Mountain Hunting Ground

Under the old locust tree in Linshan Town, Old Sun, the owner of a tea stall, has been feeling empty inside these past few days, as if something is missing.

Those three oddballs who always occupied a table in the corner—Mr. Wu, who was quietly reading the Three Character Classic; the taciturn "old farmer" puffing on his pipe; and the lively and enthusiastic "peddler"—

They disappeared at the same time!

They didn't come the day before yesterday morning, and they didn't come yesterday either.

The table in the corner was unusually empty, and was occupied by a few porters taking a break.

At first, Old Sun was relieved, thinking that those pairs of eyes hiding in the shadows of the trees had finally moved away, and he no longer had to be on edge.

But before he could finally relax, an even stronger sense of unease gripped his heart.

This was so sudden!

Mr. Wu, rain or shine, is always the first to arrive and the last to leave every day!

Even if it's windy or rainy, he will definitely come and sit for half a day, as if this tea stall is his lifeline.

Why did you suddenly stop coming?

Old Sun carried the large teapot, looking at the empty table, and felt a chill in his heart that was even stronger than in the past few days.

He recalled the calculating glint in Mr. Wu's eyes after the drunkard discussed the young master and his wife of the Shen family that day.

I recall the sudden sharpness in the eyes of that "old farmer" beneath his straw hat.

Recalling the peddler's probing of Uncle Yang...

They wait here, weaving invisible webs like spiders, waiting for their prey.

The web is still there, but the spider is gone? This is definitely not a good thing!

"Uncle Sun, what are you looking at?"

A familiar bricklayer came over with a bowl to refill the water, and following Old Sun's gaze, said, "Oh, those three strange men? Good riddance! It's so peaceful! They were always so gloomy, just looking at them was unlucky!"

"They've left?"

Old Sun gave a bitter smile and lowered his voice, "I'm afraid they haven't left, they're... about to make their move!"

The bricklayer was taken aback: "Start something? Start what?"

Old Sun shook his head and didn't dare to say anything more.

He turned his gaze toward the blacksmith's shop at the east end of the town.

There, the newly arrived blacksmith Zhao Tiezhu still only opened his shop in limited quantities each day, and his attitude was terrible. However, he closed the shop earlier than usual, and the lights in the backyard often stayed on until late at night. The dull, unnatural sound of hammering became even more frequent.

Several farmers who regularly come to drink tea are also discussing:

"Hey, have you guys noticed? That carriage with the blue cloth curtain hanging at the entrance of town seems to have disappeared too?"

"Yes, yes! That's the one, always parked on the street corner, and nobody ever gets out..."

"And in the dilapidated temple at the west end, there seemed to be a few unfamiliar faces huddled there a couple of days ago, looking fierce and menacing. But when I went to check this morning, it was empty! All that was left was a mess of straw mats..."

These fragmented discussions, like scattered beads, were strung together by Old Sun's uneasy mind.

The strange man has disappeared, the mysterious carriage has vanished, the thug has left, and the strange noises from the blacksmith's shop are intensifying...

A heavy sense of impending storm loomed over Linshan Town.

Old Sun couldn't sit still any longer.

He found an excuse to hastily close the tea stall and decided to personally visit Chenji Workshop.

He had to tell Liu Quan, the person in charge, about the unusual things that had happened these past few days, especially the sudden disappearance of those three strange men!

This is no coincidence!

Just as Old Sun was rushing to the workshop, deep in the dense forest at the foot of the mountain, a murderous intent had already solidified into a tangible form.

Poison-Eyed Wu, the same Mr. Wu who read the Three Character Classic, had taken off his worn-out indigo long gown and put on a tight-fitting night suit that was easy to climb. He had a poisoned short blade and a blowgun hanging at his waist. His face was no longer refined, but only had the ferocity of a jackal.

Beside him were more than a dozen ruthless thugs with fierce eyes and imposing auras.

Some of them were agile and their movements carried the efficiency characteristic of soldiers.

They were the real people disguised as "old farmer" and "peddler"!

Several other people were holding steel claw hooks and specially made ropes that Zhao Tiezhu had hastily made in the backyard of his blacksmith shop.

"Listen carefully, everyone!"

Poison Eye Wu's voice was extremely low, yet it sounded like ice shards coated with poison: "There should be a wooden house on the mountaintop, and the target is inside!"

Capture them alive! Especially that woman!

After succeeding, they used ropes to evacuate from the cliff behind the mountain!

That woman is shrewd; don't let her get caught off guard!

After this is done, the boss will treat everyone well!

"clear!"

The crowd responded in hushed tones, their eyes gleaming with greed and malice.

The thick night fog provided them with excellent cover.

A dozen or so dark figures, like ghosts, used sophisticated grappling hooks and ropes to avoid easy ambush routes and instead chose rugged, steep rock faces, silently climbing towards the mountain peak that was considered a forbidden zone.

Their movements were professional and their teamwork was excellent, clearly indicating that they had undergone meticulous planning and rehearsal.

The long-term surveillance at the tea stalls in Linshan Town, the secret preparations at the blacksmith's shop—all the lurking undercurrents finally converged into a deadly dagger, piercing the target!

At this moment, the mountaintop was completely silent, shrouded in mist, seemingly unaware of the impending danger approaching from below.

Only Ling Zhan, who was sleeping soundly in the wooden house, had his thick eyelashes tremble almost imperceptibly for a moment.

A mountain breeze carried a faint, metallic scraping sound from the rock face below…

Ling Zhan suddenly opened his eyes while he was asleep.

She didn't have any extraordinary senses; it was just the mountain wind that carried the extremely subtle, metallic scraping sound of the rock below!

Star Core Zero seemed to have become one with the mountain, and she knew Zero's "breathing" perfectly.

Any sound that is not natural is a warning!

She sat up silently, her eyes as cold as blades in the darkness, and burned the note sent by the Snowbird of the Shenyan Sect.

There was no panic, only the absolute calm of a hunter discovering his prey has stepped into a trap.

She quickly woke up Little Stone and Daya in the inner room and whispered, "We have an unwelcome guest. Please enter the quiet room."

The two children, having undergone long-term survival training, had already internalized this instinct. They instantly snapped to attention, grabbed the emergency kits they had prepared, and silently hid in the most sturdy storage room in the house, which had a hidden door, and locked it from the inside.

Ling Zhan then emerged from the wooden house like a ghost, disappearing into the thick fog and the night.

Instead of confronting her head-on, she launched the mountaintop hunting ground she had cultivated for many years!

The intruders climbed to a relatively flat rock platform, just about to catch their breath and regroup.

The leader tripped, as if he had broken some thin thread!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Several short, hardwood spears, taut with strong vines and sharpened and poisoned, shot out from the dense vines above and to the side!

A clever angle, and it happened silently!

Two short, muffled groans!

A desperate criminal was pierced through the thigh; the poison spread rapidly, and his face instantly turned bluish-purple.

Another person suffered a graze to their arm; although not fatal, it caused profuse bleeding and limited their mobility.

Panic spread instantly!

They didn't even see where the attack came from!

Poison Eye Wu growled, "Scatter! Watch out for traps!"

The team was forced to disperse.

Dense fog blanketed the forest, reducing visibility to extremely low levels.

They tried to find their way to the cabin by following the directions in their memory, but were horrified to discover that the marked trees seemed to have changed! Ling Zhan used his extreme familiarity with the terrain to transplant similar shrubs or set up visual misdirections at key points, and combined with the dense fog, he created a natural maze!

The outlaws wandered aimlessly through the seemingly familiar woodland, like headless flies.

Two desperate outlaws, eager to find a way out, stepped into what appeared to be a solid patch of grass.

"Pfft!"

Suddenly, the ground gave way beneath my feet, and I sank in instantly!

Below was actually a disguised mud pit!

The surface was covered with turf and a thin layer of soil, but inside was a deep quagmire created by Ling Zhan using mountain spring water! One person struggled and was quickly swallowed up, while another person barely managed to grab the edge, but was entangled by vines mixed in with paralyzing toxins in the swamp, sinking deeper and deeper, their cries for help swallowed by the thick fog.

A group of people attempted to force their way through a new path, approaching the bottom of a steep slope.

"Crack!" The sound of a dry branch snapping came from above!

"Watch out! Above!"

As soon as the warning sound was heard, several huge rocks, each weighing hundreds of kilograms and cleverly suspended by vines, crashed down with a loud bang!

This is a rockfall trap set up by Ling Zhan using natural rock fissures and the lever principle!

The boulder rolled down with terrifying force. Although its aim was slightly off, as it was not precision-guided, it still injured one person and completely scattered the team, blocking the passage and causing even greater chaos and fear.

Wu, with his sharp eyes, was terrified!

This is hardly an arrest.

It was as if we had stepped into a meticulously prepared death trap!

The woman didn't even need to show herself; the mountain seemed to come alive, reaping lives for her!

"Forget about direction! Once you see the cabin, storm it! Capture the people! Set it on fire!"

Poison Eye Wu roared an order, attempting to break the deadlock with violence.

He forcibly gathered the remaining seven or eight men together, no longer caring about concealment. Wielding swords and knives, they hacked at the vines and bushes blocking their path, charging towards the approximate direction of the wooden house they had learned of. Flames began to appear—

They lit torches in an attempt to dispel the fog and fear, and also prepared to burn down the wooden huts to force people out!

The firelight revealed their location and ignited Ling Zhan's murderous intent.

In the thick fog and shadows, Ling Zhan was like the most experienced cheetah.

She used her absolute control over the terrain to appear and disappear mysteriously behind the shadows of trees and rocks.

In his hand was a uniquely shaped composite crossbow—

The main body is made of tough old bamboo strips stacked and bent, the bowstring is made of a mixture of metal wire and special animal sinew, and the crossbow body combines wood and some polished lightweight hard stone pieces. It is a primitive application of interstellar material concepts, lightweight yet incredibly powerful!

The crossbow bolts were short, hardwood arrows coated with a mixture of neurotoxins extracted from highly poisonous plants and animals found in the mountains.

"puff!"

An outlaw carrying a torch was shot in the throat and collapsed to the ground without uttering a sound, extinguishing the torch.

"Whoosh!"

The other person had just heard the sound of something cutting through the air when he felt a sharp pain in his ribs. The poison took effect quickly, causing him to become paralyzed and convulse.

Precise, efficient, and silent!

Ling Zhan's every appearance was like a ghost, and every time his crossbow bolt left the bowstring, it took away or severely injured an enemy.

She brought the Space Marines’ skills of stealth, sniping, and environmental exploitation to their fullest potential with this body and primitive tools!

Finally, a highly skilled scout, relying on his experience and intuition, discovered the boulder where Ling Zhan was hiding.

They launched a fierce attack!

The blade flashed fiercely!

Ling Zhan discarded his crossbow and drew the Moonlight Dagger from his waist.

Clang! Sparks flew! The short dagger precisely parried the slash.

Ling Zhan advanced instead of retreating.

His body seemed boneless as he cut into the opponent's center at an incredible angle!

With his left hand forming a claw, he swiftly grabbed the tendon on the opponent's wrist holding the knife, while his right knee slammed into the opponent's abdomen like a battering ram!

The scout groaned, the intense pain instantly draining his strength.

Ling Zhan twisted his body and executed a clean and swift over-the-shoulder throw, slamming him heavily onto a protruding, sharp rock!

The sound of bone cracking was clearly audible!

The entire process took no more than three breaths!

The mastery of strength, skill, and timing has reached the pinnacle of human physical ability! Pure art of killing!

Poison Eye Wu watched his men fall like wheat being harvested, and his heart trembled with fear!

He finally realized that he had provoked no ordinary woman!

He acted like a madman, pulling out a bamboo tube and about to blow poisonous smoke towards the wooden house!

A crossbow bolt whistled through the air and pierced his blowgun tube with pinpoint accuracy! Poisonous smoke exploded right in front of him!

"ah--!"

Poison-Eyed Wu let out a shrill scream, clutching his face and rolling on the ground as the poisonous fumes burned his eyes and respiratory tract.

Ling Zhan's figure seemed to emerge from the thick fog.

Standing before him, the cold sole of his boot pressed down on his hand as he tried to reach for the knife, crushing his finger bones.

Her face was stained with a few drops of enemy blood, but her eyes were eerily calm.

Looking down at Poison Eye Wu is like looking down at a struggling ant.

As dawn approached, the thick fog gradually dissipated.

The mountaintop returned to deathly silence, leaving only the lingering stench of blood and a scene of utter devastation.

The intruders were either killed or seriously injured, rendering them incapable of action.

Ling Zhan inspected the battlefield expressionlessly, confiscating weapons and disposing of corpses by simply pushing them into deep valleys or swamps.

Most of the traces of the battle were quickly erased.

She tightly bound the only conscious but blind and groaning Poison Eye Wu with vines, treating him like a piece of trash.

She did not interrogate, nor was there any need for interrogation.

She either already knows who's behind it all, or she simply doesn't care.

As the first rays of dawn pierced the clouds, Ling Zhan dragged Poison Eye Wu to the steepest cliff edge on the back mountain, where the town of Linshan could be clearly seen below. She cut the vines binding Poison Eye Wu's feet and, amidst his desperate cries, kicked him off the cliff!

Poison-Eyed Wu tumbled and fell like a tattered sack, his shrill scream shattering the morning's tranquility. He finally crashed into a mangled mess of flesh and blood on a rocky beach beside the official road outside Linshan Town! The location was chosen with extreme "care," ensuring that it would be easily spotted by early risers or people at the town's entrance!

Deterrence!

This is the most primitive, bloodiest, and most effective warning!

The corpse of the invaders' leader was used to declare to all forces that coveted the mountaintop.

This place is a hunting ground for demons. Unauthorized trespassers will die!

Ling Zhan calmly led Xiao Shitou and Sui He down the mountain and back to the Shen family mansion.

It was as if they had just done some ordinary work in the mountains.

However, news broke that Poison Eye Wu's mangled body had been discovered.

It swept through Qingzhou like a hurricane!

Combining the unusual activity at the blacksmith shop and tea stall in Linshan Town, with the record of Liu Quan, the manager of Shenji Workshop, reporting to the yamen that "it is suspected that bandits are spying on the mountain dwellings," anyone with eyes could guess what had happened!

The Longchang's base in Qingzhou was deathly silent, and it dared not make any further moves.

Upon hearing this, the Ministry of Works' special envoy Qian was so frightened that he packed his bags overnight.

He hastily left Qingzhou under the pretext of "official business".

Those restless forces were as if they had been doused with a bucket of ice water.

They fell silent instantly, temporarily sheathing their claws.

Seeing Ling Zhan and the other two return unharmed, and hearing the news from down the mountain, Shen Yan felt a surge of awe for Ling Zhan, which reached its peak! This was not just because he was strong and knew a little about mechanisms!

What a terrifying existence, what a killing power and what a deterrent force this is!

He became even more determined to follow in Ling Zhan's footsteps.

The mountaintop remained shrouded in mist, serene and mysterious.

However, from then on, it was only in the hidden rumors of Qingzhou and even the surrounding areas.

It has acquired a name that evokes fear – Shura Cliff.

No one dared to easily set foot in that forbidden zone marked by blood and death anymore.

Ling Zhan used the most cruel method.

For myself and my children, I have earned true peace in this place.

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