Arrival at the Tagor Desert

Mushe's death instantly terrified the Wolf Head Mercenary Group members who had followed him, leaving them trembling from head to toe.

Not one of them dared to flee, much less resist.

At that moment, two men, one burly and one thin, dropped to their knees with a thud at the front of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group.

They were Gan Mu, the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's second-in-command, and He Meng, its third-in-command.

With the two taking the lead, the other Wolf Head Mercenary Group members threw down their weapons and knelt as well.

Gan Mu and He Meng knelt at the very front, their foreheads pressed tightly against the ground as their bodies shook like sieves.

Gan Mu's lips trembled, and his voice quavered.

"Senior, we were all forced by Mushe! Please show mercy, Senior! Please forgive us!"

Kneeling beside him, He Meng desperately kowtowed as well. His forehead repeatedly struck the bluestone ground with dull thuds, and after only a few knocks, it was already split and bleeding. He looked utterly wretched.

"Please show mercy, Senior! Please show mercy!"

The Wolf Head Mercenary Group members' pleas rose and fell one after another, miserable and humble.

Yet Xiao Ce remained calm and ignored them. He merely slowly raised his right hand and lightly tapped twice through the air.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two blasts of finger force shot through the air. Before Gan Mu and He Meng could even react, their bodies were pierced through, and their cries for mercy came to an abrupt halt.

The remaining Wolf Head Mercenary Group members froze where they stood, their faces blanketed in terror.

Suddenly, a pungent stench spread through the air.

More than one person had been frightened into losing control of their bladder.

Xiao Ce frowned slightly, glanced at the Wolf Head Mercenary Group members, each pale as death and shaking like sieves, then turned to Mr. Yao. "Pavilion Master Yao, I'll leave the rest to you. Whether you kill them or spare them is up to you."

Mr. Yao clasped his hands. "Rest assured, Young Master Xiao. Leave this place to me!"

Xiao Ce said no more and led Xiao Yi Xian into the manor.

Only after Xiao Ce and Xiao Yi Xian left did the remaining Wolf Head Mercenary Group members finally breathe a little easier.

More than two hours later.

Mr. Yao arrived at the courtyard where Xiao Ce was staying with a group of guards, dragging more than a dozen large chests behind them.

Xiao Ce looked at Mr. Yao, whose face was full of smiles and whose spirits were high.

"Pavilion Master Yao, have you settled the Wolf Head Mercenary Group?"

Mr. Yao stepped forward, clasped his hands, and smiled. "Thanks to you, I not only brought quite a few Wolf Head Mercenary Group members under my command, but I also just led people to take over all the properties and land under their name. On top of that, I recovered the wealth I had previously handed over to Mushe."

Xiao Ce smiled at that. "Then congratulations, Pavilion Master Yao."

Beaming, Mr. Yao took a wooden box from one of the guards behind him. He opened it and offered it forward with both hands.

Inside the wooden box lay four Storage Rings.

Mr. Yao respectfully said, "Young Master, these are your spoils of war. In addition, all the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's wealth is over there, awaiting your personal acceptance."

As he spoke, Mr. Yao pointed at the dozen or so large chests behind him.

Most of them were filled with gold coins, while only a small portion contained medicinal herbs, magic cores, and other miscellaneous items.

Xiao Ce accepted the wooden box containing the Storage Rings, then glanced at the dozen chests and smiled. "You've put thought into this. How about this: keep the medicinal herbs and magic cores for me, and take the rest for yourself."

Mr. Yao was overjoyed and quickly clasped his hands. "Then many thanks, Young Master!"

Even after excluding the medicinal herbs and magic cores, the Wolf Head Mercenary Group still possessed assets worth more than a hundred thousand gold coins. If their real estate was included, their value would only be higher.

Xiao Ce did not care about that at all. After eating the meat, he naturally did not mind letting Wanyao Pavilion have some soup.

Besides, he was about to leave Qingshan Town and take away its cash cow. This could be considered a little compensation.

Night fell, and moonlight flowed like water.

Xiao Ce and Xiao Yi Xian had a thorough workout together, changing the bedsheets three times.

During a break, Xiao Yi Xian learned from Xiao Ce that he planned to leave Qingshan Town and head for the Tagor Desert.

Naturally, Xiao Yi Xian would follow her husband wherever he went. Wherever Xiao Ce went, she would go too.

The two settled on a date: three days later.

Outside Qingshan Town, Xiao Ce wore a long blue-and-white robe embroidered with cloud patterns and a silver jade-studded belt around his waist. With swordlike brows, starry eyes, a straight nose, thin lips, and a tall, upright build, he carried both noble grace and the air of a wandering hero.

Beside him, Xiao Yi Xian wore a pale purple-and-white dress, tied at the waist with a white sash that made her slender, willow-like waist appear even more captivating.

Xiao Ce smiled. "We're leaving Qingshan Town today. Are you reluctant to go?"

A trace of sentiment appeared on Xiao Yi Xian's pretty face. "Of course I'm reluctant, but none of that matters more than you."

As she spoke, a bright smile curved her lips.

Xiao Ce took her hand and looked at Mr. Yao, who had seen them off all the way. He teased, "Pavilion Master Yao, I'm taking Xiao Yi Xian away. You don't have any objections, do you?"

Mr. Yao wiped at nonexistent cold sweat on his forehead and hurriedly waved his hands. "Young Master Xiao, you jest. With Xiao Yi Xian's talent, staying at our Wanyao Pavilion would only waste it."

Three days earlier, Xiao Yi Xian had severely injured Mushe with a single move, which had given him quite a fright.

The Xiao Yi Xian of the past definitely did not possess such strength.

So there was only one possibility.

Xiao Yi Xian's strength had risen by leaps and bounds, and it was very likely related to Xiao Ce.

Thinking more deeply, Xiao Ce might even have come to Qingshan Town for Xiao Yi Xian's sake.

Xiao Ce looked at Mr. Yao before him and thought for a moment. "Pavilion Master Yao, if you encounter any trouble in the future, go to the Xiao Clan in Wutan City and give them my name."

"Wutan City, the Xiao Clan..."

Mr. Yao murmured under his breath.

Then Xiao Ce spoke again.

"Pavilion Master Yao, this is far enough. Our paths will cross again someday. Until we meet again!"

Xiao Yi Xian smiled faintly as well. "Mr. Yao, farewell!"

Mr. Yao suddenly came to his senses and clasped his fists. "Safe travels, both of you!"

As soon as his words fell, Xiao Ce and Xiao Yi Xian turned and walked into the distance, growing smaller and smaller in Mr. Yao's sight.

Watching their retreating figures disappear, Mr. Yao wondered aloud, "The Xiao Clan of Wutan City? Since when did the Jia Ma Empire have such a great clan?"

The Magic Beast Mountain Range was several thousand li away from the Tagor Desert, so Xiao Ce planned the same route as Xiao Yan had in the original story: first to Heiyan City, then by flying transport convoy directly to Mo City at the empire's border.

To avoid trouble, and because Xiao Ce's strength had already reached the Nine-Star Dou Ling level, he raised his concealed cultivation from Nine-Star Dou Zhe to Nine-Star Dou Shi.

A Nine-Star Dou Shi was strong enough to earn respect anywhere in the Jia Ma Empire.

Because of that, Xiao Ce encountered no trouble at all along the way.

He first took two days to reach Heiyan City, then boarded a flying transport convoy and spent another three days safely arriving at Mo City on the empire's border. Along the way, he also experienced the pleasure of traveling a thousand li in a single day.

When Xiao Ce and Xiao Yi Xian stepped down from the flying magic beast,

a wave of scorching heat rushed at them. The ground beneath their feet had been baked until it continuously gave off heat, the air seemed distorted, and most of the surrounding landscape was earth-yellow.

The Tagor Desert had arrived!