Xiao Ninger

"Nie Li, that bastard actually made me the bait. That's so mean!" Lu Piao saw a Horned Sheep charging straight at him and was so scared he nearly wet himself. He scrambled backward, rolling and crawling as he fled.

Du Ze and Nie Li were both hiding in the grass, crossbows in hand.

"Oh, mother of mine, Horned Sheep are terrifying! Shoot, shoot!" Seeing the Horned Sheep draw closer and closer, Lu Piao kept sprinting.

"That Lu Piao kid! We agreed he'd stand still, and the Horned Sheep would walk right into the trap zone. Now he's running and has wandered off position!" Nie Li frowned. The trap zone was made up of little pits in the dirt, each no deeper than two fingers. If a Horned Sheep accidentally stepped into one while charging, it would break one of its legs. Then, with a follow-up shot, they'd get twice the result for half the effort.

Seeing Lu Piao sprint around in a panic, Du Ze tensed up too. He squeezed the trigger repeatedly. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—three crossbow bolts shot out.

The Horned Sheep was a demonized creature. When uninjured, it had lightning-fast reflexes. Sensing three bolts shooting toward it from behind, it reacted at once, leaping aside in quick succession. All three bolts whistled past it.

"What? They missed?" Lu Piao was dumbfounded. The Horned Sheep's sharp horns were right in front of him, and Nie Li and Du Ze had gone and pulled this kind of stunt. He wanted to burst into tears. What a mistake it was to befriend these guys! If those sharp horns rammed him, they'd split his backside open in an instant.

Seeing the Horned Sheep dodge the bolts and keep charging toward Lu Piao without slowing down, Du Ze's palms went slick with sweat. There was no way he could reload in time. He could already picture Lu Piao getting brutally gored, his backside smashed to pieces.

"Nie Li, what do we—" Du Ze started to ask, but immediately fell silent, afraid to disturb Nie Li.

Nie Li crouched halfway down, his left arm held straight out, the crossbow resting on it. His right hand gripped the trigger, his eyes fixed on the sights. Even as he shifted the crossbow from side to side, it remained as steady as if mounted on a stand.

Du Ze couldn't describe how he felt at that moment. Nie Li hadn't even fired yet, but Du Ze already had the sense that the shot would hit. Nie Li looked like a leopard crouching in the grass, waiting for the right moment to pounce, radiating a fearsome presence.

Although his body was frail and he wasn't even a Bronze Martial Artist, Nie Li still had the experience from his previous life. It was experience accumulated through countless bloody battles, some of it hard-won in moments when he'd been one step from death. In Nie Li's hands, any weapon—swords, blades, crossbows, even a scrap of iron—could become a deadly weapon. Though Nie Li wasn't a Bronze Martial Artist, he had hundreds, even thousands of ways to use his wealth of experience to kill a Bronze or even Silver Martial Artist at any time!

The whole world seemed to have vanished, leaving only Nie Li. The look in his eyes as he watched the sights was like that of a falcon about to swoop down at any moment.

Nie Li's still-youthful face was set with resolve. Every gesture he made had the bearing of a deep pool and a towering mountain.

Whoosh! Nie Li squeezed the trigger, and a crossbow bolt shot out.

The bolt traced a streak of silver through the air, swift as a startled swan.

Nie Li had aimed at a blind spot in the Horned Sheep's field of vision.

"It hit!" Watching the bolt fly, Du Ze's heart jolted. Nie Li looked to him like a seasoned hunter who'd spent years tracking game.

The Horned Sheep didn't have time to dodge. With a thud, the bolt struck its hind leg.

With a crash, the Horned Sheep fell to the ground with a mournful cry, landing right in front of Lu Piao's feet and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Lu Piao gasped for breath, tense to the limit. Watching the Horned Sheep's unceasing cries, he couldn't help thinking, "Oh my god, that was intense! Thank goodness my backside's still intact." If Nie Li's arrow had been even a little slower, the Horned Sheep would've gored him and blown his backside apart!

If it had been an ordinary crossbow bolt, an injury this minor wouldn't have done a thing to the demonized Horned Sheep. It would've gotten right back up. But their bolts were no ordinary ones: they'd been coated in a mixture of Black Marsh Grass and Zoysia Grass juice, the Horned Sheep's natural nemesis.

The poison quickly entered the Horned Sheep's bloodstream and reached its heart. Its cries grew quieter and quieter.

"So fast?" Du Ze was astonished. He hadn't expected the potion Nie Li had prepared to be so potent. In just a short while, a strong Horned Sheep had completely lost the ability to fight back.

Lu Piao was just as surprised. He knew how strong Horned Sheep were. Even two Bronze 1-star Martial Artists working together would need a long time to bring one down! And yet that tiny crossbow bolt had taken it out?

"That was too close!" Lu Piao still felt shaken when he thought about what had just happened.

"If you hadn't run around, this Horned Sheep wouldn't have been any threat to you," Nie Li said with a faint smile.

"Fine." Lu Piao blushed. He really hadn't stuck to the plan; the moment he saw the Horned Sheep charging at him, he'd panicked.

Watching the fallen Horned Sheep, Du Ze still felt as if he were dreaming. Nie Li's expression and movements from moments ago were etched deeply in his mind, leaving him utterly impressed. It was the first time in his life that Du Ze had admired someone so much! Nie Li's archery was practically masterclass. An ordinary person could practice for ten years and still might not reach Nie Li's level!

"Quick, gather everything up. Other than the horns, the fur on its neck, the demon crystal, and the demon spirit, leave the rest!" Nie Li said quickly. The Horned Sheep's demon crystal and demon spirit were both inside its head. A demon crystal was a small, thumb-sized crystal, and most demon beasts had one. As for demon spirits, only one or two out of every ten thousand Horned Sheep would have one. A demon spirit's shape was like a candle flame.

Horned Sheep that had demon spirits were generally much stronger than ordinary ones.

Horned Sheep were relatively low-level Bronze 1-star demon beasts, so their parts weren't worth much. A pair of horns could sell for five Spirit Coins, the fur on its neck for three Spirit Coins, and its demon crystal could also sell for five Spirit Coins.

By that calculation, even without a demon spirit, they could earn thirteen Spirit Coins from one Horned Sheep.

They'd spent no more than five minutes killing this Horned Sheep. If they kept hunting them like this, wouldn't the three of them make thousands of Spirit Coins in a single day?

Du Ze couldn't help getting excited. His family was very poor, and their annual income was only two or three thousand Spirit Coins. To get Du Ze into Sacred Lan Academy, his family had even borrowed a lot of money from their relatives and friends. Du Ze was his family's hope! If he hunted Horned Sheep with Nie Li, he'd be able to pay his own tuition from then on!

Nie Li smiled faintly. "We need to hurry. We won't be sleeping tonight!"

"Okay!" Du Ze said excitedly. Though they hadn't yet reached the Bronze 1-star Martial Artist Realm, their bodies were already very strong. Staying up all night was nothing to them.

Lu Piao let out a groan. These two were absolute money-grubbers, willing to stay up all night for cash! He was miserable about it, but there was nothing he could do. He'd already climbed aboard the bandit ship.

The three worked closely together, constantly hunting Horned Sheep. After every few dozen kills, Lu Piao would carry the goods out to sell them.

Over the course of one night, the three of them killed more than a hundred and twenty Horned Sheep and sold them for a total of more than fourteen hundred Spirit Coins. Split evenly, each of them got more than four hundred Spirit Coins.

For a student who hadn't even reached the Bronze rank, that was already an astonishing amount. Even a Bronze Martial Artist would consider earning twenty or thirty Spirit Coins a day a lot.

For seven days straight, they kept attending class during the day, then went to the training grounds each night to hunt Horned Sheep. They amassed more than ten thousand Spirit Coins. To them, it was an enormous fortune.

The students of Sacred Lan Academy were puzzled. For some reason, the number of Horned Sheep in the training grounds had suddenly plummeted recently. Before, they could find one without even trying, and often came across whole herds. Now they had to search for ages just to find one. Could some large demon beast like a Spotted Tiger have come in to hunt the Horned Sheep? Sacred Lan Academy even sent instructors to investigate, but they found nothing.

On the evening of the eighth day, the three of them were still hunting Horned Sheep beneath the pitch-black night sky.

The night was pitch-black. It was already the dead of night.

Lu Piao kept yawning. "Nie Li, I can't take it anymore. I'm going to sleep in a tree for a while!" After seven days of hunting Horned Sheep nonstop, he was completely exhausted.

Lu Piao wasn't the only one; Du Ze was starting to flag too.

"Nie Li, I need to sleep for a while too," Du Ze said. His eyelids kept drooping. After seven whole days, even an iron man wouldn't be able to keep going!

"Get some sleep first. Let's take tomorrow night off; I have other plans," Nie Li said. They'd already amassed more than sixteen thousand Spirit Coins. This was their first pot of gold, and now they could do many things. They didn't need to keep hunting Horned Sheep.

Lu Piao and Du Ze climbed up a tall tree trunk and lay down, immediately falling into a deep sleep. Their youthful faces were etched with exhaustion. Though they were both unusually mature for their age, they were still only two boys.

Nie Li moved through the woods. A bright moon hung in the sky, and the forest was filled with the intermittent calls of insects, making the surroundings seem even quieter.

There were no large demon beasts around, so this place was very safe.

Just then, Nie Li suddenly heard some strange noises. In the distant forest, there seemed to be a figure.

"Who could it be, still in the training grounds at this hour?" Nie Li frowned and darted deeper into the forest. After moving a few hundred meters, he hid among the trees and looked toward an open space beneath the moonlight. Under the bright moon, a tall, slender figure stood in its glow. She had shoulder-length hair and wore a fitted leather jacket. A faint green light radiated from her body.

It was the glow of Soul Power!

She hadn't reached the Bronze rank yet, but she was probably about to advance to the Bronze 1-star Realm!

By the light of her Soul Power, Nie Li's gaze fell on her face. Her eyes were gently closed, and her long eyelashes trembled faintly. Her brows were slender, and her flawless, fair skin had a healthy pink glow. Her full lips were tender and inviting. She and Ye Ziyun were beautiful in completely different ways. Ye Ziyun was serene and elegant, like a lovely violet, while this girl was alluring and captivating, with a hint of sensuality and coolness, like a rose covered in thorns.

"Xiao Ninger. I didn't expect it to be her!" Nie Li was slightly taken aback. Xiao Ninger was even more diligent than he'd imagined, cultivating her demon spirit here in the middle of the night. She was probably about to reach the Bronze 1-star Realm.

Thinking back to his previous life, Xiao Ninger had fallen gravely ill for more than two years after advancing to Bronze 1-star, and her cultivation had regressed considerably. Though she eventually managed to train back up through sheer effort, people said she'd been plagued by illness ever since. Even so, in the eyes of others, she had always shone as brightly as a star. She was a strong woman.

Thinking of Xiao Ninger cultivating here in the middle of the night, Nie Li suddenly understood a lot. Xiao Ninger really was hardworking, but she was also playing games with her life!

After a moment's thought, Nie Li walked straight toward Xiao Ninger.

"Who's there?" Xiao Ninger suddenly opened her eyes and cried out. She drew a sharp short sword and watched Nie Li warily, a chill in her expression.

In the clear moonlight, her deep, expressive eyes held an indescribable, captivating charm.

Though she was only thirteen, she was already a beautiful young girl. Her fitted leather jacket was snug across her chest, which was remarkably full for her age.

"I'm Nie Li," he said. Though he and Xiao Ninger had never spoken, they were classmates, so they were somewhat familiar with each other.

Xiao Ninger lowered her short sword but continued to watch Nie Li warily. "Why are you here?"

Nie Li smiled faintly. "Then why are you here?"

"I'm cultivating my Soul Power here!" Xiao Ninger looked at Nie Li in the clear moonlight. He had sharp brows and bright eyes, with a certain air of heroism. He wasn't nearly as unpleasant-looking as some people.

Nie Li shrugged. "I'm just wandering around here."

"You're lying. Don't think I haven't noticed you've been hunting Horned Sheep these past few days," Xiao Ninger said. She'd noticed the three of them long ago, but hadn't gone over to greet them. One thing had always puzzled her: she had no idea what Nie Li and the others had coated their bolts with, but a single shot could take down a Horned Sheep. Still, she wasn't going to pry into other people's secrets.

"So you already knew." Nie Li looked at Xiao Ninger. When she pouted, her full lips had a uniquely captivating charm. But he already had Ye Ziyun in his heart, and he merely admired Xiao Ninger a little—for her beauty and her diligence. With Xiao Ninger's looks, she could have risen to a high position without working hard, but instead she relied on her own strength to make everyone look at her in a new light.

It was just a pity that she'd chosen the wrong method.