Encounter (Please Vote)

Encounter (Please Vote~)

[Task complete. Congratulations, Host: you have received one beginner lottery chance.]

After two days of bouncing along on horseback, Shi Lan finally heard the system's prompt. After a moment's thought, she decided not to use the lottery chance right away, but to save it for a rainy day.

The seven-star Purple Tenuo Halberd had long since passed its storage period, so Shi Lan had no choice but to wrap the long case in cloth and carry it on her back.

Fortunately, the horse she had bought at the inn was a fine steed. Even with an extra three hundred pounds on its back, it only slowed down a little and could still run.

As dusk fell, Shi Lan looked around. There wasn't a village ahead or behind her; everywhere she looked, there was nothing but wilderness.

After a full day of travel, the horse beneath her was already utterly exhausted. It panted heavily and desperately needed a rest.

Shi Lan dismounted, carried the long case on her back, and led the horse onward at a slow walk, looking for somewhere to spend the night.

At last, just as the sky was growing dark, she found a somewhat dilapidated temple by the roadside.

For some reason, as they approached the temple, the horse suddenly grew restless, snorting incessantly.

Shi Lan had a hard time calming it down. After feeding it some fodder and water and tying it up, she entered the ruined temple.

A thin layer of dust covered the floor, and several obvious traces of old campfires remained. Many travelers must have stopped here before.

After building a fire, Shi Lan stretched her limbs and sat down with her back against a wooden pillar.

She had barely sat down when a dense clatter of hooves sounded outside the temple, along with the rumble of wagon wheels. A burst of noisy conversation followed.

Gradually, the noise outside died down, and a string of footsteps approached the temple.

The first to enter the ruined temple was a burly, broad-shouldered middle-aged man. A broad saber in a cloth sheath was strapped to his back.

The burly man spotted Shi Lan leaning against the wooden pillar and paused in surprise. He glanced twice at the long case beside her, then nodded and greeted her.

A group of brawny men in short, fitted clothes filed in behind him. From their manner and bearing, as well as the aura they gave off, they were clearly all martial artists.

In their midst, they guarded a young man and a young woman.

"What a dump." The woman covered her nose and mouth with one hand, impatience showing between her brows.

"We're fleeing for our lives, not out sightseeing. We'll have to make do." The man beside her spoke quietly, then began directing the martial artists to sweep the dust from the temple.

After giving the ruined temple a rough cleaning and starting a fire, the martial artists left and began cooking outside. Only the young man, the young woman, and the middle-aged leader remained inside.

Shi Lan watched quietly as she chewed on her dry rations.

Before long, the martial artists outside brought in a large platter of roasted meat and several bags of wine, then withdrew again.

Smelling the roasted meat, Shi Lan glanced at the dry rations in her hand and found herself missing the daily medicinal meals she used to have.

She had been so busy traveling these past two days that she hadn't had a single hot meal.

"Little brother, if you don't mind, why don't you join us?" The middle-aged man carried a small plate of roasted meat and a bag of wine over to Shi Lan.

Shi Lan hesitated, then shook her head. She put away the dry rations in her hand and replied, "Thank you, but I'll pass."

They had only just met, so it was better to be careful.

The middle-aged man didn't take offense. He sat down by the fire near Shi Lan, ate some roasted meat, and struck up a conversation with her.

After chatting for a while, Shi Lan learned that the group had come from Baiyang City, more than a thousand li to the west. The middle-aged man, Song He, was the head guard at the residence of a wealthy merchant surnamed Lu in Baiyang City.

His mission was to escort the merchant's two children to territory near the Shengwu Immortal Sect, where they could seek protection.

"What happened in Baiyang City?"

Unable to contain her curiosity, Shi Lan asked. Whenever Song He mentioned Baiyang City, he vaguely said that something terrible had happened, but never explained further.

Song He took a long swig of wine, then let out a heavy sigh. His eyes reddened as he said, "Who knows where all those demonic beasts came from? They poured in from the west, blotting out the sky. Wherever they passed, corpses littered the ground. Baiyang City is probably an empty city by now."

Seeing the look on Song He's face, Shi Lan didn't ask any more. She wondered to herself just how many demonic beasts it would take to break through city after city and overwhelm so many martial artists.

"You'd better change course. Turn back if you can. There are demonic beasts everywhere farther ahead. One wrong step and you'll lose your life!" When Song He heard that Shi Lan was traveling and planned to keep heading west, he immediately urged her to reconsider.

Shi Lan nodded and thanked him for the warning. They chatted for a little while longer, then Song He got up and left the ruined temple. A short while later, he came back carrying two thick quilts and a wool blanket.

After settling the young man and woman, Song He began helping the other guards outside find places to rest.

Shi Lan wrapped her arms around her knees, leaned against the wooden pillar, and lowered her head, pretending to sleep with her eyes closed. She slept lightly. With so many strangers around, she didn't dare let herself fall too deeply asleep.

In the dead of night, while Shi Lan was half asleep, a shrill howl and the neighing of horses suddenly rang out, jolting her awake.

"Demonic beasts!"

"It's a steelback wolf!"

The sound of blades being drawn followed at once.

"Boom!"

With a single step, Song He smashed through the temple doors and charged outside. He roared, "Don't panic! Get over here!"

The broad saber on Song He's back was already drawn, its edge gleaming coldly in the moonlight. He didn't leave the temple to help the other guards fight off the demonic beasts. Instead, he stood at the entrance like a door god. His most important task was to protect the two people inside the temple.

The young man and woman had been awakened by the commotion. They huddled together, trembling slightly.

Hearing the wolves howl and people scream outside from time to time, Shi Lan couldn't help growing tense. She gripped the long case beside her.

Shi Feng stood on the temple roof, a spark of spiritual light gathering in his palm, ready to strike. He paid no heed to the guards wounded by the steelback wolves' sharp fangs and claws, keeping his eyes fixed on the entrance to the ruined temple.

"Clatter..."

The sound of earth and stones shifting came from inside the temple. Shi Lan's expression changed, and she turned her gaze toward the ruined stone statue.

In the faint firelight, the broken statue looked somewhat terrifying.

The sound of shifting earth and stones grew louder. As a string of rocks slid down, a huge shadow leaped out from behind the statue and sprang straight at the young man and woman huddled together!

Shi Lan's expression changed. Instinctively, she stepped forward, power surging through her body. She swung the long case up into the air, and with a sharp whistle, brought it crashing down on the shadow!

The shadow was sent flying in an instant, slamming into the wall and kicking up a cloud of dust.