A sudden night rain seemed to have plunged Qifeng Mountain into an early winter. It was cold enough to see your breath.
The mountain road was treacherous, impassable for horses, so Yuwen Shuo sat in a mountain sedan carried by four constables, his eyes half-closed as if he hadn’t quite woken up yet.
In the end, he had personally come to the Qifeng Mountain hunt.
After all, just yesterday, Zou Feng had given him a reason he couldn’t refuse.
Not far ahead of Yuwen Shuo, a contingent of over a hundred people was marching grandly into the depths of Qifeng Mountain.
The total number of this Rebel Army, under Zou Feng’s careful arrangement, had been finalized at 503.
Since this was just a hunt, there was no need for all 500-plus members to enter and waste supplies. A hundred or so elites were more than enough.
Of course, these 500-plus members of the Rebel Army did not represent the total numbers of the major gangs combined with the disciples of the Heart Meeting Martial Arts Hall.
If they were to truly muster everyone, including the ordinary members of the Hongxing Gang and the registered disciples of the Heart Meeting Martial Arts Hall, the count would be at least four thousand.
But mustering everyone would be meaningless. Some of the dockworkers were registered with the Hongxing Gang, and some merchants in the Inner City who were too weak to tie up a chicken might be registered disciples of the Heart Meeting Martial Arts Hall.
These types of people had either never learned a single move or only knew flashy, useless techniques with no real combat ability.
Therefore, bringing them along would only serve to increase the logistical burden and waste provisions.
It was worth mentioning that when Yuwen Shuo formed the Rebel Army, he played the game of getting something for nothing to perfection, never once mentioning the provision of any military pay or supplies.
Zou Feng guessed that even after they were merged into the Cheetah Camp, they would probably only receive a symbolic amount of supplies that would be of little to no use.
This was why Zou Feng had spent ten days assembling this Rebel Army. First, he had to select people who could be useful and weren’t too resistant to the idea.
Second, he had to arrange for logistical supplies.
Even for this hunt in Qifeng Mountain, the daily necessities for over a hundred Martial Artists represented a terrifying level of consumption.
So as not to seem overly biased, Zou Feng had brought along ten members from his own Iron Blood Gu Poison Group.
Although it posed a considerable risk, he could only treat it as real combat training. In theory, it would help stimulate them to reach Entering Grade sooner.
Walking shoulder to shoulder beside him was, of course, Tian Yun.
She was dressed in a dark green hunting outfit, her hair coiled up high, giving her a striking and commanding presence.
Although Yuwen Shuo kept calling Tian Yun an "old broad," he couldn’t help but pretend to look at the scenery while sneaking glances at her from time to time.
’But he definitely won’t make any real moves for now. Otherwise, this Rebel Army would immediately dissolve.’
’Once this Rebel Army is fully integrated into the Cheetah Camp, however, there will be plenty of opportunities...’
"Master Tian, your attire today... seems to be giving Yuwen Shuo some ideas..." Zou Feng reminded her in a low voice.
Tian Yun pretended to gag. "Don’t mention him. He makes me sick!"
Looking over at Yuwen Shuo’s group, he naturally wasn’t just accompanied by his Gang Qi Realm bodyguard.
The vast majority of capable fighters from the Yuan Guang County Government Office had been dispatched.
Four Eighth Grade Realm constables and one Seventh Grade Chief Constable.
The Chief Constable’s name was Xie Ding. He had long been famous in Yuan Guang County, and his strength was definitely top-tier among those at the Seventh Grade.
In addition to them, there were more than a dozen other constables of considerable skill.
These twenty-odd people, plus Yuwen Shuo’s Gang Qi Realm bodyguard, constituted a very strong security force.
If Zou Feng’s group didn’t play the turncoat, then even if the Ten Directions Sect disciples stationed in Yuan Guang County came out in full force, they could only return in defeat.
However, Zou Feng could clearly see that Chief Xie’s brow had been furrowed ever since they met. He obviously had a very low opinion of Yuwen Shuo and was not genuinely willing to act as his guard this time.
In other words, all the dirty deeds Yuwen Shuo usually committed were just leading him further down the path of courting death.
No matter how cautious he was, it couldn’t change the fact that he was digging his own grave, step by step.
After marching swiftly until noon, the party finally stopped to eat some dry rations and rest.
No traces of any Demon Beasts were found along the way.
But this was normal. Most Demon Beasts preferred to be active at night, and previous hunting parties that entered the mountains usually chose to do so after dark.
However, Yuwen Shuo’s goal wasn’t just to try his luck on the outskirts of Qifeng Mountain.
With a team that could be called elite, he naturally intended to go deep into Qifeng Mountain.
To venture into the unknown regions that even previous Hunting Teams had not dared to enter.
It was obvious that Yuwen Shuo was extremely intent on, and desperate to, capture a Celestial Eye Cloud Pattern Deer alive.
This made Zou Feng curious. What exactly did this fellow plan to do with the Celestial Eye Cloud Pattern Deer once he got it?
’I made Evil Eye Soaked Wine before, which I feel already utilized the Evil Eye’s effects in a relatively safe manner.’
’Could it be that Yuwen Shuo has an even better use for it?’
"Hunting deep in the virtually untouched regions of Qifeng Mountain... even if our team is not to be underestimated, it’s far too reckless..."
Tian Yun said, looking worried.
The demand to go deep into Qifeng Mountain was only announced loudly by Yuwen Shuo after the team had assembled and set off.
Although Chief Xie had quickly tried to dissuade him, mainly for Yuwen Shuo’s own safety, he only got a harsh scolding for his efforts.
Hearing this, Zou Feng shook his head. "No. On the contrary, the more dangerous the place, the easier it is to make a move, and the easier it is to destroy the evidence..."
After spending some time with her, he increasingly felt that Tian Yun was sometimes overly hesitant and unreasonably timid.