Trouble

"Uncle Luo, why are we leaving?" Di Ya Lan asked, slashing at branches with her short sword as they traveled. She was furious. "That bastard dared to harass Miss Mu and me! I really want to stab him to death! It makes me so angry!"

"If you two hadn't shown up, there would have been no trouble. Now we've got problems, sigh..." Luo Hao sighed, helpless. "Stop chattering and get away from here quickly. I hope we can escape."

"Uncle Luo, didn't we already leave? What other trouble is there?" Mu Yu Die asked, surprised.

"It's not as simple as you think."

Luo Hao shook his head. "None of these mercenaries are good people. When that leader looked at you, his gaze was incredibly lewd. He clearly won't let this go. When we were leaving just now, those four mercenaries who were attacking the Yao Python acted completely indifferent, but they showed strong interest in you before. This is abnormal. They must know the leader's temper, which is why they're so unconcerned."

Mu Yu Die's delicate face changed slightly. "Uncle Luo, you suspect they'll come after us?"

"It's not a suspicion, they will come looking for us!"

Luo Hao sighed inwardly. "They didn't act immediately because they cared about the materials from the Yao Python. They were worried that while dealing with us, other mercenaries and Martial Artists would come to snatch their spoils. Once they've collected the materials from the Yao Python, they will definitely come looking for us."

"The Tusk Mercenary Group has a bad reputation. I've heard they often engage in arson, murder, and looting. Uncle Luo's judgment is definitely correct," Hu Long chimed in.

"Uncle Luo... I'm sorry. We were just worried about you," Mu Yu Die said softly.

"I understand." Luo Hao finished her sentence and abruptly stopped his rapid movement through the forest, slowly letting go and setting Mu Yu Die down.

Shi Yan also stopped, frowning. "What? Have they caught up already?"

Giving Shi Yan a look of approval, Luo Hao nodded, his expression grave. "They should be here."

"Uncle Luo, what do we do?" Hu Long snorted coldly and shouted, "They're going too far! Let's fight them!"

Luo Hao's thick brows furrowed. He thought quickly and suddenly said, "Di Ya Lan, carry Xiao Die and go first. Leave our signals along the way. Little brother, you go with them and be extra vigilant. It's best to travel through areas with few people and be careful not to wander into high-level Yao Beast territories."

"And you?" Shi Yan asked calmly.

"The three of us will stay behind. Without Xiao Die, we can split up and ambush them. As long as we can hold them off for a while, we'll catch up. Those guys won't fight us to the death if they don't see the beauties; they'll probably give up soon." Luo Hao said quickly.

"Understood." Shi Yan nodded and smiled freely. "Uncle, don't worry. Wherever these two beauties are, I'll be there."

"Go!" Luo Hao shouted lightly.

Di Ya Lan wanted to stay and fight, but under Luo Hao's gaze, she compromised.

She stomped her foot in frustration, crouched down, and swiftly hoisted Mu Yu Die onto her back. Without another word, she sprinted towards the densest part of the jungle ahead.

Shi Yan hesitated for a moment, then took a small paper packet from his backpack and thrust it into Luo Hao's hand. "This is a poison I obtained by chance. It's called 'Seven Snake Saliva,' refined from the venom of seven different poisonous snakes. It's simple to use: just smear the powder on your weapon. As long as you make a small cut on the opponent and draw even a drop of blood..."

Before Luo Hao could speak, Shi Yan chuckled and chased after Di Ya Lan.

"Uncle Luo, isn't this method too vicious? Martial Artists have their pride. Using poison against people is so dishonorable," Zhao Xin frowned, looking at the poison powder in Luo Hao's hand with disgust. He muttered, "That kid's origins are unknown, and he carries all sorts of insidious and cruel things. It's really worrying that he's with Miss Mu."

"Zhao Xin, there are no such fussy rules here. If it weren't for his Bone-Corroding Powder earlier, we would be corpses by now. You wouldn't have the chance to talk about honor here," Luo Hao rebuked. He frowned again. "You two keep some of this powder, but don't use it for now, lest you enrage them. If things reach an irreversible point, don't hesitate. Immediately smear it on your weapons. Only if you survive will you two continue to accuse that kid of being despicable in front of Xiao Die, understand?"

"Understood."

In the forest.

Barnard and the seven members of the Tusk Mercenary Group moved swiftly, their expressions grim, a lewd smile playing on their lips.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Arrows suddenly shot through the forest. The arrows were fast and fierce, forcing the members of the Tusk Mercenary Group to stop and deal with them.

Barnard stopped abruptly and chuckled. His right hand, hidden in his sleeve, finally emerged. It was a gleaming silver iron hand. As it appeared, a ball of silver light suddenly burst forth, splitting into seven crescent moon-shaped blade energies in mid-air. They shot towards Luo Hao's hiding place.

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

Wherever the blade energies passed, branches in the forest shattered and fell. The blade energies, undiminished in their power, flashed with terrifying silver light and slammed into Luo Hao's position.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

An ancient tree was severed by the blade energies and crashed down. Luo Hao's figure flickered and vanished back into the forest.

"Tu Mu, you and Jin Mo go that way. We'll handle this side," Barnard said with a grim smile, instructing them. "The experts are all here. Only two women and a boy left earlier. Remember, I want the women alive. If you kill them, you won't get a single crystal coin for this trip!"

"Don't worry, boss. I guarantee I'll have your desired little woman completely cleaned up. Then you can come and 'serve' her fiercely," Tu Mu roared with laughter. "Jin Mo, let's go! Haha, that fiery wench, I'll go first. You're lucky this time, you get to taste the second helping."

"Heh heh, I can't wait," another ugly mercenary with a face full of pockmarks also roared with laughter and left with Tu Mu.

"Not good!" Luo Hao's heart leaped in alarm as he was about to send a signal for them to pursue.

He hadn't expected Barnard to be so experienced in such matters. The man had seen through his plan at a glance and had specifically assigned men to pursue Di Ya Lan.

"Stay here," Barnard said with a cold laugh as he charged towards Luo Hao. "Friend, you wanted to hold us back, didn't you? Well, now I'm not leaving. And you don't need to hurry away. Let's spar and stretch our muscles."

As Barnard moved, the other mercenaries spread out, beginning to search for Hu Long and Zhao Xin.

Di Ya Lan carried Mu Yu Die on her back, weaving through the forest. With every step, her agile, beautiful legs pushed off the ground, and her toned, fiery physique shot forward several meters, like a female leopard hunting prey.

As she sped along, the short skirt beneath her armor at her waist and hips fluttered in the wind. The curve of her ample hips as she moved was captivating, full of astonishing elasticity.

Shi Yan admired her from behind, silently marveling. He thought that Di Ya Lan's figure was indeed fiery, no wonder those mercenaries were so captivated by her.

"Stinky brat, stop staring at my butt all the time! Pay more attention to your surroundings. See if there are any signs of Yao Beast activity," Di Ya Lan shouted suddenly while running, as if she had eyes in the back of her head.

"I'm not slacking," Shi Yan grinned. "There are no signs of Yao Beast activity nearby for now, but it seems someone is chasing us. I can hear faint footsteps."

"Are we being pursued?" Di Ya Lan's heart leaped in surprise. "No way? Uncle Luo and the other two are behind us; they wouldn't have failed to stop those wild dogs, would they?"

Shi Yan abruptly stopped, lowered himself to the ground, and pressed his ear to the earth to listen. His face darkened as he said, "Uncle Luo really didn't stop all the wild dogs; two of them are almost upon us."

Di Ya Lan froze and stopped ahead. Her expression grew grave as she said, "Kid, you carry Miss Mu and keep moving forward. I'll stay behind to deal with them."

"No, I'll stay."

Shi Yan shook his head, took a deep breath, and said in a low voice, "I was just about to test the results of my recent training. You keep moving forward, and I'll catch up. Hmm, I'll also leave a couple of markers, just in case Uncle Luo and the others can't find us after they break free."

"You..." Mu Yu Die, on Di Ya Lan's back, turned her head and stared blankly at him. The light in her eyes flickered, and her pretty face showed a complex expression. "This matter originally had nothing to do with you."

"I know," Shi Yan said with a casual smile. "Because of you, this matter concerns me now. I still owe you a favor, and I haven't repaid it yet. Once I feel I've paid it off, even if you wanted me to stay, I would resolutely leave." He waved his hand, urging Di Ya Lan, "Big sister, why are you still standing there?"

Di Ya Lan felt a pang of reluctance. She forcefully turned her head away and whispered, "You little brat, you better stay alive. If you can really catch up again, I, I can let you touch my... butt." With that, Di Ya Lan stomped her foot and charged forward fiercely.

"Heh heh, then you better wash up and wait for me," Shi Yan grinned, shouting in her direction, "I'll be there soon!"

Di Ya Lan's body trembled, and she almost stumbled. Her face flushed red as she gritted her teeth and cursed, "That damned little scoundrel!"