Zhang Yuan received two pieces of news, one bad and one good.

The bad news was that he had become the target of a bounty, listed on the must-kill list of the Blood Shadow Building, and would soon face another assassination attempt from this assassin organization.

Zhang Yuan might even have to face a Tier Seven master-level assassin!

The good news was that, after over two months of stalemate, Fei Hongming, who had been presiding over West Plain City for a decade, finally couldn’t withstand the pressure from the Sect and yielded to Zhang Yuan.

This Daoist Official not only allocated the third month’s military expenses to the Dao Camp but also went ahead and provided the funds for the next month, assuring that in the future there will be no need for reminders from the Dao Camp and promising full and timely payments.

There would be no more delays.

Additionally, an old butler who came to visit brought along Fei Hongming’s apology gift.

Ten silver notes, each with a face value of ten thousand taels!

Zhang Yuan didn’t lack this hundred thousand taels of silver, and Fei Hongming clearly understood this point.

But delivering this apology gift on the second day after Zhang Yuan’s assassination attempt undoubtedly showed the Daoist Official’s stance.

He didn’t want to continue opposing Zhang Yuan and denied hiring the Blood Shadow Building.

Zhang Yuan accepted the apology gift.

Zhang Yuan, in fact, was quite disdainful— even at this stage, Fei Hongming was still putting on airs of a Daoist Official, only sending a confidant to negotiate peace. His vision was just that limited.

Of course, Zhang Yuan also believed that Fei Hongming was not the mastermind behind the Blood Shadow Building’s assassination attempt!

That’s why he accepted the silver to reassure the other party.

This was also to eliminate hidden dangers within West Plain City.

Even if true cooperation between the parties was impossible, it was unnecessary to continue opposition, which would give enemies opportunities.

This matter was considered settled.

However, the impact of Zhang Yuan’s assassination attempt on the busiest street of West Plain City was not easily dispelled.

In the following days, the atmosphere within this Dao City was rather tense.

It was quite like the feeling of nervous anticipation in times of crisis.

Under such circumstances, Zhang Yuan once again led three hundred Daoist Soldiers out of West Plain City.

Three days later, a group of bandits active in the southwestern border of West Plain was annihilated by him and his Daoist Soldiers in the Gobi Desert.

By now, there were very few marauders and bandits daring to show up in West Plain County and its surrounding areas.

The bandit strongholds that existed for years were thoroughly eradicated, the trade route from West Plain to the Western Regions was cleared.

The bandits who got wind of the news fled to other places to make a living.

This group of bandits had just arrived from the south and were relatively uninformed.

Having only committed one robbery, their ill-fated target reported them to the Dao Camp, leading to their ultimate annihilation.

In fact, bandits are highly mobile, appearing and disappearing without a trace, making it nearly impossible for ordinary army units to encircle them.

Tracking them down is not an easy task.

But for Zhang Yuan, it was very simple.

Because the Level 5 Red-eyed Crow could monitor vast areas from high in the sky, with a range of dozens if not hundreds of miles.

And it’s not affected even at night.

With this Profound Spirit’s reconnaissance and guidance, the demise of this group of bandits was inevitable.

As the sunset, an endless night gradually enveloped the Gobi Desert.

Beside a low hill, tents were erected, and bonfires burned brightly, driving away the cold and darkness.

The Daoist Soldiers in leather armor, with swords at their sides, surrounded the bonfire, drinking in large gulps and laughing loudly to celebrate the day’s victory.

Each person’s face was filled with a sense of pride.

Battle after battle, victory after victory, instilled a bit of prideful arrogance in this band of Daoist Soldiers under Zhang Yuan’s command.

Today’s encounter with the trapped bandits was a one-sided massacre.

Except for a few who were unlucky to be hit by stray arrows or fell from their horses, the rest suffered no casualties.

They killed two hundred seventy-three bandits, not a single one escaped.

On the way back, they even surrounded and killed a herd of antelopes, making fresh roasted meat the main course for dinner.

"Master."

Mo Wei eagerly handed over a freshly roasted leg of lamb, his smile reaching all the way to the back of his head.

This Tier Five Martial Artist from the Mo Family greatly differed in personality from Sun Yujiang, he hated staying at the West Plain Dao Camp with a bunch of soldiers.

This time, going out to exterminate bandits with Zhang Yuan was an opportunity he fought hard to obtain.

He finally got to enjoy a good fight.

In truth, the group of bandits from daytime was not enough for him alone to cut down.

Mo Wei’s axe had long been itching for action.

So he was buttering up to Zhang Yuan, hoping that next time, Zhang Yuan would bring him along again to kill bandits and eliminate criminals!

"Hmm."

Zhang Yuan took the roasted leg of lamb, took a few bites, devoured half of it, then tossed it to the Gray-toothed Lynx laying nearby.

Every time he went out to battle now, he would bring along this Profound Beast to hone its claws and teeth.

The Gray-toothed Lynx caught the leg of lamb with its mouth, quickly devouring it bones and all.

Afterward, it licked its lips, still wanting more, and looked at Zhang Yuan eagerly.

"Good fellow!"

Mo Wei looked on enviously, extremely jealous of Zhang Yuan’s possession of this magnificent and mighty Beast Taming creature.

The Gray-toothed Lynx’s combat power surpassed even Tier Four Martial Artists, sprinting like the wind better than horses, with claws and teeth capable of tearing through Heavy Armor, and its fur withstood the cutting of swords and spears, even capable of serving as a mount.

Not only that, this fierce beast was highly intelligent, perfectly executing Zhang Yuan’s commands.

It was simply the dream beast of any Martial Artist!

The more he looked at it, the more he liked it. He snatched another roasted leg of lamb from someone else and cheerfully offered it to the Gray-toothed Lynx.

The result was that the Gray-toothed Lynx completely ignored Mo Wei and scorned the lamb leg being offered to its mouth.

This made Mo Wei very awkward, scratching his head helplessly, his gaze shifting to Zhang Yuan.

Zhang Yuan found it amusing and said, "Eat."

As soon as his voice fell, the Gray-toothed Lynx took the lamb leg and started munching voraciously.

Mo Wei laughed foolishly in response.

However, the next moment, Zhang Yuan suddenly stood up, his eyes looking toward the dark-covered Gobi Desert in the distance.

He sternly shouted, "Mount up, prepare for the enemy!"

Zhang Yuan’s voice was like a thunderclap, exploding in everyone’s ears.

The Daoist Soldiers in the temporary camp all simultaneously dropped their wine bags and roasted meat, returning to their mounts as quickly as possible, untying reins and leaping onto their horses.

At the same time, Zhang Yuan mounted the Gray-toothed Lynx, using his right palm to slap its neck.

Howl~

The Gray-toothed Lynx raised its head and roared, suddenly sprinting towards the northwest.

Three hundred cavalry followed closely behind, raising dust like a surging earth dragon rushing forward.

Under the night sky, the Red-eyed Crow swept across the heavens, its scarlet eyes locked firmly on its target.

It was this that discovered the approach of the enemy.

Before long, Zhang Yuan saw, on the distant Gobi, rigid black shadows appearing.

They were clearly iron-skinned undead figures!