Making A Move

The Blood-Scarred Fang-Breaking Snake, skinned and gutted, was roasting and dripping with oil over the campfire.

Wu Tie sat on a small dirt mound, roasting snake meat while gazing at another small hill several miles away.

Several of Shi Lingqing's subordinates had cut a large amount of fern branches and built a crooked, seemingly unstable wooden shed on the hill.

They had temporarily hunted a Gray Rock Lizard, skinned it, cleaned it by smoking it, and then spread the hide over the thick pile of branches.

Shi Lingqing was lying on the Gray Rock Lizard hide, her body convulsing. Her small face was deathly pale, making her look exceptionally delicate and pitiful.

She had already taken an antidote, and the broken venomous fangs remaining in her body had been removed.

Perhaps out of shyness, Shi Lingqing didn't let her eight human subordinates do the job. Instead, she chose a tall, burly, and clumsy Ox Tribe guard to help her pull out the broken fangs.

As Wu Tie roasted the snake meat, he clearly heard the screams coming from the wooden shed.

The screams were high-pitched and sharp, clearly audible from miles away.

The Ox Tribe people were honest, loyal, simple, and upright, but unfortunately, they were also careless and didn't know how to handle delicate tasks. They weren't suited for fine work.

Wu Tie imagined a huge Ox Tribe warrior grabbing the fangs and pulling with all his might to forcibly extract the deeply barbed fangs... He couldn't help but shiver.

"Poor thing," Wu Tie sighed, tearing off a strip of snake meat and chewing it slowly.

Two metal spiders were hidden in the mushroom patch behind him. Hearing his words, Old Tie's stiff voice drifted out, "Pitiful? Bah, stop with the nonsense. If you're really interested in her, be a man and go for it."

The stiff voice suddenly became quite excited, "Take advantage of her family's ruin, when she's at her most vulnerable and helpless. As a real man, it's the perfect time to strike, with the fiercest offensive, to possess everything about her, body and soul..."

Wu Tie listened, understanding only half of it. From his in-depth understanding of Old Tie over the past few days, Wu Tie knew this was definitely not good advice.

He coughed heavily and took a large piece of snake from the campfire, gnawing on it greedily.

The red eyes of the metal spider flickered with a bloody light for a moment. Old Tie chuckled, "No guts? Then just watch from afar."

In the distance, campfires were lit several miles away, and wisps of smoke rose slowly.

Wu Tie stood up and saw that several miles away, Luolin and his two companions had also lit a campfire. They had hunted a large white fish about two meters long, chopped it into pieces, skewered it with branches, and were now roasting it over the fire.

As they worked, they cautiously scanned their surroundings, looking like three prairie dogs on lookout.

After a while, Shi Lingqing's subordinates had finished roasting the unlucky Gray Rock Lizard. The man in the black robe, who could make his wooden staff spray large arcs of electricity, respectfully held a piece of roasted meat and brought it into the wooden shed.

Four Ox Tribe warriors and several human guards, a group of people, each took some roasted meat and sat by the campfire, devouring it.

They ate in silence, occasionally looking up towards the direction of Luolin and his companions.

About fifteen minutes later, the man in the black robe emerged from the wooden shed. He gnawed on a piece of beast bone perfunctorily, wiped his hands, and then, carrying a wooden staff, strode towards Wu Tie.

Visible circles of green wind swirled around the man's feet as he walked. His speed was incredibly fast, his casual pace matching the full speed of Wu Jin and Wu Yin.

Wu Tie stood up, gripping his spear and watching him warily.

The man stopped at the foot of the dirt mound. He looked up at Wu Tie standing on the mound and bowed deeply and respectfully.

"Esteemed Lord, we did not intend to intrude upon your territory. We were pursued by cruel enemies... We meant no offense."

"Please forgive us. Due to unforeseen circumstances, my lady is unable to express her apologies to you in person."

Wu Tie stared at the man without a word.

The man straightened up, glanced at Wu Tie, and said gravely, "I am Shi Dian, the deputy lord of Thousand Fish City's guards. We are aware that we should not have used force on your land..."

Wu Tie nodded. Shi Dian's words were pleasing to him. This feeling of being respected and awed was good.

"However, our enemies have also entered this area," Shi Dian said seriously, looking at Wu Tie. "What if they use violence against us?"

Wu Tie looked in the direction of the wooden shed, vaguely seeing Shi Lingqing lying on the Gray Rock Lizard hide. He pondered for a moment, then slammed his spear hard on the ground. "If Luolin and the others dare to harm you, then I will teach them a lesson and protect you."

Shi Dian received the answer he wanted. He bowed deeply and respectfully to Wu Tie, then took out a small leather pouch from his sleeve and placed it at his feet.

"Although it is merely an external possession, it represents our humble gratitude. Please accept it. This is a contribution from those in distress to their Lord."

Shi Dian took a few steps back, then quickly returned, his feet moving rapidly within the wind circles.

Because his chest had been pierced by an arrow earlier, although he had applied medicine and used potions, Shi Dian was able to move without issue. However, speaking so much caused him to cough violently as he walked.

Wu Tie watched Shi Dian's retreating figure. With a wave of his left hand, the small leather pouch flew up and landed in his hand with a clinking sound.

Untying the thin leather cord of the pouch, Wu Tie poured out several thumb-sized, exquisitely crafted gold coins.

The edges of the coins had fine serrations. The front bore a flowing, powerful character for 'Shi,' and the back was engraved with two large fish chasing each other playfully.

The minting technique was extremely skillful, and the coins faintly emitted a reddish hue, indicating a very high purity. They felt heavy in his palm.

"Good stuff."

The Wu Family also had gold mines and their own miners to refine gold.

However, the gold bars refined by the Wu Family were yellowish-green and not very pure. Due to the molds and techniques used, the gold bars were also pitted and unsightly.

There were twenty gold coins in the leather pouch. They were finely cast, beautifully polished, and of extremely high purity, clearly indicating that the Shi Family, represented by the 'Thousand Fish City' Shi Dian spoke of, was a far more powerful, wealthy, and prosperous family than the Wu Family.

Wu Tie put the gold coins into his leather pouch and tossed it into the mushroom patch behind him.

A metal spider deftly extended a forelimb and hung the pouch on itself. Old Tie's voice came softly, "Gold coins? Shiny, alluring gold coins... But what use are gold coins in this godforsaken place?"

Old Tie snorted, "Kid, trust your grandpa. These guys have no sincerity at all... Instead of giving you gold coins, they should have given you that Primal Energy Staff in Shi Dian's hand, really."

Wu Tie remained silent because Luolin and his two companions had finished eating. After a short rest, they moved out, one behind the other, separated by tens of meters, their steps agile as they rapidly approached Shi Lingqing's location.

Before Wu Tie could figure out if he should intervene, Luolin had already become a blur of motion, charging towards Shi Lingqing's wooden shed.

With a loud shout, two Ox Tribe warriors, wielding great axes, met Luolin.

Behind Luolin, a youth holding a longbow suddenly drew it taut. An arrow's shadow, accompanied by a piercing whistle, streaked towards the Ox Tribe warriors.

Shi Dian let out a cold snort. Gripping his wooden staff with both hands, he slammed it hard onto the ground. A gale erupted from the ground, and a wind wall several meters high roared forth from behind the two Ox Tribe warriors, crashing violently against the sword shadows.

Amidst piercing cracking sounds, the wind wall was pierced by the arrows, but the arrows were also knocked askew by the wind wall, grazing the neck of one Ox Tribe warrior and leaving a shallow bloody mark.

Sharp impact sounds continued to ring out as the two Ox Tribe warriors swung their great axes, clashing with Luolin.

The straight sabers and great axes collided fiercely. With each impact, both Luolin and the Ox Tribe warriors' bodies jolted violently. It was clear that the Ox Tribe warriors had a natural advantage in physical strength, while Luolin surpassed them in cultivation realm.

Two more Ox Tribe warriors lunged forward, and the four Ox Tribe warriors surrounded Luolin.

Luolin suddenly let out a roar. The air around him vibrated intensely. A thick leather pouch hanging from his waist let out a 'creak' of tearing fabric, and two black blade lights shot out from the pouch, slithering like snakes and sweeping across the waists of the two Ox Tribe warriors.

The two Ox Tribe warriors grunted. Their already dark skin suddenly turned coal-black, and a faint metallic sheen appeared on it.

Amidst the black blade lights, two hiltless small straight sabers, each over a foot long, tore through the soft armor on the Ox Tribe warriors' waists and struck their flesh.

Sparks flew from the Ox Tribe warriors' skin. The two small straight sabers were actually repelled by their dark skin and flew back out.

Luolin froze for a moment. One of the Ox Tribe warriors, whose skin had turned black, suddenly swung his great axe, bringing it down heavily on Luolin's chest.

The youth behind Luolin, who had been circling about ten meters away and had not participated in the attack, suddenly let out a loud shout. He wiped his left hand, and a flash of light appeared. The air around Luolin suddenly converged towards his chest, and a shield of green light, two feet square, materialized abruptly in front of Luolin's chest.

The great axe struck the shield. With a 'buzz,' the shield cracked, showing several fissures. Startled, Luolin rapidly retreated dozens of steps.

"You!" Luolin looked at the two Ox Tribe warriors with an unsettled expression.

The two Ox Tribe warriors panted heavily, white steam continuously puffing from their nostrils. Veins bulged beneath their skin, and with faint sounds of bones and tendons stretching, their height began to expand, gradually reaching around five meters.

Luolin suddenly roared, "Shi Lingqing, you have such skilled guards… and you're just going to watch your people die?"

As he roared, Luolin quickly glanced in Wu Tie's direction.

Shi Lingqing's weak voice drifted over, "Luolin, if they hadn't gone out on business before, how could I have allowed you to kill my people?"

Shi Lingqing walked out of the wooden shed.

Her buttocks had suffered a severe injury. Although she had taken an antidote, her body still seemed somewhat numb. Shi Lingqing walked step by step, stiffly, as if she might fall at any moment.

She walked behind a few guards and said through gritted teeth, "Not to mention, you shamelessly poisoned the castle's water source!"

She said urgently, "If Jin San and Jin Qi hadn't been poisoned a few days ago, how could you have… how could you have?"

Shi Lingqing and Luolin faced each other.

Wu Tie stood on a small mound in the distance, giving him an excellent vantage point.

He inadvertently saw figures moving in the distance, appearing to be coming from the direction of the riverbank where Shi Lingqing and Luolin had landed earlier.

They were several youths dressed like Luolin, also wielding straight sabers. They were running rapidly towards this side, and even from afar, sharp whistling sounds could be heard.

Luolin and his two companions were overjoyed. They simultaneously let out long cries and rapidly retreated.

Shi Lingqing's expression suddenly changed. She pointed at Luolin and the three others and shouted, "Surround them, kill them, otherwise when their companions arrive…"

The four Ox Tribe warriors strode forward to chase Luolin and the three. The other human guards were about to pursue when the youth holding the longbow suddenly dashed dozens of steps to the side. Shi Dian immediately shouted, making the human guards stop in their tracks.

One side retreated at full speed, the other dared not pursue. In just a moment, five more youths, dressed in tight-fitting clothes, wearing black soft armor, and wielding straight sabers, joined Luolin.

The four Ox Tribe warriors confronted Luolin and the others with their great axes for a while. Then, the eight of Luolin suddenly charged forward. The four Ox Tribe warriors immediately retreated at full speed.

After a chase for a while, the four Ox Tribe warriors rejoined Shi Lingqing and the others. Shi Dian suddenly threw out three wooden staffs, and a large area of electric light surged forth.

Luolin and the others immediately retreated. Only the youth holding the longbow shot three arrows towards them.

Two arrows were shattered by the electric light. Only one arrow, forged entirely of metal, flashed. With a flash of its shadow, a human guard beside Shi Lingqing suddenly let out a miserable cry. The arrow pierced his abdomen and flew out from behind him.

After piercing the enemy's body, the pure metal forged arrow exploded with a bright light, tracing an arc as it flew back into the youth's hand.

Shi Lingqing's face turned extremely grim.

Shi Dian shouted sternly, "Miss, be careful… We will fight to the death to protect you… This is my Shi Family's… only direct bloodline!"

A great wind surged beneath Shi Dian's feet, and electric light spewed from his hands.

Among the five youths who had arrived later, one with a shaved head, adorned with a black scorpion tattoo on his scalp, smiled and said, "The only direct bloodline? Wrong, she is the Shi Family's only bloodline… The reason we were so late is that we chased down and killed those Shi Family members who had escaped!"

Shi Lingqing's body trembled violently. She let out a hysterical scream and suddenly waved her hands forward.

A large area of fern forest around the eight youths suddenly began to writhe violently. Many branches grew and extended strangely, lashing down like whips.

The eight youths seemed to have been prepared for this. They leaped up abruptly, escaping the fern's attack range, and then, led by Luolin, charged towards Shi Lingqing and the others again.

The electric light spewing from the three staffs released by Shi Dian gradually weakened. Seeing that Luolin and the others were about to break into Shi Lingqing's formation.

Wu Tie could no longer suppress the inexplicable emotion in his heart. He drew his spear and soared into the air. His body, like a gliding bird, rapidly moved towards Shi Lingqing.

Still dozens of meters away, Wu Tie waved his left hand. A large area of stones on the ground flew up and rained down upon Luolin and the others.

"This is my territory… You are not allowed to fight here!"