Chapter 96

"Did you defeat Zuo Guangdou and break his sword? How could I not know about such a big event?"

Lü Ling chuckled. She spread her palm, and with a swoosh, a scroll glowing with bloodlight shot out.

"This is some information I collected for you about your opponents. I hope it will be useful."

"Thanks."

Yang Ji was overjoyed, reaching out to catch it immediately.

He was busy with training every day and had no time to gather information on his opponents. Lü Ling's information came just in time.

Yang Ji opened it and glanced at it. Neat rows of feminine handwriting met his eyes, clearly written by Lü Ling herself. The first few lines contained information about Li Chen.

The Li clan was a major family in Pingchuan County, and Li Chen was of the main lineage. It was difficult for Yang Ji to find detailed information about him, but it was different for Lü Ling.

"Hmm?"

Seeing the information about the top-ranked "Bai Shengming," Yang Ji was slightly surprised. The information about Bai Shengming was just a question mark, with everything else blank.

"This Bai Shengming has no information?"

Yang Ji said in surprise.

"Hmm."

Lü Ling frowned, smoothing her hair, looking somewhat distracted:

"I watched his matches, but I couldn't figure out anything. Moreover, Father strictly forbids me from investigating anything related to him. — I suspect... I suspect he might be from one of the Five Great Holy Lands."

"The Five Great Holy Lands?"

Yang Ji's eyes widened.

"I gave you a martial arts book, not this kind of thing."

Lü Ling saw through what Yang Ji was thinking and laughed. However, she then became serious:

"The Five Great Holy Lands have a transcendent status, all possessing the bloodline of martial gods. They are no ordinary entities. Their disciples are spread throughout the government, holding many important positions. Even in the provinces, they are treated with great caution. Even the generals leading the army would give them a wide berth. If you encounter anyone from the Five Great Holy Lands in the future, avoid any conflict with them. — These people are not to be provoked."

Lü Ling was not a timid person, but even when mentioning the "Five Great Holy Lands," she was cautious and wary. This left a deep impression on Yang Ji.

"Understood."

Yang Ji thought for a moment and remembered what Lü Ling said.

"Ha! Maybe I'm overthinking it. He's just a small martial child, and the Five Great Holy Lands might not even take him seriously."

Lü Ling said this and quickly dropped the topic. She rolled up her sleeve, revealing her fair,藕-like arm, and got into position, grinning:

"The final match is the day after tomorrow. Come, let's practice some more, and give it our all!..."

"Okay!"

Yang Ji calmed down and dashed forward in one swift step...

...

Jian'an City.

"Flap, flap, flap!"

A snow-white pigeon flapped its wings, swooping down from the sky, passing through a flower window of the Yang family, and landing in the white hand of a middle-aged beauty.

"Madam" removed the "message" tied to the pigeon's leg, read it, and her gaze turned dark.

"Madam, how is it?"

A fair-faced confidant crouched, observing her expression, and said cautiously.

"No."

Madam walked to the window, shook her head, and the golden hairpins in her hair jingled. She looked outside, where the weather was unpredictable:

"It says that the results of the literary examination have not been announced yet."

"Impossible!"

The fair-faced confidant exclaimed, his face full of disbelief: "According to tradition, the results of the literary examination should have been announced long ago."

The results of the literary examination were always announced before the martial examination officially began. Now, with the martial examination almost over, the "literary examination" still had no news, which was highly unusual.

"News from Pingchuan County says that this year's literary examination is somewhat unusual. When the officials were grading the papers, a candidate's essay produced a literary aura, and even a 'Literary Master' from the capital got involved."

Madam said calmly, her expression inscrutable, and no one knew what she was thinking.

"Literary aura?"

The fair-faced confidant was stunned, and subconsciously said: "It can't be..."

He stopped mid-sentence, realizing something, and glanced at Madam, quickly falling silent.

"Hmph!"

Madam only sneered, knowing what he was thinking:

"Can a little brat without a teacher produce a literary aura? You really think highly of him. The literary examination selects three out of ten thousand; I don't care if this little brat passes or not. As long as he hasn't reached the martial realm, he will be expelled from the clan. — Has there been any news of that little brat?"

"No."

The fair-faced confidant's face changed, and he quickly lowered his head, frowning:

"Our people have searched, but there's no trace of him in the nearby mountains or the shed. When Yang Wen and Yang Wu sent the message from Pingchuan City, we sent people to intercept him on the way back, but we didn't see him. — This kid seems to have vanished."

Madam's face darkened, and a storm seemed to be brewing in her eyes. When Yang Wen and Yang Wu sent the message from Pingchuan City, she was already uneasy.

She had monopolized all the horses and vehicles in Jian'an City, yet Yang Ji still managed to reach Pingchuan City, which caught her off guard.

Fortunately, this matter itself wasn't significant. But if what Yang Wen and Yang Wu said was true, and Yang Ji went for the literary examination, which has already ended, then where is Yang Ji now, and why hasn't he returned? Where is he hiding, and what is he planning?

And is the "Yang Ji" mentioned in the martial examination by Yang Wen and Yang Wu the same little brat?

"Madam, Madam..."

A low, cautious voice called, and Madam suddenly snapped back to reality.

"Ha! What am I thinking? The 'Fist Intent Unity' diagram is already in my possession, and the one in the True Martial Hall is fake. This little brat can't fly away."

Madam sneered, quickly realizing she had overestimated Yang Ji. Without the "Fist Intent Unity" diagram, no matter how talented he was, he couldn't reach the martial realm.

Moreover, it was no easy feat to advance from the "Fist Intent Unity" to the martial realm in such a short time, let alone stand out in the martial examination, which is full of strong competitors, and make it to the semi-finals.

Is the "martial examination" title so easy to obtain?

Thinking this, Madam felt she was worrying unnecessarily and felt much better. She turned around and saw her confidant looking at her with a puzzled expression.

"What is it?"

Madam said coldly.

"Madam, what's wrong?"

The fair-faced confidant asked cautiously. Madam had suddenly stopped speaking, and her face had turned very dark, which scared him.

"Nothing!"

Madam waved her sleeve, and a fierce look flashed in her eyes:

"That little brat can't cause any trouble. I don't believe that in such a large Yang family, no one knows his whereabouts. — Pass my order, bring that old man here. I will personally interrogate him to get the answers."

The fair-faced confidant was shocked and quickly responded: "Yes, Madam."

He knew that if it were before, Madam would never have moved against the "old steward" by Yang Ji's side. But now, with Yang Ji's birthday approaching and the eldest son, Yang Xuanlan, returning, Madam had no patience left.

...

...

Ten kilometers outside Pingchuan City, in the mountains, a heavy and oppressive atmosphere hung in the air.

On the side of the road, dozens of riders stood in a strict formation, silently waiting for something, their eyes fixed on the depths of the forest.

These riders were all dressed in black, their skin exuding a thick blood aura, and even their horses were uniformly red, as if bleeding.

"Six Leader, should he be coming soon?"

A black-clad man with thick eyebrows and a fierce expression asked.

"What's the rush? Six Leader's actions are unpredictable, and he has never failed. Everyone listen up, this mission cannot afford any mistakes, or everyone will lose their heads!"

Another man, who seemed to be the leader, said.

"Roar! —"

As he spoke, a fierce, brutal, and savage roar echoed from the distance. In an instant, the ground shook, and it felt as if a giant was rushing towards them.

"What a huge heat wave!"

A powerful heat wave swept out from the depths of the forest, causing the surrounding trees to crackle and quickly turn yellow. Several large trees even burst into flames. The dozens of riders were shocked and quickly retreated.

"Boom!"

The trees in the distance parted, and a fiery torrent surged through the mountains, leaping up and roaring as it landed heavily on the mountaintop.

It was a massive feline beast, over two meters tall, its body engulfed in raging flames, its eyes like copper bells, fierce and ready to devour.

"Ah! —"

A chorus of screams erupted, and the first to be overwhelmed by the shock were the well-trained iron cavalry. The powerful black-clad men shouted, but they couldn't stop them.

"Hmph!"

A low growl, and the fierce tiger-like beast was instantly struck as if by lightning, obediently lying down, lowering its head, and looking submissive.

"Six Chief!"

A chorus of exclamations, and the crowd quickly recognized the "Six Chief" of Black Wind Bandit Camp, who was perched atop the beast. He was a middle-aged man with a refined appearance, his eyes piercing, his body enveloped in a burning blood aura, as if wrapped in flames.

If Yang Ji were here, he would be astonished, for this man was none other than the "Six Chief" of the Black Wind Bandits, who had left his name in the "Tahe Devil Tiger Fist" manual.

In the borderlands, the Black Wind Bandits were notorious, striking fear into countless clans and wealthy merchants. The "Six Chief" of the Black Wind Bandits was a legendary figure.

His terror was not just due to his martial arts but also his intelligence. He was elusive, and in many major operations, the "Six Chief" or "Six Leader" was almost always involved.

Although many noble families had heard of the "Six Leader" of the Black Wind Bandits, very few had actually seen him, and most of those who had seen him were dead.

"Greetings, Six Chief!"

The surrounding Black Wind Bandits bowed their heads, showing deep respect and fear.

(PS: New book release tomorrow, Huangfu Xian is here to ask for tomorrow's monthly votes! Support needed!)