Courting Death—Please Keep Reading

Courting Death—Please Keep Reading

At the entrance to the Notting City Martial Soul Branch Hall.

A carriage had arrived early and was waiting there. Su Yuntao sat outside the carriage, chatting cheerfully with someone inside through the lifted curtain.

After resting for a night, he looked noticeably better than yesterday. His complexion was rosy, and the dark circles beneath his eyes had faded.

"Uncle Tao!" From afar, Xu Changqing waved and jogged over.

Su Yuntao chuckled. He did not mind Xu Changqing calling him uncle in the slightest. In fact, he would have loved to have such a satisfactory nephew.

Si Si lifted the carriage window curtain and poked her head out. Seeing Xu Changqing run up, she got out and pulled him into the carriage, then hugged him onto her lap. Narrowing her eyes, she teased with a smile, "Little Changqing, did you miss your sister after not seeing her all night?"

She clearly treated Xu Changqing as a clueless little child, making him rather uncomfortable.

Yesterday, Xu Changqing had no choice but to act cute in order to help Su Yuntao. But his actual mental age was nearly thirty, so he could not help feeling a little awkward.

Still, he did not show it. There was no helping it—he was still counting on them to help him hunt a soul beast. For now, he could only make a small sacrifice of his "looks."

"I missed you terribly. I even dreamed about Sister Si Si last night," he said with feigned innocence, making Si Si giggle.

Su Yuntao, who was driving the carriage, curled his lips and joined in. "That won't do. Your Sister Si Si is my girlfriend. You little brat, you're young but full of tricks."

Xu Changqing glanced sideways at him and huffed. "Uncle Tao, why are you so petty?"

Was this really about being petty?

But Su Yuntao knew Xu Changqing was joking, so he did not get angry. Copying Si Si, he reached over and pinched Xu Changqing's little cheek.

"Come to think of it, Little Changqing, you call me Uncle but call Si Si Sister. Isn't that a little off in terms of seniority?"

"Sister Si Si, did I call you wrong?" Xu Changqing turned to the Si Si holding him and asked with feigned confusion.

Si Si's eyes widened. With one kick, she sent Su Yuntao, whose upper body had leaned into the carriage, flying back out. Ruffling Xu Changqing's little head, she smiled sweetly. "Don't listen to him. Just call me Sister."

"Mm-hmm, I'll listen to Sister Si Si!"

"Such a good boy."

The carriage traveled steadily onward, and Su Yuntao was quite skilled at driving.

Near noon, the three passed through a stretch of woods and arrived at a market built beside the Soul Hunting Forest. People came and went, making the place rather lively.

There were many crude little shops on both sides, and cries from vendors rose one after another.

The carriage passed steadily through the crowd before stopping in front of a massive iron-barred gate nearly ten meters tall.

"Little Changqing, from here on, we'll have to rely on our own feet," Si Si said with a smile after lifting the carriage curtain and looking outside.

Xu Changqing nodded in response and followed her out of the carriage.

Su Yuntao had already taken the Spirit Hall Token to negotiate with the guards. Before long, the enormous iron-barred gate slowly opened with a creak.

Standing at the entrance, Xu Changqing could already see towering trees throughout the forest. Unnamed wildflowers bloomed everywhere, while vines coiled around tree trunks like horned dragons. A fresh breath of nature washed over him.

One wall and one gate seemed to separate two different worlds.

Xu Changqing felt a faint thrill rise within him. For him, today would be an important turning point. Once he stepped into this Soul Hunting Forest, he would begin to transform—from an ordinary person into a soul master who wielded extraordinary power!

"Let's go."

Su Yuntao waved a hand, his expression becoming much more serious.

Within the lush Soul Hunting Forest, the three walked along a narrow path trampled out by those before them, moving steadily deeper into the forest.

Su Yuntao led the way in front, Si Si watched the rear, and Xu Changqing was protected between them.

Along the way, none of them were idle. Si Si periodically taught Xu Changqing basic common knowledge about the Douluo Continent. She no longer had the playful demeanor she had shown in the carriage. Like Su Yuntao, she was stern and vigilant.

"Little Changqing, remember to remain vigilant at all times in the Soul Hunting Forest. This is the first lesson your sister is teaching you." Si Si's gaze constantly swept over their surroundings. Even while watching for the slightest movement, she did not forget to continue explaining these things to Xu Changqing.

"I'll remember, Sister Si Si." Xu Changqing nodded seriously.

Su Yuntao, who was clearing the path ahead, looked up at the sky and said to the two behind him, "It's noon. Let's pick up the pace and head toward the middle of the Soul Hunting Forest. We should try to find Little Changqing a metallic soul beast around four hundred years old before nightfall."

As he spoke, he took several pieces of dried meat from the small pack on his back and handed them to Xu Changqing and Si Si, taking one for himself as well.

The three ate as they hurried onward, unwilling to waste even a moment.

The Soul Hunting Forest was far more dangerous at night than during the day, and accidents were more likely to happen. Both Su Yuntao and Si Si were active Spirit Hall personnel with considerable experience in hunting Soul Rings. They would do their utmost to avoid dangers that could be avoided.

Xu Changqing had already told them what he needed in a Soul Ring while they were on the road. This had been discussed long ago, so the three now had an exceptionally clear goal.

Elsewhere.

In the market outside the Soul Hunting Forest, another carriage slowly entered.

"Teacher, I'm going to relieve myself. I'll be right back."

Watching the crowds coming and going outside, Tang San's eyes flickered faintly. By the time he turned back, his gaze had returned to calm as he spoke to Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang did not suspect anything and nodded. "Go quickly and come back quickly."

Tang San answered, jumped down from the carriage, and hurried off in one direction. Earlier, a man and a woman had entered the woods in that direction. He did not know what they planned to do.

Tang San had already set his sights on them. He had System tasks to complete, and compared with soul beasts of unknown strength and background, humans were clearly easier to hunt. From Yu Xiaogang, he had learned that most people near this market were soul masters.

Those two "lone" soul masters were undoubtedly perfect hunting targets for Tang San.

Before long, Tang San had crept close enough to hear a series of lewd sounds. He hid behind a large tree and secretly peered over.

The two were naked and tangled together, going at it fiercely. The sight made Tang San's eye twitch.

"Committing obscenity in broad daylight and defiling the eyes—you have already chosen the path of Courting Death!" he murmured inwardly as he watched, his cold gaze slowly raising toward the middle-aged man who was vigorously plowing the field.

The Silent Sleeve Arrow shot out soundlessly, burying itself in the back of the middle-aged man's head.

The middle-aged man's eyes widened, and he made no further sound.

At the same time, Tang San moved swiftly. At some point, he had already arrived beside them. The woman beneath the man had been enjoying herself when she suddenly sensed something was wrong. She abruptly opened her eyes and saw a dagger growing larger in her vision.

The next instant, her head was pierced clean through. She was dead beyond all doubt.

Only then did the System notification arrive belatedly.

Ding!

Black-Grade Weekly Task: Independently kill one soul master or one soul beast across a major rank gap completed

Task reward has been distributed to the System Space

Ding!

Purple-Grade Weekly Task: Independently kill one soul master or one soul beast of the same rank completed

Task reward has been distributed to the System Space

Tang San glanced at the newly appeared purple bead and the small, glowing fragment of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Bone in the System Space. A smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

These System tasks did not seem that difficult to complete.

Now, only the lowest White-Grade and highest Red-Grade System Weekly Tasks remained incomplete. He had already given up on the Red-Grade one. The punishment was not that severe anyway—was it not just farting?

Who in the world did not fart?

As for the White-Grade—

It was a task he could complete whenever he wanted.

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(End of Chapter)