had deep, visible whip marks, others had strangulation marks on their necks that had turned white, and some had slash wounds. Most importantly, the lower bodies of all four individuals were mutilated...The disguised guard, playing the role of a fifth-rank official, looked down on these Jianghu people. He directly revealed the identity secret of the leader of the bandits, intending to see their reactions.

As expected, Xiao Shu's face changed several times after hearing the guard's words. They, as people of the Jianghu, most disliked being involved with official matters, and this time it even involved the Mongol Nation. If handled poorly, they wouldn't just lose the treasure map, but would also get themselves into trouble.

Looking at the attitudes of the constables and guards now, perhaps the rumor they heard was deliberately spread. The purpose was to use their hands to force the bandits down the mountain so that they could be captured. Now that the other party has achieved its goal, it directly revealed the identity of the bandit leader, preventing them from continuing to investigate.

The martial artists behind Xiao Shu were all staring in astonishment, unable to understand how a bandit who had robbed passing merchant caravans could suddenly become a spy. They felt this was likely an excuse, with the intention of taking sole possession of the treasure map.

“Young Master Xiao, since they have sincerely invited us, let's go and take a look! After all, we helped the people of Huaiyuan County a great deal, eliminating harm for the commoners. We deserve to know what’s going on, don’t we”

Before that, the hunched and gloomy old man spoke, leaning on his ebony snake staff.

"The Snake Elder makes a point, and besides, those bandits should be escorted back to Huai'rou County for questioning. We might as well do the right thing."

Xiao Shu immediately climbed down the slope using the ladder and said with a smile.

"In that case, many thanks to all the heroes for your valiant efforts! Would it be possible to arrange for two people to accompany me to Qinghua Town and bring back the other two bandits who were caught We are short-handed at the moment, and we were just worried about this."

Then, Bing Wu seized the opportunity and said directly,

Beforehand, Qiqi had already anticipated that these underworld figures would definitely have suspicions and realize they were being used. They would surely investigate, so it's better to be generous and let them contribute their efforts to dispel their doubts. Why not use free labor and bodyguards

Xiao Shu felt that the step was a bit uncomfortable on his feet, but he didn't refuse. Now, figuring out the truth of the matter was the most important thing. After discussing with the people behind him, he sent the two brothers from Wuji Gate and Bing Wu to go together.

Next, everyone walked back the way they came to Qing Shixia Valley. After a day, they returned to their starting point. The long spear left behind, Jiao Fang, immediately went up to greet them. He spoke two words privately with Xiao Shu.

“Young Master Xiao, that rumor about the treasure map is probably false. I interrogated those captured bandits, and they were just a rabble who took to banditry to escape the authorities. They managed to evade the government's encirclement thanks to the geographical advantages of this area. And they claimed they never stole any treasure maps.”

It's also possible that their boss got it, and they didn't know.

Xiao Shu turned the jade fan in her hand, and said softly.

"I thought the same thing, so I asked about their leader's recent whereabouts. They said their leader was just as usual, with no particular actions. When we searched their village earlier, we didn't find any signs that they were planning to leave."

Jiao Fang spoke directly.

"The magistrate's office has arrived to take these bandits back. Let's cooperate with them. They say there are spies from the Mongol Empire among the bandits. This could be a big or small matter, so we don't want to get involved."

Xiao Shu's mind was still very clear.

"I understand!"

Jiao Fang immediately nodded in agreement, turned around and began to lead the horse, dragging up the bandit who was pretending to be dead on the ground, ready to return to Huairou County.

Bing Wu, along with two disciples from Wujimen, went to pick up the "Feng Qi Wu Tong" mother and son who had been captured before. They split up and agreed to meet at Huai'rou County Government.

After one night, the Qingshi Canyon fell into complete silence, and the bandits' lair had become a deserted village. All the pregnant women and seriously wounded bandits were sent back to Huaiyou County.

After this batch of fifty or sixty bandits arrived in Huai'rou County, they filled the county jail to the brim. The county magistrate and chief clerk were running around like busy bees, starting a preliminary screening. Those who had committed crimes and fled into the bandit's lair were kept separate. They were dealt with accordingly: those who deserved punishment were punished, those who deserved execution were executed.

Those remaining individuals without clear origins naturally needed to be thoroughly investigated. For a time, the entire Huai'rou County became somewhat agitated. The bandit den entrenched in the Qing Shixia Valley was uprooted with the assistance of martial artists from the Jianghu, which is a most welcome development.

So, among the people of Huai'rou County, these martial heroes were still quite popular. Although the heroes felt a bit stifled at times, their reputation was good, and they had truly done their part to help, so they gladly accepted the praise from the common folk.

Everyone suggested that She Lao and Xiao Shu should go to the county office to negotiate, at least to find out if the treasure map is true or false.

While Wang Meimei couldn't go with her brother Xiao, she went to the largest Ruyi Inn in Huai'rou County to meet Lian Yi. After all, the two had made an appointment to meet before.

Ling Yu asked Wang Meimei to have dinner at "Wanfu Restaurant" and catch up on things since they had broken up.

What happened to those children

“All the families whose children had gone missing nearby came looking, and they truly found their own missing children. However, there were only four of them. They said they were stolen. The county magistrate posted notices, and their village head went back to relay the message. So, they came with a glimmer of hope.”

“It's already a blessing that we could find it back, even just one child is a good deed.”

Wang Meimei immediately said.

"Well, I thought the same. My wife, Zhen Fu, is a kind woman. She wants to wait another two days to see if all the remaining children find homes before we set off."

Ripples smiled and poured a cup of tea for Wang Meimei, then asked:

"After we left, what did you and Young Master Xiao gain at the bandits' den"

"Hi! Don't mention it! There's nothing left, only the elderly, the weak, pregnant women and women. We even helped them down the gorge, but now they've all been sent to the county office."

"They are bandits who rob people on the road. They must have gold, silver, and treasures, right"

"Don't even talk about gold, silver, or treasures; there isn't much food left. What's worse, that bandit leader has been labeled a Mongol spy by the government, so he's probably doomed."

"So it was a spy from the Mongol nation! That explains everything."

The ripples suddenly realized.

"Ripples, what do you mean by that"

Wang Meimei pressed further.

If he’s a spy, then everything he stole must have been sent back. The border is quite unstable now, with frequent clashes, and grain is highly valuable.

You're right, it was all for nothing, we didn't even get close to the treasure map.

Wang Meimei pouted.

If there was a treasure map, they would have gone to dig up the treasure long ago, and wouldn't be here robbing people.

Even a child could figure that out.

"That's right, I also advised Brother Xiao like that. But he insisted on going to the county office to demand an explanation. After all, we put in a lot of effort during this bandit suppression operation. It's unreasonable for them not to even give us a fair account!"

Wang Meimei has the characteristics of a person from the Jianghu (Chinese underworld), and she doesn't have a good impression of government officials.

"That's right, I want to get to the bottom of this! If you want to prove this rumor false, just track down the next piece of news. Word on the street spreads fast and often, it's hard to tell what's true and what's not."

After they had finished their meal, the two parted ways. Liàn Yī borrowed an excuse to go to the county office to inquire about the remaining children and met with the magistrate.me in completing it.""Well, there is such a thing. We have received the notice and drafted the list. Finally, your boss will finalize it."He Yi didn't deny it, anyway, these people would all meet her...