Chapter 119: What a vicious plot

The commoners who worked on Martial Path Mountain returned home.

They were eager to tell what happened today to everyone else.

Very quickly.

News of Wolf Brigade bandits being captured spread quickly.

At the start,

Some people didnt believe it.

What a joke.

Just Martial Path Mountain alone could fight against Wolf Brigade, what a joke was that.

However, more and more people spread it. Everyone who worked at Martial Path Mountain said that the chance of it being true got much higher.

Some stone-headed ones didnt believe that Martial Path Mountain was so strong. They didnt think it and headed to Martial Path Mountain to check the situation.

In the end, they chose to believe their own eyes.

It was true.

Martial Path Mountain was powerful.

After returning to Jiang City, he was the guy who spread the truth. He went all out like he was the one who had taken down the Wolf Brigade bandits.

Let me tell you, it is true. I just came back from Martial Path Mountain.

Martial Path Mountain is powerful, the Wolf Brigade bandits were not their match.

To the Jiang City commoners, it was a vast matter.

Wolf Brigade dealt massive damage to them.

When they were doing business outside, if they faced Wolf Brigade bandits, they wouldnt be able to run at all. They would have to hand over all their riches.

However, luckily Wolf Brigade only robbed and didnt kill.

However, they were just too arrogant.

Every time they robbed, they would tell them to work hard to earn more money so that they could steal them.

Those words were arrogant.

Very quickly, the rumors in the city spread to Chen Shengyao.

He was furious and explosive deep inside.

He smashed things to release the rage in his heart.

Martial Path Mountain, you You made me lose all my face. Chen Shengyao gritted his teeth. He was someone who loved face. He could lose his face, but he just didnt want to miss it to Huang Boren.

Now.

He had lost his face.

He couldnt forget how Huang Boren had looked at him.

His gaze was so vicious.

It killed his heart.

That night.

Wolf Brigade ate meat and drank every day. Everyone gathered together and feasted, wolfing down food each day, and hugged girls beside them.

The ladies werent of very high quality.

However, it was better than nothing.

Why havent they came back. The Leader frowned; he was baffled. With how much time had passed, they should have come back already. This celebratory feast is for 2nd and 3rd Brother.

However, so much time had passed.

There was no person at all.

How weird.

Did something happen?

The Leader had a bad feeling.

However, he quickly tossed that feeling to the back of his head.

Although 2nd Leader had a weird appearance but his cultivation was decent. He was Martial Path Grade Seven, and around Jiang City, he was a top expert. Moreover, 3rd Leader was strong too. They brought so many people to wipe out Martial Path Mountain, so how could something happen?

Everyone knew the situation with Martial Path Mountain.

That person was just trash.

They had never heard of a sect giving disciples allowance. What a joke, if not for them personally seeing it, they wouldnt believe it.

Big Brother, why are you frowning, did something happen? Tell younger brother; the younger brother will chop off his head to cook for brother. 5th Leader said.

5th Leader looked normal; he had a thick neck and thick limbs. His voice was really loud too.

Pa!

4th Leader smacked 5th Leader on the head, If you dont know how to speak, then dont. To cook for brother, are you saying that Big Brother eats human meat?

5th Leader said awkwardly, I am wrong, I am wrong, I meant to say to use their heads as a potty.

Haiz. 4th Leader stared at him. He didnt know how to speak and said the wrong things. 4th Leader was a smart person and studied in the past, in a bunch of bandits who had never considered, he found it tough to speak.

The Leader said, I am just afraid that something happened as 2nd and 3rd Brother hasnt returned.

4th Leader said, Big Brother, nothing will happen. 2nd and 3rd Brother are so strong; it is just Martial Path Mountain, so how could anything happen?

From those words, one could hear how much they looked down on Martial Path Mountain.

Zhang Tianshan had it tough in the past.

Martial Path Mountain was the only sect within a hundred miles of Jiang City, but the bandits didnt care about it at all. What a sad matter.

Maybe 2nd Brother is robbing the village and is having a lot of fun, and so he is late. Anyways he would definitely come back. 4th Brother said.

The Leader nodded, Lets hope so.

However, for some reason, he felt worried deep down.

What a special feeling.

At this moment, Li Cong was dissing in his heart.

What an animal.

No matter what, a Teacher had a high status.

Young Master was so vicious. He had just rushed back from Martial Path Mountain, and now he was sent to Wolf Brigade. Couldnt he had asked another person or allowed him to take a rest.

Not to mention anything else, his butt was hurting badly.

The horse was really strong and galloped like it was flying. His butt shook up and down, and he wasnt able to rest at all.

Martial Path Mountain, why did you have to cause so many problems. Just get destroyed by Wolf Brigade and let my Young Master be happy. Why did you have to fight back, what is wrong with you?

Li Cong scolded out and quickly saw the brightly lit Wolf Brigade.

He was finally about to arrive.

However, when he thought about having to rush back later, he wanted to spit out blood and object this inhumane treatment.

I am Chen Family Teacher Li Cong, open the gates. I have an urgent matter to look for the Leader. Li Cong shouted.

The bandits at the gate opened it.

If there were many people, he definitely wouldnt open the gate just because of a single sentence.

However, there was just one person, so he just opened it, not as he would behave arrogantly.

Li Cong entered the fortress and got off his horse. He ran towards Loyalty Hall and shouted, Leader, I am Li Cong; I have something serious to report.

The Leader was originally contemplating something, and when he heard Li Congs voice, he heard creaked.

Damn!

Did something really happen?

There was a high possibility.

If not, why did the Chen Family Teacher come to Wolf Brigade?

Unless something happened,

Loyalty Hall was totally silent. Everyone looked towards Li Cong; their gazes made Li Cong so nervous that he wanted to die.

Damn!

For some reason,

Could they stop looking at him like he was naked?

He was panicking.

What is going on? The Leader pressed down the uneasiness in his heart and asked.

Li Cong cupped his fists, Leader, something happened. Wolf Brigades 2nd Brother headed to wash Martial Path Mountain in blood, but he was captured. I am on orders from Young Master to inform you. I hope that Leader can personally head over to wipe out that Martial Path Mountain.

As expected,

Something really happened.

He hadnt seen 2nd Brother come back in a long time and felt that something was going on. It didnt take long to wipe out Martial Path Mountain, and even if he robbed the village, that didnt take much time either. It wasnt quite possible that nothing happened.

How did that happen. We all know Martial Path Mountains strength. They dont have the ability to capture 2nd Brother. 4th Leader got up in shock.

That was indeed the case.

How strong could Martial Path Mountain be?

They all knew Zhang Tianshan; he could be said to be the weakest Sect Leader in history.

However, Martial Path Mountain with such a trash Sect Leader could actually capture 2nd Leader. When that was said, no one would believe it.

Li Cong said, Leader, the Sect Leader of Martial Path Mountain isnt Zhang Tianshan but someone else.

He wasnt sure where the new Sect Leader came from.

He just knew that his surname was Lin.

A young fellow.

He didnt seem special.

However, that normal family actually caused the Wolf Brigade to take a loss.

Who would believe that?

4th Leader was in deep thought; there was someone else?

Big Brother, I will head to Martial Path Mountain. 4th Leader said.

The Leader frowned, No, we cant go one by one. 2nd and 3rd Brother together are really strong, and even them two were caught. It is useless for you to go alone. Get the brothers to prepare; we will head there tonight.

He was prepared to head over personally.

This matter seemed a little dangerous.

If they underestimated the matter, they would fail once more.

Li Cong was delighted.

This relationship was good.

Wolf Brigade Leader personally attacking, what could Martial Path Mountain do?

Teacher Li, thanks for informing me. The Leader said.

Li Cong said, No, no, we all are serving Young Master, so of course.

The Leader waved his hands, Let the brothers prepare; we are heading out tonight.

Very quickly.

One sound was louder than the last.

Pack up, those who arent wearing pants go where pants. Lets head to Martial Path Mountain.

Damn, someone actually dared to offend us. Has he gotten sick of living?

Boss is about to kill them all.

It was filled with overbearing energy.

Really vicious.

This was the Wolf Brigade. A bunch of wolves gathered together could rip a dragon into pieces.

Damn.

Li Cong was impressed by these bandits.

They were really bandits.

A bandit was naked and hugged a girl while walking out. He shouted regarding who dared to offend them, behind there were even people who were touching his butt.

Damn!

What a beast. Could he have a bit of shame? So many guys were looking on, didnt he feel that his actions were a little too much?

Especially that girl, she even moaned like she was enjoying it.

If this was in Jiang City, she would be someone locked in a pig cage.

Teacher Li, now that we are packing up, if you are interested in someone, just tell me. I will let her make you feel good. a bandit suggested.

Li Cong was furious, what feels good. If you dont find it dirty, I would. I am someone with principles.

Of course.

He still smiled, Thank you for your intentions, but I dont want it.

He felt cold in his heart. When he returned, he would tell Young Master that they were all animals to be able to do all sorts of things. In the future, he really didnt want to come to Wolf Brigade.

How blinding it was.

The Leader stood on the steps; there was a huge blade on his back that was as long as a person.

Although he didnt say anything but his gaze was terrifying.

Wolf Brigade got busy.

It had been a long time since they fully mobilized.

For them to fully mobilize for a Martial Path Mountain, one had to say that they were overestimating it.

If other people saw that, they would definitely think whether there was a need to do so for just Martial Path Mountain?

However, to the Leader, there was a need.

2nd and 3rd Brother being captured were enough to reveal something.

That there was an expert there.

If they underestimated them, they might take more losses.

Li Cong personally witnessed Wolf Brigade getting ready. Although they seemed messy, everyone knew what they were doing.

Especially that bandit nature, it was really really strong.

The entire Wolf Brigade was covered in that.

He was even suspecting.

Whether or not Chen Family could control such a savage Wolf Brigade?

All the bandits got on their horses, their vicious intent boiled. Li Cong felt really out of place.

He felt uncomfortable being around a bunch of bandits.

Lets head out.

The Leader waved his hands, and the bandits headed out. A total of hundred of them while a few were left to guard their home.

My butt. Li Cong wanted to cry, but no tears came out. He had to rush once more, but he had no choice. He was someone who did the dirty work and could only bear with it till he returned to the city before he could take a rest.

The bandits rushed in a group.

Horse hoof sounds reverberated throughout.

They were really strong, and no one dared to stop them.

A cold glow flashed in the Leaders eyes, especially that large blade which made one feel really suppressed in the night sky.

The sky slowly turned bright.

Wolf Brigade finally arrived near Jiang City. They rested on the spot and didnt move randomly.

Leader, should we charge in? Li Cong asked.

He was really eager.

It was good for everything to complete this matter soon.

His Young Master still wanted to see their heads.

You didnt know that Young Master was interested in playing with girls. However, for Martial Path Mountain, he lost all interest. Based on what he guessed, those girls were probably dead.

The Leader said, There is no rush.

Li Cong dissed in his heart. You arent the one that is anxious, however, forget it, since you are the Leader then you are in charge.

Leader. I will head back to the city to report to the Young Master. I hope that you can wipe out Martial Path Mountain soon. Li Cong cupped his fists.

He couldnt follow the bandits for a long time.

If other people saw it, it would spread some bad news.

He also felt really out of place being around these bandits.

Take a look.

They dug their noses and even licked it after digging. How disgusting.

Their quality was far lower than expected.

En. The Leader nodded but didnt say much like he had entered a totally different state.

Ride!

Li Cong headed towards Jiang City to report to Young Master.

He hoped that Young Master could understand him.

He hadnt slept in a night.

His butt was about to explode so, please dont give him more missions and allow him to have a good rest.

Big Brother, what should we do later? 4th Leader asked.

2nd and 3rd Brother were captured, so he was really anxious. He wanted to charge up and save his brothers.

But he had to listen to Big Brother and couldnt make any moves.

The Leader looked at the sky, It is still early, so lets wait. Let the brothers rest here and keep quiet. Once we deal with Martial Path Mountain, there would be things for them to feel good about.

Yes. 4th Leader replied.

He immediately sent down orders to tell them not to move on their own.

Wolf Brigade had good discipline.

But many victories caused them to fragment.

Things like that happened in the past.

They waited for merchants to pass, but some of them went to surrounding villages to find girls.

Those actions werent good.

Jiang City.

Li Cong rode the horseback, and hurriedly entered the manor. He arrived outside Young Masters room and shouted, Young Master, I am back.

Chen Shengyaos mood wasnt good since last night.

How are things going? Chen Shengyaos voice spread out.

He had pent up rage that was waiting to be vented.

Li Cong entered and reported the situation, Young Master, Wolf Brigade Leader personally led them to wait outside Jiang City. When the time arrives, they will attack.

They are waiting? Tell them to wipe out Martial Path Mountain now. Go. Chen Shengyao instructed.

Wait; what?

Since they had already arrived, just attack now.

Wipe out Martial Path Mountain.

Carry that bastards head over.

Li Cong was helpless. Young Master, you really didnt treat me as a human.

Look at my eyes.

There are black circles, and my eyelids are about to hang down.

That was a little exaggerated, but you still have to let me sleep, right?

He was just draining his life.

What an animal.

Yes, Young Master, I will go now. Li Cong hurried over once more.

Chen Shengyao had a cold expression.

Wolf Brigades actions made him really unhappy.

Just do what I told you to do, you actually dare to wait.

Once this matter ends, I will need to meet you and have a good chat.

Li Cong returned to the Leader and told him what Young Master said. What he didnt expect was for the Leader to reply to two words.

No rush.

Damn!

Li Cong really wanted to die.

Now it wasnt whether you were rushing or not, but my Young Master was anxious. Cant you attack now and finish the matter?

He dashed back to report the matter to the Young Master.

When Chen Shengyao learned that the Leader had gone against his orders, his face was dark and sunken.

Go and tell him, ask him if he is disobeying my orders?

Li Cong looked at Young Master.

His heart was in total despair.

What were they treating him as?

A messenger pigeon or a lackey. Couldnt they just talk face to face?

That was so simple.

Why is there a problem? Chen Shengyao frowned and asked.

Li Cong immediately shook his head, No, I will head over right away.

Li Cong headed to and fro.

To him, the Leader had problems.

He told him not to rush, not to rush.

Why not just give a reason so he could explain to Young Master?

Now with such a reply, how was I suppose to reply.

Young Master and Leaders words made him want to vomit blood.

It wasnt him being angry.

It was him traveling to and fro such that his breathing showed signs of hyperventilating.

The time has come.

Finally, the reply he heard was not the same anymore.

Li Cong sat on the ground and panted.

He was really tired.

He just wanted to sleep.

Leader, I will go tell Young Master. Li Cong got up and quickly headed back to Jiang City to report to Young Master.

The Leader wrote a letter, 4th Brother send this letter to the new Martial Path Mountain Sect Leader, remember, dont be rash.

Yes, Big Brother. 4th, Brother replied.

He didnt ask anything more.

Big Brother had his reasons, so he just had to send the letter over.

He then got on his horse and galloped towards Martial Path Mountain.

All the bandits waited solemnly. Some pulled out their blades and spat on it to wipe it.

When they killed, it would be cleaner when they chopped heads.

On Martial Path Mountain.

4th Leader got on the mountain and took a look. It was really broken, one couldnt see that this was a sect that could take down both 2nd and 3rd Brother.

Suddenly.

A back view was really familiar, especially under the setting sun; it gave off a depressed and sad feeling.

2nd

Before he even said that.

That back view carried a few bricks and headed into the distance. His body was on the verge of falling as he would collapse at any moment.

No, how could that be 2nd Brothers back.

4th Leader shook his head and tossed that thought to the back of his head.

Who are you? Suddenly Zhou Zhongmao noticed the uninvited guest and asked warily.

Cousin was on Martial Path Mountain, so he must pay attention to all strangers on it.

I am the Wolf Brigade 4th Leader, I

Damn!

Before he finished, he saw that silly fellow reach out towards him with five fingers.

!!

Even bandits like them wouldnt attack before people finished speaking.

That was so violent.

He was shocked that the claw was hard to dodge. There were energy currents flowing within his fingers; an attractive force was on it.

4th Leader retreated.

His cultivation was still okay, Martial Path Grade Six, and was quite strong in Wolf Brigade.

However, at this moment, he had a bad feeling.

Zhou Zhongmao stepped forwards, and with a pa sound, his fingers seemed like they could shrink the ground as they directly grabbed his head. He used strength, and with one finger, he pressed down.

4th Leaders head heavily smashed the ground, the ground cracked, and there was a small hole.

He had already used less strength and showed mercy; if not, his head would have exploded.

What are you doing? Zhou Zhongmao was patrolling Martial Path Mountain. He was looking at who was slacking and saw Zhou Zhongmao attacking people.

It was so early in the morning, So why was he hitting people?

He even pushed his head to the ground without caring whether or not that would hurt or not. If he became dumb, would he raise him?

I am not doing anything. Zhou Zhongmao said.

Zhang Tianxian looked at Zhou Zhongmao.

How did Lin Wanyi have such a dumb nephew, he was scarily dumb.

When he saw that fellow that fell to the ground, he exclaimed. He felt that the face was familiar like he had seen it before.

He raised the persons head.

He took a close look.

Oh my god.

Isnt that the Wolf Brigades 4th Leader?

Why did he come here?

That was impossible?

Did he say anything? Zhang Tianxian asked.

Zhou Zhongmao replied, He said that he was the 4th Leader of Wolf Brigade.

And? Zhang Tianxian asked.

I Zhou Zhongmao thought about it; he said something.

I???

Zhang Tianxian was confused; what did that mean?

En. Zhou Zhongmao nodded, That was the last word he said, he said I then I attacked.

Damn!

How fierce.

Zhang Tianxian didnt know what to say. How did Lin Wanyi teach his nephew, could he wait for people to finish before attacking?

Wolf Brigades 4th Leader appearing here wasnt a good sign.

What is going on? Lin Fan woke up and carried a bowl of sharks fin and birds nest. His condition was average, so he just accepted it and just randomly ate.

Sect Leader, look at the good things that your cousin did. People didnt even finish speaking, and he made him unconscious. How is he so violent? Zhang Tianxian grumbled.

Lin Fan took a look, Who?

Zhang Tianxian said, Wolf Brigade 4th Leader.

En?

Lin Fan found things weird, why did Wolf Brigade people come here?

To save their brothers?

Just one person, did they underestimate me?

There is a letter. Zhang Tianxian looked at the letter beside 4th Leader. He picked it up and took a look and sucked in a cold breath.

Damn!

Lin Fan took the letter and took a close look. Occasionally he would nod his head.

The rough details of the letter were that;

He was the Leader of Wolf Brigade, he heard he captured his 2nd and 3rd Brother, and there was a need to have a talk. If he didnt want to offend them, he had to return them; if not, he would face the consequences.

Sect Leader, what should we do? Wolf Brigade sent all their men, and there are just a few of us, we dont have enough people. Zhang Tianxian said.

Lin Fan was really calm, Why are you panicking, their 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Leaders are with us, so why panic?

Zhang Tianxian thought about it.

That made sense.

Do we have the chips to negotiate?

Yuan Tianchu got close slowly. He noticed that the situation wasnt right and knew that a huge thing had occurred.

As expected,

Wolf Brigade sent their men.

This was a huge matter.

Brother Lin, can I look at the letter? Yuan Tianchu said.

Lin Fan passed the letter to Yuan Tianchu and contemplated about what was happening. They definitely sent a lot of men.

If they let them off so simply,

Even if they wanted to, the Heavens wouldnt.

If the Heavens had a mind, they would scold them as this had nothing to do with him. But he would agree.

Yuan Tianchu frowned and read it word by word.

There was a problem with this.

There was a problem with the letter.

He looked at the fellow that was lying on the ground.

The Wolf Brigade was probing.

This letter wasnt the final goal, but this person was coming to probe the Martial Path Mountain situation.

If Lin Fan sent him back, Wolf Brigade would attack without hesitation.

Now Lin Fan kept this person; he viciously scared Wolf Brigade.

He took a look at L.

As expected,

That was because they didnt see the current situation.

One really couldnt guess what he was thinking.

He had absolute control over everything.

Terrifying, this person was really terrifying.

Yuan Tianchus heartbeat was quick. The more he came into contact with Lin Fan, the more scared he felt. It seemed like he had to thank him for not killing him in You City.

With his personality then, he wouldnt be able to block Lin Fans schemes.

Luckily he grew quickly and could follow Lin Fans thought process.

It wasnt that he followed Lin Fans thought process, but Lin Fan himself didnt know what Yuan Tianchu was even thinking.

Did he have brain problems?

Sect Leader, what should we do now? Zhang Tianxian asked.

Although he didnt panic much now, it

Lin Fan said, We do what we should do. Drag him down and continue to work.

It wasnt that he didnt want to do anything.

But he temporarily couldnt think of a way to deal with him, so he would just leave him there until he thought of a way.

Yuan Tianchu contemplated.

To not panic in front of an enemy, to keep so calm when the enemy had arrived, he respected his fortitude.

If not for him being too dangerous,

he wanted to sit down with him to drink and chat with him.

Liang Yongqi was heartless.

When he saw Yuan Tianchu muttering to himself, he knew that the fellow was thinking about something again.

What was he even thinking about, he got every single guess wrong.

Wolf Brigade bandits.

En? Leader frowned. He had left for so long, so what was 4th Brother doing, why hadnt he returned.

He sent the letter over for them to know who came and what their goal was. So they should know what they should do.

It was that simple.

However, h

Where did he go?

Big Brother, 4th Brother isnt back yet, was he captured? 5th Leader said.

Dont talk nonsense. We, bandits, know the way of the world, to not kill the messenger. They are a sect, so how could they not know about that? The Leader raged.

5th Leader nodded, Thats true.

A long while later.

The Leader got impatient. Two hours had passed already.

Where was he?

He just wanted to ask, where was he?

4th Brother, did you see a girl halfway and was battling her?

Suddenly.

A person walked over.

Big Brother, someone came. 5th, Brother exclaimed.

That shadow stumbled about, walking over in a tough manner. The moment he opened his mouth, he cried out, Leader, you all finally came.

Why is it you, where is my 2nd, 3rd, 4th Leaders? The Leader asked angrily.

The little bandit said, Leader, they were all captured. This is the letter they got me to send you.

He took out a letter from his chest and passed it to the Leader.

When the Leader picked it up and ripped it open, he read it carefully.

The rough meaning was that they were all there and if he wanted to get them the needed to bring money to redeem them. A total of 33 of them, he would give them one for free.

Damn!

Who were they?

To actually be so shameless?

To even dare to extort from bandits.

However, the power of the letter was really strong, and the Leader was stunned.

What kind of person had such courage to dare talk conditions with their Wolf Brigade?

The Leader asked, What is the situation on Martial Path Mountain?

The little bandit said, Replying to Leader, they only have a total of 6 people, and the rest are our brothers.

Ninety-six people (ninety-six and just six sound the same in Chinese). Everyone was shocked. No wonder. He looked at the brothers behind him; he only brought a hundred people.

En. The little bandit nodded his head, not hearing any problems with what was said, Big Brother, go save our brothers, they really deserve to die.

The Leader calmed down, Head down first; I need to consider this matter carefully.

Now he wasnt thinking about the Martial Path Mountain but about Chen Family.

There were so many people on Martial Path Mountain, so why didnt Chen Family tell him about it.

He still sent him there.

Wasnt it like sending a sheep into the mouth of a tiger?

Or

Chen Family wanted to clear out Wolf Brigade, which was why he came up with such a plan to have them go all out against Martial Path Mountain.

He would be the fisherman to profit from it all.

The more he thought about it, the more possible it was.

The Leader knew that he did some things that made Chen Family feel uneasy.

The little bandit was anxious.

Leader what were you thinking about

There were just six people there. We have so many brothers, cant we just charge up there and wipe them up.

The Leader got off his horse.

He pulled out his huge blade and stabbed it on the ground. He stood straight and looked towards Martial Path Mountain.

There was a fierce tiger there.

He then looked towards Jiang City, Chen Family was a drooling wolf.

Both sides ending in defeat, should he let the Chen Family plan succeed?

No.

The Leader had to think for the brothers behind him and couldnt fall for it.

At that moment,

If he made a wrong step, each step would get deeper into a trap. An important choice appeared in front of him.

If he chose wrong, it would be like stepping into an abyss.

This matter wasnt his alone anymore.

His brothers believed him so he couldnt let his brothers go to their deaths.

5th Brother. Leader said.

5th Leader said, Big Brother, what is it?

Quickly head to the stronghold and take Thirty thousand silver, we will redeem them. The Leader said.

He made a decision.

Not to fight Martial Path Mountain and to ensure the safety of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Brothers.

5th Leader was shocked. What did Big Brother mean? However, he listened to him and immediately turned his horse, whipping the horse to make it speed up.

With his riding ability,

he sped forwards at full speed.

Six hours was enough for him to return.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep