Chapter 44

Nine elderly and weak clan members, using all their strength, finally ran to the stone steps of the Zhenhuo Pavilion. The alchemists rushed forward in a flurry to assist, supporting the exhausted and breathless clan members to the stone gate of the Zhenhuo Pavilion.

The dark-faced girl's legs were weak. As soon as she reached the stone steps, she suddenly fell to her knees before the third senior apprentice brother, sobbing and pleading bitterly, "Master of the Furnace, please, please help save Brother Fatty, I beg you..."

The girl bowed her head forcefully, her forehead bleeding from the collision with the mountain rock.

The surrounding clan members, seeing this scene, fell to their knees in a chaotic manner, bowing to the alchemists along with the girl, their cries and pleas filling the air.

Just now, Zhou Lu had blocked two Blood Savages alone, risking his life to buy them time to escape. They had escaped, but what about Brother Fatty? How was he now? Was he in danger?

The girl and the clan members all knew that the people before them were high-ranking alchemists, the Masters of the Furnace, who were usually out of reach, their status extraordinarily noble, far beyond the reach of ordinary clan members.

However, to find someone to save Brother Fatty, the girl could no longer afford to be reserved. Time was of the essence.

The little boy even crawled forward a few steps, hugging the third senior apprentice brother's leg, crying and shaking, "Please, save Brother Fatty."

"This..."

The alchemists were all taken aback by the scene, the third senior apprentice brother's face full of embarrassment, flustered and at a loss.

Huanjie, with a strange expression, hurriedly walked to the girl and tried to help her up, "Get up, get up, you all should take shelter in the cave first, we can talk later."

"No..."

The girl stubbornly knelt, refusing to stand up, her tears streaming down her face. She turned to Huanjie and bowed her head again, "I want to see Brother Fatty come back, otherwise, I won't go into the cave. Please, save Brother Fatty. I'll do anything to save him."

"Master of the Furnace, please..."

The clan members behind her were filled with sorrow.

That fatty had led them, a large group of burdens, through the bloody rain. That fatty had risked his life. In the hearts of these clan members, their nine lives now belonged to that fatty. If something happened to him and they survived, the harsh nature of the wilderness people would condemn them for the rest of their lives.

Seeing the nine clan members kneeling on the ground, refusing to get up, Huanjie's forehead was sweating.

Xiaoluan and Keling exchanged a glance, deeply moved. If they were in mortal danger, would any clan members plead for them like this? Xiaoluan hurriedly walked to the girl, handed her the eagle eye, and said softly, "Your Brother Fatty is not in danger. If you don't believe me, look for yourself..."

The girl was stunned by these words, almost snatching the eagle eye and turning to search the distant slope anxiously.

The scene on the slope was instantly magnified before her eyes.

The girl searched the slope with the eagle eye, and suddenly it stopped. She saw her Brother Fatty standing on the slope, pointing and gesturing, his knife swinging in a dazzling attack. Three figures were surrounding and beating a Blood Savage.

The Blood Savage was being beaten pitifully, while Brother Fatty was swaggering and jumping around, a tyrant's arrogance and ruthlessness evident. The onlookers were all taken aback.

The girl's expression froze with the eagle eye, and she heard Xiaoluan say softly, "See, your Brother Fatty is having a great time. He doesn't need anyone to save him. You should go into the cave. If you are safe, he will be at ease on the battlefield."

The girl stopped crying, her face showing a strange expression as she obediently stood up, wiping her tears and leading the confused clan members into the cave. Xiaoluan took back the eagle eye and looked at Keling, both of them laughing out loud.

...

Zhou Lu's disguise was exposed, and he could no longer play the trick of shooting cold arrows from behind.

But, would Zhou Lu not think of other ways?

The three strong warriors quickly reduced the Blood Savage to a bloody mess, and it fell to the ground with a tragic and angry expression.

Zhou Lu, Leimeng, and Yelaqiang looked at each other, feeling a mutual respect. The combination had been so effective, and none of them wanted to break it up.

They nodded in unison, and Leimeng and Yelaqiang charged forward with their double blades, while Zhou Lu followed behind, shooting arrows like rain.

This trio was incredibly powerful. Leimeng and Yelaqiang were both at the sixth level of the Totem Heart Sutra, their blades wielding formidable power. Ordinary sand bandits were instantly cut down, unable to cope with the onslaught.

Moreover, behind the two blades, there were the unpredictable soul-piercing arrows.

Leimeng deflected a sand bandit's bone spear, and Yelaqiang's blade sliced the bandit's shield away. "Whoosh," a spiral arrow pierced the bandit's chest, sending the body flying.

"Next one."

Leimeng shouted excitedly, charging towards the next target.

The trio dominated the valley, rescuing injured clan members and sending them to the slope to take shelter in the Zhenhuo Pavilion.

The cries of battle echoed, and the fierce fighting continued for an unknown duration. Suddenly, from behind the three slopes, the sound of iron hooves thundered, like a storm descending from the sky.

Three more hundred-man squads of the Eagle Wing Army charged in from behind the slopes.

The reinforcements of the Tianyao Clan's warriors had finally arrived.

Seeing the situation, the sand bandits raised their bone banners and retreated like a receding tide, leaving behind a trail of blood and bodies, quietly disappearing into the distant mountains, leaving no trace.

The warriors, drenched in blood, panted and looked around. The sudden silence after the intense battle made everyone feel as if they were in a dream.

The sand bandits had planned this ambush meticulously, with a well-organized retreat, indicating a long-prepared plan.

The battle was over, and the noisy valley returned to silence, with only the sound of weapons being sheathed and the faint cries of the wounded.

Leimeng, panting, jumped onto a high rock to look into the distance, confirming that the sand bandits had truly retreated. He feared a surprise attack.

After a moment, he confirmed that the sand bandits had indeed fled far away. Leimeng jumped down from the rock, leaving Zhou Lu and Yelaqiang behind, and called for people to guard the front, clean up the battlefield, and count the casualties. He also sent a large group to comfort the affected clan members.

After the battle, the area near the Tian Shi mine was still shrouded in smoke, with heart-wrenching cries echoing. One by one, the bodies were carried by the warriors to designated burial sites.

Leimeng personally led a group to the clan's residential area to inspect and comfort the people.

The aftermath of the battle was the most heart-wrenching part. Seeing clan members crying over lost loved ones, seeing former comrades lying in pools of blood, unable to stand up again, required nerves of steel to endure.

Zhou Lu stood on the slope, silently looking at the valley for a long time.

Behind him, the alchemists and the rescued clan members quietly gathered.

Someone started sobbing softly, and the crying spread through the crowd.

The dark-faced girl stood next to Zhou Lu, looking at the valley, unable to find her father, not even his dismembered body, which had been burned beyond recognition.

The girl sobbed silently, tears streaming down her face, and she reached out to hug Zhou Lu's arm, as if only this could give her a sense of support in her suffocating pain.

Zhou Lu wrapped his arm around the girl's shoulder, gently patting her back.

The girl buried her head in Zhou Lu's fat chest, sobbing, "Father is dead, I can't even find his body. I have no family left, and my home was burned by the sand bandits. What will I do now..."

Xiaoluan and Keling, hearing this, felt a deep sorrow. The girl had lost everything in this bandit raid, left with no one to turn to. How could a girl survive in the western border of the tribe?

Zhou Lu's eyes also welled up with tears.

He lifted the girl from his chest and said softly, "When the Eagle Wing Sixth Squad is on leave, you can go back to the tribe with them. Go to the Thirty-Seventh Hunting Ground, and I'll ask my grandfather to take you in."

The girl's body visibly trembled.

To reassure her, Zhou Lu added, "My grandfather is the leader of the Thirty-Seventh Hunting Ground."

Zhou Lu slowly turned his head and looked at the large group of clan members behind him, his voice low, "Whoever has lost their home, or doesn't want to stay in the western border, go to the Thirty-Seventh Hunting Ground. I'll ask my grandfather to give you some sheep, and you can start a new life there."

Many of the clan members' eyes lit up with renewed hope.

Xiaoluan and Keling, hearing this, felt a lump in their throats, deeply moved. This fatty not only had a heroic side but also a compassionate heart. Iron-blooded and tender, Xiaoluan and Keling felt that Zhou Lu's image was now vivid and three-dimensional. One cannot judge a person by their despicable and lecherous side alone.

Xiaoluan walked to Zhou Lu's side, standing close to him and looking into the distant valley. She wanted to see the world from Zhou Lu's perspective.

At this moment, she heard Zhou Lu mutter to himself in a low voice, "Hmph, that stingy old man, who never gives me pocket money. This time, I'm bringing back a whole group of people for you to take care of. Let's see if you still complain."

Xiaoluan turned her head sharply, feeling bewildered.

Can one really not judge a person by their despicable and lecherous side?

What kind of chaotic thoughts are always running through this fatty's mind?