Start with a red name

East side of Wild Wolf Gorge.

First came the faint sound of hooves, then a cloud of dust, visible to everyone in the gorge, filled the air.

Because of this commotion, the bandits in Wild Wolf Gorge, who had previously appeared perfectly normal and were full of strange vitality, seemed to pause for a moment.

However, this anomaly came quickly and went even faster.

When the first rider suddenly appears and can overlook most of the things in Wolf Canyon through the slowly descending eastern passage, Wolf Canyon has already returned to its "normal" state.

The rider glanced around briefly before urging his horse forward without a second thought, heading into Wolf Gorge along the passage.

Behind him, more riders gradually appeared.

As they galloped down the gently descending passage into Wolf Gorge, they naturally slowed their horses down.

This is a huge caravan of over a thousand horses.

For Wild Wolf Gorge, which originally had only three or four thousand people, this was like a huge rock being thrown into a small puddle.

This naturally stirred up huge ripples.

With their appearance, more and more attention was naturally drawn to them.

The bandits who were originally wandering around, as well as those who were running various businesses here, looked at them with wary and apprehensive eyes, and subconsciously moved away from their area to avoid close contact.

These were all natural reactions. The first man to appear in the sight of everyone in the canyon, walking at the very front of the group, as the leader of the group, did not find anything strange about it.

Just then, Gong Mu, the third leader of Wild Wolf Village and the maintainer of order in Wild Wolf Gorge, appeared in front of the group with a group of elites from the village.

Gong Mu himself directly reached out to block the way, trying to prevent this caravan of over a thousand horses from brazenly barging into the gorge.

Although his reaction was somewhat "slow," he didn't react until the force had completely entered the gorge.

However, there is nothing wrong with his behavior at this moment.

Wild Wolf Village is the de facto main maintainer of order in Wild Wolf Gorge. If it doesn't step forward and do something at this time, it would be a real dereliction of duty.

Gong Mu's appearance temporarily halted the entire cavalry's movements.

Before the man at the front, clearly the leader of the group, could make any statement, more than ten riders behind him had already spurred their horses out of the procession, each with an indignant expression, as if they were blaming Gong Mu.

After a heated exchange between the two sides, the man who was the true core of the entire event but had remained silent all along suddenly raised his hand and interrupted his subordinates who were arguing angrily with Gong Mu.

Then, he led more than a hundred riders, under the guidance of Gong Mu, towards the spacious mansion where the Wild Wolf Village was permanently located deep within the gorge.

Apart from the hundred or so riders following behind him, the rest of the large cavalry he left behind acted according to the normal rules of Wild Wolf Gorge.

Instead of continuing their journey through Wild Wolf Gorge, they stored over a thousand of their mounts in the stables near the entrance.

After leaving a small number of men to guard the area, the remaining bandits quickly dispersed throughout the gorge in twos and threes or in groups.

Some of them went to shops that could repair and forge weapons.

Some paths lead to shops where you can exchange medicinal herbs for cultivation resources.

Some headed to restaurants and eateries, while others wandered aimlessly around the area.

Others were walking towards the teahouse where Geng Xuan, Tie Lang, and the others were.

……

Just as the first member of the cavalry appeared at the entrance of the passage and "leaped" into the sight of many people, Geng Xuan already knew the origin of this person and this cavalry.

"It's actually Hu Yuan!" Tie Lang glanced at him from afar, then looked away, muttering to himself.

"Hu Yuan? You know him? What's his background?" Geng Xuan asked.

"The leader of the Mountain Fox Gang, like Song Mingzhu, is also at the peak of the Marrow Refinement stage."

Like the Wild Wolf Stronghold, the Mountain Fox Gang is a large gang that is quite active in this area, and its base is about two hundred miles away.

Unlike Wild Wolf Stronghold, their stronghold was simply a stronghold, without families or relatives to burden them. Within the bandit circle, they were even more active than Wild Wolf Stronghold. "Iron Wolf explained softly.

As the deputy director of the Dark Night Division, who is specifically in charge of bandit affairs, Iron Wolf is very familiar with all the major bandit groups in the bandit circle with combat power above the peak of Marrow Refinement.

These people and their forces have done a lot of research behind the scenes; they can easily give you a detailed account.

Geng Xuan nodded silently.

When Iron Wolf mentioned the name "Mountain Fox Gang," he remembered it too.

Previously, when the Black Wind Gang recruited members like Tong Hui and Song Yang, there was a spy planted by the Mountain Fox Gang in other bandit groups.

Finally, faced with a life-or-death decision, that person chose to become a living member of the Black Wind Gang rather than a dead ghost of the Mountain Fox Gang.

……

"Judging from the size of this cavalry team and the quality of its members, the Mountain Fox Gang must have mobilized its entire force this time."

After observing carefully for a while, Iron Wolf made this judgment.

At this point, he frowned slightly.

According to some unwritten agreements, the Mountain Fox Gang's actions this time were seen as a provocation against Wild Wolf Village.

It's not that Wild Wolf Gorge has become the private territory of Wild Wolf Village, and other large groups can't come here.

But as the saying goes, "habits become second nature," and Wild Wolf Village has become the de facto maintainer of order in Wild Wolf Gorge.

To avoid misunderstandings, either don't make such a big show of it, or give them a heads-up beforehand; this is basic "politeness."

Now, Hu Yuan, who is at the peak of the Marrow Refinement stage, has led the entire Mountain Fox Gang out and is heading straight for Wild Wolf Gorge.

This behavior itself is somewhat disrespectful to Wild Wolf Village.

Geng Xuan wasn't as familiar with the unspoken rules of the bandit circle as Tie Lang, but after Tie Lang pointed it out, he also realized it.

Just then, several figures rushed out from the Wild Wolf Stronghold's permanent residence, which Gong Mu had led Hu Yuan into.

Under the watchful eyes of many, he quickly left Wild Wolf Gorge and headed straight for Wild Wolf Village.

This is the action that is out in the open.

Unbeknownst to Hu Yuan and the others in the "Mountain Fox Gang," the information had already reached the teahouse where Geng Xuan was.

Just as those figures rushed towards Wild Wolf Stronghold, Tong Hui, the former fourth leader of Wild Wolf Stronghold, had already climbed to the second floor of the teahouse and arrived beside Geng Xuan and Tie Lang.

"This time, Hu Yuan led the entire Mountain Fox Gang out, intending to linger in Wild Wolf Gorge for a while."

...He knew about Dong Guan's actions at various trade route nodes.

Although he did not fully see through Dong Guan's plot against the bandits, he sensed a certain danger.

He then temporarily abandoned his post and mobilized all his forces, intending to spend some time with more bandits in Wild Wolf Gorge, and to devise a plan for the future once everything became clear.

"...Of course, these were all his words to Gong Mu; what he truly intended to do, none of us know."

"Gong Mu is currently dealing with him, saying that this matter should be immediately reported to Song Mingzhu."

Hu Yuan had no objection to this and tacitly approved his sending someone to Wild Wolf Village to deliver the message.

Tong Hui gave a brief explanation of the situation.

Geng Xuan nodded slightly and asked, "Where is Song Mingzhu now?"

"It was right in the mansion, not far from where Gong Mu and Hu Yuan were talking."

To avoid arousing Hu Yuan's suspicion, they dared not pay too much attention.

At this point, Tong Hui paused, then said:

"Sending someone back to Wild Wolf Village to report is just a pretext. What they really want to know is what to do next."
"...Should we try to investigate further into Hu Yuanlai's true purpose at Wild Wolf Gorge?"

Geng Xuan shook his head and said:
"Why go through all that trouble? Let's get started right away."

"If there's anything you want to know, there will be plenty of time to ask them after we capture them."

At this point, Geng Xuan paused, then added a reminder:

"You'd better hurry up. Although the cavalry to the south looks more disorganized, they are still quite large."

We will arrive at Wolf Gorge in a maximum of 15 minutes.

If you fail to deal with the Mountain Fox Gang before then, they will discover your secrets.

They wouldn't enter Wolf Gorge so unprepared... This would have a huge impact on the Black Wind Gang's future development.

Upon hearing Geng Xuan's answer, Tong Hui was startled and pondered for a moment.

He said, "There shouldn't be any problems elsewhere. The Mountain Fox Gang has already scattered throughout the gorge and has been completely divided and surrounded by our people."

With a single command, the entire operation can proceed in coordination among squads, companies, and battalions.

By overwhelming the weak with numbers and relying on strength to bully the weak, we can capture them completely in the shortest possible time.

The only tricky part is dealing with Hu Yuan.

Song Mingzhu's strength may now surpass his, but if he's determined to escape, he can't be stopped.

The implication was that if Geng Xuan could personally take down Hu Yuan, or even just act as a backup, the situation would be much simpler.

Geng Xuan, however, seemed oblivious to this and said to Tie Lang:
"You should go over there too. After you help Song Mingzhu take down Hu Yuan, we can discuss the next steps."

"Yes."

Iron Wolf first readily agreed to the matter, then said:
"With the combined strength of the two of us, if Hu Yuan doesn't run away, capturing him will be no problem. But if he's focused on escaping, he might get away."

Just as Geng Xuan was about to answer, a thought struck him, and he looked toward the passage leading to Wild Wolf Village. There, he saw the figures who had rushed out of Wild Wolf Gorge to deliver a message to Wild Wolf Village were now surrounding the figure of "Song Mingzhu" at the entrance of the passage.

When Tie Lang and Tong Hui, who were following Geng Xuan's gaze, saw this "Song Mingzhu," they were both slightly taken aback.

Just now, Tong Hui clearly stated that Song Mingzhu was currently in the same mansion as Hu Yuan, Gong Mu, and others.

Geng Xuan, however, saw through the man's poor disguise at a glance.

This "Song Mingzhu" is actually Xiang Jinxiu.

He must have noticed the approaching large cavalry force while he was in Wild Wolf Stronghold, and he came over before those who were pretending to go to Wild Wolf Stronghold to invite Song Mingzhu arrived.

That's why they were able to appear there so quickly.

Geng Xuan smiled slightly, looked at Tie Lang, and said:

"I think that with the combined strength of the three of you, and with your strategy against their surprise, taking down Hu Yuan shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

"no problem."

Iron Wolf nodded. If they still couldn't quickly take down Hu Yuan with such an advantage, then the three of them would be too useless.

Aside from Xiang Jinxiu, who is a newly promoted peak Marrow Refinement cultivator, he and Song Mingzhu had already been at the peak Marrow Refinement stage for many years and had accumulated considerable experience.

They received two more blessings of good fortune, each time receiving 64 points of good luck.

Even if we were to rank them within the entire Nine Provinces, they would both be absolute veterans at the peak of Marrow Refinement.

Soon, Tie Lang and Tong Hui left the second floor of the teahouse.

Disguised as "Song Mingzhu," Xiang Jinxiu paused briefly after entering Wild Wolf Gorge before striding towards the permanent residence of Wild Wolf Village.

Iron Wolf had silently replaced the person behind him with an insignificant henchman who followed him.

Tong Hui did not appear beside them; they did not know where he had gone.

Shortly after Xiang Jinxiu, disguised as "Song Mingzhu," led Tie Lang into the mansion, a sharp shout suddenly came from deep within the mansion.

"Song Mingzhu! How dare you!"

Because the sound was so loud and contained such powerful force, it spread like a hurricane throughout the entire Wild Wolf Gorge in an instant.

The voice carried unexpected shock and anger.

Immediately afterwards, the shock level of that sound rose to a new level.

"You're not Song Mingzhu...who are you?!"

This should have been a very exciting piece of news.

At another time, this would surely cause an uproar among those who hear about it.

At this moment, apart from Geng Xuan, no one was paying attention to what he said next.

Just as that first sharp shout spread like a hurricane throughout Wild Wolf Gorge.

The mountain fox gang bandits scattered throughout Wild Wolf Gorge were still in a daze, their minds not yet processing what had happened.

The passersby, shopkeepers, and customers, diners, and waiters who hadn't shown any unusual behavior just a moment before...

Almost simultaneously, everyone in their line of sight who wasn't from the Mountain Fox Gang bared their fangs at them.

Normally, the more powerful a cultivator is, the more acute their sense of danger is.

For every move, there is a way to counter it.

The bandits, who see themselves as "predators," pay particular attention to this.

Just like lions and leopards lurking in the shadows, they can catch their "prey" completely off guard when they pounce.

If this cannot be done, it will be extremely difficult for the bandits to carry out a successful raid.

Moreover, all the Black Wind Gang members exposed to the elements and in close contact with the Mountain Fox Gang bandits were carefully selected. For these reasons, it wasn't until all the Black Wind Gang members bared their fangs and attacked the surrounding Mountain Fox Gang bandits almost simultaneously that the situation became clear.

The Mountain Fox Gang bandits, who were instantly plunged into an absolute disadvantage, only began to frantically issue warnings due to their keen senses.

They were reminded that this seemingly ordinary, unremarkable Wolf Canyon was actually a deadly trap.

But by the time they realized this, it was too late.

They had originally planned to deal with the surrounding enemies and wait for their commander to break out of the mansion, which was also a trap.

Hu Yuan, however, did not appear for a long time.

On the contrary, the number of enemies around them is increasing at an alarming rate.

At first, when the enemies around them bared their fangs, they could barely hold their own and could be considered "evenly matched".

But then more and more enemies seemed to emerge from the ground, their numbers reaching four or five times that of their own.

Surrounded and scattered throughout Wild Wolf Gorge, the Mountain Fox Gang bandits completely gave up hope.

Their mental defenses were completely shattered.

The Black Wind Gang members operate in small squads, with their companies forming "saw teeth."

They are being pressured relentlessly, with increasing and continuous pressure being exerted on them.

While shouting "Surrender and you'll be spared death."

Soon, the first person to lay down his arms and surrender appeared.

Then came the second, the third...

When surrendering became a trend, it spread like a plague quickly to every corner of Wild Wolf Gorge.

Faced with a mysterious, powerful, and invincible enemy, all the surviving members of the Mountain Fox Gang abandoned the ridiculous notion of serving the gang to the death and quickly made the most pragmatic choice.

As Tong Hui and Tie Lang left, Geng Xuan made himself a cup of hot tea.

After a few words, Tie Lang and Xiang Jinxiu, disguised as "Song Mingzhu," strode into the mansion.

Soon, with a sharp shout, the battle began in full swing.

The seemingly harmless Wild Wolf Gorge suddenly revealed its chilling fangs, piercing into the bodies of the surrounding Mountain Fox Gang bandits.

At this moment, the briefly bustling Wild Wolf Gorge once again fell into a calm and harmonious atmosphere.

The cup still held half a cup of tea, which was still warm.

In the distance, the tightly closed gates of the mansion reopened.

Song Mingzhu and Tie Lang, one on each side, carried a figure with a crooked mouth, slanted eyes, and unsteady breathing as they quickly walked out of the mansion.

Xiang Jinxiu followed closely behind the three of them.

Only after careful examination could one recognize that this was Hu Yuan, the leader of the Mountain Fox Gang, who was at the same peak of the Marrow Refining level as them.

After leaving the mansion, they quickly headed towards the teahouse.

Along the way, there were the Mountain Fox Gang bandits who had already laid down their weapons and surrendered.

Just like "prey" that has been successfully captured, they are being "carried" back to their respective "nests" by members of the Black Wind Gang.

After witnessing their leader's miserable and wretched end, their last shred of spirit was extinguished.

Without any prompting from the Black Wind Gang members, they voluntarily headed towards their respective "nests".

After a brief but intense battle, the slightly messy and chaotic Wild Wolf Gorge quickly returned to "normal".

The "returning home" in "returning home".

Those that are already in business will continue to operate.

The "passersby" who were strolling around continued to stroll around.

The corpses on the ground, the splattered blood, and the traces of the battle on the houses, tables, chairs, and roads were quickly wiped clean by passing "passersby".

Such a hasty and arbitrary cleanup will inevitably leave many loopholes.

If you look closely, you can find the traces.

Not to mention the stench of blood, which is not something that can be easily eliminated.

This kind of flaw would be a real weakness elsewhere, but in Wild Wolf Gorge, it's just an ordinary daily occurrence.

In such a place where thousands of bandits gather, how many lives wouldn't be lost every day...

Well, several of them are somewhat disgraceful.

There should be at least several dozen.

Teams with long-standing grudges and feuds meet each other;

A battle between a powerful dragon and a local snake;
A head-on confrontation between forced sales and forced purchases;

...In a place like Wild Wolf Gorge, there are far too many areas that can devour human lives.

Wild Wolf Village only maintains the overall order and atmosphere of Wild Wolf Gorge, not intervenes in every conflict and contradiction.

Therefore, for each individual bandit who comes here, this is still a place where the strong prey on the weak, and it is normal for some people to die.

……

Wild Wolf Gorge was quickly restored to its "harmless" state, waiting for the next "silly rabbit" to fall into the net.

Meanwhile, Song Mingzhu and Tie Lang had already carried Hu Yuan, who was crooked-mouthed, squinting, and breathing erratically, into the second floor of the teahouse and came to Geng Xuan.

Hu Yuan's left eye was swollen and bloodshot, with the flesh of his eyelid and the corner of his eye turned outward, making it impossible for him to see for a short period of time.

He could only stubbornly force his right eye open and stare intently at Geng Xuan.

"Who are you?!"

Geng Xuan smiled but did not answer his question, only giving him a friendly nod.

He then looked at Song Mingzhu and asked, "Why did you bring him here?"

Song Mingzhu asked in astonishment, "Commander, don't you want to ask him anything?"

Geng Xuan shook his head, looked at Song Mingzhu, and said:

"Even if I don't take action, given the current size of the Black Wind Gang..."

Unless Dong Guan personally intervenes, there is no force in Xuanyou and Youzhou that can threaten us.

I thought I should temporarily hand over the Black Wind Gang to you to lead, and continue to stay in Wild Wolf Gorge, just like now, waiting for more bandits to come to our door.

Meanwhile, I took Iron Wolf to places like Rapids Cave, Golden Leaf Cliff, and White Crane Beach to quickly replicate their success.

Before the Xuan You Iron Cavalry can be assembled, we must strive to unite more sand bandits under the banner of the Black Wind Gang.

Therefore, I do not intend to inquire about any further specific matters.

Hearing him say these words, the group was deeply moved.

Hu Yuan, who was being controlled by others, looked at this and that, with a bewildered expression that seemed to say, "I don't understand what you're talking about."

Iron Wolf had been informed in advance and was in the most stable state of mind.

Both Song Mingzhu and Xiang Jinxiu were experiencing their own inner turmoil.

After pondering for a moment, Song Mingzhu nodded solemnly and said:
"I understand... However, there are some things that simply cannot be done without you."

Geng Xuan understood what he meant.

The Black Wind Gang, an organization hastily formed from a group of bandits, has achieved its current level of cohesion thanks to one core element.

Good fortune and blessings.

Secondly, there are the extraordinary healing methods he demonstrated, which are beyond the norm, as well as other miraculous techniques, and his own extraordinary strength.

Without these, the Black Wind Clan's cohesion wouldn't even last half a day before it would fall apart.

Geng Xuan nodded slightly and said:
"I understand, I will give you what I'm entitled to."

However, you won't have the same freedom in terms of time as before.

"...In that case, I'll stay in Wild Wolf Gorge for another hour. If you hurry, you should still be able to get a lot done."

Upon hearing this, Song Mingzhu quickly nodded and said, "I know what to do!"

Without lingering for a moment, he grabbed Hu Yuan and strode away.

Why did Hu Yuan mobilize all his forces to come to Wild Wolf Gorge at this time?

Besides the reasons he gave to Gong Mu, was there a deeper, more real motive?
Song Mingzhu remained curious about this.

But this is no longer the most pressing issue at present.

The most urgent task at present is to try to "persuade" Hu Yuan and other surrendered Mountain Fox Gang bandits to join the Black Wind Gang.

If this cannot be accomplished before the leader leaves, these prisoners will not only fail to become resources for the Black Wind Gang to further expand, but will instead become a heavy burden.

As more bandits are "caught in the net," this burden will only grow heavier.

Compared to this, all other reasons can be temporarily set aside.

……

Shortly after Song Mingzhu and the others left, the sound of chaotic hoofbeats began to come from afar at the entrance of the southern passage of Wild Wolf Gorge, followed by rising dust, and then riders appeared one by one.

In total, the size of this cavalry force was no smaller than that of the Mountain Fox Gang.

However, it appeared more scattered and lacked the imposing presence of the Mountain Fox Clan.

There was no need for the elite guards of Wild Wolf Stronghold to come forward; these riders would voluntarily store their mounts in special stables before entering Wild Wolf Gorge.

Then they entered Wolf Canyon.

Soon, Tong Hui took the initiative to come and see him.

"This is a group of horse caravans temporarily assembled from more than a dozen bandit gangs of varying sizes. They were all forced to come from the surrounding areas of various trade routes because of Dong Guan's methods."

"The overall strength is quite average, with only two at the late stage of Marrow Refinement."

Tong Hui felt a sense of disorientation as he said this.

In just two short days, he, who was also at the late stage of Marrow Refinement, could already describe potential enemies of this level with a nonchalant tone, using the word "so-so".

"Is Song Mingzhu aware of all these circumstances?" Geng Xuan asked.

Tong Hui said, "I know."

"What did he say?" Geng Xuan asked again.

“He told us to handle it as we see fit,” Tong Hui said.

He paused, then added:

He said he was busy "entertaining" Hu Yuan and didn't have time to deal with such trivial matters, so he told us to handle it.

"Can it be solved?"

"...Yes." After hesitating for a moment, Tong Hui nodded firmly in agreement.

"Then go ahead."

Tong Hui silently bowed and then turned and left.

Then, just as this group of bandits, numbering over a thousand, was deeply integrated into various parts of Wild Wolf Gorge.

The seemingly harmless Wild Wolf Gorge once again bared its fangs at its "prey".

One is born, the second is cooked.

Without a formidable opponent like a peak-stage Marrow Refinement cultivator, the Black Wind Gang captured their "prey" with greater speed, efficiency, and fewer casualties.

In a daze, Geng Xuan felt that Wild Wolf Gorge had turned into a man-eating flower, and had become increasingly skilled at "eating people".

The other side of this skill is that the entertainment value and appeal are reduced.

In his eyes as an observer, it wasn't so interesting anymore, and seemed rather uninteresting.

Geng Xuan then got up and left the spot by the window. He went down to the second floor of the teahouse and went to a quiet place to practice his "Heaven and Earth Stance" to conserve his strength and energy for the upcoming long journey.

His practice, which he seized every spare moment, did not last long.

Soon, he was greeted by Tao Bin, Baima and others and entered a spacious courtyard.

Compared to last night's operation that swallowed up the entire Wild Wolf Gorge, these two operations were much faster.

Under the prevailing tone of "the big bullying the small and the strong oppressing the weak," the performance was swift, decisive, and professional from beginning to end.

However, there were still casualties on our side.

However, due to the expansion of the emergency rescue team and the fact that Geng Xuan has placed more responsibility on people like Tao Bin and Bai Ma, he has very little time and energy left to spend on this.

Having dealt with the matter as quickly as possible, and just stepping out of the courtyard where the injured patients were being housed, he saw Cao Ao waiting outside. (End of Chapter)