On the old road.
More than a dozen swift horses galloped past.
The dense clatter of hooves rang out sharply along the quiet road.
Before long.
The horses came to a halt at the foot of a mountain.
"Sir, this is Liangshan. Liangshan Stronghold is up there."
An armored man on horseback spoke.
Liangshan Stronghold?
Gu Feng narrowed his eyes, a faint air of authority on his sharply defined face.
"Judging by his last known route, Han Jing must have met with trouble in Liangshan Territory."
"Sir, according to our records, the chief of Liangshan Stronghold is named Wu Sheng. He's only at the Entering Martial Third and Fourth Layers, so he's unlikely to have been Steward Han's match."
"Not to mention all the skilled guards accompanying the caravan.
"Never mind whether a tiny Liangshan Stronghold could beat them—would they even dare attack our Chengyun Trading Company?"
"We'll know whether it's true once we go up and take a look."
Gu Feng shook his head and swung down from his horse.
The dozen or so men behind him all dismounted as well.
"Leave two men to watch the horses. The rest of you, come up the mountain with me."
"Yes, sir!"
Soon, the group headed straight up Liangshan, with Gu Feng in the lead.
Only two men stayed behind to watch the horses.
But—
Just as Gu Feng and the others were about to set foot on Liangshan, bandits stopped them.
"This is Liangshan Stronghold. Unauthorized visitors may go no farther!"
"Hm?"
Gu Feng stopped. As he looked at the two raggedly dressed bandits before him, his gaze suddenly sharpened.
Blood and qi at their peak?
The entering martial sixth layer?
For a moment, he nearly thought he was seeing things.
But the surging power of blood and qi from