In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

As Lianxing's killing intent arose, wherever the bronze-armored warrior passed, rivers of blood flowed and corpses littered the ground.

In just a short while, all the assassins who entered the villa died at the hands of the bronze-armored warrior, who was extremely ruthless and domineering.

Those who saw the bronze-armored warriors in the darkness retreated frantically.

The bronze-armored warriors were so formidable that they were simply no match for them.

The appearance of three bronze-armored warriors at this moment undoubtedly proved that one of them had not left at all.

"Burn all these corpses!"

When Lianxing saw those bodies on the second floor, she couldn't help but frown.

The moment the bronze-armored warrior killed someone, he also sucked up all the blood from the corpses, leaving only a pile of dried-up bodies.

This is the real ghost corpse.

Zhang Xiaoshan had complete control over the ghost corpse, but Lianxing, who controlled the ghost corpse to kill people through the meteorite copper, could not control the ghost corpse's demonic nature at all.

These ghostly corpses, once they come into contact with fresh blood, will suck it all up.

A flame ignited, and it was Izheng Shenren who came out, knowing Lianxing's concerns.

In an instant, the firelight illuminated the entire courtyard.

Besides the awe-inspiring bronze-armored warriors under the firelight, the elegant young man standing in the courtyard also completely dispelled everyone's doubts.

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At this moment, in the martial arts world...

As the team protecting the gold set off, they became the focus of the entire martial arts world.

Twenty million taels of gold was enough to shake the defenses of too many greedy people. Therefore, Zhang Xiaoshan foresaw the outcome from the moment he set off, and thus transformed into the Golden-Faced Buddha and followed closely behind.

Zhang Xiaoshan remained hidden in the shadows, not showing himself directly.

But he knew that there were many people who could calculate this, so some people might not be targeting gold alone.

Along the way, the bandits faced pressure from several major sects.

The gold, escorted by nearly ten top-tier experts, was handled with a wait-and-see attitude.

Even top-tier masters are feared by those outlaws, let alone those supreme grandmasters escorting them.

The devastating defeat suffered by the bandits in Jiangnan has left the five provinces of Jiangnan still recovering.

However, there are exceptions, namely alliances of ambitious individuals.

"The Sixth Prince, the Jin Kingdom, the Zoroastrian Church, and the First-Class Hall!"

When Zhang Xiaoshan learned of the alliance formed by the four major forces, he was slightly moved.

The Jin Kingdom and the Western Xia Yipintang were foreign powers, but when Zhang Xiaoshan saw Yingxia, the enchantress of that day, he knew that the Sixth Prince was colluding with foreign powers and was no match for them.

Such despicable tactics are basically the kind that will definitely defeat a late-game boss.

The involvement of the Zoroastrian sect in the Central Plains may be due to some awareness of something.

Zhang Xiaoshan betrayed Dai Qisi, the "Purple-Robed Dragon King," and gained the friendship of the Persian Grand Church, as well as enormous benefits.

For the Zoroastrian sect in the Central Plains, even though the Purple-Robed Dragon King had expelled himself from the Zoroastrian sect, he still had reason to harbor hatred and seek revenge against the Zhang family.

However, Zhang Xiaoshan did not intend to explain.

If you're going to do something, you have to be prepared to pay the price, even if it's some kind of inexplicable revenge.

Moreover, greed plays a significant role in all of this.

Therefore, Zhang Xiaoshan's attitude was that once you've come, you shouldn't leave.

The leader of Yipintang was Li Yanzong, a previously unknown but top-notch expert. However, Zhang Xiaoshan was unsure whether the other party was Murong Fu.

However, once he realizes it's Murong Fu, the Murong family will only face annihilation this time.

He had already warned him once.

The Murong father and son remained obstinate, truly believing that the Zhang family was someone they could manipulate at will.

Then they are really looking down on the Zhang family.

However, these are probably not their trump cards.

After all, the Green-Winged Bat King of the Zoroastrian Church, Li Yanzong of the First-Class Hall, the Fire Cloud Evil God under the Sixth Prince, and the Xingyin Monk of the Jin Kingdom camp were only four top-tier masters.

Even with the Four Evils, the Five Elements Flag Masters, and the Five Great Masters of the Jin Kingdom... they are nothing more than a bunch of demons and monsters.

The gold-protecting team was guarded by both overt and covert experts.

On the surface alone, there were nearly ten top-tier masters protecting him: Northern Beggar, Juesheng, Song Yuanqiao, Yu Lianzhou, Guo Jing, Leng Xue, Qiu Qianren, Murong Zhengde, and Eagle Eye Old Seven.

There are also Lin Zhennan, Zhuo Qianshan, and Zhao Longxiang. Although they are not top-level masters, their roles are definitely no less than those of top-level masters!

Several figures lurked in the shadows, including Bei Qiao Feng, Qing Sha Lan Sha, and the Seven Masters of Quanzhen—no fewer than five top-tier experts—provided support.

"Stop! Rest here!"

Zhuo Qianshan and Lin Zhennan exchanged a glance; when it came to escorting goods, they were both seasoned veterans.

With three hundred people setting up camp on the spot, even though most of them were experts, they had only covered less than three hundred li in a morning.

After the stop, Zhao Longxiang distributed food to most people, which was wrapped in special tin foil.

As it heated up, a crackling sound came from inside the tin foil.

As the foil was unwrapped, a fragrant aroma wafted out, carrying the scents of roast chicken, beef, and lamb...

Even the镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) from the two major镖局 (bodyguard agencies) couldn't help but marvel at the Zhang family's extravagance, knowing that most of the spices used were things they couldn't afford before.

But as the aroma of the spices seeps into the meat during frying, it becomes even more mouthwatering.

The experts watching licked their lips.

These foods were special foods that Zhang Xiaoshan had prepared beforehand, vacuum-packed in tin foil, and could be preserved for a month.

Once poisoned, an unpleasant odor will appear quickly, allowing for timely cleanup.

"Give me an old beggar's bowl!"

Hong Qi disliked Zhang Xiaoshan's womanizing ways, but he had to admit that Zhang Xiaoshan was full of clever ideas.

You never get to enjoy this kind of experience when you're traveling in the wild. Even when you're barbecuing, there aren't many seasonings available, so you have to rely entirely on your own skills.

But now, a foil-wrapped barbecue solves everything.

Moreover, the seasonings were prepared in advance, so there was no need to worry about anything else; all you had to do was put them on the fire and wait.

"good to eat!"

Seeing the Northern Beggar's appearance, everyone couldn't help but shake their heads.

Although they were greedy, it was only a momentary craving, but the Northern Beggar was definitely a foodie.

He even lost a finger for it, becoming the Nine-Fingered Beggar.

"Gentlemen, we have one more day to reach our first destination. The journey seems safe, which is when it is easiest to let your guard down during the escort mission."

Upon hearing this, everyone was immediately jolted!

Their first destination was Yangzhou.

Yangzhou is famous for its "slender horses" (a euphemism for prostitutes), but it is even more renowned for its salt industry.

The salt industry was extremely profitable, with taxes amounting to at least hundreds of taels of gold annually.

Compared to the exorbitant profits from the Zhang family's luxury goods, sea salt had almost no cost, and with strict government control, it was taxed on most of the goods.

That is, a pound of government-mandated salt cost more than ten coins, and the tax was at least nearly ten coins.

However, with millions of taels of gold required a salt tax of over a billion catties, and there was also rampant illegal salt trade and tax evasion.

Basically, every now and then, the Yangzhou salt industry would be swept by a storm, with a major purge of everyone from high-ranking officials to private salt merchants.

However, this is also where the headquarters of Kyushu's largest money exchange is located—Changlong Money Exchange.

Chapter 178 The Five Elements Flags: A Sorrowful Breeze and an Unsuccessful First Attempt

"what happened?"

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through their nose and their eyes began to water. They then realized that they were completely unable to move.

Upon noticing the symptoms, everyone's expression changed, realizing that they had been infected.

"The Sorrowful Breeze? This is the unique poison of the Western Xia First-Class Hall!"

Hong Qi felt his body restricted and unable to move. His face turned pale. He never expected that after a lifetime of living, he would be caught in this trap.

Upon hearing the name Beisu Qingfeng, everyone present was shocked.

They knew more or less about the extraordinary poisons of the Western Xia First-Class Hall.

"Jing'er!"

Suddenly, Hong Qigong looked at Guo Jing, because Guo Jing's body was completely unaffected at this moment.

"Seventh Master, the antidote is here."

Antidote?

When everyone saw what Guo Jing had taken out, they first noticed a foul stench, and then they held it to Hong Qigong's nose to smell it.

Then it wafted to everyone's noses again, and after the stench entered their bodies, everyone felt their mobility slowly returning.

"I didn't expect this thing to actually come in handy. Everyone, let's detoxify you first!"

When everyone saw that Guo Jing had taken out more than a dozen bottles of antidote from his arms, they suddenly realized what was going on.

This was because they had received guidance from a master who had foreseen this scene.

As for why only the Beggars' Sect was notified?

From the fact that Guo Jing was unaffected by the poison gas, we know that Guo Jing is their last line of defense, his body completely unaffected by these poisons, making him immune to all poisons.

If they were poisoned unintentionally, and even moving became extremely difficult, how could anyone else possibly cure them?

"Where to go!"

Suddenly, Leng Xue noticed the commotion in the bushes and charged forward with an iron sword in hand.

Knowing Leng Xue's strength, the other party turned and fled.

The person who arrived was fast and extremely small, so they deliberately slipped into cluttered areas to escape, moving with the speed of the wind and unaffected in the slightest.

Cold-blooded only saw the other party emerge from the bushes and disappear into the dense forest.

Relying on the dense forest full of thorns, even after a cold-blooded chase, they quickly lost sight of their opponent.

But it was clear that the other party was the one who poisoned them.

"We lost them. They were like mice, darting through the dense forest, hiding among dead trees and thorny bushes, disappearing in a few turns!"

"A groundhog!"

Several seasoned veterans immediately realized who it was.

Ordinary people are hard to find, but those with such distinctive characteristics are too obvious.

The burrowing rat isn't particularly skilled in martial arts, but it's extremely troublesome, all because of its ability to dart around; it's even slipperier than a mouse.

Especially in such mountainous and wild areas, even a master of light-footed skills would find it difficult to catch his opponent.

"It seems that this burrowing rat has already pledged allegiance to the Western Xia First-Class Hall."

"Xixia Yipintang? They've come too!"

They had considered the possibility of those from the demonic and underworld factions making a move, but they never expected that it would be the people from the Xixia Yipintang who would strike first.

"The Western Xia First-Class Hall has not recruited many experts in recent years, so I'm afraid they have ill intentions."

"Hmph, kill as many as they come!"

His cold-blooded domineering manner lacked any composure befitting someone in the public sector.

However, no one found it strange. Leng Xue's swordsmanship leaned towards bloodthirst and killing, so naturally his personality was also mostly tyrannical.

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