Chapter 99

"Here, here..."

Zhou Lu half leaned on the table, his finger traced down the tattered map of the wilderness, then pointed to a dried-up riverbed, and finally to the back door of a mountain village.

"We can sneak in from here and catch them off guard..."

"Ah..."

Just as he said this, a slightly heavier whip stroke landed on his back, causing the fat man to wince in pain. He turned his head angrily and glared at the bull-headed mountain leader behind him: "Lighter, a bit lighter, who can bear such pain?"

The leader looked somewhat flustered, nodding with a forced smile: "Okay, okay, I'll be more careful with the next one."

Zhou Lu turned his head angrily and continued discussing with E'ertu and the others.

Xiao Luan stood to the side with a bitter smile.

Beating someone? She couldn't bring herself to do it. She handed the whip to someone else. Watching the fat man's face twitch as he continued to study the next task despite the pain, Xiao Luan felt both pity and anger. Who could blame the fat man for being so hateful? He deserved it!

Xiao Luan turned her head, unable to bear to watch any longer.

It would go on for two more days and nights.

Beside her, Ai Wuyou sat in a corner with a smile, holding a cup of milk tea. The bloody torture in front of her was extremely interesting to her. When Zhou Lu accidentally turned his head and met Ai Wuyou's gaze, she playfully wrinkled her nose at him. Zhou Lu's face turned pale, and he quickly turned away, not daring to look at this little demon again.

This demon, with her smiling face and the ability to torture people to the brink of death without a word, left Zhou Lu unsure whether to hate or thank her.

After planting the head of the poison, Ai Wuyou "gently" called Zhou Lu over, took out a small gourd, and handed it to him along with more than fifty light gray pills inside. She then pulled Zhou Lu to a corner of the tent, lowered her voice, and taught him how to control the people with the poison using the head of the poison.

Zhou Lu, despite his stomachache, strained his brain to memorize the technique accurately.

Although the process of planting the head of the poison was painful, Zhou Lu realized what it meant to control over fifty sub-poisons.

E'ertu and the other two leaders, grateful for Zhou Lu's kindness, agreed to help him enter the wilderness again. When the time came, they would add thirty powerful eagle guards. They would choose strategic locations in the wilderness, secretly capture hostages, and plant the sub-poisons. Then, with a thought, Zhou Lu could make the people with the sub-poisons suffer unbearable pain.

After such pain, who would dare not to obey?

This way, a "loyal" spy would be successfully planted. In the future, any movement in the area could be reported to Zhou Lu through a unique communication method.

In a little over two months, if they worked hard, they should be able to plant dozens of spies.

By then, a large area of the wilderness would be under Zhou Lu's "watch."

The method of using poison was extremely helpful for Zhou Lu's mission, but...

A sharp crack.

Zhou Lu's veins on his forehead throbbed, his back straightened, and he sucked in a cold breath. The previous whip stroke had made him break out in a cold sweat.

"Can you be a bit lighter?"

Zhou Lu suddenly turned his head, almost roaring.

The leader behind him was also aggrieved: "The lady said it won't work if it's not severe enough. I'm being quite light."

Zhou Lu turned to see Ai Wuyou's harmless smile and felt utterly hopeless: Was this the fate of a human? Two more days and nights of beating, oh God, this demon...

Just as Zhou Lu was feeling miserable, everyone heard a distant sound of galloping hooves. A horse neighed, and the sound of hooves grew closer to the mountain pass. Zhou Lu and the others raised their heads in alert, looking at each other. The leader behind them instinctively stopped the whip.

The area they had marked as a military hawk禁区 (forbidden zone) was independent of the western border and directly under the command of the second elder. Logically, no other military horses should come here. The sound of hooves was urgent and fast, and within a few breaths, it became even clearer, heading straight for Zhou Lu's main tent.

Could it be that the thirty eagle guards had finally arrived? No one else would dare to barge into this forbidden zone.

"Quick, quick, get ready..."

Zhou Lu suddenly became anxious, jumping up and hurriedly calling E'ertu and the others to tidy up the tent. He quickly buttoned his clothes, put on a hunting armor, and combed his hair back to look more presentable.

The atmosphere in the tent became tense.

These were the arrogant and domineering eagle guards. Each one's strength and military achievements were enough to make them walk with their heads held high in the clan. With the second elder's favor, every eagle guard was haughty.

Although Zhou Lu held the Black Eagle Order, he still felt very nervous. He didn't want to be looked down upon by the eagle guards on their first meeting.

Xiao Luan and Ai Wuyou exchanged a glance, nodded, and quietly sat down at a corner of the tent. They would sit here while Zhou Lu and the others discussed military affairs.

The eagle guards were Grandfather's secret weapon, and Xiao Luan had never seen them. Today, she was curious to see what kind of people these mysterious eagle guards were, who had achieved such great military feats in Grandfather's records.

"Whoa!"

A light command from outside, and dozens of iron-clad riders stopped. Dozens of people jumped off their horses, and a clear voice rang out: "Is Captain Zhou Lu here?"

"Here, here..."

Zhou Lu was frantically fastening the buttons of his hunting armor, hurriedly responding. He gave a leader a look, and the leader quickly ran over to lift the tent flap. Thirty burly and well-armed hunters strode in hurriedly.

A fierce and bloody aura instantly filled the entire tent.

These eagle guards were all tall and strong, wearing dark green soft armor that covered their heads, leaving only half their faces exposed. Their backs were adorned with sun-eroded bows, and their waist knives, though sheathed, still exuded an undeniable aura of blood.

As they entered the tent, there was a metallic clink, and the eagle guards uniformly removed their helmets and held them in front of their chests, revealing their faces. Each one had a rugged and imposing appearance, with a stern and cold light in their eyes.

Zhou Lu's movements stopped, and he swallowed hard. The appearance of these eagle guards was so overwhelming that Zhou Lu had no confidence in subduing them.

The eagle guards' gazes swept over the faces of the people in the tent. There were men and women, a fat man, and a lame man. The complex composition of the group made the eagle guards frown.

A slightly smiling eagle guard stepped forward, his gaze finally settling on Zhou Lu, and he asked tentatively: "Which one is Captain Zhou Lu?"

Zhou Lu was dazed for a moment, then came to his senses. His plump figure was easy to recognize. It seemed they weren't unsure of his identity but wanted to confirm it. Zhou Lu frantically searched his chest and finally found the Black Eagle Order, holding it up with a relieved smile: "It's me, I'm Zhou Lu."

"Salute to Captain."

The thirty eagle guards uniformly placed their hands on their chests in salute.

The slightly smiling eagle guard also bowed and said:

"We received the second elder's order and rushed here, running dozens of good horses to death on the way. We finally arrived. If we have delayed any military affairs, please forgive us, Captain."

Zhou Lu was suddenly elated. The Black Eagle Order was indeed powerful. Look, so many fierce eagle guards were saluting him. Seeing the tired and wind-battered faces of the eagle guards, Zhou Lu was also deeply moved. They had braved the hardships and rushed from hundreds of miles away in just a few days. The effort they had put in was truly commendable.