Yu Xiaogang Runs into Danger

If Bibi Dong found out about this—no, absolutely not. She couldn't be allowed to find out.

Far away in Slaughter City, Bibi Dong suddenly sneezed. The longsword that had just slashed across an attacker's throat veered half an inch off course, nearly giving another thug lunging in from the side an opening.

She swung her sword backhanded and forced him away, then frowned and rubbed her nose. That nameless anger inside her flared up again.

Why was she sneezing out of nowhere?

Could that little brat be talking about her behind her back? She flicked the blood off her sword and decided that once she got back, she'd beat him first and ask questions later.

Early morning sunlight streamed through the window paper into the room. Deng Tianxin wriggled out of Liu Erlong's arms, sporting two faint dark circles beneath his eyes.

He'd barely slept all night. It wasn't because Liu Erlong snored—in fact, she'd slept quietly, her breathing long and even, her body warm and soft as she held him snugly in her arms.

Several times, he'd nearly suffocated. He'd finally manage to pry open a gap and catch his breath, only for her to instinctively pull him back in before long.

Liu Erlong, on the other hand, had slept soundly until dawn. She was refreshed and glowing, as if she'd just completed an intensive cultivation session.

She sat up and rolled her shoulders. Her Soul Power brimmed within her; just one night's cultivation had been as effective as a full day of hard work.

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

"The bed was too hard. I'm not used to it." Deng Tianxin lied without batting an eye.

He hopped down from the bed and straightened his rumpled clothes.

He couldn't exactly tell her the truth. Was he supposed to say, "Your breasts are so big, I couldn't breathe"?

If he said that, with Liu Erlong's temper, it probably wouldn't stop at a couple of kisses. She might pin him to the bed and smother him for the whole day.

At least he had that much sense. He knew perfectly well what he could and couldn't say.

Liu Erlong yawned, stood up, and stretched her limbs. Her Soul Power brimmed within her, and she felt so good that the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up.

Just one night's cultivation had been as effective as a full day of hard work.

Liu Erlong looked down at Deng Tianxin, privately deciding that she would have to keep a close eye on the little guy from now on. A walking cultivation accelerator like him couldn't be allowed to fall into someone else's hands.

The two of them ate a simple breakfast on the inn's first floor: porridge with pickled vegetables and a few steamed white-flour buns.

Deng Tianxin clearly had little appetite. He'd eaten only half a bun before setting down his chopsticks. His eyelids drooped, and every so often he yawned.

After breakfast, the two walked out of the inn.

The coachman had already harnessed the horse and was leaning against the shaft, smoking a long-stemmed pipe. When he saw them come out, he quickly put it away and courteously opened the carriage door.

The horse had rested all night and was full of energy. It snorted and pawed at the ground twice.

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

The atmosphere inside the carriage was much warmer than the day before. After yesterday's intimate encounter, they were naturally more at ease with each other.

Yu Xiaogang had practically fled the inn.

Dawn had barely broken. The only person on the inn's first floor was the innkeeper, dozing behind the counter. Yu Xiaogang hurriedly paid his bill, grabbed his bundle, and strode out of town.

He hadn't slept all night.

Lying on the inn's hard bed, he'd tossed and turned, going over the whole affair again and again. The more he thought about it, the colder his spine grew.

That woman, Bibi Dong, was terrifying.

Their chance encounter at the start had been a trap she'd carefully laid. Her claims that she admired his talent and didn't care about his strength had all been lies.

Her target was the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and he was the pawn she'd chosen.

He'd even replayed every detail of their time together in his mind: the smile when she first approached him, the focused look in her eyes as she listened to him discuss Martial Soul Theory, the gentle tone in which she'd said, "I don't care that you're a good-for-nothing."

Every scene had taken on a new meaning, every detail reeking of scheming.

Yu Xiaogang was glad he'd run quickly, but he knew it was only a temporary reprieve.

Now that Bibi Dong had set her sights on him, she wouldn't simply give up.

After walking for a little over an hour, the farmland beside the dirt road gradually gave way to dense woods.

The sky was already bright. Birds chirped among the trees, and the fresh scent of earth mingled with morning dew filled the air.

Yu Xiaogang was wondering how he could conceal his whereabouts when he reached the next town when a rustling sound suddenly came from the woods ahead.

He stopped in his tracks and instinctively took half a step back.

Seven or eight men filed out of the woods, all burly and broad-shouldered. Their leader was a bald, burly man whose face was slashed by a hideous scar running from brow to chin.

This bald man had been sent flying by Liu Erlong's punch the day before, and his ribs still ached. But he was a hardened outlaw who'd lived by the sword for years, and after a day's rest, he was back on his feet.

He'd brought his underlings to stake out a different spot, determined to find an easy target and reclaim some of the face he'd lost the day before.

And then Yu Xiaogang appeared.

Bald Scar rested a chipped broadsword on his shoulder and tilted his head, sizing Yu Xiaogang up.

Thin and frail, with a sallow complexion—he didn't look like much of a threat.

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

"Hey, brother, traveling alone?"

Yu Xiaogang instinctively clutched his bundle tighter. His Adam's apple bobbed, but he said nothing.

Bald Scar propped his broadsword on his shoulder, his voice full of mockery. "What's the matter? You don't bring any bodyguards when you travel? Or are you some kind of expert who looks down on rough fellows like us?"

Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth and steeled himself to release the aura of his Soul Power.

The fluctuations of his twenty-ninth-level Soul Power spread through the air. They weren't especially powerful, but they could at least intimidate ordinary people to some extent.

Bald Scar froze for a moment, then turned to the Thin Tall Man behind him. The two exchanged a glance and burst out laughing.

"Twenty-ninth level!" Bald Scar laughed so hard he slapped his thigh. "Brothers, take a look! A great expert at level twenty-nine!"

"Boss, he's trying to scare us!" The Thin Tall Man doubled over laughing, tears streaming from his eyes.

"Twenty-ninth-level Soul Power, Martial Soul Luo Sanpao—isn't that the famous good-for-nothing Grandmaster?"

Hearing them, Yu Xiaogang realized something was terribly wrong, and grumbled inwardly.

He grumbled about how he'd become so famous that even a gang of bandits knew who he was.

Normally, he would've been delighted. At that moment, though, he really wished he weren't so famous.

After all, he was much weaker than a normal Beast Martial Soul Soul Master. And if someone got close to him, even Soul Masters between levels eleven and nineteen could beat him with ease.