I Taught Rules to Those Who Live Without Law

As soon as they heard my words, everyone wore a momentarily dumbfounded expression. The first to collect himself and raise his hand was Dongryong.

Dongryong said, his face still swollen.

“But Elder Brother, when should we gather the fellows by?”

“We don’t have time, so just one representative from each Mountain Stronghold needs to come by tomorrow.”

“But the Bandits under us aren’t just in this vicinity; they’re scattered throughout Hunan Province, so it’s impossible to bring them all in one day...”

“...Dongryong, my club is about to howl.”

“It’s the Leader’s command! Call the fastest men right now and send them to each Mountain Stronghold! Ah, no, I’ll go myself—!”

As I subtly raised my club, Dongryong hastily got up and began directing the fellows.

*The next day, at noon.*

“Hah... it’s really bustling.”

“...I’ve brought all 19 Leaders of the Mountain Strongholds under us.”

“Nineteen Mountain Strongholds... Dongryong, you really worked hard conquering them.”

Although I hadn’t meant it sarcastically, Dongryong flinched greatly and bowed his head as soon as he heard my words.

...I apologize once again for bringing danger to our Mountain Stronghold because of me.

Dongryong’s expression was truly apologetic.

Seeing Dongryong’s face, I nodded, though my anger hadn’t completely subsided.

After all, he was the first fellow to become my subordinate, for better or worse.

And he wasn’t irresponsible either. Yesterday, Dongryong ran all over Hunan Province all night to carry out my orders.

That was partly because I had raised my club, but also because Dongryong himself regretted his actions.

I patted Dongryong’s shoulder a few times for his hard work all night, then whispered in his ear.

“Dongryong, you worked hard yesterday. But...”

“...”

“If something like this happens one more time, I’ll report you to the Murim Alliance, Subordinate or not. Understand?”

“...Yes, yes, sir.”

Still, Dongryong was the type to understand once told. The problem was the fellows standing before me now.

I looked at the 19 Bandits waiting for me, genuinely impressed.

“Hmph... their faces are really fierce-looking.”

“...”

The fellows seemed quite displeased by my sudden insult to their faces, but they couldn’t utter a word.

After all, Dongryong, who had crushed them all over the past month, was right beside me.

As soon as Dongryong and I finished talking, Jeokyeom, who was at the front, began to introduce me.

“Now, this person here is the Leader of the Muak Mountain Green Forest Stronghold, and the Grand Leader of us all.”

Naturally, as soon as Jeokyeom introduced me, murmuring followed.

“...Grand Leader? He looks so young!”

“Does that mean he’s stronger than Sir Dongryong?”

“He looks like he’d break if I just poked him.”

Yes, I suppose I wouldn’t look that strong based on appearance alone. I was somewhat used to such gazes.

And I knew well how to deal with situations like this.

*Thud.*

I placed my hand on Dongryong’s shoulder again and changed my tone to a fierce one.

“Dongryong, these bastards all surrendered to you, didn’t they? Right?”

“...Yes, that’s right.”

“Then why are they making such a ruckus in front of their Leader? Huh? Looks like they haven’t been properly trained, have they?”

“...I apologize.”

“Head down.”

*Thwack.*

Before my words even finished, Dongryong automatically slammed the crown of his head to the ground.

As soon as they saw that, I could see each of the Leaders flinching.

Those fellows probably strutted around their own territories. Perhaps they even lived like kings.

However, everyone here had been crushed by Dongryong in just one month. They must have keenly felt the difference in skill between themselves and Dongryong.

So, if I, whom they underestimated, treated Dongryong so roughly, it would naturally be shocking.

Indeed, I didn’t feel any strong flow of Internal Energy from any of these fellows. They probably hadn’t properly trained their Martial Arts, having only focused on External Cultivation.

If that’s the case...

*Hiss.*

“...”

“...”

...If I just released a bit of Killing Intent like this, they’d naturally cower.

Surviving as Bandits until now meant they had a certain level of perceptiveness.

In fact, as soon as I emitted a little Killing Intent, they instinctively felt that my martial prowess was far superior to Dongryong’s, and they became like rabbits before a beast.

It’s good that it’s finally quiet.

I sat on Dongryong’s back, Dongryong still bowing, and called out the fellow at the very front.

“Hey, you.”

“...Yes, yes, Grand Leader.”

Without it even being decided, my title had somehow become Grand Leader. It wasn’t a particularly bothersome title, though.

“Starting with you, tell me how many people are in each Mountain Stronghold, going to the right.”

“Ah... yes! I, I command a total of 15 people.”

After that, the fellows began to state how many people each of them commanded.

Roughly, most had between 10 and 20 people. There were a few who had more than 30.

“...Yes, I have about 23 family members.”

“You’re the last, right? So, in total...”

I was about to open my mouth, having roughly calculated the total number of people in my head until then...

“391 people.”

“I know, you bastard. I was about to say it.”

The Youngest cut me off and said it. Although my words were gruff, I patted the Youngest’s head, finding him admirable.

As expected, I liked how quick-witted the Youngest was.

“Anyway, 391 people... *Damn it*... the family suddenly grew a lot.”

Hearing that number, it finally felt real. 391 people—that was an impossible number for me to control individually.

And... that was also why I had gathered these fellows in one place.

“Alright, everyone, listen carefully. From now on, I will tell you... the rules of our Green Forest Twenty Strongholds.”

“Green Forest... Twenty Strongholds, you say?”

“Since there are 20 Mountain Strongholds in total, it’s the twenty Green Forest Strongholds.”

“Ah...”

Since the fellows seemed to understand my words, I began to tell them the first rule.

“First rule. From now on, passage fees and protection money will be limited to a minimum of 1 silver tael and a maximum of 5 silver taels, depending on the wealth of the individual.”

“What...?!!!”

“No, what kind of...!”

And naturally, the first rule immediately caused considerable backlash.

“That’s preposterous—!”

“No, Leader... What kind of talk is that, so unlike a Leader...? Where did the *thuggish Leader* go, only to take a few silver taels...?”

“Where’s the Leader who boldly plundered everything from the Shanxi Yu Clan gone...?”

“Shut up, you bastards.”

The first rule provoked strong resentment not only from the newly gathered Subordinates but also from original Subordinates like Bangsam and Bongchun-i.

It was understandable.

After all, Bandits are fellows who pursue the “short and thick” path.

They want to hit it big when the opportunity arises, not go “thin and long”. 5 silver taels is by no means a small amount, but in their eyes, it would seem very little.

But I had no intention of backing down.

“As it is, because of some bastard, the Merchants’ vigilance is already heightened. If we exploit them severely here, it will definitely reach the ears of the Murim Alliance.”

“Hah, but... that won’t even cover our food expenses.”

“No, in fact, this is better in the long run. If we set a fixed amount like this, Merchants will pass through our mountains with peace of mind. Let’s please not cut open the belly of the goose that lays golden eggs, alright?”

“Geese lay golden eggs?”

“Since such a thing exists, let’s move on. Now, the second rule.”

As I was about to state the second rule, I saw the fellows swallow. The first rule had caused such a stir, so they must have been worried about what the second one would be.

“Our Green Forest Twenty Strongholds will not just be in name, but will actually take on the role of protecting the mountain terrain of Hunan Province.”

...Protect it, actually? What does that mean?

“Every Shichen, we will form a Patrol Team and monitor for any incidents. If travelers fight amongst themselves, we will mediate, and if a tiger menace seems likely to occur, we will stop it. We will effectively act as Hunan’s Vigilante Group.”

Through these efforts, we will actively improve our image, which has been a nuisance to Hunan Province. This way, when stories about us reach the ears of the Murim Alliance, there’s a chance they’ll just let it pass.

“And the third rule: We will maintain the Mountain Paths throughout Hunan Province and operate Pavilions at various points where travelers can rest.”

“What? No, we’re not people who do government work or anything...”

“Are we some kind of volunteer group? We don’t even have money...”

As the fellows continued to grumble, I pulled out the banknotes I had prepared beforehand from my pocket.

“Here, 50 Gold Gwan. I’ll distribute them among you, so use them to clear the Mountain Paths and build Pavilions.”

“...F-fifty Gold Gwan?”

“It goes without saying, but any bastard who embezzles it, I’ll kill. Even if it costs me everything, I’ll tear him to pieces.”

“...”

My words just now were utterly sincere.

*Damn it*, my precious 50 Gold Gwan is like my own blood.

But there was no helping it. To survive, I had to endure some bleeding.

“Fifth... *damn it*, I’ll give you an additional 10 Gold Gwan, so buy some new clothes.”

“What’s wrong with how we are now...?”

“What’s wrong with how you are now? *Damn it*, if you all joined the Beggar’s Sect, their Sect Leader would personally come to welcome you. If the Leaders look like this, what about the Subordinates? Appearance makes a person’s first impression, and since your faces are already fierce-looking, you need to wear clean clothes to make a good impression.”

“...Yes, sir.”

Still, since I was giving them free clothes, they seemed to have no complaints, all agreeing and nodding their heads.

“Sixth, try not to kill, if possible.”

“...”

“No, not “if possible,” but “don”t do it at all’ if you can help it. Anyway, the people passing through here are all weaker than us, so don’t kill them. Let’s live a little more like humans.”

There’s no better justification for the Murim Alliance to rise up than the death of an innocent person. The sixth rule was extremely important in that regard.

Instead of responding, the fellows quietly nodded at this rule.

At least, their expressions didn’t seem to show any psychopaths' regret at not being able to kill.

Reassured by this, I stated the final rule.

“Now, the seventh rule... never betray. I will not tolerate any form of betrayal, big or small.”

“...Yes, sir—!!”

My sincerity was embedded in this rule too. Perhaps sensing it, the fellows replied with tense expressions.

“That concludes all the rules. Those of you with some brains will understand, but my goal is to go “thin and long.” Let’s all see each other for a long, long time. Let’s make the Murim Alliance look at us and think, “Ah, leaving these guys alone won”t cause any problems, will it?’ Understand?”

“Yes—!!”

“If you understand, grab your money and quickly return to your respective Mountain Strongholds. I’ll be monitoring whether you’re practicing the rules or not, so do it properly.”

“Understood.”

Although I was a little doubtful, they all nodded and began to line up in front of me to receive their money.

Alright, the “Good Bandit Project” starts now.