The Demon Lords

Chapter 535 44: Provocation_1

They made rapid progress for three days, resting only briefly at night and spending the remainder of their time on the road.

The only burden, Helian Baozhu, sat on Fanli's shoulder during the journey. No one else was unskilled, so their speed was naturally extremely fast.

Ah Tong and Ah Mu, fearing unforeseen complications and keen to avoid the Spy Bureau's men, intentionally quickened their pace.

Zheng Fan, also apprehensive of what the night might bring and wishing to avoid another clash with the Spy Bureau, naturally kept pace.

「Three days later,」

Ah Tong pointed to the mountain ahead and said, "We've reached Geda Mountain."

Zheng Fan finally let out a long sigh of relief, stopping to rub his sore ankles.

Indeed, human stamina far exceeds that of horses. However, humans are not beasts of burden. If Zheng Fan hadn't been a Seventh Rank warrior with experience from numerous campaigns, he might not have kept up with such a forced march. He might have even needed his Demon Kings to pull him along, making it impossible to maintain his composure.

Geda Mountain was just ahead. Ah Tong and Ah Mu decided to rest here for the night and enter the mountain the next day.

According to information gleaned from conversations over the past few nights, there was supposedly a nominal village of uncivilized men in Geda Mountain. In reality, it served as a "secret base" for the Helian Family.

The Helian Family had been managing this second hideout for a long time.

Fanli placed Helian Baozhu inside the tent. She had not spoken for the past few days because she had been hypnotized by the blind man to temporarily forget her ability to speak, subconsciously believing herself mute.

This was not a major issue. After about a month, an inadvertent remark or a minor stimulus could make her speak again.

It was better for everyone that she could not speak for now.

Ah Tong and Ah Mu seemed to have never left the Skybreak Mountain Range. They possessed an inherent simplicity, even a bit dense, and thus were quite taken with Fanli.

They truly regarded Zheng Fan and the others as Helian Baozhu's escorts into the mountains and, as a result, trusted them completely. Their trust was so sincere that it sometimes made Zheng Fan feel slightly embarrassed.

A campfire was built, and three wild rabbits were roasting on a spit.

They were very close to Geda Mountain, deep within the Skybreak Mountain Range, so there was no longer any need to worry about detection by the Yan people's Spy Bureau. Everyone could finally abandon the dry rations and enjoy some hot food.

Just as the rabbits were almost ready, Ah Tong, who was on sentry duty, suddenly returned and whispered, "There are people!"

Without a word, everyone drew their weapons, preparing for a fight.

However, a cry soon echoed from the western woods.

Ah Tong paused, then called back.

A response came from the other side.

The alertness on Ah Tong's face vanished, and he smiled, "It's all right, they're our own people."

Only then did Zheng Fan sit down again. However, the other Demon Kings remained on alert. Since their identities were false, these so-called "own people" could very well be enemies.

The messenger sent ahead to Geda Mountain from Helian Baozhu's original party should have been the leader of those guards. He was intercepted by the Spy Bureau en route. Although he eventually reached Geda Mountain and delivered the message, he died soon after. Consequently, no one could now testify that Zheng Fan and the others were impostors.

But it was better to be safe than sorry. If the blind man hadn't previously learned a great deal about the Three Jin region and the Helian Family from reading official gazettes and various documents, their conversations during rests these past few nights might have already exposed them.

Before long, a burly man clad in animal skins emerged from the west, followed by three others: a man pulling a cart, a woman standing beside it, and an old man lying on the cart.

However, the old man, apparently having smelled the aroma of roasted meat, leaped nimbly off the cart. He went straight to the fire, speared a rabbit with a tree branch, and complained, "If it's roasted any longer, the meat will be tough! What a waste, what a waste! Phew, so hot, so hot..."

Yao Zizhan ungracefully claimed a roasted rabbit and began to eat, muttering, "Only sprinkled with salt? It's pure, indeed, but I prefer a stronger flavor. It's a pity I ran out of spices a few days ago; otherwise, I could have let you taste my cooking skills."

Regarding this old man eating their food, Zheng Fan and the other Demon Kings didn't mind. This wasn't because they had reached some spiritual state of charity, but purely because when they saw the limping man pulling the cart, a slight stiffness had appeared on all their faces.

Thankfully, their stiffness lasted only a moment. Mr. Chen, however, remained stiff. Perhaps because Mr. Chen's face was always stiff, no one else noticed.

"Come, come, let's eat together!" Yao Zizhan called out to Mr. Chen and the woman.

The woman walked over and sat down.

Mr. Chen, on the other hand, walked over to Zheng Fan, his eyes scanning everyone.

"Ah, venerable sir," Zheng Fan said, "I still have some spices with me. Three kinds, I believe. Would you like them?"

"Bring them, bring them! Quickly, while the meat is hot!" Yao Zizhan urged eagerly.

Zheng Fan immediately began to search, eventually producing two small cloth bags. He handed them over, apologizing, "I'm sorry, I misremembered. I thought I had three kinds of spices, but only two kinds remain."

"That's still excellent! Better than none," Yao Zizhan said, taking the spices and beginning to apply them.

Mr. Chen, looking thoughtful, slowly sat down nearby.

At this point, Ah Tong introduced, "This is Gesang, the bravest warrior of my tribe!"

The burly man walked up, first patting his chest towards Zheng Fan and the others, then his gaze wandered, finally settling on Helian Baozhu.

THUD.

The large man knelt before Helian Baozhu and said sincerely, "Gesang pays his respects to the Young Mistress!"

Helian Baozhu, startled, looked around nervously without speaking.

Gesang looked at Helian Baozhu in surprise. Just then, the blind man explained, "The Young Mistress had a fright on the road. She needs some time to recuperate."

Hearing this, Gesang became furious. He slammed his fist on the ground. The earth didn't tremble, but a stone beneath his fist was instantly crushed.

This display of effortless strength proved his power was definitely above the Sixth Rank!

"Damn Yan bastards! Rest assured, Young Mistress, one day, we will protect you and drive all Yan bastards away!"

As Gesang was making this solemn vow to Helian Baozhu, Yao Zizhan looked up, wiped his greasy mouth, and said, "Helian Baozhu? Helian Xiongbi's daughter?"

Gesang turned to Yao Zizhan, nodded, and said, "Master Yao, this is indeed our Young Mistress."

Then, pointing at Yao Zizhan, Gesang introduced him to Ah Tong, Zheng Fan, and the others, "Everyone, this is the renowned Master Yao Zizhan, a close friend of our family head for decades."

Zheng Fan looked at Yao Zizhan in surprise.

Huh?

This old man is the great literary figure of this world?

He had often heard of Yao Zizhan before. If one had to make a comparison, he was like a figure similar to Su Dongpo from his previous world.

So, why would he be here?

Three rabbits were not enough for everyone. Yao Zizhan alone ate two and a half, leaving half for the woman. Zheng Fan and the others could only continue chewing on their dry rations.

Mr. Chen got up and left the campfire, apparently to relieve himself.

Zheng Fan pointed at Mr. Chen's departing figure and asked, "That man, is he a swordsman?"

Yao Zizhan nodded and smiled. "More than ten years ago, I helped him. This time, he insisted on escorting me into the mountains. Don't mind his limp; his swordsmanship is astonishing, even to me."

"Oh? Master Yao, if I may ask, what is your rank?"

Yao Zizhan coughed. "Can't one admire something without knowing martial arts?"

Zheng Fan was left speechless.

At this time, the woman who had barely spoken until now said, "Brave warriors, you've had a hard journey. May I ask, where did you enter the mountains from?"

Zheng Fan frowned slightly. The woman's words carried a strong interrogative tone.

And they could not afford a thorough interrogation.

Just then, the blind man suddenly stood up, pointed at the woman, and exclaimed, "Brother Gesang, this woman is no ordinary person! She's a Silver Armored Guard!"

Gesang, who had been sitting, snapped his eyes open upon hearing this. His gaze, sharp as lightning, fixed on the woman.

The woman appeared flustered for a moment. She had merely been trying to sound out these guards; who would have thought someone among them would expose her identity so directly?

Gesang slowly rose to his feet. Ah Tong and Ah Mu, who were behind him, also drew closer.

"Master Yao, is this true?" Gesang asked.

The woman also stood up, her left hand on her waist, her gaze instinctively darting towards where Mr. Chen had disappeared. Mr. Chen had probably gone quite far to relieve himself, so he hadn't returned yet.

Yao Zizhan took a sip of wine, unconcerned, and nodded. "Of course. I am, after all, something of a treasure to the Qian State. How could I embark on such a perilous journey across mountains without a capable guard?

"Furthermore, His Majesty wouldn't be at ease, so he assigned Miss Su here to be my... concubine.

"Hahaha, you all understand. Our Qian's Silver Armored Guards have a penchant for presenting brides to the distinguished and noble. As for me, I am old and my strength isn't what it used to be, but I can't refuse His Majesty's goodwill, can I? So, I'm afraid Miss Su has had to endure some inconvenience.

"I didn't intend to hide this. I planned to inform the Chieftain after we entered the mountain tomorrow, as Miss Su carries a secret edict from His Majesty. The Helian Family wishes to rise again, and we, of Qian, should naturally lend a helping hand, shouldn't we? After all, we share a common enemy."

Yao Zizhan spoke with utter frankness.

Gesang's gaze softened.

However, at this point, the blind man scoffed disdainfully, "Help? What can you Qian people do to help, beaten into such a sorry state by sixty thousand Yan bastards?"

Yao Zizhan remained silent, a smile on his face.

But Miss Su, the woman beside him, retorted sharply, "That's still far better than your people being wiped out in ten days!"

Yao Zizhan's expression changed abruptly. This is bad, he thought.

CLANG!

Gesang's figure instantly appeared before Miss Su, and he charged straight at her.

BANG!

Miss Su stumbled back several steps, blood oozing from the corner of her mouth, but Gesang stood firm, unmoved.

"Master Yao," Gesang said, "though I was born in these great mountains, I respect your learning. As for this female Silver Armored Guard, I don't care what you intend to discuss with the Chieftain tomorrow."

"But tonight," his voice turned cold as he fixed his gaze on Miss Su, "I don't want to hear another word from your mouth. If I do, you die!"