C70 Lianfeng Stronghold

After Lee Zhuohua finished feeding Xiao Budian, he also ate some of the remaining dry rations. After that, he leaned against a big tree and fell asleep with Xiao Budian in his arms.

After the guards of the caravan finished eating, they surrounded the bonfire to rest.

The night passed just like that.

The next day.

"Uncle Lin, tell everyone to pack up and prepare to leave. We must return to the capital before nightfall." Zhao Hanyan, who woke up early in the morning, ordered Lin Wunian.

Last night, Zhao Hanyan did not sleep well at all. His mind was filled with thoughts about the battle of the Chamber of Commerce. When she thought about what the Zhao Family Chamber of Commerce would face next, she felt extremely irritated.

Therefore, she woke up early this morning and wanted to rush back to the capital as soon as possible.

"Young lady, we will pass by the Lianfeng Stronghold on the way back to the imperial capital." After Lin Wunian heard Zhao Hanyan's instructions, he did not immediately arrange for everyone to go on their way but instead spoke like this.

When Zhao Hanyan heard the Lianfeng Stronghold he was talking about, he seemed to have thought of something and slightly tilted his head.

"Lianfeng Stronghold? When we set off last time, we have already talked to them. We have done what we need to do. They should not touch us." Zhao Hanyan looked into the distance and said with a slight frown.

This Lianfeng Stronghold was a bandit power that occupied the Spiritual Pine Mountain Range, and it made a living by plundering merchant groups that passed by.

Many of the caravans on the way would be blocked by the Lianfeng Stronghold on the way here, causing the goods to be lost miserably. As time passed, the Lianfeng Stronghold became an existence that would cause the merchants' expressions to change when they talked about it.

It wasn't like the people in the imperial capital didn't want to get rid of this cancer. In the past, the various Chambers of Commerce had worked together to invite ten experts of the Astral Realm to eradicate the Lianfeng Stronghold.

Initially, the ten experts fought their way to the entrance of the Lianfeng Stronghold, causing the Lianfeng Stronghold to be in chaos. But just as they were about to eradicate the cancer of this business trip, an Energy Shaping Stage Expert actually rushed out of the Lianfeng Stronghold.

As soon as the Energy Shaping Stage Expert showed himself, he defeated ten Astral Realm experts and killed four of them on the spot.

This result scared the remaining six Astral Realm cultivators so much that they ran away in a panic. They returned to the imperial capital and went back to the various merchant groups to hold them accountable.

When the people from the various Chambers of Commerce heard about this, they were also at a loss. Obviously, no one knew that there would be an Energy Shaping Stage Expert hidden in the Lianfeng Stronghold.

After that, the matter was left unsettled, and the various Chambers of Commerce did not dare to find anyone else to deal with the Lianfeng Stronghold. On one hand, they were unable to invite experts of a higher realm, and on the other hand, they were afraid that the Lianfeng Stronghold would become even worse, making it even more difficult for the merchants who passed by.

After that, the bandit from Lianfeng Stronghold also thought of the past, and in order to avoid attracting the attention of the other people in the capital, he drew up a contract with the various Chamber of Commerces.

As long as the merchant group handed over a tenth of the profits from this trade, Lianfeng Stronghold would guarantee that they would not pillage this merchant group.

Although this method was equivalent to collecting toll, the various Chambers of Commerce could do nothing about it. They could only do as the bandit asked. Otherwise, the Chambers of Commerce would not be able to safely move out in the future.

Many people might not understand. Since the big Chambers of Commerce couldn't do anything to the bandit, why would the bandit make the contract with them?

In fact, this Great Kou also had some scruples about it. Although he was not afraid of those chambers of commerce, the Spiritual Pine Mountain Range was close to the imperial capital, and there was no lack of Energy Shaping Stage Experts in the imperial capital. There were even quite a few experts in the Earth Surge Realm who were active in the imperial capital.

What he was afraid of was getting the attention of those people.

As Zhao Hanyan thought about how the merchant group had already prepared their men in the Lianfeng Stronghold before they left, he was not very worried that the other party would come to intercept them.

However, what Zhao Hanyan did not expect was that Lianfeng Stronghold was a place where bandits lived, and the treaties they made were only made out of fear of certain existences. But when the benefits reached a certain level, then the treaties would only be a joke.

While the Zhao Family Chamber of Commerce was preparing to set off, a group of people slowly walked out of the forest in front of them.

This group of people had ferocious looks on their faces, and their bodies were faintly filled with the smell of blood. Obviously, they were a group of people who walked on the tip of a blade all year round.

One of them was wearing a suit and looked more aggressive than the others. There was a cross scar on his face, and he was leading the group, which was obviously led by him.

"We're here." The man with the scar on his face narrowed his eyes and said as he looked at The Zhao Caravan not far away.

"Second-in-charge, is this the caravan?" One of them approached the man and asked.

"Of course not. It is them. Follow me." That man said with an evil smile. After he finished speaking, he licked the corner of his lips.

After saying that, the group of people strode towards the Zhao Caravan Group.

While Zhao Hanyan and Lin Wunian were talking about the Lianfeng Stronghold, they saw a group of people walking over with ill intentions.

"Miss Zhao, long time no see. Are you in a hurry to get back to the capital?" The scar-faced man called out to Zhao Hanyan.

When Zhao Hanyan heard this familiar voice, he frowned and looked at the person who spoke. When she saw who it was, she was slightly startled.

"Why are they here?" Zhao Hanyan thought to himself, but his expression did not change.

Lin Wunian, who was beside her, naturally saw the person clearly. His originally relaxed state immediately tensed up and he stood behind Zhao Hanyan in a defensive posture.

"Hmm?" The commotion here also attracted Lee Zhuohua's attention. He didn't know what was going on, so he turned his head and looked over.

Under Lee Zhuohua's gaze, there were eight or nine people in this group, and each of them was emitting a dangerous aura, but these people seemed to be led by the one who spoke. This group of people clearly had bad intentions.

"If there's nothing else, then it's fine. But if there's anything, on account of the girl taking me in, I might have to help her." Lee Zhuohua thought to himself.

Lee Zhuohua could tell from the aura that the person who had spoken was at least at the Middle Period of Astral Reaching Stage. The rest of them were mostly at the Condensing Origin Stage. The only expert on Zhao Hanyan's side who had reached the Astral Realm was Lin Wunian. Among the rest of the people, only Lin Wunian had reached the Astral Realm.

Apart from Zhao Hanyan, everyone else was at the Body Forging stage. If they were to really fight in a while, Zhao Hanyan would definitely not be a match for that group of people.

"Second-in-charge Wang, what brings you here?" Zhao Hanyan frowned as he looked at the scarred man warily.

The scar-faced man who Zhao Hanyan called Second Head Wang was Wang Lieh, the second-in-command of Lianfeng Stronghold. This man was vicious by nature, and he was the leader of the bandits who robbed merchant groups in Lianfeng Stronghold. He was in charge of military affairs with other powers.

After the Energy Shaping Stage Expert in Lianfeng Stronghold made a treaty with the various Chamber of Commerces, he rarely had a chance to make a move.

But this time, it had come to The Zhao Caravan because it had been entrusted.

After Wang Lieh heard Zhao Hanyan's words, the corner of his mouth curled up into a sinister smile.

"Hehe, I came to see how the goods you are transporting this time," Wang Lieh said in a strange tone.

Hearing Wang Lieh's words, Zhao Hanyan felt that something was wrong. Her frown deepened.

"Second-in-charge Wang, this is against the rules. My Zhao Family Chamber of Commerce has already handed over one-tenth of the profits of this batch of goods." Zhao Hanyan said in a serious tone, hoping that the other party would not violate the agreement.

As for Wang Lieh, he didn't seem to care about what Zhao Hanyan said. The corner of his mouth was still filled with a sinister smile.

"Rules? Did you set this rule or did we set it? I said that I want to see the quality of your batch of goods, so you just have to show it to me honestly. Don't you know what's good for you?" Wang Lieh put away his smile and suddenly became hostile. His tone even contained a hint of threat.