Chapter 40

"Six people per team. Li Yuan, Wang Gong, Zhao Xiaoming, follow me closely and do not fall behind!"

"Each of you takes three signal arrows from the Hundred Sounds Tower; if anything goes wrong, fire one immediately!"

"Do not act recklessly, do not wander far, and we must withdraw before nightfall... Hmm, tie up Master's horse and leave someone to guard it!"

Before entering the mountains, Yue Yunjin was extremely serious, constantly listing various precautions.

Li Yuan listened attentively, but soon realized this eldest senior brother was also very nervous; hearing him repeat himself over and over, Li Yuan grew slightly impatient and turned his gaze toward Mount FaJiu.

Mount FaJiu was not a single peak but a continuous mountain range stretching beyond sight; there were no proper roads within, only a few small dirt paths often trodden by woodcutters.

At the foot of the mountain, faint wisps of cooking smoke rose, indicating the presence of villages nestled against the slopes.

Forces from other families were entering the mountains from other locations; from afar, Li Yuan could see flocks of startled birds rising from patches of forest, chirping noisily.

"None of them are fools; making such a large commotion clearly shows they have no intention of actually finding Nian Jiu. True, the bounty is tempting, but the danger is too great; it is far more cost-effective to just join the clamor and earn a few taels of silver."

Li Yuan understood slightly.

In these times, no one was a fool; although dozens of helpers, apprentices, and disciples from various families had arrived, none were stubborn enough to truly want to charge at Nian Jiu.

That was a ruthless criminal who had fled a thousand li, committed serial murders within the city without fleeing, subsequently ambushed and killed Wang Luan of the Lihe Martial Hall and Constable Qiu Da, and still managed to escape the city after being severely injured by several experts.

No matter how good silver is, it cannot compare to one's life!

"They are all smart people."

Li Yuan felt slightly reassured, but just as he looked up, Yue Yunjin's voice rang out again:

"The bounty on Nian Jiu is one hundred and fifty taels of fine silver, and County Magistrate Lu has personally added to it: ten bottles of Blood-Nourishing Elixir, one bottle of Bone-Forging Elixir, one superior sharp weapon, and a black-maned horse!"

"... Perhaps not everyone is so smart after all."

Seeing the obvious agitation among the few others, Li Yuan shook his head internally, cleared his throat lightly, and interrupted:

"Senior Brother Yue, it is time to enter the mountain."

He had not the slightest interest in this bounty, but clearly, it was impossible that no one would be tempted.

"Hmm, let's enter the mountain."

Yue Yunjin frowned slightly, cut off his speech, took the lead into the mountain, blazing a trail while scanning for any possible clues.

Li Yuan, carrying his hammer on his back, picked up a thick wooden stick from the ground and pushed aside the surrounding grass and trees, creating a 'rustling' sound.

The other few apprentices were first stunned, then immediately followed suit.

Searching the mountain was an extremely dull and lengthy process, especially for the forging shop apprentices carrying heavy hammers, who were far more exhausted than those from other families.

Before long, some could no longer keep up physically and had to stop to rest.

"Before dark, we must finish searching these few small hilltops!"

Yue Yunjin put on a stern expression and scolded in a low voice.

Bang!

Suddenly, a muffled explosion rang out in the distance.

"They found him already?!"

Li Yuan's spirit surged, and he gripped the long-handled heavy hammer on his back.

In the dense forest, Tang Tong moved forward holding his spear; his pace was swift, his long spear occasionally flicking aside obstructing weeds and rotten wood, and he soon reached the mid-slope.

Passing through the dense forest, the view opened up considerably.

On a huge reclining ox stone, a middle-aged man dressed in black tight-fitting clothes sat cross-legged, with a sharpened broadsword nearly half his height planted before him.

"Commandant Qiu, where is that thief?"

Tang Tong stopped, his eyes filled with apprehension.

The person before him was none other than Qiu Long, the commander of the Gaoliu County garrison, a native of the Divine Weapon Valley, the number one expert within five hundred li, who had once wielded a Following-Dragon Blade to slay over three hundred bandits.

"Naturally, he is within these mountains."

Qiu Long opened his eyes: "That thief possesses considerable skill in both lightness techniques and iron-body training; despite taking a strike from my Following-Dragon Blade, he was still able to drag his crippled body out of the city."

"So formidable?"

Tang Tong raised an eyebrow, half-believing and half-doubting in his heart.

He had witnessed Qiu Long's capabilities before and found it hard to believe that Nian Jiu, severely injured, could have escaped from under his hand.

Compared to that, he was more inclined to believe that Qiu Long was unwilling to make the kill personally and had some other scheme.

"This villain is indeed extremely fierce and ruthless."

Qiu Long met his gaze calmly.

Seeing his demeanor, Tang Tong's heart sank slightly; he couldn't help but look back along their path, where the dense forest stretched like a sea of mountains, and all one could see were tree canopies and flying birds.

"Brother Tang, rest assured; this villain was first struck by a blade from Yu Mou, then took another strike from Commandant Qiu; even with successful iron-body training, he is now mostly crippled, and if he attempts to commit violence, he will surely die."

A figure flashed within the dense forest, and Yu Zhen walked out slowly, wearing a smile.

"Yu Zhen!"

Tang Tong's expression darkened slightly, but he did not lash out.

"I, Qiu, originally thought this villain was merely wanted by the imperial court and paid him no mind; it was only after receiving news from within the Valley that I learned he had stolen the Valley's secret martial art, the Military Dao Duel-Killing Hammer!"

"This is a superior martial art that even I, Qiu, have not had the fortune to learn..."

Qiu Long slowly rose to his feet, leaning on his blade, his gaze fierce as a tiger's:

"If you two can capture or kill this villain and retrieve the manual, I, Qiu, can speak on behalf of Elder Han and grant you both a quota to join the Divine Weapon Valley."

"A superior martial art, and a quota to enter the Valley."

Tang Tong's heart skipped a beat, while Yu Zhen licked the corner of his mouth, appearing quite tempted.

"The same applies to all of you!"

Qiu Long looked toward the dense forest, where figures darted about; many bounty hunters who had followed behind were stirring with anticipation.

"Of course, you may also try to secretly learn our sect's secret transmission; as long as you can evade Elder Han's pursuit, I, Qiu, naturally have no objection."

Elder Han?

Tang Tong's heart leaped:

"Could it be 'Ghost-Faced Prajna' Han Chuijun?"

Shouts of surprise also erupted from within the dense forest, seemingly unexpected that such a prominent figure from the Divine Weapon Valley would be involved.

Bang!

At this moment, fireworks shot skyward from the dense forest in the distance, emitting a loud explosion.

"Hmm?"

Qiu Long's gaze sharpened.

Everyone inside and outside the dense forest rushed toward that location, the sound of breaking grass and trees filling the air incessantly.

"Damn it, pugh!"

Nian Jiu staggered as he struck dead the Sanhe Gang member who had fired the signal arrow, spitting a mouthful of black blood onto the ground, where it emitted a corrosive 'hissing' sound.

Such underlings with only rudimentary martial skills were no different from ordinary people to him; he could easily beat a crowd of them to death, yet now, doing so had worsened his injuries.

"Yu Zhen, Qiu Long, and that constable..."

Tearing off the gang member's clothes to wrap his torn, severed arm, Nian Jiu's remaining single eye turned bloodshot red.

Eight months ago, he had fled to this place; caught off guard, he was ambushed by Cao Yan and others, and while heavily injured and unconscious, a bald beggar had stripped him completely, not even leaving his loincloth, stealing the 'Military Dao Duel-Killing Hammer' he had obtained at such great cost.

Having fled a thousand li, only to capsize in a gutter, he was naturally filled with immense frustration.

What frustrated him even more was that at the huge cost of losing an arm, he had only found a broken shoe...

"That is my thing!"

Nian Jiu roared in a low voice; despite his severe injuries, he remained extremely agile, weaving through the dense forest to evade the bounty hunters searching from all directions.

"Senior Brother Yue?"

An explosion echoed in the distance; Yue Yunjin hesitated for a moment; tempted by the bounty, he recalled his master's words, clenched his teeth, and whispered low:

"Retreat!"

"Run!"

Wang Gong and Zhao Xiaoming turned and fled before Yue Yunjin even spoke, yet Li Yuan moved even faster than the two of them.

Seeing this, the others also scattered in all directions.

It was Yue Yunjin who, after a moment of hesitation, fell to the rear; seeming to hear a scream behind him, he instantly snapped awake and retreated frantically.

"Truly, a motley crew!"

Li Yuan looked back; these people, including Yue Yunjin himself, had all forgotten the warnings given before entering the mountain.

This was not a retreat; it was simply a rout.

Their wretched state was too miserable to bear looking at.

"Ah! He is here, right here! Ah..."

From within the dense forest, screams seemed to ring out intermittently, while more people collided chaotically like headless flies.

Not even knowing where the enemy was, their aimless rushing clearly made them bigger targets.

"No wonder the Second Shopkeeper said that practicing martial arts requires boldness; with such cowardice, one cannot bring out even one percent of ten percent of their martial skill..."

Li Yuan stopped and leaned against a large tree, listening to the sounds within the dense forest.

All that could be heard was the whistling wind, wails and screams of people crying out for their mothers, and the chaotic clamor of footsteps and weapons clashing...

It was utterly chaotic, like a pot of boiled porridge!

(End of Chapter)