Chapter 70 Armed Autumn Tread (Part One)
Having matured and developed for many years, Longquan Mountain, integrated with organic agriculture, leisure vacation, ecological health, and forest tourism, is a rare high-quality tourist destination around City C. Naturally, it is crowded during this National Day golden holiday. However, tourism vacation resources targeting high-net-worth families remain scarce and are beyond the imagination of ordinary tourists.
The business bus kept going deeper into Longquan Mountain until the entire world transformed into the unique autumn colors of red, yellow, and green, finally arriving at a valley resort nestled against the mountains and water.
As far as the eye could see, this resort, set in a tranquil valley, radiated an exquisite vintage charm, with almost all buildings crafted from natural stone and wood.
With bridges and flowing water, forest sounds echoing, the distant mountains, rocks, waterfalls, ponds, streams, and forests of red leaves together formed a picture of rustic nature and leisurely elegance.
After getting off the business bus, Jiang Yao noticed that there was already a large crowd waiting in the parking lot.
Except for two familiar female attendants from the Golden River Club, all the others were unfamiliar faces, numbering nearly twenty. They still had the typical Hyacinth style, mostly young men and women, and essentially low-grade blood servants whose pheromones were uncontrollable.
Among those waiting, a stranger, a burly man resembling a boxer, stood out remarkably.
As Wan Yue got out of the car, the burly man hurriedly led the others to greet her, but judging from their expressions, those unfamiliar low-level blood servants were clearly much more restrained and nervous.
“Did you see that big guy? That’s Zheng Shaolin, Brother Zheng, a mid-tier knight of the Alatai blood clan. Like Zhao Ge, Brother Huang, Uncle Liang, and Sister Xiao Ai, he followed Sister Wan to leave the Hermit Alliance back in the day. Because he has been stationed here for a long time, you haven’t met him before.”
Zhou Ping quietly introduced the striking iron tower man to Jiang Yao, her eyes filled with deep respect.
“Brother Zheng has been living deep in the mountains all this time? What about them?”
A gust of forest wind swept by, and Jiang Yao quickly pressed down her little straw hat and skirt, while also curiously sizing up the dozen or so unfamiliar low-grade blood servants. From the aura sensed, they were mainly mid- to high-tier blood servants.
“Well… how should I put it? This is actually our Hyacinth secret camp; they are all newcomers rescued from various places. Poor things, I was one of them years ago… Before being promoted to attendants, they were all trained and protected by Brother Zheng here; those with poor qualifications have been here for seven or eight years now.”
Zhou Ping smiled as she looked at the row of blood servant newcomers standing nervously in front of Wan Yue, naturally bringing up past experiences.
For us, those years living here were the safest paradise in the world, a place to heal physical and emotional wounds.
If not for Sister Wan, Brother Zhao, Brother Huang, Uncle Liang, Brother Zheng, and Sister Xiao Ai fighting against the Black Blood Clan over the past twenty years, it is likely that people, including myself, would not have survived three months after blood invasion.
Without the seniors to guide them, newcomers without resources to relieve their blood thirst could not master the ability to control internal and external hormones, and most would die at the hands of the Black Blood Clan. Those who barely survived, if they did not find a backing for protection, would also live in a state of misery, unable to escape the fate of being dealt with by hidden arrows.
After speaking, Zhou Ping rubbed her head and shook it vigorously, as if trying to shake off some unpleasant memories.
“Such careful arrangements; Sister Wan is truly impressive…”
Thinking about the days when she and Jiang Yan were blood-invaded, falling into a state of isolation and helplessness due to blood thirst, Jiang Yao deeply empathized. And the newcomers before her, especially the females, if they were truly alone after blood invasion, the outcome was simply unimaginable.
“Hello, brothers and sisters!”
The rules of the Hyacinth, or rather the blood clan, had long been ingrained. These young boys and girls who had been confined in the depths of Longquan Mountain bowed respectfully to the attendants who got off the business bus.
In the chilly autumn air of the mountain forest, a burly man still wearing only a fitness tank top approached Jiang Yao after whispering a few words with Wan Yue, his steadfast and fierce face full of a mix of surprise and kind smiles.
“I’ve heard Zhao Peng talk about you and your sister; five months of being a knight, haha, that’s awesome! Now our Hyacinth can go toe-to-toe with some smaller clans!”
Zheng Shaolin was a straightforward person. Though he looked fierce, he was more personable than Zhao Peng, and with his towering body and bulging muscles, he provided a tremendous sense of security to those familiar with him.
“Hello, Brother Zheng! Just call me Xiao Yao.”
Jiang Yao quickly bowed slightly, not daring to compare her qualifications with the other party’s status, and upon looking up, she was a bit dazed.
In this simple exchange, she had already sensed a familiar aura in Zheng Shaolin’s every gesture, somewhat reminiscent of seasoned soldiers, just like Jiang Yan.
“Everyone, come help the senior with the bags, then prepare lunch together. Sister Wan is here today; I’ll personally cook a few dishes!”
Zheng Shaolin shouted energetically, and nearby, a dozen newcomers with nervous expressions hurriedly gathered around.
“Sister, I’m Xiao Mei; I’ll help you with your bag.”
Another young girl stood shyly in front of Jiang Yao, her head bowing low. Shunning the vain dreams of being a baron, being a knight represented existence that most low-grade blood clans envied and admired.
“Oh… thank you… um, how old are you? How long have you lived here? What tier are you?”
Seeing Zhou Ping hand a suitcase to a young boy without changing her expression, Jiang Yao felt embarrassed to set down her own travel bag, but still couldn’t help but ask in a low voice.
“I… I’m twenty-one this year, lived here for five years; I’m a bit slow, still a mid-tier blood servant…”
The young girl’s face and ears turned beet red, almost burying her head in her collar.
“Hey, Xiao Yao, don’t use your senior status to pry into others’ ages.” Zhou Ping leaned over, giving Jiang Yao’s arm a gentle tap, “Look, she’s actually older than you, isn’t that awkward for both sides?”
Everyone around laughed, and both groups of Hyacinth members relaxed considerably, even Xiao Mei shyly smiled.
Zheng Shaolin said that this supply was all in the bus’s luggage compartment and would be arranged for someone to move inside later.
Behind them, nearly forty Hyacinth boys and girls laughed and chatted as they walked into the resort, while Wan Yue smiled and looked back, lighting a cigarette, walking leisurely across the small bridge in the mountain stream with Zheng Shaolin, softly inquiring: “The intel on the Black Blood Clan over in J City isn’t off, right?”
Upon hearing the question, Zheng Shaolin’s expression became much more serious: “Yes, Huang Gu scouted the area for me last month, and I’ve personally confirmed it twice as well. There is indeed a small gang of the Black Blood Clan there, with only two knights and seven attendants; the other teens are all blood servants kept captive…”
As he spoke, a fire of anger seemed to ignite in Zheng Shaolin’s eyes: “Those confined blood servants are likely used to feed those Black Blood Clan bastards; they’re basically all kids and women from the rural mountainous areas suffering from blood invasion. The elders have probably all been consumed!”
“Sister Wan, wipe them out as soon as possible; otherwise, they will harm more people sooner or later!”
The roar of the waterfall filled the air as Wan Yue glanced at the furious Zheng Shaolin, but silently continued to smoke.
The nearby waterfall surged, the foamy white cascade pouring over the rocks, crashing violently into a sunken pool halfway up the mountain. The water’s fury hadn’t dissipated but angrily flowed out of the pool, leaking into the stream, grand and forceful, winding away towards the distant valley, eventually powerless as it diluted into more gentle streams.
After a minute, tired of the commotion of the water, Wan Yue stubbed her cigarette into a nearby trash can, stretching her soft body and gazing quietly at the sky, a slight smile tugging at her lips: “Then let’s strike tonight instead of waiting for tomorrow; let’s raid their den. Eliminating this nest of Black Blood Clan will give this team-building exercise real significance.”
“Alright, I’ll prepare right away!” Zheng Shaolin’s eyes lit up with excitement, brimming with energy, “With Sister Wan bringing Jiang Yao along this time, I’m even more confident!”
“No, you won’t go this time. Let Jiang Yao take the lead.” Wan Yue smiled and shook her head, “This is a good opportunity for her to collaborate with everyone in practical combat and see her true abilities.”
“But the opponents are two mid-tier knights, and one of them is a Caucasian blood clan!” Zheng Shaolin was taken aback, clearly concerned about Wan Yue’s arrangement. “Little Yao is a Siberian mid-tier knight, right? If it drags into a prolonged battle, a one-to-two situation could be troublesome for survival, let alone winning.”
“Do you think someone who has promoted to a mid-tier knight in four or five months will be some kind of monster?”
Wan Yue lightly shook her head, sporting a self-deprecating expression, “If anyone dares to call me an old hag again, I’ll just throw your two little girls from the Jiang family at them to hit their faces! Two mid-tier knights won’t even be enough for her to warm up… We’ll deal with any surprises if
