"Attack the mountain!"
Zhang Long, wielding his sword, charged ahead like a fierce tiger descending a mountain, or a dragon emerging from the sea.
Whoosh!
An arrow whistled through the air, exploding in the sky.
At the same time.
Several arrows were shot towards Zhang Long and his men, fired by scouts responsible for perimeter monitoring.
Clang! Clang!
With a flash of his blade, Zhang Long effortlessly deflected the arrows.
At Body Refining Third Layer, ordinary arrows found it hard to get close to him; even if they did, they barely caused any harm.
His skin, trained to be as tough as cowhide, was resistant to ordinary swords and blades. With his muscles fully trained, his strength surged, greatly enhancing his defense.
Even if arrows barely pierced his skin, they would be stopped by his muscles.
Zhou Chen did not make a show of his skills. He had already spotted the hidden scouts but did not shoot them immediately.
He waited for the enemy to reveal themselves, then raised his hand and fired two arrows, sealing the exposed scouts' throats with a single shot.
"Great marksmanship!"
Zhang Long praised and continued to lead his men forward.
They encountered many ambushes along the way.
However, with Zhang Long, a Martial Artist at the Body Refining Third Layer, leading the charge, and Zhou Chen, a 'Body Refining Second Layer' Divine Archer, providing support, they easily pushed forward.
This is the power of a Martial Artist.
Even if ordinary people had the geographical advantage for defense, they could not stop a Martial Artist.
Half an hour later.
Zhou Chen followed Zhang Long and his group to the gate of Wolong Mountain stronghold, where they saw archers standing densely on the gate, heads clustered together, in tight formation, ready for battle.
This was the most critical checkpoint of Wolong Mountain.
Once this gate was breached, Wolong Mountain would fall.
"County Captain Zhang, I don't know what offense Wolong Mountain has committed to trouble the County Captain to mobilize such a force. If we've offended in any way, please forgive us. We will surely offer rich gifts to make amends in the future!"
Tie Xiong, holding a sinister wolf fang club over a foot long, stood like a towering iron pagoda, gesturing with his hands as he spoke to Zhang Long.
"Cut the crap! Hand over the County Magistrate's daughter immediately, or Wolong Mountain will be reduced to ashes in no time!"
Zhang Long pointed his long knife, his voice stern and severe.
"The County Magistrate's daughter? What County Magistrate's daughter?"
Tie Xiong looked stunned, full of confusion and inexplicable grievance, and protested:
"County Captain, there must be some mistake. There's no County Magistrate's daughter here. Even if I had the guts, I wouldn't dare to mess with the County Magistrate's daughter!"
Although he wanted Chen Fan to come, he couldn't show it. Moreover, he had to disguise this as their own doing, with no one pulling the strings behind them.
Since no one was behind them, as bandits, they naturally wouldn't dare to openly challenge the government; they had to deny it.
Unless it couldn't be hidden anymore.
Amidst over a hundred people at Wolong Mountain, they all knew Chen Feng was captured, with most already confessing.
No matter how much he argued, as long as Zhang Long wasn't an idiot, he would surely find out.
Things went just as he expected.
When Zhang Long mentioned the County Magistrate's daughter, the expressions on the bandits on the gate visibly changed, filled with fear and anxiety, confirming Chen Feng's presence there.
They were the culprits.
Relieved at heart, Zhang Long's eyes turned colder as he shouted fiercely,
"Stop spouting nonsense! I'll count to three, hand her over immediately, or I'll attack!"
"County Captain, it's really a misunderstanding. We really don't have her..."
"Three!"
"Two!"
"Zhang Long!"
Tie Xiong roared, his face shifting from submissiveness to brutality, dropping the pretense.
"Zhang Long, don't blame me for not warning you. Take one more step forward, and I'll toss down the County Magistrate's daughter's head for you!"
"You can try!"
Tie Xiong smirked viciously, cold and cruel.
Zhang Long was in a dilemma. He had no doubt about the other party's methods.
Since they dared to kidnap the County Magistrate's daughter, killing was undoubtedly within their capability.
If he caused the County Magistrate's daughter to be killed, it would be a severe offense!
"Tie Xiong, if you dare harm the County Magistrate's daughter, you're dead for sure!"
Zhang Long began arguing with Tie Xiong, coming to a standoff.
But Wolong Mountain had supplies, whereas Zhang Long's group rushed in, unable to hold out for long.
Zhang Long had already secretly sent someone to inform Chen Fan.
This matter definitely needed Chen Fan to decide.
Tie Xiong had his men bring over a Master's Chair, sitting there leisurely, drinking and eating in peace.
He was not worried in the slightest.
He knew Zhang Long would definitely send someone to inform County Magistrate Chen Fan to get reinforcements.
But that was exactly what he wanted!
"Tie Xiong, if you release the County Magistrate's daughter, I can let you leave safely!"
"I don't trust you, unless the County Magistrate personally promises!"
...
Zhou Chen stayed quietly on the side, not wanting to make merits, and was too lazy to think about how to rescue people.
A tree standing out in the forest is sure to be felled by the wind.
He just needed to do his own duty well.
After all, in everyone's eyes, he was just a newly promoted Martial Artist at the Body Refining Second Layer.
However, he didn't waste time either, his soul was cultivating with Ji Fengxia in the Wind and Moon Treasure Mirror, seizing every opportunity to earn Wind and Moon Points.
...
Qinghe City.
County Government Office.
"Bastard!"
"Courting death!"
Chen Fan received the news, enraged and furious.
After the anger, Chen Fan didn't lose his mind. Wolong Mountain had never provoked the authorities before; could it be someone behind the scenes directing them this time?
County Magistrate Chen Dao pondered, "County Magistrate, there must be something odd about this situation. I suggest we spend some resources to ask for help from the Salt Gang and the Fishermen Gang to rescue people."
His implication was to tell Chen Fan not to go personally.
Chen Fan had finished the Bone Refining stage and entered the Body Refining Fifth Layer. In Qinghe City, only the patriarchs of the three families and two squad leaders of the Salt Gang and Fishermen Gang had such cultivation.
"Although Wolong Mountain has only one road and the rear is a cliff, a Martial Artist at the Body Refining Third or Fourth Layer can still climb up."
Chen Fan pondered, "Let Zhang Long and his group attract attention at the front, and you go to the Salt Gang and Fishermen Gang to have them send people to sneak in from the back mountain to rescue Feng'Er!"
"If Feng'Er can be rescued, there will be generous rewards!"
"Yes, Sir!"
Chen Dao hurriedly departed, arriving at the branches of the Salt Gang and Fishermen Gang in Qinghe City.
The branch leaders of the two gangs received the news, pondered briefly, and agreed, each dispatching a Body Refining Third Layer expert to go.
Two Body Refining Third Layer experts quietly left the city, rushing towards Wolong Mountain at the fastest speed.
When they arrived at the Wolong Mountain territory, they quietly headed for the back mountain.
"Chen Fan didn't come!"
On a mountain peak at the back of Wolong Mountain, a white-clothed woman looked down at the two martial artists climbing the cliff, raising her eyebrows:
"Chen Fan, that old fox!"
She understood that this operation had failed.
If she killed these two Body Refining Third Layer martial artists, Chen Fan would be more vigilant and less likely to come.
But if she didn't kill them.
The bandits at Wolong Mountain couldn't stop them at all.
"Forget it, better not to alert anyone!"
The white-clothed woman sighed inwardly, abandoning this operation.
As for sneaking into the county office to kill Chen Fan, she had the ability, but killing a County Magistrate in the county office would be tantamount to rubbing the official face of Great Qian in the dirt.
Though Great Qian had been established for eight hundred years and was already declining, sects and gangs across the land were thriving, ruling their territory like kings.
But the order had not collapsed yet and still dominated the land of Great Qian.
If she dared to kill the County Magistrate at the county office, Great Qian would surely send experts to investigate thoroughly.
If the court truly acted, not only she but also the forces behind her wouldn't dare confront it.
They would easily eliminate her, like killing a chicken to warn the monkeys.
And if they lured Chen Fan to Wolong Mountain to kill him, the disturbance caused would be minimal.
It would only be seen as the County Magistrate being incompetent during bandit suppression, killed by bandits.
Afterward, the court would send people to eliminate Wolong Mountain, demonstrating their authority, and the matter would pass.
Watching the two Body Refining Third Layer martial artists climb up, the white-clothed woman still didn't act; the two martial artists seemed not to see her, continuing past.
The white-clothed woman turned around, her beautiful eyes glowing, as if a light blossomed; a distracted spy nearby instantly woke up, instinctively taking out a signal arrow to release.
The signal arrow blossomed in the air, and blood flowers spread on the necks of two spies.
"Exposed!"
The two martial artists looked at the fallen spies, their expressions grim.
They had moved quickly, but didn't expect spies to still notice them.
Though they remained a bit puzzled, thinking the spies shouldn't have discovered them, they couldn't afford to think about it now.
"Rescue the County Magistrate's daughter as quickly as possible!"
The two rushed towards the bandit lair, swords in hand.
The white-clothed woman watched their backs, not acting.
She didn't want any complications.
The reason for controlling the spies to release the signal arrow was merely to warn Tie Xiong and Lv Xiao.
Whether they could escape depended on their fate.
Even if they couldn't escape, it didn't matter.
Besides Tie Xiong and Lv Xiao not knowing her identity and true face, she had backup plans.
...
...