"Both of you, stop!"
At last, as they neared the village, someone spotted them and shouted for them to halt.
Xia Fengshe and Ou Yanling only wanted to find lodging, so they dismounted and waited for someone to come over.
A patrol team came to meet them. Seeing that both were dressed as martial artists, they sent one person back to the village to report the news, while the other three approached Xia and Ou.
At a distance of about ten yards, the patrol team stopped. Their leader was a bald man. He could tell Xia Fengshe was probably the leader of the two, so he turned to him.
"Where are you from?"
Xia Fengshe cupped his hands in greeting and said politely, "I'm Xia Fengshe, from Youshan City. At my employer's request, I'm escorting her to Guihua City to visit relatives. It's getting late, and the two of us would like to spend the night in your village. I hope you can make an exception."
Xia Fengshe was usually a rough sort, and even when he acted proper, he still looked like a hoodlum. He was especially imposing, with a burly build and muscles bulging everywhere. At a glance, he hardly looked like a good person.
The bald man hesitated. Qingshan Village was already in a terrible fix, and even their headman had been seriously injured in a fierce fight with a strange creature.
Now two people of unknown origins had shown up, and he couldn't make the decision himself.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. Not far away, a patrol team's junior leader was bringing a group of people into the village. He quickly called out, "Headman Hua, there are two outsiders here who want to spend the night!"
"Damn it, Baldy, with things as they are, you're still fussing over this crap? Drive them away. Coming to the village now is just asking to die."
The group turned slightly, and a middle-aged man shouted loudly at the bald man.
The bald man's face instantly darkened. Sure, I'm bald, but what do you mean by calling me Baldy?
Suppressing his anger, he turned to Xia Fengshe and said, "Brother, as you can see, our headman won't let you stay tonight. The sun has only just set, so there's still some light. If you head east for an hour and a half, you'll find another village called Yuyang Village."
"Enough!"
Xia Fengshe suddenly raised a hand to cut the bald man off and called out, "Tell me, is the village in trouble? Has a strange creature entered?"
It was a perfectly reasonable guess. The junior leader had refused to let them stay partly for their own sake, to keep them from getting caught up in danger.
The other reason was that they were strangers whose origins were unknown, and he was afraid they would cause trouble.
Smack!
Xia Fengshe took out his identification token and tossed it to the bald man. "Let me introduce myself again. I'm Xia Fengshe, headman of the Bihai Association in Youshan City."
He gazed sincerely at everyone, as if looking at a pile of silver. "If there's a strange creature in the village, I can help—as long as, as long as you pay me a small fee."
He opened his right hand and extended his index finger. A savage burst of Inner Qi shot out. "See that? I'm a Body Refining Realm martial artist. I really can help you deal with your troubles."
"And all you have to do is pay a tiny fee."
The air fell abruptly silent. Everyone stared at Xia Fengshe, who looked like a savage bear. They'd known he was a martial artist, but they hadn't expected the big man to be a Body Refining Realm martial artist.
The Three Body-Refining Realms were Body Refining, Body Refining, and Blood Refining, each harder to break through than the last.
"Hmm... this brother makes a good point. With him here, it should be easier for us to deal with that Blood Sha."
The speaker was a pale-faced man in a tall hat and blue robes. Dressed like a scholar, he looked refined and courteous.
"W-what?"
Xia Fengshe's body suddenly stiffened. He slowly turned to look at the pale-faced man, forcing a dangerous smile onto his face. "Brother, are you saying there's... a Blood Sha in this village?"
"That's right." The pale-faced man smiled, his expression even more sincere. "You're truly a kindhearted man, brother. Don't worry, the reward will satisfy you."
A reward?
Whoever wanted that reward could have it. He didn't!
Xia Fengshe's expression suddenly changed. He glanced at Ou Yanling, then cupped his hands toward everyone. "Everyone, my employer is eager to visit her relatives. I think... we'd better continue on our way."
Ou Yanling also bowed to the group, looking meek and gentle.
After exchanging pleasantries, Xia Fengshe went to mount his horse and leave. There was no way he could stay in this village. As a Body Refining Realm martial artist, running into a Blood Sha would mean certain death.
Just then, the pale-faced man suddenly rested a hand on Xia Fengshe's shoulder and said seriously, "A real man keeps his word. You're not actually planning to leave, are you?"
"Get the hell away from me."
Xia Fengshe's expression darkened, and his protective Inner Qi surged. It seemed he needed to teach these people a lesson. He, Xia Fengshe, could come and go as he pleased—
Huh?
He turned his head. A hand was pressing down on his shoulder. His protective Inner Qi surged again and again, only to be snuffed out each time.
At the same time, an explosive force gathered in his shoulder, held back but ready to erupt.
He knew with absolute certainty that the moment that force burst out, he would be blown to pieces.
There would be no other way to die.
"Heh... heh heh."
Xia Fengshe's expression stiffened. Then, through gritted teeth, he said, "Blood Refining Realm!"
Idiot! I should've realized. Any martial artist sent to deal with a Blood Sha-level strange creature has to be at least in the Blood Refining Realm.
The moment I heard there was a Blood Sha, why did I bother with all that polite talk? I should've just ridden away.
"E-Elder, I was only joking just now. Of course I wouldn't leave!"
The pale-faced man smiled with satisfaction. "I knew you were joking. From the moment I first saw you, I could tell you were a kindhearted man."
"Here, I have a pill that'll do a Body Refining Realm martial artist a lot of good. Take it. Consider it an advance on your reward."
With his right hand still pressing down on Xia Fengshe's shoulder, he closely monitored the flow of strength through his body. If anything so much as stirred, he would kill him on the spot! With his other hand, he held out a gray pill to Xia Fengshe.
"Elder, is this really necessary?" Xia Fengshe's voice turned cold.
"What do you think?" The pale-faced man kept smiling, but coldness gathered in his eyes. If Xia Fengshe didn't know his place, he would cripple him.
A high-grade cannon fodder had practically run straight into their hands. How could he let him get away?
"Hmph!" Xia Fengshe seemed to sense where the pale-faced man stood. He took the pill and swallowed it without hesitation.
Once his hand was removed, the smile vanished from the pale-faced man's face. He glanced at Xia Fengshe, signaling him to follow.
I was just about to test how strong this strange creature is, and Heaven sends me a Body Refining Realm cannon fodder. Looks like our luck's pretty good this time.
Then he led the patrol team straight into the village.
Behind them, Xia Fengshe's face was ashen. He let out a heavy breath and followed.
Although he didn't know what sort of pill the pale-faced man had made him take, he could guess it was some kind of slow-acting poison.
Unfortunately, the message talisman he carried was too low-grade to reach Youshan City. Otherwise, he could've called for reinforcements.
After walking a few steps, he caught sight of Ou Yanling following behind him from the corner of his eye. A surge of fury suddenly rose within him. It was all this woman's fault. If it weren't for her, he wouldn't have come here. And if he hadn't come here, he wouldn't have ended up at someone else's mercy!
He turned around and burst out, "You damn—"
"Big Brother Xia, what are you saying...?"
Ou Yanling lifted her eyes. They were as black as ink, like a deep-sea vortex. She gazed at Xia Fengshe quietly, her expression calm, her voice still gentle.
"Oh, oh, nothing."
Xia Fengshe's mind suddenly went hazy. His eyes grew unfocused, and he turned around in a daze and followed the group. Ou Yanling silently trailed behind him, like a little follower.