Chapter 126 - 121: The Demise of the Drilling Mountain Leopard

As Drilling Mountain Leopard drank the rice porridge, the woman stood nearby, watching him.

"You can go on with your work, miss."

Drilling Mountain Leopard felt uneasy and turned his head to speak.

"Alright."

The woman agreed, but she didn’t move. Instead, she pulled over a chair and sat down. "Brother, have you ever heard of Drilling Mountain Leopard?"

Drilling Mountain Leopard’s expression froze. He gave a few dry coughs to cover his unease. "I’ve heard of him. The great... bandit of Baitou Mountain."

"Have you seen what he looks like?"

"No, but I hear he’s a fearsome-looking man."

"How old is he? Does he have a beard?"

"How would I..."

Drilling Mountain Leopard stopped mid-sentence, suddenly sensing something was wrong. He snapped his head up, his eyes meeting the woman’s searing gaze, which was filled with hatred.

"You..."

A BUZZ went through Drilling Mountain Leopard’s head. The world started spinning, his entire body went limp, and his hand slackened. The ceramic bowl fell to the floor with a CRASH.

It all clicked into place. The woman had recognized him long ago and had drugged the rice porridge.

’Now that I think about it, she must have added something to the herbal poultice, too. I just thought it was the wound itching as it healed, so I didn’t pay it any mind.’

’With my cultivation, suppressing a little poison like this would normally be easy. But I’m severely injured and I let my guard down.’

"Miss... what did you put in the porridge?"

A bitter feeling filled Drilling Mountain Leopard’s heart. His voice was hoarse as he spoke, trying to buy time with conversation.

"Datura!"

As she spoke, the woman pulled a thick hemp rope from her clothes, deftly looped it around his neck, and yanked it back with all her might.

The force was so great that Drilling Mountain Leopard’s head slammed against the headboard with a THUD.

"You’ve got the wrong person..."

Drilling Mountain Leopard grabbed the rope with both hands, struggling desperately while making a gurgling sound, "HCK-HCK-HCK."

"I haven’t got the wrong person! I’d recognize you even if you were burned to ashes!"

The woman held the rope fast, putting her entire body weight into it.

The rope gradually tightened. As Drilling Mountain Leopard found it harder and harder to breathe, a single thought rose from the depths of his despair: ’To think that I, a man who dominated for half my life, would die at the hands of a woman!’

After about the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, Drilling Mountain Leopard’s eyes rolled back. His legs kicked out violently a few times, then his neck lolled to one side and he went still.

Worried he wasn’t completely dead, the woman kept the rope taut for a while longer. Only after checking for his breath and heartbeat did she collapse to the floor, wailing, "My husband, I’ve avenged you!"

"You killed Drilling Mountain Leopard?"

Zhao Lin walked into the room and took in the scene, asking in astonishment.

He had tracked the man all this way, expecting a fierce battle. He never thought Drilling Mountain Leopard would die like this.

He felt a mix of joy and slight regret.

He was joyful because this great menace was finally eliminated, and he no longer had to worry about future retaliation.

But he felt a pang of regret because he had gone to great lengths, even absorbing the Essence Soul of a Fragrant Mink, only for Drilling Mountain Leopard to die at someone else’s hands.

’Oh well,’ he thought. ’It doesn’t matter who killed him. Without this keen sense of smell, I never would have found this place anyway, right?’

"Y-yes... I killed him."

Having killed Drilling Mountain Leopard, the woman was only now starting to feel afraid. Seeing Zhao Lin covered in blood, but dressed unlike a bandit, she hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Don’t worry. I was hunting him, too."

Zhao Lin put away his iron ruler, holding his hands out to show he meant no harm.

The woman breathed a sigh of relief, wiped away her tears, and slowly climbed up from the floor.

"Let me take the body. It’ll save you from any trouble."

Zhao Lin walked to the bed. He saw Drilling Mountain Leopard’s bloated, discolored face, the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, and the look of sheer unwillingness to die etched on his features. A sense of great satisfaction welled up in Zhao Lin’s heart. He untied the rope and lifted the corpse.

"Thank you, sir," the woman said.

Zhao Lin took a few steps, then turned back to add, "There might be a few stray bandits escaping from the mountains in the next couple of days. You should find a place to lay low."

With that, he left the village. Once he reached a secluded, deserted spot, he cut off Drilling Mountain Leopard’s head and made straight for Fuli Valley.

This time, he didn’t even need to worry about direction; he could simply follow the scent trail he had left on his way here.

The sun was setting in the west, its last rays painting a layer of pale gold on his shoulders.

Zhao Lin’s heart was full of exhilaration as he raced through the mountain forest.

When he was still about a dozen *li* from Fuli Valley, a small, thin figure appeared ahead.

The person saw Zhao Lin as well and, with a flicker of movement, shot toward him like a bolt of lightning.

Seeing the fierce momentum of his opponent, Zhao Lin immediately drew his iron ruler and prepared for a fight. ’There are still people of this caliber among the bandits?’ he thought.

But when he got a clear look at the person’s face, he breathed a sigh of relief and said in surprise, "Master, what are you doing here?"

The newcomer was none other than Zhu Huaishan. He had also recognized Zhao Lin and said with a chuckle, "Who else would I be looking for but you..."

As he spoke, he noticed the head in Zhao Lin’s hand, paused, and said, "This must be Drilling Mountain Leopard, then?"

"The very same."

Zhao Lin then recounted the story of how Drilling Mountain Leopard had fled to a mountain village only to be killed by a village woman.

"I never would have expected that. He must have been furious in his final moments."

Zhu Huaishan sighed with emotion after hearing the tale.

"Master, how did you find me here?" Zhao Lin asked.

Zhu Huaishan stroked his beard and slowly explained what had happened.

It turned out that Liang Song had taken the three heads to the county yamen. Following the story Zhao Lin had coached him on, he told Magistrate Liu that most of the bandit leaders were dead, making it the perfect time to enter the mountains and exterminate the rest.

Magistrate Liu had the Garrison Army inspect the heads, and after confirming that all three were key bandit leaders, he immediately decided to mobilize the constables and the Garrison Army. At the same time, he sent people to request assistance from the city’s martial arts schools and sects for the extermination campaign.

Liang Song went to the Liuhe Sect to deliver the news. Worried that something might have happened to Zhao Lin, Zhu Huaishan didn’t wait for the main force to assemble. He asked for the location of Fuli Valley and set out into the mountains ahead of everyone else, happening to run into Zhao Lin on his way back with Drilling Mountain Leopard’s head.

The two of them talked as they walked, soon arriving at Fuli Valley. From a distance, they could see soldiers and constables escorting groups of bandits out of the valley, followed by many women and villagers who had been captured by them.

With Drilling Mountain Leopard gone, no one among the bandits knew about the secret escape route. Moreover, with not a single Qi Realm leader left, they were a snake without a head. None had the will to resist. Except for a few who scattered into the mountains, the rest were all captured.

Zhao Lin handed the head to Zhu Huaishan and said, "Master, you should be the one to take credit for this."

Zhu Huaishan was startled for a moment, but he immediately understood Zhao Lin’s intentions. He took the head and laughed. "Very well. In that case, it would be rude of me to refuse."

Zhao Lin had already suppressed his realm to the Power Realm on the way, so he wasn’t worried about exposing his true cultivation level.

"This bandit extermination was a resounding success, and the Liuhe Sect deserves the highest merit!"

Magistrate Liu, dressed in a suit of gleaming armor and mounted on a tall horse, was in high spirits. When he saw Zhao Lin and Zhu Huaishan approaching, he immediately dismounted and strode forward, booming with enthusiasm.

Drilling Mountain Leopard’s gang had run rampant on Baitou Mountain for years, so much so that even the prefectural government couldn’t handle them. Now they had been uprooted completely. It was no wonder he was so excited.

The members of the other sects and martial arts schools who had come along all cast envious glances their way.

Magistrate Liu’s eyes fell upon the head in Zhu Huaishan’s hand. He took a closer look, and his breath hitched. "Is that..."

Zhu Huaishan nodded with a smile. "The very same."

"Excellent! A complete and total victory in one fell swoop!"

Magistrate Liu clapped his hands and laughed heartily. After getting Zhu Huaishan’s permission, he ordered a man to take Drilling Mountain Leopard’s head and ride back and forth before the valley, loudly proclaiming the news.

When the captured bandits saw this, their heads all drooped in dejection. The last glimmer of hope in their hearts was extinguished.