NOVEL NEXT Chapter 120: Out
Chapter 120: Out
“Old Yun, what are you doing in the back? Go to the front and prepare for battle!”
“We all paid spirit stones to stay in the back. You’re the one who took a hundred Spirit Stones. You don’t get paid for nothing.”
The followers in the group turned to Old Man Yun and urged him to go to the front of the group and face the large poisonous creatures.
Old Man Yun had no choice but to ride forward, following Jiang Xianyu and Zhou Xin to the front.
Xu Lian, Xiao Xixi, and the rest of the followers stayed at the back of the group. Most of them had paid spirit stones, so they didn’t need to go to the front to fight. Xu Lian hadn’t paid, but since the caravan hadn’t given him any Spirit Stones either, he didn’t need to go to the front either.
“Puff! Puff! Puff!”…
In front of them, the bloated, pig-stomach-like creatures floating about thirty feet above the ground were much larger than before, and the bubbles they spewed were also much larger.
Inside these large bubbles, one could see massive pythons, giant spiders, and giant centipedes, all of them ferocious and terrifying, their bodies enveloped in thick black poisonous gas).
Perhaps due to their weight or some other reason, the large bubbles descended rapidly.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”…
One by one, they crashed to the ground, bursting and releasing large clouds of poisonous gas that spread through the air, causing dizziness and nausea among the group. Fortunately, everyone and their horses had taken antidote pills beforehand.
From the poisonous gas, the large poisonous creatures emerged and charged at the caravan.
“Block them!”
Jiang Xianyu took the lead, drawing the large sword from her back and leaping off her horse. With a swing of her sword, she sent out a blade of light.
Splat!
A vicious python was split in two, blood gushing into the air.
Zhou Xin and Old Man Yun also joined the fight, attacking the large poisonous creatures.
The guards drew their swords and charged forward, determined not to let the large creatures near the horses and goods in the rear, or the casualties would be severe.
The coachmen controlled the carriages and did not step forward to help.
After watching the battle for a moment, Xu Lian could tell that Jiang Xianyu’s strength was around the seventh level of Bright Strength. Among the younger generation in Pingyang County, this was quite impressive. Zhou Xin was slightly weaker, at the sixth level of Bright Strength, while Old Man Yun was a little further behind, at the fourth level. Most of the guards were at the level of Bone Refining to Marrow Refining.
Suddenly, a scream of alarm came from the front. A large black scorpion with a long stinger emerged from the poisonous gas and slipped past Jiang Xianyu and Zhou Xin. With a flick of its stinger, it sent Old Man Yun flying and charged toward the guards.
The guards’ faces turned pale as they swung their swords to block the scorpion. However, their blades only sparked against its hard exoskeleton, unable to penetrate it.
The large black scorpion knocked several guards aside and reached a carriage.
Thud!
Its stinger pierced a draught horse, sending a spray of blood into the air.
The coachman, terrified, jumped from the carriage and scrambled away.
“Stop it!”
Jiang Xianyu, who was still fighting at the front, shouted in frustration. She wanted to return and help, but she was entangled by a giant spider and a massive centipede, unable to break free. She could only watch helplessly.
The large black scorpion rampaged unchecked, its sharp stinger piercing through draft horses and coachmen alike. In just moments, it had killed several horses and coachmen, overturned carriages, and scattered medicinal herbs all over the ground.
Seemingly unsatisfied with killing the horses and weak coachmen, the large black scorpion turned its attention toward the followers at the back of the group.
The followers were terrified, their scalps tingling with fear. They quickly spurred their horses to flee, unable to hold back their complaints.
“We paid spirit stones to join this group. Isn’t anyone going to protect us?”
“Damn it, the spirit stones were wasted!”…
Xiao Xixi saw that Xu Lian hadn’t moved and thought that he was frozen in fear. She anxiously reached out to pull him, “Xu Lian, let’s go!”
Of course, Xu Lian wasn’t afraid of a mere scorpion. He was just considering whether or not to reveal his true strength. After a moment of thought, he decided that lives were at stake, so he should act. He couldn’t ignore human lives just because of his own petty concerns.
Moreover, Jiang Xianyu had treated him fairly along the way, even though he hadn’t paid any spirit stones.
“It’s okay.”
Xu Lian gestured for Xiao Xixi to let go of his hand.
He placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, not even fully drawing it. With a quick movement, a sharp blade of light shot out.
Splat!
The large black scorpion charging toward them instantly froze, blood spraying out.
Crack!
Its massive body slowly split down the middle.
It fell to the ground in two pieces with a loud thud.
Xiao Xixi was stunned, and then quickly realized that Xu Lian had been hiding his strength. She looked at him deeply, her beautiful eyes sparkling with admiration, and giggled, “Xu Lian, you’re full of surprises. It seems I’ve struck gold.”
The followers who had scattered in panic were also stunned. Xu Lian hadn’t even fully drawn his sword, yet he had effortlessly killed the large black scorpion. What kind of power was that?
Their eyes filled with awe as they rode back to Xu Lian’s side… this was undoubtedly the safest place now.
A female cultivator, who considered herself quite attractive, shot a disdainful look at Xiao Xixi and rode closer to Xu Lian. “A young genius like you, with such formidable strength, deserves a better woman. A used flower like her isn’t worthy of you.”
This wasn’t a hint – it was an outright statement.
Xiao Xixi was furious, but she also felt helpless because the woman spoke the truth. She could only lower her head and prepare to leave Xu Lian’s side.
Xu Lian grabbed Xiao Xixi’s hand and calmly looked at the cultivator who had approached him. “Miss Xiao grew up in poverty. Her family sold her to a brothel just to put food on the table. She had no choice. Now, she’s chosen to leave that life behind and follow me. What’s wrong with that?”
“A pure heart is worth more to me than anything else. It is priceless to me, while you, even if you’ve kept your so-called purity, are worthless in my eyes.”
“Do you understand?”
“Stay away from me, or I might accidentally mistake you for the Black Scorpion and cut you down with my sword.”
The female cultivator’s face turned pale, then red with anger. She was furious, but she didn’t dare to retaliate. She could only mutter, “You are unreasonable,” before riding off in a huff.
Xiao Xixi’s eyes welled up with tears as she was moved by Xu Lian’s words. “Xu Lian, I will never betray you in this life.”
Xu Lian reached out and wiped away her tears, comforting her.
After a moment, Xiao Xixi composed herself and began chatting and laughing with Xu Lian. After all, she had come from the world of brothels and was used to such scheming women. She wasn’t really shaken by the incident.
At the front of the group, the battle was gradually coming to an end. The ground was littered with the corpses of poisonous creatures, and Jiang Xianyu, Zhou Xin, and Old Man Yun were left panting and exhausted.
Old Man Yun in particular was covered in blood – some from the creatures, some of his own. He was badly injured, and he kept taking antidote pills, grumbling, “The caravan paid me one hundred spirit stones, but I’ve already spent two hundred on antidote pills. And now I’m covered in wounds. This is a great loss.”
Clearly, he was saying this to try and get some compensation from the caravan.
Zhou Xin smiled and took out two hundred Spirit Stones, casually tossing them to Old Man Yun. “Consider it my treat.”
Old Man Yun happily accepted them, “Thank you, Young Master Zhou. You are truly generous. I wish you success in winning the heart of your beauty.”
Zhou Xin was pleased to hear this.
Jiang Xianyu frowned at Zhou Xin, but didn’t say anything. She mounted her horse and rode to the back of the group.
She assessed the losses to the goods, which were still within acceptable limits, and had some spare draft horses brought over to replace the ones that had been killed. The scattered goods were reloaded onto the wagons.
Once this was done, she made her way to the very back of the group where the followers were. Her gaze lingered on Xu Lian with a strange expression. “Thank you for stepping in earlier and killing the Black Scorpion. Otherwise, the caravan’s losses would have been incalculable.”
Xu Lian clasped his hands in acknowledgement, “It was a small effort, not worth mentioning. Besides, I’m part of the group. It was only right to help.”
Jiang Xianyu took out the roster and flipped to Xu Lian’s page. “You have the strength of a high-level Bright Strength cultivator, but when you registered, you only showed the strength of a Marrow Refining cultivator. By hiding your true abilities, you have deceived the caravan. According to our rules, I have no choice but to ask you to leave the group.”
What?
Xu Lian was stunned. He had helped kill the Black Scorpion and reduced the caravan’s losses, yet Jiang Xianyu wanted to kick him out of the group?