Setting Out for Green Ox Mountain

Lu Hao looked at Su Qin. "I don't bully others, but others must not bully me! Those who bully me shall be killed!"

With that, Lu Hao brought his right hand down like a blade, executing Black Tiger Rending Wind and chopping it into Su Qin's neck.

Su Qin's eyes flew wide open. Her head lolled to one side, and her breath was gone.

Lu Hao rose and walked to the stone bench at the edge of the training ground where the wagers had been placed. Two small porcelain bottles sat atop it, the stakes Ding Mian and Xue Yong had added for Su Qin and Lu Hao's duel.

Lu Hao picked up the bottles and poured the two Blood Essence Pills from one bottle into the other.

He then tucked the bottle containing four Blood Essence Pills into his robes.

The courtyard was silent. The Black Tiger Gang members, the elders, and the two deputy gang leaders, Ding Mian and Xue Yong, all had their eyes fixed on Lu Hao.

Ding Mian stood where he was, looking at Su Qin's corpse with a livid face and clenched fists.

He then glanced at Xue Yong, who stood in front of him, and rapidly weighed his options.

Su Qin had been the strongest among the Black Tiger Gang's elders, already faintly touching the threshold of Dark Force. Ding Mian himself was only an Upper-Grade Bright Force Martial Artist, and he knew he was no match for Su Qin. Yet even so, Su Qin had fallen to Lu Hao within a few moves. If he fought Lu Hao now, he would surely gain no advantage. And if he led the elders of his faction in surrounding Lu Hao, Xue Yong would never stand idly by.

After pondering for a moment, Ding Mian closed his eyes, drew a deep breath, then slowly let it out.

When he opened his eyes again, his hands had already spread apart, and that beaming smile had returned to his face.

He looked at Lu Hao, his voice mild.

"Elder Lu, Su Qin was the strongest elder in our Black Tiger Gang, yet even she fell to you. Truly, heroes emerge from the young; the rising generation inspires awe!"

He paused, a trace of regret entering his tone.

"You were merely sparring, and it should have ended when a point was made. But fists and feet have no eyes. Elder Su dying by your hand was simply her fate!"

After saying that, Ding Mian let out a soft sigh.

Everyone on the training ground felt a chill run through their hearts at Ding Mian's words. They all knew Su Qin had been Ding Mian's trusted confidante, yet she had been beaten to death by Lu Hao before everyone's eyes. Not only did Ding Mian show no resentment or intention of avenging her, he even praised Lu Hao instead. This made everyone fear Ding Mian a little more.

Lu Hao glanced at Ding Mian and cupped his fists. "Fists and feet have no eyes. I hope Deputy Gang Leader Ding will forgive me!"

Seeing that Ding Mian had no intention of settling the score with Lu Hao, Xue Yong turned to the elders. "Now that this matter is settled, Lu Hao has proven that he is qualified to enter Green Ox Mountain. Make your preparations. We leave at once!"

The Black Tiger Gang had originally planned for Xue Yong to lead five elders into Green Ox Mountain. Now that Su Qin was dead, Lu Hao took her place.

Xue Yong and the elders all used long staffs. Once everyone had finished preparing, they took up their staffs, and the group of six left the Black Tiger Gang's headquarters.

Of the five elders traveling with Xue Yong, aside from Lu Hao and Cao Ling, there were also Zhou Yuan, Chang Kun, and Zheng Huaijian.

Zhou Yuan and Chang Kun were Xue Yong's confidants, while Zheng Huaijian belonged to Ding Mian's side. Before departing, Ding Mian called Zheng Huaijian aside and quietly gave him several instructions.

The group of six left Bluestone County Seat through its western gate and sped northwest along the official road. After traveling roughly a dozen li, they arrived at the foot of Green Ox Mountain.

Along the way, Cao Ling walked beside Lu Hao.

"Brother Lu."

"Brother Cao," Lu Hao answered.

Cao Ling cast a glance toward Zheng Huaijian and lowered his voice. "Su Qin is dead. Ding Mian will absolutely not let this rest. Don't be fooled by how he smiled on the training ground just now, claiming that Su Qin had simply been inferior in skill. Ding Mian is nicknamed Smiling Tiger. He looks amiable on the surface, but his heart is more vicious than anyone's."

Cao Ling paused.

"I don't know why Ding Mian didn't make a move on the training ground today, but he will definitely rack his brains to plot against you. You must be extra wary of him!"

Lu Hao nodded. "Thank you for the warning, Brother Cao."

Cao Ling glanced at Zheng Huaijian again and leaned close to Lu Hao's ear. "That Zheng Huaijian is Ding Mian's man as well. You need to keep a close eye on him during this journey."

As they spoke, the group had already entered Green Ox Mountain.

Mountain winds swept through the forest, carrying several beastly roars Lu Hao had never heard before. As the wind bearing those roars blew over them, waves of chill rose in the hearts of the Black Tiger Gang members.

At the same time, within the dense forest on Green Ox Mountain's southern foothills, six men clad in identical golden-yellow short martial outfits were hurrying forward.

A large ring-hilted saber was embroidered on each of their chests. These men were elders of the Golden Saber Gang, and the one leading them was the Golden Saber Gang's deputy gang leader, Xie Chong.

Among the five elders, one carried a demon beast corpse on his back—the corpse of a Praying Mantis Beast.

The Praying Mantis Beast stood as tall as a man. Its two forelimbs were long and slender, like two enormous sickles. Those limbs were covered in densely packed serrated teeth, their tips still stained with dark-red blood. Its entire body was covered in glossy dark-green armor.

Xie Chong walked at the front. He stopped, stroked his goatee, and urged the others behind him, "Faster. We must leave Green Ox Mountain before nightfall! Once night comes, the high-grade demon beasts in the mountains will come out to roam. If that happens, none of us will make it out of Green Ox Mountain."

Upon hearing this, the Golden Saber Gang elders quickened their steps.

The elder carrying the Praying Mantis Beast panted heavily. Raising a hand, he wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and looked at Xie Chong.

"Deputy Gang Leader Xie, this Praying Mantis Beast is far too heavy. How about we first take its demon core, then strip off its armor? If we only bring those valuable items, we'll be much faster."

Xie Chong frowned.

"Bullshit. This Praying Mantis Beast's flesh and blood are excellent for increasing Blood Essence. The power of Blood Essence within its flesh is far beyond that of a first-grade demon beast. If you're tired of carrying it, switch with someone else!"

The Golden Saber Gang elder said no more. He merely hoisted the Praying Mantis Beast's corpse higher on his back, quickened his pace, and caught up with the others.

Xie Chong occasionally looked up at the sky. The forest in Green Ox Mountain was deep and dense, its branches and leaves blotting out the sky and sun. Only a few scattered beams of light filtered through gaps in the leaves and fell upon the ground.

Seeing that there was still light, Xie Chong felt somewhat relieved, though he led the others even faster.

All of a sudden, Xie Chong stopped.

He saw several figures approaching from ahead. The man in the lead was thin, and Xie Chong recognized him as Xue Yong of the Black Tiger Gang.

The Golden Saber Gang elders behind him sensed that something was wrong and followed Xie Chong's gaze.

Once they saw who was coming, they all stopped and drew their large ring-hilted sabers from their backs.

The elder carrying the Praying Mantis Beast also set its corpse on the ground and pulled a short dagger from his robes.

Xue Yong and Lu Hao's group of five had also spotted the Golden Saber Gang members.