Looking for Trouble

Although that trace of "intent" was very, very small, almost negligible, Luo Zheng's soul had been tempered, and after he had comprehended the State of Selflessness, he was extremely sensitive to this kind of "intent". That's why he could sense this trace of "intent".

What puzzled Luo Zheng was that this dragon head was clearly just a sculpture carved by craftsmen from a large stone, not a living creature, so why could it emit "intent"?

After thinking for a while and not figuring it out, Luo Zheng temporarily put the question aside and followed the crowd into the Dragon Fortress.

Inside the Dragon Fortress, torches made of oil were burning fiercely everywhere, with crackling sounds occasionally heard.

Under the illumination of the firelight, the dim Dragon Fortress was brightly lit.

Lu Xiao led the crowd to a building in the Dragon Fortress, and then said to everyone, "You can rest here today. Many of you should not be here for the first time and know the rules of conduct inside the Dragon Fortress. If you want to hunt Blade Worms with our Imperial Army, wait here tomorrow. If you want to act on your own, you can leave at any time!"

Hearing Lu Xiao's words, the expressions of the many Azure Cloud Sect disciples varied.

Four of them voluntarily stepped forward, and one of them cupped his hands towards Lu Xiao and said, "Thank you, Brother Lu, for helping us out today. We have decided to act freely."

Lu Xiao waved his hand and said heartily, "Please do!"

The four of them also cupped their hands towards the other Azure Cloud Sect disciples and then left on their own.

After those four left, more Azure Cloud Sect disciples chose to leave one after another. In a short while, the hundred or so Azure Cloud Sect disciples were all gone...

Besides Luo Zheng, there were only three others.

This was Luo Zheng's first time participating in the Insect Tide mission. He had no one else to cooperate with. It seemed that acting with these Imperial Army soldiers was not a bad thing.

As for the others who were willing to stay, they naturally had their own reasons.

Luo Zheng noticed that the Ponytail Youth who had saved him on the giant Flying Carriage had also stayed.

Seeing that four people were willing to stay, Lu Xiao's attitude became much more polite. He said to Luo Zheng and the others, "Please come in, everyone!" After speaking, he turned around and shouted to the soldiers standing neatly behind him, "Today's mission is complete, brothers are free to move around!"

After the soldiers dispersed, Lu Xiao accompanied the four into the building.

It turned out that this gray building was a tavern.

As Luo Zheng walked in, a strong smell of alcohol, mixed with sweat and smoke, assailed him.

Smelling this scent, Luo Zheng and the few Azure Cloud Sect disciples couldn't help but frown.

Their reaction was completely within Lu Xiao's expectations. He laughed heartily and said, "Friends, we Imperial Army soldiers guard the Dragon Fortress and live a life of licking blood from the blade. Naturally, it cannot compare to life in the Imperial City. Please bear with us."

These Imperial Army soldiers were stationed here, fighting with demonic beasts all day long. In this harsh environment, even the most delicate person would be tempered into a rough one.

"What is there to bear? When in Rome, do as the Romans do. If one is greedy for a life of ease and pleasure, why come to the Dragon Fortress?" The Ponytail Youth said with a smile.

"That's good, that's good," Lu Xiao then found a table and shouted with his thick voice, "Waiter, bring up a jar of your old stuff!"

The "old stuff" in Lu Xiao's mouth was a large jar of old wine. The jar holding the wine had been left in a corner for who knows how many years, and the body of the jar was covered in thick dust. The waiter didn't even wipe it, just opened the lid and poured the wine onto the table.

This "old stuff" didn't look good, but when poured out, it was rich and fragrant, with a strong aroma.

After the waiter filled the cups, and after a few casual toasts, Lu Xiao couldn't wait to drink the wine in one gulp, then licked his lips and said, "I haven't asked for your esteemed names yet, friends!"

Luo Zheng and the others then stated their names.

"Luo Zheng."

"Zhao Xuyong!"

"Yang Tai!"

"Meng Changjun."

After everyone introduced themselves, Luo Zheng realized that the Ponytail Youth's name was Meng Changjun.

Lu Xiao wrote down the names of the four, then raised his wine cup again: "You are willing to stay and help our Azure Mist Squad. On behalf of the soldiers, I thank you first!"

"Brother Lu Xiao, you are too polite. We stayed to make it more convenient to hunt Blade Worms," Luo Zheng finished his wine, put down the wine cup, and then asked, "I originally thought that hunting Blade Worms with the Imperial Army might yield greater benefits, but I don't know why the disciples of the sect are unwilling?"

Luo Zheng was also a little puzzled just now. The Imperial Army clearly had a unique method for dealing with Blade Worms, but the disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect seemed afraid of mixing with the Imperial Army. Could there be some taboo?

When asked this question, Lu Xiao was obviously taken aback, and then said, "Brother Luo Zheng, this should be your first time in the Dragon Fortress, right?"

Luo Zheng nodded, and then Meng Changjun took over the conversation: "Brother Luo Zheng, you don't know. When we Azure Cloud Sect disciples hunt Blade Worms, we form teams of four or five people and act together. This is very efficient, and all the rewards we get go into our own pockets. If we act with the Imperial Army, we sometimes have to act with the team, which is quite restrictive. Sometimes the Imperial Army also asks for a portion of the crystal cores. When you encounter this situation, are you willing to act freely or act with the Imperial Army?"

Hearing Meng Changjun's explanation, Luo Zheng suddenly understood.

It was estimated that most Azure Cloud Sect disciples felt that cooperating with the Imperial Army was too slow, so they were unwilling to act with them.

However, Meng Changjun did not make one point clear to Luo Zheng.

That is, most Azure Cloud Sect disciples looked down on the Imperial Army. Compared to the Azure Cloud Sect disciples, who were often Half-Step to the Innate Realm or even experts in the Innate Secret Realm, the strength of the Imperial Army was much weaker.

For example, the Centurion Lu Xiao was only a Half-Step to the Innate Realm, and Lu Xiao's subordinates were a mixed bag, with soldiers in the Bone Refining Realm, Viscera Refining Realm, and Marrow Refining Realm.

This contempt was mutual. The Imperial Army also didn't think much of the Azure Cloud Sect disciples, believing them to be arrogant, undisciplined, and lacking any sense of discipline...

However, the strength of the Azure Cloud Sect disciples was evident, so they were quite popular with the Imperial Army. If they could temporarily join the Imperial Army, it would be a great help to them, which was why Lu Xiao invited a few of them to drink.

"Why are you, Meng Changjun, willing to act with the Azure Mist Squad?" Luo Zheng was very puzzled by this point. Luo Zheng didn't understand the situation in the Dragon Fortress, which was why he stayed.

Unexpectedly, Meng Changjun shrugged and smiled, "I came to the Dragon Fortress just to travel. I don't care about crystal cores and points..."

Hearing Meng Changjun's explanation, Luo Zheng was a little speechless. Just as he was about to ask him why he didn't care about points, a voice from the next table spoke up.

"Hehe, I said the Azure Cloud Sect has a great reputation, and each of them is a figure who can seize the creation of Heaven and Earth. I didn't expect to see a fledgling today?" A rough voice sounded.

Luo Zheng and the others turned their heads to look and saw that the speaker was a big bearded man. The big bearded man was shaking his head at Luo Zheng's table.

Everyone quickly understood who the "rookie" the big bearded man was referring to was.

Among the four Azure Cloud Sect disciples present, Meng Changjun was a master of the Innate Secret Realm, while Zhao Xuyong and Yang Tai were both Half-Step to the Innate Realm. Only Luo Zheng was merely in the Marrow Refining Realm, so Luo Zheng was the "rookie."

"Old Wu, you've had a couple of drinks and are talking nonsense again. Sit back down and drink, don't cause trouble!" Lu Xiao frowned and said to the big bearded man. Then he turned to Luo Zheng and said, "This guy doesn't know his own name after a few drinks, he likes to talk nonsense!"

Luo Zheng nodded faintly, indicating that he didn't mind. He had never minded others underestimating his strength.

However, Old Wu ignored Lu Xiao and actually left his seat, walking towards Luo Zheng. He said, "Lu Xiao, did I say something wrong? The Azure Cloud Sect claims to be the number one sect in the world, but now its talent is withered? They actually sent a junior in the Marrow Refining Realm, isn't that ridiculous?"

Everyone in the tavern put down their wine cups, their eyes all focused on them.

These Imperial Army soldiers usually didn't have any entertainment, so when there was excitement to watch, they were naturally all very interested.

What's more, most of them didn't like the Azure Cloud Sect disciples. Old Wu causing trouble for the Azure Cloud Sect disciples was indeed something they were happy to see.

To calm things down, Lu Xiao, on the one hand, reprimanded Old Wu, telling him to quiet down, and on the other hand, said to Luo Zheng, "Brother Luo Zheng, don't take it to heart. Old Wu had some conflict with an Azure Cloud Sect disciple a while ago and was upset, that's why he's talking like this..."

"What am I upset about? Do those Azure Cloud Sect disciples even deserve to make me angry? Lu Xiao, stop trying to smooth things over here!" Old Wu didn't buy Lu Xiao's act at all and said to Luo Zheng, "Kid, if you have the guts, come over and spar with me. Let me see the arrogance of your Azure Cloud Sect disciples!"

Luo Zheng was not moved by this blatant provocation.

Luo Zheng accepted the task of hunting Blade Worms partly to accumulate points, and partly to temper himself and grow faster.

He had no interest in such pointless disputes.

And Meng Changjun, who was sitting next to him, also had a calm expression and didn't want to get involved in this kind of thing.

Instead, Zhao Xuyong and Yang Tai were the first to be unable to hold back.

"If you want to see the arrogance of the Azure Cloud Sect, I, Zhao Xuyong, can accompany you!" Zhao Xuyong stood up with a clang.

"You Imperial Army are really something. You are in the Half-Step to the Innate Realm, while Brother Luo Zheng is only in the Marrow Refining Realm. Are you picking on the weak?" Yang Tai said with a face full of ridicule.

In fact, by saying this, Yang Tai also admitted that Luo Zheng's strength was indeed too low. Although Yang Tai was trying to protect Luo Zheng, he didn't consider Luo Zheng's feelings.

Luo Zheng originally didn't care. He never minded how others saw him or thought of him.

The problem was that these people at the table were likely to be his comrades in the coming period, and he couldn't appear too weak. So he also stood up and blocked Yang Tai and Zhao Xuyong. "Two brothers, since he's coming for me, let me handle this."