Secret Records of the Leader of the Beichen Sword Sect
Chapter 85 Yang City

Chapter 85: Chapter 85 Yang City

There is no denying that Tang Tong’s nine years on the mountain weren’t wasted.

There really are places where you can kill when you go down the mountain.

And it’s not killing chickens or slaughtering dogs.

It’s stabbing tigers.

"Roar——!"

A giant tiger with dangling eyes and a white forehead, measuring eight feet tall, screamed miserably, running wildly around the beast cage, scratching at the iron cage and howling for help.

Yet Tie Dan, with a face like frosty ice, charged forward holding Qingshuang, and with one sword strike chopped the tiger’s head rolling across the ground, then opened its belly, dismembering it into eight parts, ferocious and ruthless.

"Oh my heavens..."

The crowd watching couldn’t help but cover their eyes, unable to witness the bloody and horrendous scene.

Tang Tong, however, was counting money with the banker, pocketing his original stake of one thousand, while the eight thousand Divine Gang Coins he had won, he packed into a bag for Brother Tie.

"Brother Tie, did you enjoy yourself?"

Tang Tong, accustomed to such sights, stepped into the cage with the money bag and asked Tie Dan, who was crouched by the tiger’s carcass drinking its blood.

"Huff... not bad..."

Tie Dan wiped the warm blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at the wolves, leopards, and tigers huddled in the corners of the beast cage, too scared to make a sound.

"Why not continue?"

Tang Tong scratched his head, handing over the winnings from the tiger fight,

"It’s not a profitable business anymore, so they won’t do it."

Tie Dan looked at the money bag, took four thousand, and returned the rest to Tang Tong,

"Is this the only place that gambles on beast fights?"

Tang Tong also gave a wry smile,

"Yang County is a small place, deep in the mountains and old forests. It’s only when the Sword Sect disciples occasionally come down that businesses gather here to collect some mountain goods.

With Honzan oppressing the surroundings, there are no demons or bandits daring to seek death. If you, Senior Brother, want to kill and drink blood, I’m afraid you’ll have to hunt beasts in the mountains."

Tie Dan understood this truth as well, but with the Sword Sect occasionally sending children to chop wood, the surroundings had long been swept clean. Without venturing into the deep mountains and forests, you couldn’t even find a pig, which was quite troublesome.

No, I must find a way to leave the mountain. This wretched place, Nine Yin Mountain, is simply unfit for people...

"Did you mention a business that crosses the Xuan Nu Mountain Range every month?"

"Yes, Qianshengtong, the largest business in Qianzhou. It works for our Mystic Sect, and every month, a caravan crosses the eight passes to Gen and Kan to deliver mountain goods. I’m well acquainted with the manager, and if you fancy something, I can get you a twenty percent discount."

So Tang Tong took Tie Dan to the Qianshengtong firm, located in Yang County, specifically to serve Sword Sect disciples. Whether you want to send a letter home, exchange some gold and silver, purchase spiritual materials, or procure goods, they can handle it for you. And because it’s run by an emerging disciple of the Mystic Sect, they naturally won’t profit off ordinary disciples, only accepting a little hardship fee.

Tang Tong, being a regular, engaged in exchanging correspondence with the manager while Tie Dan ambled around the shop.

Qianshengtong knew mountain people didn’t lack general necessities, but if they were too rare, they couldn’t obtain them either, and ordinary disciples couldn’t afford them. So what they displayed for sale mainly consisted of special local products from across the land, raw materials and mountain goods, with the most being herbs usable in alchemy. Next were various jades, spirit stones, gold, and iron, categorized according to the Taiji Five Qi, followed by books, travel notes, local records, and biographies of the Twelve Countries, all intended to broaden disciples’ knowledge and prevent them from becoming country bumpkins when venturing out.

Tie Dan also bought some books for now and picked some seeds for the Gourd Spirit. As he wandered around, footsteps suddenly arose behind him.

Looking back, he saw a group of Sword Sect disciples barging into the shop, blocking the entrance and staring angrily at him.

So, Tie Dan remained impassive, turned to confront them.

"He’s the one who killed Senior Brother Du!"

This group of Sword Sect disciples were all Foundation Establishment level, though their cultivation was much deeper than Tang Tong’s, almost on par with Yue Peng and Zhou Feng, seemingly having trained at Honzan for at least thirty or forty years.

Tie Dan glanced at them and drew Qingshuang,

"Come, fight."

The Sword Sect disciples also drew their swords, skillfully blocking the shop entrance and sealing off the passage, ready to start.

"Hold on! Don’t fight! Don’t fight!"

The manager of Qianshengtong quickly sidestepped into the center to stop them. Fortunately, this guy was also a Golden Core Realm cultivator, able to maintain the situation.

"All of you young heroes, calm down. Today is not like the past. Now, unauthorized sword fighting in the mountain without the teaching supervisor’s permission is a sect taboo, rethink, reconsider..."

The Sword Sect disciples opposite shouted in anger,

"The instructor was killed by him!"

"..."

The manager turned to look at Tie Dan behind him, giving him a ’why don’t you fly to the sky’ look.

Tie Dan rolled his eyes,

"Less talk, step up to meet your death."

The Sword Sect disciples became furious,

"Bastard!" "Looking for death!" "Revenge!" "Kill him!"

"Wait! Hold on!"

The manager rolled his eyes and suggested,

"How about this, I recently have a batch of goods going out from Jingxing. Why not let me apply to the sect to hire you young heroes as escorts?

As long as you pass Weize Pass, you’ll be out of Honzan’s realm..."

Once outside the mountain realm, naturally, the mountain rules wouldn’t hold...

"Fine! Let’s go!"

Tie Dan’s eyes lit up, agreeing instantly.

"Let’s go!" "Who’s afraid of you!" "You mongrel!"

A group of Sword Sect disciples, their hair on end from anger, glaring fiercely at Tie Dan, blocking the entrance, clearly unwilling to let him escape.

Tie Dan, too lazy to engage with them, regarded them as nothing more than dead men.

"Brother, brother..."

Turning around, Tie Dan saw Tang Tong cautiously squatting down, crawling over from the back, handing him a package.

Tie Dan frowned, shielding the sight from behind him, and took a look. It was a wooden box, heavy inside.

"My private savings," Tang Tong whispered, "Half for you to use, and when you get to Ye Capital after leaving Jingxing, give the other half to my beloved, her name is Xiao Lian."

Tie Dan looked up at him.

Tang Tong gave a wry smile,

"I’m not foolish. Isn’t it obvious? With your abilities, could you honestly stay in the mountains for thirty years?

After all, you’ve killed so many people here and there, offending Ninth Peak entirely. Would they tolerate you?

If you stay longer, avoiding open arrows is easy, but concealed ones are difficult, and endless trouble awaits, the earlier you leave, the better.

I’ve spoken with the manager, and he’ll turn a blind eye."

Tie Dan was taken aback for a moment, looking at him,

"Tang Tong..."

Tang Tong smiled, patting Tie Dan’s leg,

"Don’t worry about me, it’s just skipping a few meals. As long as I don’t get implicated by you, I can at least live another seven hundred years!

By the way, when you make it big in the future, remember to help your little brother out, alright, I’m off."

Then he sneaked out from under the counter, escaping through the back entrance.

Tie Dan said no more, carrying the package, sitting in the shop to rest with his eyes closed.

The manager of Qianshengtong indeed had some connections. According to protocol, someone like him shouldn’t have been able to take on the escort task, but Honzan agreed nonetheless.

Of course, it might have been a meeting of shared motives, someone wanting to help Tie Dan escape, while others wished for his demise outside the mountain.

Thus, very smoothly, Tie Dan left the mountain with the caravan.

Surrounding him, eight Foundation Establishment disciples of Honzan followed closely.

This time, they weren’t eight corpses; each carried the Sword Sect’s sign, bearing treasure swords, with at least thirty or forty years of cultivation. Though perhaps lacking the experience and Qi Gong cultivation of Senior Brother Yue or Senior Brother Zhou, they weren’t much inferior to Tie Dan.

This group, at least, adhered to rules, not rushing in to kill with a flurry of swords as soon as they left the town. They escorted the caravan dutifully, pairing up in groups of two, surrounding the caravan and Tie Dan in the center from all sides.

"This gentleman, you’ve got quite the skills."

The manager of Qianshengtong, perhaps encountering such a setup for the first time, approached Tie Dan for conversation,

"My name is Qiao Fa, the manager in Yang City, and I’ve met that Coach Du. He’s quite impressive, how did you manage to kill him?"

Tie Dan glanced at him and said nothing.

Seeing his vigilance, Manager Qiao wasn’t bothered, still smilingly chatting,

"Brother Tang is naturally intelligent, at a young age he’s read numerous books, never forgetting a word, with vast knowledge and an immense future. Unfortunately, he comes from a poor family, in today’s Immortal Palace, he can’t even be rated as low-quality, never seeing the light of day, so he turned to the mountain. Otherwise, had it been centuries ago, born during Emperor Wu’s time, he’d certainly rise to prominence, making a name for himself across the world.

However, he quite admires you, saying you face enemies with calm, plan with valor, strategize brilliantly, and exude a fierce spirit. You possess the heroic aura of the past Great General, only it’s a pity your origins are even humbler, your future perilous and uncertain, and should you break the current situation, you’d likely become a blight upon the world. Therefore, you shouldn’t get too close to him, nor should you ever offend him."

Tie Dan frowned, looking at the manager,

"Did he ask you to say these things to me?"

Manager Qiao smiled,

"Brutal and bloodthirsty, you could only become a prominent hero of an era, but if you indulge in cruelty and slaughter without humanity, calamity would swiftly follow.

He thinks you could be like an Immortal Venerable, a hero who changes the times, standing tall and upright. However, if you’re only like a Divine Lord, even with the ability to cover the sky, only seeking vengeance for one lifetime, indulging in temporary ferocity, it’s truly a waste."

Tie Dan rolled his eyes.

This guy was a true Gou Dan, daring to compare him to the Three Venerables, an excellent flatterer. With such wit, he would do well wherever he went, no need to worry about him.