Magic

"Hey, hey, you two are in a sorry state." The person who arrived was the very adventurer who had disturbed the Guard Bee in the first place. Seeing his smarmy expression, Xin Mu felt an urge to beat him to death. She struggled to stand up from the ground, leaning against the wall, and picked up the dagger she had dropped. She glared at the blond man with icy eyes.

"Don't get excited, don't get excited," the man hurriedly raised his hands to Xin Mu. "I saw your gear and guessed you were just rookie adventurers, so I rushed back, didn't I?"

"This is all your fault." Xin Mu had no interest in listening to his excuses. She had already branded him an enemy. If it weren't for him, Zhang Ruofeng and she wouldn't have been pushed into life-threatening danger twice. Now, he had even plunged Zhang Ruofeng into a dire situation where a single moment of negligence could cost him his life.

"Sorry, sorry, I was truly terrified. I never expected that there would be seven Star Fruits growing in the Food Storage this time, let alone four elite monsters guarding these high-value fruits. So, didn't I come back to make amends?" the man said apologetically. However, Xin Mu still looked at him with distrust. The frivolous atmosphere and the fact that he had sabotaged her and Zhang Ruofeng kept her from relaxing for even a second.

"Impressive!" The man's sudden exclamation made Xin Mu turn her head quickly. It turned out that Zhang Ruofeng had pinned the Guard Bee, whose wings he had crippled, to the ground. Although his legs were already covered in bloody gashes, Zhang Ruofeng put every ounce of his strength into a downward punch with his left hand. After four strikes, the Guard Bee finally disintegrated into fine black sand. Zhang Ruofeng naturally heard the commotion behind him, but he no longer had the strength to argue with the man who had sabotaged them so many times. He rose in a defensive stance, but two more Guard Bees were already charging over aggressively. Zhang Ruofeng could only offer a bitter smile; there was no way he could withstand the attacks of these two.

"Ruofeng!!!" Xin Mu knew that Zhang Ruofeng no longer had the strength to resist the Guard Bees' attacks. The power of a frontal charge from a Guard Bee was definitely greater than that of a Great Barking Dog. Even though her own wounds hadn't healed, Xin Mu ran at her top speed, causing her wounds to tear open instantly.

"Don't come over!!" Zhang Ruofeng had already prepared himself to cover Xin Mu's escape, even if it meant suffering grave injuries or death. But seeing Xin Mu rushing toward him, even Zhang Ruofeng began to panic. He let out a silent sigh in his heart, then gritted his teeth, forced a breath, and hugged the rushing Xin Mu, rolling sideways on the ground to dodge the Guard Bees' attack.

"What do we do?" Rolling on the ground, Zhang Ruofeng felt a sense of panic. Not only was there no way to resolve their current predicament, but Xin Mu was right beside him, and a desperate, gambling escape would only increase the risks. Moreover, surely due to his skill Boiling Dragon Blood, he found himself noticing that Xin Mu's hair smelled wonderful. Zhang Ruofeng felt he was truly beyond saving—noticing such things on the edge of life and death.

"I am the rolling mountains, I am the impenetrable wall. Those who fear not lose their reason, those who fear follow their instincts!" Just as Zhang Ruofeng didn't know what to do, a strange chant echoed behind him and Xin Mu. The two Guard Bees, about to attack again, stopped in their tracks. Zhang Ruofeng scrambled to his feet, shielding Xin Mu behind him. Not far away, a red light began to flicker around the mysterious blond stranger, and a massive, ferocious aura surged from his body.

"Face me! Fearless warriors!!!" As the man finished his incantation, the overwhelming pressure made Zhang Ruofeng's heart skip a beat. He realized this was the magic chanting of this world, and the spell was complete. Zhang Ruofeng instinctively turned and hugged Xin Mu tightly; he had been burned too many times by this unlucky stranger to trust whatever magic he was casting.

"What are you afraid of!!" Zhang Ruofeng and Xin Mu heard the stranger shout loudly. At the same time, the two Guard Bees seemed to go mad, abandoning them and charging straight at the stranger. "This isn't an attack spell! Quick, they're forced to attack me now!"

Before the blond man could finish, the two Guard Bees were already upon him. As if he were long accustomed to this, he had already unslung the shield from his back, blocking the attacks with his hands and shield, though the force pushed him back several steps.

"Taunt?!!" Zhang Ruofeng was filled with doubt, but both Guard Bees had their backs to him. It would be a waste not to exploit such an opportunity. He rose and dashed toward the Guard Bee closest to him. At this moment, the man, who had been beaten into a defensive state by the two bees, saw his chance. He slammed his hands and shields together and lunged into a bash against Zhang Ruofeng's target. Zhang Ruofeng's attack landed simultaneously; the combined force of both, delivered with everything they had, crushed the Guard Bee's head!

"Beautiful!!" The mysterious man had just finished speaking when a Guard Bee swiped at his back, but the long sword strapped there blocked the blow, leaving him only stumbling slightly.

Zhang Ruofeng brushed past him, using both hands to pin the Guard Bee's front limbs. Ignoring his own injuries, he swung it hard against the wall, leaving the creature dazed and confused.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!" Two sharp sounds rang out as Xin Mu's two daggers successfully pinned the Guard Bee's wings to the wall. As it struggled, Zhang Ruofeng delivered four consecutive punches, smashing it into powder.

"Impressive, impressive!!" The man praised loudly, then stepped backward, one step at a time. "Pleasure doing business! May we meet again by fate!!" Xin Mu and Zhang Ruofeng watched, dumbfounded, as the mysterious man ran off like the wind, unable to say a word.

"Forget it. At least he didn't kick us while we were down; that doesn't make him a bad person." Zhang Ruofeng shook his head helplessly. His entire body was a wreck, and he couldn't chase the man anyway. It was a blessing enough that he hadn't robbed them.

"I really don't know what kind of weirdo that was," Zhang Ruofeng said to Xin Mu. Xin Mu shook her head in confusion. Even if he didn't rob them, the four Magic Stone fragments from the elite Guard Bees on the ground were each the size of an infant's fist and would surely fetch a high price. Not to mention the Star Fruits in the Food Storage worth 1,000 each—he didn't seem interested in any of it. Aside from coming back to help them, he didn't want to stay for even a second.

"Forget it. Let's rest a bit and prepare to leave. It seems today's plans are a wash." Zhang Ruofeng looked at his blood-stained, tattered clothes and sighed endlessly.

Then, as Xin Mu helped Zhang Ruofeng up, she noticed his face turn bright red when his arm accidentally brushed against her chest for a split second, and he crouched down in pain.

"..." This kind of accidental contact had happened before, and Zhang Ruofeng had even carried her on his back. Logically, he should have developed some immunity, but his physical injuries had caused his resistance to women to plummet.

"Pfft..." Xin Mu tried to hold it in, but she couldn't help it. Looking at Zhang Ruofeng, whose face was dark with embarrassment, she finally burst into laughter.