The Inverted Dragon's Scale

The name Sha Village sounds ordinary and simple, but to escorting guards passing by and traveling merchant it seems like thunder piercing the ear.

Because it is also one of the main bases of desert bandits.

Not sure when it started, the people from all regions of the desert began to gather at this side. The population grew rapidly but because of the limited resources and infertile land, they began to drain their mind to solve this huge population issue.

When a highly intelligent rogue focused on the merchant road in the Valley of the Red Demons and he proposed his plan to his people, the clan members were briefly short of breath and their face flushed.

“Yes, let’s do it—-those living on a mountain live off the mountain, those living near the water live off the water, we rely on the Valley of the Red Devils, Valley of the Red Devils is our territory—–”

“Those merchants are unscrupulous businessman; they are extremely rich but they never thought of sharing their wealth——”

“We’re not going to kill them, just steal their goods—-For my children, I’m willing to commit any sins——”

——

As a result, an organisation of bandits with the catchphrases ‘fairness and justice’ and ‘to rob the rich to help the poor’ was born.

The guy first to propose the plan served as their leader, other people also responded enthusiastically to become a member of the organisation.

Riding stolen horses and brandishing sabres purchased from foreign lands, they have scourge the trading of the kingdom for thousands of years.

Li Muyang stood atop the lookout tower high above the center of the village, staring coldly at the lively and bustling atmosphere within Sha Village.

Teams of bandits clad in black clothing and draped with a black robe were dragging in both large and small bloodstained carts; without the time to clean the carts, some carts were still carrying parts of the heads or ears. There were also groups of bandits cloaked in a black robe wiping their sabres ready to head out. They are the most experienced hunters of the Valley of the Red Devils, preparing to go to their familiar hunting ground.

They laughed, talked cheerfully, and greeted each other affectionately.

“Hey, not bad harvest today—-is there any wine? I’ll exchange some of the finest silks for it.”

“Zhao Sifang, you son of a dog- you took a woman again—-how many wives do you have? Today I will pay you fifty gold coins for this one—What? One hundred? The dog ate your conscience? What woman is worth so much money? Is she made of gold?”

“Boss Meng Ji, you are so generous every time, our team can never be compared to you——”

——

Inside Sha Village were old men smoking tobacco with a long-stemmed pipe, healthy middle-aged men, and teenagers of a similar age to Gan Liang.

They did not have any feelings of guilt, they saw robbing as a legitimate business, an occupation that had been passed on for thousands of years.

They need to stay alive!

To stay alive, is the most primitive justification to resort to evil.

“Boss Red Beard brought hundreds of people out today, most likely they would bring back many batches of goods—–Brothers, we may have to work hard today. Or they would laugh at us.” A scar-faced man yelled from the back of a horse, smiling and encouraging his brothers.

“Don’t worry boss Hu, we may not be as good as boss Red Beard but other teams are not as good as us—–” A black-robed young man enthusiastically replied.

The moment Li Muyang caught sight of a group of men in black turning and mounting their horse in one lithe movement and then under the command of their leader pushed through the door, Li Muyang also moved.

He leaped down from the lookout tower, then in midair his sword was pulled free of its sheath.

Chi—–

In one slashing stroke he severed the railings of the lookout tower.

The heavy railing fell forward, crushing the gate of Sha Village.

Crash—

The wooden door was smashed into little fragments, causing bandits sitting atop horses to flee in panic.

A deep heavy sound echoed across the lands, everyone in the village became startled.

An old man smoking tobacco tossed aside the long pipe, grasped the hilt of a sabre and raced towards Li Muyang.

The middle-aged man haggling with a clan member to buy a woman for sixty coins, stared with a dangerous gleam in his eye and then also dashed over in the direction of Li Muyang.

Some young children immediately grabbed a dagger from some place and scampered towards Li Muyang, grinding their teeth and clenching their jaw tight.

There were also some women and girls who looked like they lack the strength to truss up a chicken—-but they all have a hidden pair of scissors and some grabbed hold of a bow and arrow.

They were also of the Sha Village and accomplices of the desert bandits.

Flowing through their body was the blood of bandits. They were fed and grew up on human blood and stolen goods

Li Muyang stood in Sha Village Central Square, the place where bandits divide up the stolen goods or women and sort out equipment to prepare to go into ‘battle’.

His cold gaze wandered across the crowd, people gathering from all sides.

“If you guys don’t enter hell, who will?”

In a flash, his sword had already sectioned the old man dashing over into two halves. Although he was severed into two but his arms still held tight onto his tobacco pipe.

The middle-aged man looking to purchase a wife came full speed over was decapitated by Li Muyang in one swift movement. His head flew across the sky, his expression was of terror and reluctance to part with the world.

The young kids possessed a young and pure face but their attacks were just as ruthless and vicious.

Li Muyang, without the slightest hesitation, thrust the Understand Heaven Sword dripping with blood at their chest and then lunged forth, piercing the heart of other children of similar age—-

——

Silence.

A deathly quiet.

Apart from the fluttering sound of the village flag blowing in the wind, the entire Sha Village fell into silence.

Li Muyang stood still in the middle of the crowd.

The entire body of the long blade was stained with blood and his clothes were also dripping with blood, looking like Ashura demon crawled up from hell.

It was a bloodbath underfoot, dead corpses piling over one another.

Some people were decapitated, some dismembered, and some were pierced right through the heart—–

The ones still alive dropped to their knees, the sabre in their hand became uncontrollable and as heavy as thousands of kilograms.

They stared at Li Muyang, wide-eyed. Looking at Li Muyang drenched with blood all over, looking at his red eyes that resembled more of a demon than theirs.

They could not believe that they have provoked the god of death? How is it that so many people’s lives were taken away so easily?

He is a devil, a demon in the desert.

Men begged for mercy, women were wailing and children were screaming——

Li Muyang was still emotionless, once again lunging out with his sword.

———–

———–

In front of the magic mirror in Water Moon Cave, the atmosphere was heavy, and everyone looked serious.

Even the two famous teachers of Starry Sky who like to quarrel, Kong Li and Xiahou Qianbai remained silent, wide-eyed watching everything that happened.

Until he saw Li Muyang’s sword thrust at the toddler, Kong Li’s expression turned abnormally distressed: “This is too much. This student went to far——-Elderly, women and young children, how could he be so ruthless? Is there kindness in his heart? If Starry Sky recruited such a student into the school, and he becomes as strong as Li Ruobai and Du Ruofu, I’m afraid he would harm the entire Starry Sky and become the disgrace of the school——-”

“Kill bandit under fury, wipe out the clan of thieves at one go. The source of evil of the bandits stem from their heart, flesh and bones——What Li Muyang did was a good way to solve the problem once and for all. His means of doing so is cruel to some but his motive is good——-After all, he witnessed his saviour and innocent escort guards killed in front of his eyes, he must be very irritated and upset. They destroyed the families of the guards, why can’t he destroy those bandits’ home?” As expected, Xiahou Qianbai will not allow Kong Li to have his way. As long as Kong Li supports it, he would object; when Kong Li objects he would support it.

“Having said so, from what we could see, this student’s mind is uncontrollable and not bound by laws and rules. If he was to acquire remarkable power and someone angered him, then would he destroy their whole family? What about when a country angers him? He would wipe out their entire country?”

“That is an assumption. Not an established fact. As far as I know, when brother Kong Li was put into this assessment, you also killed many, right?”

“I only killed those who deserved it.”

“The people Li Muyang killed don’t deserve to be killed?”

“Those were women and children; those children have not grown up yet—–What sin did they commit?”

“They will become a bandit when they grow up.”

“Aren’t you assuming? If you want to find fault with someone, there is no need to worry about finding a suitable pretext. When those children grow up, they may also be admitted to Starry Sky and become our students?”

“In any case I think what Li Muyang did was satisfying in every respect, even more satisfying than when I did in the assessment back then.”

“I firmly oppose this student entering the school. Even if he was admitted he can only be part-time and not allowed to enter the Water Moon Cave——”

“Teachers——-” Bookworm gingerly tried to calm things down, a scene like this was already a common occurrence to him: “Li Muyang was personally recruited by the dean of the academy.”

“————”

Kong Li and Xiahou Qianbai exchanged a meaningful glance at each other, and then, together stared at Bookworm.

“Li Muyang was enrolled into Starry Sky based on the results of first place in the imperial exam, it can be said that his qualification is the worst of all the students and also the worst of all the students over the years, even the students who were rejected are better than him—–In which year there wasn’t a first in the imperial exam? Which state does not have a first in the exam? And how many people was admitted?”

Looking puzzled, Kong Li nodded and said: “I also find it strange. This student’s skills are unbearable to look at, when he climbed the mountain he was battered and exhausted, even the servants of the other students were more outstanding than him——but now he is demonstrating such skill. What is going on? Dress like a pig to eat the tiger? He wants to deceive the world?”

“Why would the dean recruit him to the school?” Xiahou Qianbai’s concern was obviously not the same. “What is his relationship with the dean? Would he be an illegitimate child of the dean?”

Bookworm shook his head: “About that, I do not know.”

Kong Li and Xiahou Qianbai simultaneously glared at Bookworm with ferocity and said: “Why did the headmaster told you this secret——why don’t we know?”