Chapter 223: Danger Approaches

"Scheming bitches."

Qi Yu regarded the three figures emerging from the forest with cold eyes.

Four words echoed in his mind.

"Twelve Blood Disciples."

People from the Ghost Ming Sect.

"The Thousand-Faced Rakshasa, Blood-Seeking General."

When Qi Yu looked at the third person, his pupils contracted slightly: "Mountain-Moving Monkey, Yuan Gao!"

Liu Jiaoniang giggled.

"Qi Yu, what's that look for? You planning to eat me?"

Qi Yu didn't even glance at Liu Jiaoniang; instead, he stared at the white-haired old man standing in the shadows at the rear.

"Senior Yuan."

Yuan Gao, a fifth-rank Sea-Observing cultivator.

Renowned in the Ghost Ming Sect for his battlefield prowess, he was the key to this operation.

Yuan Gao's white eyebrows drooped as he grunted.

"Hmph."

Seeing Yuan Gao's dismissive attitude, Qi Yu wasn't angered.

Both the Ghost Ming Sect and the Southern Qi Clan descended from the Xuan Dynasty imperial bloodline, and compared to the Wei Duke, their goals aligned—so their interactions were naturally more frequent.

But after the Southern Qi Clan fled into the Wu Kingdom and reflected deeply, they long ago abandoned the Evil God Method.

With differing philosophies, they simply couldn't stand each other.

It was much like looking down on impoverished relatives.

Yuan Gao glanced around, frowning slightly: "Where's Qi Rui?"

Qi Yu chuckled: "Old Qi has already gone ahead—he'll act when the time comes."

Upon hearing this,

Yuan Gao's demeanor softened slightly.

This time, the Ghost Ming Sect came to assist the Southern Qi Clan; they couldn't reverse roles and become the main force, fighting at the front while the Southern Qi Clan merely watched.

The Qi Rui he mentioned was the fifth-rank martial master dispatched by the Southern Qi Clan for this mission.

Qi Yu: "Senior Yuan, time is short—let's move out quickly. I've heard they've already left Qinghe City."

"I've obtained the garrison map. This time, only Dao Mo is fifth-rank; the rest are below sixth-rank. Senior Yuan only needs to hold off Dao Mo—the rest we'll handle."

"Fine. Let's go."

Yuan Gao nodded, speaking coolly.

Liu Jiaoniang continued giggling incessantly—she always took great interest in killing.

Qi Yu's eyes brimmed with murderous intent.

This time, he not only had the garrison map, but also two fifth-rank martial masters working together—he was determined to succeed.

"Let's see how you escape!"

Before the two nations' frontier pass.

"Dao Mo, the rest of the journey is up to you."

An elderly Wu tribesman clapped Dao Mo on the shoulder.

Dao Mo nodded firmly.

In Wu Kingdom, strong warriors could be dispatched to escort them—but once they entered Yu Kingdom, everything depended on Yu's arrangements.

Wu Kingdom had issued direct orders from its monarch and Grand Shaman, even sending a fourth-rank Primordial martial master to personally escort them.

Naturally, it was secure.

But Yu Kingdom was different. Though the Yu Emperor and Grand Secretary had taken notice, the arrogance of a great nation meant they didn't take this first trade fair seriously.

Perhaps even the clever Grand Secretary Zhang might be using this opportunity to lure out hidden enemies within Yu Kingdom and trace them back to their roots.

But the real key was that Yu Kingdom's resources far surpassed those of Wu Kingdom.

They could afford to lose.

In contrast, Wu Kingdom's new emperor urgently needed the silver and gold from trade to fill his army's coffers.

"I'll do my best."

Dao Mo took a deep breath.

He glanced at the merchant caravan nearby undergoing border inspection, a flicker of worry crossing his eyes.

From Qinghe to the pass, the journey had been uneventful—he only hoped the return trip would be equally safe.

Wu Kingdom was in turmoil; it simply couldn't endure more upheaval.

Half an hour later,

the Wu Kingdom merchant caravan passed through the Yu Kingdom checkpoint and stepped onto foreign soil.

Unlike Yu Kingdom's merchant caravans,

Wu Kingdom's caravan used no carts—instead, they relied on demonic beasts to carry goods, vastly increasing efficiency.

'Demonic-beast caravans must be rare in Wu Kingdom—this trade fair is truly taken seriously.'

Li Rui watched the towering monsters, each over three meters tall, thinking to himself.

These demonic beasts could carry cargo during normal travel.

If bandits attacked, they could instantly transform into combat assets—highly practical.

But the cost was far too high.

Ordinary caravans couldn't possibly afford them.

Only Wu Kingdom, taking this first trade fair seriously, was willing to invest such resources.

At this moment,

the frontier commander approached Li Rui:

"Lord Li, things have been unsettled lately—be careful on your journey."

The frontier commander was from the Annan Army and, like Li Rui, was a colleague—he naturally felt closer to Li Rui than to the Wu people.

"Commander Wang, why say that?"

Li Rui asked.

"In recent days, we've noticed signs of many people crossing the Ten Thousand Mountains—likely entered Yunzhou."

Commander Wang explained.

Li Rui's heart sank slightly.

'So this journey truly won't be peaceful.'

He took a deep breath and bowed: "Thank you, Commander Wang."

He didn't ask any foolish questions like why they didn't pursue.

Aside from the main road, every other direction was dense wilderness.

Pursue?

How?

Even if they sent a thousand men at once, they'd still be negligible against the endless sea of forests.

Yu Kingdom established this checkpoint

to block cavalry and large armies—not to trap every single Wu citizen, which was impossible anyway.

Every year, Wu and Yu citizens crossed the border deep within the Ten Thousand Mountains; the Annan Army turned a blind eye.

A few people—even hundreds—were insignificant in the eyes of the Yu imperial court.

Soon,

the handover was complete.

Dao Mo walked up to Li Rui: "Lord Li, we can depart."

Li Rui nodded.

He bid farewell to the frontier troops, then shouted orders—the two-hundred-strong caravan slowly retraced their path. Compared to the past two days, their pace had more than doubled.

This was the advantage of demonic-beast transport.

'We should reach Qinghe by dawn tomorrow.'

Li Rui calculated quickly, startled.

This speed was nothing short of miraculous—Yu Kingdom caravans rarely covered two hundred li in a day, yet this Wu caravan could cross five hundred li in half a day.

Outside of river transport, this speed was like cheating in land logistics.

At this moment,

Dao Mo spurred his nine-horned silver lizard, riding up beside Li Rui:

"Lord Li, we shouldn't rest at night—let's push straight back to Qinghe."

Li Rui nodded.

He understood Dao Mo's meaning.

=9+ Shu _ Ba

If we move fast enough, the enemy can't catch us.

But no matter how fast the demonic beasts were, they were still a merchant caravan—could speed alone guarantee victory?

Hard.

He was about to speak.

His face suddenly froze.

Zhijian ， Zaihuiyanshijiaozhixia ， Yuanbenshenhongsedeyanwu ， Zaishunjianbianchenglexuehongse ， Bujinruci ， Yansehaisuizheshijianbuduanjiashen 。

【104】 In the Huiyan perspective, the originally deep red mist instantly turned blood-red, and its color deepened further with each passing moment.

Danger approaches!

Li Rui's pupils contracted sharply.

This situation meant danger was drawing near, clearly targeting them for death, and the attacker's strength surpassed theirs.

Li Rui's expression turned grim in an instant.

Dao Mo, seeing Li Rui's change in expression, immediately asked: "Brother Li, what's happened?"

Li Rui took a deep breath, still calm.

He told Dao Mo: "Immediately abandon the cargo. Everyone, follow me."

'Abandon the cargo?'

Dao Mo's eyes widened.

He hadn't expected Li Rui to say something so shocking.

The goods brought by Wu Country this time weren't priceless, but they were still a substantial treasure.

Just throw them away?

Dao Mo took a deep breath, conflict flashing in his eyes.

In the end, he chose to trust this Yu Country official and shouted to those behind him: "Abandon the cargo! Follow me!"

Everyone froze.

At that moment, Li Rui added: "Move, or bear the consequences yourselves."

Said.

【121】 He turned and walked into the forest beside the official road without looking back.

The Anning Guard soldiers hesitated not at all, following Li Rui into the woods almost simultaneously.

The Wu Country envoys gritted their teeth.

They also followed Li Rui inside.

The remaining merchants looked at each other, then reluctantly abandoned their goods and followed.

The remaining members of the caravan looked at each other helplessly, then reluctantly abandoned their goods and followed after them.

No one remained on the official road.

Only a large pile of cargo lay alone on the path.

In the forest.

Li Rui led everyone running hard, seemingly charging aimlessly through the deep mountains.

Dao Mo, though puzzled, still chose to trust Li Rui.

After a full hour.

Someone finally couldn't bear it anymore.

"Damn it, what's the meaning of this? I bet you Yu people want to steal our Wu goods!"

A Wu Country merchant stopped, glaring fiercely ahead.

With one person stopping, others followed, then more.

With one person gone, a second followed, then a third.

Half the Wu Country merchants halted, all staring at Li Rui.

Li Rui stopped, turning to face the Wu Country merchants who now stood in silent opposition.

The Wu merchant said coldly:

"Yu people are the most deceitful. You're surely coveting our treasures. If we go back now, our goods will be gone—probably stolen by you."

"Without our goods, how do we explain this to our superiors?"

With these words, the others finally understood.

Everything had been normal—until this Yu official spoke one sentence, forcing them to abandon their cargo and run like headless flies.

Everything had seemed normal, yet because of a single remark from this Yu official, they were forced to abandon their cargo and dash about like headless flies.

"Right! We demand an explanation!"

In an instant, tempers flared.

Seeing this.

Tan Hu's expression turned icy first.

Li Rui glanced at the Huiyan 's still-deepening mist.

His face remained unchanged.

He turned to Dao Mo: "Lord Dao, we're out of time. I'll count to ten. If you can't handle this, I'll handle it myself."

He turned to Dao Mo: "Lord Dao, we're out of time. I'll count to ten—if you can't handle this, I'll deal with it myself."

Li Rui's meaning was clear: you manage your people, I manage mine. If you can't, don't blame me for being harsh.

Li Rui's meaning was clear: you manage your people, I manage mine; if you can't, don't blame me for being ruthless.

Xu Wen and the other Shimao Office officials all chose silence.

Though they too questioned Li Rui's decision, they silently supported him.

Li Rui began counting: "Ten, nine."

Before he even reached "eight."

Dao Mo deflated: "Lord Li, you do it."

Though he was strong, in this crisis he had no plan.

Convincing these men wouldn't be easy—he knew he couldn't accomplish it in mere seconds.

Convincing these people wouldn't be easy—he knew he couldn't accomplish it in mere breaths.

"Fine. I'll handle it."

The Wu merchants widened their eyes, listening to Li Rui and Dao Mo's exchange, a bad premonition rising in them.

The Wu merchant widened his eyes, listening to Li Rui and Dao Mo's exchange, a dark premonition stirring in his chest.

Li Rui spoke, expressionless:

"You know trading has a death quota, don't you?"

(End of chapter)

(End of Chapter)