Three days later, Setting Sun Peak Square.
The first light of dawn was breaking, and the morning mist had not yet dispersed. Nearly a hundred elite members of the Seven Profound Sect had already gathered here, every single one of them exuding a steady aura and standing solemnly.
Upon the high platform.
Sect Master Wang Juechu stood with his hands clasped behind his back, accompanied by Vice Sect Master Wu, who was about to lead the team to the negotiations.
Wang Juechu's gaze swept across the young or resolute faces below.
Finally, it landed on Han Feng within the crowd, brimming with expectations and worry.
"The journey ahead is perilous. Take Vice Sect Master Wu's commands as absolute! You must uphold the prestige of our Seven Profound Sect and return safely!"
Vice Sect Master Wu had a fiery temper. He stepped forward, his voice as resounding as a bell.
"Get your acts together, all of you! That mob of trash from the Wild Wolf Gang is nothing more than a rabble! Go to these negotiations and let them see the backbone of our Seven Profound Sect!"
After a brief mobilization, the procession set off.
In the crowd, Han Feng, Han Li, and Li Feiyu walked side by side.
Li Feiyu was full of excitement, his hand resting constantly on the hilt of the saber at his waist, eager to try.
Han Li appeared rather calm. He glanced at Han Feng beside him, and his heart settled somewhat.
The negotiating party marched down the mountain in a mighty and imposing manner.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, several accompanying carriages had been waiting there for a long time.
Vice Sect Master Wu waved a large hand, and several disciples stepped forward to lift the carriage curtains.
"Hiss..."
The disciples who clearly saw the items inside the carriages could not help drawing a sharp breath.
What was loaded in the carriages was not rations or supplies, but neatly stacked square shields.
These shields were forged entirely from fine steel, exceptionally heavy, and cast a cold, chilling gleam in the morning light.
There were a full forty-plus of them.
"This is... asking us to bring shields to the negotiations?"
"Jianghu bloodshed relies on movement technique and martial arts. Why bring such a burden?"
"Exactly. This stuff is even heavier than what the army uses. How are we supposed to fight while holding it?"
A flurry of whispers broke out among the disciples, and many faces were filled with incomprehension.
These shields were specially requested by Han Feng over the past few days.
Using his identity as the Young Sect Master and overriding all objections, he had ordered Wang Juechu to command the sect's blacksmith workshop to work through the night and forge them.
At the time, several elders had questioned this, believing that Jianghu fighting was not a military siege, and bringing shields was completely superfluous.
But Han Feng insisted.
In the end, Wang Juechu still chose to trust his final disciple unconditionally.
Seeing the disciples' reactions, Vice Sect Master Wu felt somewhat doubtful as well, but he still shouted sternly, "Shut up, all of you! This is the decision of the Sect Master and the Young Sect Master. Execute the order!"
No one dared to say another word.
The procession set off once more.
The journey was long, and the party traveled by day and rested by night.
On the second night, the party made camp in a forest clearing.
The bonfire crackled, and most of the disciples had already fallen asleep.
Han Feng, who had been resting with his eyes closed, kept his divine sense enveloping the entire camp the entire time.
Suddenly, a stealthy figure quietly broke away from the group and sneaked toward the depths of the forest.
Han Feng opened his eyes and gently nudged Han Li and Li Feiyu beside him.
The three exchanged glances, their figures vanishing into the night like ghosts.
Deep in the woods, after the figure confirmed that there was no one around, he took out a small bamboo tube from his bosom and released a homing pigeon.
Just as the pigeon was about to spread its wings and fly high.
Swish!
A virtually imperceptible sound of breaking air rang out, and the pigeon let out a mournful cry before being precisely shot down from the air by a flying dart.
The man's whole body stiffened, and he turned his head abruptly.
Under the moonlight, Han Feng, Han Li, and Li Feiyu slowly walked out, blocking his path.
"Protector Li, I never expected that you would actually be a spy for the Wild Wolf Gang!"
Looking at this sect protector whom he usually considered quite familiar, Li Feiyu burned with rage.
Protector Li's face was ashen. He had never imagined that his actions would be exposed so quickly.
"Since you've discovered it, kill me or carve me up however you please!"
Knowing he could not escape, he simply drew his saber and charged straight at the three of them.
"Courting death!"
Li Feiyu let out an angry shout and met him head-on.
Saber light flickered, and the sound of metal clashing rang out endlessly.
After a mere three rounds, Li Feiyu's long saber had already slashed open Protector Li's throat.
Looking at the corpse lying in a pool of blood, Li Feiyu remained filled with lingering anger.
"A traitor who bites the hand that feeds him!"
Han Feng picked up the homing pigeon from the ground and untied the note bound to its leg. There were only a few sparse words on it.
"Shields brought, report quickly."
Just as expected.
If this nail hadn't been pulled out in advance, the backup plan he had prepared would likely have been greatly compromised.
After disposing of the body, the three of them returned to the camp as if nothing had happened.
Three days later, the procession finally arrived at the agreed-upon negotiation location.
Luosha Slope.
This was an open expanse of loess slopes with flat terrain and a superb field of vision, but the earth slopes on either side could easily conceal manpower, making it an exceptional ambush site.
The people of the Wild Wolf Gang had already arrived.
Only a few dozen of them had come, led by a man wearing a golden brocade robe. He was tall, possessed an unangered majesty, and carried an aura of murderous authority from long holding a position of power.
This person was none other than the master of the Wild Wolf Gang, Jia Tianlong.
Han Feng's divine sense swept lightly past. Beneath the earth slopes on both sides, at least five hundred men were lying in ambush.
"Hehe, where is Wang Juechu? Why didn't he come? Could it be that he's acting like a turtle hiding its head, scared of our Wild Wolf Gang?"
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