The Strange

Watching the refugees' reactions, Shi Lan was silent for a moment, took two steps back, directly mounted her horse, turned the reins, and was about to leave.

"Wait!"

One of the refugees, with sharp eyes, spotted the monster meat on Shi Lan's horse and called out to her. After whispering to his companions, the group surrounded Shi Lan.

It was clear that seeing Shi Lan alone, young, and seemingly not intimidating, these people had wicked intentions.

"Leave the meat!"

"Get down, leave the horse too!"

"Yeah, leave the horse!"

"What's on your back? Open it up and let us see!"

Listening to the increasingly outrageous demands from all sides, a complex glint flashed in Shi Lan's eyes. She had avoided the refugees earlier precisely because she feared this would happen.

Human hearts have two sides, light and dark. Clearly, the hunger in their bellies and their current destitute state had infinitely amplified the dark side of these refugees' hearts. Greed and bullying the weak were inherent human natures.

Having nothing made people most prone to extremes. Moral constraints would lessen or even disappear entirely.

Seeing Shi Lan remain silent, a refugee walked up to her and reached for the bundle on her horse.

"Snap--"

A sharp crack echoed, and the refugee howled in pain, clutching his hand as he fell to the ground, writhing.

Shi Lan slowly retracted her horsewhip, swept her gaze over the surrounding refugees, and said in a clear, cold voice, "Move aside!"

The refugees surrounding her instinctively took a few steps back, but after exchanging glances, ferocity resurfaced in their eyes, and they lunged at Shi Lan together!

It was evident that Shi Lan was not like the tiger demon; she couldn't instill enough fear in these refugees to make them lose the will to resist.

A cold light flashed in Shi Lan's eyes, and she unhesitatingly raised her horsewhip again.

Heavy whip shadows cut through the air, and several whistling sounds exploded in the void!

The refugees lunging at Shi Lan were almost simultaneously whipped to the ground, eliciting a chorus of groans.

This was already Shi Lan holding back. Otherwise, with her current strength, a single whip would have been fatal to these long-starving refugees.

"Giddy up."

Shi Lan didn't linger. She gently nudged her horse's belly, rode past the refugees lying on the ground, and gradually moved away.

Shi Feng slowly walked to a group of refugees, watching Shi Lan's receding figure on her horse with a complex expression.

When Shi Lan was surrounded earlier, Shi Feng had already prepared to intervene. Given Shi Lan's usual temperament, she would have been helpless against these refugees. But before he could act, Shi Lan gave him a "big surprise."

Looking at the refugees on the ground, Shi Feng's eyes were indifferent. He raised his hand and unleashed two blade energies, each nearly ten feet long, directly slicing the tiger demon's corpse into several pieces.

The wounds from this strike were no longer charred black. Blood splattered out, and the thick scent of blood was carried away by the wind, scattering in all directions.

In this region overrun by monsters, the scent of blood was undoubtedly a guiding beacon.

Shi Lan lay on her horse, her mind racing, trying to figure out who might be following her.

Shi Feng was her first suspect, but if it were Shi Feng, why wouldn't he reveal himself and follow her directly?

Shi Lan then recalled the first time she practiced the Vajra Divine Fist. She had fainted from menstrual pain, and the mysterious person who saved her... Perhaps someone had been following her all along, but she hadn't known.

Thinking of this, Shi Lan couldn't help but feel a chill. If there really was such a person, wouldn't they be a pervert...

The more she thought, the more her head ached. Shi Lan shook her head, feeling dizzy from the sun, and sat up, looking for a place to escape the heat.

After another half hour of riding, Shi Lan finally spotted a small grove of trees with a small stream flowing through it.

Shi Lan crouched by the stream and washed her face. The cool water splashed on her face, invigorating her.

She sat under a tree, propping her chin with one hand, gazing at the sky, feeling a moment of confusion, unsure of where to go. How long would she wander aimlessly like this?

"Does the System have any missions?"

[Host's cultivation has not yet met the conditions for the main quest to be unlocked.]

Shi Lan felt a bit masochistic. When she was driven by missions, she had cursed the System countless times in her heart. Now that there were no missions, she actually missed the feeling of having a goal.

Shi Lan took some beast meat from her horse, roasted it, and then closed her eyes, practicing the Jade Body Forging Technique. Increasing her strength was always the top priority.

In the blink of an eye, it was evening. Shi Lan rode her horse, charging out of the grove like the wind.

It was summer, and by evening, the various insects in the forest seemed to become man-eaters, especially the mosquitoes.

"All living things have spirits, except mosquitoes!"

Shi Lan cursed under her breath, speeding up, hoping to encounter a city or town before it became pitch black.

Shi Lan's plan ultimately fell through. By the time it was completely dark, she still hadn't found a place to stay and had to stop to rest in a mountain valley.

Shi Lan started a fire and placed the meat on the grill.

Halfway through roasting the meat, a woman's light laughter suddenly echoed through the valley, sounding somewhat eerie in the darkness.

Shi Lan abruptly stood up, looking around nervously.

An alluring figure emerged from the darkness, entering Shi Lan's vision.

A woman, a very beautiful woman, exuding astonishing charm with every gesture.

The woman's fiery figure was draped in only a layer of black gauze, and in the firelight, glimpses of mysterious scenery could even be seen.

Shi Lan took two steps back, instinctively swallowing. In the wilderness, a beautiful woman by the campfire, normally, a great battle would soon commence.

But now, Shi Lan's heart was filled only with fear. This Lingyang Realm was not Earth; science didn't apply here. Ghosts truly existed.

In the desolate wilderness, a woman dressed so provocatively suddenly appearing, and alone at that, would make anyone with a brain suspect something was wrong.

She might have run into a ghost...

"Young master is all alone in this desolate wilderness, aren't you lonely?" The woman walked up to Shi Lan, sat by the campfire, and asked with a suggestive tone, her red lips parting slightly.

"Being alone is fine." Shi Lan gave a dry laugh, retreating two more steps, secretly hoping the person who had been following her would make a move again.

The woman gently lifted the thin veil, revealing two slender, jade-like legs, and looked at Shi Lan with eyes full of desire, "Young master, do you think I'm beautiful?"

"You are quite pretty." Shi Lan's gaze darted around, his heart pounding. What was going on...

Hidden in the shadows, Shi Feng's clothes on his back were already soaked with cold sweat, his eyes unfathomably deep.

A lone woman appearing in this area, dressed so provocatively, and he couldn't discern her depth, left only two possibilities.

One, she was a demon king who had already taken human form. Two, this woman was a lonely wandering spirit...

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