Riding Thorn as One (Part 1)

I guess next it'll be Riding Thorn as One for you and Long Haochen.

Cai'er said angrily, "What Riding Thorn as One?"

Gu Sheng said helplessly, "What are you thinking about?"

When they were choosing equipment, didn't he pick a defensive one for you?

Cai'er: "Oh."

As they spoke, they looked at one another, their hearts filled with shock. Over twenty-three thousand Inner Spiritual Power—what a terrifying number that was! Whether Long Haochen's group of seven even added up to fourteen thousand was hard to say. Besides, how could spiritual power be compared through simple addition?

Saint Moon's gaze finally fell on Cai'er. "You were the most reckless one. Yes, mobilizing that power could indeed threaten him. But it would also force him to use his full strength against you. I appeared not to help him, but to help you. Perhaps you could have severely wounded him, but you would certainly have died."

Cai'er stood there silently without speaking. She did not seem particularly close to this Great Grandfather of hers.

But she was more than close to me, her brother.

"Long Haochen, come with me. I have something to tell you." Saint Moon turned his icy, blade-like gaze toward the somewhat weakened Long Haochen.

Upon hearing this, Cai'er finally reacted, her body trembling slightly.

Oh? What's wrong, my little sister Cai'er?

Worried about your lover?

Cai'er said, "I'm not."

Oh? Is that so? Then just now...

Saint Moon glanced at her, took one step, and was already thirty feet away.

Long Haochen put away his weapons and equipment, then strode after Saint Moon.

Gao Yingjie looked at everyone, a faint smile appearing on his resolute face. "Although I suppressed my strength, the fact that you forced me to equip my Mithril Base for defense today is already something to be proud of. One day, you will reach my level, perhaps even surpass me. All right, rest where you are for half an hour. We leave after that."

Chen Yinger seemed to have recovered somewhat. She skipped over to Cai'er's side. "Cai'er, you were amazing! What was that move called? It was so cool."

Cai'er did not speak. She merely shook her head, then sat down where she was and silently restored the spiritual power she had expended. Aside from Long Haochen, she was cold toward everyone else and rarely spoke. It was simply her nature, not intentional behavior.

Oh? What's with you?

After getting nowhere, Chen Yinger secretly made a face at Cai'er before running off to find Wang Yuanyuan.

Long Haochen followed Saint Moon to one side of the Trial Field. Saint Moon stopped, turned to look at him, and said, "Long Haochen." After calling the youth's name, Saint Moon found himself somewhat unsure how to begin.

Gu Sheng said, "Say whatever you need to say."

Saint Moon said, "All right, Your Majesty."

The youth was so handsome he could even be called beautiful, and he possessed many qualities absent in others his age. He even had the legendary Child of Light physique. Even with Saint Moon's critical eye, it was difficult to find any fault in the youth before him. Yet he still felt uncomfortable. No matter what, this boy had taken away his great-granddaughter.

"Heroic One." Long Haochen raised his right fist across his chest and saluted Saint Moon with a knight's salute.

After a long silence, Saint Moon slowly said, "Cai'er has suffered greatly since she was young. I do not know why she values you so highly, nor do I know what it is about you that attracts her. But as a knight, I hope that during the days you fight alongside her in the future, you will protect her well."

Long Haochen answered solemnly, "I have sworn to protect Cai'er for my entire life. I will protect her with my life."

Saint Moon looked deeply into his eyes, and his expression softened somewhat. "Prove it to me with your actions. Also, you saw the ability Cai'er was about to use just now. Remember this: unless she has reached a life-or-death situation and her life is threatened, never let her use that ability lightly. That ability will cause her great harm. Do you understand?"

Long Haochen's heart shook. When Cai'er had unleashed killing intent so terrifying that even Gao Yingjie had been frightened, how could Long Haochen not have been shocked? He had not expected Cai'er to be so powerful, so powerful that he needed to look up to her. At this moment, as he calmed down and thought about it, he realized—yes, Cai'er was only Fifth Rank. Why could she invoke such powerful strength? So it required such an enormous price. She had said that because this battle was the first time she had fought at my side, she did not want to lose. Cai'er, Cai'er... Though I swore to protect you for my whole life, all this time, you have always given more for me.

Watching Long Haochen's eyes gradually redden, Saint Moon knew that he had taken his words to heart. "Go. Remember, whether it is you or Cai'er, your importance to the Temple Alliance is comparable to that of divine artifacts. As the leader of a Demon Hunt Squad, never allow yourself or your teammates to be placed in unpredictable danger. Growing safely past the age of twenty is the most important thing for you and Cai'er. By then, you will have more than enough strength to protect yourselves."

"Thank you for your guidance, Heroic One." Long Haochen saluted Saint Moon once more.

Saint Moon smiled faintly and shook his head. "From now on, call me Great Grandfather together with Cai'er." After saying that, he once again displayed his unfathomable power. With one step, he entered the void and vanished.

Long Haochen returned to Cai'er's side and sat down. He had also consumed a considerable amount of spiritual power and needed time to recover.

Before half an hour had passed, everyone rose one after another. Gao Yingjie seemed to have completely recovered; there was not the slightest sign of the injuries Long Haochen had inflicted on him.

"Let's go." The members of the Soldier Grade One Demon Hunt Squad had all come to acknowledge this ordinary-looking but immensely powerful leader.

His strength was there for all to see. Seventh Rank—he was a true Seventh Rank powerhouse.

After leaving the Knight Trial Grounds, they found an enormous carriage waiting at the entrance. Calling it enormous was no exaggeration. The carriage was three meters wide and over five or six meters long. Eight fine horses pulled it from the front, with two drivers handling the reins.

Every newly established Demon Hunt Squad received the same treatment. After all, not all of them had mounts. They could hardly travel on foot; that would be far too inefficient.

Just as everyone was preparing to board, a young girl suddenly ran toward them from nearby.

They were all Fifth Rank or above, so their senses were naturally keen. They instinctively stopped and turned to look at her.

She appeared to be seventeen or eighteen, roughly the same age as Wang Yuanyuan, though smaller in stature. Her slightly round face was rosy, and her lively eyes were full of grievance. Her short golden hair looked crisp and neat, while her pout made her look especially adorable.

"Uncle Master, you just left me behind and ran off alone?" The girl hurried over to Gao Yingjie and spread her arms to block his path.

At the sight of her, Gao Yingjie's originally stern face immediately filled with helplessness. "Xiaoxue, stop making trouble and go back. Uncle is going out to carry out a mission. I'll come back when it's done. Stay home and cultivate properly."

"No, I want to go on the mission with Uncle. I'm a knight too." The girl called Xiaoxue glared stubbornly at Gao Yingjie.

Gao Yingjie's face darkened. "Xiaoxue, if you keep causing trouble, Uncle will get angry. You're not a child anymore. You can't follow Uncle for the rest of your life!"

Xiaoxue's eyes reddened. "Father and Mother are gone. Does Uncle not want me anymore either? I just want to follow Uncle forever. Xiaoxue will be scared alone at home." By the end, her voice was choked with sobs. Yet she was clearly not pretending; the grievance and fear in her eyes could not be faked. She was obviously older than Long Haochen and Cai'er, but her mentality seemed even younger than theirs.

After hearing her words, Gao Yingjie could no longer keep a stern expression. He frowned deeply and sighed. "All right, then come with me. Let me introduce you."

As he spoke, he looked apologetically at the members of the Soldier Grade One Demon Hunt Squad. "Her name is Shi Xiaoxue, a Fourth Rank Level Five Punishment Knight." Long Haochen asked curiously, "Fourth Rank Level Five? With her cultivation, she should have been able to participate in the Demon Hunt Squad selection tournament. But I don't think I saw her."

The moment Shi Xiaoxue heard that, she pouted again. "Hmph, it's because Uncle wouldn't let me participate. Otherwise, I definitely would have passed the preliminaries."

Gao Yingjie sighed. "Her parents were both Demon Hunt Squad members and my comrades. They died in a war, leaving behind only this one child. How could I bear to let her join a Demon Hunt Squad and face danger? I only hope she can remain safely within the Temple Alliance. Ever since her parents died, this child developed a strange illness. She is especially timid and can never leave my side. I'm sorry, everyone. Could you allow me to bring her along on this operation? Don't worry, she definitely will not cause trouble. I will be responsible for her safety." Hearing that Shi Xiaoxue had lost both parents and seeing her sorrowful, pitiful appearance, how could they refuse? They boarded the carriage with Shi Xiaoxue, whose sadness had turned to joy.

The carriage was very spacious, and rations for the journey had been prepared for them. Still, that spaciousness was relative. When the massive Haoyue climbed aboard, the carriage became somewhat crowded.

Haoyue was nearly four meters long. Even curled up as tightly as possible, he still occupied a great deal of space. Han Yu had sent Evil Eye back to its own space. But Haoyue was different. Unless he was willing, Long Haochen would never force him. After all, he had personally seen the harsh environment and powerful enemies of Haoyue's original world. After Long Haochen briefly explained things to his companions, they naturally accepted Haoyue's presence.

Urged on by the drivers, the eight strong horses galloped forward, pulling the carriage out of Holy City.

Gao Yingjie sat at the outermost position in the carriage, with Shi Xiaoxue beside him. Anyone paying close attention would notice that the girl's gaze rarely left Gao Yingjie. She basically ignored everyone else.

"All right, let's use this time to review the battle just now. Tell me yourselves first: what did you do well in that battle, and where did you make mistakes?" Gao Yingjie said in a deep voice.