410: Chapter 326 410: Chapter 326 “Of course, we have to tell them to follow those people first, and after we’ve observed and know which mountain it is, then we can instruct them to act without delay,” Mo Wen advised.
“Good, I’ll inform Brother Lai now,” Luo Yaxuan agreed.
Ding Ling took out the Communication Talisman and relayed their findings to Lai Jianlin, warning them to be wary of any underhanded tricks the bandits might employ.
Lai Jianlin received Ding Ling’s message and quietly shared the situation with Luo Yaxuan.
They both skillfully cast a series of light rings, ensuring that even if their foes attempted any sly moves, escape would be impossible.
Moreover, how could these petty figures compare with their abilities?
Leading them on a longer path might either be to a dangerous location or to buy time for their accomplices to escape.
The destination these people were taking them to seemed to penetrate deep into the forest.
Were they planning to lure out the formidable Demonic Beasts in the woods?
Being in the Golden Core Stage, neither Luo Yaxuan nor Lai Jianlin feared their treacherous schemes.
They were curious to see just what tricks would be pulled.
They disguised themselves as running a teahouse.
They must have deceived many people.
This den of thieves had to be eradicated.
Perhaps they might even rescue some victims inside.
It wasn’t for any other reason, but justice had to be upheld.
The shopkeeper walked along, flexing his hands that had been bound, but his eyes darted everywhere—they were signals for his comrades.
His companions, although only in the Qi Cultivation Stage, had been swept off their feet by the wind and knocked unconscious on the upper floors.
Upon awakening, they only suffered from bruises, with no internal injuries or limping; they understood the shopkeeper’s intent.
Leading these people into the forest might be a death trap, but it could provide the stockade residents more time to escape.
Or, if they were lucky, these intruders might be devoured by the Demonic Beasts within the forest, ensuring that even in death, they would have led their enemies to doom.
There were nine people in the teahouse, including the shopkeeper.
Among them were cooks and laborers, appearing no different from ordinary businessmen.
An inconspicuous teahouse harbored a dangerous black shop at this location.
They walked and soon arrived at the foot of a mountain, the entrance to the deep forest.
“Is this your stockade?” Persons accompanying the two princesses couldn’t help but interrogate the shopkeeper, sensing that he was certainly lying.
“Yes, good sir, take a look at this path; it’s a trail well-trodden by people,” the shopkeeper replied.
The shopkeeper’s statement was not wrong; indeed, the path was one hunters used to enter the mountains.
It was merely the outer boundary of the deep forest, at the base of a mountain, where there was nothing inherently dangerous.
The fiercest Demonic Beasts would not venture to the forest’s edge.
Only small animals such as hares, wild chickens, or boars might be found on the outskirts or troubling the crops of common folk.
But with hunters around—and ordinary farmers not so easily trifled with, as they made a living hunting—these common creatures were hunted down.
Luo Yaxuan exchanged a knowing glance with Lai Jianlin.
Both men possessed Golden Core cultivation, and with understanding, Lai Jianlin continued to hold his ground there, ensuring their companions—with inferior cultivation—were not harmed by those villains.
Luo Yaxuan took out his Flying Artifact and soared into the sky; his sudden move clarified to the group that he was scouting ahead.
Color drained from the faces of the shopkeeper and his helpers.
Among this group, they felt Luo Yaxuan and another young master possessed the most formidable abilities.
The shopkeeper had not seen Luo Yaxuan cast spells, but the other helpers had been struck by his tempest, followed by Thunder Roar and rain, nearly being struck down by lightning.
It seemed that their scheme would not come to fruition, and today they could not escape death.
Engaged in such risky business, they lived on the edge, and though they relished their misdeeds in the past, they had anticipated retribution someday.
Yet, when actually faced with death, they all harbored fear.
They were indeed terrified of dying, trembling as they walked.
Luo Yaxuan flew high into the sky, observing the large mountain before him.
Connecting mountain to mountain was the true deep forest.
From high above, he could see formidable Demonic Beasts residing within.
The deep forest appeared calm, an abnormal sign.
With his keen senses, he could feel the powerful presence of Demonic Beasts, hiding creatures likely at the third level or higher.
Without discerning what kind of formidable Demonic Beasts were lurking, he already understood these people’s intentions in leading them here were impure; there was no sign of any stockade deep within the mountain.
Not even houses typical of ordinary hunters were visible.
The deeper one went, the more palpable the danger became.
He decided to check with Mo Wen and Ding Ling, who had gone to explore another mountain.
“Brother Mo Wen, how is it on your side?” Luo Yaxuan inquired.
Mo Wen and Ding Ling had already flown to a high altitude on the other mountainside.
From their vantage point, they could see dwellings on a high mountain—seemingly a stockade.
It was now high noon, with smoke rising from the chimneys, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere, as if some celebratory event were taking place.
Regarding the other mountains, there were no signs of habitation.
Thus, it was likely that only this mountain housed the stockade.
They did not believe this to be a village with ordinary farmers.
From high above, under the scorching summer sun, at the peak of midday, they could see the men, bare-chested and wearing only shorts, burly in form.