Chapter 90: Poison Eagle Zong Wuji

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Time flew by, and seventeen or eighteen days passed in the blink of an eye.

The carriage traveled about a hundred li each day, stopping and going, which was quite carefree. It was true that the Free Alliance was somewhat chaotic. The alliance organization was too loose, and there were few days when the various organizations sat down to discuss matters properly, except for major decisions or external policies.

Within the territory, besides the eighteen large organizations, there were still hundreds of medium-sized ones and thousands of small factions. This did not even count unremarkable organizations, such as those formed by casually gathering ten or twenty people to create a merchant caravan, a horse team, or a small band of bandits.

Due to the lack of unified political power and the complex, interwoven relationships between factions, many people who committed crimes in one area could simply run a few hundred li away, change their appearance, and start anew.

Thus, the chaotic public security within the Free Alliance could be imagined.

It was precisely for this reason that the nobles of the Tianlan Empire privately called the Free Alliance the “Chaotic Alliance.” With so many factions and organizations within the territory, friction was common, and pulling together forces to fight was as routine as daily meals. It could be said that similar events happened every day.

At least, on his journey, Lei Qing had seen countless fights and brawls. He had even encountered two skirmishes between small factions where they fought to the death.

Incidents of being robbed by small groups of mountain bandits were also common. Fortunately, the Personal Guards serving as bodyguards under Lei Qing were tough. Without Lei Qing having to intervene, they fought well in several battles and showed some merit.

Lei Qing rewarded them according to their merits, and they each received a Demonic Beast Crystal Core. Before this, Lei Qing had extorted so many Bronze-rank Crystal Cores from the Li Chamber of Commerce, but he had never thought of using them for himself.

At his current level and strength, Bronze-rank Crystal Cores offered little help to him.

The Personal Guards, such as Miao Renjie, were already quite loyal to Lei Qing. After earning merits and receiving Demonic Beast Crystal Cores, they were even more elated and felt even more awe and reverence for Lei Qing.

Lei Qing was not stingy with them either. In his spare time, he often gave them guidance. These Personal Guards were good prospects; if taught carefully, they might well become notable figures.

With the help of crystal cores and guidance, as well as several practical battles, this group of young men grew rapidly. In just a short ten-plus days, their demeanor improved greatly, and they showed a hint of elite prowess.

On this day, Lei Qing’s carriage rocked and rolled into the Sheep Gut Sky Canyon.

This canyon was over ten li long. The cliffs on both sides were seventy or eighty zhang high. The terrain inside was complex. Walking to the narrowest point, looking up, the sky became a winding, thin line like a sheep’s intestine.

The Free Alliance became increasingly desolate the further west one went. It was late spring, a time when greenery and plants should have been flourishing. But here, everything was a grayish-yellow earth tone.

Loess, gravel, and strong winds created the unique landscape of this land.

Once this Sheep Gut Sky Canyon was passed, one arrived in the Western Regions of the Free Alliance. In this vast and desolate world, two large factions and more than ten medium-sized factions ruled over their territories.

Each faction occupied its own territory. Not far past the canyon was Tieling City, one of the famous cities in the Western Regions of the Free Alliance.

Tieling City was the destination of Lei Qing’s journey. The reason was simple: the organization dominating this area was called the Iron Cavalry Regiment.

The commander-in-chief of the Iron Cavalry Regiment was named Xiahou Huan, with the bandit nickname Mad Blade. He was a hegemon in the Free Alliance, very famous and powerful.

Lei Qing came here because Mad Blade Xiahou Huan was a close friend of Lei Qing’s unseen father. In his childhood, Xiahou Huan had visited the Lei Family and inspected Lei Qing. The relationship between Xiahou Huan and the Tianlan Lei Family was also good, and he often asked merchant caravans passing through Tianlan to bring gifts for Lei Qing.

Lei Qing was not very worried that Xiahou Huan would sell him to the Li Chamber of Commerce if he surrendered to him. Such a thing did not fit Xiahou Huan’s reputation of being Righteous and High-Minded.

During the one-month preparation period before the incident, Lei Qing had already sent someone to deliver a letter to Xiahou Huan. Xiahou Huan was gratified and welcoming of Lei Qing’s arrival with his followers.

Inside the Sheep Gut Sky Canyon, after winding around for a while, the ground had more gravel, and the carriage became even more bumpy.

In recent days, with the help of a Silver-rank Thunder Element Crystal Core, Lei Qing’s cultivation had become more refined, and he had signs of an impending breakthrough.

However, under such bumpy conditions, the rather pampered Li Baobao could no longer stand the fatigue of the journey and vomited twice. They had to stop and rest for a while.

Although Li Baobao possessed Mid-stage Bronze Fighting Qi strength, this cultivation was purely stacked with various spirit medicines and crystal cores. In terms of actual combat power, Lei Qing could easily knock her down within one or two moves.

Seeing Li Baobao vomiting to the point of bringing out bitter bile, Lei Qing was about to mock her. However, he keenly sensed a faint killing intent coming from a peculiar weathered rock nearby. He was no longer a rookie who had just started out; he had gradually grown through many assassination attempts.

It could be said that Ghost Wolf Scott was his best teacher. That guy whom Lei Qing had counter-killed was not strong in personal combat, but his skills as a scout had truly disgusted Lei Qing.

But precisely because of this, Lei Qing had slowly matured in counter-tracking and sensing danger.

It was not a probe, nor a reconnaissance. It was a faint killing intent that made Lei Qing feel as if a sinister beast was lurking in the dark, waiting for everyone to let their guard down to deliver a fatal blow.

Cling! The Treasure Sword Lian Zhan was drawn, pointing vaguely towards the weathered strange rock. Its voice seemed somewhat indifferent, saying, “Friend, since you are here, why not come out and meet? Why hide your head and tail, acting sneakily?”

“Haha.” A voice that sounded hearty but had a bloody and sinister edge laughed. Leaping up from behind the weathered rock, he soared through the air like a falcon, flying over six or seven zhang, and lightly landed a zhang or so in front of Lei Qing. He cupped his hands and said, “Worthy of the Young General Lei Qing. Your senses are so sharp and vigilant. I am Zong Wuji, paying respects to Brother Lei.”

Lei Qing was not from the Free Alliance, so he had little impression of the name Zong Wuji. But looking at his earlier movement, his Fighting Qi was full and his aura was contained. His movement was domineering yet elegant, clearly indicating he was no ordinary person. He couldn’t help but look at Li Baobao beside him.

Li Baobao disliked fighting, but she paid special attention to intelligence and had an extraordinary memory, almost photographic.

“Poison Eagle Zong Wuji!” Li Baobao whispered in fear, her pupils shrinking slightly, becoming somewhat nervous.

“A mere humble name should make Miss Li remember it. It is truly Zong Wuji’s good fortune in three lifetimes,” Poison Eagle Zong Wuji said with elegant courtesy.

Lei Qing also examined Zong Wuji seriously. This man was about thirty years old, with long hair tied back, tall and slender but not burly. His complexion was fair, and although he was handsome, there was an unspoken sinister quality. Especially his pair of eyes, sharp and glaring, resembled the eyes of a hawk in the sky.

“So it is the famous Poison Eagle Zong Wuji, Brother Zong,” Lei Qing said with a hearty laugh: “But Brother Zong seems to have mistaken someone. My surname is Zhao. I am just a mere merchant who has earned some hard money outside and is preparing to return home to spend his old age. If Brother Zong is short on funds, I am willing to present a hundred gold coins, begging Brother Zong to spare us.”

“Haha.” Zong Wuji laughed wildly, tilting his head back: “Young General, you are now a rising young hero. Straight talk among straight shooters. Since I have discovered your whereabouts, why hide and be evasive? It only makes me, Zong, look down on you.”

Lei Qing frowned slightly. It seemed Zong Wuji really had discovered his whereabouts. Even if he refused to admit it, it would be useless. This guy was clearly the ruthless type who would rather kill a hundred by mistake than let one go.

“Brother Zong speaks straight, Lei Qing admires that, admires it,” Lei Qing laughed and cupped his hands: “I have long heard of Brother Zong’s name and looked up to him greatly. Why don’t we become friends and have a few drinks?” Saying this, he signaled to Li Baobao.

Li Baobao understood, leaned close to Lei Qing, and whispered, “Zong Wuji is one of the disciples of Eagle King Bai Zhanou. He specializes in twin claws, especially in movement techniques. Because he feeds rare poisons into his twin claws, he is known as Poison Eagle.” Her voice conveyed unspeakable fear.

……