Zhao Ya followed closely behind, ultimately tailing them to this place.
At this moment, Zhao Ya circled around the valley and discovered that this valley had a treacherous terrain, easy to defend but hard to attack.
Most importantly, it was extremely hidden, making it an excellent location for concealment.
Especially during this time when the heavy snow blocked the mountain roads; if it were not for Geng Ying leading the way, even Zhao Ya would have struggled to find this place.
After finishing his reconnaissance of the terrain, Zhao Ya quietly set up traps at the entrance of the valley and other accessible points.
These traps were non-toxic and colorless, odorless to the usual person, so they wouldn’t attract any attention.
But once stained on a person, it would leave a special scent, perfect for tracking purposes.
This was specially prepared to prevent Hei Yunzi from escaping.
Should Hei Yunzi sense anything and flee overnight, Zhao Ya could follow the scent to track him down.
After setting everything up, Zhao Ya didn’t linger but erased all traces he left behind before quietly departing.
Because he hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly, Zhao Ya hadn’t prepared for a big battle upon arrival.
Although the sect’s mission order stated that this Hei Yunzi only possessed a Fifth Realm cultivation, even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit, so Zhao Ya dared not be careless.
After all, for Hei Yunzi to wreak havoc for such a long time under the eyes of the Azure Dragon Temple, he must have extraordinary skills.
As Zhao Ya quietly left, Geng Ying had already arrived deep within the valley.
There, in a wind-sheltering corner, were several low, mushroom-shaped structures.
These were actually the roofs of cellars.
It turned out that to resist the cold, Hei Yunzi and his men had dug pits about the height of a person into the ground, then constructed roofs with straw and deadwood.
This allowed them to maximize protection against the wind and snow, and coupled with the excellent insulation of the cellar, they could endure the cold winter nights.
Geng Ying arrived next to the largest of these structures, where someone immediately noticed him and led him inside.
Despite the freezing conditions outside, inside the cellar it was as warm as spring, with a few oil lamps casting a dim glow over Hei Yunzi’s ever-changing face as he leaned against a warm kang.
Especially those deep eye sockets, completely shrouded in darkness, with only two ghostly points of light flickering within, chilling to the bone.
Seeing Hei Yunzi, Geng Ying’s hair stood on end, his fear inexpressible.
No one among the twenty-plus men was unafraid of Hei Yunzi.
"B...Big Brother!" Geng Ying’s voice trembled.
"Hmm, did you find out any information on your trip out this time?" Hei Yunzi asked faintly.
"Reporting to Big Brother, I found two pieces of information this time: first, the wealthy families of Xiushui Town have all fled, leaving only the common folk without much to offer."
As Geng Ying spoke, he stole glances at Hei Yunzi’s expression, seeing his face impassive, causing Geng Ying to grow increasingly apprehensive.
"And?"
"Also, you asked me to investigate the Azure Dragon Temple, and I did. Everything appears normal, with no signs of abnormal activity."
"Oh, is that so?"
"That’s right, with the roads covered in snow, it’s unlikely the people from the Azure Dragon Temple will come down the mountain now, so we should be safe," Geng Ying said boldly.
"Very good!" Hei Yunzi nodded, seemingly satisfied with Geng Ying’s answer, and gestured with his hand.
"Come here."
Geng Ying felt his head buzzing, nearly fainting from fear.
Yet he dared not disobey Hei Yunzi’s command, knowing that doing so would lead to even worse consequences.
Thus, he cautiously stepped forward.
Once near Hei Yunzi, he quavered, "Big Brother, what are your orders?"
Before he finished speaking, Hei Yunzi suddenly kicked him to the ground, shouting angrily, "Speak, did you go out to drink and seek women?"
Geng Ying was shocked silly, only recovering after a moment to flip over and kneel, bowing fervently with his head.
"Spare me, Big Brother, spare me."
He dared not explain, much less lie.
Since Hei Yunzi had acted, it showed he already suspected something; to argue at this juncture would be courting death.
"Hmph, I smelled the scent of makeup the moment you entered; so I sent you out for information, and you cavorted with women instead?"
By this point, Geng Ying’s forehead was bleeding, yet he dared not stop.
"Spare me, Big Brother, I indeed sought a woman, but I left no trace, and I did gather the information you wanted."
"Left no trace? How can you be so sure? Do you think you could detect if a Martial Dao expert was secretly tailing you?" Hei Yunzi remained seething.
Geng Ying dared not make a sound, continuing to bow.
Hei Yunzi stood, not sparing Geng Ying a glance, and strode outside.
There were already many people gathered at the entrance, including those who had just been keeping watch throughout the valley.
Hei Yunzi asked, "Did anyone notice anything suspicious?"
These people exchanged glances, then all shook their heads, "Reporting to Big Brother, as of the time we were replaced, we observed nothing abnormal."
Despite this, Hei Yunzi’s brow remained furrowed, an ominous feeling gnawing at him.
From an ordinary man with no foundation, he grew into a Fifth Realm Martial Artist, amassing this band of brigands and establishing absolute authority, even running rampant under the Azure Dragon Temple’s nose, through extraordinary vigilance.
So, although nothing unusual was noticed today, Hei Yunzi still felt that this place had become unsafe.
"Pack up and prepare to relocate."
"Yes!"
Amidst the harsh cold, none dared defy Hei Yunzi’s command, immediately packing the supplies.
As for Geng Ying, Hei Yunzi didn’t kill him.
After all, now was a time when manpower was critical; having lost many men through raids, only about twenty remained.
If he killed Geng Ying, they’d be even more short-handed.
So Hei Yunzi temporarily spared Geng Ying.
Grateful beyond measure, Geng Ying promptly joined in packing up.
For this band of brigands, moving camp was routine, so in just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, everything was ready, waiting for Hei Yunzi’s instructions.
Hei Yunzi, however, was in no rush to leave.
He produced a small vial, placing poisonous powder in each cellar shelter.
If anyone came, it would be a little surprise for them.
After completing these tasks, he led his men out of the valley under the cover of night.
They soon reached the valley entrance, almost out, when Hei Yunzi suddenly raised his hand, causing his subordinates to halt.
Hei Yunzi carefully inspected the valley entrance but found nothing amiss. Even so, he chose not to leave through here.
"Go, exit from the other side."
Hei Yunzi turned and headed down a narrow path, followed closely by his men.
Eventually, after twists and turns, they reached an exit.
Calling it an exit was generous; it was more a gap in the mountain, low enough to barely squeeze through.
Yet with the thick snow, climbing out became significantly harder.
Hei Yunzi was the first to reach the top, inspecting carefully, paying special attention to the snow for footprints.
After confirming nothing was out of place, he sighed with relief and clambered through the gap.
His men imitated him, arduously climbing out one by one.
Once they were all out, Hei Yunzi oriented himself, then pointed in a direction.
"Follow me!"
With that, he took the lead in charging forward.
The rest quickly followed, soon vanishing into the vast mountain forest.
Yet unknown to all, Hei Yunzi included, upon crossing the snowy terrain, each of them seemed to acquire a faint and peculiar scent, lingering in the air and not dispersing easily.