Town Mountain Tiger

Deep within the mountains.

There lay a great fortress almost cut off from the world. It sat at the most precipitous point of the range, its cliffs sheer as if carved by a blade.

Only a winding, twisting path led to the summit. It was the fortress's sole entrance and exit—easy to defend, hard to attack.

A speeding figure darted ceaselessly through the dense forest.

Half an hour later.

He stopped before a cliff and called out in a ringing voice, "Li Yanzhao of the Li Family, acting on orders from the Lineage, has come to pay a visit to the Fortress Master of Black Robe Stronghold!"

His booming voice echoed through the mountains, startling countless birds into flight.

After speaking, Li Yanzhao took a calling card from his sleeve and flung it out. Like a bolt of lightning, it embedded itself directly into the smooth, perilous cliff face.

A hidden figure revealed himself, took the calling card, and said, "Please wait. I will report to the Fortress Master."

After a while...

A wooden cage slowly descended from the cliff.

Without hesitation, Li Yanzhao strode into it.

Once he had steadied himself, the wooden cage slowly rose, and Li Yanzhao's view broadened further and further.

As he looked upon the steep terrain, Li Yanzhao's expression grew increasingly grave.

The dangerous terrain of Black Robe Stronghold far exceeded his expectations.

If they truly believed the Li Family could easily keep Black Robe Stronghold in hand, they would likely suffer a crushing loss.

"Honored guest, you have arrived. Please cooperate with us and cover your eyes."

A bandit from Black Robe Stronghold spoke respectfully.

Li Yanzhao did not refuse. Since he had come onto another's territory, he naturally had to follow their rules.

He obediently covered his eyes and, under the bandit's guidance, headed deeper into Black Robe Stronghold.

The moment he entered the fortress, he heard wave after wave of drilling cries and battle shouts.

They continued onward...

The sky gradually darkened.

A quarter of an hour later, the bandit guiding him removed the black cloth from Li Yanzhao's eyes.

"Honored guest, we have arrived. Please rest for a moment. The Fortress Master will be here shortly."

Li Yanzhao nodded.

"Thank you for your trouble."

Before long, two fairly attractive Maidservants brought over tea and pastries.

Li Yanzhao quietly sipped his tea as he waited for Town Mountain Tiger to arrive.

He had not waited long before a loud, hearty laugh came from the rear entrance. "Hahahaha! I was wondering why magpies had been chattering today. So it turned out that an honored guest had come to my door."

Immediately afterward, a towering, broad-shouldered, bear-waisted, heavily bearded muscular man walked out through the rear entrance.

Sensing the man's sharp and tyrannical aura, Li Yanzhao guessed that this must be the legendary Fortress Master of Black Robe Stronghold, Town Mountain Tiger.

He rose to his feet and said with neither servility nor arrogance, "Li Yanzhao, Sixth Elder of the Green Maple Li Clan, greets the Fortress Master!"

"Elder Li is too courteous. Hu has long admired the great name of the Green Maple Li Clan."

Town Mountain Tiger laughed heartily.

"Please sit!" The two of them took their seats.

"Elder Li is a rare guest indeed. May I ask what guidance you have for Hu, coming all the way to this barren and hostile land of mine today?"

Thinking of the purpose of his visit to Black Robe Stronghold, Li Yanzhao's spirits rose. He smiled and said, "Fortress Master, you flatter me. I would not dare speak of guidance. Li came here on the Lineage's orders to ask about one matter."

Hearing this, Town Mountain Tiger's expression became slightly grave. "Please speak, Elder Li. Hu will tell you everything he knows."

"Good."

Li Yanzhao took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, then slowly said, "Fortress Master, earlier today, a shipment of important goods from my Li Family was robbed while passing through your esteemed territory. One of our clan members was also severely injured and is hanging by a thread. Should the Fortress Master not give the Li Family an explanation?"

Town Mountain Tiger's pupils contracted slightly, and he appeared somewhat shocked, but he quickly regained his composure.

Only, his attitude was no longer as warm as before. In a somewhat cold tone, he said, "So Elder Li has come to my door to demand an accounting?"

"I would not dare say that. Feilong Gorge is the Fortress Master's territory. I merely wish for the Fortress Master to give our Li Family an explanation."

Li Yanzhao spoke calmly.

"Hmph. The Li Family truly carries itself with great airs. Goods go missing on my territory, and I have to give an explanation? What do you take Black Robe Stronghold for? A vassal of your Li Family? And if I refuse, what can you do to me?"

Town Mountain Tiger's gaze was cold and sinister, his tone incomparably domineering.

"Then the next person to come calling will be a Qi and Blood Realm Cultivator of my Li Family."

Faced with Town Mountain Tiger's tyrannical words, Li Yanzhao's expression did not change as he answered without the slightest fear.

Upon hearing those words, Town Mountain Tiger's face immediately became extremely ugly.

Although Black Robe Stronghold had natural strongholds, such terrain could not stop Qi and Blood Realm Cultivators. That was why Town Mountain Tiger had avoided provoking Qi and Blood Realm families all these years.

As the master of a fortress who commanded several thousand men of Black Robe Stronghold, Town Mountain Tiger was naturally not as simple-minded as he appeared.

A smile returned to his face as he said with a laugh, "Elder Li, please do not be angry. Hu was merely making a small joke."

"It would be best to make fewer such jokes. If the one who came today had been my Li Family's Young Patriarch, I fear this joke would not have ended well."

Li Yanzhao spoke in an eerie tone.

Town Mountain Tiger's mouth twitched. Who did not know by now that the Li Family's Young Patriarch was famously petty, ruthless, and black-hearted?

At that thought, Town Mountain Tiger forced a smile. "Yes, yes. Elder Li, please do not take offense. Please rest here for a moment. I will immediately gather the men of the fortress, investigate this matter, and give Elder Li an explanation."

Li Yanzhao nodded in satisfaction. "Then I will trouble the Fortress Master. That shipment is of great importance to my Li Family. If it cannot be recovered, the Li Family will certainly not let this rest."

The threat in his words could not have been clearer.

"Hu understands."

Town Mountain Tiger smiled as he turned away, but the instant he turned, the smile on his face vanished.

Watching Town Mountain Tiger stride away, Li Yanzhao took a sip of tea, a trace of disdain appearing in his eyes.

He was nothing more than a bandit, yet he truly regarded himself as some great figure.

Within Black Robe Stronghold, a resounding horn sounded, tearing through the silent night.

The leaders, large and small, of Black Robe Stronghold hurried toward the central fortress.

After roughly the time it took to burn an incense stick, several dozen leaders of varying rank had gathered in the central fortress.

"Brother, it's so late. Why has the Fortress Master summoned us?"

One leader asked somewhat doubtfully.

"I don't know either. I was just having fun in bed with the little woman I'd snatched, right at the damned critical moment. It scared me so badly I shuddered. Damn it..."

His words drew loud laughter from everyone.

"Stop fooling around. The Fortress Master is coming."

A sharp-eyed minor leader spoke in a low voice, and the entire fortress immediately fell silent.

Sure enough, a few breaths later...

The Fortress Master, clad in coarse, rugged cloth, walked over without expression and took his seat in a tiger-skin chair.

Everyone rose in unison, cupped their fists, and saluted. "Greetings, Fortress Master."

Town Mountain Tiger said not a word. He merely stared coldly at them. Everyone was lost in a fog, yet none dared act rashly, so they could only stand there stiffly.

Just as the atmosphere became unbearably oppressive, Town Mountain Tiger finally spoke. "Do you still have me, the Fortress Master, in your eyes?"

The moment those words were spoken, everyone was somewhat at a loss.

A leader of rather high standing gathered his courage and said ingratiatingly, "What do you mean by that, Fortress Master? We have all been loyal to you with all our hearts!"

Town Mountain Tiger snorted coldly and roared, "Loyal with all your hearts? What fine loyalty! Then tell me, who intercepted the Li Family's goods? Step forward of your own accord, now."

The leaders looked at one another.

At last, an ugly one-eyed man stepped forward and said, "Fortress Master, a man must bear the consequences of his own actions. I robbed the goods!"

Town Mountain Tiger's vision went dark. He had not expected that it truly had been one of his own men who robbed the Li Family's goods.

Now this matter was troublesome. Recalling the aggressive pressure from the Li Family's Sixth Elder earlier, which had cost him face, a nameless rage instantly surged into his heart.

His mountain-like body shot forth like thunder. He then slammed a fist into the one-eyed man, and the terrifying force sent the latter flying. He only stopped after crashing heavily into the wall.

The one-eyed man struggled to climb to his feet, wiped the blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, and gave a bitter smile. "Thank you, Fortress Master, for sparing my life."

After venting his fury, Town Mountain Tiger's anger finally subsided somewhat.

He coldly demanded, "Why did you rob the Li Family's goods?"

"A source reported that it was a cart of valuable Medicinal Herbs worth several thousand taels of gold. If we pulled off this job, the men of the fortress would not have to worry about lacking Body Tempering Realm medicinal materials."

The one-eyed man answered truthfully.

"Medicinal Herbs worth several thousand taels of gold?"

Town Mountain Tiger licked his lips. Even he was tempted.

But almost immediately, he thought of something that was not right.

"Where is that source?"

"This subordinate does not know. He came masked, and I do not know his identity. He only told us the transport route of this shipment and the strength of its Guards."

"And you dared rob someone's goods so casually? Do you even fucking know you were being used? The Li Family has already come looking for trouble at my doorstep, and they are waiting in the reception hall right now."

The Fortress Master roared, "Even if you wanted to rob them, couldn't you have done it cleanly? You left survivors to go back and report it, you useless trash!"

"This subordinate was incompetent in handling the matter."

The one-eyed man said, red-faced.

"Where is that shipment?"

"Hidden in a cave at the foot of the mountain."

"Find someone to return it tomorrow."

"Why? Fortress Master, more than twenty brothers died to get it."

The one-eyed man abruptly raised his head, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"The current Li Family is not someone we can afford to provoke."

Though he was tempted by those valuable Medicinal Herbs, reason ultimately overcame greed.

The Second Leader also asked in confusion, "Fortress Master, I do not understand. With your current strength, even if the Li Family learns that we robbed their goods, what can they do to us?"

The several highest-ranking commanders of Black Robe Stronghold all knew their Fortress Master's true strength.

Two years ago, he had already broken through the Qi and Blood Heavenly Pass and advanced into the Qi and Blood Realm. He had merely concealed it.

In their eyes, Black Robe Stronghold, which likewise possessed a Qi and Blood Realm Cultivator, had no need to fear the Li Family at all.

Town Mountain Tiger shook his head.

Somewhat helplessly, he said, "This time, Fourth robbed the Li Family—the Li Family with two Qi and Blood Realm Cultivators. The Li Family's Young Patriarch is also a renowned young prodigy, capable of fighting and defeating opponents above his realm. If we truly came to blows, I fear I would be the one to die. Beyond the heavens are heavens, and beyond men are men."

This was what Town Mountain Tiger feared most about the Li Family.

A young prodigy—their future was what was truly terrifying, because one simply had no idea how far they could grow.

"Moreover, there may be more to this matter. Fourth, I fear you became a blade in someone else's hand."

Town Mountain Tiger sighed.

"Fortress Master, I... I..."

The Fourth Leader's face turned somewhat pale.

"You're a grown man, so stop hemming and hawing. Even if the sky falls, I am still here. In the future, you must be careful and cautious in all things."

Having clarified the whole course of events, Town Mountain Tiger finally breathed a sigh of relief. At least he could now give the Li Family an explanation.

He dismissed the leaders and returned to the reception hall.

There, Li Yanzhao was resting with his eyes closed. Hearing footsteps outside the door, he slowly opened them.

When Town Mountain Tiger saw Li Yanzhao again, knowing that his own side was at fault, he gave an embarrassed laugh. "Elder Li, it has been investigated. This matter was entirely a misunderstanding. A minor leader who recently joined my men intercepted the wrong people. I will immediately arrange for someone to return that shipment."

With the Medicinal Herbs recovered, the stone hanging over Li Yanzhao's heart finally fell to the ground.

However...

"Fortress Master, so many members of my Li Family died. Is it really appropriate to dismiss the matter so easily with a single sentence that you intercepted the wrong people?"

Li Yanzhao sneered.

Town Mountain Tiger's expression changed, but he chuckled. "Elder Li, please do not be angered. I have already cleaned house and dealt with the culprit. He was chopped to pieces and fed to the dogs."

Li Yanzhao meant for him to hand over the culprit, but how could that be possible?

One-Eye was not only the Fourth Leader of Black Robe Stronghold; with the strength of Minor Accomplishment in Body Cultivation, he was also one of Black Robe Stronghold's few high-level combatants and held some prestige within the fortress.

If he handed One-Eye over to the Li Family for punishment over this matter, how could he retain the face to command Black Robe Stronghold afterward?

Hearing this, Li Yanzhao could not help sneering repeatedly.

Town Mountain Tiger's words were riddled with holes.

Could a minor leader mobilize so many Black Robe bandits?

Could a minor leader severely injure Seventeenth Brother, who was in the Body Realm?

It was utterly laughable.

Judging from Town Mountain Tiger's attitude, he was determined not to hand over the culprit.

Since the Medicinal Herbs had already been recovered, Li Yanzhao did not continue applying pressure. This was, after all, the main stronghold of the Black Robe bandits. If he truly drove Town Mountain Tiger into a corner and he leapt over the wall like a desperate dog, Li Yanzhao feared he would not make it out of Black Robe Stronghold.

This debt could be settled another day.

"Since that is the case, Li will not disturb you further. Thank you, Fortress Master. Li shall take his leave first."

Li Yanzhao said with a smile that did not reach his eyes. With that, he swept his sleeve and strode away.

How could Town Mountain Tiger fail to know that Li Yanzhao was dissatisfied with how the matter had been handled? Yet there was nothing he could do.

In the end, he had offended the Li Family.

As he watched Li Yanzhao's retreating back, Town Mountain Tiger's expression gradually darkened.