The light of the sword is like the moon reflecting on Kyushu

Linghu Jing, the head of the Huashan Sect, was frowning with worry.

We've been here for several days, and our provisions have long since run out. Now we have no choice but to buy them from local Tibetan merchants at high prices.

Those merchants weren't ordinary people; they were members of the six great families of Tibet! Sometimes I wanted to beat them up, but that would only provoke retaliation from the Tibetan army later, doing nothing of real benefit. In this freezing, foreign land, clashing with the local army would be utterly disastrous! What good was my martial arts skill? What good was the unity of my thirty disciples? Before a torrent of thousands of soldiers, they were nothing but ants! The enemy could wear them down with a simple tactic of "surrounding without attacking"!

His current predicament is that he's increasingly strapped for cash and life is getting harder and harder, but the Qinghai Lake remains impassable. If this continues, he can't afford to wait any longer. The gold and silver he has will probably only last him another three days!

What should we do in three days?
Linghu Jing began to struggle with his decision!
Either give up and leave this "arena of contention"! Some seasoned veterans often say "don't go to places of contention," which is a heartfelt advice to seek advantage and avoid harm.

If they don't give up and are determined to stay here to the end, then they'll have to fight off the zombies and do something extraordinary! Either seize the ship or seize the food!

But no matter what they rob, it will have far-reaching consequences! After all, they are robbing Tibetan nobles! If the Tibetan army surrounds them, it's uncertain whether they can escape alive!

Moreover, would other sects allow him to act so recklessly? They might very well join forces to wipe him out! Indeed, the Tibetans had already allowed these Central Plains people to temporarily reside here, which was already a blessing. This arrogant brat dared to provoke the Tibetans, ultimately forcing them to use their army to annihilate everyone? Would they let one rotten rat spoil the whole pot? The answer is definitely no! Therefore, if Linghu Jing dared to act rashly, he would be standing against the entire martial arts world, becoming its public enemy!

He cursed, "Damn it, I don't believe those sects are richer than us! Do you think they can keep going forever?"

Li Xiangyang, the junior brother standing beside him, said, "Senior Brother Sect Leader, I don't believe it either. Among so many sects, isn't there one poorer than us? We are, after all, one of the eight major sects. We brought quite a bit of money this time. Those small sects only operate within a county. How much money could they possibly get? Even if some bandits and gangsters robbed a lot of money, given their extravagant and wasteful nature, they definitely wouldn't have any left! Especially Shaolin and Qingcheng, who are considered outsiders, most of their income comes from incense offerings. They can't possibly be richer than us!"

Junior Brother Zhang Qiushui said, "Yes! The Tibetans are very greedy. Even steamed buns are sold for the same price as meat. Even if those monks only eat vegetarian food, they still have plenty of money. So I wonder why they seem to have endless money."

Linghu Jing said, "Why don't I go and ask Master Xuanbei of Shaolin?" This time, the Shaolin sect sent a total of twenty monks, and the leader was none other than Xuanbei.

Suddenly, a female disciple called out from outside the tent: "Sect Leader, come out quickly! I think I've seen Young Hero Pang Shiwu!"

Linghu Jing stood up instantly, his face full of surprise: "What? They've finally arrived?" He rushed out of the tent excitedly, and following the female disciple's finger, he saw a long convoy of cars at the foot of the distant mountains!
The driver of the first carriage was dressed in all black, with a black fox fur vest over his shoulders. He was burly, with a strikingly handsome face, and two swords hung at his waist. Who else could he be but Pang Shiwu?!
Where Pang Shiwu appears, Feng Jiuxiao is sure to follow! Linghu Jing's heart suddenly warmed, and he could no longer suppress his excitement!
"Quickly, come with me to greet Young Master Feng!" He took the lead, and the Huashan disciples beside him immediately followed closely behind. More than thirty people trudged through the snow and ice towards the convoy.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the tent on the right. It was Daoist Yichen from the Maoshan Sect. He strode towards the convoy, shouting, "Don't just stand there, come with me to greet Young Master Feng!" Linghu Jing knew that Daoist Yichen was speaking to the group of Maoshan disciples behind him!
Immediately afterwards, exclamations arose from the tents on the left: "Get up, everyone! Young Master Feng is here!"

"What? Young Master Feng has arrived?"

"Stop dawdling, hurry up! Everyone else has already rushed to greet us! If you're late, you won't get a turn!"

"Holy crap! Let's get going!"

Upon hearing this, Linghu Jing's heart sank to the bottom!

What the hell is going on? He was the one who was supposed to be the first to greet Feng Jiuxiao, okay? He couldn't help but glare at the female disciple with some annoyance, secretly blaming her for being too loud, causing a whole bunch of people around to hear the news of Feng Jiuxiao's arrival!
At this moment, a continuous stream of people poured out of the tents like a tide!

The news spread like wildfire, and in no time almost everyone heard the news that "Feng Jiuxiao has arrived in person!"
They rushed out of the tents, simply wanting to see the unparalleled prowess of the young man who had recently "torn apart" the Demon Lord!
Of course, many of these people had participated in the demon-slaying operation and witnessed the Demon Lord being torn in two by the Blood Bone Demon Dragon!

However, before being torn apart, the Demon Lord was fleeing in panic! Who made him flee in such a panic? Who else could it be but Feng Jiuxiao, the leader of the self-created Mountain Alliance?

Although some experts knew that when Feng Jiuxiao confronted the Demon Lord, the Demon Lord was struggling to control the Azure Dragon to prevent it from ascending, exhausting a lot of his true energy. He only had a small portion of his true energy left to deal with Feng Jiuxiao. Therefore, Feng Jiuxiao had gained a great advantage by taking advantage of the Azure Dragon!
However, these experts also had their own self-awareness. They imagined that if they were in Feng Jiuxiao's place, even if the Demon Lord devoted all his energy to dealing with the Azure Dragon, he would still have the strength to annihilate them with a single glance, without needing to be distracted at all!
The Demon Lord clearly devoted a significant amount of his energy to dealing with Feng Jiuxiao! Had Feng Jiuxiao's combat power become so terrifyingly powerful?

So even though many people know that Feng Jiuxiao "defeated" the Demon Lord because of the Azure Dragon, no one takes it seriously!

Feng Jiuxiao was the initiator of the "Demon Slaughtering Alliance" and the backbone of the Central Plains martial arts world. Without Feng Jiuxiao, how would the Central Plains martial arts world have had the opportunity to kill their way to the Demon Sect's lair and avenge their previous defeat?
Although the Demonic Sect was forced to retreat to the Great Shu Dynasty by martial arts masters from the Central Plains led by Zhang Tianshi, they were not seriously injured! None of the Four Demonic Generals or the Eighteen Arhats died! These people committed heinous crimes in the Central Plains martial arts world! Each of them had the blood of innocent people on their hands! Yet they did not receive the punishment they deserved!
If it weren't for Feng Jiuxiao, some sects in the Central Plains might never have had the chance to avenge their elders, even if they spent their entire lives doing so!

Therefore, most people felt both awe and gratitude towards Feng Jiuxiao. They had all assumed that arriving at Qinghai Lake would allow them to use their unique abilities to directly reach the island and snatch the eggs, but instead, they found themselves trapped on the shore!
The biggest obstacle was not other competitors in the martial arts world, but the local Tibetan nobles!
When the Tibetan soldiers learned that these Han Chinese only wanted to land on Haixinshan Island to obtain the eggs of a large bird, they lowered their guard! As long as they weren't bandits coming to steal salt, everything would be fine!
These people from the Central Plains are very good at "getting things done". No matter where they are from, as long as you go up to question them, they will all do one thing in common - stuff silver into their hands!
Since they're not here to cause trouble and can even benefit us, we should naturally turn a blind eye!

The head of the local soldiers who were responsible for guarding the salt fields saw a business opportunity – they could provide these people from the Central Plains with daily necessities!
As long as they know their noble status and powerful background, these people from the Central Plains will not dare to object!
Chijiling was the head of the Dai clan's guards, holding the rank of centurion. He stood with his hands behind his back in front of a Tibetan-style tent. Behind him were two guards, one tall and thin, the other short and stout.

The military tents behind them were quite far from the tents of the Central Plains people, several hundred feet away, scattered in a staggered pattern on the mountainside of an eastern peak. The tents were embroidered with the clan emblems of large families. If you looked closely, you would find that there were three clan emblems in total: the blood eagle pattern of the Mo clan, the yak horn of the Dai clan, and the sun-devouring roc of the Wei clan!
Although this is Dai's territory, the six major families have formed a community of interests through marriage. This time, at Dai's request, Wei and Mo sent all their troops here as reinforcements. So, in addition to Dai's two hundred troops, there are also two hundred troops from Mo and two hundred troops from Wei! That is to say, there are six hundred troops stationed here!
Standing halfway up the mountain, you can take in the view of the numerous tents of the Central Plains people scattered along the lake!

The tall, thin soldier behind Chiji Ling couldn't suppress the smirk that crept up his lips: "Centurion! Another fish has taken the bait!"

Chiji Ling sneered, "Yes, this time a big fish has arrived!"

The caravan of seven carriages was truly luxurious!

There must be a noble person inside!

The portly soldier asked, "Jiaben! These people from the Central Plains say there's a giant roc on the island, is that true?"

Chiji Ling remained expressionless. "You've asked me this question three times! I've never been to Haixin Mountain either, and I'm not very clear about the situation on the island. But since so many outsiders have come, it means it might be true! After all, there's no smoke without fire!"

The skinny soldier said, "If there really is a Roc on the island, how come we don't know about it? I've asked the herders around here these past two days, and they've never seen a Roc! I suspect that someone might be deliberately spreading false information to trick these people!"

Chijiling said, "Who cares if it's true or false! Whether they're from the Central Plains or the Western Xia, as long as they can pull out silver, they're good people!" He paused, then sneered, "These people from the Central Plains have always treated us like uncivilized savages, calling us barbarians. This time, I'll show them how barbarians can easily fool them! I'll make them penniless and miserable! I'll make them fall from grace into the mire! I'll make them kneel down and beg me for a bite to eat! I'll show everyone how the so-called high and mighty people from the Central Plains can kneel before me like ants!"

Both the fat and thin soldiers were startled!
Kamoto's ambition—no, it should be called lofty aspirations—is quite large!

The fat soldier frowned and said, "Jiaben, these people from the Central Plains know martial arts. Be careful they don't do anything rash!"

Chijiling sneered, "So what if he knows martial arts? Does he dare to touch me? Do you know what it means if they kill me?"

The skinny soldier laughed and said, "Of course I know! It means they've officially declared war on the six great families! They've declared war on Qing Tang City!"

Chijiling said, “That’s right! Two fists can’t beat four hands, and even a tiger can’t withstand a pack of wolves! No matter how high one’s martial arts skills are, how can one fight against the entire dynasty’s army? They are here to seek benefits, not to create trouble for themselves! They only want to obtain the greatest benefits at the lowest cost! To confront the Tibetan army would be the most foolish thing to do, as it would cause the cost to increase infinitely, thereby reducing the benefits gained! They will not easily do such a risky and low-return thing!”

The skinny soldier said, "Then aren't we very safe? As long as we don't drive these Han people to a dead end, they certainly won't resist!"

“Indeed! These Han Chinese, they all seem shrewd and decisive, but in reality, not one of them dares to be the first to stand up!” Kamoto Akira said with his eyes closed. “And human nature is so strange. If someone dares to lay a hand on me, there will definitely be others who stand up against him!”

The two guards looked at each other in bewilderment.

What is the logic?

The fat soldier gave a strange smile: "I'll get ready, and soon I'll go and present a big gift to the new guest!"

Jia Ben said, "What are we going to sell them this time? They're new here, they probably don't lack anything!"

The fat soldier grinned sinisterly: "That's right! They might have enough water and dry rations on their carts, but they might not have tents! They might not have charcoal! In this freezing weather, without these two things, it's tantamount to waiting to die! Especially in the latter half of the night, without anything to keep warm, they'll freeze to death! In this awful weather, even a snow leopard would need to find a den to hide in to avoid freezing to death!"

Jia Ben said, "Okay, go over there after they get off the bus!" (End of this chapter)