Chapter 84

In the western border of the Tianyao Clan, a calm before the storm prevailed.

One team after another of iron-blooded war hunters marched here to set up camp, and in the mountains, one could see everywhere fierce hunters with hard bows on their backs and long knives at their waists, their faces cold as they patrolled the mountainous region in groups.

Some clan members who entered the mountains were persuaded to leave, and others were forced to move to make room for the military camp.

The western border was under martial law, and the clan members were in a state of panic, all knowing that this was the prelude to a major battle.

Supervisor Sopero in the main tent was busy to the point of being at his wits' end.

There were simply too many recent events; he had to settle each of the troops that had arrived, and he had to coordinate everything. The camps, supplies, military needs, and the evacuation of clan members were already keeping him busy, and at the same time, he had to arrange for the war hunters to be vigilant towards the wilderness and to protect the mines and the Array Fire Pavilion in the mountains...

"Report..."

A war hunter lifted the tent flap and ran in.

"Is there something else?"

Sopero, annoyed, threw a bowl of milk tea to the ground with a "slam."

The war hunter shuddered and looked up to observe the supervisor's expression, hesitantly saying, "Supervisor, Zhou Lu, who went into the wilderness with Tie Mitao a few days ago, has returned. Should I bring him over..."

The war hunter cautiously asked.

"Zhou Lu?"

Sopero suddenly turned around, his face full of disbelief: "Wasn't he dead? He actually escaped back? Good, good, bring him here quickly."

The war hunter responded and ran out quickly.

Sopero plopped down in his chair, shook his head with a bitter smile, and muttered, "This kid is back? He must have a lot of luck."

The supervisor couldn't imagine how Zhou Lu, the fat man, had survived alone in the wilderness for so long after leaving Tie Mitao's team, nor could he understand why the fat man was so important that it would make Xiaoluan so angry.

Sopero still remembered the scene from the afternoon the day before when Tie Mitao and his team returned with a detailed map of Black Bear Mountain.

More than a dozen high-ranking hunters, each exhausted and disheveled, clearly showing how difficult the reconnaissance mission in the wilderness had been.

Tie Mitao not only located the bandit village that had captured the miners but also meticulously marked the route from the Tianyao Clan to Black Bear Mountain, indicating all the natural dangers and bandit strongholds along the way.

The map even extended to the black forest outside Black Bear Mountain, less than twenty miles from the bandit village.

Such a map was extremely valuable for the Tianyao Clan's invasion of Black Bear Mountain.

Excited, Sopero was about to arrange for Tie Mitao and his team to rest when Xiaoluan burst in with two people, immediately demanding to know where Zhou Lu was.

Sopero still remembered how Xiaoluan suddenly erupted in grief and anger when Tie Mitao disdainfully said that Zhou Lu was dead.

Xiaoluan immediately questioned Tie Mitao, asking why all his people had returned safely except Zhou Lu.

Tie Mitao, proud and head held high, replied, "I'm not a nanny; I have no obligation to protect others' safety."

In that instant, Xiaoluan burst into tears and, with a wave of her hand, the two people behind her rushed forward, surrounding Tie Mitao and beating him up.

Sopero was stunned.

The two people behind Xiaoluan were both at the peak of the top-tier hunters, likely sent by the Second Elder to protect the young master after Xiaoluan's previous encounter.

No matter how strong Tie Mitao was, he couldn't withstand the sudden and fierce attack from two peak-tier hunters. In just a few moments, the young master of the Elder's group was beaten to a pulp, with a bruised nose and blackened eyes.

Xiaoluan was even more terrifying, unleashing an endless rain of arrows that left the high-ranking hunters around Tie Mitao scrambling, unable to help.

In the end, Tie Mitao, relying on his deep strength, retreated and hid behind the iron guards, gritting his teeth and covering his swollen face, angrily shouting that he would settle this score eventually.

Tie Mitao didn't even rest in the western border but rushed back to the clan that night.

Xiaoluan, with red and swollen eyes, also mounted her horse under the protection of the two top-tier hunters, vowing to settle the matter in the clan.

After the two young masters left, Sopero looked at the tent that had been torn apart and sighed bitterly, unable to regain his composure.

These two young masters were not to be provoked, even by a small supervisor like him.

What Sopero couldn't understand was why Zhou Lu was so outstanding that it would make Xiaoluan so angry, even to the point of suddenly attacking Tie Mitao and tearing apart their relationship.

The tent flap was lifted, and the messenger war hunter brought in Zhou Lu and a group of leaders, including Ertu, all dusty and weary.

Sopero turned around, his expression suddenly solemn, and he couldn't help but stand up from his seat, slowly walking to the front of the tent.

Zhou Lu and his group were in a terrible state; the water stains on their clothes had turned to mud, and the dried blood on their bodies was black and blue, sticking to their skin. Their faces were so dirty that their original colors were barely visible, and their hair stood up in a mess like straw.

These people must have suffered greatly in the wilderness to return to the clan.

Regardless of whether Zhou Lu had completed his mission like Tie Mitao, this fat man had gone out on that reconnaissance mission, and all the hardships he endured were for the clan.

For this alone, the fat man deserved to be called a hero.

Sopero was deeply moved. This was the excellent son of the Tianyao Clan. It was because of people like him that the Tianyao Clan was so powerful. Sopero silently walked to Zhou Lu's side and patted his shoulder with emotion, "Zhou Lu, you've endured a lot on this journey. It's good to be back, it's good to be back."

Zhou Lu hadn't slept for days, and upon returning to the clan, his tense nerves relaxed, leaving him feeling completely drained, so exhausted that he could fall asleep standing.

Zhou Lu forced a smile, his lips cracked and his voice hoarse, "Supervisor, these are the friends I made in the wilderness. Without them, I wouldn't have escaped."

Zhou Lu pointed to Ertu and the others.

Sopero silently glanced at Ertu and the others. He didn't ask for details; it wasn't the time for questioning. Sopero could see how exhausted they were and decided to settle them down first.

"Someone!"

Several war hunters responded and walked in.

Sopero pointed to Ertu and the others and instructed, "Take these people to a clean and warm place to rest..." He then looked at the heavily injured man who needed support to stand and added, "This injured man, take him to the war doctor for proper treatment."

Zhou Lu nodded forcefully, "Right, also send a few experts to guard him."

Sopero was taken aback, "Isn't this your friend?"

"Not this one..." Zhou Lu licked his lips and kicked the injured man's buttocks, "This is the chief of Black Bear Mountain, with the seventh level of the Tumuxin technique. Don't let him catch his breath and run away again."

"What?"

Sopero was so shocked that he took a big step back, and the war hunters around him drew their swords, surrounding the chief. The atmosphere in the tent became tense.

The name of the chief of Black Bear Mountain was feared for hundreds of miles, with bloody legends that could scare children. Suddenly hearing that such a demon was in the tent made the usually composed Supervisor Sopero almost jump out of his skin.

The heavily injured chief, covered in blood, raised his head with difficulty and sneered, "These damn war hunters, their courage is far inferior to that fat man!"

Zhou Lu slapped the chief's face, "What are you laughing at? You still have the nerve to laugh..."

The chief, long tortured by this unpredictable madman, had no more spirit left and hung his head in dejection.

The muscles on the faces of the surrounding war hunters twitched.

The chief of Black Bear Mountain was a well-known figure, even in defeat, he had dignity. This fat man treating him like a child? Could he be any more despicable?

"Right..." Zhou Lu suddenly remembered something, slapped his forehead, and said to Sopero:

"I also found all the miners captured by Black Bear Mountain. They were so excited to return to the clan that they all rushed home to visit their families. Supervisor, if you need to question them, you can send people to find them later. Do we have a list of the missing in our army? You should know which families these miners belong to, right?"

Sopero couldn't remain calm anymore. His hand trembled as he pointed at Zhou Lu, his mouth wide open, and after a long moment, he suddenly shouted:

"Someone, sound the war drum!"

The powerful drumbeats echoed through the mountains, and the centurions and commanders, hearing the drumbeats, all looked up in shock, then rushed to their horses, whipping them to a gallop, leaving a trail of dust as they raced to the main tent.

The war drum signaled an urgent military situation, and anyone who dared to be late would be executed.

The war hunters' leaders didn't even have time to tie their horses, dismounting and handing the reins to the war hunters before rushing into the tent.

In the tent, over thirty iron-blooded guards were on high alert, protecting an iron chair.

The heavily injured chief was tied to the chair, eyes closed, while Zhou Lu was sprawled on a table, snoring loudly, his fat face squished and drooling, mumbling something in his sleep.

Lei Meng, upon entering the tent and seeing Zhou Lu, was stunned, but then his eyes slowly turned red at the sight of the fat man's disheveled state.

"The little rascal is alive, this little rascal really came back, but he must have endured a lot to end up like this."

Lei Meng's body trembled.

The dozens of centurions and commanders who rushed in looked at Sopero with mixed feelings.

Sopero smiled bitterly, gestured for the leaders to sit down, and quietly recounted how Zhou Lu had captured the chief of Black Bear Mountain and rescued the miners. The tent was filled with astonishment. Looking at the man tied to the chair, they found it hard to believe that this was the feared chief of Black Bear Mountain.

Just as the Tianyao Clan was preparing a large-scale attack on Black Bear Mountain, Zhou Lu had suddenly brought back the chief. Was this a joke?

No wonder the war drum was sounded. After Tie Mitao had mapped out the terrain along the route to Black Bear Mountain, everyone knew that a large-scale invasion of the wilderness was imminent. The war hunters had been preparing for battle, but they never expected that the fat man would bring back their opponent's leader so quickly.

This made the leaders, who were frantically preparing for war, feel a sense of absurdity.

If this was true, then compared to Zhou Lu's achievement, the reconnaissance map that Tie Mitao brought back, which everyone had praised, was just a piece of scrap paper.

Soon, under heavy guard, the more than a dozen captured miners were also brought back.

Sopero questioned each miner, and their testimonies were consistent.

The miners recounted in detail how Zhou Lu had fought the third chief in the Black Bear Mountain mine and cleverly captured the chief, leaving the leaders in awe.

However, that was just the end of the story. How did the fat man survive after getting separated from Tie Mitao? How did he infiltrate the hellish Black Bear Mountain alone? How did he gain the trust of the second chief and be given a key position in such a short time?

These questions left the leaders and Sopero itching for answers, and even the chief tied to the chair perked up his ears.

He had lost to the fat man in a mysterious and frustrating way, and he still didn't know how the fat man had so easily infiltrated their heavily guarded mine.

Under the expectant gazes of everyone, Sopero finally mustered the courage to shake Zhou Lu awake.

Zhou Lu was clearly still half-asleep, drool still on his face. When he was shaken awake, his eyes were unfocused, and it took him a while to realize that there were so many people in front of him. The fat man jumped up in fright, and a heavy crossbow suddenly appeared in his hand, its cold, metallic gleam exuding a deadly aura:

"Who are you? What are you doing here? Don't come any closer, my crossbow isn't for show."

The tent was immediately in chaos.

The usually fearless war hunters, who never flinched in bloody battles, were now green with fear, jumping up and scrambling to avoid the crossbow.

If they were accidentally shot by the fat man in his dazed state, they would die unjustly.

The chief tied to the iron chair laughed loudly. He finally understood that the fat man was a true scoundrel, and this scoundrel had not only harmed Black Bear Mountain.

"Zhou Lu, stop!"

Lei Meng stepped forward, trembling with fear.

"Centurion, it's you?"

Zhou Lu rubbed his eyes, becoming more awake, looked around, and finally realized he was in the Tianyao Clan's war tent. He let out a long sigh, lowered the crossbow, and scratched his head, grinning foolishly.

The leaders, who had been on edge, slowly sat back down.

Sopero's face was grim. Zhou Lu had turned his main tent into a mess, which was a blow to his dignity. The supervisor, with a stern face, asked Zhou Lu in detail about everything that had happened after he got separated from Tie Mitao.

Zhou Lu, still half-asleep, yawned, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and finally finished telling the whole story in a disjointed manner.

The tent fell into a long silence.

Sopero was deeply moved, feeling a surge of boiling blood that made him want to stand up and applaud.

He could only describe Zhou Lu's actions as daring and fearless. With such a son, what more could one ask for?

No wonder Xiaoluan cared so much about this fat man. They had sworn brotherhood, and she had even given him those top-tier weapons that made everyone drool.

However, this fearless fat man deserved the attention of the young master, Mo Xiaoluan.

Sopero had completely forgiven Zhou Lu for his earlier madness.

"Two things!"

The supervisor stood up, leaning on the table, and looked at the leaders, saying clearly, "First, send a fast horse to report this to the Elder's Pavilion, so they can adjust the war preparations based on the latest intelligence and give Zhou Lu credit."

"Second..."

Sopero smiled bitterly, "Send someone to catch up with Xiaoluan and tell her that Zhou Lu is alive and back. She doesn't need to go to the Elder's Pavilion to argue her case."

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