Blood Wolf Fortress

The headquarters of the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group was located in the center of Blood Wolf Town, with a towering castle sitting like a mighty tiger, overlooking all. This place was known as Blood Wolf Fortress. In the front hall of Blood Wolf Fortress, Yin Tianjie was leaning casually in a large chair at the head of the room. His fingers tapped lightly on the armrest as he frowned slightly, before speaking in a low tone, "Bai Xiutian, how much fighting strength do we still have in Blood Wolf Town?"

To the left of Yin Tianjie, a man in his thirties with a rather handsome yet sickly appearance, subtly revealing the aura of a strong warrior through occasional flashes of sharpness in his eyes, responded after a moment of hesitation, "Commander, our mercenary group is always busy with numerous tasks. Excluding those on missions, we have less than half of our manpower left. Moreover, we only have Daniel and myself left as fighters above the Warrior level... Ma Fan is still in the fortress, but given his current condition, he's practically unable to fight."

"Damn that Long family!" Yin Tianjie slammed his hand on the armrest and gritted his teeth, "If it weren't for the Long family, we would have at least two more Warriors on our side, instead of being in this situation!"

Bai Xiutian frowned, "Commander, with our current strength, no one in Blood Wolf Town dares to confront us directly. Why worry so much?"

Yin Tianjie scoffed, "You think no one dares to confront us? Are the women of Feng Lou not human?" Bai Xiutian was momentarily silenced by Yin Tianjie's retort. The conversation was interrupted by Daniel, a bald and imposing man with a voice as unpleasant as his iron-like face, "Commander, are you planning to make a move against those women?"

Yin Tianjie nodded slightly, "You both know what happened tonight... If it weren't for those women intervening, would we be in this state? Since we've already turned against them, we might as well strike first... Mobilize our men now. Call back those on non-urgent missions. I want to ensure that in three days, we confront them with our strongest force."

"Understood, Commander," Bai Xiutian spoke gravely, "But Commander... Given that Feng Lou's strength is comparable to ours, and we've lost two Warriors... if we really clash..."

Yin Tianjie considered this, but recalling the mysterious man in black's abilities, he chuckled coldly, "No worries, even with our current forces, we can still overpower them... If you're concerned, recruit some Warrior-level mercenaries from our ranks, promising them their pick of Feng Lou's women and belongings upon success!"

Bai Xiutian's face changed, and he replied eagerly, "Commander, you're wise. To be honest, I've had my eye on those women from Feng Lou for a long time, especially Wu Xingyu..."

"Wu Xingyu!?" Yin Tianjie frowned slightly, then sighed, "Honestly, I'm also quite interested in her, but remember, you can touch anyone but Wu Xingyu. If you do, even I don't know the consequences..."

As Yin Tianjie spoke with a strange expression, Bai Xiutian and Daniel exchanged glances but dared not voice their doubts. However, it seemed that other forces were also manipulating things behind the scenes. Although being a pawn wasn't ideal, such a rare chance to eliminate Feng Lou couldn't be missed.

Yin Tianjie waved his hand, "Enough about that. Go handle the important matters. I don't believe with such conditions, those mercenaries won't be tempted!"

Suddenly, a crisp clapping sound broke the silence in Blood Wolf Fortress, followed by a light chuckle. "What a splendid offer! Not just the mercenaries, even I'm tempted! Say, Commander Yin, shouldn't you include me as well?"

The unexpected voice startled everyone in the hall. They swiftly turned towards the front door, where the two guards previously stationed were now lying in a pool of blood. Several faint figures were entering the hall, led by two individuals – Long Aotian and Long Fei.

"Long Aotian! Long Fei!?" Seeing the two, Bai Xiutian and Daniel couldn't help but sneer. Yin Tianjie's expression turned sinister... Why now? Why them?

However, such thoughts couldn't change the situation. Yin Tianjie took a deep breath and regained his composure. He clapped his hands, feigning a smile, "So it's the head of the Long family and the young master... What wind brings you here today? It seems my Blood Wolf Fortress is truly honored..."

"Don't be modest," Long Fei laughed, "Commander Yin, you're such a formidable and intimidating figure. Our visit is just icing on the cake. But I just heard you're planning to move against Feng Lou? If I'm not mistaken, wasn't Blood Wolf Town solely under the control of your mercenary group? Since when did you become so generous as to share your territory? Since that's the case, why not make some room for our Long family as well?"

"Sure," Yin Tianjie sneered coldly, "If you, the head of the Long family, have the strength to flatten my Blood Wolf Fortress today, then not only will I give up a position, but Blood Wolf Town might as well be yours... How about that?"

Long Aotian replied with a light smile, "Commander Yin, you're exaggerating... It's as if our Long family's visit is akin to fighting and killing."

"Oh? Aren't you here for fighting and killing?" Yin Tianjie replied with a mocking tone, "Then, Young Master Long, why don't you tell us what you're really here for today?"

"To collect debts," Long Aotian said calmly, "These past days, Commander Yin, you have taken quite a lot from our Long family. We've been busy and haven't troubled you about it, but today, you've gone too far. If the Long family doesn't come to collect, it would be inappropriate..."

Yin Tianjie's face clouded over. Usually quick to anger, his experiences had made him more cautious. He just coldly smiled and asked, "And how do you plan to collect these debts?"

"Heh... Isn't that obvious?" Long Aotian coldly chuckled, "Paying debts and taking lives for lives, it's only fair... Commander, you've killed quite a few of our Long family members these days, haven't you? How about having your entire mercenary group pay with their lives? As for tonight, since you attacked Young Master Ye, let's start with three lives in this hall!"

"Insolence! Bastard!" Daniel and Bai Xiutian shouted in unison. Yin Tianjie's expression changed slightly, "When did I attack Ye Qingma?"

Long Aotian replied indifferently, "Today, my brother Ye had a conflict with you, Commander Yin, at Tianxiang Tower, and tonight he was found dead in his room. It seems, in Wan Chao City, you are the only one with both the motive and the strength to kill Brother Ye... It's a pity, Commander Yin, you killed a member of my Long family. We could've overlooked it considering the bigger picture, but killing Brother Ye is something my sect will not let go of. So, I have no choice but to take action. Blame your own shortsightedness for messing with the wrong person!"

"Ha! Excellent!" Yin Tianjie responded coldly, "Framing me is easy, but to successfully frame me, you need the strength to kill me. Otherwise, from tomorrow, there might be no Long family in Wan Chao City!"

Long Fei coldly retorted, "Yin Tianjie, enough with the nonsense. If you know what's good for you, hand over that item, or else..."

"That item?" Yin Tianjie's face changed, then burst into laughter, "So that's it! The Long family is here for that item. It seems your noses are quite sharp. The item just arrived in my hands, and you're already here to snatch it. All this talk of debts and revenge is just an excuse. Your real goal is that item!"

"Long Fei, it's a pity how you've conducted yourself after all these years in Wan Chao City. It's no wonder the Long family is suppressed by the Li and Mo families! With such a worthless head of the family, who else is to blame? If you want to take action, just do it. Don't bother with excuses. Pah..."

Long Fei's face twitched slightly, then coldly said, "It seems we cannot agree. But I suppose with your temperament, Yin Tianjie, you wouldn't let go of that item. So... let's fight."

With his cry, sounds of fighting suddenly erupted from all around Blood Wolf Fortress, indicating that the Long family had already infiltrated the fortress. It wasn't that the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group was careless, but rather, no one had ever dared to target them before. Caught off guard, they fell victim to a well-planned ambush.

Hearing the fighting sounds, Yin Tianjie's expression changed. "Xiutian, go and take command. Send a signal for everyone to return. We must ensure the Long family is eliminated this time!"

However, Long Fei laughed, "Why leave when you've already come? I've long heard of the four great killers under Commander Yin, but it seems only two are left... It looks like I've prepared too much! Elders, please!"

With that, Long Fei stepped aside, and three individuals emerged from behind him, appearing as ordinary members of the Long family. Yet, just their presence made Yin Tianjie inwardly shiver, aware that these elders from the Long family were most likely at the Warrior level. Despite having three people on his side, Yin Tianjie felt at a disadvantage with Long Fei and the astute Long Aotian also present.

Fearing that without proper command, the mercenaries outside couldn't withstand the Long family's premeditated attack, Yin Tianjie's rare composure began to falter. He wasn't particularly concerned about the mercenaries' lives; his worry was that if they were wiped out, he wouldn't be able to explain himself in three days. Thinking this, Yin Tianjie lost his calm, gritted his teeth, and said in a low voice, "You go out! Daniel and I will hold them off!"

As he spoke, blood-red fighting spirit surged around Yin Tianjie, and in a blink, a delicate armor of fighting spirit clothed him. He dashed not towards the three elders but towards Long Aotian.