Chapter 927
Traveling the Official Road through Hongyun City
"What happened? Tell me!" Guo Tianyou kicked the door frame in frustration.
"Then, in the middle of the night, a huge pack of 'Windbreaker Wolves' suddenly rushed out of the forest!" The scout's body trembled involuntarily. "They weren't ordinary wolves! There were at least a hundred of them! And... and those wolves' eyes were all blood red, like they had gone mad, and they weren't afraid of torches or knives and spears at all!"
"Wind Rending Wolves?" Zhao Sanhuai frowned. "How could there be hundreds of Wind Rending Wolves gathered in a place like Blackwater Forest? Those things usually live in groups of three to five!"
"I saw it clearly!" the scout hurriedly reported. "The caravan's guards fought desperately, but they couldn't stop them at all. In just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the caravan of dozens of people was torn to pieces, not even the draft horses were left alive! I dare not get too close, I can only lie in ambush from a distance. I will go and investigate when the wolves disperse at dawn..."
The scout paused for a moment, then took out a cloth bag covered in blood and mud from his pocket and carefully placed it on the desk.
"My subordinates found this next to the caravan leader's body."
Zheng Yi picked up the lamp-lighting stick on the table and gently opened the cloth bag.
Inside the cloth bag was a yellow talisman paper, soaked in blood and torn in half. The talisman paper was decorated with extremely complex and eerie patterns drawn with cinnabar. Even though it was damaged, a faint, extremely unpleasant fishy smell could still be felt on it.
"Rage Rune".
Elder Liu, who had been silent until now, suddenly stepped forward, staring intently at the talisman, his face instantly turning extremely ugly.
"Sir, this is a 'Berserk Talisman' specially used in the cultivation world to drive and stimulate low-level demonic beasts. As long as the aura of this talisman is spread, demonic beasts within a radius of dozens of miles will go berserk and attack all living things indiscriminately."
Elder Liu took a deep breath, his voice a little dry, "To be able to command over a hundred Riftwind Wolves in one go... the person who draws this kind of talisman must at least be at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage."
The study fell into a deathly silence.
Only the wind was howling outside the window.
Han Wuhen's legs went weak, and he leaned against the desk, his voice trembling and distorted: "Beast attacks... They don't use people, they use beasts to intercept and kill caravans that approach us... How... how can we investigate this? Even if the people from the Domain Lord's Mansion come, they can only say that the caravans were unlucky and encountered a beast tide!"
"What ruthless methods!" Guo Tianyou gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead. "These bastards! They don't dare attack the city walls, so they take their anger out on the ordinary merchant caravans outside!"
Zhao Sanhuai's face turned ashen: "No wonder those caravans preferred to take the detour through the muddy ravines. This isn't just a blocked road; it's as if the road to Hongyun City has been plastered with death warrants!"
Zheng Yi stared quietly at the tattered Berserk Talisman.
The flickering lights reflected on his face, creating an interplay of light and shadow that made it impossible to discern his thoughts.
He slowly pushed the talisman aside, his gaze falling once again on the sheepskin map.
“This is only part of it.” Zheng Yi’s voice was cold, like a blade without warmth. “The monster attack was just to establish authority and create panic. But panic alone is not enough to make so many large merchants change their routes.”
He looked up at Han Wuhen: "Fatty, besides trading ordinary silk and tea, what's the most profitable business for those big merchants?"
Han Wuhen paused for a moment, then subconsciously replied, "Of course it's reselling cultivators' resources! Spiritual herbs, low-level magic artifacts, and 'Bigu Pills' and 'Rejuvenation Powder' needed by rogue cultivators. Although these things are in small quantities, the profits are huge, and only those large trading companies have the channels to obtain goods from outside cultivation families or sects."
Zheng Yi nodded, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"now it's right."
He stood up from his chair, walked to the window, and looked at the dark night sky outside.
"The Qingyun Sect did not send troops, nor did they break off relations. They simply issued a secret order. A secret order to all the merchants and families within a radius of several thousand miles that depend on them or need to obtain resources from them."
Zheng Yi's voice echoed in the study, carrying a sharp, all-knowing quality.
"Anyone who dares to travel through Hongyun City, anyone who dares to do business with Hongyun City, will have their supply of pills and magical artifacts cut off by the Qingyun Sect. Furthermore, their caravans may inexplicably encounter 'mad' monsters or 'bandits' who know how to use talismans in the wild."
Zheng Yi turned around and looked at everyone in the room.
"This is an economic blockade. This is a bloodless strangulation. Mo Ku is a smart man. He knows that a direct attack would violate the Domain Lord's orders and be too risky. So, he wants to use this invisible soft knife to trap and starve our Hongyun City bit by bit within this iron wall."
“Without caravans, the city’s supplies will run out. Without income, Fatty Han’s ledgers will become worthless. When the people in the city can’t even afford to eat, the sturdy city walls will collapse from the inside without them even having to fight.”
Upon hearing Zheng Yi's analysis, the atmosphere in the room plummeted to freezing point.
Guo Tianyou's knuckles turned white as he gripped the knife hilt. He would rather lead his brothers to fight to the death against the flying swords than face such a suffocating and insidious tactic.
"Sir, what do we do then?" Guo Tianyou asked in a rough voice. "We can't just stand by and watch them set up a trap outside while we wait to die in this turtle shell, can we?"
Zhao Sanhuai also became anxious: "That's right, sir! Since they're resorting to underhanded tactics, let's send people out too! They can command demonic beasts, so we can intercept and kill their lone disciples!"
“Killing a few disciples won’t break this siege.” Zheng Yi walked back to his desk, placed his hands on the table, and stared intently at the location of the Qingyun Mountains on the map.
"They want to play the 'cut off their own supply lines' game, so let's play an even bigger game with them."
Zheng Yi raised his head, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes.
He glanced at Iron One-Eye, who had remained silent in the corner. Iron One-Eye's injuries had almost healed, and he was currently leaning against the wall, resting with his eyes closed, clutching a giant axe.
"Iron Boss," Zheng Yi called out.
Iron One-Eyed suddenly opened his single eye, a glint of light shooting from its pupil: "What are your orders, sir?"
"Take your old brothers from the Black Pine Forest, change into night clothes. No need for heavy armor, just bring the fastest crossbows and poisoned short swords." Zheng Yi's voice was low and fast. "I don't need you to fight to the death with the Qingyun Sect cultivators."
Iron One-Eyed straightened up and walked to the desk: "So what are we going to do?"
Zheng Yi pointed to three locations on the map.
“These three places are ‘Hundred Herbs Valley’, ‘Spirit Flame Stone Mine’, and ‘Cloud Marsh Herb Field’. These three industries are the three largest resource points of the Qingyun Sect’s outer sect in Dingzhou, besides White Stone City. Every year, 30% of the cultivation resources of their outer sect disciples come from these three places.”
Zheng Yi raised his eyes and looked at Tie Duyan.
"They cut off my trade routes, so I'll cut off their supply lines. Take oil and tinder. I want these three places to be reduced to barren wastelands by tomorrow's sunrise. Load all the medicinal herbs and ores you can take back with you. As for what you can't take, burn it all to the ground!"
Iron One-Eyed paused for a moment, then a fanatical, bloodthirsty light erupted from his single eye. He licked his chapped lips, revealing a cruel smile. "Burning mountains? Robbing mines? Hahahaha! Sir, we're experts at this! Don't worry, if you leave even a single blade of grass behind, you can gouge out my only remaining eye too!"
"Remember, be clean and don't leave any survivors. And don't leave any evidence that could prove it was done by Hongyun City," Zheng Yi coldly instructed.
"Understood! We never leave anything unresolved when we do things!" Iron One-Eye grabbed the giant axe, turned around, and strode out of the study.
Zheng Yi turned his head and looked at Han Wuhen.
"Fat man."
Han Wuhen was still reeling from Zheng Yi's violent methods when he heard him called. He immediately straightened his back and said, "Yes, sir!"
"Go to the warehouse and take out 50,000 mid-grade spirit stones." Zheng Yi tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "Tomorrow morning, you will personally lead a team to Dingzhou City in a grand manner."
"Go to Dingzhou City? What for?" Han Wuhen asked, puzzled. "At a time like this, instead of protecting our money, we're sending it away?"
“Go find the Domain Lord Tuoba Hong.” Zheng Yi’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Tell him that Hongyun City recently wants to form a light cavalry force to ‘cleanse’ the demonic beasts and bandits causing trouble on the trade routes. But the light cavalry doesn’t have enough horses and equipment. This 50,000 mid-grade spirit stones is our advance deposit. I want to buy three thousand ‘Black Cloud Horses’ with demonic beast bloodlines!”
Han Wuhen gasped.
Three thousand Black Cloud Horses! Those are strategic resources of the Domain Lord's Mansion!
"Sir...can you sell the domain lord to us? This is a huge deal..."
“He will definitely sell.” Zheng Yi sneered. “Because when he takes the money, he will realize that I bought these horses not for defense, but so that I can plow a bloody hole in the land of Dingzhou at any time.”
"The Qingyun Sect thinks that by trapping us in the city, we will become blind and deaf."
Zheng Yi walked to the window and suddenly pushed it open.
The cold night wind rushed into the study, making the maps on the wall rattle loudly.
"Then I'll fight my way out. I'll beat them until they feel the pain, until those caravans that take detours would rather offend the Qingyun Sect than dare to offend me, Zheng Yi!"
The night, filled with the rustling of wind and the cries of panic, has only just begun.
at the same time.
It is located in a mountain valley 500 miles away from Hongyun City.
A long caravan was trudging along with great difficulty. The mules and horses pulling the carts were panting heavily, and the wheels were grinding deep furrows in the muddy dirt road.
The caravan leader, surnamed Sun, was a seasoned veteran who had been traveling the Dingzhou Road for over twenty years. At this moment, he was riding a skinny horse, wrapped in a thick sheepskin coat, and warily watching the dark woods around him.
"Boss, this detour will take us three days and three nights. There isn't even a roadside inn to rest in this valley, and the brothers are almost at their limit," the waiter next to him complained, his breath steaming in the air.
"Shut up! You want to die, but I don't!" Manager Sun cursed in a low voice. "You think I want to take a detour? Do you know that yesterday, Fatty Li from 'Sihai Trading Company' tried to take a shortcut, just to brush past the edge of Hongyun City? And what happened? He and his goods were swallowed up by a pack of fire-breathing demon wolves as soon as he reached 'Blackwater Forest'!"
The waiter shrank back in fright: "A fire-breathing demon wolf? Isn't that a legendary monster? How come it's near the official road?"
"Hmph, there aren't that many coincidental monsters!" Manager Sun sneered, his eyes filled with fear and apprehension. "That's gods fighting, and we mortals suffer. Although the Qingyun Sect's 'Taoist decree' hasn't been officially issued, who hasn't heard the news? Now, anyone who dares to take a step closer to Hongyun City is going against the entire Qingyun Mountain!"
He turned around and glanced at the wagons loaded with goods behind him.
“The City Lord Zheng in Hongyun City is a ruthless man. He even dares to confront the elders of the Qingyun Sect. But what kind of foundation does the Qingyun Sect have? It’s a behemoth with a history of over a thousand years! They won’t attack you directly, but they’ll strangle you. Sometimes, the soft knife in business is more terrifying than a flying sword.”
Manager Sun sighed and tightened his sheepskin coat.
"Just hang in there. The situation in Dingzhou is about to change. We ants should stay as far away as we can..."
Before he could finish speaking...
Suddenly, a sharp, piercing sound came from the woods ahead.
"Whoosh!"
A whistling arrow, still glowing with fire, grazed Manager Sun's scalp and embedded itself firmly in the carriage behind him. Its tail feathers trembled violently, emitting a piercing buzz.
"Enemy attack!!!" the waiter screamed in agony.
Startled, Manager Sun abruptly pulled on the reins, and the old horse let out a long neigh.
From the shadows of the woods, dozens of dark figures emerged silently, like phantoms. They made no attempt to light torches; each was dressed in jet-black clothing and carried a heavy crossbow that gleamed with a cold, metallic sheen.
The leader was a tall man who carried a giant, blood-dripping axe and wore a hideous ghost mask that only revealed one eye.
By the dim moonlight, Manager Sun could see the barbs on the giant axe. He felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and his legs went weak, causing him to tumble off his horse.
"Heroes, spare my life! Heroes, spare my life! All the goods on the cart are yours, just leave me a way out!" Manager Sun lay prone in the mud, not daring to lift his head.
Iron One-Eyed, wearing a ghost mask, walked up to Manager Sun and looked down at him.
"We don't rob people."
Iron One-Eyed's voice, distorted by the mask, sounded exceptionally hoarse and sinister.
“Go back and tell all the caravans on the Dingzhou Road.”
Iron One-Eyed raised the huge axe and slammed it down on the muddy ground in front of Manager Sun with a loud crash. The splashing mud hit Manager Sun's face, stinging like knives.
"This lousy road is closed from now on. Anyone who wants to go to Dingzhou or Jiangnan must either obediently take the official road through Hongyun City, or remain in this muddy ditch forever to feed the wolves!" (End of Chapter)