The guide kept shooting his mouth off, and his clients were naturally less than delighted. Luo Qian and Nangong Jue exchanged a look. Li Shu understood at once, grabbed the guide by the scruff of his neck, and said, "We're terminating the contract early. Get lost!" The guide jumped in fright. "No! If you leave me here alone, how am I supposed to get back? This is the Outer Domain—danger lurks everywhere! You have to take responsibility..." As the saying went, honest advice was hard on the ears. But if you paid no mind to whom you were speaking and simply kept grating on their ears, it was no longer honest advice. This guide kept exaggerating their enemies' strength and discouraging the three of them. Even after seeing what they could do, he went on and on undermining their confidence. He was insufferable.
They had only threatened to leave him there alone to scare him. Though the guide knew the Outer Domain fairly well, his own strength really was lacking. His face had gone pale, and he shook like chaff in a sieve. Li Shu decided he had scared him enough. He lifted him up and asked, "How can someone of your caliber work as a guide?" "This is my first time," the guide said. "You're my first clients..." Nangong Jue snapped, "Then why did you tell us you had thirty years of experience?" The guide stammered, unable to answer.
Luo Qian shook his head. "Let's go back. We still need a real guide."
They returned to the planet in the Intermediate Starfield where they had set out. Li Shu released the guide, but Nangong Jue was not done with him. He kicked the man in the backside, sending him rolling across the ground several times. The guide scrambled up