Four sturdy horses burst forth from Hejia Village like an arrow, reaching the county seat in less than half a day. Leading them was He Quanxin, the Ninth Layer cultivator from Hejia Village renowned throughout Taicang County.

Upon entering the town, they did not return home but proceeded directly to the Cheng Residence.

Cheng Jiahui was not surprised by the arrival of the He family members, but their speed astonished him. Nevertheless, this was undeniably excellent news for the Cheng Residence.

The master of the Cheng Residence strode out personally to greet them, leading them directly into the inner hall. His gaze lingered frequently on He Yitian, and everyone understood his intentions; He Yitian’s face flushed slightly.

As the eldest grandson of the He family, he had long known that his marriage would not be his to decide. For the sake of family interests, the standard for his spouse was not whether he liked her. However, he harbored no great resistance to this, understanding it was an obligation he had to bear for his lineage.

And within Taicang County, the daughter of the Cheng Residence was undoubtedly the most suitable match in terms of status. Judging by the demeanor of his grandfather and father, they seemed keenly interested in this prospect.

Thinking of this, he glanced in the direction of Yiming and sighed inwardly.

He had heard his father mention privately that the sixth brother possessed exceptional talent, so the family had decided not to deliberately arrange a marriage for him, lest it impede his cultivation. Just like the Fourth Master Xu of the Xu family, Xu Xiangqian, who devoted himself entirely to cultivation and remained unmarried to this day.

As they all took their seats, He Quanxin immediately inquired about the situation with the horse bandits.

Cheng Jiahui concealed nothing: "Esteemed sirs, this junior offers his sincere thanks in advance." His gaze then shifted, revealing an etched hatred in his eyes.

He Quanxin and the others exchanged glances, all knowing well that for Cheng Jiahui, given his status and standing, to display his inner feelings so openly could only stem from a deep-seated hatred for those bandits, and also served to signal his complete trust in the He family.

"Our Cheng Residence holds some influence in Taicang County. After investigating, we finally discovered several suspicious individuals within the town," Cheng Jiahui stated in a solemn voice. "Following the pursuit, two of those suspicious individuals were killed, and one was captured alive."

Though his words were understated, everyone could easily imagine the brutal reality of the situation.

"Did that person confess?" He Quanxin interjected, adding mentally, Please don't say they were tortured into confession, a thought he would never voice aloud.

Cheng Jiahui nodded heavily. "Precisely. This man attempted suicide at first, but since he fell into our hands, how could we grant him his wish? After interrogation, we have uncovered their background." His voice suddenly turned cold: "That group is the Red Scarf Bandits from Tai'a County."

He Quanxin and the others paused, then their brows furrowed slightly.

Tai'a County did not border Taicang County; they were separated by Tai'chong County. However, that county was the most chaotic in the entire Linlang Prefecture.

Being a rare flat county in the northwestern region, its location on the border and level terrain meant it had always been rife with horse bandits. Once the authorities attempted a large-scale military suppression, they would flee across the border, causing the army to hesitate, unwilling to cross boundaries in pursuit.

The Red Scarf Bandits were the cream of the crop among the horse bandits of Tai'a County, ranking among the very best factions. Even in Taicang County, they had heard the name of this bandit group.

The most famous among them were the First and Second Chiefs of the Red Scarf Bandits; rumor had it both were supreme masters whose Internal Energy cultivation had reached the Tenth Layer.

Clearing his throat lightly, He Quanxin inquired, "Brother Cheng, who was the leader of that bandit group?"

"That leader was a captain within the Red Scarf Bandits named Guan Wei." The muscles in Cheng Jiahui's face twitched slightly. When mentioning the name of this arch-enemy, he ironically grew calmer.

"Guan Wei?" A trace of strangeness flickered across He Quanxin's face. "I recall the Great Chief of the Red Scarf Bandits is also surnamed Guan."

"That is correct. This Guan Wei is the full younger brother of the Great Chief of the Red Scarf Bandits, and his Internal Energy cultivation has already reached the Ninth Layer," Cheng Jiahui stated without reservation. He understood that on this matter, deceiving the other party was impossible; otherwise, not only would any potential in-law relationship be ruined, but they might even become sworn enemies.

Several thoughts flashed through He Quanxin’s mind instantly. He pondered for a moment before asking, "Brother Cheng, may I ask which member of the Xu family came to assist this time?"

"No one came from them," Cheng Jiahui replied calmly.

The He family members were inwardly startled. He Quanxin raised his eyes slightly: "Could it be that the Xu family feared the Red Scarf Bandits and thus avoided involvement?"

"No." Cheng Jiahui’s words were startling: "We never invited anyone from the Xu family to come."

This time, He Quanxin and the others were genuinely perplexed, only He Yiming stared fixedly, his heart already vaguely guessing the reason.

Indeed, Cheng Jiahui continued: "Sirs, you may not know, but on that night, one of the Red Scarf Bandits snatched the Thousand-Year Blood Ginseng. Upon leaving, he encountered a brother of mine. At that time, I exchanged a palm strike with that person, hehe…" He gave a self-mocking laugh, "The result was that my brother was injured by the shock on the spot. If that person hadn't been in a hurry to leave, I might not be here to see you all today."

The expressions of He Quanxin and the others changed again, only one palm strike was enough to injure Cheng Jiahui—that person's strength was indeed extraordinary.

"Brother Cheng, was that person Guan Wei?"

"No, Guan Wei was engaged in a fight with my father at the time and simply couldn't spare the time." Cheng Jiahui said coldly, "However, that person was also a Ninth Layer master of Internal Energy."

He Quanxin’s face immediately grew grave. "Two Ninth Layer masters came at once?"

Cheng Jiahui waved his hand: "Brother He, through our interrogation, Guan Wei was the only Ninth Layer master among the bandits who came this time. As for that other person, he was actually not one of the Red Scarf Bandits; he simply took advantage of the chaos, donned their clothing, and mixed in to steal the Thousand-Year Blood Ginseng."

Since He Quanxin and the others had managed to cultivate their Internal Energy to such advanced levels, they were naturally intelligent people. Connecting this with the fact that the Cheng family had not invited the Xu family, they immediately deduced the crucial point.

The two brothers exchanged a look. He Quanming stated: "Brother Cheng, could that person be connected to the Xu family?"

"Correct, he is indeed connected to the Xu family, and there's no doubt about it," Cheng Jiahui asserted resolutely.

"Brother Cheng, could there be some misunderstanding in this?" He Quanming said thoughtfully, "Given the Xu family's position in this county, they absolutely wouldn't do something as opportunistic as looting a crisis."

Cheng Jiahui let out a cold sneer: "If the Red Scarf Bandits hadn't appeared, perhaps they wouldn't have made a move. But since the opportunity presented itself, how could they restrain themselves any longer?" The ruling power of the Cheng family glanced towards the Xu family's direction, "The Thousand-Year Blood Ginseng—how could they not be tempted by it?"

He Quanxin said gravely, "Brother Cheng, are you so certain because you have some evidence?"

A sharp gleam flashed in Cheng Jiahui's eyes. "I exchanged a palm strike with that person. Brother He, do you know what cultivation technique that person used?"

He Quanxin shook his head in confusion. There were countless Internal Energy cultivation methods in this world; how could he possibly guess?

He Yitian, however, felt a stir in his heart: "Could it be one of the Xu family's Two Great Marvelous Techniques?"

The expressions of He Quanxin and the others immediately changed. The Xu family's Two Great Marvelous Techniques—the Blazing Fire Skill and the Withering Wood Skill—were two renowned primary Internal Energy methods in Taicang County.

And these two techniques were guarded secrets of the Xu Fortress, never to be taught to anyone outside the direct lineage. If it were indeed one of these two techniques, then even if the Xu family jumped into the Yellow River, they couldn't wash away this suspicion.

Under everyone's gaze, Cheng Jiahui slowly nodded. "Correct. It was one of the Xu family’s Two Great Marvelous Techniques: the Blazing Fire Skill."

He Quanxin sucked in a sharp breath. "Blazing Fire Skill? The Ninth Layer Blazing Fire Skill?"

"Yes."

Only then did everyone understand why Cheng Jiahui, with his cultivation at the peak of the Eighth Layer, could suffer internal injury from a single palm strike, and why he was so certain that this person must be connected to the Xu family.

"The Ninth Layer Blazing Fire Skill…" He Quanxin looked doubtful. "As far as I know, within the Xu family, the one who has mastered the Blazing Fire Skill to the Ninth Layer is Fourth Master Xu Xiangqian?"

"It wasn't him," Cheng Jiahui stated definitively. "That person's physique and demeanor were vastly different from Xu Xiangqian's; it could not possibly be the same person."

With his skill and discernment, since he was so certain, he naturally wouldn't be mistaken. Moreover, everyone was quite familiar with Xu Xiangqian and knew his character well; the possibility of him disguising himself to commit such opportunistic theft was virtually zero.

He Quanxin’s face grew increasingly puzzled. "In the Xu family, besides Xu Xiangqian, is there another hidden Ninth Layer master?"

Everyone fell silent, but the He family members all thought of He Laibao.

Since the He family possessed such a trump card, it seemed not impossible that the Xu family, having been established for over a hundred years, might also have an unknown Ninth Layer master.

However, at this juncture, they also understood why Cheng Jiahui had not sought aid from the Xu family, and even the matter of the Cheng family proposing a marriage alliance now had a perfect explanation.

A moment later, He Quanxin finally made up his mind and announced loudly, "Brother Cheng, regardless of whether the Xu family was involved in stealing the Thousand-Year Blood Ginseng, regarding the matter of the Red Scarf Bandits, we absolutely will not stand idly by. The four of us who came today are entirely at Brother Cheng's command."

Cheng Jiahui immediately bowed in (li - ritual courtesy), "With the assistance of esteemed sirs, we will certainly wipe out these Red Scarf Bandits entirely." A savage look then flashed across his face: "I will ensure not a single one remains, that they may all be offered up to the heroic spirits of the Cheng family."

Ps: Tomorrow is Monday, three chapters as per routine, seeking recommendation ticket support, thank you ^_^