The Rising Fox Sect 1

Thankfully the elites they had with them are the best troops that the Liang Dynasty uses, so their combat skills were out of Xiao Fan's imagination.

Xiao Fan was amazed of them, for when they got up to the final enemy that had them outnumbered somewhere around one to five or more, they hadn't sustained any casualties.

Their combat effectiveness is, of course, so high thanks to the Liang Dynasty putting a tremendous amount of money into these.

Still, money well spent, he thought.

On the other hand, he kinda didn't, seeing as they had lost a lot of elites during when they had been used as decoys.

Sure, Xiao Fan didn't miss them or anything.

But he was thinking about it from a strategic side of how much power does one Baron acting as a diplomat have, for even Zou Zexi would have trouble putting up such a force they had left Hangzhou with.

But, when Zheng Chao needed to make the decision to abandon them, he hadn't batted an eye.

Pondering about this during their trip that was becoming worse and worse, was he thanks to this becoming more hungry to be already at the Liang Dynasty.

Everything he had seen so far was plus for him.

...

Meanwhile, as Xiao Fan was thinking about these things.

The bandit captain, who had gotten away without much of trouble, had gone to his hideout to take everything valuable out.

But as he had come to his hideout.

There was a crowd waiting for him, and just looking at their insignias the man began smiling, it would seem that his money troubles starting up another bandit group had been answered.

There wasn't a whole lot to talk with the members of the Bald Eagle Dynasty, they offered him enough money to recruit the manpower and trust to rebuild his bandit group from scratch.

With that deal, the bandit leader would get off from the stage, surrendering the information that he had on Xiao Fan's group and the direction he thought they would be taking.

Han Bai, who had been talking with the man, thanked him with gold and then took off with his old and new allies. The new ones being a few smaller warbands of bandits who they had hired to work with them.

The Bald Eagle Dynasty representative was feeling how he was currently bleeding out all the money he had gathered during his life now being thrown out to some bandits.

And wasn't liking it, yet there was nothing else to do if he wanted to succeed in his mission.

Nevertheless, now with new associates and a direction given to him.

Han Bai would divide his troops into smaller units which alone couldn't take on the prey, yet that wasn't their purpose either. Finding them was good enough, even better would be if the group finding them could signal them their location with smoke bombs he had also distributed.

Currently, he still had a few days before they would be nearing the Liang Dynasty's border, so using something like smoke bombs to transmit messages was all good.

All good, except that, Han Bai's supply line had been lagging behind for quite some time, so every group had a limited amount of them.

However, like so many setbacks before he didn't give up.

He again had the resources, advantage, and confidence to back these things for the third round to start.

As Han Bai was beginning his operation, elsewhere.

Xiao Fan had run a good distance with the others by now, but they weren't taking one of those routes that the bandit captain had marked.

So soon the bandits home ground advantage would be showing off well.

Xiao Fan and his group were sometimes utterly lost in the jungle while Han Bai, who had gotten a map of the place was moving swiftly.

Due to this advantage, it wouldn't even take a day before Xiao Fan, and their group were spotted by a bandit group now working under Han Bai and the Bald Eagle Dynasty.

The group of bandits who found them were one of the weakest groups sent out to hunt hem, their strength was so weak that they wouldn't be able to hold a single Liang Dynasty elite.

However, as mentioned before, that didn't matter to them.

Since after finding them they released the smoke bombs like they had been told, a wise decision for everyone else hunting while a disaster for themselves.

Yes, it was a disaster for them.

For the moment they had set off those smoke signals the group where Xiao Fan was could likewise pinpoint their location, and they were, by far the closest group nearby.

Which leads to the conclusion that when someone came to the spot where the smoke was released, only a ritual made by Qian Ki was waiting for them.

And Qian Ki had made one hell of artwork.

The twenty or so human bodies were now, for example, hanging from their intestines, or skewered like they were a piece of meat on a stick, but the sticks were the tree trunks.

The horrors the girl could imagine were something that even the bandits who sometimes used fear tactics were horrified. None of them could handle such a display of cruelty, and so some of them wanted to leave.

But those ideas were quickly swayed by Han Bai, who knew this was only a trick made by the spawn of evil in the preys party.

Han Bai would even use this to his own advantage.

He would preach to everyone that they would also be cleaning evil from the Ohin continent.

Thanks to his skill in giving a speech, even bandits found a beating heart in themselves and got back to acting. Moreover, they had now tightened the net considerably, so no one remembered a thing about that one bandit group which had died due to their own stupidity.

While their horror affected by Qian Ki's art was lowering, the artist, herself was still savouring the sight she had gotten to craft, now running in a smaller group.

Currently, in their group, there were only her Xiao Fan, Du Lan, and Zheng Chao, the elites who had so far kept them alive had gotten new orders.

The new order was a little suicidal, but the men listened to the man, who they had been told to follow from children. They didn't think much when they were told to start striking these small groups that Han Bai had made.

Following the order.

The next twelve hours were a nightmare for those small groups who were now meeting Body Strengthening realm hit squads which would finish them before they got to fire an alarm.

Yet this only lasted for those twelve hours, for the hit squads hit the main group by accident.

Han Bai, who at this point, knew what was going on now got to exact some revenge when the Liang Dynasty soldiers struck directly at him.

When he noticed that the group striking them didn't have Zheng Chao in it could he easily take one elite from the Liang Dynasty as a prisoner.

The unlucky one to be caught had been the speartip of their charge, he, himself had thought this group to be one amongst many other they had already demolished, yet a different reality had come to him soon.

However, when the current reality hit him, his battle-brothers couldn't come to his help.

The Bald Eagle Dynasty's own elite troops and the Rising Fox Sect had come after them forcing them to pull out and leave him behind.

What was even more devastating was how the elites didn't find their way back to their master.

Seeing as by the time they lost the hunters, there were too many things complicating everything. Starting from that, they, themselves were exhausted, and ended in that how they could find back anymore?

They had to camp separately for the night.

The men weren't happy about this idea, yet currently, no one came with a better course of action while the other group was also wondering where the men were.

On their side.

Zheng Chao was unwavering and believed that they had only been compromised yet still alive since their own signals hadn't been seen during the day.

Nevertheless, now the escorts were in one group while the people they needed to escort were in a different group somewhere they didn't know, all the while the enemy was swarming around them.

It wasn't too good Zheng Chao shook his head.

Han Bai's group wasn't even suffering from something like exhaustion or anything; his group of people could search for them through the night if they wanted.

Though what Han Bai didn't know, however, was that one of the groups had found the golden goose during this time, but right now, this group wasn't making a signal about it.

Of course, one could think what group wouldn't be listening to the orders of the Bald Eagle Dynasty, and the answer was simple, it was the Rising Fox Sect who had found Xiao Fan.

The rising Fox sect, like every other group here, didn't want to anger the Bald Eagle Dynasty, they had a good relationship, however... However, the temptation of taking the prize for themselves was too great for the elder leading the group.

Right now the only thing the elder was saddened by in this situation was how she didn't have a bow to kill of Zheng Chao and would need to split her troops.

Not having a bow her plan was that the elites and, she, herself would be taking care of Zheng Chao, leaving the neophytes to take care of the youths he was protecting.

She had been close in her thinking about telling about it yet that sweet price of Xiao Fan being thrown into their dungeon or forcefully enlisted into their sect was too great.

Moreover, there was also an added bonus in this plan.

For Du Lan and Qian Ki, women she knew by name were something that the Rising Fox Sect would always welcome into the sect.

For like Xiao Fan had thought the Rising Fox Sect did give their resources and ranks mostly based on beauty rankings, and where would those two women be placed? Easily the matriarch, so maybe Xiao Fan this in mind would be convinced to follow them back.

The plan now set and thought out.

The group that surrounded Xiao Fan except from one side came out from their hiding, revealing themselves to the unsuspecting group, who hadn't seen them almost next to them because of the visibility.

Xiao Fan, who had been leaning on a tree, hugging his two women was completely surprised by what had just happened, yet right now didn't think about executing any fast moves.

He saw that it looked like they had them yet coming out like this also meant something was off, so he tried to act indifferent as possible, only taking a look towards Zheng Chao, who was the same as him, confused yet acted as if nothing unusual had befallen.

¨What brings Elder Meng here today¨ He politely spoke to the elder who he knew by name, then after saying so, he turned his head back to Xiao Fan and indicated from him to rise up and be ready for anything.

¨Zheng Chao why are you in such a hurry?¨ Meng Chin didn't say anything else, solely amused by him trying to escape the trap.

¨We have no hurries at the current moment, but we were just about to leave this place¨ Zheng Chao replied, however, doing so he couldn't help his eyes that sometimes wandered throughout her body.

Meng Chin, an elder of the Rising Fox Sect, had gotten her position the traditional route of born into the sect, and then from a child having enough beauty to be considered something worthwhile.

Even now anyone couldn't argue that her amazing curves and a great face amongst beautiful women wouldn't deserve to be an elder in her sect.

Meng Chin, herself, seeing Zheng Chao's eyes wander on her didn't think anything bad about it and spoke without correcting him.

¨Then if you have no hurry we can surely talk about a few things before you leave¨

At this point, Zheng Chao wanted more time the most, so he went with her play.

¨Oh, if Elder Meng wants to talk about something then we can talk¨

Although he said so by now, he was already up and starting to find any weak point to be used for escaping.

¨I have one topic I would love to talk with you about today. It is about your companions there¨ She said, taking a glance at Xiao Fan, who was faring much better with his eyes than Zheng Chao.

Too well for her liking actually she thought as her tongue glides over the dark red lip of hers making it moist.

'Of course, you want to talk about him!' Zheng Chao cursed inside of him, yet saying the other.

¨What is it? Xiao Fan and his companions are the guests of my Liang Dynasty¨

¨Well, I was here thinking that looking at the three of them don't you think that they are far more suited for the Rising Fox Sect than the Liang Dynasty? All three of them could easily if given time, become sect elders. If the Liang Dynasty gave their guests to us, we would be eternally grateful¨