Yu Xiaogang Encounters Danger

If Bibi Dong were to find out about this—no, she absolutely must not know.

Far away in Slaughter City, Bibi Dong suddenly sneezed. The longsword that had just sliced across an assassin's throat veered off by half an inch, nearly allowing a thug lunging from the side to seize the opening.

She backhanded the man with her sword, forcing him to retreat, then frowned and rubbed her nose. That nameless fire in her heart flared up again.

Why on earth would she sneeze for no reason?

Could that little bastard be bad-mouthing her behind her back? She flicked the blood off her blade, deciding that when she returned, she would beat him first, regardless of the reason.

Morning sunlight filtered through the paper window into the room. Deng Tianxin struggled to crawl out of Liu Erlong's embrace, sporting two faint dark circles under his eyes.

He hadn't slept well all night, though not because Liu Erlong snored. On the contrary, she slept very quietly, her breathing long and steady, her body warm and soft, holding him tightly.

He had nearly suffocated several times; every time he managed to push her away just enough to catch a breath, she would subconsciously pull him back in.

Liu Erlong, however, had slept until dawn. She felt refreshed and radiant, as if she had just finished a session of deep cultivation.

She sat up and stretched her shoulders. Her internal soul power was full and abundant; the effect of this single night's cultivation was equivalent to a full day of hard training.

"What's wrong? You look like you didn't sleep all night," Liu Erlong noticed Deng Tianxin's state and asked curiously.

"The bed was too hard, I'm not used to it," Deng Tianxin lied without changing his expression.

He hopped off the bed and straightened his rumpled clothes.

He couldn't tell the truth, could he? Was he supposed to say, "Your chest is too big and it suffocated me to the point I couldn't breathe"?

If he said that, given Liu Erlong's temper, it wouldn't just be a matter of a few kisses; she might pin him to the bed and suffocate him for an entire day.

He had at least that much self-awareness. He knew exactly what could be said and what couldn't.

Liu Erlong yawned and stood up to stretch her limbs. Her soul power was full, and she felt so good she couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile.

The effect of this one night of cultivation was worth a full day of ordinary hard work.

Liu Erlong glanced down at Deng Tianxin, secretly calculating that she must keep a close eye on the little guy from now on. She couldn't let anyone else snatch away such a walking cultivation accelerator.

The two had a simple breakfast at the inn: porridge with pickles and a few steamed buns.

Deng Tianxin clearly had no appetite. He put down his chopsticks after eating half a bun, his eyelids drooping as he yawned from time to time.

After breakfast, the two walked out of the inn.

The coachman had already harnessed the horses and was leaning against the carriage shaft smoking a dry pipe. Seeing them come out, he quickly put away his pipe and diligently pulled open the carriage curtain.

The horses, having rested for the night, snorted with spirit and pawed the ground.

The carriage set off again, its wheels grinding over the bluestone road at the town entrance as it headed toward Heaven Dou City.

The atmosphere inside the carriage was much warmer than the day before. With the intimate contact of yesterday as a foundation, they were naturally much more at ease with each other.

Yu Xiaogang had practically fled the inn.

The sky was just beginning to brighten, and only the innkeeper was dozing at the counter. He grabbed his bundle, hurriedly settled the bill, and walked quickly out of the town.

He hadn't slept a wink last night.

Lying on that hard wooden bed, he had tossed and turned, replaying the whole affair over and over. The more he thought about it, the colder his spine felt.

That woman, Bibi Dong, was too terrifying.

The initial encounter had been a trap she meticulously designed. All that talk about admiring his talent and not caring about his strength—it was all fake.

Her target was the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family, and he was the pawn she had chosen.

He even went through every detail of their time together in his mind: the smile when she first approached him, the focused look in her eyes when she listened to his soul master theories, and the gentle tone she used when she said she didn't care that he was a waste.

Every scene was reinterpreted; every detail reeked of calculation.

Yu Xiaogang was glad he had run away quickly, but he knew this was only temporary.

Since Bibi Dong had set her sights on him, she would never let it go.

After walking for about an hour, the farmland on both sides of the dirt road was gradually replaced by dense forest.

The sky was fully bright, birds chirped in the woods, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of soil and dew.

Yu Xiaogang was just calculating how to hide his tracks when he reached the next town, when a rustling sound suddenly came from the woods ahead.

His footsteps faltered, and he subconsciously took half a step back.

Seven or eight men filed out of the woods, all of them burly and thick-necked. Leading them was a bald man with a hideous scar running from his brow bone to his chin.

This Bald Scar had been sent flying by Liu Erlong's punch yesterday, and his ribs still ached, but he was a desperate man who had lived on the edge of a blade for years; after resting for a day, he was back on his feet.

He had brought his brothers to a new spot to continue their ambush, determined to find a soft target to bully and regain the face he had lost yesterday.

And then, Yu Xiaogang appeared.

Bald Scar carried a notched broadsword on his shoulder, tilting his head to size up Yu Xiaogang.

Thin, weak, and sallow-faced—he didn't look like anyone formidable at first glance.

He grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and stepped forward.

"Brother, all by yourself?"

Yu Xiaogang instinctively tightened his grip on his bundle, his Adam's apple bobbing as he remained silent.

Bald Scar hoisted his broadsword onto his shoulder, his tone dripping with mockery. "What's the matter? Traveling without a few bodyguards? Or are you some kind of expert who looks down on rough types like us?"

Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth and mustered the courage to release his spirit power aura.

A ripple of level twenty-nine spirit power spread through the air; it was hardly overwhelming, but it was enough to serve as a deterrent against ordinary people.

Bald Scar froze for a moment before turning to look at the Thin Tall Man behind him. The two exchanged a glance and burst into raucous laughter.

"Level twenty-nine!" Bald Scar slapped his thigh in amusement. "Brothers, look! A great expert at level twenty-nine!"

"Big Brother, he's trying to scare us!" The Thin Tall Man doubled over with laughter, tears streaming from his eyes.

"Spirit power level twenty-nine, spirit Luo Sanpao—isn't this the infamous Master Trash?"

Hearing their words, Yu Xiaogang realized things were going south, while simultaneously grumbling to himself.

Since when did I become so famous that even a bunch of bandits know who I am?

Under normal circumstances, he would have been thrilled, but at this very moment, he truly wished he weren't so well-known.

He knew his strength was far inferior to that of a typical beast spirit master, and if he were ever cornered in close quarters, even a spirit master between levels eleven and nineteen could easily defeat him.