Dark and Windy Night

Nine Cloud Mountain.

As a collective term for a series of peaks, it stretches for dozens of miles and is the only large mountain range in Li City Prefecture, as well as the most active and prosperous region for 'Land Bandits'.

From Li City to Nine Cloud Mountain.

One hundred and thirty miles, mostly plains. A martial artist familiar with the environment could reach it in one to two hours.

But this was Wu Yuan's first time stepping out of Li City and into the natural terrain of the Central Land World.

Even though he had long memorized geographical maps, there was a gap between books and reality. To be cautious, he not only avoided asking anyone for directions but also tried his best to steer clear of passersby.

Finally, after a full three hours, he managed to enter the mountain. As night completely fell, he crossed two peaks and entered the deep regions of Nine Cloud Mountain. Wu Yuan stood on the mountaintop, overlooking a rather lively large stronghold below.

The stronghold was brightly lit and quite conspicuous in the great mountains.

"This must be the Fierce Tiger Gang's headquarters," Wu Yuan murmured softly to himself. With a raise of his hand, he put on a bronze mask.

At the same time.

"Crack crack crack!" Wu Yuan's bones seemed to tighten, and his entire body suddenly shrank by a large margin. His arms, waist, and thighs also became a bit thicker.

In the blink of an eye, he looked like a sturdy man less than 1.7 meters tall.

Holding his long saber.

"I wonder who is behind this Fierce Tiger Gang," Wu Yuan silently pondered the stronghold. "They dare to establish such a brazen stronghold."

Small groups of Land Bandits and Water Bandits usually roamed around. After all, the guard teams of each county and town were not to be underestimated.

Even large gangs and bandits, if they had a base, were generally low-key and tried to keep it secret.

After all, whether it was the City Guard Army of each prefecture or the powerful Nanmeng Army, with their regular combat training and well-maintained equipment, they were not something these scattered bandits could resist.

Someone as brazen as the Fierce Tiger Gang? Very rare!

It was almost as if they were openly declaring, 'We have someone in the court.'

"Well, if they hadn't established such a large stronghold, I wouldn't have found them so easily," Wu Yuan said to himself. "It's not long after nightfall, and the Fierce Tiger Gang members are probably not asleep yet. I can't wait. I need to find out where the clan leader is as soon as possible."

Logically, the best time to assassinate would be the latter half of the night, when people are most relaxed.

But time was of the essence.

Wu Yuan dared not gamble. For him, revenge was one goal, but the primary objective was to rescue the clan leader.

He felt grateful to the clan leader.

"Although the timing is a bit off, there's no moon tonight, which is perfect." Wu Yuan shook his head slightly. There wasn't a single speck of light in the night sky.

Let alone moonlight, there weren't even many stars.

It was pitch black, making the stronghold stand out even more.

"The wind is picking up." Wu Yuan closed his eyes, silently feeling the gusts of wind howling past, constantly adjusting his thoughts.

Some people, despite having ten-tenths of their strength, can only exert eight-tenths or even five-tenths in a life-or-death situation.

This is due to an insufficiently strong and stable mind.

"Hoo!" Wu Yuan suddenly opened his eyes. His gaze had completely changed, becoming as cold as frost, with killing intent evident.

Whoosh!

His body moved. Wu Yuan stepped on a branch, and an invisible force penetrated the wood. He 'slid' lightly for several dozen feet, landing on the next branch.

In Wu Yuan's eyes, the dark mountain forest was almost like daylight as he rapidly approached the stronghold on the mountainside.

A dark and windy night.

A perfect night for murder and arson!

The Fierce Tiger Gang was not ordinary refugees but a large gang that had developed over many years. The organizational structure of the stronghold was relatively strict, with clear hierarchies and tight defenses.

There were patrolling guards, visible posts, and hidden sentries.

However.

How could Wu Yuan, a master of his caliber, be stopped? He was not the same as when he first transmigrated. In the more than four months since he woke up, not only had his physical strength greatly increased, nearing his peak in his previous life, but his spiritual perception had also been constantly strengthening. Although it was still not as good as his peak in his previous life, it was far beyond what it was when he first woke up.

Easily, Wu Yuan moved like a phantom, bypassing the heavy outer defenses of the stronghold and reaching the side of its high walls.

With a light leap, Wu Yuan landed in a corner of the stronghold.

"The intelligence from Stellar Tower only provided the location of the Fierce Tiger Gang's headquarters, but not the internal structure of the stronghold," Wu Yuan hid his figure, observing his surroundings.

Some areas were dimly lit, while others were completely dark.

In an inconspicuous guard post within the stronghold.

"What bad luck. The gang just pulled off some big scores these past few days, and the boss is celebrating in a big way, bringing in some young ladies. They're all having a good time, but we're stuck on guard duty?" a young thug in green complained.

"Don't blame yourself. Last time, the hall master told you to take off a few heads, and you were half a beat slow. How could the hall master look favorably upon you?" the older thug grumbled.

"Those were just a few little brats!" the young thug couldn't help but retort.

"So what if he's a child? Didn't you end up attacking him in the end?" the middle-aged thug scoffed. "If you're a thief, you have to be ruthless. Why else would you join the Fierce Tiger Gang? Are you trying to uphold justice?"

The younger thug fell silent.

Suddenly, a black shadow flashed. The two sentries felt their vision go black simultaneously, and they collapsed to the ground.

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" Two hands easily lifted them, preventing them from making a sound as they fell. Immediately after, three figures drifted into an inconspicuous house nearby, and the door closed softly.

Inside, the room was empty.

"Bang~" "Bang~" The two guards landed on the ground simultaneously. Wu Yuan then lightly tapped the waist of the older guard.

"Huh?" The middle-aged guard suddenly jolted awake. What happened to him?

Immediately, he discovered with terror that standing before him was a figure in a bronze mask, carrying a large sack on his back.

He understood almost instantly: an enemy had infiltrated.

"Don't speak," Wu Yuan's voice was hoarse. "I'll ask, you answer. If you hide anything, you will die! If you answer honestly, perhaps I'll spare your life."

"Nod if you agree," Wu Yuan looked down at him.

The middle-aged guard nodded frantically.

"I'm asking you, where do the people your Fierce Tiger Gang captures usually get locked up?" Wu Yuan inquired.

"On the east side of the main camp, there's a three-story building. The people captured by the gang are usually held there," the middle-aged guard whispered.

"Good, now, shut up!" Wu Yuan said coldly, then reached out and lightly pressed the waist of the young guard beside him.

With Wu Yuan's control over the human body, he knew exactly how to make someone fall unconscious and wake up quickly.

Whoosh! The young guard quickly regained consciousness.

In just a few seconds, he understood his situation and was shocked.

They were both guards whose strength was close to Sixth-Rank Martial Master, yet they had been incapacitated without realizing it? They hadn't even had a chance to resist.

"Look at me. I'm asking you, in the three-story building on the east side of the main camp, is your gang leader living there?" Wu Yuan asked coldly. "Speak!"

"It's not the gang leader. The gang leader lives in a small courtyard next to that building. That building is for the two hall masters and the Fierce Tiger…" the young guard blurted everything out in his fear.

He didn't notice the change in the middle-aged guard's expression.

Boom.

The middle-aged guard beside him seemed to have regained his mobility. He lunged forward, his face contorted in ferocity. A short blade appeared in his hand, and he fiercely stabbed towards Wu Yuan's chest.

At such close range, he felt that even a Proficient Expert might not be able to dodge.

Swish!

A flash of light streaked across. Wu Yuan had already moved like a ghost to the middle-aged guard's side. A gash appeared on the guard's throat, and blood gushed out uncontrollably.

"Ah~~" The middle-aged guard's eyes widened. He instinctively covered his neck, but couldn't stop the bleeding.

He wanted to cry out but couldn't make a sound. He collapsed backward.

Wu Yuan caught him and gently laid him down.

The young guard beside him was completely terrified. He hadn't joined the Fierce Tiger Gang for long. Although he had participated in several raids, this was the first time he had been so close to death.

"He lied, so he died," Wu Yuan's voice was hoarse and calm. "If you lie, you will also die."

"I'll ask, you continue answering…"

For the next two minutes, Wu Yuan asked question after question. In his fear, the young guard answered everything truthfully and without reservation.

"Last question, how many heads did you take last time?" Wu Yuan asked abruptly.

The young guard froze and instinctively replied, "Three."

Flash!

Another lightning-fast flash of blade light sliced across the young guard's neck. His head fell to the ground, his body toppled, and blood flowed everywhere.

Even in death, his eyes were wide open, as if he couldn't believe it.

"Is this… what killing feels like?" Wu Yuan murmured to himself, looking down at the two corpses on the ground.

His heart grew even colder.

"He who kills shall be killed. This Central Land World is far more brutal than my previous life. There are no laws; strength reigns supreme. Perhaps one day, I too will be killed," Wu Yuan had a dawning realization in his heart.

He searched the bodies of the two men, found a few silver notes, and put them in his embrace. With a movement, he silently floated out of the house.

He began to stealthily approach the 'prison compound' on the north side of the main camp.

ps: Thank you to 'Feng Ming Tian Xia', 'Jiu Qu Lun Hui Tong You Jing', and 'Yu Men De Xiang Yi Ge Qie Zi' for your rewards, congratulations on becoming patrons of this book, thank you!

And thank you to many other readers for your rewards! I was very busy and tired with my wedding the past two days, but my mental state has basically recovered today. I will start updating normally. The chapters from the past two days will be added back one by one. It will definitely become more and more exciting. During the new book period, I hope my brothers will give me more support!!