Chapter 84

Qingmang Mountain, located three hundred miles southwest of Jingyun City. {3w.

On a small path in the mountains, a group of thirty to forty people was making its way forward.

This rugged and uneven path was formed over the years by many natives, traveling merchants, treasure hunters, and hunters.

Although it had been a long time since anyone had walked on it, and it was now covered with wild grass, the severe cold of winter had greatly suppressed the growth of vegetation, so the winding path ahead could still be vaguely discerned.

Very few people would venture deep into Qingmang Mountain at this time. The harsh winter made many wild beasts and demonic beasts hibernate, and those that came out to hunt were often hungry and ferocious, as well as the barbarian witches and bandits among the natives.

However, this group was not afraid of the dangers in the mountains and forests, and they had the confidence to face them.

The leader of the group was Dugu Shen, an upper master of Jingyun Martial Academy, a powerful figure at the Third Heaven of the Innate Realm.

The members of the group included ten upper academy disciples, five martial masters, and fifteen martial warriors, all of whom had a minimum strength of the Sixth Heaven of the Body Tempering Realm. Even if they encountered a mid-level demonic beast, it would have to retreat.

Wei Changfeng was one of the members of this group.

Two days ago, he accepted a task from the upper academy of Jingyun Martial Academy and joined this escort team. For two days, they had traveled during the day and rested at night, and they were now not far from the Bai Lu Miao Village.

"Rest for half an hour..."

Dugu Shen, who was leading the group, stopped and looked around, then said in a deep voice, "Be on guard!"

The martial masters and martial warriors who were closely following the upper master immediately dispersed and infiltrated the nearby forest, quickly disappearing without a trace.

They were the scouts of the group, sent to reconnoiter the surrounding area. If they were lucky, they might even bring back a couple of plump game animals.

Such caution was necessary because this area was the territory of the barbarian witches.

The Miao people, the barbarians, and the witch tribes were all natives who had lived in the southwestern region of Qingmang Mountain for thousands of years.

The vast land west of Jingyun City was filled with high mountains, forests, rivers, and grasslands, and besides the wild animals, there were countless native tribes.

Four hundred years ago, the Great Qin Dynasty had attempted to expand its territory to the southwest. When Jingyun City was first established, it served as a military base and outpost.

However, due to various reasons, the Great Qin's plans suffered a severe setback, and no army had stepped into Qingmang Mountain since, maintaining the peace of the southwestern border for hundreds of years.

But the natives' vigilance against the Great Qin had never truly diminished. Among the Miao people, the barbarians, and the witch tribes, the Miao people were the most friendly to the Qin people, and there was trade between them. The other two tribes often crossed the mountains to raid the areas around Jingyun City.

As for the merchant caravans, hunters, and treasure hunters who traveled through the mountains and forests, they were also their targets!

This was precisely the fundamental reason why Jingyun Martial Academy had dispatched this team to escort the medicinal herbs and materials from the Miao Village.

Both the barbarians and the witch tribes had powerful experts. They were cruel and combative, believing in the law of the jungle, and in battle, they often fought to the death, making them difficult to deal with.

The disciples sat down by the roadside, taking out the dry rations and water they carried with them.

There were fewer than a hundred upper academy disciples in Jingyun Martial Academy, and they were divided into many circles. In this team, there were several small circles, and those who knew each other well sat together, eating and chatting.

Wei Changfeng did not belong to any of these circles. Since joining the team, he had been isolated.

Wei Changfeng had anticipated this situation.

As a new upper academy disciple, he was unfamiliar with the other nine disciples, and their attitude towards him was either indifferent or contemptuous, and they did not bother to approach him.

In such a situation, why would Wei Changfeng force himself to be friendly with them!

"Senior Brother Wei, would you like some wine to warm up?"

A martial warrior sat down beside him and politely offered the wine gourd in his hand.

This martial warrior was the only person Wei Changfeng knew, Fang Chi, who had come to Qingyuan Cottage to deliver the order from the Qingyun Hall. He had also joined this mission.

Wei Changfeng did not refuse his friendliness and took a sip from the wine gourd.

The strong liquor quickly spread through his body, making his blood boil and feeling warm and comfortable.

The climate here was slightly warmer than in Jingyun City, at least there was no thick snow, but the cold and dampness in the forest were bone-chilling. Without a thick fur coat, even a Body Tempering Realm martial warrior would find it hard to endure.

Wei Changfeng practiced the supreme and yang energy of the Qianyang Zhengfa. Although he had only reached the first level, he was not afraid of the cold and was much stronger than martial warriors of the same level.

However, after a long day of mountain travel, being able to drink a couple of sips of strong liquor while resting was undoubtedly a good way to dispel the cold and fatigue.

"To Bai Lu Miao Village, it's just half a day's journey..."

Fang Chi lowered his voice and said, "But we will probably be assigned to other villages to collect goods."

"Other villages?"

Wei Changfeng was taken aback and, as he handed the wine gourd back to him, asked, "We're not going to Bai Lu Miao Village?"

Fang Chi quickly glanced around and then nodded rapidly.

He took the wine gourd and silently moved to the other side.

Everyone in the team was excluding Wei Changfeng, and Fang Chi did not want to get too close to him, otherwise, any martial master or upper academy disciple who found fault with him would not be easy to deal with.

Wei Changfeng understood his predicament and did not ask any more questions.

At this moment, the martial masters and martial warriors who had gone out to scout returned. One of the martial masters had very good luck and had brought back a horned deer!

"Haha, we have meat to eat!"

"Quick, find some dry wood and cut up the deer!"

"I'll do the cooking!"

The disciples, who had been eating dry rations, were delighted and started shouting.

This horned deer weighed two to three hundred pounds, but for the martial warriors, it was easy to handle. They skillfully cut the fattest parts, skinned and cleaned it, and soon set it up on a makeshift bonfire.

However, this meant that the half-hour rest period was not enough.

Dugu Shen, the leader of the team, did not mind and gathered all the upper academy disciples together.

"We are not far from the Gu Lu Miao Village, and we will definitely arrive before dark..."

The upper master said, "But there are still many other Miao villages nearby, so time is tight. We cannot visit each one, so we will divide the team to collect goods from the various Miao villages."

His gaze swept over the faces of the disciples, and he said in a deep voice, "These goods are very important to the Alchemy Academy and the Martial Academy, so those assigned to this task must complete it. Otherwise, don't blame the Martial Academy for being ruthless!"

Dugu Shen's gaze finally fell on Wei Changfeng's face, paused for a moment, and then withdrew.

His gaze was extremely profound, filled with an indescribable meaning.

Wei Changfeng's heart couldn't help but skip a beat.

One of the upper academy disciples said, "Upper Master Dugu, we will do as you say and guarantee to complete the task!"

"Good!"

Dugu Shen nodded in satisfaction and pointed to two disciples, saying, "You and you, come with me to Bai Lu Miao Village. The other disciples will each take a martial warrior to the other villages."

"I will arrange the specific personnel. The martial warriors know the way, and they will carry the goods for the transactions."

"After completing the transactions, meet back at Bai Lu Miao Village the day after tomorrow, and we will return to Jingyun together!"

The upper master's voice became stern, "You must remember, the rules of the Miao villages are different from ours. Do not do anything that will damage the reputation of our Martial Academy, or I will not forgive you!"

All the disciples were solemn and nodded in unison!

Because they had hunted the horned deer, the team's departure was delayed by half an hour, but after eating and drinking, the morale of the upper academy disciples, martial masters, and martial warriors was much higher.

After walking for less than half a moment, the mountain path ahead split into three forks.

"Everyone, split up and remember to be safe!"

Dugu Shen waved his hand and said, "Although this is the territory of Bai Lu Miao Village, there are still many barbarian witches around. If you encounter danger, don't be reckless; just run back to save your life!"

The personnel had already been assigned, and eight upper academy disciples each took a martial warrior to eight different Miao villages.

The one assigned to Wei Changfeng was none other than Fang Chi.

Wei Changfeng and Fang Chi took the right fork, and there were three other groups traveling with them, but as the forks increased, they soon found themselves alone.

The forest was very quiet, with no sounds of birds or beasts. The path on the ground was barely visible, and without a guide, it would be easy to get lost.

Who knew what dangers lurked in the depths of the forest!

Fang Chi carried a bag and led the way.

He seemed to be concerned that Wei Changfeng might be wary of the surroundings and reassured him, "This path leads to Shuiyun Miao Village. I've walked it three times and haven't encountered any wild beasts or barbarians, so it's very safe."

Wei Changfeng smiled but did not speak.

It wasn't his first time in the mountains, and he had encountered various dangers, so he was not lacking in courage.

However, for some reason, since leaving the team, Wei Changfeng had a vague sense of unease.

It seemed that something was about to happen!

The two of them hurried along and walked for a full hour before they emerged from the dense forest.

A towering mountain peak appeared before them!

Fang Chi led Wei Changfeng up the mountain path and said, "We will definitely reach the valley in front of Shuiyun Miao Village before dark... Ah!"

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Before he could finish speaking, a dozen arrows suddenly shot out from the trees on the right side of the mountain path!

The first arrow hit Fang Chi's left shoulder, and he let out a惨叫, immediately losing balance and rolling down the mountain path!

Enemy attack!

Wei Changfeng was instantly shocked!

－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－

Notice to all readers: The book will be available for purchase after midnight. Please support the official release. Thank you! Mobile users can visit http://m.piaotia.net

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends