What Gall You Have, Dog

Liu Feng was stopped by Liu Xing, yet not a trace of panic showed on his face. Instead, he regarded him with the amused gaze one might cast at a mountain baboon.

Having emerged from the Gu Cave, he no longer considered this Mad Dog an opponent.

Inside the Gu Cave, he had first refined two Gu Mothers, then found and refined another two. Both he himself and the Gu insects parasitizing his body had improved tremendously.

The shortcoming of his insufficient lethality against Gu Servants had also been remedied by the Soldier Gu.

The reason he had avoided Liu Xing in the Gu Cave was, first, because he had been injured while fighting the Soldier Gu, and second, because he had yet to truly master it.

"There'll be plenty of chances to repay you. As for the injury on my arm, it was naturally caused by Gu insects—but is that really any business of a dog like you?" Liu Feng said with a mocking smile.

He knew Liu Xing had blocked his way for the Soldier Gu. Since he could not bluff his way past, he might as well teach the man a proper lesson.

The moment those words left his mouth, Liu Xing froze in place, his face full of disbelief. The other Gu Children were equally dumbfounded.

"More arrogant than me? There are eight of us here! He's alone, yet he still dares to go head-to-head with that Mad Dog Liu!" The tall leader, Yan Hongda, stopped to watch how Liu Xing would settle this.

The other Gu Children also halted one after another, strange smiles on their faces. All of them wanted to see Mad Dog Liu make a fool of himself.

"This kid dares to act so fearlessly. He must have something to rely on." Ma Kun had once been pursued by Liu Feng in the Gu Cave and knew full well how sinister he was.

Seeing Liu Xing's face darken until it looked ready to drip water, then noticing the faint bulge beneath Liu Feng's clothing on his back, an extremely bad guess rose in Ma Kun's heart!

"What gall you have, dog, speaking to Steward Liu like that." Before Liu Xing could erupt, the Gu Child surnamed Gong stepped forward.

His face still burned with pain. He did not dare strike Liu Xing, but with such a fine opportunity laid before him, Leader Gong could not let it slip away.

"How has this Gong bastard survived until now?!" Before Ma Kun's astonished eyes, the Gu Child surnamed Gong swung a slap at Liu Feng's left cheek.

The result was only too obvious.

Before the Gu Child surnamed Gong's hand could even fully draw near, his entire body flew backward through the air. He sprayed a great mouthful of bright-red blood, and when he hit the ground, his head lolled to one side and he went still.

Liu Xing glanced at the Gu Child surnamed Gong, who had fainted on the spot, and said coldly, "Your strength and striking speed aren't bad. You're far stronger than an ordinary Gu Child. But... you dare insult me with just this little ability?"

As he spoke, two gusts of wind burst forth from where he stood. Liu Xing violently twisted his waist, his right fist pounding toward Liu Feng's head like a windmill gone mad.

The young lady called him a dog, and his senior brother called him a dog—he could endure both. But a mere Gu Child dared insult him too!

"Whoosh..." A violent gust rose, and the punch missed.

Then came successive booming blasts. Several stone slabs on the ground were smashed completely apart, kicking up rolling clouds of dust.

"Bang, bang, bang..." Like a blacksmith hammering iron, Liu Xing's two arms smashed down wildly.

The force behind every one of his punches made the Gu Children present tremble with fear.

They knew that if they were struck, they would certainly be seriously injured. If the blow landed on a vital spot, they would be beaten to death on the spot.

But no matter how formidable a fist was, it still had to hit someone!

At this moment, all the Gu Children were looking not at the frenzied Liu Xing, but at the figure dodging like a swimming fish.

"Not a single strike hit! It's like..." A Gu Child who looked like a young girl stammered, unable to describe the bizarre sight before her.

"It's like Liu Xing is deliberately missing every punch!" Yan Hongda finished in his heart.

Yan Hongda was not the only one thinking so. The other Gu Children thought the same.

Then Liu Feng spoke from the center of the dust. "This is what you wanted to see, isn't it? Since I can't hide it anyway, I may as well let you have a look."

The others did not understand what Liu Feng meant, but Ma Kun understood perfectly. His eyes immediately lit up.

Sure enough, five whip-like shadows, each eight feet long, suddenly shot from Liu Feng's back. Every one was covered in sharp teeth, hideous and terrifying.

Liu Xing was less than three feet from Liu Feng. He had no chance to dodge at all.

Almost the instant Liu Feng finished speaking, Liu Xing's arms and legs were all pierced through. One of his ears was nearly torn away by canine teeth as well.

"Gulp, gulp..."

Before the dust had fully dispersed, those present heard a sound like a wild beast swallowing.

The next moment, Liu Xing's plight appeared before their eyes.

Five vicious insect limbs pierced through Liu Xing's four limbs. Their canine teeth were densely packed and too numerous to count, while masses of tiny sucker-like mouths extended from between those teeth, frantically drinking Liu Xing's blood.

Liu Xing, who had been incomparably violent just moments ago, was now trembling all over, bleeding without end, and in a thoroughly miserable state.

"Now that we're outside the Gu Cave, I won't kill you according to Insect Valley's rules." Liu Feng did not allow the Soldier Gu to bleed Liu Xing dry.

The other Gu Children did not know how formidable this Soldier Gu was, but he knew from experience. He was still a Gu Child for now, and could not casually kill Liu Xing and violate Insect Valley's rules.

Just as he was about to withdraw the Soldier Gu, Liu Xing suddenly let out a furious roar. Enduring the agonizing pain of his limbs being torn apart, his arms swelled another size. He raised both palms, intending to kill Liu Feng in a final desperate bid.

"Stop." At the critical moment, a cold female voice rang out.

The voice was not loud, yet it made Liu Xing shudder instinctively and go rigid all over.

Following the voice, they saw that Lu Yao had appeared at some point behind the shrubs more than twenty zhang away from the Gu Children.

Before any of the Gu Children present could react, Liu Xing was already on his knees. He cried out in pain, "Miss, I was reckless. I merely thought that even Third Senior Brother has yet to obtain a proper Soldier Gu. What right does a Gu Child like him have to possess one?"

At Liu Feng's side, he put away his weapon, his expression strange. He was amazed by how quickly Liu Xing had knelt and admitted his mistake.

"What a fine dog indeed." Ma Kun, huddled among the Gu Children, could only admit he was inferior.

The corner of Lu Yao's lips twitched, but she neither confirmed nor denied it.

"You needn't use me as an excuse. It's only a newly first-grade Soldier Gu, and 'Split-Tooth' does not suit me." Third Senior Brother emerged from behind Lu Yao, his gaze disdainful.

This Third Senior Brother, who had abundant experience fighting others, not only knew how Soldier Gus were graded, but had also recognized the details of the Soldier Gu in Liu Feng's hands at a glance.

"Greetings, Miss. Greetings, Third Senior Brother." The Gu Children saluted in unison.

Lu Yao approached with graceful lotus steps, her left leg hidden beneath her skirt while her right leg was displayed outside. Under the burning gazes of the Gu Children, she came before Liu Feng.

"Your name is Liu Feng. I'll remember that name for now."

"Though this Soldier Gu does not catch my eye, it belongs to Insect Valley in the end and is not something a Gu Child may possess. If you succeed in planting the Exotic Gu Egg this time, it will naturally be yours. If you fail, I need not say more, do I?"

"As it should be. Thank you, Miss, for giving me this opportunity."

Liu Feng understood Lu Yao's meaning. In Insect Valley, only useful people deserved to possess Soldier Gus. If he died miserably while planting the Exotic Gu Egg, or barely survived the failure only to become a Gu Servant, then the Soldier Gu Split-Tooth would change hands.

Seeing that Liu Feng knew how to read the situation, Lu Yao nodded in satisfaction. With a sweep of her long sleeve, she called out, "The medicine has been prepared for all of you. Proceed to the Gu Rearing Pool at once and plant the Exotic Gu Egg..."