CHAPTER 320: CHAPTER 40: THE UNLUCKY VISCOUNT

"Haha--Fengdan County must be littered with corpses by now, those lowly commoners deserve to have their bodies strewn across the wilderness, to be devoured by hungry vultures. This is the fate of those who defy me, Viscount Mo’er," Viscount Mo’er rides his favorite Gao Lu Hanxue Ju, humming a lecherous tune while leading an elite small squad from Bailu County with great pomp in the dead of night.

Despite the piercing cold winds, despite the absence of a warm and soft embrace, the wild and savage blood of a wolf cub within Viscount Mo’er boiled with fervor.

"Viscount, ahead lies the Ice Lake region; mind the horses, we’d better dismount and proceed on foot," the old steward Batesin stopped the Viscount, whose head was clouded with joy. The elite squad had already entered the unnamed Ice Lake area of Fengdan County. On their last attempt, the few soldiers who managed to return claimed to have been ambushed here.

However, in his furious state that day, the Viscount had kicked to death several soldiers without even confirming the specific threats.

Before setting off, old steward Batesin had repeatedly advised the Viscount that Fengdan County was no longer as it once was. Even if the young lord there was not a man of the Duke Mansion, his background must be extraordinary; unfortunately, the arrogant and conceited Viscount wouldn’t listen at all.

Hearing the howling northern wind and seeing the goose-down-like heavy snowfall, old steward Batesin couldn’t shake the feeling that something was not right.

How could such a large-scale Mountain Beast Tide occur without any commotion?

Or were the remaining villagers of Fengdan County already faint candles in the wind, already crumbled to dust under the Mountain Beast Tide?

"It’s just an Ice Lake; with the Hanxue Ju, I, Viscount Mo’er, can cross it even with my eyes closed," Viscount Mo’er sneered. The horse between his legs, a Fifth-level Xuan Ma, could gallop across any terrain, and even in snowy fields, it would leave no trace.

Seeing that Viscount Mo’er was not heeding his warnings and no signs of ambush from Fengdan County appeared, the old steward Batesin could only wrap his cloak tighter and command the soldiers to be careful with their steps, protecting the Viscount within the ranks of soldiers as they made their way through the snowy winds.

After enduring several days of wind and snow, the Ice Lake, frozen to an extreme hardness, appeared like a mirror, with the horses passing over it in single file.

"Haha, up ahead is the last village of Fengdan County; soldiers, charge forward," Viscount Mo’er tore open his heavy cloak, revealing the protective leather armor beneath, and held aloft a long sword in his hand.

"Beware, my lord Viscount, watch your step," as Viscount Mo’er cried out, countless black, suction-cup-like leaves burst forth from the seemingly solid frozen ground beneath his feet, spreading like a wildfire of darkness.

The hooves of the horses felt an icy chill as the black leaves firmly latched onto them. The slower horses were already trapped within.

The remaining horses, startled, neighed loudly and scattered in all directions, no matter how the soldiers on their backs tried to control them.

Viscount Mo’er’s own Hanxue Ju, already known for its temperament, remained calm amidst the chaos of the herd. It let out a few snorts, raised its forehooves, and vigorously kicked, sending the roots flying.

True to his military background, old steward Batesin immediately grabbed a rope from the horse’s back and, faced with the surprise attack by the Burning Poison Algae, shouted loudly: "Take out the anti-slip ropes, form a line, gather everyone’s strength, don’t panic, and retreat together back to the Ice Lake."

The snow all around was covered by white snowfall, obscuring the depth beneath, with no telling how many Poisonous Grass plants were hidden underneath.

Upon hearing the old butler’s commands, the soldiers who were as disoriented as headless flies quickly took down the ropes and swiftly looped them around their comrades. The ropes connected one to the other, forming the horses and soldiers into a column.

Dozens of military horses strained together and finally managed to break free from the entanglement of the Burning Poison Algae.

Having barely retreated from the area with Poisonous Algae, the sound of "buzzing, buzzing, buzzing" was heard, and the soldiers, already as skittish as startled birds, looked up to see a sight that filled them with bone-chilling fear.

A massive swarm of giant winged mosquitoes, with their ferocious faces and rapidly flapping wings, plunged down to attack. The size of their proboscises, as thick as syringes, was enough to make one’s skin crawl.

"Protect the Viscount, charge, charge," faced with the terrifying mosquitoes, the soldiers no longer cared about the Viscount. Panicking, they leaped from their horses, trampling over their comrades without a second thought, as if they wished they could wrap their entire bodies in cloaks to roll and scramble away in escape.

Viscount Mo’er himself had considerable cultivation, but he was as timid as a mouse. Confronted with the approaching swarm of mosquitoes, his first instinct was to flee. He incessantly spurred his steed, bragging on ordinary days about how his horse could tread on snow without a trace, with unmatched speed. Now, he wished he could attach another pair of wings to the horse to flee as far as possible.

He disregarded his subordinates and old butler Batesin, who had fallen off the horse, as he urged his horse to run faster and faster.

"Viscount, sir," in the midst of the chaos, Viscount Mo’er felt someone breathe a warm breath behind his ear. Turning around, he saw nothing but emptiness, "Where do you think you’re going?"

"Demon, demon," everything that just happened seemed so abnormal, Viscount Mo’er let out a pitiful scream, attempting to jump off the horse, only to realize that his belt was caught on the saddle. Panicking too much, as soon as his right foot touched the ground, his left foot got stuck in the saddle.

Just then, the Giant Winged Mosquito King opportunistically delivered a vicious bite to the horse’s hindquarters. The steed neighed loudly in pain, jerked its head forward, and bolted wildly. Viscount Mo’er, both weeping and sweating profusely, looked unspeakably miserable.

After all, Viscount Mo’er was a noble. If he died within the Duke Mansion’s territory, some interested parties within the Imperial City would inevitably use it as a pretext to give the young lord in the Imperial City, Yue Min, a hard time.

Yue Jinghua weighed a bag she caught from the horse saddle that bulged with some of Viscount Mo’er’s personal belongings.

Old butler Batesin collapsed in the snow, his eyes wide open, watching his master flee in embarrassment.

In the midst of the snow, there was a burst of delightful laughter; a figure appeared vaguely in front, as if remembering something, Batesin hurried to his feet, attempting to flee. But before he could take a few steps, he felt a tremendous pain in his right shoulder, and turning back, he saw a beautiful young woman emerge onto the snowy ground.

In her hand, she held a stringless Jade Bow and Arrow. The young woman, with a respectful expression, called out to someone who had just appeared behind the old butler, "Young lord, your servant has captured this old philistine."

"Hongling, how many times have I told you? Be polite to our guests. Especially when they come from Bailu County," an additional hand appeared on old butler Batesin’s shoulder, which with a sudden force the next moment, snapped into action.

"Crack," the old butler Batesin’s eyes rolled back, and before he could comprehend what happened, his shoulder sank, dislocated by a brute force.

Seeing this, Hongling pouted her mouth, polite indeed; the least polite person had to be her own young mistress.