Chapter 24

"Tap, tap, tap..."

Amidst the urgent, rain-like hoofbeats, the sound quickly turned the corner of the mountain pass and approached the base of Wanxiu Peak at a flying speed.

Wuzhuo and a few hunters hurriedly went out to meet them. They saw on the mountain road, Centurion Leimeng was riding his bay horse so hard that it was almost smoking, leaving a trail of dust behind as he rushed towards the camp of the third squad.

Leimeng pulled the reins hard, and the bay horse reared up and stopped in front of Wuzhuo and the others. Leimeng's sturdy body leaped off the horse, and before he even stood steady, he shouted:

"Is Zhou Lu out yet?"

Wuzhuo ran a few steps forward to take the reins of the bay horse, shook his head worriedly, and said, "Not yet."

Leimeng's eyes widened: "How long has Zhou Lu been inside?"

Wuzhuo smiled bitterly: "It's been almost an hour now." Seeing Leimeng's anxious face, Wuzhuo blamed himself:

"Centurion, it's all my fault. I was confused at the time and didn't stop Zhou Lu, letting him slip into the Array Fire Pavilion. I was afraid he might cause trouble inside, so I asked Zamu to report to you immediately. But I thought, in just an hour, such a short time, Zhou Lu wouldn't have the chance to cause trouble inside."

Leimeng sighed deeply, patted the bay horse, and smiled bitterly: "No chance? How did that little rascal Zhou Lu get his reputation? If he doesn't have a chance, he'll create one."

The hunters, hearing this, were both worried and amused. Thinking about Zhou Lu's character, they really felt that it would be strange if Zhou Lu were to behave properly in the Array Fire Pavilion.

Wuzhuo tried to reassure him: "Centurion, although Zhou Lu can be a bit of a rascal, he's not someone who doesn't understand the bigger picture. He shouldn't cause trouble in a place like the Array Fire Pavilion."

Leimeng's anxiety deepened, his heart heavy. He shook his head and sighed, "I hope so."

Despite his words, Leimeng couldn't shake off his unease.

What kind of place was the Array Fire Pavilion? It was a military intelligence office approved by the tribal elders, with rules so strict they were terrifying. If someone caused trouble there, the punishment would be severe.

If Zhou Lu violated the rules of the Array Fire Pavilion, it wouldn't just be his problem; the Thirty-Seven Hunting Grounds and even the Eagle Wing Army would suffer the consequences.

Just as he was thinking this, a hunter suddenly called out: "Centurion, look, Manager Qi from the Array Fire Pavilion is coming out."

Leimeng's heart skipped a beat. He quickly looked up at the stone steps on the mountain path. Manager Qi, with his bushy eyebrows, was squeezing out of the stone gate of the Array Fire Pavilion and quickly walking down the steps towards them.

Seeing this, Leimeng and Wuzhuo felt their breathing quicken, their chests tight, and their hearts leap to their throats. They noticed that Zhou Lu wasn't following behind. What did it mean that Zhou Lu didn't come out?

Leimeng and Wuzhuo hurriedly went forward, greeting warmly: "Manager Qi..."

Manager Qi quickly walked down the steps, saw Leimeng, and gave a perfunctory smile, nodding and saying, "Centurion Leimeng, I was just about to find you. I didn't expect you to be here. This is great. I need to talk to you about Zhou Lu..."

"Zhou Lu's... matters..."

Leimeng's face immediately turned grim, and the hunters were all startled. They looked at each other in alarm—Zhou Lu's matters? Did Zhou Lu really cause trouble inside? Wuzhuo clenched his teeth, regretting his own hesitation. If he had just grabbed Zhou Lu back then, they wouldn't have been so worried.

Leimeng tried to sound casual: "Manager Qi, go ahead. If Zhou Lu caused any trouble, just hand him over to me. We'll deal with him severely."

Leimeng was afraid that the Array Fire Pavilion would impose severe punishment on Zhou Lu, so he tried to take control of the situation.

"Deal with him?"

Manager Qi raised his head and smiled strangely, shaking his head: "Centurion Leimeng, Zhou Lu probably won't be able to return to your Eagle Wing Army..."

"What?"

The hunters were shocked: "That serious?"

What they feared had come true. What did Zhou Lu do inside that he couldn't even return to the Eagle Wing Army? Would he be handed over to the clan tribunal?

Leimeng's heart turned cold, his eyes wide. A voice in his head roared: "No, Zhou Lu can't be taken away. He's a brave archer. I'll go to Chief Hunter Mengyan if I have to, but I must protect Zhou Lu."

Leimeng's mouth opened, ready to argue for Zhou Lu, but Manager Qi continued, shaking his head:

"Just now, our Eastern Pavilion Master personally issued a summons. Because of Zhou Lu's exceptional talent in fire control, the Eastern Pavilion Master has specially summoned Zhou Lu to join the Array Fire Pavilion as a formal alchemist, to be guided by Alchemist Xiaoluan and equipped with a dedicated Li Huo Cauldron."

Manager Qi patted Leimeng's shoulder and smiled meaningfully:

"Centurion Leimeng, we know Zhou Lu is excellent, but this is a direct summons from the Pavilion Master. We hope you can let him go."

Leimeng's hand, which was raised in the air, froze, unable to drop. The hunters' shocked expressions also froze, staring at Manager Qi as if they were in a daze.

They listened to Manager Qi's words as if they were hearing a fairy tale.

"Zhou Lu has been summoned to join the Array Fire Pavilion as a formal alchemist?"

"Is he really exceptionally talented in fire control?"

This was more unbelievable than being slapped in the face.

Leimeng finally reacted, his eyes wide: "Manager Qi, what did you say? I didn't hear wrong, did I?"

Manager Qi smiled and shook his head.

Leimeng and Wuzhuo looked at each other, completely stunned.

No matter what trouble Manager Qi said Zhou Lu caused in the Array Fire Pavilion, they would have believed it. But Manager Qi suddenly saying that Zhou Lu was to become an alchemist completely disrupted Leimeng's understanding.

That little rascal, when they found out he was a brave archer, it already surprised Leimeng and the others. Now, he suddenly turned to fire control? Was he some kind of magical beast with transformation abilities?

Leimeng didn't know how to respond to Manager Qi: "This... this..."

Manager Qi understood Leimeng's shock and, before leaving, smiled and said, "With Zhou Lu joining the Array Fire Pavilion, we are now one family. If you need any weapons in the future, just let me know, and I'll arrange it for you..."

Watching Manager Qi's figure gradually disappear up the stone steps, Leimeng still felt as if he were in a dream. The stone gate of the Array Fire Pavilion closed with a creak. Leimeng suddenly snapped out of it, grabbing Wuzhuo's collar, his forehead veins bulging as he shouted:

"Wuzhuo, look what you've done! I entrusted Zhou Lu to you, and you let a brave archer slip away!"