Naturally, Liu Yuan could easily kill all the bandits before him.
In fact, for him, killing this group of bandits in front of him was as easy as squashing a group of ants.
But the problem was that he could kill the bandits in front of him, but he couldn't exterminate all the surrounding bandits.
Due to the environmental factors, there were numerous villages and bandit groups surrounding the Soul Village. Therefore, within this large area, there were countless mountain strongholds and bandits.
The bandits before him were just one of the many bandit tribes surrounding the Soul Village.
Therefore, for Liu Yuan, although he could directly take action and vent his anger by killing this group of bandits before him, he was more inclined to subdue them all.
After all, for a long time, the bandits who attacked the Soul Village were definitely not limited to this group. While Liu Yuan could deal with these bandits this time, he couldn't guarantee that he would be present every time or be able to help the villagers in the village.
In that case, he believed that it would be better to subdue this group of bandits. As long as he did so, even if he wasn't here in the future, with the help of these bandits, the villagers would be much safer than they are now.
Therefore, at this moment, Liu Yuan didn't immediately attack the bandits.
After hearing their pleas for mercy, he spoke to them in a calm tone:
"Since you've spoken to this extent... I'll give you a chance."
Liu Yuan looked at the bandits and said:
"Yesterday, didn't you just rob the villagers of the Soul Village?"
"If you want to live, you must return twice the amount of goods you looted from the Soul Village."
"And afterward, you'll have to take on the responsibility of protecting the villagers. Of course, I'm not asking you to personally protect them, but I want you to look out for them more in everyday life. If they need help, lend a hand to assist them. If you do that, this matter will be considered settled, and I will owe you a favor."
The bandits looked at each other, hesitant and indecisive. Clearly, they hadn't made up their minds yet.
But Liu Yuan quickly took action.
While the bandits were still hesitating in place.
Liu Yuan directly revealed his four soul rings from behind him.
Suddenly, an extremely powerful soul force surged from Liu Yuan's body.
"Four rings, Soul Ancestor!"
The bandits were dumbfounded upon seeing this.
Not to mention being a Soul Ancestor, there wasn't even a Soul Master among this group of bandits. At best, they were a group of foot soldiers with a few levels of soul power.
Therefore, when they saw Liu Yuan's soul rings, they felt as if they were seeing a god. They faced Liu Yuan with fear in their hearts.
They dared not show any hesitation and immediately agreed, respectfully addressing Liu Yuan.
"We obey, esteemed Soul Ancestor."
Liu Yuan nodded in satisfaction.
However, he knew that mere coercion and enticement alone couldn't make these bandits wholeheartedly help him. So he also threw a few gold soul coins to them. These coins were taken from the bandits who had robbed him when he arrived.
"Work well, and if you can fulfill my requirements, you won't be short of benefits in the future."
"Keep these gold soul coins for now, consider them as a deposit. If you perform well in the future, I can also help you hunt soul beasts and obtain soul rings in the Starry Forest."
Liu Yuan said to the bandits.
"Okay, okay! Rest assured! Leave this matter to us!"
The bandits were completely convinced this time.
When dealing with them, Liu Yuan first gave them a slap and then offered them a sweet date, completely gaining their compliance.
Now that they understood Liu Yuan's strength and the benefits of working for him, how could they possibly go against him?
Therefore, one by one, they quickly started following Liu Yuan's instructions.
They promptly returned the items they had previously robbed from the Soul Village, and even doubled the amount as per Liu Yuan's request.
However, when they returned to the Soul Village, they encountered a funny situation. After all, the villagers were unaware of what Liu Yuan had done, so when they saw the bandits coming again, they thought they were going to rob them once more and were ready to fight back.
"It's a misunderstanding! We're here to return the things to you."
"A young nobleman helped you and asked us to return the items. We won't rob your village anymore and will protect it."
Naturally, the bandits were startled, but they dared not lay a hand on the villagers now.
After all, although Liu Yuan didn't explicitly say it earlier, he must have a close relationship with the villagers to go to such lengths for them.
So the bandits didn't dare offend the villagers and instead explained the whole situation to them in detail.
As promised, the bandits left after putting down the items.
The villagers remained stunned, as if turned into statues, still standing in their original positions.
After all, what had just happened before their eyes seemed too surreal.
Each villager stood in silence for a long time, unable to understand who had helped them.
"A young nobleman? How do we know any young nobleman? We're just a group of poor people..."
The villagers muttered to themselves.
Coincidentally, Wang Ergou, a five-year-old child in the village, had a good relationship with Liu Yuan since he was young.
Over the years, he never believed that Liu Yuan was dead. So Wang Ergou spoke up, "It must have been Brother Liu Yuan who sent them!"
"We're the only ones in our village who can be called Brother Liu Yuan."
The villagers looked at each other, feeling a sudden sense of sadness in their hearts.
Because they also remembered Liu Yuan and the moment when he chose to leave with Yu Xiaogang and others to help them.
It had been such a long time, and he still hadn't returned. He must have encountered some unfortunate event...
The villagers, who had just been delighted about retrieving their belongings, now seemed somewhat gloomy.
As for Wang Ergou's parents, they knocked his head and said, "Don't talk nonsense. Little Liu is already dead."
Wang Ergou shouted angrily, "You're the ones talking nonsense! Brother Liu Yuan can't possibly be dead!"
With that, he ran out of the village in frustration.
The villagers' emotions all became somewhat downcast.
Liu Yuan, who had been secretly observing, sighed with a hint of regret and muttered to himself.
"Ah... let's wait a little longer. Wait until I truly become a god and seek revenge..."
"Then I will reveal myself to everyone."
"But now is not the time."