What demon are you? Show yourself at once!

Lingbao cried out, "Wanwan, save me! This old bastard is a monster, he's just bullying me!"

That old fellow, seeing a ginseng that could run, was certainly not going to give it up.

Suddenly, he felt his body lighten as he was lifted up by many tree branches.

The branches were moving so fast that they wrapped around him, making it hard for him to breathe.

The old man used his internal force, and some tree branches were shaken apart. He shouted, "What kind of demon are you? Show yourself at once!"

The Old Scholar Tree slammed him to the ground, slowly saying, "Who's the monster? Old man, can't you speak properly?"

The old man roared, "What the hell is that? Do you believe I'll kill you?"

That monster was terrifying; he was hit so hard he almost coughed up blood.

The Old Scholar Tree leaped at him, and the old man screamed and spat out a mouthful of blood.

The Old Scholar Tree swayed a few times and said, "This old fellow isn't very useful either!"

Feng Yunting trembled with fear and asked in a soft voice:

"Wanwan, what kind of monster is this? How come there's such a monster next to you?"

He's even more powerful than that old guy! Do you know how powerful that old guy was?

It's ranked 99th on the Earth Ranking!

Zhou Wanwan pointed at the old man and said:

"You're saying this noob is ranked 99th on the Earth Ranking?"

If we defeat him, wouldn't we be ranked now?

Feng Yunting chuckled and said, "You're currently ranked 99th on the Earth Ranking."

Zhou Wanwan raised an eyebrow and said, "Are you talking about me? I'm ranked 99th on the Earth Ranking? Shouldn't it be the Old Scholar Tree?"

Feng Yunting shook his head and said:

"You are the owner of the Old Scholar Tree, so this ranking must still be yours."

Moreover, this ranking is quite beneficial; you'll receive many individual tasks later.

The rewards for this quest are very generous; you should give it a try.

Zhou Wanwan nodded, and Feng Yunting found a token on the old man, saying, "Take this token; you can go directly to exchange it for the mission later."

Zhou Wanwan carefully put it away and said, "Brothers, let's go into the mountain stronghold."

At his command, the surrounding trees began to move slowly.

Feng Yunting, hiding to the side, said:

"Jiaojiao, where did you meet this little monster? It's absolutely terrifying!"

I always thought these trees were mechanisms, but I never expected them to obey her commands.

How did she do that?

Feng Jiao was also quite frightened. She knew Zhou Wanwan was formidable, but she didn't know she was this powerful!

This is something that ordinary people can't do.

The fact that someone could control wild animals is already breathtaking.

Unexpectedly, there are people who can drive away trees, and these trees are very obedient.

A tree stood in front of them and said, "Hey! You're blocking the way."

The sound startled Feng Jiao and Feng Yunting, causing them to huddle together.

Feng Yunting looked at the towering tree and said, "This is terrifying! The tree actually opened its mouth and spoke! Am I dreaming?"

Feng Jiao shook her head and said, "It's definitely not a dream, it's real."

Zhou Wanwan entered Lion Camel Ridge, which is more than 20 miles from east to west and more than 10 miles from north to south.

The stockade wall was built of large, bluish-gray mountain stones, and was more than two zhang high. Every few steps on the top of the wall, there was a lookout hut.

In the very center is a council hall made of blue bricks and tiles, with a large threshing ground in front of it that can accommodate thousands of people for training.

Several hay sheds and weapons sheds were set up next to the drying ground, with knives, spears, halberds, and bundles of arrows piled up inside.

To the east of the mountain stronghold were granaries and a mill, with a millstone so large that two mules could pull it side by side.

To the west were livestock sheds, housing dozens of cattle and mules, as well as hundreds of chickens and ducks.

Several wells were dug in the mountain valley to the south. The well water was clear and sweet, enough to feed and provide for the thousands of people in the village.

Zhou Wanwan drooled as she looked at the fields:

"What would it be like if all these mountains were planted with sweet potatoes?"

This is fantastic! I must conquer Lion Camel Ridge!

The Old Scholar Tree chuckled and said, "The trees on this mountain aren't very good. I've uprooted them all; I'll use them to build houses later."

Zhou Wanwan nodded, and Lingbao called out from the other side, "Wanwan, come here quickly, there are so many good things in this old bastard's house!"

As expected of the head of Lion Camel Ridge, this house is hardly habitable; it's practically a looted warehouse.

In the corner against the west wall, there was a dozen heavy wooden boxes piled up, their lids half open, with gold Yuanbao and silver ingots scattered everywhere.

There were also some pearl, agate, and jade bracelets haphazardly stuffed into the brocade bundle, their glittering jewels dazzling the eye.

Against the east wall were several bolts of fine silk, in bright red and green, all top-quality goods looted from passing caravans. The fabric was smooth and slippery; you could tell how valuable it was just by touching it.

Next to it were hundreds of jars of fine wine, sealed tightly, with the restaurant's name printed on them.

On the eight-immortal table in the center of the room, there was a set of gold-inlaid tea set, and next to it was a palm-sized ivory abacus.

In a corner, there were several sheathed swords and knives, as well as some fur rugs and precious medicinal herbs.

Even several bolts of raw silk that hadn't been sold yet were piled up haphazardly on the ground, all of which were the windfall wealth accumulated through years of robbery.

Zhou Wanwan clicked her tongue twice and said, "Not bad, this is simply instant wealth!"

The Old Scholar Tree nodded and said, "That's right, this old fellow really steals everything."

Zhou Wanwan walked around the mountain village and said:

"These bandits from Lion Camel Ridge are utterly wicked; kill them all!"

That's such a waste. We should keep them and let them work for us.

"Look at these hills, they all need to be planted with sweet potatoes; it definitely won't work without people."

The Old Scholar Tree nodded and said:

"Okay, we've brought several hundred trees with us anyway, so we'll let them live on this hilltop."

Keep an eye on these people every day, making sure they don't slack off.

Zhou Wanwan nodded, and then saw Lingbao run over, saying, "Wanwan, it's so scary, come quick!"

Zhou Wanwan looked at it and asked, "What's wrong?"

Lingbao said anxiously:

"I just walked into the back of the mountain stronghold, and I'm quite curious about what's inside."

Do you know what I saw? Let me show you!

Zhou Wanwan followed Lingbao to the back and smelled a strong stench of blood.

As she entered the room, she saw dozens of large, roughly human-sized earthenware jars against the wall, their mouths open, each filled with the heads of women.

Dozens of women were still huddled in the corner, their clothes tattered and their bodies covered in bruises and welts from being beaten.

The men in the mountain village treated these women like livestock, making them do laundry, cook, serve tea and water, and beating and scolding them for the slightest dissatisfaction.

Those who were more presentable were subjected to even more abuse, with absolutely no dignity whatsoever.

The women trembled with fear when they saw Zhou Wanwan. Zhou Wanwan looked at them and said, "Where did you all come from? The bandits on the mountain have all been captured. You can go back now."