World's Renowned Treasures

The Wild Wolf Gang disciples gradually recovered.

Apart from one unfortunate soul who suffocated after hot porridge went down his nasal cavity, everyone else was mostly fine.

Zhao Xia led the remaining nine people and once again paid respects to the young envoy of the Sun Moon Divine Cult.

The Five Fragrance Muscle Softening Powder only caused the poisoned to become limp all over, but they could still see and hear. Naturally, they were perfectly aware of everything that had happened.

Zhang Yu sat in the main seat, his back to the statue of Guan Gong.

Zhao Xia reported, "That scoundrel Zhao Huaien colluded with the Dragon Scale Association and set up an ambush in Black Pine Forest twenty miles away. The Sixth Master took thirty brothers down the mountain to rescue them. Please, sir, send reinforcements quickly."

Zhang Yu asked, "How long have they been gone?"

"Two hours."

Zhao Xia's expression dimmed. Twenty miles, even in the snow, should have been reached by now. Going now, she feared... But what if there were still survivors? She would save one if she could.

She had already prepared herself for the envoy of the Divine Cult to refuse.

"Then let's go take a look, though I can't guarantee we'll make it in time."

Zhang Yu knew that he, as the Flag Master, was a commander without troops. He could only save as many Wild Wolf Gang members as possible.

Their initial intentions were different, but both chose to head down the mountain.

Zhao Xia looked at Zhang Yu, her eyes filled with surprise.

Zhang Yu warmed himself, ate the dry rations he brought, and then stood up, saying, "There's no time to delay, we must depart immediately!"

Zhao Xia cupped her fists. "This subordinate obeys your command."

The people in the temple, though detoxified, were not as physically strong as Zhao Xia and had not fully recovered. Bringing them down the mountain would be of no use, so they were instructed to stay and guard the Martial Saint Temple.

The two descended Wolf Head Mountain and headed towards Black Pine Forest, twenty miles away.

It was afternoon.

The snow on the road was deep, reaching their knees in some places.

Zhang Yu unleashed his 'Flowing Clouds and Water' technique, moving swiftly across the snow. His steps were light, leaving only three-inch deep tracks where he trod.

Zhao Xia had to exert all her strength just to keep his retreating figure in sight.

She hadn't specifically trained in lightness techniques, and each step was clumsy. However, with the tenacity of a prairie wolf, she managed to hang on behind him.

One hour later, the two had covered twenty miles across the snowy terrain.

Zhang Yu stopped, sat by the roadside, and leisurely ate a flatbread. He watched the black dots slowly moving towards them five hundred meters away.

The weather was freezing, and traveling quickly through the snow, coupled with his careful use of Internal Energy, had greatly depleted his stamina.

Zhao Xia walked up to him and sat down. "Your lightness skill is amazing, sir!"

Zhang Yu tossed her a flatbread.

"Quickly regain your strength. In your current state, you'll only get yourself killed if you encounter a master from the Dragon Scale Association."

Zhao Xia took the flatbread and finished it in two bites.

"Sir?"

"What is it?"

"Is there any more? One isn't enough." Zhao Xia said sheepishly. Apart from those two mouthfuls of poisoned porridge, she hadn't eaten for two days and two nights.

Suddenly, her father and six uncles had died tragically, and the burden of revitalizing the Wild Wolf Gang and seeking revenge had fallen upon her shoulders.

Zhao Xia appeared calm and collected, always projecting an air of confidence in front of the gang members, but the pressure she bore internally was immense.

Only today, with the arrival of the envoy from the Sun Moon Divine Cult, did these pressures begin to find an outlet.

Zhang Yu untied his ration bag and threw it to Zhao Xia to carry.

This woman was five centimeters taller than him. Such a strong laborer shouldn't be wasted.

Zhao Xia ate the flatbreads from the bag as she asked, "How many men did you bring with you, sir?"

"Just myself."

"Just you alone?"

Zhang Yu smiled calmly. "To deal with a mere Dragon Scale Association, am I not enough, along with the Wild Wolf Gang?"

"En... enough." Zhao Xia mumbled indistinctly, her cheeks bulging as she chewed the flatbread.

Zhang Yu appeared full of confidence, but in his heart, he had cursed Tong Yukang countless times.

"No wonder Qi Zhaogu called him a wolf cub, biting anyone he catches."

Thanks to the Third Young Master Tong, he had been demoted from Incense Master to Flag Master.

According to regulations, a Flag Master could bring twenty-five disciples from the hall when posted to a local area.

It was also due to Tong Yukang's 'care,' the Wind Thunder Hall had assigned him twenty-five old, weak, sick, and disabled individuals—those with broken arms or legs, good for laundry, cooking, and odd jobs, but none capable of wielding a sword in battle.

Zhang Yu had simply taken the bronze tally and the command token, proceeding to his post alone.

After finishing all the flatbreads in the ration bag, Zhao Xia finally regained her strength. She picked up her Xuan Hua great axe, swung it a few times, and stretched her limbs.

Zhang Yu looked at the empty, shriveled dry food bag and knew his plan had failed.

The two of them slipped into the dense forest.

This forest lay between Pingyang City and Wolf Head Mountain, stretching over ten miles east to west, with few scattered trees, mostly consisting of black pines.

The area was deep in the woods and connected to the main road, making it quite dangerous. During lean years, small-time thieves would rob travelers along the road.

Near the main road, within the forest, there was an open space with seven or eight bonfires. On the snow-covered ground stood more than ten wooden stakes, and the people tied to them were beaten to a bloody pulp, barely alive.

"Young Master, this is truly strange!"

Lin Kun had only one daughter, but the Dragon Scale Association had many young masters.

They were all adopted sons carefully selected by Lin Kun, and in the brutal battles with the Wild Wolf Gang a few years ago, the rate at which these adopted sons were replaced was even faster than that of ordinary soldiers.

Peng Canghu, however, was an exception. He had been living until now since becoming Lin Kun's adopted son five years ago.

The gang members privately said that Peng Canghu had a tough life!

"Still haven't found them? It's going to get dark soon."

Peng Canghu, in his thirties with an ugly appearance, leaned on an iron mace studded with wolf teeth and looked up at the sky, which was gradually darkening.

"Earlier, some brothers discovered many footprints to the north. It seems like remnants of the Wild Wolf Gang have entered the forest."

"Dozens of people, they wouldn't just disappear into thin air, would they?"

"Young Master, do you think something went wrong with Zhao Huaien's side?"

"It shouldn't have. He's a cunning wolf, venomous and ruthless. Even Zhao Laodao fell for his tricks."

"Sigh, since we know the Wild Wolf Gang remnants are hiding in Wolf Head Mountain, why not just gather our forces and attack them directly? Why make things so complicated?"

"Adoptive Father has his reasons for doing things. Wolf Head Mountain has treacherous terrain, and a direct assault would result in too many losses. Also..."

"Also what?"

"Adoptive Father has taken a liking to Zhao Laodao's daughter?"

Zhan Laoshi asked curiously, "The Guild Master is already fifty, and he's never shown any special favor to women..."

Peng Canghu sneered, "Ordinary women naturally don't enter Adoptive Father's eyes. But it's different when it comes to World's Renowned Treasures."

"World's Renowned Treasures? Isn't that..."

Zhan Laoshi didn't dare to say the rest of his sentence.

The so-called World's Renowned Treasures were rated by lecherous scoundrels, and the descriptions were mostly unspeakable. It was better not to mention them.

There was a saying in the martial arts world that having intercourse with ordinary women depleted one's vital energy, but having intercourse with World's Renowned Treasures could bring about a backlash, greatly increasing a martial artist's power.

However, this was all heresy, a method believed only by followers of the Demonic Cult.

The Dragon Scale Association was a righteous force in the martial arts world of Pingyang Prefecture, and Lin Kun was a reputable leader of the righteous path. How could he believe in such methods?

Peng Canghu didn't find it surprising and said softly, "Adoptive Father has been stuck in the Armor-Breaking Realm for many years, unable to take that next step. He's approaching the age of knowing his destiny, with no hope for his Qi Hai. This is his last chance."

"Old Zhan, do you understand now? We absolutely cannot let these Wild Wolf Gang members who descended the mountain escape. Otherwise, if we alert them, Zhao Laodao's daughter will escape. What do you think Adoptive Father will do to us?"

Zhan Laoshi was sweating profusely. He only now realized there were so many intricacies involved. World's Renowned Treasures, my goodness, just thinking about it made his mouth dry.

"I'll lead the team myself to search!"

Peng Canghu looked at the men tied to the wooden stakes, a cold smile appearing on his lips. These men were specially brought from the Dragon Scale Association's dungeon in Pingyang City. It seemed they could indeed be put to use.

"You go and shout into the forest. If they don't come out, we'll fight them honorably to the death."

"For every quarter of an hour that passes, kill one of these Wild Wolf Gang captives."

"Kill them all before dark."