Chapter 22: One-Horned Tiger

Having said that, Lei Qing was not a brain-dead idiot who liked to look for trouble.

Immediately, destroying the corpses and wiping out the traces went without saying, and he also set up many decoys with Zuo Qianqian so people would not know that One-Eyed Dragon was already dead.

After returning to the stronghold, when he dismissed those women, he also lied and claimed that One-Eyed Dragon had been targeted by an expert who wanted his life, so he had fled with his trusted subordinates.

Although saying this might make those poor women feel terrified and live in fear, it was still better than telling them the truth.

At the same time, the severance pay Lei Qing gave was also doubled.

He instructed them not to go home for the time being, but to put on some makeup and hide out with relatives and friends far from home, waiting until things calmed down before returning.

When those women asked for their benefactor’s name, wanting to set up a longevity tablet for him when they got back, Lei Qing also casually made up a name to get by.

Finally, after everyone was dismissed, Lei Qing piled all the corpses in one place and set fire to the dilapidated stronghold.

After finishing the deed of destroying the corpses and traces, Lei Qing and Zuo Qianqian also headed deeper into the mountains.

With such deliberate decoys and the destruction of traces, it was certainly impossible to completely hide the truth from a thorough investigation by that powerful noble in the dark.

But at the very least, it could stall for some time.

By then, if everything went smoothly, Lei Qing and Zuo Qianqian would have already escaped to the other side of the Heavenly Ridge Mountain Range.

In addition, Zuo Qianqian came up with a lousy idea: she wanted Lei Qing to write a letter to that troublesome Yu Shanshan to explain the situation.

This was something Lei Qing was extremely unwilling to do, but after Zuo Qianqian’s analysis, he had no choice but to agree.

Zuo Qianqian made a lot of sense.

Although Yu Shanshan was Lei Qing’s enemy, her identity was that of the daughter of Yu Tianji, who was second only to the Emperor in the Tianlan Empire.

Given Yu Tianji’s status, it would be hard for him to engage in smuggling or treason.

And even if Yu Shanshan had a grudge against Lei Qing, she would not joke about such important national affairs and would definitely report it to Yu Tianji.

Once Yu Tianji learned of this matter, he would certainly use his power to investigate it.

Even if he could not find out who that noble smuggling traitor was, he could at least create a climate of fear.

It would make that noble figure afraid to act rashly to avoid getting into trouble.

Even if he wanted to investigate, he would have many scruples and would not dare to do it openly.

Under these reasons, Lei Qing naturally had to agree.

Moreover, although he had some grudges with Yu Shanshan before this, Yu Tianji had not yet dragged the Lei Family into this mess.

And the Lei Family had held noble titles in the Tianlan Empire for generations; the interests of their large family had always been tied to the Tianlan Empire.

Lei Qing also grew up in the Tianlan Empire, so usually, he might not have too many deep feelings for his country.

However, once it involved matters that damaged the country’s interests and safety, Lei Qing felt somewhat duty-bound.

After all, as a member of the Tianlan Empire, whether in terms of identity or emotion, Lei Qing did not want his country to be plotted against or bullied by other countries.

The only small problem was how to deliver this letter to Yu Shanshan.

Fortunately, this was not too difficult; he found a hunter nearby who had a good reputation and seemed to have traveled abroad.

He gave him some money and asked him to help deliver the letter to the Imperial Capital.

The hunter was reluctant at first, but when he heard Lei Qing say that they had just wiped out One-Eyed Dragon and Scar-Head Wolf, removing two evils from the area, the hunter immediately guaranteed with his life that he would deliver it.

Of course, an ordinary person might not be able to walk through the gates of the Grand Preceptor of the Cabinet’s home and hand this letter to Yu Shanshan.

But Lei Qing taught the hunter a plan: he only needed to say a word to the gatekeeper, and he would be able to see Yu Shanshan immediately.

And although Yu Shanshan hated Lei Qing, given her status and position, she certainly would not make things difficult for a messenger hunter who had nothing to do with Lei Qing.

Although Lei Qing did not have absolute certainty that this letter would reach Yu Shanshan, nor could he guarantee that things would go according to his ideas, he could only do his best and leave the rest to fate.

Afterward, Lei Qing and Zuo Qianqian set off quickly.

Every extra day spent here meant an extra point of danger.

The goal of this trip was naturally the Free Alliance on the other side of the Heavenly Ridge Mountain Range.

The Heavenly Ridge Mountain Range was a natural barrier between the Tianlan Empire and the Free Alliance.

Only in the very middle position, after consuming countless manpower and resources, was a passage chiseled out along the mountain terrain and natural cliffs at the narrowest part of the mountain range; it was named the Heavenly Ridge Corridor.

The Heavenly Ridge Corridor was also one of the magnificent sights on the continent, with cliffs standing tall on both sides like they were cut by knives and axes, winding and turning for a hundred miles.

Viewed from the air, it looked like a giant dragon lying across with bared teeth and claws, a truly majestic sight.

To get to the Free Alliance, taking the Heavenly Ridge Corridor was the safest and most comfortable way.

But as the border between the two countries, it was naturally filled with outposts and heavily guarded.

Within a distance of a hundred miles, there were four full checkpoints.

With Lei Qing’s current status being targeted by Yu Shanshan, she might have already sent people to wait at the checkpoints of the Heavenly Ridge Corridor to catch him.

Fortunately, the entire Heavenly Ridge Mountain Range wound for thousands of miles, and there were many places where small groups could cross over.

Of course, the danger level was also very high.

Every year, who knew how many smugglers or fugitives tried to cross the Heavenly Ridge Mountain Range, only to meet various deaths.

Some accidentally fell to their deaths, some were poisoned by miasma, and some died in avalanches or landslides.

But more died in the mouths of various Demonic Beasts and poisonous insects.

Even powerful experts had to think twice to see if it was worth it.

…

Lianyun Peak was a steep mountain nearby; the mountain was extremely high, with parts of it towering into the clouds, hence the name.

In addition, due to its unique geography, it was like a place that attracted lightning, with lightning flashing and thunder clapping on the summit all year round.

One of the famous Three Evils within a radius of several hundred li, the One-Horned Tiger, dominated this place.

Compared to bandits like One-Eyed Dragon, the One-Horned Tiger caused less harm to the nearby mountain villages.

Only when it was extremely hungry would it risk coming down the mountain to drag away some livestock or humans to fill its belly.

But less harm did not mean the One-Horned Tiger was easy to deal with.

On the contrary, the One-Horned Tiger was the most difficult one to deal with among the Three Evils.

Even if a tiger did not become a Demonic Beast, it was still a fierce beast at the high end of nature’s food chain.

Once it underwent the baptism of time and gradually grew into a Demonic Beast, it became even more powerful.

Its various instincts, strength, and wisdom would expand rapidly.

There were many hunters and passing experts within a radius of a thousand li who had wanted to deal with that One-Horned Tiger.

However, they all misjudged the One-Horned Tiger’s strength.

Although the One-Horned Tiger only had the strength of a Mid-stage Bronze, a tiger turning into a Demonic Beast was naturally very formidable.

Those who went in small groups were either eaten or didn’t even find where the One-Horned Tiger was.

And once a large group went up the mountain to encircle it, the One-Horned Tiger would cunningly hide away, waiting for the trouble to pass before coming out to kill again.

Lei Qing’s plan to deal with the One-Horned Tiger this time was, firstly, to remove another evil for the neighborhood while he was at it, which could be considered a complete good deed.

Secondly, that One-Horned Tiger was a Thunder Element Demonic Beast, and the Crystal Core of a Thunder Element Demonic Beast was something Lei Qing needed.

Now, his cultivation had stabilized at the High-stage Bronze.

With a decent quality Thunder Element Demonic Beast Crystal Core, he could use it to make a breakthrough if he ever encountered a bottleneck.

If he was lucky, he might have the chance to take another step forward.

Hunting Demonic Beasts was also a vast and specialized field of knowledge; Lei Qing originally knew almost nothing about it.

Within a radius of several hundred li around the Imperial Capital, there were simply no fierce beasts for you to hunt.

At most, a group of ignorant playboys would go out to shoot small things like rabbits and pheasants, but their main purpose was probably to impress girls.

Lei Qing didn’t understand, but that didn’t mean Zuo Qianqian didn’t.

Zuo Qianqian grew up in a mountain village; she started setting traps for rabbits when she was seven or eight years old, and she had hunted quite a few fierce beasts.

Recently, she had even set her sights on Scar-Head Wolf.

Naturally, she also knew a lot about that fierce beast on Lianyun Peak, but she hadn’t dared to make a move because she wasn’t confident.

Now with Zuo Qianqian, the hunting expert, and Lei Qing, the one with high combat power, the two made a perfect team.

Lianyun Mountain got colder the higher they went, so Lei Qing wrapped his wolf-skin coat tighter around himself.

This coat was made from the Scar-Head Wolf.

It was a coat sewn stitch by stitch by the clever and skillful Zuo Qianqian after she personally tanned the hide.

The Scar-Head Wolf, which was as strong as a small calf, had thick skin that provided excellent warmth.

Because there was a lot of skin, Zuo Qianqian sewed two coats, one large and one small.

Suddenly, Zuo Qianqian let out a low cry, squatted down to examine some footprints in the snow, and whispered, “Brother Lei, these footprints are very fresh; the One-Horned Tiger must be nearby.”

…