Overnight Raid on Clearwind Stronghold

Overnight Raid on Clearwind Stronghold

A few minutes later, Ye Yun returned to the camp with Liu Laosan and saw the caravan guards cleaning up the battlefield.

Upon seeing Ye Yun return, Manager Luo immediately stepped forward, bowed to him, and said, "Thank you, Young Master Ye, for saving us. If not for you, this old man and everyone in the caravan would have perished here. For such immense kindness, this old man will certainly report to the family head and properly repay Young Master Ye!"

"Manager Luo, there is no need for this. Since I was traveling with the caravan, I naturally would not stand by and watch you die. Besides, it was merely a lift of the hand. Manager Luo need not report it!" Ye Yun said after accepting Manager Luo's bow.

Just as Manager Luo was about to speak, he suddenly spotted Liu Laosan behind Ye Yun. Startled, he staggered back several steps. "Young Master Ye... I never expected you to capture Liu Laosan alive. You gave this old man quite a fright!"

Seeing how frightened Manager Luo was, Ye Yun smiled and said, "Manager Luo need not be afraid. Liu Laosan has already been subdued by me and poses no threat. I returned to tell you that I have matters to attend to and must leave first, so I will not be traveling with the caravan."

"Ah! Why is that, Young Master Ye? Could it be that you truly intend to wipe out Clearwind Stronghold?" Manager Luo asked, looking at Ye Yun in alarm.

"I concealed much from you before. I hope Manager Luo will not take it to heart. This matter should not be publicized, so I could only do this." Ye Yun nodded at Manager Luo.

Seeing Ye Yun admit it, Manager Luo looked at him worriedly and said, "Since Young Master Ye has already made his decision, this old man will say no more. I only hope Young Master Ye takes great care on this journey and successfully wipes out Clearwind Stronghold. If you ever come to Blackwater Commandery City in the future, please be sure to let me know. This old man will certainly host Young Master Ye properly, to repay this life-saving favor!"

"Thank you for your kind words, Manager Luo. If I go to Blackwater Commandery City, I will certainly pay the Luo Family a visit," Ye Yun replied politely.

Not long after, the captain of the caravan guards came before Ye Yun carrying a bundle. Looking at Ye Yun with deep gratitude, he said, "Young Master Ye, these are your spoils of war. On behalf of the guard brothers, I thank you for saving our lives!"

The repeated thanks made Ye Yun somewhat uncomfortable. He accepted the bundle from the captain and said, "I have received your gratitude. Then I will trouble Captain to pass my words on to everyone."

Ye Yun turned to Manager Luo and bid farewell. "Manager Luo, I will be leaving first. If fate allows, we shall meet again!"

With that, Ye Yun took Liu Laosan and rode toward Clearwind Stronghold.

Watching Ye Yun's departing back, the captain asked Manager Luo, "Manager, why did Young Master Ye suddenly leave? Wasn't he going to Blackwater Commandery City with us?"

Manager Luo shook his head, watching Ye Yun's figure gradually fade into the distance. "Young Master Ye has urgent business and has therefore left ahead of us. Take the guards and bury the bandits' bodies."

After the captain accepted his orders and left, Manager Luo silently murmured, "I hope Young Master Ye succeeds in achieving his goal!"

It was now roughly midnight, with several hours still before dawn. Ye Yun led Liu Laosan swiftly toward Clearwind Stronghold.

At their current speed, they could reach Clearwind Stronghold within two hours and catch Wu Heihu and the others completely off guard.

Otherwise, if too much time passed and Liu Laosan still had not returned, Wu Heihu would inevitably grow suspicious.

As they hurried along, Ye Yun asked Liu Laosan, who rode beside him, "Liu Laosan, I heard Manager Luo say that your Clearwind Stronghold came to Blackwater Commandery three years ago. Why was that?"

"Young Master Ye, you do not know this, but our Clearwind Stronghold is not made up of mere bandits. Our three chiefs are all from the Wu Family of Rock Mountain Commandery, neighboring Blackwater Commandery. We came to Blackwater Commandery to seize supplies for the Wu Family's cultivation. First Chief Wu Heihu is a member of the Wu Family, while Zhang Bao and I are guest elders of the Wu Family.

"There are groups like ours in the other two commanderies of Mysterious Continent as well, but who they are is beyond my knowledge." Hearing Ye Yun's question, Liu Laosan laid out the origins of Clearwind Stronghold one by one.

After learning of Clearwind Stronghold's origins, Ye Yun could not help but simmer with anger. The Wu Family was simply too despicable and shameless. As one of the three great families of Rock Mountain Commandery, it was actually carrying out this business of murder and plunder behind the scenes.

A flash of killing intent passed through Ye Yun's eyes as he looked at Liu Laosan again. If they had merely been ordinary bandits, he would not have been this enraged. Yet the truth was that members of a great family wore the skins of bandits, did the deeds of bandits, and used stolen resources to feed their family. It filled him with fury.

Liu Laosan did not notice Ye Yun's expression and continued, "Young Master Ye should also know that the former City Lord of Blackwater Commandery City once mobilized troops to attack Clearwind Stronghold. I only heard Wu Heihu speak of this afterward. After that campaign returned with broken feathers and shattered wings, the City Lord of Blackwater Commandery City had originally planned to attack Clearwind Stronghold again. But the Wu Family sent someone to meet him and reached some sort of agreement, which was why they ultimately allowed us to continue plundering."

Upon hearing this, the chill in Ye Yun's eyes deepened. However, he suppressed the killing intent in his heart and asked Liu Laosan, "Since you rob resources for the Wu Family's use, what about yourselves? And how do you hand the resources over to the Wu Family?"

Hearing Ye Yun's question again, Liu Laosan hurriedly replied, "Every three months, someone from the Wu Family comes to Clearwind Stronghold to collect the accumulated resources. Each time, we keep thirty percent for our own cultivation and the stronghold's daily expenses. More than two months have passed since the last handover, and the next one will be in another ten or so days."

Liu Laosan's answer stirred Ye Yun's thoughts. In an instant, he considered waiting a few days before wiping out Clearwind Stronghold, then catching the Wu Family members in one sweep after they arrived.

Thus, Ye Yun pressed further, "How many people does the Wu Family send each time? What is their cultivation level?"

"Young Master Ye, the Wu Family sends the same person every time. He is probably at the eighth or ninth level of the Qi Refining Realm. I cannot distinguish his exact cultivation. But I have heard of him within the Wu Family. His name is Wu Hai, and he is one of the elders of the Wu Family's War Hall," Liu Laosan said.

Liu Laosan now answered every question Ye Yun asked, all in hopes of gaining the slightest chance to live. Little did he know that Ye Yun had already sentenced him to death in his heart.

This answer made Ye Yun abandon his earlier idea. Since Wu Hai was one of the War Hall's elders, he was surely no ordinary man. Ye Yun had some confidence in a one-on-one battle, but with the people of Clearwind Stronghold nearby, caution was still the wiser course.

After that, Ye Yun and Liu Laosan galloped all the way. After more than an hour, they finally reached Beheaded Mountain, where Clearwind Stronghold was located.

Viewed from above, Beheaded Mountain was separated by a stretch from the mountain range behind it, while what remained looked like a severed head. That was why it was called Beheaded Mountain.

Only one side of the mountain could be climbed; the other sides were sheer cliffs, impossible to scale. Following Liu Laosan upward, Ye Yun passed several concealed sentries and arrived at the mountainside.

From afar, he saw a towering stone wall cutting across the road up the mountain, leaving only a large iron gate in the center for passage. Behind the wall stood two watchtowers, with several bandits standing guard atop them.

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(End of Chapter)