I am the Ruler of the Kingdom of Mysterious-Chapter 287 - 251: Saving Lives

On the way to the prison, Sang Que inquired about the basic situation here from Ruan Shichun, and Ruan Shichun’s tone was devoid of any fluctuations, like a robot.

However, the answers were very detailed and without any concealment.

Only then did Sang Que realize that this place was indeed not far from Wangshan City.

Wangshan City is located at a strategic pass within the Qianyue Mountain Range, dividing the range into West Yue and East Yue. The mountains stretch from the northwest to the southeast, with Qinzhou’s hinterland to the southwest and Jinzhou to the northeast of the Qianyue Mountain Range.

The northwest of Jinzhou is mountainous, bordering the Buddhist Holy Land Tibet. Beyond the Qianyue Mountain Range to the northeast lies vast plains suitable for farming, making Da Xuan the largest granary besides Jiangzhou, mainly cultivating wheat and corn, while Jiangzhou focuses on various rice crops.

Ironically, when Sang Que asked Ruan Shichun why they became bandits in the mountains, Ruan Shichun said it was because there was no surplus grain at home.

They couldn’t afford the grain tax or land tax and didn’t want to be caught and forced into labor, so they had to retreat to the mountains.

Jinfeng Mountain is on the East Yue side, backed by the Qinzhou territory. Although it seems close, a normal person can’t cross it at all. As you go further into the mountains, the terrain becomes more rugged, and the border with Qinzhou becomes a nearly vertical cliff.

There are many such cliffs on the Qinzhou side, with the Evil Suppression Bureau of Wangshan City established at the foot of a cliff, and the Evil Ghost Bureau even dug into the cliff below.

The terrain of Jinfeng Mountain resembles a Phoenix spreading its wings, with a narrow gorge at the Phoenix’s neck. The steep cliffs on both sides allow for excellent defense from above, preventing government troops from entering.

After entering the gorge at the neck, there’s a vast forest forming the Phoenix’s body and wings, naturally created by erosion from the Xuan River, the largest river in Jinzhou’s interior.

It is unknown which dynasty invested massive manpower to build a dam, blocking the Xuan River within Jinzhou, transforming it into one of the country’s granaries. The riverbed gradually grew trees, forming a forest, which became today’s Jinfeng Mountain.

As Sang Que listened to Ruan Shichun’s account, the map of this place gradually formed in his mind. At first glance, this place indeed seemed suitable to be a base, as long as they could hold the gorge at the neck.

Of course, there were disadvantages. If the government heavily besieged and blocked the gorge, they’d be trapped in Jinfeng Mountain, with the cliff behind leaving no escape. If they ran out of food, they wouldn’t last half a year before dying.

However, these issues weren’t significant problems for Sang Que.

"How many bandits are there in Jinfeng Mountain?"

Ruan Shichun said expressionlessly, "Including us, there are five bandit lairs in total. We are near the gorge, with two larger lairs on each side, each having more than a hundred people. The prison has arrived."

The prison was located at the back of the mountain settlement, where some chickens and ducks were raised. There were also two plowing cattle and five black dogs locked in a kennel.

When Sang Que approached, the black dogs didn’t bark at all, whimpering and trembling in the corners.

The houses in front of the settlement were thatched houses, but the prison was a row of buildings made of bricks and stones, quite sturdy.

As soon as the door was pushed open and entered, cries and sounds of fright immediately emerged from inside.

There were four cells, with people locked inside two of them. In the front cell, four girls were huddled together, with one seemingly ill and unconscious. They all appeared to be under twenty, their hair disheveled and clothes tattered. Upon hearing the commotion, they all shrank into a corner, terrified and uneasy.

Sang Que’s face darkened, and his fist gradually clenched. "Open the cell door."

In the adjacent cell, a young master-servant pair in luxurious clothing sat cross-legged, not particularly flustered.

Both were dressed in men’s clothing, but it was clear to Sang Que that the ’young man’ was actually a girl.

She was young, and her disguise had no obvious flaws, but Sang Que, with his Ghost Eye, intended to explore her identity and saw her standing in a shop, dressed as a woman.

His vision blurred again as the Ghost Eye still hadn’t recovered fully.

Sang Que had watched many dramas, and this was undoubtedly a ’ransom ticket’ case, where family members needed to send money and food for their release.

Ruan Shichun also mentioned that they could only kidnap hostages like this once or twice a year. Even robbing passersby depended on luck. If they were lucky, they could seize valuable goods but had to share the loot with the four other nearby lairs.

Most of the time, they made a living by farming.

"Release them all," Sang Que ordered.

Upon hearing Sang Que’s words, the people in both cells looked over at him.

Sang Que entered the first cell and squatted down to the four girls, saying, "This place is now under my control. No one will harm you anymore. I’ll have someone bring you clean clothes and silver taels so you can return home."

Hearing Sang Que say this, the youngest-looking girl crawled towards Sang Que and begged with a kowtow.

"Please, heroine, save my sister. She seems like she’s about to die! I beg you!"

Sang Que had just seen the unconscious girl, covered in wounds, lips chapped, so thin that she was only skin and bones.

Sang Que approached to check, her body was very hot. Unfortunately, she couldn’t return to the present; otherwise, she could have brought some fever-reducing medicine.

"Ruan Shichun, go tell the four servant women in the kitchen to prepare some clean water. If there is any wine in the village, fetch me a jar and send it to the Big Boss’s place. You all, follow me."

Sang Que picked up the girl in her arms horizontally and walked out of the cell.

Seeing two people in the adjacent cell, Sang Que stopped and said, "If you want to leave, feel free to do so. No one will stop you."

Those girls treated Sang Que as a lifeline and all followed her. When they reached the village, they found those who bullied them all looking at Sang Que in fear. They didn’t know what had happened but clung tightly to Sang Que.

Ruan Shichun acted swiftly this time, quickly sending over clean water and a jar of wine. Sang Que helped clean the girl’s body and used physical methods to reduce her fever.

After going through the process once, Sang Que handed a cloth to her younger sister, Wan He, "Help her cool down like this. If she can hold on till tomorrow morning, I might have a way to save her."

The other two unknown girls were still inside the cave, standing awkwardly.

"There are clean clothes and water over there. You can wash up. Food will be brought to you shortly. It’s getting late; you can stay here tonight. Tomorrow morning, I’ll have someone escort you down the mountain."

Hearing this, the two girls knelt down, bowing their heads repeatedly, "Thank you, heroine."

As they bowed, they couldn’t stop crying, releasing the fear they endured and the uncertainty of the future.

They could no longer return home.

Sang Que said nothing and left the cave for the council hall outside, where the other bandits had already left.

It was already Spring, and they needed to prepare to cultivate the land and plant grain.

The village didn’t even have a doctor; if someone fell ill, Ruan Shichun would just randomly find some mountain herbs to brew and drink. If lucky and strong, they would survive; if not, they would die.

Sitting alone in the council hall chair, Sang Que realized that managing such a place was a heavy responsibility.

The person who came to deliver food told Sang Que that the master and servant pair had already left on their own, not lingering for a moment in the mountain village.

Thinking about how to manage the village, Sang Que found herself deep in thought as night fell. Once the sky was completely dark, everyone in the village returned to their places and shut their doors.

Sang Que went into the cave to check; Wan He’s sister, Wanyun, was still burning with fever, her breath weakening. Wan He was very strong, holding back tears, persistently wiping her sister’s body with wine to reduce the fever, and feeding her some porridge in increments.

Sang Que instructed Ruan Shichun to stand guard outside, and she left the village alone, heading into the forest.

She hadn’t gone far when she saw several hideous corpses hanging under the trees, swaying.

Suicide Rope, an old friend.

Sang Que opened up the Ghost Realm directly, and those Suicide Ropes, realizing they wanted to flee, failed to escape in time, being harvested by Sang Que in an instant.

Spreading out her right hand, her palm was still empty. Originally, killing a Suicide Rope could at least restore half a trigram.

Could it be that after she advanced to Ghost Level, the Yansheng coin also upgraded, where the power of Evil Spirits was insufficient, and devouring an Evil Ghost was necessary for recovery?

Sang Que’s heart sank. In these mountains, it’s easy to find Evil Spirits; ghosts would be harder to find. It would be great to have the Evil Suppression Bureau’s Soul-Attracting Incense.

"Forget it, quantity leads to qualitative change. Let’s first eliminate all the nearby Evil Spirits and then see."

Sang Que released the Yin Child, and the master and servant duo surveyed the mountains inch by inch from the village’s center.

The Yin Child harbored a sense of redemption, no longer slacking, running back and forth diligently.

Even Wandering Souls weren’t spared, killing one at first sight, without Sang Que’s orders or intervention.

After busying for over two hours, the Yansheng coin in her palm still showed no sign of movement.

Suddenly, a scream pierced the silence of the night. Sang Que looked towards the direction of the scream, seeing the canyon path leading in and out of Jinfeng Mountain covered in thick fog, with shadows looming within, seemingly many human-shaped silhouettes.

The girl who disguised herself as a man in the afternoon was now running out in panic, falling to the ground, as if something grabbed her leg, pulling her into the fog with no more sound.