The Sanzu Mountain Range is named after the three highest peaks that can be seen from afar.

This mountain range mainly runs east-west and is also the dividing line between Nanzhou and Zhongzhou.

The south is hot and dry, with many volcanoes, so the landscape is basically bare rock with no vegetation.

Due to the moist air currents from Dongzhou in the north, there are many vegetation meadows and the climate is much better than that in the south of the mountains.

The Jinwu clan lived in the south of the Sanzu Mountains and firmly occupied several passes leading into the mountains, collecting tolls day after day... Of course, it was said that mining and smelting were the main businesses of the Jinwu clan, and collecting tolls was just extra money.

On the way, Long Long met many fleeing members of the Horn Tribe. After careful questioning, he learned that due to the war zone in the north, most of the caravans and travelers now took the Sanzu Mountains instead.

Correspondingly, tolls have also risen, from 10,000 crystals half a year ago to 20,000 crystals recently, and it is said that the price will continue to rise.

Upon hearing the price, Long Long and Long Hu were also stunned.

In the bag of Longhu's mother, she left about 2,000 crystals as start-up capital for the two. After Longlong's persistent work on the road and Longhu's eating and drinking, there were about 1,000 crystals left.

Paying tolls is not enough.

At this point, it is of course impossible to wait until I have made enough money before going there... Who knows how much the price will rise by then!

Having experienced the previous real estate craze, Long Long realized that during the rising market period, the speed at which you save money cannot keep up with the speed at which financial prices rise.

We must come up with a surprise tactic!

He inquired again with the next wave of Horn Clan refugees he met, and learned that the Golden Crow Clan was extremely fond of shiny, rare, and valuable items.

If you don't have enough money, you can get some gold or fire magic weapons to make up for it.

However, Long Long and Long Hu did not have any extra magic weapons except their own flying swords.

The two men hurriedly trekked along the mountain road and encountered another wave of Horn Clan refugees. After asking around, they learned that there were also travelers who were unable to pay the tolls in the past, and were eventually sent to the mines by the Jinwu Clan to mine. They worked for a few months to offset the expenses, and were provided with food and lodging during that time.

This plan was rejected by Long Long immediately. It was impossible for him to work. How could it be possible for a cultivator to go mining?

"So," the Golden Crow monk guarding the checkpoint frowned and asked, "You have neither money nor magic weapons to pay off your debts, and you are unwilling to go mining?"

"I am from the Scale Tribe, she is from the Fur Tribe, and we are not the Horn Tribe that is known for its strength." Long Long said sincerely, "If we want to mine, it would take us three or four months to mine the amount that the Horn Tribe normally mines in a month. It is really hard for us to be of any use."

"But we don't have any other work for you to do here except mining..." Just as the Golden Crow monk finished speaking, he suddenly seemed to remember something, and showed a strange expression, and said with a smile, "Unless you dare to take the risk."

"Adventure?" Long Long asked.

"The slag left after our smelting will be thrown into a cave in the back mountain along with the garbage produced by our tribesmen," Monk Jinwu explained. "The fire element will flow into the cave regularly to burn the slag and garbage."

"But recently... ahem, a few thieves stole the tribe leader's things, and when they were chased, they panicked and fled into that cave."

"Since everyone is worried that we might encounter an explosion of Fire Element True Qi after going down, the clan plans to hire outsiders to go in and search... If you can find the stolen items of those thieves and bring them back intact, not only can the toll be waived, but we can also pay you an additional fee."

"Wow!" When Long Hu heard that there was a reward, he immediately discussed it with Long Long, "It sounds like a good idea!"

"Naive." Long Long laughed at her in a low voice, "Don't listen to his understatement. I don't know how many important points he is trying to avoid."

"Let's put aside other things. Is the danger in the cave just the eruption of the 'Fire Yuan Zhen Gang'? That no one from the Jinwu tribe dared to go in, and they had to go to the trouble of hiring outsiders who didn't know the details to find it?"

"Yes." Long Hu was not a stupid person. He reacted immediately after hearing Long Long's reminder.

This Fire Element True Energy must be extremely dangerous, so much so that the Jinwu clan had to hire outsiders to explore the cave - it was obvious that they were treating outsiders as consumables!

If they managed to get out alive, they would get back the stolen items and would not lose anything; if they died in there, they would not have to pay any reward.

It's a business that is sure to make money!

Seeing that the two men were whispering, it was obvious that they were not fooled by his words, so Monk Jinwu did not care much.

Whether it succeeds or not, it's just a matter of two cannon fodders. There's no need to push them into the fire pit.

Anyway, tolls are the tribe’s rule, and there is absolutely no way they would make concessions for these two people.

"Sir," Long Long asked with a smile, "If I want to know the details of the exploration of the cave, who can I ask for information?"

"Go to the right to enter the tribe's territory and tell them you want to sign up to explore the cave." Monk Jinwu pointed casually, "Someone will explain it to you before you go down the cave."

"That's great, thank you very much." Long Long thanked him sincerely.

He took the little fox's hand and walked towards the direction of the Jinwu tribe's territory.

Long Hu was a little puzzled. Long Long had just said that this mission had many hidden risks, but now he seemed to be planning to do it. Why?

After thinking about it carefully, she had a vague understanding:

Whether to do a task or not should be based on comprehensive information.

Neither blindly believing what the other party says nor doubting and retreating without evidence are reasonable options.

Bringing the thoughtful little fox to the Jinwu tribe's territory, Long Long reported his purpose and was soon led to one of the stone houses.

There are no trees or vegetation south of the Sanzu Mountains, but the mineral output is extremely rich. Therefore, most of the buildings in the tribe are made of special stones, which are ochre red all over and feel extremely warm to the touch.

Long Long studied the building materials in the house for a while, and then saw a few more people being brought in. They were probably monsters who had no money to pay the toll and were planning to take on the cave exploration mission.

The little fox hid behind Long Long in fear, pulled at the hem of his clothes, and stopped talking.

The three people who came were all from the Horned Tribe. Judging from the shape of their horns, they seemed to be some kind of cattle, and they were also tall and strong.

The leading bull demon looked at Long Long, who was only as tall as his waist, and smiled innocently, then slowly looked away.

Soon, a Golden Crow monk came in and explained many matters related to cave exploration:

"The stolen item we need you to find is a black feather fan called the 'Golden Crow True Fire Fan'."

"Although this magic weapon is rare, it can only be driven by the true blood of our Golden Crow clan. You won't be able to use it even if you take it, so don't have any inappropriate thoughts."

"The Golden Crow True Fire Fan is made of eighteen black feathers. There are three immortal seals engraved on the handle of the fan. It is very easy to identify. You will definitely not make a mistake when you get it."

"After you find this fan, return it to us after you leave the cave. In addition to the right to pass the Three-legged Mountain Range, your reward is 80,000 Moon Crystals, or you can choose any magic weapon from our clan's treasure house and take it away."

As soon as the voice fell, the three bull monsters looked at each other for a moment, and then said in unison:

"If the three of us brothers find the stolen items, the reward will only be a magic weapon. How should we divide it? I wonder if we can..."

"How to distribute it is your business. I don't care." The Golden Crow monk interrupted impatiently, then looked at Long Long and Long Hu and continued, "If there is no way to divide it, choosing the Moon Crystal Stone is the same."

Long Long had a blank expression on his face, but sneered in his heart.

If it was a low level demon, maybe there would be some who would choose a crystal stone. Who among those who truly embarked on the path of cultivation did not know the importance of their own strength?

Without any magic weapon to protect you, if you rashly gain wealth, you are just saving money for others!