My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

The voice was high-pitched, as if it came from a very far place, yet also as if it were right next to my ear.

"The second-in-command is in the ginseng-gathering village. He's found out about a 500-year-old ginseng. Lin Wusheng hasn't shown up for a year; he might be dead. He wants to steal that ginseng."

Xiong Lie listened expressionlessly.

The bird continued, "He attracted a bear demon with a hundred years of cultivation, and it went to the ginseng-gathering village."

Xiong Lie's eyebrows twitched.

A bear demon with a century of cultivation?

Only a martial saint can defeat him.

How could the second-in-command, a mere peak-level Blood Transformation cultivator, possibly command such a powerful demon?

There's definitely something to it.

Xiong Lie picked up the wine bowl and took another sip.

The liquor lingered in my mouth for a moment before I swallowed it.

His face was expressionless, but his eyes were moving.

He had known all along that the second-in-command was ambitious.

That kid was respectful on the surface, calling him "Big Boss" louder than anyone else, but behind the scenes he was forming cliques and winning people over, thinking that the boss didn't know.

He knew all of that.

He simply didn't care.

Until one becomes a Martial Saint, one is nothing but an ant.

Whether it's the peak of blood transfusion or a half-step Martial Saint, in his eyes, they're no different from those newbies who have just started learning.

It's just a matter of a slap.

But that 500-year-old ginseng can't be given to that kid.

Even a 500-year-old ginseng would be useful to a martial arts master.

Although he is already a Martial Saint, who wouldn't want to go further?

To attain enlightenment through martial arts is a legendary realm.

He might never even reach the threshold in his lifetime, but a 500-year-old ginseng can at least extend his life by a few years. In those extra years, anything is possible.

Xiong Lie put down his wine bowl and stood up from his chair.

His shadow stretched long in the torchlight, cast on the wall of the Hall of Gathering Righteousness, like a moving mountain.

He walked to the window and opened it.

A cool night breeze blew in, carrying the scent of mountain plants and trees.

He glanced at the bird on the windowsill; the bird tilted its head and stared at him with its vertical pupils.

"Where is that kid now?" Xiong Lie asked.

The bird opened its beak: "It should still be near the ginseng-gathering village. It's waiting for that bear demon to make its move."

Xiong Lie nodded.

He wasn't afraid that the second-in-command would run away; with this bird around, he couldn't escape anywhere.

It has a special ability called "knowing people".

By placing a mark on a living creature, he can sense the person's location no matter where they go.

Xiong Lie turned around, walked outside, and looked at his subordinates who were drinking.

His gaze swept over them, finally settling on a tall, thin man.

"You, go prepare the horses. I'm going out for a while."

The tall, thin man quickly stood up, responded, and ran out.

Xiong Lie then looked at another subordinate: "Go to the storeroom and get that rhinoceros armor and that black iron sword."

The subordinate's expression changed slightly.

The rhinoceros armor is Xiong Lie's treasure; it is impervious to swords and spears, and immune to water and fire.

The Xuan Tie sword is so sharp it can cut through iron like mud; it is usually locked in the storeroom and rarely taken out.

What is the boss doing?

He didn't dare ask any more questions, just gave a reply and ran out.

Xiong Lie stood in the center of the Hall of Righteousness, his hands behind his back, looking at the picture of a tiger descending the mountain on the wall.

The painting was left by the former leader. It wasn't very well done; the tiger's head was too big and its body was too small, making it look somewhat comical.

But Xiong Lie never changed.

He wanted to use this painting to remind himself that even a martial saint is nothing in these 100,000 mountains.

The former leader's head was turned into a lantern and hung at the village entrance simply because he entered a deserted mountain village within the Ten Thousand Mountains.

A 500-year-old ginseng.

A bear demon with a century of cultivation.

This ginseng-picking village is quite lively.

He turned and walked out of the Hall of Gathering Righteousness, stood at the gate of the village, and looked down at the dark, dense forest below the mountain.

The moon hung in the sky, cold and bright, casting the shadows of the trees on its light as countless hands reaching towards the sky.

He waited a while, and then his men brought the horse, along with the rhinoceros armor and the black iron sword.

He put on the rhinoceros armor, hung the black iron sword at his waist, and mounted his horse.

The horse was a black horse, plump and strong, with powerful hooves. It was specially raised for long journeys.

"Boss, how long will you be gone?" one of his men asked cautiously.

Xiong Lie pulled on the reins, looked down into the darkness, and said without turning his head, "We'll arrive tomorrow. We'll return the day after."

He spurred the horse, and the black horse neighed loudly and charged down the mountain path.

The sound of horses' hooves gradually faded into the night, growing fainter and fainter until it was finally carried away by the wind.

Several of his men stood at the entrance of the stockade, looking in that direction, exchanging bewildered glances.

No one knew what the leader was going to do, and no one dared to ask.

......

Three hours ago, it was still light out.

The sun hung on the western mountain peak, casting a long shadow of the old locust tree at the village entrance, like a large, open umbrella.

Two guards leaned against the sides of the gate, watching the people coming and going with nothing to do.

By this time in the afternoon, there were not many people entering the village.

Most of them were going out, some were merchants on their way, driving donkey carts, slowly making their way out.

The guards were too lazy to conduct a full check; they mainly looked for wanted criminals or dangerous individuals who looked suspicious.

In the vast mountains, you'll find all kinds of people; it's always better to be careful.

The two guards leaned against the gatepost, looking at the mountains and forests not far away, chatting idly.

"I heard that girl A'luo dug up a 500-year-old ginseng today, and the clan elders were all alarmed."

"That's right, five hundred years! Our village hasn't produced such a large ginseng in so many years."

"The grand festival is tomorrow; it's going to be quite lively."

"It's lively enough, but I wonder if the old master Lin Wusheng will...?" the guard said in a low voice, "will he come out for this year's grand ceremony?"

The other guard shook his head and remained silent. Both of them fell silent.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from the mountain road.

The two looked up and saw Liu Laosi, the village's veteran ginseng harvester.

He was covered in blood, his clothes were torn, and his bamboo basket was gone. He stumbled and ran towards the village gate.

His face was deathly pale, his lips were trembling, and his eyes were filled with terror, as if he had seen a ghost.

"Liu Laosi! What's wrong?!" A guard rushed up to help him.

Old Liu opened his mouth, making a "hoarse" sound from his throat, and after a long while, he managed to choke out a sentence: "Bear...bear..."

"Bear? What bear?"

Liu Laosi pointed to the end of the mountain road, his fingers trembling like a leaf: "So...so big...as tall as a three-story building..."

The two guards exchanged a glance, and their expressions changed.

They had seen bears in the Ten Thousand Mountains, but they had never even heard of a bear as tall as a three-story building.

"Take your time, what happened?"

Before Liu Laosi could answer, the ground suddenly shook.

"Thump—"

It wasn't thunder; something stepped on the ground.

The sound was deep and heavy, coming from the end of the mountain road, making the ground tremble.