Chapter 22

"Got away?" Zhao Ying lowered her voice.

Chu Li nodded slightly: "Finally got away, what a grand setup!"

"For us?"

"Uh-huh."

Zhao Ying frowned: "We've been gone for so long, have they been like this all along?"

She was secretly alarmed. A month had passed, and they might have guarded for a whole month, with such strict precautions. This wasn't something a group of ragtag bandits could manage; it required rigorous training.

Tiger Mountain Fort was just an ordinary bandit stronghold. To go to such lengths showed how angry they were, determined to kill the two of them.

Chu Li pondered and said: "Among those we killed, there might have been important figures."

"Like this..." Zhao Ying suddenly understood, whispering: "Could it be someone like the Young Chief?"

"Very likely." Chu Li smiled.

He vaguely felt that the identities of those three bald men were problematic. They were killed by his ambush, and one of them was called Lord Ten. Could he be the tenth leader of the fort? That would be quite interesting.

"These guys are really despicable!" Zhao Ying said with hatred: "They deserve to die. When we return to the mansion, I will report to the higher-ups and request that these scoundrels be exterminated!"

Tiger Mountain Fort had ravaged countless women and killed countless men. Letting them run free was a mockery of justice!

"Our mission this time is top-secret."

"..." Zhao Ying was furious.

"Practice hard. Once your skills improve, you can take down this fort!"

"But when will that be!" Zhao Ying said unwillingly: "Even if I reach the innate realm, there are innate experts in Tiger Mountain Fort!"

"There's always a way." Chu Li said.

Zhao Ying gave him a glare, frowned, and pondered, trying to think of a way to take down Tiger Mountain Fort.

After a while, she suddenly felt an urgent need to relieve herself and glanced at Chu Li awkwardly.

Chu Li was using the Great Mirror Wisdom to observe a three-mile radius, and there was no sign of any disturbance. But this was only temporary. He thought Tiger Mountain Fort wouldn't just set up an ambush in one place; there would be layers of defenses, and he couldn't be too careful.

Zhao Ying glanced at Chu Li again.

Chu Li noticed something was off and turned to look at her.

Zhao Ying's cheeks flushed, and she whispered awkwardly: "I'll be right back."

Chu Li was taken aback but immediately understood, whispering: "Don't go too far, be careful."

"Uh-huh." Zhao Ying nodded and ran off as if fleeing.

She knew Chu Li's skills were profound, and if she stayed too close, he would definitely hear, which would be too embarrassing, so she ran a bit further.

Chu Li reluctantly retracted the Great Mirror Wisdom; otherwise, it would be too indecent.

After a while, Chu Li frowned. Was it a big one?

He suppressed his doubts and didn't use the Great Mirror Wisdom. After a while, he couldn't resist and activated it again. To his surprise, Zhao Ying was nowhere to be found within the three-mile radius.

His heart sank, and he sprang up.

Using the Great Mirror Wisdom, he followed Zhao Ying's footprints. He soon stopped under a pine tree, where he found another set of footprints, faint and almost invisible to the naked eye, but not to the Great Mirror Wisdom!

Chu Li deduced that this person had supreme lightness skills and profound internal strength, definitely an innate expert!

This was too coincidental!

This innate expert must have just caught up, otherwise, he would have been detected by the Great Mirror Wisdom. It was precisely when Chu Li retracted the Great Mirror Wisdom that he appeared and captured Zhao Ying!

He took a deep breath, his anger burning, and anxiety surging, but he suppressed it with the Great Mirror Wisdom. The priority was to rescue Zhao Ying. Otherwise, who knew what might happen. The thought of her falling into the hands of Tiger Mountain Fort made him anxious.

Despite his anxiety, his mind remained as calm as ice.

He used the Great Mirror Wisdom to follow the footprints. The other person's lightness skills were supreme, and even with Zhao Ying, the footprints were faint. He needed the Great Mirror Wisdom to see them clearly and pursued them.

His speed was like lightning, but he couldn't catch up, as he was too far behind.

Chu Li sighed inwardly. It seemed he had no choice but to raid Tiger Mountain Fort.

He didn't have full confidence, but in this situation, he couldn't call for reinforcements. He had to act alone, and Zhao Ying couldn't wait any longer to avoid a tragic outcome.

After chasing for several miles, his expression changed. A group of people blocked the path, with cliffs on both sides, leaving no other way but to fight through.

Twenty-four men, each wielding a long saber, with fierce faces and a faint aura of killing intent. Chu Li knew they were all seasoned killers, with more than one life on their hands. How many people had Tiger Mountain Fort killed!

"Boy," a large man stepped forward, pointing his saber at Chu Li: "Stop!"

The other twenty-three men rushed over with their sabers.

Chu Li frowned. With the Great Mirror Wisdom, he could see their thoughts clearly. They were determined to kill anyone they saw with a weapon, regardless of who it was!

His face darkened, his anger burning. How many people had been killed in the past month? If I hadn't killed them, they would have killed others. The burden of guilt was heavy.

His burning anger turned into a killing intent. He drew his sword, his figure flashing like a ghost, diving into the crowd.

The sword flashed, and in a blink, one man fell.

Twenty-four men lay on the ground, clutching their throats and trembling, their blood seeping into the soil, turning it dark red and emitting a strong smell of blood.

Chu Li shook his sword, wiped it clean on a man's clothes, and shook off the blood on his clothes, continuing his pursuit.

These twenty-four men all had considerable martial arts skills, but none were at the innate level. To Chu Li, they were like targets, easy to cut down like melons.

He felt a sense of satisfaction, with no mercy, his figure floating as he followed the footprints.

After chasing for another ten miles, he came to a small pavilion, a resting place, with peeling paint and weathered stones, showing the marks of wind and rain.

Inside the pavilion stood a middle-aged man in a green robe, with a face like jade, his robe fluttering, exuding an extraordinary presence.

Chu Li floated into the pavilion, glanced at the middle-aged man, and frowned: "Are you waiting for me?"

The middle-aged man stroked his beard and smiled: "You are the young lady's lover?"

He had a prominent nose and a handsome face, his smile warm and inviting, making people feel inexplicably good.

Chu Li said coldly: "Are you from Tiger Mountain Fort?"

"Rank fifth." The middle-aged man smiled: "I haven't had the pleasure of knowing your name, young brother. Don't worry, the young lady is safe. We just invited her to the mountain for a visit; we won't harm her."

"Rank fifth..." Chu Li snorted: "How many leaders does your fort have?"

"Ten brothers." The middle-aged man sighed: "The tenth one was incompetent and was killed by you. He hadn't made it to the innate realm and deserved his fate!"

Chu Li looked at him coldly.

The middle-aged man stroked his beard and sighed: "But we were brothers, and his death must be avenged. So, we had to act, and I'm sure you understand, right?"

Chu Li said coldly: "So you kill innocent people?"

"Ha ha..." The middle-aged man shook his head and laughed: "The world is cruel. Who is truly innocent?"

"Are you not afraid of provoking the wrath of the masses and inviting suppression?" Chu Li looked at him curiously.

The middle-aged man laughed and shook his head: "What are we afraid of? Who dares to attack Tiger Mountain Fort?"

"Such arrogance!" Chu Li sneered.

The middle-aged man smiled and looked at him: "You are a talented young man. Which school are you from?"

"Scared you might be scared."

"Ha ha..." The middle-aged man stroked his beard and laughed, shaking his head: "Then we must keep you. Why not join Tiger Mountain Fort?"

Chu Li shook his head.

The middle-aged man stroked his beard and smiled: "Tiger Mountain Fort is the most free. It's more comfortable than being in a sect, and we have several innate experts. We often practice and live freely, like immortals!"

"How many innate experts does Tiger Mountain Fort have?"

"Nine!"

Chu Li used the Great Mirror Wisdom and knew he was lying. Tiger Mountain Fort had twelve innate experts in total. The tenth one hadn't reached the innate realm because he had gone astray in his practice and had to retrain. The other thirteen leaders were all innate experts.

Tiger Mountain Fort had a rule: anyone who reached the innate realm could become a leader.

"Nine innate experts can act without restraint?" Chu Li shook his head: "You're courting destruction! Where is my junior sister?"

"In the fort." The middle-aged man smiled: "As long as you can break into the fort, we'll let you go. Fair, right?"

Chu Li frowned. He was telling half the truth. Zhao Ying was indeed captured by Tiger Mountain Fort, but they wouldn't let her go. They wanted to kill him and keep Zhao Ying as their plaything.

Chu Li looked at him: "So, I have to get past you first?"

"Of course." The middle-aged man stroked his beard and smiled: "If you can't get past me, you won't get into the fort. It's a pity, young brother. You're so young and talented. Why not join us?"

Chu Li drew his sword and looked at him calmly: "Come on."

"Ah... what a pity!" The middle-aged man shook his head and sighed, looking regretful.

Chu Li activated the threefold Boundless Sea Power, appearing in front of him like a ghost, his sword tip piercing his chest, then quickly pulling it out and slashing his throat.

"Clang..." The sound of metal clashing, the middle-aged man's sword blocked his throat, his eyes wide with disbelief as he looked at Chu Li.

Chu Li's sword didn't stop, stabbing again.

The middle-aged man raised his sword, but his movements suddenly froze, watching helplessly as the sword pierced his throat, pulling it out, and blood gushing out, unable to speak.

He wanted to curse him for being despicable, for ambushing him.

A strange internal force suddenly entered his body, disrupting his own internal energy, causing his movements to freeze, unable to avoid the sword!

Chu Li pulled his sword back and looked at the middle-aged man coldly: "Rest assured, your brothers will join you soon!"

"Gr... gr..." The middle-aged man struggled to raise his finger, his body tilting, and finally fell to the ground with a thud, still trembling, his blood quickly staining the pavilion's muddy floor red.

Chu Li took a deep breath, turned, and left the pavilion. The Withering and Flourishing Sutra was indeed powerful!