Chapter 29: Autumn Sword

The Shady Mountain Stronghold was situated on the peak and shoulder of the mountain. The three prison wagons were escorted to the peak.

　　There were dozens of buildings on the mountain top, circled an empty space. There were many prison wagons off to the side, which had many prisoners locked inside. They looked rugged, and their clothes were tattered. Each of them had blood stains on their bodies, likely the result of countless beatings.

　　Little Jiang Xue looked at those pitiful prisoners and shivered fearfully.

　　Although she believed that Zhou Xuanji would come and save her, she was still afraid.

　　She also noticed children who were of the same age, or even younger than her. Their eyes stared blankly, and blood stained the corner of their lips. It was as tragic as one could imagine.

　　This made her even more afraid.

　　"Dragon eagle? Good stuff!"

　　A middle-aged man with a bit of stubble walked to the prison wagon that housed Small Er. He rubbed his chin and looked very pleased.

　　This man was tall and muscular. He wore scale armor, his arms were tanned, and the contours of his muscles were clearly defined, lending him an almost barbaric aura.

　　The Second Chief walked to him and chuckled, "Boss, you should be pleased with me now, right? Although I did not obtain the Three-eyed Drought Rodent, I did not return empty-handed."

　　The Head Chief nodded and said, "Not bad. However, did you ask about the backgrounds of those you captured? Not all people are within our capability to capture."

　　Shady Mountain Stronghold looked high and mighty, but within Great Zhou, it was nothing.

　　The Second Chief grinned and said, "Don't worry. These people do not have troublesome backgrounds."

　　He had asked the prisoners, but they did not tell him of any powerful backgrounds.

　　The Head Chief acknowledged him before he turned and left.

　　The Second Chief also went to rest.

　　After an hour, the Third Chief returned.

　　"Big brother! Second brother! Come and see it! I caught the Three-eyed Drought Rodent!"

　　The sound of rough laughter resounded and all the prisoners turned and looked over at him.

　　They saw a man with a bare upper body walking briskly toward the peak, with many dozens of brigands following him. They were escorting two carriages, which carried firewood and all sorts of herbs on top.

　　The Head Chief and Second Chief walked out, and so did the other brigands.

　　"It's the Three-eyed Drought Rodent!"

　　"With this rodent, we can find all sorts of rare treasures with ease!"

　　"Third Chief really found it, how mighty he is!"

　　"Hahaha, we, the Shady Mountain Stronghold, are going to rise!"

　　"This information must not be leaked out, or other strongholds will come and fight us for it."

　　The brigands discussed the development with excitement. It was as though a throng of demons were shrieking under the dusk sky.

　　"Three-eyed Drought Rodent...the legendary Three-eyed Drought Rodent that can identify all treasures in the world..."

　　The woman beside Little Jiang Xue mumbled. She turned her head and looked at the woman.

　　She realized that the woman was wearing a yellow blouse. She could not see the woman's face clearly because her face was full of dirt. She had a good figure, which aroused people's imaginations.

　　Noticing that she was looking at her, the woman looked back and sighed, "It's a pity that you have to go through this at such a young age. This is just life."

　　She curled her lip but didn't say a thing.

　　The woman in yellow thought that she was afraid, so she did not continue the conversation.

　　It was deep into the night.

　　A brigand opened the wagon's wooden door, pulled out a woman with a pretty face, and walked away with her.

　　The woman screamed and struggled, which frustrated the brigand. He slapped her face so loudly that it resounded throughout the mountain.

　　The slap made the woman unconscious straightaway. Immediately, the brigand dragged her toward the Second Chief's building.

　　The other female prisoners became more desperate at the sight of this.

　　Compared to this humiliation, it was better to just die.

　　Little Jiang Xue hugged her knees and stared far into the night sky. Her eyes were glistening with hope.

　　Time continued to pass.

　　Once it was late at night, even she could not bear the sleepiness and fell asleep. Even the brigands on guard duty yawned.

　　No one noticed a small silhouette sneaking up the mountain.

　　It was Zhou Xuanji. He did not travel through the sky but climbed the mountain on his own. With the Eight-Step Sword Lunge, he was not noticed by the brigands.

　　He stood behind one of the buildings and looked forward. The night was dark, and ordinary people could not see clearly. However, with his Level Three Foundation Building, his sight was extraordinary.

　　Under the Qi Obscuring Incantation, he did not reveal his Qi signature.

　　Soon, he saw Little Jiang Xue.

　　He did not act immediately but sensed the Qi signatures within the perimeter.

　　There were about ten Foundation Building cultivators. Amongst them, three were much stronger than him.

　　But they should be within the Foundation Building stage.

　　His eyes glistened as he decided in his heart. Then he moved toward Little Jiang Xue.

　　With the swift strides of Eight-Step Sword Lunge and his petite body, no one noticed him.

　　He circled the prison wagon and came behind Little Jiang Xue.

　　The girl was sound asleep and did not notice anyone behind her at all.

　　"Xuanji... I'm scared..."

　　She suddenly sleep-talked, which made him heartache.

　　He did not wake her up immediately but thought about how to rescue her without anyone noticing.

　　He turned around and saw that Small Er was bound securely in another prison wagon by the side. It was still awake, and its eyes stared at him brightly, giving off a pitiable look. It was like a child looking at his father after being wronged.

　　He gave it a hand sign and indicated for it to stay silent.

　　"Vermins of the Shady Mountain Stronghold, tonight, I will exterminate all of you in the name of justice!"

　　At this moment, a loud shout resounded in the night sky and woke up everyone. It was full of uprightness and sternness.

　　A sword glistened on the mountain top, and a man dressed in white flew over on his sword. His black hair danced in the wind, as though he was an immortal that came into their world.

　　Little Jiang Xue was scared and woke up. She did not notice Zhou Xuanji, who was behind her but turned her gaze toward the man in white.

　　Zhou Xuanji squatted down to avoid being noticed by the brigands.

　　The Head Chief, the Second Chief, and the Third Chief came out one after another. They were all armed.

　　"I was wondering who it is. So, it's Autumn Sword Zhang Ruyu. If your father Zhang Tianjian was here, he may be able to destroy us, the Shady Mountain Stronghold, but you? You are still too weak!"

　　The Head Chief said disdainfully. He flipped his hand and the massive hammer he was holding pounded the ground, leaving behind a large indentation.

　　"I'm going to kill you!"

　　The Second Chief held his Guandao, leaping up into the air to slash Zhang Ruyu.

　　Zhang Ruyu was without expression. He aimed with his fingers as though they were swords and two streams of sword Qi shot out from his index and middle finger. The sword Qi hit the blades of the Second Chief's Guandao and pushed him back down.

　　Immediately, Zhang Ruyu charged down, and the sword under his foot landed in his hands.

　　A fierce battle was about to begin!

　　Zhou Xuanji, who was hiding behind the prison wage, was secretly happy about it. This Autumn Sword couldn't have come at a better time.

　　He nudged Little Jiang Xue at the back of her waist, and she turned around in shock.

　　The next second, her face looked surprised. She almost burst out into tears when she saw his furtive manner.

　　"Shhhh."

　　He reminded her to keep quiet. The woman in yellow beside her also took notice of his arrival.

　　The woman in yellow was perplexed. How did this little kid come here?

　　He noticed her eyes and grinned at her. Then he looked at Little Jiang Xue and said softly, "Wait until they make a mess, then I will rescue you."

　　His eyes lit up intending to kill.

　　Although he was not a righteous person, he had his principles.

　　Along the way here, he had seen many miserable prisoners and dead bodies, which caused him to want to overturn the entire Shady Mountain Stronghold.