Illicit Affair

"Heh heh." Li Shaolin chuckled twice, ignoring Aili's disdain as he turned and continued onward.

After only a few steps, his eyes lit up. A vast, boundless Pumpkin Field appeared before them. Tangled green vines grew in neat rows, with pumpkins as wide as an embrace and waist-high everywhere they looked. They could vaguely make out commoners moving among them, picking pumpkins or trimming the leaves and branches.

"Be careful. We'll go around from that side. Don't let them spot us!" Aili reminded Li Shaolin.

Nodding, the two crouched down and began moving through the Pumpkin Field. It was enormous, and Stonefang Boars occasionally wandered through its middle, greedily stealing bites of pumpkins. The scarecrows on their wooden frames had become mere decorations; sparrows flew past from time to time, pecking at pumpkins the boars had gnawed on.

Aili's face filled with indignation. "If it weren't for those hateful Defias Brotherhood bastards, this Pumpkin Field's harvest would be at least twice as good!" Li Shaolin did not quite agree, thinking to himself, So what if the harvest was better? The family or the authorities would probably take most of it anyway. What reached the commoners would still be the same. However, he had forgotten that he, too, was now part of the landowning class. The miners of Fargodeep Mine would likely be indirectly exploited by him as well.

The pumpkin vines stood taller than a person, so as long as they were careful, they did not need to worry about being discovered. However, it was noon, with the blazing sun hanging overhead, and the leaves of the pumpkin vines occasionally brushed against their skin, making them itch terribly. After roughly an hour, Li Shaolin felt parched, wave after wave of thirst washing over him. Just then, he spotted a huge ripe pumpkin ahead and was delighted. Drawing his Infantry Sword, he walked over and, with a squelch, sliced the pumpkin open. Golden pumpkin juice immediately flowed down its sections. (This was a special kind of pumpkin, not the sort commonly seen.)

He cut off a piece and tossed it into his mouth. Mm, sweet with a faint hint of bitterness. Not bad. With another stroke, he sliced off a piece and handed it to Aili beside him.

Aili was thirsty as well, so she abandoned all pretenses of ladylike manners. Taking it, she bit down in large mouthfuls, her little mouth moving as she ate.

After eating the pumpkin, they dusted themselves off and continued on their way. Li Shaolin could not help finding it amusing. "Hey, beautiful, why do you eat so wildly? It kind of hurts your image."

Aili glared and roared, "Get moving! Say another word and I'll sew your mouth shut!"

Li Shaolin gave an awkward chuckle, picked up two pumpkin leaves, and wiped the moisture off his Infantry Sword before quickly moving on again.

Several houses came into view in the distance. The two stopped and crouched down.

"Hey, kid. According to Dark Necromancer Jajin's records, Sulena Keldon eloped with a man named Erland Dudmore from the Defias Brotherhood. That guy should hold a fairly high position within the Defias, which means we'll have to face at least two opponents at our level, perhaps even more. Are you scared? If you are, hurry back!" Aili whispered into his ear, her breath fragrant.

"Heh heh, should we add some gold to the deal?" Li Shaolin felt his heart stir and answered with a money-grubber's expression.

The two watched for quite a while and saw no one passing around the houses. It seemed everyone had gone off to do whatever they were supposed to be doing. After exchanging a slight gesture, they lightly shifted their feet and approached the wall.

Keeping close to the wall, they happened upon a wooden door left slightly ajar. Li Shaolin pointed at it for Aili behind him, indicating that they should go inside and take a look.

They slipped in sideways and saw several tables casually placed in the spacious wooden hall, apparently for meals. The interior was quiet and empty, as though no one was there. A wooden staircase slanted upward along one side.

"Hey, I'll go take a look upstairs. You stay here and keep watch," Li Shaolin whispered to Aili.

Aili nodded and closed the half-open door.

He slowly climbed the wooden stairs and looked around the second floor, only to hear faint voices drifting over.

He beckoned to Aili below, signaling that someone was here. Seeing this, Aili slowly climbed the stairs as well.

"You could handle one person yourself. Why did you call me up?" Aili complained.

"Big sis, there are two or three of them! How am I supposed to kill them?" Li Shaolin retorted irritably.

They stepped around the corner and took a quick look. Of the three wooden rooms, two stood empty. Only one had its door tightly shut, and the voices seemed to be coming from inside.

Walking up to the door, they listened intently. They could hear bursts of panting, mixed with a woman's intermittent cries, sometimes low and sometimes high. But with a wooden door between them, they could not hear clearly.

"Could it be?" Li Shaolin wore a lecherous grin as he thought, Could they be...?

Aili seemed to understand as well. Her face flushed crimson, and she cursed at him, "Shameless!" Then she turned to head downstairs.

"Hey, what if Sulena Keldon and Erland Dudmore are inside?" Li Shaolin hurriedly grabbed her.

"I'll leave it to you. I'll keep watch for you. Even in their current state, they'll be easy to deal with. Don't tell me you can't beat two naked people without weapons." Aili rolled her eyes at him. When she mentioned them being naked, her face reddened again.

"Heh heh, beautiful, you sure know a lot." Li Shaolin could not help teasing her. Aili could not be bothered with him and moved down the stairs.

He checked the latch. It did not seem very secure. Seeing that Aili was gone, he willed the Book of the Dead into his hand. With a wave, two Skeleton Warriors and a Clay Golem appeared beside him. Then, after quietly chanting several spells, he summoned Bone Shield and Venomous Dagger. Once everything was ready, he inserted the Infantry Sword slightly into the latch and gently pried it. The door opened a crack.

Peering through the gap, he saw two people vigorously engaged in fleshly combat. A black mage's robe and reddish-brown leather armor lay scattered across the floor, revealing an endless spring scene.

He activated Detection and cast it on the pair. Two names immediately appeared: Sulena Keldon, Level 9; Morgan (Receiver), Level 10! This man did not seem to be the young fellow Aili had said Sulena had eloped with. Could it be... an illicit affair? He could not help gossiping inwardly.

He did not dare linger. If the two finished up, things would become difficult to handle. Two Bone Fangs condensed in white light over the fingers of his left hand. He kicked out with force, and with a bang, the wooden door flew open!

The man and woman, caught in the heat of battle, were startled and hurriedly turned toward him!

Morgan was a ruthless sort. The instant he saw someone, he kicked hard and flung Sulena Keldon aside. With a leap, he reached for the longsword beside the bed! But before his hand could touch it, two sharp whistles rang out. The two fangs shot into his waist, spraying blood! Tough bastard that he was, he gritted his teeth and grabbed the sword, about to turn around, when his body suddenly slowed, as though some force field had seized him and disrupted his rhythm. The Clay Golem had reached his side. At the same time, two gleaming Bone Blades came down. Amid a spray of blood, he fell backward unwillingly, slain before he could utter even a single word!

Sulena's expression changed drastically. She wrapped her arms around her chest and curled up slightly. Her frightened kitten-like appearance fell into Li Shaolin's eyes.

Only then did Li Shaolin have time to turn and look at her properly. The woman appeared to be in her twenties. Even with her arms covering herself, glimpses of spring could still be seen, and for a moment, he found himself unable to strike her down.

Seeing Li Shaolin stare at her without attacking, Sulena assumed he had been bewitched by her beauty. Her tension immediately vanished. Smiling sweetly, she said softly, "Handsome, you really frightened me." The instant her words fell, a sudden change occurred!

The woman waved both hands, and amid the boundless spring scene, a black skull instantly appeared above his head. Li Shaolin's body shuddered, and his feet began running wildly beyond his control. He could not stop. It was a Fear Spell!

After casting the spell, she did not wait for the two Skeleton Warriors and the Clay Golem to react. She sprang up and crashed through the wooden window beside her. With a crash, she fell outside amid flying splinters.

"This woman is too calculating!" Li Shaolin cursed through gritted teeth. A few seconds later, the Fear Spell's effect faded. When he looked out the window, he was overjoyed. Sulena was a spellcaster with poor physical fitness, and having jumped without preparation, she had actually knocked herself unconscious! Aili, who had been keeping watch at the door, heard the noise outside and opened the wooden door. Seeing the naked Sulena, flames rose in her hands as she prepared to cast Immolation!

"Stop!" Li Shaolin hurriedly called down from above. He casually put away the Skeleton Warriors and Clay Golem, then jumped down as well. With a thud, his legs ached from the impact, and a wave of numbness spread through them.

"Are you trying to get us killed? This place is full of Defias people. If she calls a few of them over, the two of us will be stuck here today!" After saying that to Aili, he got up, picked Sulena up, and walked toward the wooden door. Her smooth, soft skin felt very pleasant beneath his hands.

"Tch, what are you acting so smug for?" Aili muttered. Still, she agreed with his reasoning and followed him inside.