Rock Serpent

Xiao Yi Xian was rather exasperated. She had never met anyone so shameless, but unfortunately, the former was powerful, and her meager little tricks posed no threat at all.

Her dark eyes shifted slightly. Xiao Yi Xian suddenly revealed a sweet smile and said in a pouting tone, "Why are you so crude? Treating a girl like this."

After saying that, she even rolled her eyes at Lin Qingyun and lightly moved one step forward.

"Mm, a girl is indeed a girl, and a very pretty one at that, but..." Lin Qingyun likewise took a step back. His gaze dropped to Xiao Yi Xian's right hand, and he smiled faintly. "Can you put away the knockout drug in your hand? I've already seen it!"

"You..." Xiao Yi Xian was instantly shocked. Her right hand abruptly went behind her back, and she gave a silly smile. "I don't know what you're talking about. Knockout drug? What is that?"

Lin Qingyun was a little speechless. When women stopped being reasonable, they were truly terrifying. He retreated a few steps and said indifferently, "Forget it, forget it. I can't be bothered to argue with you. I only want that treasure. We split it fifty-fifty. How about it?"

"Hmph!" Xiao Yi Xian gave a cold snort, tucked the paper packet in her hand into her robes, and stared across the cliff without saying a word.

"Heh, throwing a tantrum now." Lin Qingyun smiled faintly. His gaze swept Xiao Yi Xian up and down, and he said teasingly, "Your chest isn't perky enough, and your butt isn't round enough, but you do have a soft beauty. If I cripple your cultivation and sell you to a brothel, you should fetch a good price."

"You... you're shameless. To think you're a genius from a great sect. I never imagined you were this kind of person." Xiao Yi Xian's expression changed abruptly. She turned around and glared angrily at Lin Qingyun. If not for the fact that she could not beat him, Xiao Yi Xian would have loved to rush forward and slap this hateful young man.

"Then that's only because you're not cooperating!" Lin Qingyun said with a cold laugh.

"Fifty-fifty is impossible. At most, thirty-seventy," Xiao Yi Xian said with a frown.

"That won't do. Finders get a share. If it weren't for the fact that you discovered it first, why would I leave any of this treasure to you?" Lin Qingyun said.

"You... do you believe I'll call people over right now? Even if you have Dou Shi cultivation, you can't defeat fifty Dou Zhe. Don't even think about leaving the Monster Beast Mountain Range alive," Xiao Yi Xian said.

"Go ahead! If you want more and more people to learn the secret below, then scream until your throat breaks!" Lin Qingyun's indifferent voice instantly made Xiao Yi Xian quickly dismiss the thought of shouting.

As the saying went, wealth stirred the heart. Xiao Yi Xian understood very clearly that even with her status, she could not guarantee those mercenaries would not grow greedy. Especially that Young Group Leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. He would probably tie her up directly, and then...

At the thought of that nauseating scene, Xiao Yi Xian shivered. Determination arose in her heart, and she said, "Fifty-fifty it is. I hope you keep your promise!"

"Of course. Beautiful miss, I swear in my own name that I will never break my promise." Lin Qingyun very gentlemanly bent at the waist and performed a Western noble's salute, smiling faintly.

"Hmph, who cares for a hypocrite like you?" Xiao Yi Xian rolled her eyes at Lin Qingyun and said.

She also felt a trace of regret in her heart. Why had she not come earlier to take the treasure here away? Now, she could only place her hopes on Lin Qingyun keeping his promise. Otherwise, with her little strength, it was simply impossible to get even the slightest benefit from him.

"What are you standing there for? Get ready to go down." Lin Qingyun's voice suddenly sounded from the side.

At this moment, Lin Qingyun had already tied two thick ropes firmly to the tree. The other ends were bound around his body, and he was also holding two torches in his hand.

"Is your rope safe?" After taking a torch, Xiao Yi Xian pulled hard on the rope and looked at Lin Qingyun with some suspicion.

"If you don't believe me, you don't have to go down. Perfect. I'll just take everything myself," Lin Qingyun said with a smile.

"You... you're simply a rogue. You're nothing like a disciple from a great sect. You don't have the slightest bit of grace," Xiao Yi Xian said indignantly.

The mercenaries she usually met were all straightforward. If she needed even the slightest help, they would do it properly for her. How were any of them like this rogue before her, who only knew how to bully her?

"Grace? Heh, that's nothing more than a mask used by people with filthy thoughts. Just like that Young Group Leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. Perhaps you've also noticed some of his intentions. Heh." Lin Qingyun sneered. Gripping the rope with one hand, he retreated to the cliff edge, then looked at Xiao Yi Xian and said again, "Let's go. Time to descend."

After saying that, he leaped down.

"Hmph!" Xiao Yi Xian stomped her little foot hatefully. Her gaze glanced at the rope beside her, which had already been pulled taut. She wished she could take out a small knife and cut it straight through.

However, she still did not do that. Holding the torch in one hand and gripping the rope tightly with the other, she retreated to the cliff edge before abruptly jumping down.

The cliff was almost vertical, its surface uneven and rugged. Occasionally, protruding places could serve as footholds.

Lin Qingyun's toes continuously tapped against the mountain wall. With the pulling force of the rope, he gradually approached the cave to his right.

"Hey, wait for me." A voice came from the right.

Lin Qingyun turned his head and just happened to see a graceful white-clothed figure slowly swinging over.

With the faint brightness of the firelight, Lin Qingyun could barely see the pale color on Xiao Yi Xian's face.

"Already scared? Looks like you're not as bold as I imagined!" Lin Qingyun smiled faintly.

"Hmph, I can't be bothered to lower myself to the level of someone like you." Xiao Yi Xian snorted coldly, but from time to time, her peripheral vision glanced toward the bottom of the cliff. The hand gripping the rope tightly kept trembling.

"If you don't want to die, don't look below. That will only make you more and more afraid." Lin Qingyun frowned and barked coldly.

Xiao Yi Xian's mind trembled. She immediately tilted her head up and looked toward the top of the cliff, but her mouth still said indignantly, "Who asked you to care!"

"You really take my kindness for ill intent." Lin Qingyun shook his head helplessly. His toes tapped again on the cliff wall, while Xiao Yi Xian's nervous voice also rang beside his ear. "Wait for me! Don't hurry! Hey!"

Lin Qingyun seemed as if he had not heard. When he was about to get close, he suddenly threw the torch in his hand toward the dark area below.

The torch struck the mountain wall, scattering sparks in all directions. With the help of that faint firelight, Lin Qingyun also saw the foothold on the protruding narrow path.

"Hu..." Seeing that the destination was about to be reached, Lin Qingyun had just been about to let out a breath when all the pores on his body suddenly tightened. For no reason, a trace of tension flashed through his heart. His toes kicked heavily off the mountain wall, and he swung to the left.

Bang!

Right at the foothold he had occupied before, a violent collision suddenly rang out, accompanied by the sound of broken stones rolling down.

With the help of the firelight that had not yet completely gone out, Lin Qingyun clearly saw the thing that had ambushed him.

"Rock Serpent." He called out this name with a slightly grave expression.

Rock Serpent, as the name suggested. This was a serpentine magical beast that lived within rock walls. Its rank was around first tier, possessing strength equivalent to a human one-star Dou Zhe. This kind of magical beast, because its body was flat and long like wings spread open, could glide through the air for a distance like a hunting eagle when it soared. Moreover, because this magical beast's attribute was a mutated stone attribute, it was grayish-white, not only making it easy to conceal its form, but also making its body as hard as stone. Ordinary blades and swords could hardly cause harm or pierce that layer of armor.

If they were on land, Lin Qingyun would only need to raise a hand to kill a Rock Serpent. But now that he was in midair, although he could display the strength of a Dou Shi, facing this kind of agile magical beast, he did not know whether his attacks would be effective.

People often said that being in the air was like being an immortal, but why did Lin Qingyun feel that his life was so damn hard?

"Rock Serpent? What do we do?" Hearing Lin Qingyun's cry of surprise, Xiao Yi Xian, who was beside Lin Qingyun, trembled and hurriedly asked. She had also once heard of this magical beast's name. Especially under these circumstances, it became extremely dangerous.

"I'm very curious. When you discovered this cave, did you not discover this Rock Serpent?" Lin Qingyun revealed a mouthful of white teeth and said with a faint smile.

"I really didn't know. I only saw this cave from the cliff and never went down. I was even thinking of coming alone in a few days to take the treasure here away," Xiao Yi Xian said, a trace of regret also appearing on her face.

"Sigh, forget it!" Lin Qingyun narrowed his eyes slightly and stared at the grayish-white Rock Serpent clinging to the rock wall, bloody cold light shining from its triangular eyes. After a moment of cold silence, his heart stirred slightly, and he said, "Stay here. Don't cause me trouble."

After saying that, his toes lightly tapped, and his entire body directly swung into midair, rushing toward the Rock Serpent clinging to the rock wall.

"Are you insane!" Xiao Yi Xian immediately shouted.

However, Lin Qingyun had already entered the Rock Serpent's attack range. Its flat body abruptly soared into the air, like a hunting eagle, gliding through the air for a distance. Its mouth opened slightly, and its two sharp fangs seemed to flash with cold light beneath the moonlight.

Lin Qingyun's eyes focused. The Storage Ring on his finger flashed, and a clay jar appeared in his hand.

This clay jar was filled with realgar. The pungent smell of realgar could drive away snakes or things like poisonous insects, but Lin Qingyun was not certain in his heart whether it would truly work.

After aiming at the Rock Serpent, he threw the clay jar out with force.

Dou Qi gathered in the center of his right palm and shot out like a streak of white sword Qi.

The Dou Qi shattered the clay jar. The yellow powder scattered out and quickly spread like smoke, completely enveloping the Rock Serpent's body within it.

Lin Qingyun shot out another stream of Dou Qi. The Black Flame covering it ignited the realgar, and what burned along with it was the constantly struggling Rock Serpent.

With this struggle, the Rock Serpent's body immediately lost balance. It abruptly fell and smashed heavily into the bottomless depths of the cliff.

Looking at the Rock Serpent that had disappeared into the darkness, Lin Qingyun also let out a breath, feeling somewhat like he had survived a disaster. After all, the Rock Serpent was agile and unpredictable; hitting it had been entirely luck.

He landed on the cliff wall. Xiao Yi Xian had also just rushed over, and her anxious, suspended heart finally settled. However, when she looked at Lin Qingyun again, she immediately said irritably, "I didn't expect you to actually survive. I thought you'd be bitten by that Rock Serpent."

"I worked myself half to death, yet I never thought you'd be so heartless. Sigh, people really aren't what they used to be!" Lin Qingyun smiled and bantered a little, not taking Xiao Yi Xian's words to heart. He slowly descended onto the foothold outside the cave entrance.

Behind him, Xiao Yi Xian followed closely.

Looking at the rubble and strange wood densely covering the cave entrance, he frowned, then helplessly shook his head. It seemed he had to be a laborer again.

His palm opened slightly. A vast force surged out from the center of his palm, turning into a gust of wild wind that blew the piles of tangled rubble and strange wood into the pitch-black mountain stream.

After finishing all this, Lin Qingyun turned back to look at Xiao Yi Xian and said, "Give me your torch."

"What do you want it for?" Xiao Yi Xian said, somewhat vigilant.

"What else could I do? Of course, I'm checking whether there are any magical beasts still hiding."

"Sigh, all my good intentions are taken for ill intent!"

Lin Qingyun looked up at the heavens, feeling the fickleness and coldness of the world.

Early today. Isn't that a pleasant surprise?