Dahlia had trained the bandits the entire night. By dawn, the once-proud bandits were sprawling all over the courtyard.
Their chests heaved, their shirts clung to their bodies with sweat, and not one of them could stand.
Even groaning took effort.
"No more... please... no more squats..." mumbled one before fainting.
Meanwhile, Dahlia stood tall, not even tired. Her passive mana circulation was refreshing her body.
She knew that even if she stayed awake for days, she would be fine.
Garion rubbed his chin, frowning as he looked at the exhausted heap of bodies.
After a whole night, I only got a little progress from them. Half results...
It’s not good at all. I’ll need some real gym members who will give me an even better multiplier than half.
He turned his head to Dahlia and called her.
Dahlia quickly turned her attention back and jogged over to Garion.
"Yes, Master. What is it? Why do you call me?"
Garion glanced at the unconscious bandits for a while, then back to her.
"Now that you’ve trained them, do you think we should accept them into our gym? We’re only two people, after all."
Dahlia blinked, then her face twisted quickly into disgust. She pointed at the pile of bandits and sneered.
"Them? Join our gym? HELL. NO."
Garion raised an eyebrow, surprised.
"Why not? You looked pretty excited training them."
She crossed her arms and turned her nose up.
"Of course, I was excited. I finally got to hit someone else for once instead of you hitting me. But still..."
Dahlia pointed her finger at them.
"Just look at them, Master! They’re bandits. Bandits! They’re stupid, too slow to keep up, and way too weak."
She stomped her foot for emphasis.
"And more importantly... they’re ugly and old. Do you really want me, your precious disciple, to see their faces every day?"
Garion chuckled, shaking his head.
"So, what you’re saying is, you want some fresh, young blood?"
Dahlia smirked, nodding fiercely.
"Exactly. If we’re going to be a really strong sect, we need disciples who can actually grow with us. Not those worn-out leftovers."
Garion nodded slowly, agreeing with her.
"Fair enough. You make a really good point there, Dahlia."
He looked at the bandits again and sighed.
"Alright then. If you don’t want them, let’s hand them over to the city authorities."
"They’re no good as disciples, but maybe they’ll be good as prisoners and just hope they have some bounties."
Dahlia’s grin widened.
"Yes, that’s better. At least they’ll rot in a cell instead of rotting in our gym. And also, we could get some money as a bonus."
Garion chuckled. "You’re crueler than I thought."
"I learned from the best," She shot back with a smirk.
Together, they grabbed the bandits one by one and tossed them onto a cart like rice sacs.
The bandit could only groan, but couldn’t resist.
Once all of them were piled up, Garion dusted his hands off.
"Alright, let’s get moving. We’ll drop them off, explain the situation, and let the city deal with them."
Dahlia hopped onto the cart and crossed her arms, glaring at the heap of bandits.
"You’d better thank my master for sparing you. If it were up to me, I’d have made you do squats until your legs snapped."
One of the bandits whimpered. "M-mercy..."
Garion only laughed. "Don’t worry. You’ll have plenty of time to rest in a cell."
The car creaked as they pushed it down the mountain road, heading toward teh city.
Garion and Dahlia pushed the cart into the city gates, quickly attracting the people around.
The people were quickly shocked the moment they saw what was inside the cart.
"W-who are they dragging in?"
"Look at those bodies... are they dead?"
"No, you could see that they’re breathing."
"Wait, that man... that big guy pulling the cart... Who is he... how dare he pull people in the middle of the city?"
Whispers grew louder, and soon a small group of people started pointing at Garion.
Garion’s big build and scary face made him look more like a bandit chief than a righteous cultivator.
Meanwhile, Garion only smirked, amused by their fear.
Dahluia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Master... you really do look like an outlaw. Couldn’t you wear something that made you... less scary?"
"What, you want me to wear flowers and silk? That’s not happening."
Then, suddenly, a group of guards arrived, and they lowered their weapons cautiously against Garion.
"Hold it right there! Who are you? And why are you dragging a cart full of dead people into the city?"
Garion waved his hand casually.
"Relax. They’re still alive. They are just some bandit that tried to rob my home. I thought the city might want them." Check latest chapters at novel·fiɾe·net
The guards blinked momentarily.
They moved closer, checked the men, and quickly recognized the familiar faces.
"Wait... these are some wanted bandits from the northern hills!"
The people around gasped.
"Bandits? They caught bandits?!"
Dahlia crossed her arms and tilted her head smugly.
"Of course. My master took them down easily. They didn’t stand a chance."
The guards straightened and bowed slightly.
"Forgive us for doubting you, sir. Please to the office. All of them carry bounties."
Garion raised a brow, amused.
"Bounties, huh? That’s really good. Lead the way."
The guards escorted them to the office and inside it, the officials quickly confirmed the idenitites.
Scrolls of wanted posters were pulled out, matching the faces perfectly.
The officer at the desk looked up at Garion, smiling.
"You’ve delivered us quite a group. Not only are these men guilty of robbery, but also smuggling and extortion."
He gestured to an aide, who brought out a heavy pouch.
"Here is your reward."
Garion picked up the pouch, weighed it with one hand, and then tossed it to Dahlia.
Dahlia almost dropped it, but hugged it tightly once she caught it.
Garion looked at the officials and bowed down slightly.
"Thanks for the money."
The officials only smiled.
"Don’t worry about that. You are worthy of that after bringing that group of bandits."
Garion only smiled, hearing it.