Chen Yuan frowned, pacing back and forth in the room, his mind racing, trying to deduce the bandits' hideout. He placed the Ping'an County map and county gazetteer together. Chen Yuan clearly remembered that when he perused the gazetteer, he had noted the general topography of Ping'an County.

Suddenly, Chen Yuan stopped and abruptly turned to Wang Qian:

"How many bandits did you see in total?"

Wang Qian thought for a moment and said:

"About thirty or so."

"Did they have any markings on them?"

Wang Qian's brow furrowed:

"Their clothes were disheveled, so I couldn't make out any markings. But their weapons were very uniform – standard cavalry sabers."

"Standard cavalry sabers..."

Chen Yuan vaguely felt like he'd grasped something and quickly asked:

"Anything else?"

"The leader of the bandits wore a mask, so I couldn't see his face..."

Wang Qian didn't dare to hide anything and told Chen Yuan everything he knew, one thing at a time.

"So that's it!"

A glint flashed in Chen Yuan's eyes.

"Take Patriarch Wang and Young Master Wang into the prison and await further instructions!" Chen Yuan stared at Wang Qian for a moment.

"Yes."

"Yes."

"Zhao Ning."

Chen Yuan called out.

"Your subordinate is here," Zhao Ning, who had accompanied Chen Yuan to Ping'an Town, stepped forward.

Chen Yuan beckoned, and Zhao Ning bowed and walked in front of Chen Yuan.

"Go to the county office and find County Commandant, tell him..."

"Yes, your subordinate will go now."

Chen Yuan's gaze slowly swept over everyone:

"Everyone, follow me!"

Combining Wang Qian's words with his recollection of the topography of Ping'an County, he came to a judgment: those people were likely not bandits, but soldiers posing as bandits!

And they certainly weren't intending to settle in Ping'an County, but rather to pass through Ping'an County to other areas.

If they wanted to settle down, they would never engage in a one-off deal that ruined the Wang family.

...

...

Night fell, and all was silent.

Ping'an County, ten miles west of the city.

Dozens of riders traveled on the only narrow path, their horses' legs wrapped in cloths of various colors to dampen the sound of their hooves. Only a few torches were lit.

The leader, wearing a mask, scanned the surroundings with fierce eyes, as if wary of something.

"Lord."

A bandit rode closer.

The masked man rebuked:

"How many times have I said, my identity now is bandit Han Feihu. If there's a next time, twenty lashes!"

The bandit quickly said:

"Yes, Eld... Elder Brother, your subordinate remembers."

Han Feihu snorted coldly:

"What is it?"

"Scouts have already been sent ahead, and there's nothing out of the ordinary."

Han Feihu nodded, his eyes behind the mask gazing towards the county town, a sneer appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Chen Yuan was right; his identity was indeed not Han Feihu, but a centurion from the border, who had suffered heavy losses due to recklessness, resulting in the deaths of most of his soldiers.

He dared not return to his post, as doing so would mean certain death.

After much deliberation, he decided to leave the border and flee to a highly chaotic region in the Central Plains, to seek refuge with a brother who had once worked with him.

As for the real 'Han Feihu,' he had long been killed by him, and to evade the authorities, he had disguised himself as Han Feihu. He originally didn't want to cause trouble while passing through Ping'an County.

But having exhausted his cultivation resources and living supplies, he had no choice but to risk using the Wang family to obtain some of their trading routes and plunder their resources to sustain himself and his men's cultivation.

As for the Liu family, he had accidentally crossed paths with Liu Shuanghe before, and because he was wary of his strength, he had to yield. But Liu Shuanghe had the audacity to try and recruit him by sending his two children.

If it weren't for his fear of Liu Shuanghe going berserk, Han Feihu would have killed those two long ago, especially that little vixen named Ruoqing, whose fleeting look of disdain made Han Feihu want to let her experience the fear of death.

Just a few days ago, they even sent someone to ask him to kill the head constable of Ping'an County. They were simply ignorant. Did they really think they could treat him like a thug just because they had access to cultivation resources?

He wasn't that stupid!

What he wanted was to leave Ping'an County safely, not to be a brawler.

Military law was as unyielding as a mountain. His desertion had definitely triggered a manhunt by the imperial court, and his life would be in danger if exposed.

With his mere Bone Refinement Peak cultivation, he couldn't withstand the pursuit of the Sky Patrol Division.

"Ping'an County, a good name. I hope it can truly keep me safe..." Han Feihu said softly.

The reason he chose to leave at night was also because the only way to reach the next county was through this small path, otherwise, he would have to detour for nearly ten days. Using the Wang family as pawns to mislead others was also part of Han Feihu's plan.

Otherwise, the Wang family's goods would never have escaped during the robbery.

Han Feihu led his cavalry for a long time, suddenly frowning as he noticed that there was no sound of insects or birds around, making it unusually quiet.

One must know, it was summer.

Extremely cautious, Han Feihu raised his right hand, and the cavalry behind him immediately reined in their horses.

"Brother... what's wrong?"

"Are you sure you've scouted ahead?" Han Feihu asked in a low voice.

"I've definitely scouted ahead."

Han Feihu's eyes flickered, and he whispered:

"Go scout again. I feel like something's not right. It's too quiet here."

For some reason, he had a deep sense of unease in his heart. He had felt this way before, during that reckless advance. Han Feihu comforted himself, perhaps he was just overthinking.

Along the way, he had deliberately spread some information to make people think he would settle in Ping'an County. To this end, he had even rested in the vicinity of Ping'an County for several days.

No one could possibly guess his true purpose, which was just to pass through and make a feint.

That way, not only would the people in the Ping'an County government search for him within the county.

Those imperial court experts who might be chasing him would also stay in Ping'an County for a while.

The vast Ping'an County was enough to make them search painstakingly, while he, after plundering those cultivation resources, wouldn't need to stop to rest along the way and could go straight to his destination.

"Yes."

The bandit dismounted, holding a torch and slowly approaching the dense forest ahead.

Meanwhile, in the forest forty paces away, dozens of constables lay prone, breathing softly, afraid to make a sound.

The bandit approached step by step, the torch illuminating the area within a few yards. He approached the forest, and although he felt uneasy, he dared not disobey Han Feihu's orders.

The bandit who had disobeyed before was already dead.

"Brother, there's nothing here..."

The bandit roughly scanned the area and shouted back.

But before he could finish speaking, he looked up and saw a fleeting flash of azure light.