Longevity Martial Arts: Obtain Golden Affixes at the Start

Hong Lang wasn't in a hurry. He plopped down next to her, took out the osmanthus wine from his pocket, uncorked it, and took a sip.

He changed the subject: "You just said you wanted to try what it's like to rob someone?"

Wu Xiaoxiao still ignored him.

"Did you consider what to do if you ran into a tough opponent before you started the robbery? What if the other party was stronger than you and robbed you instead?"

"Heh, with my bow and arrow skills, as long as I don't encounter a Qi Gathering Realm martial artist, who can rival me? You're an exception!"

After laughing, Hong Lang fell silent. This little girl's background was not simple; offending her would bring endless trouble.

But now that he has already offended her, if he kills her and she comes back to seek revenge from her family, he'll be in deep trouble.

Don't let go? We can't keep him tied up forever.

As he was thinking, he remembered the five arrows flying in quick succession from earlier.

That archery skill was fast, accurate, and ruthless.

If it weren't for the attributes "extraordinary hearing" and "extraordinary eyesight," which allowed me to detect the arrow's trajectory in advance, I might have truly perished here today.

Zhou Liang, the name popped into Hong Lang's mind. If Wu Xiaoxiao had the help, Zhou Liang didn't seem so difficult to deal with.

When I return, whether it's to attack Zhou Liang or something else, this guy's archery skills will be of great use.

"Hey, little girl, I have something to tell you."

Wu Xiaoxiao looked at him warily, her eyes filled with distrust.

"Would you be interested in... doing some work for me?"

"What kind of work?"

"I have some business to attend to in Hengjiang County and I need an assistant. Your archery skills are quite good, so please do me a favor. I'll return the ring to you after it's done."

Now that we've already offended her, we have no choice but to lure her to Hengjiang County first.

"That was originally mine!"

"You are now my prisoner, and your things are naturally mine too. Help me with my work and I will return them to you."

Wu Xiaoxiao asked with some skepticism, "You really will give me back the ring if I help you with the work?"

Hong Lang nodded and said, "That's right, just help me with a small task."

Wu Xiaoxiao bit her lip, her chest heaving violently, clearly going through a fierce internal struggle.

After a long pause, she finally asked, "...What exactly happened?"

"It's nothing. There's a guy named Zhou Liang in Tianmu County. I have a bit of a grudge against him. Just shoot him a few arrows for me."

Wu Xiaoxiao gave a resentful "hmm".

Hong Lang reached out and lifted her up from the ground, quickly untying the ropes binding her.

Wu Xiaoxiao moved her wrists, which had gone numb from being constricted, bent over and put on her boots, then slung the bow and arrows over her shoulder. Only then did her tense expression relax a little.

She then gave a crisp whistle, and a white horse galloped out of the woods.

The two mounted their horses and rode along a bumpy road until dawn, when they finally entered the territory of Hengjiang County.

The little girl didn't cause any more trouble along the way, but she would glare at him from time to time, clearly very dissatisfied.

Hong Lang settled her in an empty room in the house. When he opened the door, Wu Xiaoxiao stood in the doorway, glanced inside, and curled her lip: "That's it?"

"You think it's too bad? Then you can sleep in the yard."

Wu Xiaoxiao was speechless.

Li Tao'er and Qin Jiuzhen came over upon hearing the noise, and Hong Lang introduced them to each other.

"This is Sister Qin, this is Li Tao'er, this is Wu Xiaoxiao, my... prisoner, will stay here for the time being."

Qin Jiuzhen greeted Li Tao'er, and Wu Xiaoxiao snorted coldly, "You're quite lucky."

Li Tao'er whispered in Hong Lang's ear, "Brother Lang, Sister Pu is gone."

"Gone?"

Hong Lang was somewhat surprised. Could it be that her cultivation had recovered?

Qin Jiuzhen handed a letter to Hong Lang: "This is what she left behind; we haven't opened it."

Hong Lang took it and unfolded it; there were only sixteen characters on it.

The leader has returned, and I must go back to the sect. Your command will remain for now; I will retrieve it another day.

It turns out that the leader of the Yin Cult has returned. There's no need to worry about her for now. With the leader's protection, she's safe and sound, and most people wouldn't dare to cause trouble.

Hong Lang sighed softly, put the letter away, and said to Wu Xiaoxiao, "I'm going to the county government office. You stay here and behave yourself!"

"knew!"

The streets of Hengjiang County are a bit quieter than they were a few days ago.

Hong Lang took a couple of steps and realized something was wrong.

Although the tea stalls and taverns along the street were still open, there were few customers. The few who passed by were all in a hurry, with an indescribable tension on their faces.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the county government office, Liu Zhong came out to greet them.

"County Commandant Hong, you're finally back!" His voice was filled with obvious relief.

Hong Lang asked, "What's wrong? What happened?"

Liu Zhong glanced around and lowered his voice, "Let's go inside and talk."

The two entered the back hall of the county government office one after the other, and Liu Zhong closed the door.

"In the few days since Magistrate Hong left, something happened in Hengjiang County."

Hong Lang frowned: "What happened?"

"A lot of people have gone missing. The exact number is still being tallied, but there are at least seven or eight. And those who have gone missing are not ordinary people; they are all martial artists."

As Liu Zhong spoke, he picked up the teapot on the table and poured a bowl for Hong Lang.

He continued, "Zhao Tieshan, a disciple of the Iron Arm Martial Arts School, Sun Dabiao, a courier of the Mighty Escort Agency, and Manager Fang of the West Street Herbal Medicine Shop... they all disappeared inexplicably. Now everyone in the city is on edge, and no one dares to go out."

Seven or eight martial artists disappeared one after another in just three or four days, leaving no trace of their lives or bodies.

Although Hengjiang County is not large, its public security has always been relatively good, and there has never been such a case of a series of disappearances before.

"Have you found any clues?" Hong Lang asked.

"A hunter from Anfu Village reported that he had seen two suspicious people on the outskirts of Black Wind Mountain. Magistrate Mo immediately summoned all the constables and searched the outskirts of Black Wind Mountain for a day, but they found nothing. They dared not go any further and had to retreat."

After a moment's thought, Hong Lang had already made up his mind. He first went to pay his respects to Mo Qiushui.

Inside the back hall of the county government office, Mo Qiushui was reviewing official documents when Hong Lang entered. She put down her pen and asked, "You're back?"

Hong Lang bowed respectfully and said in a deep voice, "Great... Qiu... Qiu Shui, I am aware of the missing martial artist. I plan to personally lead a team to investigate the outskirts of Black Wind Mountain."

Mo Qiushui pondered for a moment and said, "Since you have a plan, I will not stop you. However, remember not to underestimate your opponent. If you encounter a strong enemy, retreat first and make further plans."

Hong Lang bid farewell and left, calling Zhu Dachang. The two of them gathered their belongings and traveled swiftly to the outskirts of Black Wind Mountain.

The main ridge of Black Wind Mountain stretches for countless miles, containing countless precious medicinal herbs and minerals, making it a treasure trove, but also extremely dangerous.

The mountain range that Hengjiang County is backed by is the end of a small branch of the Black Wind Mountain.

Hong Lang suspected that the missing martial artists had most likely been captured by the Yellow Heaven Sect.

They are likely hiding deep within this branch of Black Wind Mountain.

Only he and Zhu Dachang were at the Meridian Opening Realm in the entire yamen, and the others couldn't help, so he only took Zhu Dachang with him and started walking into the mountains.