Back when personnel were being managed, the captives had already been registered by the guards using tabulation methods.

Their names, ages, physical features, which bandit gang they had been in, their ancestral origins… everything was recorded even more clearly than the official government records.

If Ding Facai wanted to find someone, all he needed was to take a glance at the registry.

Thus, one hour later, the group of bandits that Tian Hu wanted to find had all been brought out.

When he was identifying people, Wei Yu stood to the side and watched with his Eighth Brother.

The two of them watched Tian Hu carefully recognize each person, watched him bite, punch, and kick his enemies, watched him burst into tears after taking his revenge…

Everyone in the camp fell silent.

From the moment people were being called in or brought by their team leaders to the camp to watch, they didn’t know the truth at first. But as Tian Hu poured out his sorrow, bit by bit, the group began to recall the past.

No one is born wanting to be a bandit.

If they had a stable life, who would want to go against the government?

Most of those present had once been law-abiding civilians, all forced up the mountain to become bandits just to protect themselves!

They had committed robbery, yes—but very rarely did they harm or kill. People like Tian Hu’s enemies were the minority.

The Eighth Prince shook his head. “I find Guo Xiu more and more detestable.”

Never mind the saying that if a child isn’t taught well, it’s the father’s fault—officials are often called the ‘parent-officials’ of the people.

Guo Xiu, as the highest-ranking official in the entire Ji Prefecture, had governed the region into chaos, allowing so many bandits to rise and turn into wolves, causing the people to live in constant fear.

For Ji Prefecture to become what it is today, and for Tian Hu’s family to have suffered such injustice, it can all be blamed on Guo Xiu and the entire local government!

Wei Yu looked at the people in the camp and nodded calmly. “He is detestable—so isn’t that why we’re here?”

It’s just like in television dramas: in every case, the police always arrive after everything’s already over, making the official institutions seem useless—so they often get criticized by viewers as ‘late to the scene’ or ‘ineffective.’

But in truth, the authorities aren’t so useless.

If they seem redundant in the drama, it’s only because the screenwriters designed it that way to highlight the usefulness of the main characters.

No matter how useless the authorities seem—they are still the authorities!

They are the true institutions of power and credibility. They are the sacred place where the people of the world can state their grievances.

“Justice lives in people’s hearts. Though justice may be late, it will arrive. To be born human—even if one is the Emperor—one cannot take care of everything. We can’t control the outcome of every matter, but when we have the ability, we can at least return justice to those who need it.”

The Eighth Prince was momentarily stunned.

Wei Yu smiled and turned to look at him. “If we hadn’t come, Tian Hu wouldn’t have been able to take his revenge so smoothly. What’s past can’t be changed. Rather than dwelling on past rights and wrongs, it’s better to focus on the present and help the people redress their grievances. So, Eighth Brother, you really don’t need to take it to heart.”

The Eighth Prince was silent for a moment before suddenly saying, “Those bandits you’ve taken in—I didn’t care before, but going forward, we must investigate them thoroughly. Those who committed arson, murder, or bullied others absolutely cannot be let off.”

Wei Yu blinked. “Oh, sure, but how about you take charge of that, Eighth Brother?”

The Eighth Prince froze.

He—him?

“I’ve never led soldiers!” the Eighth Prince instinctively refused.

“Eh.”

Wei Yu looked at him teasingly. “Eighth Brother, you’re thinking too highly of them. Just a bunch of bandits—how do they count as soldiers? Just treat them as the guards of your own household. Besides, our little bandit army hasn’t set any rules yet—why not have you set them?”

The Eighth Prince, who had spent more than a month in the mountain camp living leisurely, hesitated.

Though his Ninth Brother said it as if these bandits were useless, there were over a thousand of them—and maybe more later. With so many people, how could they not be considered an army?

What man could resist the temptation of commanding an army?

At least the Eighth Prince couldn’t.

His heart itched to say yes, but he worried he’d never led troops before and might do a poor job, which could hinder his Ninth Brother’s plans—so he hesitated for a long while without deciding.

Wei Yu knew his Eighth Brother’s temperament.

If he didn’t outright reject it immediately, then subconsciously, he already wanted to accept.

So Wei Yu didn’t bother dragging it out. He directly called Fang Sheng over to hand over his duties to the Eighth Prince.

“Eighth Brother, you know Fang Sheng is my personal bodyguard. If he’s not by my side to protect me, I can’t sleep at night—always feel like a ghost is scratching my soles.”

Eighth Prince: …

Wei Yu sighed. “So do me a favor, pity your little brother here, and take over Fang Sheng’s duties, alright?”

For the past month or more, Fang Sheng had been serving as the bandit army’s head instructor, managing everything big and small—so much that his face had visibly thinned.

Knowing Wei Yu said all this on purpose, the Eighth Prince gave him a look, suppressed the eagerness in his heart, and finally nodded with a bit of dignity.

“Alright then, since you’ve said this much, I’ll take it on.”

So arrogant!

Wei Yu let the Eighth Prince take Fang Sheng to handle the transition elsewhere, while he himself returned to his room—and had Ding Facai bring Tian Hu over.

When Tian Hu came in, Wei Yu glanced at him.

The thin, dark-skinned man looked disheveled, eyes red. Previously full of cynical resentment, now he seemed as if a great burden had been lifted. Still ragged, but at ease and relieved.

Wei Yu asked him, “Now that you’ve taken your revenge, do you trust me?”

Tian Hu gave a small laugh but shook his head. “No. With so many of you, losing one or two doesn’t matter. Bandits are all cunning.”

Oh, still a stubborn one.

Wei Yu nodded. “Alright then. If you don’t trust me, I won’t say more. No point talking if you’re still going to say no—might as well show you through actions, right?”

Tian Hu looked at him in confusion.

Wei Yu pointed to Ding Facai beside him. “He told me you’re a spy candidate. If I send you somewhere else to gather intel on other bandits, would you be willing?”

Tian Hu stared at him for a moment, then sneered incredulously. “Why should I go?”

“Because you hate bandits.”

Wei Yu looked at him. “Your loved ones were destroyed by them. You hated your enemies so much you’d take revenge on all bandits indiscriminately. Now there’s a chance to eliminate more—why would you refuse?”

Tian Hu: “…I’ve already taken my revenge.”

Wei Yu: “But there are still people like you who haven’t.”

Tian Hu fell silent.

Wei Yu smiled. “You’re very lucky—you met someone as kind as me. Not only did I not blame you for your recklessness, I even gave you the chance to kill your enemies with your own hands. But the others in Ji Prefecture who suffered the same fate won’t get that. So, can you really bear to walk away?”

Tian Hu fell even more silent.

Wei Yu watched his hands clenched tightly by his sides, clearly sensing his internal struggle and reluctance…

At last, he accepted his fate.

Tian Hu took a deep breath, raised his head, and looked steadily at Wei Yu.

“You’re right. If there’s a chance to kill even one more bandit, I shouldn’t refuse.”