"Everyone, we're close to the herb-gathering area now. Let's rest here tonight. We've been walking for a long time, and everyone's tired."
As evening drew near, the herb-gathering party finally stopped.
The mercenaries all breathed a sigh of relief.
They really were exhausted.
They'd been attacked by no fewer than five waves of magical beasts that day.
The beasts seemed to have been drawn by something, always managing to attack their group with uncanny accuracy.
Several people had already suffered minor injuries because of it.
Even so, the mercenaries of the Blood Battle Mercenary Group never let down their guard.
Their eyes still kept drifting toward the brats from the Wolf Head Mercenary Group.
Today's trouble was probably the doing of that bastard Mu Li, the kind of man who'd be born without an asshole.
But what surprised them even more was Xiao Yuan's strength.
"Little brother, you're something else. You're so powerful you killed a Stone-Skin Lizard with a single move."
"Yeah. Stone-Skin Lizards may only be first-tier, but they're the nastiest of the first-tier beasts."
"Tsk, tsk. So strong at such a young age—who knows what you'll be like in the future?"
"Haha, little brother, let your old pal in on it—what realm are you really at?"
Although Xiao Yuan had only made a move once on the way here and spent the rest of the time picking herbs with Xiao Yi Xian, that alone had been enough to amaze them.
"What if I told you I was a Dou Ling? Would you believe me?"
The moment he finished speaking, the air fell silent for an instant, then burst into unrestrained laughter.
"Come on, don't mess with us. You look barely fourteen or fifteen. How could you possibly be a Dou Ling?"
"Exactly, exactly. Little brother, don't tease your old pal."
"If you're a Dou Ling, then I must be a Dou Wang!"
The last line came from the captain of the Blood Battle Mercenary Group.
Not a soul there believed him. They all assumed he was joking.
Fair enough.
There probably wasn't a single fourteen-year-old Dou Ling in the entire Northwest Region.
Let alone in a tiny place like Qingshan Town.
A Dou Shi was already a realm they could only dream of reaching.
Xiao Yuan could only shrug helplessly.
See? Sometimes, no one believed you even when you told the truth.
In the end, Xiao Yuan couldn't be bothered to say anything more. He simply sat there and ate his rations.
Ya Fei had to be given credit—what she'd prepared for him was pretty good, especially the taste.
Not far away, where the Wolf Head Mercenary Group had gathered, Mu Li was sitting by the bonfire too, wolfing down roasted magical-beast meat. But his gaze, fixed on Xiao Yuan, brimmed with greed.
"That brat's got plenty of good stuff on him. Once it's the middle of the night, it'll all be mine!"
"And Xiao Yi Xian too!"
Like a ravenous wolf, Mu Li tore off a chunk of thigh meat and chewed slowly, with brute force.
The full moon rose.
Little by little, night shrouded the entire Magical Beast Mountain Range.
Most of the mercenaries had already gone to bed, leaving only a few people taking turns standing watch.
But Xiao Yuan couldn't sleep. He sat alone outside.
Watching the firelight flicker and the firewood crackle from time to time, his thoughts drifted away as he remembered how Xiao Yi Xian had stood by him without hesitation that day.
The corners of his mouth lifted.
He wanted to do something for Xiao Yi Xian, who was like an older sister to him.
But he wasn't sure what.
[Sigh, that cave should be somewhere around here, right?]
[If I remember correctly, it was Xiao Yi Xian's first stroke of good fortune.]
[But how do I ask her to take a walk with me?]
[It's already so late...]
He looked up at the sky. Through the lush branches, he could clearly see the full moon, set in the boundless night and dotted with stars.
Just then, there was a stir inside Xiao Yi Xian's tent.
She slowly walked out, wearing the same white dress she'd had on during the day.
The air in her tent had been too stuffy, and Mu Li's predatory gaze had kept her on edge. Unable to sleep, she'd decided to take a walk.
But she hadn't expected to hear Xiao Yuan's thoughts the moment she stepped outside.
"My... stroke of good fortune?"
Looking at the boy sitting alone beside the fire, a smile appeared on her lips. She clasped her hands behind her back and quietly crept up behind him.
She bent down and suddenly called out.
"Boo!"
"Ah! Sister Xiao Yi Xian... You nearly scared me to death."
Xiao Yuan had noticed Xiao Yi Xian approaching from the start, but he played along and put on a startled expression.
Even though it was all an act, Xiao Yi Xian was pleased.
She sat right down beside him and asked gently:
"Xiao Yuan, why are you still up so late? What are you doing here?"
"Of course I can't sleep."
Xiao Yuan answered without thinking.
At the same time, he realized—
[Isn't this the perfect chance to ask Xiao Yi Xian to take a walk?]
But before he could say a word, Xiao Yi Xian spoke.
"You can't sleep? I can't either. Since that's the case, Xiao Yuan, would you be willing to walk through the woods with your big sister and be my knight in shining armor?"
"Huh?"
Xiao Yuan was dumbfounded, and completely taken aback.
He hadn't expected Xiao Yi Xian to suggest a walk herself, let alone ask him to go with her!
[Could this be the legendary connection of two hearts?]
Hearing his thoughts, Xiao Yi Xian smiled even more tenderly, but then she sighed on purpose.
"Could it be... Xiao Yuan doesn't want to come? All right, then. I won't force you. I'll just go back to bed..."
With that, Xiao Yi Xian slowly stood up and pretended to turn back toward her tent.
But the next second, Xiao Yuan grabbed her hand and kept her from leaving.
"Wait! I never said I wouldn't go!"
"Then let's go."
Xiao Yi Xian gave him a playful smile and tugged him to his feet with a slight pull.
They walked around the bonfire, greeted the sentries, and left the camp side by side, entering the dark forest together.
But not long after they'd left,
Mu Li stepped out of his tent too. He sniffed the faint smell of blood lingering in the air, then looked in the direction Xiao Yi Xian and Xiao Yuan had gone. A sinister smile spread across his face.
"Young master, it's taken care of. The Blood Battle lot have been drugged and are sound asleep. We've dealt with the night watch too, and we sent someone to secretly follow Xiao Yi Xian."
Several men from the Wolf Head Mercenary Group walked over respectfully.
They carried knives that were still dripping blood.
Mu Li saw them and nodded in approval.
"Good work. I'll let you go first in a little while."
"Thank you, young master!"
The men were overjoyed.
"All right, go tell the brothers it's time to get to work!"
"Yes, young master. But what should we do with the Blood Battle lot?"
"Them?"
Mu Li glanced at the mercenaries sprawled unconscious inside the tents. Contempt flashed in his eyes, but then a bright idea came to him.
"Tie them up. What's a lewd show without an audience?"
At those words, the Wolf Head mercenaries who'd been called out of their tents and woken up all broke into leering smiles.
Xiao Yi Xian...
She was Qingshan Town's goddess. Who wouldn't want to get close to her?
They'd been lusting after her for a long time!