Chapter 491: Fu Zhao vs Qing Hong Yan
Gu Dong, a former soldier, sprang into action the moment he received orders.
The intelligence from Mei Lin deepened his understanding of Blood Kin City, the Axe Gang, and the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
As a gold level soldier, his formidable strength drew widespread attention.
But asking him to run all the way to Blood Kin City on foot, like Lin had done, was simply too far.
Mei Lin stated directly, “Use the secret teleportation formation. Destroy it after you're done.”
Gu Dong swiftly reached the vicinity of Blood Kin City via the hidden teleportation formation.
“Blood Kin City...” Gu Dong gazed at the city walls and sighed.
He disliked the city's name, just like other soldiers from other kingdoms.
“It seems even the Axe Gang leader didn't want to come here back then, but he caused quite a ruckus.”
“Still, bringing in Fu Zhao at the cost of destroying a secret teleportation formation... that price is truly steep.”
Gu Dong mused inwardly.
Such a people-centered action strengthened his sense of belonging to the kingdom.
“According to intelligence, Fu Zhao possesses exceptional bloodline potential, capable of reaching gold level strength.”
“If we could recover his father's remains and inter them in Tranquil Hill, given time, he might become a new gold level combat force!”
The corpse of the Axe Gang leader was akin to a private gold level inheritance.
From this perspective, sacrificing a teleportation formation for a gold level combatant was hardly a significant loss.
The Axe Gang was the foremost power in Blood Kin City, even surpassing the authority of the city government palace.
After probing the situation, Gu Dong sensed the Axe Gang was teetering on the brink of collapse.
Their leader hadn't been seen for days. Normally, this wouldn't be unusual, but rumors were spreading throughout the city that the Axe Gang leader was dead!
“This must be a rumor deliberately spread by the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, right?”
“The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps isn't targeting the Axe Gang directly. They're using rumors to expose the gang's inherent weakness.”
“They plan to exploit the open conflict between the Axe Gang and the city government palace, leveraging the city lord's power to eliminate the Axe Gang!”
Gu Dong deduced the truth.
Indeed, that was the case.
After slaying the Axe Gang leader, Zong Ge and Zi Di had discussed how to handle the gang.
Undoubtedly, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps and the Axe Gang were mortal enemies, despite having forged a magic cooperation pact.
The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps couldn't spare more forces to deal with the Axe Gang.
Even if they had the strength, Zi Di didn't want to do it.
They had no connections or influence in Blood Kin City. Even if the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps wiped out the Axe Gang, they couldn't absorb most of the Axe Gang's assets. They'd only be doing the work for the Blood Kin City Lord.
Ultimately, they agreed: they would only spread rumors, prompting Blood Kin City's authorities to intervene. Meanwhile, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps would seize the opportunity to expand. Should the chance arise in the future, they might also get involved, devouring some of the Axe Gang's assets to bolster their own strength.
Gu Dong located the Axe Gang's headquarters with ease.
He wasn't concerned about the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ scheme; his focus was entirely on Fu Zhao.
That was his mission.
However, after asking, he received bad news, Fu Zhao had left, leading the Fire Axe Cavalry to escort a large merchant caravan. The vast majority of the caravan's cargo consisted of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' dragon rider potion.
Gu Dong immediately grew anxious: “This is bad. Qing Hong Yan has already gone to ambush the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' caravan. What if he encounters Fu Zhao?”
If it were any other holy warrior, Gu Dong wouldn't be so worried. The main concern was that Qing Hong Yan possessed a significant hidden danger. He couldn't handle too much provocation; rage would easily consume his mind, causing him to completely lose his senses and desire only to slaughter everything in sight.
Fu Zhao rode his horse, leading the gang members as they slowly escorted the caravan forward.
One of the Fire Axe Cavalrymen assigned to reconnaissance returned to report: “All clear.”
Fu Zhao nodded and continued assigning replacements for the patrols.
Seeing his relentless vigilance, a senior subordinate advised, "Young gang leader, such frequent reconnaissance isn't necessary. We're already close to Blood Kin City. No one would dare provoke the gang leader."
Fu Zhao's brow furrowed slightly.
He detected a hint of testing in those words.
After all, rumors of the Axe Gang leader's death had already spread throughout Blood Kin City.
"According to the original plan, Father should have returned that very night. At the very latest, he should have been back by the next day."
“But now, so many days have passed, and not a single word has come from Father.”
“Something must have gone wrong. Damn it...”
“What should I do?”
Just as Fu Zhao pondered how to respond to this probe, he suddenly heard the whoosh of wind.
The next moment, he saw a figure flying toward him from a distance.
The aura of a gold level fighter swept over him without the slightest concealment.
“Who goes there?!”
“A gold level fighter, and one who masters flight battle skill!”
“Who could it be?”
Fu Zhao's expression darkened instantly. He immediately ordered everyone to prepare for battle.
As the figure drew nearer, the group could make out the gold level fighter's features.
He was a snow rabbitman, a rabbit head, and a human body.
His eyes were ice blue, his build robust, with extensive metal structures replacing flesh and bone.
He resembled an alchemy puppet more than a living being.
“What kind of monster is this?”
“Are there fighters like this near Blood Kin City?”
None of them recognized Qing Hong Yan.
For one thing, Qing Hong Yan was a snow rabbitman, a race not known for its activity. In recent years, he had secluded himself somewhere in the Splice Mountain.
On the other hand, the uproar Qing Hong Yan caused back then was confined to the circles of magicians and the kingdom's military. Although several rural villages were slaughtered by Qing Hong Yan, the royal family suppressed the incident to maintain relations with the snow rabbitman tribe, doing everything possible to minimize Qing Hong Yan's exposure.
Therefore, to Fu Zhao and the others, Qing Hong Yan was an unknown entity.
Qing Hong Yan halted abruptly, blocking the path of Fu Zhao and his companions.
Spotting Fu Zhao, he recognized a striking resemblance to someone from his intelligence reports. Instantly, everything clicked into place.
“You are Fu Zhao?”
“Hand over the caravan behind you!”
Qing Hong Yan's demand was blunt, his voice thick with murderous intent.
“My Lord, may I ask who you are...” Fu Zhao bowed respectfully before inquiring sternly, adding, “You recognize me, yet I do not know you. What is your relationship to my father?”
Fu Zhao reflected: Before Lin's arrival, he too had been unaware his father maintained such close ties with a gold level figure.
But Qing Hong Yan misinterpreted Fu Zhao’s meaning. He snorted coldly: “Your father is dead. The owner of the caravan you swear to protect is the one who killed him, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps!”
“You still intend to shield your enemy’s caravan?”
Qing Hong Yan’s blunt truth instantly sparked uproar among the caravan and Axe Gang members.
Fu Zhao's heart lurched violently, and he hastily denied it.
This was a world of the strong.
The Axe Gang's power, surpassing even the acting city Blood Kin City Lord, stemmed primarily from their gold level leader.
If the leader died, and the Axe Gang had no second gold level member, the situation would inevitably collapse.
Thus, Fu Zhao denied it immediately. After all, he was only silver level. With his father missing and unreturned, he couldn't yet shoulder the Axe Gang's responsibilities.
Qing Hong Yan's patience had nearly vanished. He didn't bother with lengthy explanations: “Fu Zhao, get lost! Every member of this caravan dies today!”
These words terrified the caravan members.
They immediately shouted, reminding Fu Zhao of their mutual cooperation and magic contracts.
Others attempted to placate Qing Hong Yan's murderous intent with money.
“Young gang leader, what should we do?” asked the Axe Gang elder who had previously sounded him out.
Fu Zhao's face darkened. After rapid deliberation, he slowly shook his head, “How can we trust the enemy's words?”
“We've already escorted the caravan this far. Blood Kin City isn't far now.”
"If we retreat here, how can we ever hold our heads high in Blood Kin City? What credibility would we have left to convince anyone we can handle escorting caravans?"
The elder looked troubled. "But this one is gold level. With the leader absent, the Fire Axe Cavalry is our strongest force. We can't just start a fight and lose them all here."
Fu Zhao: “We can retreat. Scatter the caravan and rush back to Blood Kin City.”
“We'll assess the situation and try to pin this guy down!”
“Pin down a flying gold level?” The gang elder's expression darkened further.
Fu Zhao's expression hardened: “This is an order. Execute it!”
The Axe Gang members blocked the path before Qing Hong Yan, while the caravan members behind them scattered wildly. Some clutched their goods, others abandoned everything, fleeing at breakneck speed.
Qing Hong Yan froze for a moment, then roared with fury: "You dare play tricks on me!"
Fu Zhao bellowed in response: “Fire Axe Cavalry, follow me! Move out!”
He spurred his horse forward, leading the charge. The Fire Axe Cavalry, mounted on fiery red horses, followed closely behind. In an instant, thunderous hoofbeats surged forth like a raging torrent.
But Qing Hong Yan did not pursue them. Instead, he turned his attention to the scattered members of the merchant caravan.
His formidable strength left the caravan members utterly outmatched, resulting in heavy casualties.
“He's not coming after us!” The Axe Gang members breathed a sigh of relief.
Witnessing this, Fu Zhao gritted his teeth, yanked the reins hard, and forced his horse to change course.
Led by Fu Zhao, the cavalry swept around like a fiery streak across the snowy landscape, closing in on Qing Hong Yan.
“What is the young gang leader doing?!” The Axe Gang members were stunned.
“This fool...” The gang's elder gritted his teeth in frustration.
The Fire Axe Cavalry represented the gang's ultimate strength. He feared they might be decimated here.
But Fu Zhao was too young, unaware of the stakes, driven only by reckless bravado. He had actually charged at a gold level fighter!
“Elder, what should we do?”
“Attack together!” Cowardice was intolerable within the gang. The elder had no choice but to follow suit and join the assault. If he didn't, he would surely be branded a traitor and purged after the battle.