"Hurry! Hurry!"
Accompanied by urging and the clattering sounds of axles rolling and denting, a long convoy was traveling up the snow-covered mountain.
This mountain path is steep and rugged, a plank road built on the edge of a cliff, but it is not conspicuous under the cover of the vines clinging to the cliff.
The plank road is like a series of perforated bronze pots hanging on it. The rust from years of wind erosion is mixed with the vines and is hard to distinguish. As the convoy moves forward, it sways under the weight, and the creaking sound is particularly loud in the mountains.
In the open mountains and forests, this is tantamount to announcing one's home, which, for hungry wild beasts or intelligent monsters, means telling them where the prey is.
This was naturally dangerous, so Ma'e, the leader of the caravan, looked nervously at the situation in the distant mountains and forests, praying that the people of Jiuniu Village would do their best to clear out the monsters here or at least reach a settlement.
But no matter how much they prayed, it was not as good as getting to the village quickly. After all, this place was not like Qingmang County. Because Xinsu had been fighting demons for ten years, it was difficult for demon beasts to enter. The masters of the small southern border, which belonged to the Jiuyue tribe and was barely surviving, were demon beasts, not the Jiuyue tribe that had been deceiving themselves with their broken spines.
"Hurry! Hurry!"
Thinking of this, Ma E felt a surge of anger, and began whipping the laborers, whose tongues had been cut out and who could only groan, with the poisonous vine whip soaked in tung oil, urging them to hurry up.
As for the oxen and horses pulling the carts, they are precious property and will not be damaged. But people are not so delicate, especially these Xin Su people and Gui Hua Jiu Yue people. They deserve to be killed no matter what!
Although Ma E's identity is that of a naturalized merchant, this does not change the fact that he is essentially a Jiu Yue person at heart, and this smuggling route is his contribution to the army!
Life in the mountains is fraught with difficulties, especially in areas teeming with monsters. In the past, replenishing supplies was difficult and quite dangerous.
However, if they trade with the Xinsu people using the resources of the mountains, the acquisition becomes much simpler and even more lucrative. Therefore, Ma'e did not become a naturalized merchant willingly, but only for the sake of the village and tribe.
This year marks the first time he has embarked on a large-scale trading career. In the past, he had only accumulated experience through small-scale, mobile transactions. It took him five years to obtain the certificate of naturalized merchant in Qingmang City, using the heads and skins of twelve people from his tribe as stepping stones.
As for the result... the timing was a bit off, since traveling and smuggling during heavy snowfall inevitably attracts attention and makes it easier to be intercepted by monsters.
Ultimately, there was no other way. After all, this was the first large-scale operation this year, and many procedures were slow, even with prior preparation. Moreover, he was restless for a long time after watching the Qingmang Battle to confirm the investment before he came to his senses and made a decision.
"Only change can save Jiuyue. The chieftain should understand my thoughts, after all, he also came from Xinsu."
Gazing at the distant plank road, Ma E was momentarily lost in thought. He had seen this plank road countless times and had even participated in its construction. Back then, he hadn't realized it was so long and seemingly endless.
The convoy continued forward, but the noise eventually attracted the attention of some other creatures. A crested eagle, flying silently in the clouds, clearly saw the convoy with its flesh and blood.
Its eyes darted around once, then it circled and flew backward, soaring to another mountain peak with a sheer cliff, barren and devoid of snow.
The snow there was a pale yellower than elsewhere, with many small holes, like hollowed-out stalagmites. Many similar or dissimilar rock eagles, sparrowhawks, hawks, and crested eagles flew around the mountain.
The dark mass of birds of prey exuded a sense of oppression, especially in the innermost part where the cries of the eagles, which were noticeably larger and had longer wings, could be heard. These birds of prey gradually spread their wings in unison, forming a formation according to a certain pattern.
Finally, a mottled, but exceptionally large and ferocious roc was formed with the participation of the flock of birds. It was huge, ferocious, powerful, and extremely oppressive.
If a human martial artist were to witness this, they would be astonished, as it clearly resembled a human military formation and also had the effect of a martial arts school gathering people to practice martial arts. This was because within this formation, the bodies of countless birds were subtly converging, moving towards a certain creature.
The lone crested eagle avoided the roc and headed towards the largest cave entrance in the mountain, where two spirited pale blue roc birds guarded the entrance, their bodies wreathed in green wind.
The crested eagle flew up to the two, lowered its head, and cried out. One of the eagles nodded and flew into the cave. A minute later, it flew out and released its obstruction.
At this moment, the crested eagle also flew into the cave, which was exceptionally spacious, clean, and free of droppings. Instead, it was covered with many neatly arranged vines bearing red berries and glowing insects.
The crested eagle looked at the fruits and insects with longing, but still maintained its restraint and flew deeper into a huge cave. Inside was a huge black and white tree, whose trunk and branches were indistinguishable. All I could see were dense branches that burrowed into the rock walls.
The whole thing resembles a large bottle, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. The tree trunk is transparent, and black and white vapors flow within it. Drops of thick liquid are born as they flow, and then gather and accumulate at the bottom.
Two wriggling tentacles extended from the tree trunk and penetrated into the body of a roc whose wings were two-thirds gold and one-third black and white.
Compared to it, the crested goshawk is like a tiny sparrow, which can be pecked in half with a single bite. Its eyes open, and its pupils slowly change from round to vertical.
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