing a woman ought to count as a robbery style too.
But just as he stepped out of the Hall of Righteousness, Ian suddenly turned back to the bandit chiefs and said, "Gentlemen, next time you gather, remember to bring more silver on you!"
Hearing this, everyone felt like coughing up blood.
"Hahaha!"
With a burst of arrogant laughter, Ian left with Valerie Loneblade, vanishing from sight.
An hour later.
Ian Song returned to Clearwind Stronghold.
Old Stick and Sam Wu rushed over as soon as they heard the news, asking how things went.
But when they saw Valerie Loneblade, their faces instantly changed.
"Isn't this Loneblade's adopted daughter? Boss, why did you bring her back!"
"Bull, you explain what happened tonight to them."
Ian had no interest in explaining. He handed Valerie over to Qi Ling'er, then mounted his sword and flew straight toward Ningwu City.
No time like the present—he'd already started robbing today, so why not keep going and rack up a few more?
He'd scouted Ningwu City during the day and found no real experts, so he wasn't worried about being discovered. He flew his sword to a nearby alley by the county depot.
The county depot in Ningwu was built right next to the county office, storing mostly grain, silver, and weapons like armor.
The system's mission was robbery, not theft. If he wanted to complete it, he'd have to walk in and rob the place openly.
Otherwise, with his cultivation, he could have easily cleaned out the depot without anyone noticing.
Guards stood watch inside and out. Ian covered his face with a black cloth, then swaggered straight toward the depot.
It was a long night. The two guards at the depot gate were gossiping about local wives when they suddenly spotted a masked man walking toward them.
The two froze for a moment, then shouted at the masked man, "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to rob you," Ian replied, calm as ever.
"What? Robbery?!"
The two guards were stunned—had thieves really gotten this bold? Who would dare stroll up to the depot and announce a robbery, all by himself?
Ian couldn't be bothered to waste words. He flicked out two strands of qi, knocking both guards out cold.
Suddenly, Ian noticed a brass gong by one guard's feet. He picked it up and leapt into the depot.