Chapter 1 Sunset and Moonrise

The mountain forest at night was even more secluded and cold, with the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the trees from time to time.

The two thousand-plus lackeys had been yelling and cursing all day, and now they were finally resting, having set up a simple camp, facing the Huangdang Mountain branch stronghold nestled under the cliff.

At this moment, on the other side of the cliff, a figure carrying a long spear was climbing the steep rock wall. His movements were agile and nimble, like a mountain ape, as if walking on flat ground. It was Zhou Jing.

He was acting according to the plan he had made during the day, taking advantage of the night to head straight for the main stronghold on the cliff, pulling off a divine soldier descending from heaven, and directly taking down the Huangdang Mountain leader.

"I guess this is what you call special operations..."

Zhou Jing muttered to himself.

He had deliberately found a location away from the branch stronghold to climb the mountain, and had been keeping the map radar on to confirm the movements of the small red dots representing the Huangdang Mountain bandits, thus avoiding hidden sentries.

Under the cover of darkness, Zhou Jing climbed to the top of the cliff without alarming anyone. Then, taking advantage of a gap in the patrols of the bandits, he quickly climbed over the rather high wooden stockade wall and entered the main stronghold.

With his skills, even if someone saw him, they would only glimpse a black shadow flashing past, making them think it was an illusion.

"I'm in..."

Zhou Jing steadied himself, moving in the shadows, exploring the Huangdang Mountain main stronghold.

The map radar function was a complete stealth skill. He avoided all patrolling bandits, and both visible and hidden sentries from a distance.

Although the defenses within the main stronghold were quite tight, he was able to sneak around easily, without anyone noticing.

Before long, Zhou Jing found a lone lackey. After confirming that there was no one around, he suddenly approached, covering the lackey's mouth and locking his throat from behind, subduing him and dragging him to a secluded place.

"Mmm, mmm..."

The lackey struggled in terror, making muffled sounds from his throat.

Zhou Jing increased the strength in his hand and whispered, "I'll ask and you answer. Cooperate obediently if you don't want to die. If you dare to shout and alarm others, I'll crush your throat!"

The lackey was so frightened that he shook all over. He quickly gave up struggling and nodded repeatedly.

Zhou Jing then loosened his grip a little, allowing him to speak. He asked in a deep voice, "Where is the residence of your Huangdang Mountain leader?"

"In, in the west wing..." the lackey answered in a trembling voice.

"Where are your chieftain and other leaders at the moment? Don't try to deceive me, or if I find out you're hiding something, your little life won't be spared!"

"Chieftain Xu, Xu is still in the Gathering Hall. I happened to pass by and saw that it was guarded by the personal guards. As for the other leaders, I don't know. They took many brothers away during the day, and now I don't know where they've gone..."

The lackey didn't dare to lie, and answered nervously.

"Hmm? The other leaders aren't here?"

After listening, Zhou Jing frowned, keenly sensing that something was amiss.

These leaders also took soldiers with them. Could there be some kind of operation?

As thoughts flashed through his mind, Zhou Jing temporarily suppressed this doubt.

...Let's not worry about that for now. Anyway, I've already sneaked in. Let's complete the task of capturing the leader first. When I catch the chieftain, I'll naturally be able to ask clearly. That's better than interrogating a lackey or guessing blindly on my own.

Zhou Jing didn't hesitate, and dragged the bandit along, having him point the way towards the direction of Xu Gui.

Soon, a row of halls came into view. It was the Huangdang Mountain Gathering Hall, with several strong guards guarding the eaves.

Zhou Jing directly knocked out the lackey in his hand, hid him in a secluded place, and then, crouching down, approached from the shadows, listening carefully to the sounds and observing the situation.

On the map radar, there was only one small red dot in the Gathering Hall, moving back and forth.

Just then, a messenger ran over from outside and hurried into the house.

"Chieftain, I have something to report!"

"Speak."

A familiar male voice rang out from inside the house. It was Xu Gui's voice that Zhou Jing had heard during the day.

The messenger continued, "Chieftain, Leader Yu is about to make a move with the troops from the branch stronghold. He specifically ordered me to inform you."

"I understand. You may leave."

After a few simple sentences, the messenger left the Gathering Hall and hurried away.

Zhou Jing's eyes flashed.

Seeing that the target was in the house, he no longer hesitated. He suddenly darted out like a leopard, taking swift steps, already activating his martial arts aura.

Swish!

His entire body was like a gust of wind, suddenly rushing to the side of the guards guarding the door.

And these guards had only just noticed the movement, and were still turning their gazes over.

Bang, bang, bang!

Zhou Jing's fists were like thunder, and before the guards could react, he had ambushed them all.

Immediately afterwards, Zhou Jing, without saying a word, strode into the Gathering Hall, and ran into Xu Gui, who was preparing to go out.

Only then did the guards behind him collapse to the ground with a thud.

Hearing the movement, Xu Gui looked up in surprise, finding that the door was blocked by Zhou Jing's burly figure.

He was stunned for half a second before suddenly realizing what was happening. His face turned frightened, and he hurriedly retreated, shouting loudly:

"Save..."

However, he had only shouted one word when Zhou Jing had already arrived in front of him, and his fan-like hand grabbed out fiercely.

"Come here!"

His big hand clasped Xu Gui's neck and lifted him up.

Xu Gui's face flushed red, grabbing Zhou Jing's steel-cast arm, his legs kicking in the air, panicking.

Zhou Jing slightly reduced his strength and said in a deep voice:

"Chieftain Xu, if you listen obediently, I won't take your life. If you shout loudly, I can break your neck in an instant, understand?"

Xu Gui hurriedly blinked his eyes, indicating that he understood.

Seeing this, Zhou Jing released the other party to the ground, changing from choking his neck to pinching his shoulder.

While controlling Xu Gui, he dragged the few unconscious guards outside the door into the house, and at the same time closed the door, preventing the patrolling bandits from discovering him, hoping to delay them for a while.

Xu Gui was still in shock, and forced himself to calm down, taking the initiative to ask, "Good fellow, who are you?"

Zhou Jing glanced at him: "Chen Feng."

Xu Gui was shocked: "Are you the Soul-Reaping Yama who caused a ruckus in Anlin Prefecture?!"

He didn't expect that Chen Feng, whom he had mentioned during the day, would sneak up the mountain alone, go straight to the heart of the matter, and capture him, the chieftain.

The stronghold was full of hidden sentries and lookouts, how did this person sneak in?

—Brother Deng didn't deceive me, this Chen Feng is indeed extraordinary and should not be underestimated!

At this time, Xu Gui suddenly realized a problem.

Brother Deng took his troops to outflank Tiger Head Mountain's rear tonight, intending to ambush Chen Feng, but this person is not at the foot of the mountain, so Brother Deng's trip was in vain!

In this case, no one can save me now...

Xu Gui was nervous and tried to calm himself down.

This Chen Feng didn't kill him directly, he should think that he is still useful, this trip is mostly just to capture the chieftain first, and doesn't necessarily want to kill him...

Understanding the other party's intention, Xu Gui finally calmed down and directly stated:

"Good fellow's skills are extraordinary, this time I lost. I am willing to surrender to Tiger Head Mountain."

He was quite straightforward. His little life was in the hands of the other party, so there was no need to hold his head high and resist to the death.

Of course, Xu Gui was not sincerely surrendering, but just wanted to stabilize Zhou Jing, feign compliance for a while, and find an opportunity to turn the tables.

Seeing that this person was so cowardly, Zhou Jing couldn't help but be interested: "You are quite straightforward."

"A wise man submits to circumstances." Xu Gui smiled wryly, thought for a while, and tentatively said: "But I have something to say, I don't know if the good fellow is willing to listen."

"Tell me." Zhou Jing raised his eyebrows.

Xu Gui cleared his throat and said cautiously:

"That Tiger Head Mountain chieftain Peng Jin is an uneducated person. As the saying goes, a good bird chooses a tree to perch on. Why should a hero like you join Tiger Head Mountain? If the good fellow doesn't mind, my Huangdang Mountain is willing to give you the second seat, and I can even abdicate and let you be the master of Huangdang Mountain. Brother made such a big thing in Anlin Prefecture, hating evil like an enemy, and I also hate the collusion in the officialdom, so I became a bandit. You and I are like-minded people, and we are comrades. If we join forces, why can't we dominate Luhe?!"

He thought that Zhou Jing was just a newly joined leader of Tiger Head Mountain, so he wanted to try to persuade Zhou Jing to change his allegiance and dig a corner of the wall.

Zhou Jing snorted when he heard this: "I am not from Tiger Head Mountain."

"Ah?"

Xu Gui was stunned and didn't react for a while.

Zhou Jing grinned: "I didn't join Tiger Head Mountain, but Tiger Head Mountain surrendered to me. You misunderstood."

"Is, is there such a thing?!"

Xu Gui's eyes widened and he was shocked.

In this case, the old opponent Peng Jin was snatched from his position, and now Tiger Head Mountain has changed its surname. This Chen Feng is the chieftain?!

He didn't expect this, and was speechless in shock for a while, and the prepared rhetoric suddenly got stuck.

People are already the master of a mountain, how can you dig a corner of the wall?!

At this time, Zhou Jing narrowed his eyes, keenly noticed a problem, and said:

"I didn't say my intention at the beginning, but you directly recognized me as a member of Tiger Head Mountain, don't you find it strange why I am here... So, you discovered me during the day?"

Xu Gui's body shook, realizing that he had revealed a flaw in his panic.

Seeing this, Zhou Jing knew that there was something wrong, and immediately asked:

"Where did the other leaders go? What schemes do you have? If you dare to hide it, and I find out, don't blame me for being rude!"

"Good fellow, don't be angry, I'll tell you..."

Xu Gui had no choice but to tell the truth, briefly explaining the night attack plan,

The main thing is that this matter cannot be hidden. When the fight starts at the foot of the mountain, people will know everything. Denying it now is just asking for trouble. Now that his little life is in the hands of others, he really can't be tough.

The most important thing is that the troops at the foot of the mountain are about to take action, even if he says it at this time, this person will not have time to go back to inform him.

The other leaders all participated in the night attack, and he was not known for his martial arts, so he was in charge of the main stronghold and did not go to the front line in person, so Zhou Jing went straight to the heart of the matter and caught him.

Xu Gui only felt extremely unlucky, and could only pray in his heart that the other leaders would succeed in the surprise attack and defeat the enemy's main force, so that he would have room for maneuver.

Zhou Jing's expression was a little subtle after listening.

It's a coincidence that he came up to sneak in and behead the enemy, while the other party was attacking the camp at night. The plans of the two sides coincided...

Could this be the legendary tactical conversion master?

'I originally wanted to catch all the leaders on this trip, but I only caught one chieftain, and the others happened to be away, so I was out of luck. It's probably too late for me to go down the mountain to inform the Tiger Head Mountain troops to be prepared for the night attack. It's better to take advantage of the situation to disrupt the opponent's rear...'

Zhou Jing's thoughts turned sharply.

Whoosh—

At this moment, a rumbling sound of military formation and fighting suddenly came from the foot of the mountain, the sound of weapons clashing, screams, and roars, resounding through the night sky.

Zhou Jing was slightly startled, knowing that time was of the essence, and immediately changed his plan.

With a chop of his hand, he knocked Xu Gui unconscious and clamped him under his arm.

Immediately afterwards, he kicked over the brazier and candlestick, set the house on fire, then kicked the unconscious guards out of the door, and then took a torch and rushed out of the Gathering Hall, shouting loudly:

"It's not good! The chieftain has been assassinated by thieves!"

His voice was like thunder, running around everywhere, shouting non-stop, while setting fires everywhere in the mountain stronghold.

The lackeys in the main stronghold heard the shout and were shocked. They asked and verified everywhere, and saw that the stronghold was on fire everywhere, and they were immediately panicked.

Some people believed it to be true, and were also screaming that the chieftain was dead, while others didn't care about anything else and were busy putting out the fire.

Rumble—

The entire main stronghold quickly became chaotic, riotous, and noisy, like an exploding camp.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Zhou Jing came to the cliff edge of the main stronghold and saw the battlefield of the fighting below the cliff at a glance.

He saw that the Huangdang Mountain night attack troops were attacking from both sides, and had already entered the Tiger Head Mountain camp. The two sides were fighting hand-to-hand under the moonlight, and the shouts of killing were deafening.

Thousands of people were fighting in a group, among which the two thousand people of Tiger Head Mountain were caught in the middle, caught off guard, attacked from both sides, and fell into a disadvantage.

"What is this Peng Jin doing?"

The corner of Zhou Jing's eyes twitched slightly.

He ran out to attack the other party's old nest. With such a vivid example in front of him, Peng Jin didn't make any arrangements to guard against the opponent's night attack?

His martial arts had not yet reached the point where he could fly, and he was too far away to get there in a short time, so he could not participate in the battle.

But at this time, Zhou Jing's eyes suddenly moved, and he looked down at the branch stronghold under the cliff.

Most of the troops in the branch stronghold had attacked. At this time, there were only a few sentries left in the branch stronghold, distributed in various fortifications.

"I didn't want to do this, it seems that I have to do something ruthless."

Zhou Jing's eyes changed, he suddenly threw Xu Gui aside, took off the Bintie Panlong Spear on his back, and held it in both hands.

He strode to the cliff edge and stood still. The martial arts aura surged into the weapon along the muscles and meridians.

Buzzing—

The Bintie Panlong Spear trembled and made a buzzing sound.

Zhou Jing took a deep breath, exerted strength in both arms, and slammed the spear down.

Bang, bang, bang, bang!!

The ground vibrated again and again, and rubble shot out in all directions.

At this time, Xu Gui, who was lying on the side, was awakened by the movement.

Xu Gui's eyelids trembled, and he opened his eyes blankly. He saw Zhou Jing, who was smashing the ground on the cliff, and was stunned.

"What is he doing?"

Just as Xu Gui was confused, a sound of rolling stones suddenly sounded.

Rumble—

He saw that a small piece of the cliff in front of Zhou Jing collapsed with a bang and fell downwards!

Large chunks of rock smashed into the branch stronghold, making a loud bang, the movement was like an earthquake and thunder!

One after another houses were smashed down by the boulders. The lackeys in the branch stronghold did not expect disaster to fall from the sky, and fled in all directions, screaming in panic, and it exploded directly!

Seeing this scene, Xu Gui suddenly widened his eyes, staring incredulously at Zhou Jing's back, as if looking at a demon god, his expression was horrified beyond belief.

"You... what did you do?"

Xu Gui trembled and spoke, his tone terrified, unable to believe what he saw.

Human power can actually smash the cliff?!

Is this still a mortal?!

Zhou Jing glanced at the result, then put away his spear and turned back, picking up the frightened Xu Gui again, and said in a deep voice:

"Now tell me, which secret passage did you use to go down the mountain for the encirclement?"

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