Don't Panic, I'll Take This Job!

Lu Heng had been wandering the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range for three days.

Over those three days, he had changed clothes twice—not because he loved being clean, but because fighting was hell on fabric.

His body recovered at an astonishing rate, but the coarse linen clothes he had picked up from a street stall did not come with self-repair capabilities.

"Six-star Dou Zhe, peak."

Lu Heng clenched his fist, and his knuckles cracked sharply.

The Dou Qi Whirlpool inside him was twice as solid as when he had first arrived. The crimson spark, once no bigger than a grain of rice, had now grown to the size of a soybean and danced merrily at the center of the azure vortex.

"If I find another tough opponent to test myself against, I can try breaking through to seven-star."

Just as Lu Heng was wondering whether to raid a Man-Eating Bee nest or sneak up on a Thunder-Patterned Leopard, a jumble of hurried footsteps and shrill screams came from the dense forest several hundred meters away.

Those were human voices.

"Run! Don't look back!"

"Third Brother! Forget the Yao Cai! Your life comes first!"

Lu Heng raised an eyebrow.

People?

From the sound of it, they were being chased into a complete panic by something nasty.

He had no intention of meddling, but the voices were getting closer and closer. Mixed among them was the wildly violent, bloody stench of a magical beast.

"Roar!"

A deafening roar rang out. It was not merely loud; it carried a mental shock that sent the surrounding leaves raining down.

"Late second tier?"

Lu Heng paused.

A late second-tier magical beast was comparable to a human seven- or eight-star Dou Master. And magical beasts had tough hides and thick flesh; in a real fight, even a nine-star human Dou Master would have a headache dealing with one.

Why was there such a monster in this area?

As he considered this, the shrubs ahead suddenly exploded.

A group of people stumbled out.

At their head was a burly man covered in blood, carrying a chipped broadsword. He was the captain of the Mad Blade Mercenary Group from before.

At this moment, none of his former high spirits in town remained. Half of his armor had shattered, and his left arm hung limply at his side, clearly broken.

Behind him followed his four remaining brothers, every one of them injured and terrified.

Sheltered in the middle of the group were several pale-faced physicians from the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion.

Among them, Xiao Yi Xian wore a simple pale dress. Though her face was white, she remained fairly calm, tightly clutching several purple herbs that gave off a rich fragrance.

"Those are... Purple Heart Grass?" Lu Heng recognized them at a glance.

No wonder they were being hunted down.

This herb was a primary ingredient for refining third-grade pills. It was probably a treasure guarded by this magical beast, which had planned to consume it when the time came and advance to the third tier.

Instead, this group had cleaned out its nest. It would be strange if it did not go mad.

As Mad Blade ran, he looked back and happened to spot Lu Heng standing in the road, eating fruit.

In this desolate wilderness, the sudden appearance of a youth dressed in black looked strange no matter how he viewed it.

But at that moment, Mad Blade could not afford to think too much. He shouted in a hoarse voice:

"Little brother!

Run! There's a huge monster behind us!

It's a late second-tier Bloodthirsty Demon Ape! If you don't want to die, get the hell out of here!"

After shouting that, he turned and yelled at his brothers behind him:

"Second Brother, Fourth Brother! Take Xiao Yi Xian and leave first! I'll hold it off!"

"Big Brother!"

"Cut the crap! If we let the employer die here, the Mad Blade Mercenary Group's reputation will be ruined! Who would dare hire us brothers afterward? Get moving!"

Mad Blade abruptly stopped, turned to face the violently trembling forest, and held his chipped broadsword across his body, looking ready to die.

Lu Heng took a bite of his fruit, somewhat surprised.

Though this burly man looked rough, he was an honest fellow with principles.

On the Dou Qi Continent, someone who would warn a stranger to run in danger and stay behind for an employer truly had impeccable character.

If I use a Dou Technique... hmm... it shouldn't be a problem.

Of course, it definitely was not because Lu Heng had seen Xiao Yi Xian that he wanted to step in.

"Boom!"

At that moment, a colossal creature nearly four meters tall smashed through seven or eight huge trees and charged out amid a rain of splintered wood.

The Magic Ape was black all over, save for its blood-red eyes. Its muscles bulged like granite, and the foul wind from its mouth caused the surrounding grass and trees to wither instantly.

Late second tier, Bloodthirsty Demon Ape!

Seeing that the tiny human ahead actually dared block its path, it immediately flew into a rage. Its millstone-sized palm swept down with a howling wind toward Mad Blade's crown.

If that slap landed, Mad Blade would undoubtedly become a puddle of flesh.

Mad Blade did not retreat.

"Damn it, eighteen years from now, I'll be a good man again!"

Just as that foul giant palm was about to fall, a black shadow slipped in from the side like a ghost.

"Hey, big brother."

A clear young voice suddenly rang out.

Then a dull impact made Mad Blade shudder in shock.

The youth who had been eating fruit by the roadside had somehow appeared in front of him.

That arm, which did not look particularly strong, was raised high—and it had actually blocked the Magic Ape's terrifying giant palm head-on!

Though the youth's legs had sunk half a foot into the ground, he had truly stopped it!

"What are you standing around for? Waiting to die?"

Lu Heng glanced back at Mad Blade, the corner of his mouth lifting. "Why don't you take everyone and move back a little? This big guy's breath reeks. It's choking me."

Mad Blade's mouth fell open. For a moment, he even forgot to breathe.

Was... was this something a kid who looked barely ten years old could do?

The Bloodthirsty Demon Ape had clearly not expected this little runt to block its attack either. It froze for a moment, then grew even more enraged as its other palm swept across.

"You don't know when to quit, do you?"

A fierce glint flashed through Lu Heng's eyes.

He suddenly withdrew his strength and lowered his body. Like a slippery loach, he instantly darted beneath the Magic Ape's armpit.

There was a patch of soft flesh there, uncovered by coarse hair.

"Blazing Sun Finger!"

Lu Heng pressed two fingers together. His fingertips instantly turned red like heated iron, and an intensely condensed wave of high-temperature Dou Qi erupted from them.

Squelch!

The sound was soft, like a hot knife cutting through butter.

Lu Heng's fingers stabbed viciously into the Magic Ape's armpit, then hooked upward!

"Roaaargh!"

The strike was not fatal, but that area was packed with lymph nodes. The piercing agony made the Bloodthirsty Demon Ape let out a pig-slaughtering scream as its massive body abruptly reeled backward.

Having succeeded, Lu Heng did not press his advantage. He tapped off the Magic Ape with the tip of his foot, borrowing the force to drift backward before landing steadily beside Mad Blade.

He flicked the blood off his fingers, looked at Mad Blade's ghost-struck expression, and shrugged. "What, never seen such a handsome rescue?"

Mad Blade swallowed, his throat dry. "L-Little brother, this is a late second-tier..."

"I know."

Lu Heng rolled his wrist, and his gaze sharpened.

"A late second-tier beast. I'll take this job."

In the distance, Xiao Yi Xian, who had already run to a safe distance, stopped and stared blankly back at the scene.