A Trap?

"Tell me about these bandits," Brax orders the chief.

The chief nods his head and clears his throat with a grunt.

"I apologize for my lack of knowledge, but we know little about the bandits. I only know that about 30 bandits are hiding in the forest down south. All of them are immortal cultivators, but most are just beginners.

I have no idea about the leader and his main men's level." The chief is of no help in this matter. Brax frowns, though he doesn't suspect any threat to his life. He would still like to know what he is getting involved with regarding this mission.

The difficulty of this mission was based on the death of the 4th level Qi cultivator, but now Brax has learned that his death didn't even involve the leader's direct actions.

'What should I do?' Brax thinks.

If this leader is stronger than he expects, he might get the fight he was hoping for, but that also comes with uncertainty.

Plus, thirty cultivators is a lot. They might be very weak, but an in-sync group can pose a serious threat.

His sect grossly underestimated the difficulty of this mission. But Brax is not deterred. He is, in fact, a little excited to see how well he can perform against this large bandit group.

And if things take a drastic turn, running away is always an option.

"Take me to this Farco's place," Brax says, after giving it some thought.

These mortals have nothing of use to him, but this Farco might have something that could be of help. He was, after all, a behemoth, living in between a flock of sheep.

"But esteem lord, wouldn't you like to rest for a bit?" The chief asks with utmost courtesy.

"No need, take me there," Brax orders.

"As you wish, My lord,"

_________________

Brax and the village Chief soon arrive in front of a grand house. This house is much bigger than the chief's.

'This Farco was living a very grand lifestyle among mortals' Brax thinks looking at the house in front of him.

"Let's go in," Brax says, and enters the house. The chief follows right behind.

The inside of the house is filled with expensive items made of precious material. All of them are regal and shiny. Such items would cost a mortal generational wealth to acquire.

But now these same items are here collecting dust in an empty house.

A frown forms on Brax's face as soon as he sees this. 'Why are these things still here?' One thing Brax knows for certain is the greed of humankind.

These things belong to a dead man, meaning they are free to take. So why are they still here collecting dust? 'Is there someone else living here?' He questions and looks back at the chief, who gives him a concerned, confused look, hoping that the immortal lord in front of him doesn't take his life for no reason.

"Does this Farco have any living relatives?" Brax asks catching the chief off guard.

Brax hears the chief's heart pick up speed and beat faster. 'He is getting nervous,' Brax thinks and stares at the chief, making it harder for the chief to keep his mouth shut.

"Well... actually... Lord Farco ha.. has a daughter who has gone into hiding... I do not know where she is," the chief says while breaking down with sweat.

This doesn't help Brax.

"What about the bandits? Didn't they come here?" Brax asks. The bandits have been pillaging this village for quite a while now, so they should have emptied this house long ago, but they didn't.

'Something's fishy,' Brax thinks. "Now that I think about it, the bandits have been here a few times," the chief answers nervously.

"You know, for a village that is being harassed and pillaged, it seems to be doing fine," Brax voices his thought.

He was very observant from the moment he stepped foot inside the village.

It didn't look like the village was being harassed by bandits. The people seem to be going on about their day. Businesses such as shops are item carts were out in the open as if they were not worried about these bandits at all.

And now this very expensive ownerless house which is filled with riches is completely intact even after these supposedly multiple bandit raids.

With all these glaring inconsistencies, Brax immediately comes to a certain conclusion.

Under Brax's cold and heavy glare, the chief starts sweating bullets. "Is there something I need to know?" Brax questions once again.

"I don't know what you are talking about, my lord?" The chief asks and takes a step back.

Brax suddenly closes the distance between himself and the chief and grabs him by the neck.

"~Kkkrrzzzz~" The chief struggles to breathe as Brax's hand tightens around his neck. The chief then flails his legs in the air and tries to pry Brax's finger apart as he gets lifted off the ground. But it's a futile effort, as he is just a mortal.

"Speak before I crush your neck. Is this Farco really dead?" Brax asks.

"~krrr-kr~ n.. nooo~" Brax lets go of the chief, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Start speaking or I am going to hang your head on the village gate," Brax threatens staring into the fearful eyes of the old chief.

"I am sorry, oh great lord, please forgive me. I was only doing what I was ordered to do. Please show mercy!" the old chief starts begging as he slams his head on the hard floor.

"Who ordered you to do so, and what did they tell you?" Brax asks as he rains down dread on the Village Chief.

"It was Lord Farco, my lord. Lord Farco ordered me to write a request to the esteemed immortal sect. He also told me to fake information about his death," the old village chief starts snitching as he doesn't want to incur Brax's wrath.

"Why?" Brax asks, still maintaining a menacing presence.

"I do not know, my lord. Please spare this ignorant fool. I never wanted to do this. Lord Farco forced me to do so. He threatened to kill my entire family if I didn't comply." 

Brax realized this was a trap for an Eleven Mountain Sect disciple, but he couldn't understand why. Farco is just a 4th level Qi condensation cultivator, he would never risk the ire of a whole sect.

'Someone else might be pulling the strings. Is it the bandits?' Brax thought that it could be one of the possibilities. But this depended on how strong these bandits were.

And If they are just Qi condensation realm cultivators, someone else might be behind these bandits pulling the strings.

'Should I walk into this trap?' Brax asks himself and immediately throws out the idea. He is not an idiot. He is not going to walk into a trap blindly.

First, he will observe, learn, and see possible reactions. And once everything is within his grasp. He will take action.

Brax decides to test the water and see what reaction he gets.