The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 262 - 179: The Most Valuable Head_2

Chapter 262: Chapter 179: The Most Valuable Head_2

"The spot is thirty miles away in the mountains, where the ancient Tang tombs were," he said. "I’ve heard that several bands of bladesmen have already gone there."

"And what happened?"

"This... they all went mad, killed one another, and died. According to one who survived, they encountered something foul, and it was everywhere in the mountains!"

"Ptui, what idiots!"

Yuan Zhetian sneered contemptuously, "That man is a Magician, and yet they blundered in so foolishly, what’s the difference between that and seeking death?"

"Go, summon the men!"

"Yes!"

The short man leaped up and dashed down the earthen mound, riding away on a fast horse, quickly disappearing from sight.

Yuan Zhetian then bit down on a straw, pulled down his bamboo hat, crossed his legs, and reclined under the tree to rest.

Half an hour later, three figures appeared on the official road, a monk, a Daoist, and an old crone, which were the three side-door Magicians who had followed Xiong Baodong during the Lantern Festival.

As if sensing their approach, Yuan Zhetian abruptly lifted his bamboo hat, rose to his feet, and leaped down from the earthen mound. He glanced at the three newcomers and waved his hands in greeting, saying, "Elder sirs, our agreed time was tomorrow."

He had received the information about the situation thanks to these three.

The faces of the trio all wore grim expressions. The one-eyed monk spoke in a heavy voice, "The boy’s slippery, though we don’t know why he has delayed his trip up Hua Mountain, but if he flees again, our chance will be completely lost."

They too were down on their luck. With Xiong Baodong’s death, they had lost even the opportunity to compete, and having come to Shan State after much suffering, naturally, they didn’t want to return empty-handed.

But after the Lantern Festival, Li Yan and his group had completely vanished. At the same time, news came that in Fengyi Square, a Magician named Crying at Night took responsibility for selling the remaining Tokens.

These three, being of the left path, were not the types to honestly spend money to purchase. They decided to sneak into Fengyi Square that night and attempt to rob them by force.

Needless to say, they met with a tough fight.

The Magician named Crying at Night wielded the Soul Summoning Banner and wailed miserably; the three nearly died there and, terrified, they scrambled out of Chang’an City.

Of course, they hadn’t given up hope.

Thinking that there were masters in Chang’an City, and Li Yan and his party would not always be followed, they decided to collaborate with Yuan Zhetian, the most sought-after bladesman recently on the Weinan Road, to ambush and assassinate Li Yan.

"Rest assured, he won’t get away!"

Yuan Zhetian sneered, "I’ve heard of Li Hu’s fame as well. Even if his son is formidable, he’s still going to die today!"

The old Daoist carrying a large gourd spoke coldly, "You talk big, kid. Xiong Baodong, a Force Transformation master, was killed by him in just a few moves. Where does your confidence come from?"

"Hahaha..."

Yuan Zhetian laughed wildly, "Just wait, and soon you’ll see!"

Not long after, a cloud of dust rose on the dirt road in the distance, with around thirty or more men on horseback heading their way, each looking disheveled and ferocious.

The old crone dressed in black smacked her lips, "Do you really have this many subordinates? Are you planning to become an outlaw in the mountains in the future?"

Yuan Zhetian scratched his chest and flicked a mud ball lightly, "I killed a few wealthy households and am now wanted by the court. I can’t get any profitable jobs anymore, so I might as well head to the mountains."

"Anyway, it’s all about making money. Isn’t it faster to steal it?"

As they spoke, the group of men on horseback arrived nearby.

After the men brought up the horses, Yuan Zhetian took out an oilpaper package from the saddle and chuckled, "Elder sirs, do you recognize this?"

The Daoist with the gourd sniffed and his face changed slightly.

"Gunpowder?"

"That’s right!"

Yuan Zhetian smiled, "You guys probably don’t know, but there’s another piece of news from the streets. Originally, Bai Ruoxu, the master of an escort agency in Chang’an City, stole a Divine Spear from the Captain Bureau."

"Just a few days ago at Manchuan Pass, he encountered Cao Gang’s top hands who tried to rob him. The Cao Gang leader ended up with half his body blasted apart by the spear!"

"And he was a long-established Force Transformation master!"

"Also, a couple of days ago at Tong Pass, a group of greenhorns from the Central Plains attempted to rob a merchant team from Jinzhou with a gunpowder ambush. Even the famous Tianshun Escort Agency suffered a setback!"

As he spoke, he waved the explosive pack in his hand with a weird laugh, "Currently, on the black market, this item is the real hard currency."

"What Magician, what Force Transformation master, they are all made of flesh and blood after all. For ten pieces of Silver, you can take their lives!"

"Elder sirs, what do you think of my Array of spells, huh?"

"Hahaha..."

A group of bandits burst out into wild laughter.

The three left-path Magicians exchanged looks, all wearing ugly expressions on their faces.

They had no intention of sharing the spoils with anyone. The original plan was to grab the items and conveniently eliminate Yuan Zhetian.

But looking at the bandits holding explosive packs, he felt inexplicably intimidated.

That night of the Lantern Festival, they were also witnesses to the fire guns.

Seeing that the three were silent, Yuan Zhetian chuckled mischievously and said no more, ordering that horses be brought for them.

With a whistle, the cavalry instantly headed into the distant mountains...

...

The weather remained cold even after the New Year had passed.

The bandit cavalry rumbled along, their faces covered with headscarves.

Above the blue sky, a hawk soared and dived, circling one moment and plunging down sharply the next.

Atop a high hill, a man in a black robe sat in a tree, with a round face visible beneath the hood and spirited eyes. Even without smiling, two distinct dimples were apparent at the corners of his mouth.

Seeing the hawk’s gliding trajectory, he leapt down from the tree and slid down the steep slope, leaping over rocks that he encountered.

His movements were agile, like an antelope in the mountains.

Soon, a hollow appeared ahead, with an old and dilapidated earth temple beside it, obviously long abandoned, but with wisps of blue smoke faintly visible.

Hearing the noise, Sha Lifei came out of the earth temple with a smile full of flattery,"Yo, Brother Lv San has returned, come come, let me help you with your things."

"No need."

Lv San quickly backed away with a cold face.

"Ah~ why be so formal with your own brothers?"

Sha Lifei made courteous remarks, but his eyes were fixated on the waist of Lv San.

There, hung the Bone Flower fire device of the fire ghosts, as well as the ammunition bag.

Seeing this, Lv San shook his head,"Don’t even think about it, I’ve already given you three, and we haven’t figured out the formula yet. We don’t have much; we need to save it for a critical moment."

Sha Lifei, driven by an intense craving, rubbed his hands together,"Just one, just one. If we can figure out the formula, what would we have to worry about?"

Unfortunately, no matter how persuasively Sha Lifei spoke, Lv San was unmoved.

Just then, Wang Daoxuan also emerged, shaking his head,"Stop harping on about it, Brother Lv San, have you discovered anything?"

After the Lantern Festival, Li Yan and the others had left Chang’an, staying in the villages outside the city, waiting for the Night Crying Fellow to dispose of the items.

Li Yan was afraid that the Captain Bureau might track them, so he did not contact Lv San; however, Lv San took the initiative to seek them out, ready to take his leave.

How could the three agree? They persuaded and insisted that he joined the group.

Lv San was wanted in his hometown, and after his revenge was complete, he felt lost in the vast world, not knowing where to go, so he simply followed the three.

Of course, the benefits were self-evident; Lv San could understand the language of birds and beasts and had tamed a hawk to help everyone scout.

It was Lv San who had detected a surprise attack two days earlier.

Hearing Wang Daoxuan’s inquiry, Lv San nodded silently,"Mm, there’s a group of about thirty men riding horses, heading this way."

"What is there to fear?"

Sha Lifei laughed,"No matter how many of them there are, it’s useless. Brother Yan is cultivating every night, and the Wandering Ghosts fill the mountains; they probably can’t even get close."

"We must not be careless." Wang Daoxuan shook his head,"If they attack during the day and somehow disturb Brother Yan’s meditation, what then?"

"Brother Lv San, please inform Brother Yan. Old Sha, accompany me to set up the magic platform. If they come up the mountain, we can also fend them off."

In the absence of Li Yan, the group was led by Wang Daoxuan.

Sha Lifei accompanied Wang Daoxuan to lay out the Array, while Lv San went to the back of the hollow and began writing with a charcoal pencil on a strip of cloth.

"Squeak squeak!"

He pinched his mouth and let out a high-pitched squeak, and from the bushes nearby, a mouse scurried out, climbing up Lv San’s pant leg and onto his hand, very clever and agile.

Lv San tied the cloth strip around the mouse’s leg, then went to a hole, squeaked a few times, and let it into the hole.

The mouse instantly scurried away; the narrow and dark cave was not a hindrance at all, and in no time it had burrowed into the mountain.

This entire mountain was actually an ancient grave mound.

Squeak squeak!

In less than half an hour, the mouse had burrowed into the mountain, and a burial site of ancient origin appeared ahead, much of it collapsed.

At the center of the tomb chamber, a dim candlelight flickered.

Li Yan sat cross-legged with eyes closed, rubbing his hands slowly, as if there was the sound of distant thunder, and sparks crackled around them...