Five days later.
Xiong Bing had absorbed the medicinal effects and woken up.
Upon learning of everything that had transpired in the past few days, without a word, he familiarized himself with the situation and directly went to Ye Cangtian's room.
"Lord Ye, Miss Bao'er, thank you for saving my life!"
Ye Cangtian quickly helped Xiong Bing up and said, "It is our duty."
Hearing this, Xiong Bing lowered his head and said, "This subordinate is ashamed for failing to stop the people from the Five Poisons Sect, bringing shame to the Hidden Organization. I request punishment from Lord Ye!"
Xiong Bing still dwelled on this matter.
If the Five Poisons Sect were to obtain the Three-Eyed Ice Toad, who knew what impact it would have on the ruins!
In his opinion, it was all his fault. If he could have stopped them, all this could have been avoided.
"It's alright. Now that I am here, leave everything to me!"
Ye Cangtian said calmly.
Hearing this, Xiong Bing quickly said, "This subordinate has a request. I ask Lord Ye to give me an opportunity to redeem myself and allow me to accompany you in dealing with the Five Poisons Sect!"
"You are not guilty and do not need to redeem yourself."
Ye Cangtian glanced at him and continued, "Therefore, you do not need to accompany us. Don't forget, you hold an important position."
After much deliberation, Ye Cangtian refused Xiong Bing.
The reason was simple: Xiong Bing was guarding the northern gate. If any losses were incurred due to his departure, it would not be worth the gain.
Moreover, Ye Cangtian felt that having Yao Bao'er and Lan Yue by his side was sufficient for dealing with the Five Poisons Sect this time.
Therefore, there was no need for Xiong Bing to accompany them.
Upon hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Xiong Bing gritted his teeth and had to reluctantly accept the reality.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian smiled slightly, then took out a Qiankun bag and walked forward.
"Xiong Bing, you have done very well. Take these and distribute them to your brothers."
Xiong Bing was slightly stunned. He looked at the Qiankun bag before him and finally reached out. However, when he discovered the pills inside, his eyes widened.
There were many pills for recovery and detoxification, as well as some Nine Revolutions Golden Pills, and even an Enlightenment Pill.
The next moment, Xiong Bing looked at Ye Cangtian and asked, "Lord, what is this?"
"Take them. You are guarding Tianhan Pass and face all sorts of dangers. With these pills, you can improve your strength and have a certain degree of security..."
Ye Cangtian was not stingy with the soldiers guarding in the icy and snowy terrain, and would certainly provide them with the greatest security.
Hearing this, Xiong Bing immediately knelt on one knee, his face filled with gratitude, "Lord Ye, on behalf of all the soldiers, I thank you..."
Ye Cangtian once again helped him up and said, "I told you, this is all my duty, and it is also what you deserve.
No thanks are necessary. As long as you guard Tianhan Pass well, that will be the greatest thanks to me!"
Xiong Bing quickly replied, "Lord Ye, rest assured, as long as I am alive, no one will be able to easily break through the gates of Tianhan Pass!"
Ye Cangtian smiled slightly, patted Xiong Bing on the shoulder, and said, "I believe in you. You have already proven everything with your actions."
After speaking, Ye Cangtian no longer dwelled on these matters and changed the subject. "Oh, right, since you are awake, it's time for us to leave Tianhan Pass..."
Xiong Bing was naturally reluctant to see Ye Cangtian and the others leave, but he also knew he had no right to stop them.
After all, they were going to deal with the Five Poisons Sect, and he could not obstruct such important matters.
After a moment of silence, he said, "Lord, although I cannot accompany you, I hope you will allow one guard to accompany you..."
Huh?
Ye Cangtian looked at Xiong Bing in confusion, awaiting his explanation.
Seeing this, Xiong Bing quickly said, "It's like this. Every year, I lead the brothers out of Tianhan Pass for training. These guards are quite familiar with the area outside the pass."
Xiong Bing's intention was simple: having a guide familiar with the terrain would make tracking the Five Poisons Sect much easier.
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian pondered for a moment, finding it reasonable. He then said, "Are all the guards at Tianhan Pass familiar with the terrain outside the pass?"
"Yes."
Xiong Bing nodded firmly and continued, "Whether it's the guards of Tianhan Pass or the guards of the Hidden Organization branch, each of them is familiar with the terrain outside the pass."
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian's face showed admiration. To achieve this level of familiarity was not something just anyone could do.
Thinking this, Ye Cangtian said, "How about this, transfer Zhang Yong, a guard from the Hidden Organization branch? We are somewhat familiar with him."
Ah?
Xiong Bing was stunned. He hadn't expected Ye Cangtian to personally select a soldier, nor that he would only choose a gate guard with the lowest combat strength.
So, he quickly said, "Lord Ye, how about I find you a squad leader instead? That way, their strength would be slightly better, and they would also be more capable of taking care of you."
"We appreciate your kind intentions."
"But we all have hands and feet. We don't need to be taken care of."
"Besides, it's just a guide, not a combat mission. We don't need too much strength..."
Ye Cangtian waved his hand, refusing his good intentions.
Seeing that Ye Cangtian had said so, Xiong Bing could not insist further and ordered someone to prepare travel supplies and horses for Ye Cangtian and the others.
Not long after, everything was ready.
Ye Cangtian and the others did not linger and immediately rode their warhorses, leaving Tianhan Pass.
Not long after Tianhan Pass disappeared from sight, Ye Cangtian and the others stopped.
Although they knew the general direction in which the Five Poisons Sect had left, a month had passed. Who knew where the Five Poisons Sect had gone?
Therefore, continuing to chase in the direction of the Five Poisons Sect would likely make it difficult to catch up with them.
So, Ye Cangtian looked at Yao Bao'er and asked, "Bao'er, do you know where the Three-Eyed Ice Toad likes to appear?"
Yao Bao'er nodded and said, "Cold places. The colder it is, the more the Three-Eyed Ice Toad likes it. But this is not absolute. After all, to survive in the wild, the Three-Eyed Ice Toad also needs ample food."
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian turned to Zhang Yong and said, "You are most familiar with the surroundings. Do you know which places are the coldest and also have some food?"
"Ah? Ah..."
Zhang Yong, who was still excited about traveling with Ye Cangtian, was stunned by the question. After a moment, he finally reacted.
He was silent for a moment, then pointed north with his thumb and said, "About a five-day journey ahead, there is a Tianmen Mountain."
Tianmen Mountain towered into the clouds. In Zhang Yong's opinion, such a high mountain should have the lowest temperature.
Moreover, on Tianmen Mountain, there was a forest perpetually covered in ice and snow. There were also some animals that could withstand the severe cold, so food should not be scarce.
Hearing Zhang Yong say this, Ye Cangtian nodded and said, "Alright, then our first stop will be Tianmen Mountain!"
After deciding, the group rode their horses away.
...
Five days later.
Led by Zhang Yong, the group finally entered the forest of Tianmen Mountain.
However, it was different from what they had imagined. This forest was only in the foothills; further up was pure white snow.
Although there was some difference from their imagination, Ye Cangtian and the others still found traces of human activity within this forest.
For example, they discovered some bonfires, as well as toxic substances used to ward off insects and beasts, and packaging and remains of food...
In short, all of this indicated one thing: the people from the Five Poisons Sect had been here and had stayed for a long time.
So, Ye Cangtian and the others became cautious and changed their formation.
Ye Cangtian took the lead, with Lan Yue behind, placing Yao Bao'er and Zhang Yong in the middle, to prevent a surprise attack from the Five Poisons Sect.
Gradually, Ye Cangtian and the others found more footprints. Some of these footprints were older, and some were newer.
From these footprints, it could be seen that the people from the Five Poisons Sect were likely still on Tianmen Mountain, and they seemed to be chasing something.
Having deduced this, Ye Cangtian's gaze fell on Yao Bao'er and he asked, "Bao'er, can we release the bait now?"
Hearing this, Yao Bao'er was silent for a moment, and finally shook her head. "Boss, looking at these crisscrossing footprints, I think the Five Poisons Sect seems to be toyed with by the Three-Eyed Ice Toad..."
In Yao Bao'er's opinion, since this was a place where the Three-Eyed Ice Toad played tricks, no one knew if the Three-Eyed Ice Toad would appear again.
Therefore, Yao Bao'er thought it would be better to climb a bit further up before placing the bait.
Ye Cangtian did not refuse Yao Bao'er's suggestion, as she was much more experienced in this regard than he was.
Thus, the four of them climbed directly to the mountaintop in one go.