Tiger Roars in Black Wind Gorge

The God of Wealth of the North Road, who had just relaxed, suddenly felt his heart leap into his throat again, and he almost dropped the jade cup in his hand: "What? Another incident?! How is the caravan? Has it been damaged?" His biggest concern was the safety of the newly reopened trade route.

"Your Excellency, to avoid causing panic, we did not make a fuss at the time, and the returning caravan was fine as usual. Recently, no caravans have passed through Black Wind Gorge during that period, and no actual conflict has occurred. Everything is normal," the official hurriedly reported. "However... this matter is quite strange."

Tu Shanlan frowned and stepped forward: "Lord Caishen, something is amiss. Black Wind Gorge is a strategically important and vital passage on the trade route. If there are indeed those with ill intentions entrenched here, they will become a major threat sooner or later. The project has just been restarted and cannot withstand any storms. We must nip the potential danger in the bud."

"What Lan girl says is absolutely right!" The God of Wealth of the North Road stroked his beard and paced anxiously for a couple of steps. "But this matter must be handled discreetly! We absolutely cannot let the news leak out, otherwise the confidence we've just built up will be completely destroyed!"

He stopped abruptly, his sharp gaze fixed on Tu Shanlan, Ao Ming, and Qian Jin: "Lan girl, your Chen Group has just performed a great service and knows the ins and outs of this matter best. I order you to immediately lead the Chen Group to Black Wind Gorge in secret to investigate! You must find out the situation. If there is indeed a small group of demons causing trouble, eliminate them on the spot to prevent future problems! Remember, do it silently!"

"Disciple obeys!" Tu Shanlan replied solemnly.

A hint of excitement flashed in Ao Ming's eyes, and the warlike blood of the dragon race began to boil slightly.

---

A moment later, a small caravan quietly left the back gate of the North Road God of Wealth Palace.

Several pack animals were pulling what appeared to be heavy cargo, but in reality, it was all ordinary spiritual materials being stockpiled. Tu Shanlan transformed into an experienced female merchant, while Ao Ming and Qian Jin disguised themselves as her guards and accountant, respectively.

The closer you get to Black Wind Gorge, the more stagnant the atmosphere becomes.

The steep, dark cliffs on both sides resemble the fangs of a giant beast, seemingly poised to devour this narrow strip of sky completely. The cold wind here becomes fierce, howling and whistling as it weaves through the jagged rocks.

Ao Ming walked at the front, his golden vertical pupils warily scanning every shadow above him, his dragon-like senses heightened to their limit. Tu Shanlan provided support from the middle, her divine sense spreading out like mercury. Qian Jin followed at the back, seemingly checking the ledgers, but in reality, her eyes and ears were constantly scanning the surroundings, her fingers unconsciously tapping on her storage bag, which contained not only an abacus but also her dark "firewood stick" and a bunch of oddly shaped odds and ends.

The sound of camel bells was particularly jarring in the deathly silent canyon.

Sudden!

"Buzz!"

A strange buzzing sound came from overhead! On both sides of the cliff, dozens of huge, dark black boulders engraved with twisted runes crashed down with tremendous force, hitting the middle of the caravan precisely!

"There was an ambush! Form the formation!" Ao Ming reacted with lightning speed. The moment the dragon roared to warn him, his body erupted with azure dragon energy, his form swelled up to half-dragon, and his huge dragon claw swung upwards fiercely. The boundless water elemental power transformed into a barrier, ruthlessly smashing several falling boulders!

"Protect the cargo!" Tu Shanlan shouted, and a soft azure halo instantly expanded, protecting the pack animals and the people.

Qian Jin reacted just as quickly, leaping off the hunchback the instant the boulder fell!

"Swish swish!"

Following the falling rocks came a dense barrage of poisoned arrows and low-level spells, shooting out from the shadows of the cliffs on both sides, with clear targets aimed at the most threatening half-dragon Ao Ming and Tu Shan Lan who was maintaining the formation.

"You cowardly rats hiding your heads and tails!" Ao Ming roared, sweeping away the rain of arrows with his dragon tail. He spewed out icy dragon breath, freezing a section of cliff on the left. Several dark figures who couldn't dodge in time fell with screams.

However, the enemy was numerous and held the advantage of terrain, attacking from all directions. Ao Ming and Tu Shanlan were temporarily suppressed and their movements became somewhat restricted. The enemy seemed well-trained, their attacks were highly methodical, constantly disrupting and sabotaging, attempting to tear apart the defenses.

Qian Jin settled the "cargo" and watched as a poisoned arrow grazed past the cargo box she had just reinforced, leaving a corrosive mark.

"Repair costs... at least three low-grade spirit stones!" she muttered under her breath, her eyes instantly blazing with the rage of seeing a loss. She yanked out the dark fire poker, and with a flash, pounced on the right cliff like a ghost!

Her fighting style was devoid of any magical techniques, yet ruthless and efficient to the extreme! She specifically targeted ambushers who were casting spells or aiming. She would poke their ankles, kick their knees, and precisely stab their wrists or storage pouches with her fire poker!

"Oh no!" "My magical artifact!" "What kind of person is this woman?!"

Screams and cries of alarm came from the ambush point on the right. Qian Jin was like a chaos-generating machine, completely disrupting the attack rhythm of the ambushers on the right.

However, the pressure on the left side remained immense. Ao Ming was struggling to hold on alone, and several shallow scratches had already appeared on his dragon scales. Just as he was preparing to withstand the attack and forcefully charge into the enemy's main formation!

"roar!!!!!!"

A thunderous roar, powerful and unparalleled, suddenly erupted from the other end of the canyon, like a thunderclap from a clear sky!

The tiger's roar contained the ferocious pressure of the king of beasts, instantly drowning out all other sounds and causing all the ambushing soldiers to freeze in their tracks!

Immediately afterward, a dark green figure, as fast as lightning tearing through space, hurtled into the canyon entrance! It pounced with perfect precision on several ambushes on the left cliff who were channeling spells!

Claws flashed, and blood splattered!

Those ambush soldiers were torn to pieces and sent flying in an instant!

The figure moved without stopping, like a highly efficient killing machine, darting and weaving on the left cliff. With each attack, an ambush soldier was killed or seriously injured and fell to the ground!

Ao Ming felt a sudden relief from the pressure and looked over in surprise.

The man was lean and wiry, yet his movements were explosively powerful. His beastly eyes gleamed with a wild, golden-green light, and his mouth was wide open, revealing two sharp, blood-stained tiger teeth.

The person who came was none other than Brother Ban!

"Sick cat?! What are you doing here?!" Ao Ming was both surprised and delighted.

Ban Ge'er ripped open the throat of a demon soldier with a claw and roared back angrily, "Shut up, stupid dragon! I've been chasing a cunning demon who stole tribute from the Southern Border all the way to this godforsaken place! I had just caught a whiff of its scent when you guys interrupted me with your incessant noise!"

He cursed as he worked, clearing out the ambushers on his left like a tiger among sheep. "What are you all standing there for? Clear the area! You'll pay for delaying my catching of the thief!"

Qian Jin shouted from the other side, "Brother Ban! Catch the ringleader! He's worth more alive than dead! Split the reward in half!"

Ban Ge'er's beastly eyes lit up, and his attacks became even more ferocious, focusing on dismembering arms and legs to leave survivors.

With the addition of Ban Ge'er as a fresh force, the battle situation instantly reversed. The ambush troops, caught off guard by the sudden appearance of such a ferocious tiger demon, were thrown into chaos.

Soon, the remaining ambush troops let out a sharp whistle and retreated like a tide into the shadowy crevices of the cliff, disappearing without a trace, leaving only a mess and a few barely alive prisoners.

The battle came to an abrupt end.

Ban Ge'er flicked his paws, nimbly jumped down, and glanced disdainfully at Ao Ming's scrapes: "Tsk, what a sorry sight, Third Prince Ao."

Ao Ming snorted coldly, his dragon transformation features fading: "It's still better than some people who can't even catch up with a little demon."

"You!" Ban Ge'er instantly bristled.

Qian Jin was already squatting beside the prisoners, skillfully looting the spoils and interrogating them: "Tell me, who sent you? Do you know how much these goods are worth? If you can't pay for them, we'll pawn you and force you to mine!"

Watching the noisy Longhu and Qian Jin calculating their losses, Tu Shanlan withdrew her magic and breathed a slight sigh of relief. She stepped forward, her gaze falling on the prisoners, her eyes sharpening.

She crouched down, a gentle yet irresistible blue light swirling between her fingertips, and lightly touched the forehead of a less seriously injured prisoner. The prisoner trembled, the fear and pain in his eyes seemingly soothed slightly, but his mind became somewhat dazed.

“Look into my eyes,” Tu Shanlan’s voice carried the innate allure of the fox clan, gentle yet penetrating to the heart, “Tell me, who are you? Why are you ambushing us here?”

The prisoner's lips trembled, his eyes filled with struggle, but under Tu Shanlan's magic, he finally managed to speak haltingly: "We...we are 'Black Fiends'...we take money...to do things..."

"Black Fiend?" Ao Ming frowned, clearly unfamiliar with the name. "A newly emerged bandit gang in the Northern Border?"

“No…it doesn’t seem like it…” Tu Shanlan shook her head and continued to press, “Who hired you? What is your purpose?”

“I…I don’t know…the middleman…who relayed the message…” The prisoner’s eyes were vacant. “He only said…to stop the caravan at all costs…to completely destroy this road…”

Qian Jin immediately interjected, getting straight to the point: "Who was the middleman? How were they contacted? How was the payment made? How much was paid? In cash or as a discount on the treasure?"

Her series of questions, brimming with the scent of copper coins, almost made Tu Shanlan, who was casting a spell, lose her composure.

The prisoner was taken aback by the question, and shook his head blankly: "...I don't know...the news and the deposit...are all...in the crevice of the rock under the third crooked tree in Black Wind Gorge..."

"Hey! I know this like the back of my hand!" Ban Ge'er perked up at the mention of this, glancing smugly at Ao Ming. "Digging pits to bury treasure and tracking people are our Tiger Clan's specialty! Much better than some people who can only smash things!"

As he spoke, he sniffed hard, as if trying to catch the scent of the unfamiliar middleman in the air, but only sneezed. "Tsk, well hidden, the scent has almost dissipated."

Ao Ming snorted irritably but did not refute. He simply examined the arrows and broken rune stones scattered on the ground: "These guys are not highly skilled, but their equipment... is not something ordinary bandits could obtain. The arrowheads are made of magic-breaking black iron, and although the runes are crude, they are very unorthodox and not from the orthodox immortal sects."

Qian Jin had already swiftly looted all the valuables from the prisoners, even collecting and bundling up the undamaged arrows. Hearing this, he looked up, his eyes shining: "Breaking magic black iron? Is it valuable? Can these rune stones be recycled? Can we recoup some of our costs by melting them down and reforging them?"

Tu Shanlan glanced helplessly at Qian Jin, who had instantly entered a money-grubbing state, stood up, and said with a solemn expression, "This matter seems to be more complicated than it appears. It's not an ordinary robbery, but rather a targeted act of sabotage. 'Black Fiend' is just a pawn; there must be someone else behind it."

She gazed into the depths of Black Wind Gorge, where the fog seemed even thicker: "Brother Ban, was that cunning demon you were chasing also fleeing in this direction?"

Ban scratched his head: "Yeah, that slippery thing's pungent smell disappears around here! Do you think... it might have panicked and wandered into these guys' lair? Or... it was deliberately lured here by these guys?" His mind was unusually sharp for once.

Ao Ming crossed his arms: "In any case, it seems Black Wind Gorge needs to be thoroughly cleaned up. Sister Lan, should we go back and report first, or..."

Tu Shanlan hesitated for a moment, then decisively said, "Opportunities are fleeting. Brother Ban, please go ahead and follow the scent of the cunning demon and the clues provided by the prisoners to investigate the crooked tree and the surrounding area. Remember to conceal your presence and report any unusual activity immediately. Ao Ming, Qian Jin, we will escort the prisoners and follow behind, clearing away any remaining ambush points along the way. We must find more clues before the person behind this reacts!"

"Understood!" Ban Ge'er grinned, his figure blurred into a green shadow, silently merging into the shadows of the cliff and disappearing instantly.

Qian Jin looked in the direction where Ban Ge'er had disappeared, then glanced at the bundled spoils on the ground. Finally, he nodded in satisfaction and patted his bulging storage bag: "This business trip is finally starting to pay off. Let's go, maybe there are even more 'depreciated assets' waiting for us to reclaim ahead!"

Ao Ming and Tu Shanlan exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of amusement and helplessness in each other's eyes.

The three men regrouped and, leading the prisoner, slowly made their way into the deep, unknown canyon.