Mr. Nan Guo

Lu Chuan followed along, keeping his expression neutral.

Most of these people were strapping young men in their twenties or thirties, tall and sturdy, while he was only sixteen and looked much thinner and smaller than the rest.

Soon, the group exited Chaoge and gathered outside the city gates.

After Lu Chuan was the last to leave the city, he saw three thousand soldiers clad in heavy armor already in formation, their military bearing impeccable as they stood in perfect alignment behind Huang Feihu.

These three thousand men wore black mysterious iron armor, standing there as if they were a single entity, a faint, fierce aura radiating from them.

A large banner stood to the side, its edges black with a massive character for "Huang" in the center.

At the front of the ranks, a man in golden armor sat majestically atop a Five-Colored Divine Ox that was a size larger than any warhorse.

The man had tiger-like eyes and a short beard, his frame tall and his skin bronze, while a crimson cloak behind him added to his imposing presence.

Seeing this man, Lu Chuan knew without a doubt that it must be Huang Feihu.

He then shifted his gaze to the three thousand soldiers behind Huang Feihu, marveling inwardly, Truly a tiger-and-wolf army; this Martial Accomplishment King is well-deserving of his reputation!

As the saying goes: the expert watches the technique, the layman watches the spectacle.

While the common folk could sense the aura of the great army, they did not understand it, so they simply viewed it as a spectacle.

Lu Chuan was different; he could clearly feel the potent, vigorous blood energy within these soldiers, which was five or six times stronger than that of the sturdy men helping out nearby.

To describe these three thousand men as "fierce as tigers and wolves" was no exaggeration.

As for the ordinary men, though they looked strong, if it truly came to a fight, it was likely that five or six of them would be no match for a single one of these soldiers.

If the entire Yin Shang army consisted of soldiers this formidable...

"The Flying Tiger Army! The Martial Accomplishment King has mobilized his three thousand elite Flying Tiger Army troops."

Lu Chuan was filled with surprise and doubt when he suddenly heard a voice of pleasant surprise from the crowd.

"That's right, it's the Flying Tiger Army! I never expected the Martial Accomplishment King to mobilize his 'Flying Tiger Army' this time. That beast is definitely done for."

Seeing these three thousand soldiers, even the common folk were jubilant and excited, filled with confidence for this encirclement.

"Flying Tiger Army?"

Lu Chuan's expression flickered, and he couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head. So they were Huang Feihu's elites; otherwise, they really would have given him a fright.

If the entire Yin Shang army were composed of such tiger-and-wolf troops, who in the world could possibly stand against them?

Don't let the fact that there were only three thousand of them fool you; even he would only have the option to run if surrounded by them. It was fortunate he possessed the Five Elements Escape Technique, or he wouldn't even have a chance to flee.

"Who among you is willing to follow this King into the mountains?"

After the three thousand troops had assembled, Huang Feihu turned his divine ox and asked the commoners gathered outside the city.

"I will!"

"Me!"

Responses came from the crowd, and soon nearly one hundred and eighty people had stepped forward.

Lu Chuan moved, blending into the group without drawing any attention.

"Giddyap!"

There were two mounted generals behind Huang Feihu. One of them, a man with a short beard, frowned upon seeing Lu Chuan.

He immediately squeezed his horse's flanks, rode over, pulled the reins in front of Lu Chuan, and looked down at him. "Kid, how old are you?"

"Sixteen!" Lu Chuan replied.

Upon hearing this, the man looked Lu Chuan up and down and sneered, "Little brat, you need to understand that we are going to deal with a fierce beast. A beast that eats people, you understand? You're so scrawny that you'll just be throwing your life away if you go. You'd better head home early..."

Lu Chuan glanced at the man. His blood energy was vigorous and restrained, even more so than those in the Flying Tiger Army; he was clearly an expert.

"General, if I were afraid, I wouldn't have come," Lu Chuan replied calmly.

A fierce beast?

It was as if I hadn't seen one before, Lu Chuan thought, speechless.

Are tigers fierce?

They are, aren't they? I've even seen a fierce tiger with wings that eats demons, and you're talking to me about a fierce beast?

The general was taken aback by the reply, then gave Lu Chuan a strange look before turning his horse and riding away.

He had meant well, fearing that Lu Chuan was too young and would die for nothing, but since Lu Chuan didn't appreciate it, so be it.

"Who among you is familiar with the terrain in the mountains?" Huang Feihu asked again.

The crowd was stunned for a moment, then one person replied respectfully, "Reporting to the Martial Accomplishment King, we commoners have lived in Chaoge since we were children. Many of us make a living hunting and gathering firewood in the mountains; how could we not be familiar with them?"

"You are all familiar with them?" Huang Feihu's gaze swept over the crowd.

Everyone nodded in unison, and Lu Chuan, blending in, played the part of the Nanguo musician, nodding along with a feigned air of confidence.

In reality, he had only been in Chaoge for a few months, spending his days cultivating and tending the shop without time to go out. He wasn't even familiar with the area around the Chaoge South Gate where he lived, let alone the mountains.

"Everyone, because we are not very familiar with the conditions and paths within the mountains, the search is proving extremely difficult. We need your help to lead the way."

Huang Feihu pulled on his reins and cupped his hands, saying, "This time, this Prince requires three hundred men. I wonder if any fellow townsmen are willing to step forward and lend us a hand?"

The commoners who had come out of the city to watch the spectacle looked at one another, but no one made a sound.

After all, what they were about to face was a man-eating beast; one wrong move and they would lose their lives.

"Big Brother, those with courage in the city have already come out. Since the others didn't step forward before, they surely won't now."

The general who had spoken to Lu Chuan earlier saw this, urged his horse forward, and whispered, "As the saying goes: 'Under a heavy reward, there must be a brave man.' In my opinion, Big Brother, just offer some bounty money."

"Your words are reasonable, worthy brother!"

Huang Feihu nodded, turned his head, and shouted, "Those who lead the way on this trip will receive ten taels of silver upon our return, with additional compensation for any injuries."

He had four great generals under his command, and he had brought two of them out today.

This man was none other than Zhou Ji, one of the four, who was not only known for his strategic mind but also for his formidable martial arts.

"Ten taels of silver?"

Upon hearing this, the crowd suddenly erupted into a buzz of excitement.

Usually, they couldn't earn ten taels of silver even after going into the mountains a hundred times, yet today, it would only take one trip...

What was the concept of ten taels of silver?

One must know that the average monthly expenditure for a family of three was only about one tael; ten taels was nearly a year's wages, and that was before accounting for injury compensation.

Sure enough, once the bounty was announced, many in the crowd scrambled to step forward.

Huang Feihu exchanged a glance with Zhou Ji beside him, nodded in approval, and said, "Worthy brother, go and select enough men to make three hundred."

Zhou Ji accepted the order, stepped forward, and picked over a hundred more able-bodied men to round out the count to three hundred.

Then, Huang Feihu led the group out, heading toward a vast, continuous mountain range seven or eight miles outside the city.

He rode his Five-Colored Ox at the very front, followed by Zhou Ji and another general, Long Huan. Both men were around thirty years old; Zhou Ji was slightly older, but both were in the prime of their lives.

The three hundred civilians, including Lu Chuan, were sandwiched in the middle of the three-thousand-strong Flying Tiger Army.

The journey was uneventful.

However, Lu Chuan still pondered Huang Feihu's intention in gathering three hundred men. Three hundred people to lead the way?

He surely doesn't intend to split up the troops and have each of us lead a few soldiers to find the beast, does he?

Soon, Lu Chuan cast a suspicious look at Huang Feihu in front of him. If that were truly the case, he would be in a bad spot, as he was completely unfamiliar with this mountain—he didn't even know its name...