Chapter 5: The Mysterious Swordsman

  "Mom, I'm out." Jiang Hao woke up before dawn and after saying goodbye to his mother, he rushed out the door.

  "Alright, drive slowly and be careful." Jiang Mu shouted from behind. Since knowing that Jiang Huan could cultivate, Jiang Mu had put down the stone in her heart, originally worried about what Jiang Huan would do for a living when he grew up, now she was at ease.

  Jiang Huan patted the load on his body, pulled up his legs and ran towards the East Gate. Although the Jiang family was not far from the East Gate, there were still dozens of miles to go. If it were the previous Jiang Huan, even if he could run past, he would probably be exhausted to death. However, as a five-star warrior, he could now travel thousands of miles without rest, so all that could be seen was Jiang Huan dodging left and right on the main street, disappearing like the wind at the end of the road.

  Outside the east gate is a post station, and the main function of the post station is to transport people and goods. The tool used is the Qilin beast. Behind the post station is an independent forest enclosure where many Qilins are kept. Occasionally, you can hear their high-pitched cries, attracting people's attention.

  Don't underestimate these Griffin Beasts, they are second-tier flying magical beasts and one of the few that humans can domesticate. The Griffin Beast has a gentle temperament and strong reproductive ability, with a sturdy physique, it can carry thousands of kilograms of heavy objects at high speed, of course, its food intake is not small either, so not all cities can afford to raise them. As for Sun City, as a large city covering hundreds of millions of acres, it can only raise about ten or so Griffin Beasts, while the rest are left to fend for themselves in the enclosed forest.

  The distance from Taoyuan to the Monster Mountain Range is tens of thousands of miles, and even if one relies solely on their physical strength, a strong warrior would need several months to arrive. Therefore, the relay station's business was exceptionally booming, and despite the expensive prices, it was still in short supply. Only mercenary groups could afford it, and they had to make reservations in advance each time.

  "Squad leader, you said there's still one member who hasn't arrived, who is it? Is it the beauty?" A chubby man with a face full of acne muttered discontentedly.

  "Mu Chen, you're not young anymore, why are you still so impatient? You're always thinking about those things, I don't see you being as enthusiastic when it comes to cultivation," Tie Shan said with a tone of displeasure.

  "Squad leader, you're not unaware that the martial art I'm practicing requires regular cleansing of the fire toxin in my body. If I don't, it'll lead to a decline in my cultivation level and even possession by evil spirits! Who wants Yanzi to be on bad terms with me? Otherwise, I wouldn't have to run around every day." As he spoke, he glanced over at Yanzi, seemingly quite afraid.

  "Alas, you're really helpless. We still have a member who's just a kid, the Five-Star Warrior. That's it?" Iron Mountain shook his head.

  "Cut it out, you're just a little kid, Captain! Our team may be struggling, but do we really need to bring along a child?" Mu Chen said with disdain.

  "You don't know anything, he's a member of the Jiang family, at such a young age he's already a five-star warrior. Moreover, if others knew that our team had someone from the Jiang family, they'd be green with envy." Tie Shan smiled smugly and then fell silent.

  Mu Chen was taken aback for a moment, as if he had thought of something. He looked at Tie Shan with disdain and began to wipe the steel knife in his hand by himself.

  "Squad leader, I'm here. Not late, am I?" Jiang Huan arrived at the city gate, panting and out of breath, his eyes immediately locking onto Tieshan.

  "Jiang Hao, you're here. Not late at all. Let me introduce you to this guy, Mu Chen, the warrior who didn't show up last time I told you about." Tieshan pulled Jiang Hao over and said.

  "Turns out he's a dead fat guy!" Jiang Hao muttered.

  "Shh, whatever you do, don't call him Fatty, especially Dead Fatty. He's most afraid of that." Tie Shan hastily pulled Jiang Heng and said.

  Jiang Hao nodded and said: "Captain, when are we departing?"

  "It's almost here, you see there aren't many people in front." Tieshan pointed forward.

  Jiang Hao looked over and was startled, "Captain, are you saying we're going to ride these big birds? We're going to fly over?" Jiang Hao had never left his home since childhood, so he had never seen a Griffin before. This sudden sight made him feel curious.

  Tie Shan rolled his eyes: "That's not a big bird, it's a magical beast, the Lion Eagle Beast. It won't fly over, so do you think we can walk past? At that rate, we'll probably arrive next year."

  "Oh, I see."

  "Hey, this ride costs 100 gold coins." Tie Shan sighed.

  "It's so expensive! Who is this money being given to? I thought it was free." Jiang Hao asked in confusion upon hearing the mention of gold coins.

  "Jiang Hao little brother, can I have a word with you?" Tie Shan whispered into Jiang Hao's ear.

  "Huh? What?"

  "This is the case, when it's our turn later, can you lend me your Jiang family token for a while?" Tieshan said with his hands clasped together, looking somewhat embarrassed.

  "No problem." After that, Jiang Hua took off another nameplate with the character "Jiang" engraved on it, followed by his own name.

  Tie Shan carefully accepted the sign and patted Jiang Huan, his eyes filled with sincerity.

  It was soon the turn of the Iron Blood Mercenary Group, a man with a scar on his face guarding the entrance and collecting fees. Tieshan stepped forward, handing over the token and a bag of gold coins to the man, who looked at the token and changed his expression immediately, changing from being indifferent to enthusiastic, and returned the gold coins intact to Tieshan, who seemed to have expected this and put away the gold coins, inviting Jiang Huan and the others to come up.

  "Excuse me, could you...could you give me a ride?" Tie Shan was just about to get on when he suddenly heard a clear voice coming from behind him. He turned his head back and saw a person completely covered in a black cloak with a long sword on their back.

  It seemed that he sensed Tie Shan's gaze, and the man lowered his head, saying: "Sorry, I didn't mean anything else. When I came out, I forgot to bring gold coins. Once I reach my destination, I will return the gold coins to you."

  "Squad leader, just bring him along. We're short-handed anyway, so adding one more won't make a difference." Jiang Huan said at this time.

  Tie Shan thought for a moment and said, "Alright then, we'll only take you to the outskirts of the Demon Beast Mountain Range. We can't help you beyond that point."

  "Alright, thank you." The mysterious man nodded and glanced at Jiang Huan again before jumping up lightly and landing on the back of the lion-eagle. He found a spot to sit down. Tieshan and Jiang Huan also climbed up in the same way, stably landing on its back and finding their own places to sit. To protect the youngest, Jiang Huan, Tieshan arranged for him to be seated between them.

  After everyone sat down, Iron Mountain took out a small silver plate, inputted a few strands of battle energy, and saw that the plate emitted a burst of light, then formed a light screen that expanded outward, enveloping all of them inside.

  Seeing Jiang Hao's curious gaze, Tie Shan explained: "When the Griffin is flying at high speed, if there is no protective cover, you will all be blown away. Only when you reach the level of a war master can you withstand the pressure of the airflow."

  As soon as the words fell, the lion-eagle beast quickly rose into the air and flew eastward. Looking at the plain below that was constantly retreating, Jiang Hao sighed: "Indeed much faster than walking."

  "This time, thank you, little brother Jiang Huan. Let's consider this a favor we owe you." Tieshan turned his head and returned the token to Jiang Huan.

  "What am I thanking you for? I didn't do anything." Jiang Hao was puzzled in his heart.

  "Heh heh, little brother, didn't you know? That post station is run by your Jiang family, so shouldn't we thank you?" Yanzhi said with a smile.

  "What? I didn't know that! So that's how it is, no wonder I saw that person not receiving the team leader's gold coins." Jiang Huan suddenly realized that this post station was also a property of the Jiang family, and it seemed that being a young master of the Jiang family still had its uses.

  "This is fifty gold coins, little brother you can take it first, as a token of our goodwill." Tie Shan took out a bag of gold coins and handed it to Jiang Huan.

  "This, Captain, then I won't be polite, it just so happens that I also urgently need gold coins." Jiang Huan hesitated for a moment before taking the gold coins and putting them in his pocket.

  Tieshan felt a bit relieved when he saw Jiang Huan put away the gold coins, after all, he had invited Jiang Huan to join him in the first place because of his identity as a member of the Jiang family!

  "It will take about ten days to fly from here to the Demon Beast Mountain Range, so everyone should rest and recharge." Tie Shan glanced at the mysterious person beside him, seeing that he didn't react, then turned his head to speak to Jiang Heng and the others.

  In the azure sky, a huge figure flashed by and vanished into the horizon in an instant.

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