The Person He Was Waiting For, I Was Waiting For Too

While Jiang Shi absorbed his Soul Ring, Yue Zheng never went far.

He sat beneath a tree with four others, saying they were taking a break, but his gaze kept drifting this way.

One of them had just returned from deep in the woods, fresh mud on his shoes. As he sat down, he quietly nodded to Yue Zheng.

Xu Sheng did not rush them either.

He let Mo Yifan rest for a while, then had Bai Ji pick up the dead branches that had been trampled and broken on the ground and move them aside, clearing a space where they could retreat.

They were all perfectly ordinary actions.

Yue Zheng could not make anything of them. He just thought these people were far too careful.

They were only taking a level-ten player to hunt for his first ring, yet they had guarded both front and back like this.

Did they really think he was some kind of treasure?

"Brother Yue, how about we forget it?" a player beside him whispered. "Those two with two rings won't be easy to fight."

"Who said anything about fighting?"

Yue Zheng glanced at him and rubbed the bruise on his wrist.

"We're waiting for someone."

The person he was waiting for was the senior who had been guiding him these past few days.

A three-ring Soul Elder who could fly and knew many places in the forest that ordinary players could not find. Following someone like that made Soul Hunting and finding resources much less trouble than begging people everywhere for help.

There was a price, too.

He bought things that were inconvenient for the man to go into the city for, kept an eye on the routes taken by Soul Hunting teams coming and going, and sometimes helped pass along a message or two.

It was not that Yue Zheng had found nothing strange about it.

But the man had really helped him obtain his Second Soul Ring, and the obstacle that had held him back had been overcome overnight. As for the man's name and why he would not enter the city, Yue Zheng could not be bothered to ask.

All he was doing now was asking the senior to come and take control of the situation. Surely there could not be a problem with that.

He had also deliberately made the message he sent through his companion a little vague.

He had only said that he had run into a team from elsewhere, that they had gotten into a dispute over a Soul Beast, and that the other side would not let him leave. Yue Zheng had not mentioned who had tried to snatch the final blow.

When he heard the man was willing to come, he felt reassured.

No matter how formidable the swordsman was, he still had one Soul Ring fewer than the senior. So what if the other one had an angel Martial Soul? Didn't everyone say that in Douluo, a gap of one major realm was enough to suppress someone?

He had to get back the face he had just lost!

Luo Xiao, meanwhile, was not pleased when he received the message.

These outsiders were indeed useful for buying medicine and scouting routes, but they were no less troublesome when they caused problems. Yue Zheng in particular had grown considerably more presumptuous in the way he spoke since obtaining his Second Soul Ring.

He had no intention of standing up for the man against everyone he encountered.

But Yue Zheng knew too many routes. If a team of unknown origins captured him and he blurted out something, Luo Xiao would have to find a new hiding place.

Luo Xiao pulled the brim of his hood lower and followed the familiar line of trees forward.

First, he would get the man out.

As for whether these outsiders were still worth keeping around after that, he would decide then.

On the other side, Xu Sheng asked Mo Yifan quietly, "Did you get a good look at his face?"

"No. His hood was pulled low, and he was far away. I didn't dare fly straight over."

"Right. Don't alert him."

Xu Sheng committed the direction he had just seen to memory. He already had a plan in mind.

Black wings, hiding at a distance, following these people.

That alone was not enough to say it was Luo Xiao.

But if it really was him, there was no reason to let him slip away right under their noses.

Xu Sheng glanced at Jiang Shi. He had not finished absorbing the Soul Ring and could not be moved at all. Even if Xu Sheng did not want to provoke the man, he could not lead the team away and leave Jiang Shi behind at a time like this.

He immediately sent Mo Yifan away to find Fang Zhan. The rest gathered around Jiang Shi and took up positions where they could block an attacker.

If he really was a passing Soul Master, they would each go their own way; if he really meant them harm, they would let him run into the swords waiting for him.

Xu Sheng moved closer to Ji Juechen and told him what little he knew.

After listening, Ji Juechen looked up at the canopy.

"Should I hold him here first?"

"Wait until we see clearly before making a move. You stay below; I'll be above."

Xu Sheng beckoned Cen Zhao over as well. A few of them gathered and quickly settled on their positions in case of an attack.

There was no complicated grand formation.

Jiang Shi could not move, so they would protect him first. The visible clearing was only so large; everyone had to remember which paths between the trees they could use to run. If a fight broke out, no one was to chase into the dense forest in the heat of the moment.

A little under half an hour later, Jiang Shi finally opened his eyes.

A yellow Soul Ring revolved slowly beside him. He looked down at his palm, then summoned his Ironwire Bamboo Bow, the corners of his mouth spreading into a grin.

Level eleven!

And he had his own First Soul Skill!

"Brother Xu, I-"

"You can enjoy yourself on the way back."

Xu Sheng patted him on the shoulder. "For now, put your things away and stand behind Lu Song."

Jiang Shi froze, then noticed that something was wrong with the atmosphere around them. He hurriedly put away his bow and moved over.

Yue Zheng also stood up.

The person he had been waiting for had arrived.

The man emerged from the woods to the side, a gray cloak draped over him and its hood pulled low. When he came closer, he first glanced at the dead Mandala Snake, then looked at Xu Sheng and the others.

His steps visibly slowed when his gaze fell on the Spirit Hall emblem.

"Senior." Yue Zheng immediately went to meet him. "They're the ones."

Xu Sheng did not look at Yue Zheng. His gaze remained fixed beneath the hood.

A piece of the man's left ear was missing.

His cheekbones were rather high, and he had short whiskers on his chin.

This time, there was no need to guess.

Luo Xiao was sizing him up as well.

Two rings, young, and from Spirit Hall. The Soul Power of the swordsman beside him was a little stronger, but he had not reached three rings either.

If they had only met by chance, he could simply turn around and leave.

But when he looked to the side, he found that the boy with the bird Martial Soul was no longer where he had been.

Luo Xiao's heart sank.

"Where's the other one?"

Xu Sheng smiled. "He went to meet a companion."

"What companion?"

"Deacon Fang, who's leading the team."

Luo Xiao's expression changed at once.

He did not stay to hear Yue Zheng talk about the snake. He turned and walked away.

Xu Sheng raised his sword.

"Luo Xiao."

The moment the two words left his mouth, the gray cloak suddenly billowed!

Black feathers spread out from beneath it, and three Soul Rings rose at once: yellow, yellow, and purple. Rather than fly upward, Luo Xiao wheeled around and swooped toward them. His First Soul Ring lit up, and several solid black feather blades shot straight at Xu Sheng's face!

Too fast!

One moment he had seemed ready to leave; the next, he was striking to kill!

Xu Sheng had been prepared. Crimson Holy Judgment lit up along his blade, and he swung it to cut apart the feather blades coming straight at him. Lu Song blocked the ones that slipped past on either side with his shield, where they struck with a succession of impacts.

"Scatter!"

Xu Sheng shouted.

Ji Juechen had already charged out.

His First Soul Ring lit up, and Soul Power surged into his sword arm. He did not chase the paths of the black feathers; he watched only where Luo Xiao would land and thrust his blade straight into the man's approach.

Luo Xiao had intended to force Xu Sheng back with one strike, seize someone to hold in front of him, then use the terrain to escape.

Who would have thought this two-ring sword Soul Master would not only refuse to retreat but close in on him instead!

He had no choice but to twist his body, shielding his shoulder with black feathers as he evaded the menacing thrust.

But the moment he landed, a Green Jade Vine rose at his feet.

Luo Xiao roared and stomped down with his claws, tearing one vine apart, but another was already winding toward the back of his knee.

He finally understood.

These people had not been waiting for a companion at all.

They had long been preparing to keep him here!

"You're courting death!"

His Third Soul Ring flared, and Luo Xiao's speed suddenly surged. The black shadow darted out before the vines could close around him and lunged straight for the least defended side.

Bai Ji was there.

The girl's face was pale, but her yellow Soul Ring remained steady.

Obscuring smoke quickly spread from her feet, filling the gap between two trees. She reached out, seized a thin cord tied there beforehand, and retreated diagonally backward without even turning her head.

Luo Xiao plunged into the smoke, but his outstretched hand caught nothing.

As he pressed forward, a golden chain suddenly swept in from outside the smoke!

He abruptly folded his wings and twisted aside to avoid the spearpoint, causing his steps to falter.

Above him, Xu Sheng had already arrived.

White Wings spread wide, and a crimson blade slashed down from above, bearing straight for Luo Xiao's freshly folded left wing.

The strike came faster than he had expected.

Luo Xiao had no choice but to activate his Second Soul Ring. Dark feathers covered his body, and he took the blow head-on.

Bang!

The recoil numbed Xu Sheng's wrist, while the blow drove Luo Xiao downward, both feet stamping heavily into the soft earth.

Before he could raise his head, Ji Juechen's sword arrived again.

Yue Zheng stood several yards away, most of the color drained from his face.

He had only wanted someone to back him up.

How had the man he called over turned out to be a criminal wanted by Spirit Hall?