Nine Cloud Mountain.
The name referred collectively to a chain of peaks stretching for dozens of miles. It was the only large mountain range in Li City Prefecture, and the most active, prosperous territory of the land bandits.
From Li City to Nine Cloud Mountain.
It was a hundred and thirty li, mostly flatlands. A martial artist familiar with the area could make the trip in an hour or two.
But this was Wu Yuan's first time venturing beyond Li City and into the wilds of the Central Land World.
He had memorized the maps long ago, but there was a gulf between books and reality. Better to be cautious: he not only refrained from asking anyone for directions, but did his best to avoid passersby.
At last, after a full three hours, he reached the mountains. Night had fallen completely by the time he crossed two peaks and entered the depths of Nine Cloud Mountain. Standing on a summit, Wu Yuan looked down at a sizable, lively stronghold below.
The stronghold blazed with lights, standing out in the mountains.
"This should be the Fierce Tiger Gang's main base." Wu Yuan murmured softly, raising a hand to put on his bronze mask.
At the same time.
Crack! His bones seemed to tighten, and his whole body suddenly shrank by a large measure. His arms, waist, abdomen, and thighs grew a little bulkier.
At a glance, he looked like a burly man not quite five and a half feet tall.
He gripped his long saber.
"I wonder who's behind the Fierce Tiger Gang." Wu Yuan watched the stronghold in silence. "They're bold enough to build such a brazen stronghold."
Small bands of land bandits and river pirates usually roamed from place to place. Even the guards maintained by individual counties and towns were a force to be reckoned with.
Even large gangs and bandit groups with lairs tended to keep a low profile and guard their secrets.
After all, neither the City Guard Armies of the various prefectures nor the mighty Nanmeng Army—well-drilled in battle formations and fully equipped—were forces these bands of outlaws and bandits could withstand.
A gang as brazen as the Fierce Tiger Gang? Rare!
They might as well be telling everyone, "We have someone in the imperial court."
"Still, it works out. If they hadn't built a stronghold, I wouldn't have found them so easily." Wu Yuan thought to himself. "Night has only just fallen. The gang members probably haven't gone to sleep yet. I can't wait. I have to find out where the clan leader is as soon as possible."
In theory, the best time for an assassination was the second half of the night, when people were at their most lax.
But time was pressing.
Wu Yuan didn't dare gamble. Revenge was one of his goals, but his first priority was rescuing the clan leader.
He was deeply grateful to the clan leader.
"The timing isn't ideal, but at least there's no moon tonight." Wu Yuan shook his head slightly. Not a glimmer of light shone in the night sky.
There wasn't even moonlight, and hardly a star.
The darkness made the stronghold stand out all the more.
"The wind's picking up." Wu Yuan closed his eyes, quietly feeling the gusts roar past as he steadily composed himself.
Some people could give their all, yet when life and death hung in the balance, they could manage only eighty percent—or even fifty.
Their hearts simply weren't strong or steady enough.
Whoosh! Wu Yuan's eyes flew open. They had turned utterly cold, like frost, and killing intent gleamed in them.
Whoosh!
He sprang into motion, planting one foot on a branch. A formless force flowed into the wood as he glided several yards along it, then landed on the next branch.
The pitch-black forest was nearly as bright as day to Wu Yuan. He raced toward the stronghold halfway up the mountain.
A moonless night, with the wind howling.
A perfect night for killing and arson!
The Fierce Tiger Gang wasn't an ordinary band of drifters. It was a large gang that had grown over many years. Its stronghold had a fairly strict organization, with clear ranks and tight security.
There were patrols, guards at visible posts, and hidden sentries.
But—
What kind of expert was Wu Yuan? He wasn't the man he'd been when he first crossed over. In the four months since he'd regained consciousness, his physical strength had surged, nearing its peak in his previous life.
His mental senses had grown stronger, too. They still fell short of their former peak, but far surpassed what they'd been when he first woke.
With ease, Wu Yuan moved like a ghost, slipping past the many guards on the stronghold's outer perimeter and reaching one side of its tall wall.
With a light leap, he landed in a secluded corner of the stronghold.
"Stellar Tower's intelligence only tells me where the Fierce Tiger Gang's main base is. It says nothing about the layout inside." Wu Yuan kept out of sight and studied his surroundings.
Some areas were dimly lit, while others lay in utter darkness.
At an inconspicuous sentry post inside the stronghold—
"Just my luck. The gang's pulled off a few big jobs these past few days, and the boss is celebrating in style, bringing a few young women into the stronghold. They're all having a good time, and we're stuck on night watch?" complained a young ruffian in blue.
"Don't blame anyone but yourself. Last time, the hall master told you to take a few heads, and you hesitated for half a beat. Did you think he'd take a liking to you after that?" grunted an older ruffian.
"They were just a few kids!" the young ruffian protested.
"So what if they were kids? Didn't you kill them in the end?" The middle-aged ruffian scoffed. "If you're going to be a thief, you have to be ruthless. Otherwise, why join the Fierce Tiger Gang? Were you planning to uphold justice on behalf of Heaven?"
The young ruffian fell silent.
Suddenly, a shadow flashed past. The two sentries' vision went black, and they both collapsed toward the ground.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Two hands caught them with ease, keeping them from making a sound as they fell. Then all three slipped into an inconspicuous room nearby, and the door clicked shut.
The room was empty.
Thud! Thud! The two guards landed on the floor. Wu Yuan lightly tapped the older guard at the waist.
"Hm?" The middle-aged guard jolted awake. What had happened to him?
Then, to his horror, he saw a figure in a bronze mask standing before him, a large bundle slung over his back.
He realized almost at once that an enemy had infiltrated the stronghold.
"Don't speak." Wu Yuan's voice was hoarse. "I ask, you answer. Hide even the smallest detail, and you die. Answer honestly, and I might spare you."
" If you understand, nod." Wu Yuan looked down at him.
The middle-aged guard nodded frantically.
"Where do you usually keep the people your Fierce Tiger Gang captures?" Wu Yuan asked.
"On the east side of the stronghold, there's a three-story building. People the gang captures are usually held there," the middle-aged guard answered in a low voice.
"Good. Now keep quiet." Wu Yuan's voice was cold. He reached over and lightly pressed the younger guard's waist.
With Wu Yuan's level of control over the human body, he knew exactly how to make someone lose consciousness—and how to wake them.
Whoosh! The young guard came around quickly.
In just a few seconds, he understood the situation he was in. Shock filled his face.
The two of them were close to Sixth-Rank Martial Masters, yet they'd been taken down without even realizing it? They hadn't had the slightest chance to fight back.
"Look at me. Tell me: does your boss live in the three-story building on the east side of the stronghold?" Wu Yuan asked coldly. "Speak!"
"No, the boss lives in the courtyard beside that building. The two hall masters and the Tiger—" The young guard blurted it all out, terrified.
He didn't even notice the change in the older guard's expression beside him.
Boom.
The middle-aged guard seemed to regain control of his body. He lunged forward, his face twisted with rage, a short blade appearing in his hand as he stabbed fiercely at Wu Yuan's chest.
At such close range, he thought even a Proficient Expert might not be able to dodge.
Squelch!
A flash of light streaked past. Wu Yuan slipped by the middle-aged guard like a ghost, and a gash opened in the man's throat. Blood poured out in an unceasing stream.
"Ahh—" The middle-aged guard's eyes widened. His hands clamped over his throat, but he couldn't stop the bleeding.
He tried to cry out, but not a sound came. He toppled backward.
Wu Yuan caught him and gently lowered him to the floor.
The young guard beside them was completely terrified. He hadn't been in the Fierce Tiger Gang for long. He'd taken part in a few raids, but this was the first time he'd been so close to death himself.
"He lied, so he died." Wu Yuan's voice was hoarse and calm. "If you lie, you'll die too."
"I'll ask. You keep answering..."
For the next two minutes, Wu Yuan asked one question after another. Terrified, the young guard told him everything he knew, holding nothing back.
"One last question. How many heads did you take last time?" Wu Yuan asked out of the blue.
The young guard froze, then answered instinctively. "Three."
Whoosh!
Another flash of saber light, swift as lightning, cut across the young guard's neck. His head fell, his body hit the floor, and blood spread across the ground.
Even in death, his eyes were wide open, as if he couldn't believe it.
"So this is what it feels like to kill someone?" Wu Yuan murmured, looking down at the two corpses.
His heart grew colder.
"He who kills will be killed in turn. This Central Land World is far crueler than my previous life. There's no law here; might makes right. Maybe one day, I'll be killed too." A glimmer of understanding stirred in Wu Yuan's heart.
He searched the two bodies, found a few banknotes, and slipped them into his clothes. Then he moved and silently slipped out of the room.
He headed toward the Prison Courtyard on the north side of the stronghold.
Before you continue