Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
The guards of Sito Rongyan rushed forward, engaging in a fierce battle with the rampaging White Bear Beast.
As the commotion grew louder, both Nangong Tuo and Baike had yet to make an appearance.
"Could it be that someone wants to reap the benefits while others do the work?" Ouyang Zixin and Ning Zhiyuan had no intention of intervening just yet, watching as those people fought against the White Bear Beast.
The bloody scent at the top of Lingchi Peak intensified. The White Bear Beast, originally glowing with an orange hue, was now stained with a seductive red. The guards also bore wounds; had they not underestimated the strength of the White Bear Beast from the start, they wouldn't be in such a dire situation now.
"With so many people, they still can't take down that White Bear Beast?" Liu Ying and Liu Lu had been watching for a long time. Although the fur of the White Bear Beast was incredibly tough, the skills of those guards were not weak either. How could they have been fighting for so long without a clear outcome?
"Look closely; only those four heavily injured guards are putting in their all," Ouyang Zixin said, stroking her chin and explaining with a smile, "The people from Sito Rongyan are just putting on a show. Look at them, jumping around like monkeys without really trying to fight."
"Huh?" Liu Ying and Liu Lu finally noticed that while those few seemed to be leaping about, their moves were primarily defensive and they weren't truly engaging in combat.
Ning Zhiyuan also stood up at this point, his posture straight and his long hair flowing elegantly. If he weren't covered in mud, he would surely captivate many young women.
"If you can't take it down, you might as well step back," he said. Considering the time, it was almost time to act. In less than a minute, when the essence of the moon reached its peak, the White Bear Beast would likely unleash another wave of power. At that point, even if he intervened himself, it would take considerable effort to subdue it.
"Why are you in such a hurry? Aren't there still others who haven't arrived?" Ouyang Zixin pulled Ning Zhiyuan back slightly, somewhat reproaching him for wanting to act so soon.
"Girl, you don't understand. If I wait another minute, I could take down this White Bear Beast by myself. It’s just that it would be quite troublesome," Ning Zhiyuan whispered in Ouyang Zixin's ear.
A minute?
Ouyang Zixin furrowed her brows and glanced at Ning Zhiyuan, feeling that he probably wasn't lying. However, with two more known groups yet to appear, she still felt uneasy. After all, everyone knew that reaping the benefits of others' hard work was a shortcut, but she preferred to be the last bird in the trap.
"Where did this beggar come from, daring to speak so arrogantly in front of me?" Zhao Feiyu watched as her guards fell one by one, their injuries making her furious. Hearing Ning Zhiyuan's disdainful words only added fuel to her anger.
Zhao Feiyu's agitation was understandable; after all, they had just begun and already suffered losses. If they managed to capture the White Bear Beast, it would be a pyrrhic victory. If they failed...
In the darkness, Zhao Feiyu's expression changed several times. She had considered how embarrassing it would be if all her guards fell here; she feared that upon returning, her father would blame her for acting recklessly and wasting five guards.
But she was unwilling to admit now that her people couldn't handle the White Bear Beast.
"Sister Zhao," Sito Rongyan, who had been silent, thought about how she had secretly ordered the guards to prioritize self-preservation rather than risking their lives. She couldn't let Zhao Feiyu know this, so she wanted to advise Zhao Feiyu that while the White Bear Beast was valuable, it was not worth the lives of five guards.
It should be noted that the guards from their families were cultivated with significant time and resources; losing even one would cause lasting pain for their families.
"Exactly, Miss Zhao, I don't think your guards can hold out much longer. Why not just let it go?" Ouyang Zixin stood up at this moment, brushing off dust and speaking nonchalantly.
"At most a minute, and your guard will probably..." Ouyang Zixin shrugged her shoulders; everyone understood what she meant without needing her to finish.
"Hmph, Ouyang Zixin, don't look down on others," Zhao Feiyu gritted her teeth as she glared at Ouyang Zixin. "Do you really think you can capture that Mystical Beast?"
"Exactly, Sister Zhao is right. She's just talking nonsense; it's ridiculous," Sito Rongyan wished for Zhao Feiyu to stand up for her, so she didn't bother trying to persuade Zhao Feiyu to call back her people. Her intentions were not hidden at all.
"Ah—"
A scream pierced through the air, followed by an angry roar from the Mystical Beast. As the group turned to look, they were met with a scene of carnage.
Another one has died.
Zhao Feiyu clenched her fist tightly, her nails digging deep into her palm. She wanted to retreat, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it.
Sito Rongyan noticed Zhao Feiyu's hesitation and glanced at Ouyang Zixin, lowering her head as if lost in thought. Suddenly, she let out a light laugh.
"How can you still laugh?"
"Sister Zhao, forgive me. Rong Yan just suddenly thought about why they want us to give in now." Sito Rongyan raised her hand to cover her mouth, raising an eyebrow as she said, "That White Bear Beast is probably exhausted by now; they want to take advantage of the situation."
Zhao Feiyu was taken aback by this. Indeed, they had been talking about a moment; could it be that they realized the White Bear Beast wouldn't last even a moment? That they were trying to trick her into giving up on this Mystical Beast?
Looking at the White Bear Beast now, its movements were indeed much slower than before, and the blood on it was becoming increasingly heavy. What else could this mean if not that it was about to collapse?
"Haha, you've seen through us." Ouyang Zixin smiled brightly, coughing slightly in embarrassment as she said, "A Three, forget it; they've figured us out."
Ning Zhiyuan could only shake his head helplessly at this point. What he said was true; after a moment, it would not be the White Bear Beast that would die but those guards. However, Ouyang Zixin had intended from the start to mislead those two foolish women, so why should he stop her?
"Forget it; let them be." Ning Zhiyuan nodded in agreement with Ouyang Zixin's sentiment. "The noble ladies of the Exiled Nation are indeed hard to deceive; haha."
After saying this, the two turned to leave but were stopped by Sito Rongyan.
"Who exactly are you?"
It's too similar.
The beggar in front of them, known as A Three, was covered in filthy mud. However, his figure and the aura he exuded were definitely not those of a typical beggar. Moreover, his every move increasingly resembled that of the Third Prince.
"You, are you Third Prince?" Sito Rongyan asked tentatively, her eyes fixed intently on him, hoping to uncover some clues.
Could this man really be an impersonation of Third Prince?
"What? Are you going crazy over a man?" Ning Zhiyuan was not polite at all when addressing others, his voice cold and his attitude dismissive. If it weren't for needing to cooperate with Ouyang Zixin to lure them into a trap, he wouldn't waste another word on these women.
"Sito Rongyan!" Without needing anyone else to say more, Zhao Feiyu was the first to step forward, her finger trembling slightly as she pointed at Sito Rongyan. It was clear she was quite angry. "What time is it? You're still thinking about such ridiculous things. What status does Third Prince have to disguise himself as a beggar just to please her?"
Sito Rongyan snapped back to reality after being scolded by Zhao Feiyu. With Third Prince's status, he would never demean himself for this Demoness.
"Get a grip; our guards are fighting against the White Bear Beast. You still have the energy to worry about these trivial matters."
It must be said that while Zhao Feiyu was willful and somewhat cruel, she could also be considered "reasonable," at least remembering that their guards were in battle.
Ouyang Zixin and Ning Zhiyuan exchanged smiles and led Liu Ying and Liu Lu toward another part of the forest.
"Is it really just a moment?" After walking a few steps, Ouyang Zixin grinned mischievously. "Should we help them with a countdown?"
"A countdown?" Ning Zhiyuan thought for a moment and understood what Ouyang Zixin intended to do, smiling lightly. "If you want to, go ahead."
"10, 9, 8..." Before taking another step, Ouyang Zixin began counting down. As she reached "0," several screams echoed from behind them, accompanied by the furious roar of the White Bear Beast.
"Ah—no—" The sharp cry of Zhao Feiyu soon followed. "Liars! You deceitful liars..."
"Ah."
"Girl, why the sigh?" Ning Zhiyuan thought Ouyang Zixin should be happy, but he didn't expect her to let out a deep sigh.
"Sometimes, when the enemy is too weak, it really gives a sense of loss." Ouyang Zixin looked up at the full moon in the sky and said hesitantly, "It's lonely at the top."
Liu Ying and Liu Lu burst into laughter, and even Nameless was amused by Ouyang Zixin's pretentiousness.
Only Ning Zhiyuan remained serious as he looked at Ouyang Zixin and nodded in agreement, "You're right, it's lonely at the top."
Then, the two of them laughed heartily, their laughter echoing far away...
The White Bear Beast ultimately broke through the encirclement of guards with the essence of the moon, leaving a trail of blood and flesh in its wake. Such a brutal scene was unseen by Ouyang Zixin and the others; instead, Zhao Feiyu was so overwhelmed with grief that he fainted and was eventually carried away by Sito Rongyan's people.
"Aren't we going to chase it?" Liu Ying and Liu Lu were still thinking about the White Bear Beast's fur. Now that it was injured, were they really just going to let it go?
"That fur has already been cut up so much; what would we do with it?" Ouyang Zixin had a bit of a perfectionist streak. She originally wanted to be the last one standing, but seeing those guards fighting recklessly, she lost interest.
"Miss, even if we can't make a full set of armor from it, we could still make something like gauntlets; that would be enough," Liu Lvy felt it was truly a pity to let it go just like that.
"Moreover, I heard before that the Bear-like Mystic Beast's gallbladder is very nourishing for cultivators. Master Rong once lamented not having that Mystical Beast's gallbladder back then; otherwise, your health..." Liu Ying had learned quite a bit while following Rong Yi back in the day. The herbs and elixirs entrusted to her were not something an ordinary maid would see regularly.
"Oh dear, why didn't you say so earlier!" Ouyang Zixin regretted not paying attention back then; she hadn't remembered anything about medicine or herbs at all, unlike Liu Ying who had been diligent.
At this moment, filled with regret, Ouyang Zixin quickly turned around and chased after it as if she had oil on her feet. She called out to the other three to hurry up; she couldn't handle the White Bear Beast alone.
"I heard that your young lady was not keen on cultivation before," Ning Zhiyuan said, somewhat surprised by Ouyang Zixin's reaction. He knew that the Bear-like Mystic Beast was a valuable asset, but in his memory, Ouyang Zixin had always been indifferent towards cultivation.
"In response to the young master's words, the young lady indeed used to be like that," Liu Yingli replied.
"What about later?" Eight years had passed; what had happened that made Ouyang Zixin suddenly value cultivation?
Liu Ying and Liu Lu exchanged glances and silently chose to remain quiet.
"Hurry up! If it runs too far, we won't be able to catch up," Ouyang Zixin urged as she noticed the three lagging behind.
Ning Zhiyuan was about to respond when he suddenly paused, slightly tilting his head to glance back. He smirked and then hurried after Ouyang Zixin.
"Girl, slow down; save some energy for later."
Ouyang Zixin's speed was not particularly fast. Having learned from Zhao Feiyu's tragic experience, she would not be foolish enough to exhaust her stamina early on, only to find herself unable to exert her full speed when it truly mattered.
"Wait." Ouyang Zixin suddenly stopped and raised her hand to block the three behind her.
—Master.
"Yes, I feel it too." Ouyang Zixin's expression grew serious; something was off ahead. The smell of blood was too intense. Even after so many guards had been injured or killed, the White Bear Beast was also battered, yet the stench of blood now was more potent than before.
"Girl, what's wrong?" Ning Zhiyuan stood nearby, appearing casual but ensuring he guarded Ouyang Zixin's vulnerable back.
"Can't you feel it?" Ning Zhiyuan's cultivation level was definitely above Ouyang Zixin's, so why did he seem oblivious? Ouyang Zixin lowered her voice and said, "Something is wrong ahead."
Ning Zhiyuan was taken aback at first, realizing that he had focused all his attention on the person behind him and had not noticed anything unusual ahead.
"There has been a fight."
"A Three, what's wrong with you? I don't hear any sounds of fighting, just a strong smell of blood. I'm afraid the fight is already over." Something was off; something was definitely wrong ahead, and A Three was also acting strangely. Ouyang Zixin looked at him suspiciously, "Are you coming down with a cold or something?"
—Master.
"Okay, I'll wait for you here. You go ahead and check it out first." While speaking to Ning Zhiyuan, Ouyang Zixin had already discussed with Nameless to have him go ahead and clarify the situation.
Ouyang Zixin didn't mention it, but Ning Zhiyuan had no idea about Nameless's existence. At this moment, seeing Ouyang Zixin stop and not move forward made him a bit anxious. The person behind them had considerable cultivation; he could barely sense his presence. If he were an enemy, standing so openly in the middle of the road would put them in danger.
"What are you really worried about?" Ouyang Zixin asked, amused by Ning Zhiyuan's hesitant demeanor. "Just say it."
"We're being followed." (To be continued.)
Comment 0 Comment Count