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For Du Sha, neither the Tang Clan nor the Mi Clan, nor any prominent family in Xiling were forces he wanted to rely on. He’d seen too much he didn’t want to witness through his years of chivalrous adventures.

Why had the majority of commoners in western Longzhou heard of the reputation of the peaceful city of Xiling, yet local bandit threats remained copious? Despite the Tang and Mi Clans being so powerful, were they unable to eradicate these bandits and maintain peace in the surrounding villages and towns?

As formidable as the Tang and Mi Clans were, it wasn’ t a struggle to protect the surrounding hundred-plus villages and towns. If they truly wished to, they could vanquish all the water bandits and mountain robbers across western Longzhou, but they did not.

Some bandits had lairs right in the forests around Xiling, a fact the Tang and Mi Clans were well aware of, but they never sent people to eradicate them.

Why? Because with these bandits around, the local villages and towns were dependent on the martial power of Xiling. Every autumn harvest, they would go to Xiling to ask the Tang and Mi Clans to send soldiers to eliminate bandits.

But like leeks, bandits which were cleared out each year appeared again the next.

Could it really be that bandits were so efficient in training martial arts, quick enough to produce a new batch each year?

For Du Sha, this question that had bewildered him since he was young was finally answered during a campaign to wipe out a gang of mountain bandits: All the banditry around Xiling, shockingly, was fostered by the prominent families of Xiling.

The prominent families annually recruited hordes of wandering martial artists who then became bandits and ravaged western Longzhou. When it came to “clearing out” banditry, it was not the bandits who were killed but the martial artists protecting the villages and towns.

Bandits looted counties and small towns and decapitated the warriors of justice. When it came time for the two clans to return their dues, they handed over these heads and perished the hideout.

This farce was performed each year. The Tang and Mi Clans took in an untold wealth and yet, the following year, the bandits would return under new names. The entire region along the Lingjiang was a stage for the elites of Xiling. This year, a powerful rogue from the south named Ma San appears; next year, it would be a bandit from the east called Hu Ye. It seemed like the banditry was endless, but the true megalomaniacs were these noble clans of Xiling.

The bandits crushed amidst the remains of their den had no fear of the Red Crystal Giant’s might. The bandit chief arrogantly said to him, “Chief Du, find your own way out. This is the den of the Wan clan, don’t tarnish yourself.”

In the eyes of the commoners, the famous Wan clan of Xiling was exceptionally good, yet behind the scenes, they fostered bandits who pillaged the villages.

This absurd scene infuriated Du Sha, who initially thought of his Dao Heart as unyielding as a rock.

The Red Crystal Giant crushed the den. One hundred and ninety-seven bandits were slain without any attempts at concealment. Traces of the Red Cloud Skill littered the entire den. He waited for the Wan clan to come for him.

Several years have passed, and it seems as though the Wan clan has forgotten that event. That den had also been abandoned, but this year was still teeming with banditry. Leaders from several counties had already travelled to Xiling for help before the autumn harvest.

The further Du Sha travelled on the path of being a chivalrous and righteous knight, the more powerless he felt. Slaying a band of bandits was no difficult task for him, but when the benefactors of banditry were the noble clans, he would need to eliminate these clans to cleanse western Longzhou of banditry. Otherwise, even extinction would not eliminate the bandits.

Would he let the Red Cloud Village rely on these people?

Even if a profound-level skill and a pile of resources were laid before him, Du Sha couldn’t do it. He reasoned that his Red Cloud Village was different from the clans of Xiling: “If there’s a war between the two clans, I will close off the mountain.”

“Naive!” Mi Zhen’s expression turned frosty. He felt he had been more than respectful to Du Sha, yet the latter was ungrateful. With a flood impending, his patience was wearing thin. “How can one afford to let another sleep beside one’s couch? Neither the Tang nor the Mi clan will allow the Red Cloud Village to sit on the fence. Friend Du, your cultivation is remarkable, which naturally gives you confidence. But you also should think about the hundreds of clansmen at the Du clan. The problems with the Red Cloud Skill do not need to be elaborated by me. Without an alternative technique, the Du clan will decline in three generations.”

If you were to ask which family in Xiling feared war the most, the answer should be the Du clan. Their total population was fewer than four hundred. Although the Red Cloud Skill had incredible might, their sparse population doomed them from conducting any wars like a normal noble clan.

Common noble families mainly comprised cultivators in the Mediocre Realm, which meant they suffered dozens to hundreds of casualties every time they waged war. But with such a thin population like the Du clan, a loss of one hundred Mediocre Realm cultivators would signify their annihilation.

“Mull over it today, friend Du. I will visit again tomorrow,” Mi Zhen rose and left.

Du Sha remained like a stone Buddha, sitting in his chair, his eyes slightly closed, seemingly lost in contemplation, as if he had not even breathed a breath.

He clearly perceived the thinly veiled threat in Mi Zhen’s words. Yet, he was not worried in the least.

This wasn’t due to the Du clan becoming so powerful they feared nothing, but because the Du clan had nothing left to lose.

Due to the Red Cloud Skill, fertility had become increasingly difficult for the current generation of the clan. The Du clan had not had a newborn for a full ten years.

Among Du Ziteng’s generation, the Du clan only had two daughters. Du Ziteng, who had married at fifteen, still did not have an heir.

Although he was loath to accept it, Du Ziteng’s generation might well be the last of the Du clan.

Since they had nothing to lose, they naturally had nothing to fear.

If, a hundred years ago, the Mi clan was willing to offer such a profound-level technique, the Du clan would certainly have bowed in gratitude. But now, it wasn’t required anymore.

Whether it was the Tang Clan or Mi Clan, there was no difference to the Du clan now that they had reached a dead-end.

Perhaps dying in battle provided a better end for the Du clan.

“Pitter-patter.”

Light footsteps disrupted Du Sha’s contemplation. Liu Chan, who had just seen Mi Zhen out, led the most famous young master in Xiling into the conference hall.

After the Battle of Jianglin, the universally acknowledged strongest Mediocre Realm cultivator, Tang Luo, famously known as the First Young Master, unexpectedly appeared here. Du Sha was somewhat surprised, but aligning with Du Ziteng’s words several months ago, Tang Luo’s purpose was clear.

This Pride of Xiling intended to recruit the Du clan of the Red Cloud Village as his vassal, aligning with the purpose of Mi Zhen’s visit.

Upon realizing this, Du Sha was sure of himself. His expression remained apathetic. He indifferently said, “Why does the esteemed Tang Tianjiao grace us with his presence?”

Despite knowing the obvious answer to the polite question, he was already resolute. Regardless of whatever terms the Tang Clan offered, it would be meaningless to the current Du clan. The conviction of the head of the Du clan was unshakeable.

“A flood is coming,” Tang Luo earnestly told Du Sha, whose face changed dramatically. “We only have three days.”

None of the commoners across the various mountains of Xiling could go there, as even if they took refuge on the mountains, they would be driven away by the noble clans. Only the Red Cloud Mountain Range could provide a haven for the people of Xiling.

Among all the noble families in Xiling, the only one truly deserving of the words “benevolent” and “righteous” would probably be this mountain guardian before him.

Thus, Tang Luo did not make any formal requests but directly shared the most crucial information.