Humanoid Trap

Roar~

Beneath the tree, a pack of Thorn Fang Pigs paced back and forth, patiently waiting for the prey above them to fall.

They were evenly spread out beneath the tree, their thorn-wrapped tusks gleaming coldly. The surrounding trees had already been knocked down by them, leaving only this large tree in the middle.

Buzz!

A buzzing sound rang out through the air. A flash of light suddenly shot toward them from afar.

Roar!!!

A Thorn Fang Pig slightly larger than the others noticed the situation and immediately warned its companions.

The light drew near. It was a spinning Deep Blue Greatsword, cutting an elegant arc through the air as it targeted the Thorn Fang Pig at the rear.

Clang!

Warned by its leader, the Thorn Fang Pig reacted in time, thrusting forward and sending the incoming greatsword flying with its long tusks.

Azure Leaf Sword Formation!

A low shout rang out. Lin Xuan suddenly appeared, pulled the greatsword from the ground, and charged toward the Thorn Fang Pigs while activating his first soul skill.

Countless Azure Leaf Sword Grasses rose from beneath the Thorn Fang Pigs' bellies. Rather than wrapping around them, they shot straight upward like pillars.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Crisp impacts rang out in succession. The Azure Leaf Sword Grass failed to pierce the Thorn Fang Pigs' thick layers of fat, but the combined force of those repeated blows directly launched them all into the air.

Lin Xuan swung his sword, and each slash killed a Thorn Fang Pig. His figure continuously darted among them, and in an instant, streaks of sword light flashed through the air.

Thud! Thud!

Lin Xuan's dancing figure came to a stop. He sheathed his sword and stood still as the eight Thorn Fang Pigs in the air crashed to the ground, all dead.

To the current Lin Xuan, these soul beasts of only one or two hundred years did not even qualify to make him use Peerless Sword Dance.

That was how swordsmen were. Aside from showing off, there was rarely any passionate fighting. Once a weakness was exposed, it was an instant kill.

"One hundred and twenty-three years. What a harvest!"

Lin Xuan felt spiritual power flying toward him, and a hint of delight appeared on his face.

Most of these eight Thorn Fang Pigs were over a hundred years old, while their leader was three hundred years old. Added together, they far surpassed his earlier gains.

Lin Xuan looked at Xu Xiaoyan in the tree with a strange expression. Some starved while others drowned in abundance.

He had already encountered ten hundred-year soul beasts around her, making it seem as though he had spent most of the day working for nothing.

Lin Xuan shook his head and turned to leave.

Whoosh!

Xu Xiaoyan slid down from the tree in one swift motion.

"What are you doing?"

Lin Xuan had barely taken two steps when he suddenly felt his leg grow heavy. Looking down, he saw Xu Xiaoyan clinging to his thigh like a koala, her arms locked tightly around it.

"Big Bro! Take me with you! I can cheer you on, and I've got powerful crowd control at night."

Xu Xiaoyan looked up at Lin Xuan with a pair of pitiful Carslan Big Eyes. Her hands remained firmly locked around him, making her stance perfectly clear.

Today, Xu Xiaoyan was determined to be a thigh-hugging accessory.

"No time. Let go!"

Lin Xuan rolled his eyes. Adding another person would make splitting the gains troublesome, and it would also make it easier to expose their tracks.

If he were alone, even if he ran into a beast pack, he was confident he could come and go freely. But with Xu Xiaoyan, she would be nothing but dead weight.

He reached down and tried to pry her hands apart, but he could not move them. Xu Xiaoyan's hands seemed welded to his leg.

"I don't want any spiritual power! And for this half of the day, consider it me hiring you to protect me. Just half a day, and I'll pay you!"

Seeing how resolute Lin Xuan was, Xu Xiaoyan hurriedly said.

"Sure. One Mecha. Fair price. Want it?"

Lin Xuan said it casually. He did not believe her.

Then he reached for the Distress Beacon on Xu Xiaoyan's wrist. If he could not pry her off, he would just send her out.

"One times three is three, three times eight is twenty-six..."

A conflicted look appeared on Xu Xiaoyan's face. After counting on her fingers again, delight appeared on her face, and she nodded hard at Lin Xuan.

"Okay! Deal!"

It was probably only one or two months' worth of allowance. Compared to a year, she could still tell which was better.

Lin Xuan: ???

"Do I look that gullible?"

Lin Xuan bent down, squatted, and tugged at Xu Xiaoyan's cheeks.

How much money could this little girl possibly have? Even the cheapest white Mecha started at several hundred thousand.

"I... I'm not lying. My family sells Mechas."

Xu Xiaoyan said indistinctly.

"Really?"

Lin Xuan glanced at her and released her cheeks.

"Really! My Second Uncle runs a Mecha factory!"

Xu Xiaoyan nodded like a pecking chick while rubbing her cheeks.

Hmph! Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river! Don't look down on a poor Young Girl! One day, I'll pinch this face back!

Xu Xiaoyan looked at Lin Xuan's delicate face and secretly thought to herself.

"Then let me ask you one more question. How many hundred-year soul beasts have you encountered today?"

Lin Xuan stopped dwelling on the matter and changed the subject.

"More than twenty..."

Xu Xiaoyan stuck out her tongue, her pretty face flushing slightly as she answered shyly. In truth, she had also encountered several Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, but she did not dare say so, afraid of scaring him away.

"You don't think I'm unlucky, do you?"

Xu Xiaoyan said regretfully. She should have said even fewer.

Lin Xuan raised a brow and looked at Xu Xiaoyan thoughtfully.

Unlucky was good! If she were not unlucky, he would not want her.

"I can take you with me, but you have to follow my arrangements. Otherwise, I can't guarantee your safety."

Lin Xuan nodded and said to Xu Xiaoyan.

"No problem!"

Xu Xiaoyan hurriedly nodded. Being an accessory was what she did best.

A few minutes later, an Azure Leaf Sword Grass stood high in the air, standing out conspicuously amid the towering forest.

"Lin Xuan! Is this really safe?"

Xu Xiaoyan touched the Azure Leaf Sword Grass at her waist and asked doubtfully.

From time to time, she could feel cold wind blowing in from afar against her face. Why did she feel like a target?

"It's fine! Up there, you can spot the movements of distant soul beasts in time. I'll handle any attacks on the ground. This is called double-layer protection."

"Trust me. I, Lin, never lie."

Lin Xuan analyzed the situation for Xu Xiaoyan with a solemn expression.

"Is that how it works?"

Xu Xiaoyan looked uncertainly at the distant forest. Why did she feel that if she could see the soul beasts, the soul beasts could see her too?

"Guaranteed! I'm a tactical master!"

Lin Xuan declared confidently, without so much as a blush or a racing heartbeat.

Roar!

Just as the two were talking, a Brilliant Tiger over three meters tall appeared ahead of them.

Five hundred years!

Lin Xuan's eyes lit up. Xu Xiaoyan was incredibly effective! If he had been alone, he might not have encountered one even after wandering around for an entire day.

"I'll be right back! Wait here."

Lin Xuan called out to Xu Xiaoyan, picked up his sword, and charged over without looking back.