Chapter 33 Killing Hei Lang
Translated by Moe
The fire serpent seemed almost corporeal and possessed an uncanny intelligence and life force, opening its mouth wide to bite down on Hei Lang. Its fiery red body ignited into roaring flames that scorched everything in its surrounding.
Xuan warriors can project their xuan strength externally, and then use their attribute to congeal a shaped attack. The power is many times more formidable than the sword skills that Ling Li and Ling Xing had forcefully unleash during the family exam.
This is the difference between xuan warrior rank and xuan pract.i.tioner rank.
“Humph! Cheap parlor trick.” Hei Lang remains undaunted in the face of such a powerful attack. The earthy yellow light of the wolf fang stick suddenly glowed brighter than ever in Hei Lang’s hands before he waved it through the air, unleashing an earth-colored wolf which swiftly charged out to meet the incoming serpent.
“BOOM!”
The powerful attacks detonated on impact, erupting into a deafening explosion that left a large hole on the floor of the Fragrant Taste Restaurant.
Hei Lang wasn’t finished. He swung up with his wolf fang stick, only for Wei Dai Er to respond with swift parry. But here, Hei Lang’s rich combat experience came into play, for he very quickly gained the upper hand and pressed in on Wei Dai Er. Hei Lang smashed Wei Dai Er’s thin sword wide and opened a hole in her defenses. A vicious light appeared in Hei Lang’s eyes as he gathered all his strength and roared, “I have you!”
The wolf fang stick was like a giant thousand-catty hammer as it pounded down towards Wei Dai Er’s face from up high.
Too late to defend herself, it appeared that only serious injuries await Wei Dai Er.
“Don’t even think about hurting my Elder Sister!” Off to the side, Ling Xiao seized the best opportunity to mount a sneak attack as he struck like a viper with the Blue Crystal Sword at Hei Lang’s back.
If Hei Lang doesn’t cease his attack and defend himself, the only outcome is death.
“Devious scoundrel!” Hei Lang cursed inwardly as he leaned hard to his side, turning his hand and bringing the wolf fang stick back to smash towards Ling Xiao.
Clang!”
Ling Xiao was immediately sent retreating a dozen steps, the arm holding on to the Blue Crystal Sword went numb from the sledge-like impact of the blow.
“Incredible power!” Ling Xiao circulated his xuan strength to lessen the pain. This was the first time he had so clearly felt the disparity between ranks.
“Little Brother, did you want to see Elder Sister die?!” Wei Dai Er rebuked, taking the opportunity to retreat to Ling Xiao’s side. The fight had exhausted much of her xuan strength, leaving her gasping for air; her heaving chest certainly did not escape Ling Xiao’s notice.
Wei Dai Er found Ling Xiao’s expression to be somewhat strange, only to discover that this pervert was staring at her chest. Her body trembled as she angrily said, “Little Brother, where are your eyes looking at?”
“Humph! Since you two match so well, I’ll make sure you two die together!” Hei Lang retorted, in a voice that rung out clear and loud, as he attacked with the wolf fang stick once again.
“Screw this, I’m done. It’s time you two make your move.” At last, Ling Xiao returned his sword in its sheath and pa.s.sed down his orders to Tiger Six and Tiger Seven.
“Yes, Young Master.” They responded together and then charged toward Hei Lang.
At this moment, Hei Lang finally took note of these two men who had been una.s.suming thus far. They were moving with such speed, such alacrity, that Hei Lang couldn’t see them clearly, and causing bad feeling to suddenly well up in his heart.
“Not good. They’re experts.” Hei Lang had ignored Tiger Six and Tiger Seven all along, but didn’t expect that both of them would be experts. When he came to this realization, his first thought was to escape.
Unfortunately, both of the guards’ cultivation bases were higher than him. With both of them attacking together, what chance did Hei Lang have?
The two guards slashed down with their swords, launching two crescent-shaped sword beams screaming toward Hei Lang.
“Bang!”
“AHH!”
Hei Lang smashed against the wall like a ragdoll, revealing two gaping wounds on his back so deep as to expose the bone, blood gushing out violently.
“Who the h.e.l.l are you?” Hei Lang’s complexion was deathly pale as he stared at Ling Xiao and asked. Regret welled up from within his heart, but it was too late. He had mistaken the youth as just a low-rank xuan pract.i.tioner and not worth paying attention to, but his error in judgement had cost the lives of all of his subordinates. What had surprised him the most was how powerful these two guards were; at the very least, they should be intermediate-rank xuan warriors. Could it be that s.l.u.t Wei Dai Er has attached herself to a major family?
“Humph! You have the gall to set up shop in this city and not know who I am?” Ling Xiao displayed an expression of surprise and then turned to Wei Dai Er and laughed lightly. “Elder Sister, how should we punish this man?”
The question caught Wei Dai Er by surprise. A frown darkened her forehead as she spoke the Hei Lang. “Hei Lang, I’ll spare your life today on one condition. Give up any idea of taking back the item in my possession. Do we have a deal?”
Hei Lang’s expression darkened, but he nodded promptly, “Good. Spare my life and I’ll consider this matter settled.” A wise man knows better than to fight when the odds are against him. The item may be important, but now is not the time to think about it. Saving his life comes first. He can always take back what’s his in due time.
“I hope you don’t go back on your words. Go.” Wei Dai Er said coolly.
Hei Lang stood up with difficulty. His eyes filled with a complicated expression as he stared at everyone at the scene and then turned around to leave.
Ling Xiao suddenly attacked. His hand lifted, and the sword fell.
“Pfff!”
Hei Lang had no time to react before his body split in two and he died without knowing what happened.
“You!” Wei Dai Er didn’t expect that Ling Xiao will suddenly attack Hei Lang. Didn’t he leave the final decision to her?
“Elder Sister, I did this for your own good. It’s easy to tell that he can’t be trusted. Letting him go would be no different than letting a tiger return to the mountain. You’ll be the one who will suffer in the future.” Ling Xiao explained in a light tone.
Wei Dai Er suddenly felt deeply depressed. The fall-out from this incident will heighten hostilities between the Azure Wolf Regiment and the Cold Snake Corps. The reason she let Hei Lang go was because she did not want shed all pretense of cordiality with the Azure Wolf Regiment. In terms of fighting strength, her Cold Snake Regiment cannot compare with the Azure Wolf Regiment. If push comes to shove, her side will be crushed. With Hei Lang dead, the Azure Wolf Regiment will not rest until the Cold Snake Regiment was annihilated, because Hei Lang is the younger brother of Azure Wolf Regiment’s Commander Qing Lang.
But she knew that Ling Xiao wasn’t without reason. There was very little chance that Hei Lang would have respected their agreement. Qing Lang’s mercenary group is notorious for brutality and violence, frequently murdering travelers for money in the Desolate Chaparral Mountains.
Wei Dai Er let out a light sigh, questioning if it’s worth going through all this trouble for that item.
“What seems to be the worrying Elder Sister? Why not tell your Little Brother and let me see if I can help you?” Ling Xiao took a step closer, breathing in and savoring Wei Dai Er’s unique womanly fragrance, his expression one of pure delight.
Whether it was this life or the last, he had preferred more strong-willed, intelligent women. He found this type of woman to be the most attractive, and derived the most enjoyment from courting them.
“It’s nothing. Thank you for what you did today. Elder Sister will have to buy you a drink another time.” Wei Dai Er said in a cold tone as she edged away from Ling Xiao, intending to make her leave.
“Wouldn’t it be too unfair for Elder Sister to leave like this?” Ling Xiao said thoughtfully. He cursed inwardly; you think you can just leave after using me? Aren’t you burning this bridge a little too fast?!
Wei Dai Er’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Ling Xiao, her heart instantly filled with vigilance. After a moment, a smile filled her face. “Elder Sister truly does have an important engagement to attend to. I’ll play with Little Brother next time, okay?”
“Heh heh. Does Elder Sister think I’m some three years old child? Isn’t it a little too much to just leave without taking responsibility?” Ling Xiao shrugged and said.
“Then what exactly does Little Brother have in mind?” Wei Dai Er threw coquettish glances at Ling Xiao, revealing the loveliest, the most moving expression on her face.
Looking at Wei Dai Er’s expression, Ling Xiao couldn’t help feeling his body temperature rising, and had nearly lost his soul to Wei Dai Er’s bewitching charms. Fortunately for him, Three Parts Return Vital Energy spontaneously circulated and caused him to sober up. He couldn’t help cursing inwardly. d.a.m.n it! Has this woman comprehended some sort of charm skill?
Ling Xiao had misunderstood Wei Dai Er. It’s not that she cultivated a charm skill, but that she possessed an innate charm that bordered on hypnotizing. As long as she exposed a bit of her alluring qualities, weak-willed men will become malleable putty in her fingers.
“Elder Sister, shouldn’t you show some grat.i.tude before you leave?” Ling Xiao said as intimately as before.
“Could it be that…Little Brother wants to eat Elder Sister?” Wei Dai Er said, sounding as if she had been wronged.
“What do you take your Little Brother for? I am an honorable and upright gentleman. If I want to eat Elder Sister, I’ll only eat when Elder Sister wants me to eat!” Ling Xiao said in a dignified and righteous tone.
Wei Dai Er’s heart filled with contempt. She had a.s.sumed that Ling Xiao was just another naïve, unworldly young master, and didn’t expect him to be this crafty.
“In this case, how about I keep you company next time? If Little Brother is sincere about your feelings for me, then I’ll…let you take a bite.” Wei Dai Er continued to seduce Ling Xiao to facilitate her escape.
“How is one bite enough? I’d need thousands of bites, no, a lifetime of bites to be satisfied. Who asked Elder Sister to be so tantalizing?” Ling Xiao appeared to be enjoying himself immensely as he teased her.
“You’re too greedy Little Brother. I’ll be taking my leave first then. See you next time.” Wei Dai Er looked at Ling Xiao one last time and then turned around, intending to leave.
However, Tiger Six and Tiger Seven stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Wei Dai Er asked slightly angry.
“I mean no harm, Elder Sister, so don’t be angry. I’m just curious as to what it was exactly that all these men were fighting for.” Ling Xiao said as he found a chair that was still intact and sat down.
“You!” Wei Dai Er became furious. She fought off a tiger at the front gate only to let a wolf through the back. She didn’t expect this little kid would become a threat to her.
“What? You don’t want to?” Ling Xiao asked, “If that’s the case, I don’t mind personally searching Elder Sister’s body.”
No sooner had his words fell than Wei Dai Er’s complexion changed. She replied at once, “I’ll let you take a look.” After that, she unfastened a small pouch from her waist and handed it over to Ling Xiao. “This was what they were trying to find.”
Ling Xiao laughed and untied the bag, revealing a small and delicate embroidered box inside. Upon opening the embroidered box, Ling Xiao immediately caught sight of a fist-sized fruit of fiery-red color.
“Let me go now!” Wei Dai Er said angrily. By this time, she no longer found it necessary to put on an act in front of Ling Xiao.
“Heh heh. It seems Elder Sister still wants me to search your body.” Ling Xiao suddenly stood up and walked towards Wei Dai Er’s direction.
“What are you doing? I’ve given you what you asked for. Are you still not going to let me go?” Wei Dai Er said nervously.
“Humph! Elder Sister, a second-grade, intermediate-level Vermillion Fruit is valuable indeed, but it’s still not enough for people to be willing to risk their life for it. Do not take me for a fool!” Ling Xiao snorted lightly.
Wei Dai Er’s face finally fell when she heard Ling Xiao’s words, revealing a worried expression.
“Elder Sister, I’ll be searching you now.” Ling Xiao arrived by Wei Dai Er’s side and said.
“No, that won’t be necessary.” Wei Dai Er had been absent-minded just now, and nearly jumped with fright when she heard Ling Xiao’s voice. She immediately reached into her bosom and fished out another item.
“Here, take it!” Wei Dai Er very reluctantly threw the item over to Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao caught it with his hand and immediately raised it to his nose and say, “Smells wonderful.”
Wei Dai Er couldn’t help but blush deeply. The item had just been taken out of her bosom, but is now being smelled by Ling Xiao this way. She felt like she was being molested by Ling Xiao, and wished for nothing better but to bury herself in the sand and just disappear.
Ling Xiao opened the item in his hand to reveal a piece of rag. Drawn on the rag was a map, well detailed with a variety of markers and notes.
Ling Xiao asked coolly, “What’s this, a treasure map?”