Chapter 53

"Roar!"

A roar shook the mountains, and in the blink of an eye, a fierce black tiger, taller than a man, emerged from the woods, stirring up a violent gust of wind.

Buzz!

The black tiger leaped into the air and pounced at Yang Ji.

"Perfect timing!"

Yang Ji dodged, then his hand, like a blade, slashed down. With a loud boom, the earth trembled, and the massive black tiger was pinned to the ground by Yang Ji's palm, unable to move.

The tiger struggled fiercely, its powerful limbs digging deep grooves into the ground. However, Yang Ji's hand was like a heavy mountain, firmly pinning it down.

After reaching the Martial Dao realm, Yang Ji's strength was immense. Although he couldn't shatter stones or cut through metal, capturing tigers and leopards was no problem.

"Roar!"

The black tiger, with its fierce nature, still tried to bite back.

"Xiao Ji, come over!"

Yang Ji didn't waste words, waving his hand. Xiao Ji, who had been hiding, shot over like a black arrow, circling the black tiger's neck. He then raised his head, hissing threateningly.

"Whimper!"

The black tiger, which had been ferocious and untameable, immediately lowered its head, crouching on all fours, showing signs of fear and submission. Yang Ji could even feel the "tough guy" trembling under his hand.

"Heh, you refuse the wine of respect and choose the wine of punishment."

Yang Ji sneered, then flipped onto the black tiger's back. With Xiao Ji by his side, he wasn't worried about the tiger rebelling.

Time was short, and the journey to Pingchuan City was long. Without horses, Yang Ji had to rely on these wild beasts.

Wild beasts are easy to kill but hard to tame, even for a Martial Dao expert. However, Yang Ji was different. The "Crown King Snake" had a fearsome reputation among wild beasts, and even the most powerful beasts were terrified.

Lady Dama probably never imagined that Yang Ji could come up with such a plan and successfully tame a beast in such a short time.

"Let's go!"

Yang Ji patted the tiger's back, and the massive creature leaped down the hill, heading northwest along the mountain path.

The tiger's endurance was not great, but its speed was incredible. From Jin'an City, after thirty miles, the area became uninhabited, with no sign of people.

Yang Ji changed beasts several times, traveling day and night, rushing to Pingchuan City.

When he was hungry, he ate dry rations on the back of the beast, and when he was tired, he slept for about an hour before continuing. This saved a lot of time.

"I hope I'm not too late!"

Yang Ji thought to himself.

To reach Pingchuan City as quickly as possible, Yang Ji changed his route, no longer taking the main road but heading straight to Pingchuan City, crossing mountains and hills.

The terrain was complex, with dense vegetation. Horses found it difficult to navigate such terrain, but wild beasts were at home here.

Riding these beasts, Yang Ji was familiar with the path and constantly pushed to save time.

Using this method, Yang Ji indeed saved a lot of time. A journey that would normally take over ten days along the main road took only four or five days.

"Up ahead is Shuangji Ridge."

Eight days later, Yang Ji had covered half the distance. The scattered travelers on the road gradually increased, and he was no longer alone.

Shuangji Ridge was unique. All those heading to Pingchuan City, regardless of their direction, would eventually arrive here and choose one of the paths.

Shuangji Ridge was where the paths converged, resembling two separated "buns," hence its name.

"What are these people doing?"

As soon as Yang Ji reached the top of the hill, he noticed a group of young people with different clothing gathered on the road below, arguing intensely, as if discussing something.

Every time someone arrived, they would send someone to intercept them and discuss something.

"Did something happen up ahead?"

Yang Ji looked at the fork in the road, deep in thought. He gently patted the black tiger and leaped down the hill.

"Please stop, brother."

When Yang Ji appeared on the hilltop, someone had already noticed him. After all, such a large tiger was hard to miss.

"What's wrong?"

Yang Ji stopped at the edge. The black tiger's ferocity was too intense, and the horses of the people in the distance were already neighing nervously.

"There's a problem up ahead. The Black Wind Bandits suddenly appeared and started robbing and killing people. Several groups have already died."

The person who stopped him looked fearful.

"What? The Black Wind Bandits!"

Yang Ji's face changed, surprised.

"Yes, the Black Wind Bandits! They are under the command of Red Eyebrow, one of the most powerful bandits in the Green Forest. Red Eyebrow's territory is far from here, and they usually don't appear here. There's nothing worth robbing here. But this time, they broke their routine and started robbing on Shuangji Ridge. Several groups have already died."

"Now everyone is discussing what to do. Strength in numbers, you should join us."

The person said, with a hint of fear.

"Red Eyebrow, it's them!"

Yang Ji's eyebrows twitched, subconsciously thinking of the people who attacked the "Hundred Herbs Hall." Encountering two groups of Green Forest bandits in such a short time gave him an uneasy feeling.

The horses couldn't stand the black tiger's aura, so Yang Ji stopped the tiger by the roadside and walked towards the crowd. There were already about fifteen or sixteen people gathered on the road, the atmosphere tense.

Yang Ji scanned the crowd and immediately noticed some people with fresh bloodstains, their pale faces making everyone nervous.

"You lunatics! Do you even know who Red Eyebrow is? The imperial court can't do anything to him, and no one in the border region dares to provoke him. You lunatics actually want to fight them!"

"It's just the Black Wind Bandits! How many times do I have to say it? Not all of them are here. What are you afraid of? The imperial examinations only happen every three years. Miss this one, and how many more years do you have? Success or failure, this is a matter of life and death. Compared to your future, a few bandits are nothing."

"You lunatics. Can you kill the Black Wind Bandits? If you kill them, won't you fear Red Eyebrow's retaliation? I heard the Li family in Jin'an City has already been attacked by the Green Forest. If you want to play, go ahead, but I won't join you!"

"Coward! Useless!"

...

Amidst the curses, Yang Ji saw several young people turn their horses and ride away. Many people behind them looked at them coldly.

With bandits on the road, the most logical choice would be to turn back. But the situation was the opposite.

Yang Ji knew he had started too late, and the people he encountered were likely heading to the martial examinations. The martial examinations happened every three years, and the competition was fierce.

Many people would arrive in Pingchuan City before the registration date to gather information, spy on their opponents, and make various preparations.

The martial examinations were crucial, a step to heaven or hell, and something so closely tied to one's fate couldn't be easily abandoned!

The group watched the retreating people disappear in the distance, then turned back.

"Brother, what do you think?"

A young man with a pale face but a proud demeanor asked. His white clothes were stained with blood, his hair disheveled, as if he had just been in a fierce battle, looking shocking.

Yang Ji's black tiger was very noticeable, and everyone had already noticed him. They all looked at him, their gazes creating an invisible pressure.

"Ha! What can I say? Since I'm here, I have to go through."

Yang Ji said calmly.

This was his first time participating in the imperial examinations, so he didn't have to worry about being recognized. Moreover, compared to them, Yang Ji had even less room to retreat.

The registration for the "martial examinations" was likely about to close, and with such a tight schedule, he couldn't afford to waste time.

"That's good."

The pale-faced young man sighed in relief, then turned back to continue discussing ways to pass through Shuangji Ridge.

Shuangji Ridge had two paths, and the group's opinions were divided.

Yang Ji listened for a while, then returned to the roadside, mounted the black tiger, and listened from the side. After a moment, he began to understand. The few people with bloodstains on their clothes had clearly escaped from an ambush in Shuangji Ridge.

They were strong, all at the Martial Dao realm, which explained why they could escape. They also had considerable influence among the group.

However, there was a disagreement about which path to take. Some thought they should choose the other path that hadn't been ambushed. Others believed that Shuangji Ridge's terrain was special, with the two paths not far apart, separated by a large mountain.

Since people had escaped, the news of the Black Wind Bandits' ambush was clearly out. The Black Wind Bandits weren't fools; they wouldn't stay in place knowing the news had leaked.

They might have already moved to the other path, taking advantage of the group's blind trust, and set up another ambush.

Despite the disagreement, everyone agreed on one thing: strength in numbers. The Black Wind Bandits hadn't come in full force, and only a small group was ambushing. If they gathered enough people, they could potentially defeat the Black Wind Bandits!

After all, those coming to the martial examinations were not weak!

Time passed, and more people arrived from other places, preparing to participate in the martial examinations. Among them were several experts, and three or four were riding wild beasts like Yang Ji.

With the early arrivals and the later ones, the group at the fork in the road had grown to over twenty people!