The bandit groveled, bowing and scraping as he forced a smile.
"Sir, as you can see, I've led you to the treasure. So, about our deal...?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jing turned to look at the bandit. A cryptic smile touched his lips. "You're right. I did make you a promise. You can get lost now."
The bandit was overjoyed. He immediately dropped to his knees and kowtowed loudly several times. "Thank you for sparing my life, Sir! Thank you! I'm leaving now! I'm leaving!"
But as he looked up, his face was contorted with resentment.
This treasure hoard was the culmination of months of plunder, and some of it was even treasure from the Zhao family. He was supposed to get a share. Now that Xiao Jing had cleaned them out completely, how could he possibly stomach this humiliation?
On top of that, the leader had been his sworn brother. How could he not avenge his brother's death?
'Just you wait. Once I get away and contact the Zhao family of Shanwu, I'll have you all annihilated, down to the last dog and chicken!'
One step, two steps…
Just as the bandit was about to step outside the encirclement of terracotta soldiers, he breathed an internal sigh of relief and cursed Xiao Jing for being a fool. At that moment, the sound of something slicing through the air came from behind.
Horrified, he spun around, only to see a bronze greatsword run straight through his heart.
In an instant, blood pooled on the ground as his body crashed down, his face frozen in a mask of hatred.
"Heh. The Lord promised to spare your life, but I sure didn't!"
Zhou Cang picked up the slightly damaged bronze greatsword and let out a cold laugh.
He'd never had a soft spot for robbers and thieves.
Xiao Jing nodded, satisfied. This matter was connected to the "Ancient Qin Secret Realm," so the bandits' fate had been sealed from the start. There was no way he would have let them go.
The only reason he'd agreed to the bandit's request was to avoid wasting time searching for the treasure himself.
After all, banditry was a business that required no start-up capital. Their stash was bound to be substantial, which was exactly why Xiao Jing had targeted them.
"Commander Zhou, take a few men and search the cave!"
Zhou Cang respectfully clasped his fist in salute, then gestured to a few terracotta soldiers and entered the cave.
A short while later, they emerged carrying five large chests.
"My lord, we've searched the cave from top to bottom. These five chests are all we found!"
Xiao Jing nodded and ordered them to open the chests.
Of the five chests, two were filled with money, two with weapons, and the last with miscellaneous items.
After taking inventory, Xiao Jing found he had obtained:
200 taels of silver, 14,888 copper coins, one Refined Greatsword (Yellow), one suit of Bronze Armor (Yellow), three Hardwood Bows (Gray), and five Rusted Sabers and Spears each (White).
One Tier One Yellow Turban Soldier barracks blueprint, one basic shop blueprint, several ordinary gold and silver ornaments (White), one exquisite Dragon Jade Pendant (Purple), and one unknown token.
Crime brings a belt of gold, while charity leaves not even bones behind!
This was what you called getting rich overnight!
Xiao Jing's face was glowing. He hadn't expected such a small bandit hoard to contain so much.
The money and weapons were one thing, but blueprints were treasures that couldn't be bought on a whim. And these bandits had two of them!
In "Warfare," players could construct buildings in their territories without blueprints, but such structures had no special effects. Buildings with unique properties required a blueprint to construct, and blueprints were exceptionally rare. This made even low-level blueprints highly sought-after, available only in major cities and large shops.
Xiao Jing carefully put the blueprints away, taking note of their attributes.
[Name]: Tier One Yellow Turban Soldier Barracks Blueprint (Yellow)
[Effect]: Rapid Recruitment: Recruit Yellow Turban Soldiers. Upon completion of training, they are Tier One (Drawback: EXP gain speed -60%).
[Construction Materials]: 100 Wood, 1 tael of silver
[Construction Time]: 2 days
[Training Cycle]: 7 days
[Trainable Capacity]: 200 people
Yellow Turban Soldiers?!!
Xiao Jing frowned. 'Why would a bandit camp have a blueprint for Yellow Turban Soldiers?'
His expression flickered with uncertainty. His intuition told him he had been dragged into a conspiracy.
'Sigh, this thing is a hot potato.'
'The rapid recruitment is tempting, being able to train a large number of Tier One soldiers so quickly... but I can't get involved with this. I'll just have to see if I can sell it to another player down the line.'
Shaking his head, Xiao Jing turned his attention to the next blueprint.
[Name]: Basic Shop Blueprint (Yellow)
[Effect]: Hundred-Li Trade: Freely trade with other shops that have the 'Hundred-Li Trade' trait within a hundred-li radius (Goods can be teleported regardless of distance. Fee: 20% of the item's price).
[Construction Materials]: 100 Wood, 10 units Clay, 100 copper coins
[Construction Time]: 5 days
Xiao Jing's eyes lit up and his face filled with delight when he saw the "Hundred-Li Trade" effect.
"Excellent, excellent, excellent!"
The village desperately needed to trade with the outside world, and now this basic shop blueprint had fallen into his lap. It was like being given a pillow just as you were about to doze off.
'With this shop blueprint, the village's food problem is halfway to being solved!'
After examining the blueprints, Xiao Jing turned his attention to the Dragon Jade Pendant and the unknown token that had been among the miscellaneous items.
[Accessory]: Dragon Jade Pendant
[Quality]: Purple
[Effects]: 1. Calms the Mind: The wearer is not easily angered and maintains a calmer disposition.
2. Longevity: Long-term wear will extend one's lifespan and strengthen the body.
3. Dragon & Phoenix Harmony: The Dragon and Phoenix are a pair; their wearers will be naturally drawn to each other!
4. Dragon & Phoenix Fortune: Hidden Attributes: Fortune +5, Luck +5, Charisma +5.
[Description]: The Dragon Jade Pendant from the Pre-Qin Secret Realm has reappeared in the world. Can the Phoenix Jade Pendant, its destined pair, be far behind?
This Jade Pendant?!!
Xiao Jing was stunned. This was the first time he'd ever heard of attributes like Fortune and Luck.
Without a moment's hesitation, he fastened the Jade Pendant to his waist. The longevity effect alone made it worth wearing, to say nothing of the hidden attribute boosts.
The moment he put on the Jade Pendant, a cooling sensation spread through Xiao Jing's mind, making him feel instantly more clear-headed.
'What a treasure!' he marveled. 'These bandits were more than they seemed, to have something like this!'
Tearing his gaze away from the Jade Pendant, he turned to the unknown token beside it.
[Item]: ? Token
[Quality]: ?
[Effect]: ?
[Description]: ?
It was a row of nothing but question marks!
He couldn't get any information from it. Without hesitation, he used his own reconnaissance skill.
A moment later, his reconnaissance skill revealed the unknown token's information.
[Item]: Zhao Family Token
[Quality]: Gray
[Effect]: A token. With this, you can contact the Zhao family's head steward and enter certain Zhao family locations.
[Description]: A token of the Zhao family of Shanwu!
At the sight of this, Xiao Jing's pupils constricted.
The Zhao family of Shanwu?!! The local magnates?!!!
A sense of foreboding washed over him, but it also answered some of the questions nagging at his mind.
'No wonder these bandits had so much treasure, including blueprints. They were being backed by a powerful family like the Zhaos!'
'But why did the bandits have a Yellow Turban blueprint? The Zhao family... don't tell me they're already in contact with the Yellow Turbans?'