The Celestial Extre Cave is located at the junction of the two provinces of Great Spirit, in a barren wilderness known as Jiaolin Mountain.
But a desolate mountain doesn’t an there’s no one around.
At this mont, a skilled guard left by Isebas to watch over the Celestial Extre Cave, a Huxi person nad ngbadia, is whistling, carrying a knife on his back, undoing his pants to urinate against a tree root.
The area had previously been cleared out, sprinkled with insect repellent powder and wild beast feces; wild animals dare not co here basically.
Exceptionally safe.
Three of them were left behind to guard, all carefully selected martial artists under Isebas’s command.
In terms of rank alone, they may only be third or fourth rank, but when they really employ various tactics, even a fifth or sixth rank expert would be taken down if slightly careless.
After all, people who live on the sea mostly take the route of integrating firearms with martial skills.
The speed and power of firearms are the most preferred auxiliary techniques.
After ngbadia finished urinating, he fastened his waistband and leisurely turned around, heading towards the temporary camp.
He had walked only ten ters when he suddenly felt sothing was amiss.
A faint whiff of blood was flowing along the breeze through the forest, entering his nostrils.
"Sothing’s wrong!?"
ngbadia beca alert, lightening his footsteps, slowly approaching the camp.
He hunched his body, trying to conceal most of his form behind the surrounding shrubs and grass.
Before long, he reached the vicinity of the camp and looked through the grass gap.
Hiss...
The sight in the camp made his heart tremble.
The other two skilled guards left behind were already lying on the ground, foaming blood at their mouths, lifeless.
An elderly man with grayish hair, wearing a ghostly white mask and gray cloth, was walking slowly in the camp, seemingly searching for sothing.
Cold sweat poured down ngbadia’s body as he retreated slowly, not daring to make a sound. After retreating ten ters, he quickened his pace, sprinting quietly towards the distance.
"No!! I must rush back and tell the boss! There’s an expert ambushing us, likely here to steal treasures!!"
ngbadia was well aware of how valuable the Celestial Extre Cave they discovered this ti was.
Not to ntion the various treasures inside, even so century-old herbs on the outskirts already far exceed those of a regular big pharmacy’s private garden.
More crucially, the Celestial Extre Cave’s location is exceptionally concealed, nestled in a valley crevice with miasma covering it. Only the three of them know the route.
They were just waiting for reinforcents to arrive and then lead them in, but unexpectedly...
"I must escape quickly, otherwise if discovered by that person..."
Seeing the camp distancing further away.
ngbadia also began to run at full speed.
He needed to report back swiftly.
As for the two dead companions, he couldn’t care less; life was cheap for people living by the edge of a knife. As long as he didn’t die, it was fine.
The problem now was, if he didn’t get out of here quickly, who knows what might happen...
Swish!
Suddenly, his vision blurred.
A gray-clothed figure appeared a few ters ahead of him.
The person had grayish hair draped over his shoulders, a ghostly white mask on his face, emitting an indescribable fear in the dim woods.
"No... don’t kill !! I am under Captain Isebas’s command..."
Before he finished his sentence, ngbadia’s expression changed; he raised his hand and pulled the trigger towards the figure.
Bang!!
The bullet flew out, but it missed. The person seed to have anticipated his action.
The shadow flickered, and the masked man appeared beside him, waving his right arm.
Puh!
A gray shadow flashed, ngbadia scread, his gun hand instantly bent backward, fracturing.
He endured the pain and kicked towards the figure with his raised leg like lightning.
But the leg was only halfway up when the masked man lifted his leg and kicked hard.
Crack.
His leg bone fractured as well.
"Foolish!" The masked man made the final move, a precise finger pointing at ngbadia’s throat.
Puh.
A force shattered his windpipe, ngbadia suffocated, spitting blood and collapsing like a shrimp continuously struggling.
Hiss.
At this mont, a faint rustling of grass and trees ca from afar.
The masked man turned sharply, scrutinizing the direction, seeing no one.
Being a person from the Sensing Sect, hiding here dedicated to finding the ruins of herbal gardens.
He had been searching here for three years, looking for the Celestial Extre Cave.
Surprisingly, after searching for so long without success, these Huxi people, sailors making a living at sea, stumbled upon the extrely hidden Celestial Extre Cave through unknown clues.
Thrilled, the masked man secretly traced and confird the Celestial Extre Cave’s location, imdiately taking action to eliminate everyone else in the know.
By dealing with these people, no one would know the cave’s exact location.
Then he could collect the treasured dicinal herbs inside at ease, bringing them back to the sect.
Moreover, the cave could serve as a sect’s herbal growing site.
"No... there’s a human scent!" Suddenly, the masked man sniffed, sensing sothing.
He swiftly picked up the corpse and dashed into the depths of the forest, intending to dispose of the body and simple camp before silencing the witness.
The person just causing the commotion was likely a nearby herbal collector. Even if he escaped, he wouldn’t get far.
Since he discovered this natural herbal garden, celestial treasures should belong to the virtuous. So naturally, it is the Thousand Stone Sect’s property.
Anyone else daring to reach for it would have their hands and body chopped off!
*
*
*
"Giddy up!"
On the official road, two brown horses galloped at full speed, rapidly approaching the direction of Jiaolin Mountain.
On the horse’s back, a person with a burly figure and bright, narrow eyes.
It was Zhang Rongfang, who ca to find the main herb for the Golden Toad Skill.
The other person wore a round hat, had a small curled mustache, and carried a short bow and curved sword on his back.
It was Nuban, the elite crew mber Isebas had sent as a guide.
"Nuban, are you sure that the people you left over there can find the Celestial Extre Cave?" Zhang Rongfang asked again on horseback.
He still felt a bit uneasy.
"Rest assured, after verifying the characteristics repeatedly, the personnel we found imdiately sent a ssage via carrier pigeon. We later sent two more experts over there to establish a small camp.
As long as we approach the vicinity, releasing fireworks, they can release fireworks in the sa way to confirm their direction and position for us." Nuban replied respectfully.
Both were martial artists, and despite speaking on the fast-moving horseback, they were articulate and clear.
"That’s good. Let ask again, besides those three, does anyone else know the location of the Celestial Extre Cave?" Zhang Rongfang frowned and asked.
"No, after discovering it, we imdiately notified the leader, then inford you. Even I am going there for the first ti." Nuban replied.
The leader he ntioned was Isebas.
Zhang Rongfang shook his head inwardly.
Although Isebas was a major ship owner, Zhang didn’t know the true strength under his command.
So, in this mission, there was always a sense of uncertainty in his heart.
Soon, under the dim twilight.
Having set out in the morning, they finally reached the area near the Celestial Extre Cave at nightfall.
It was the official road near Jiaolin Mountain.
The two slowed their horses and walked slowly.
Nuban took a signal firework from his bosom, lit it with a fire starter, and aid it at the sky.
Bang!
A bright yellow fla flashed past.
At an altitude of more than twenty ters in the sky, a cross-shaped yellow firework exploded.
The bright halo of the fireworks illuminated the surroundings, making everything temporarily visible.
At this ti, the sky had darkened, and the moonlight was shrouded by thick clouds, making the light even lower.
The entire Jiaolin Mountain appeared more dark and profound.
Nuban released fireworks five tis in a row, to ensure the liaison could see and hear.
Then he took out a torch, carefully lit it, and raised it to illuminate.
"Sir, it’s getting late. Should we dismount and find a place to camp temporarily? We can send another signal tomorrow."
Zhang Rongfang looked around, his eyes reflecting a faint glow.
He truly experienced now what it ant to have twilight vision.
Though the light was dim around, everything remained as bright as day to him.
Everything had no blurring or obscuring.
Even the thin mist hovering in the forest, he could easily see through.
This feeling was quite miraculous.
As if closer objects all turned semi-transparent, still naturally emitting a faint glow.
"Alright."
Returning to his senses, Zhang Rongfang nodded subtly.
He dismounted.
The two led their horses to a nearby spot, casually found a sufficiently thick tree, tied the reins, unpacked their gear, and started a fire for food.
"By the way, how did you find this Celestial Extre Cave anyway? Can you tell ?" Zhang Rongfang sat down and watched Nuban concentrate on lighting the fire.
"Like this, we found thirty places matching the criteria using terrain features in that ancient book, then sent people to eliminate them one by one..."
Nuban saw Zhang Rongfang’s interest and began a detailed introduction.
The night grew darker, and they couldn’t proceed further without the return fireworks from those guarding the site.
Now, they could only wait for the response from those awaiting them.
*
*
*
The jingling sound of horse bells continuously scattered.
Ding Luo held the hilt of his knife, vigilantly observing the surroundings.
Behind him were several household servants ard with long sticks. Five in total, protecting two Ding family carriages, moving slowly toward Bingzhou.
The Ding family’s migration from Mianzhou to Bingzhou had been planned long ago.
As a wealthy family specializing in fur business, the Ding family’s operations in Mianzhou were facing relentless suppression, especially after the new Great Spirit clothing regulations ca out, making business even harder.
This ti, Ding Luo’s father, Ding Junshan, after long deliberation and thought, finally decided to move the whole family to Bingzhou, leveraging his wife’s family influence there to enter the Bingzhou animal fur hat market.
Great Spirit People love wearing hats, whether emperors, nobles, rich rchants, or commoners.
Everyone usually owns one or more hats.
Those who indulge in luxury might change hats based on the seasons and different tis of the day.
Other Huxi people, Northern People, and Barbarians were also led by the Spirit People to so extent, which increased the size of the hat market.
This was also why the Ding family chose to enter the hat market.
With the regulations from the Celestial Robe Pavilion, the original market would inevitably change, providing new opportunities.
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