A perilous escape

The two crept along the edge of the cave, keeping low. In the darkness, Xiao Fan reached back and gently patted Xiao Yi Xian behind him.

Xiao Yi Xian took a packet of medicinal powder from inside her clothes and pressed it into Xiao Fan's hand, whispering, "I made this powder myself. It can paralyze them, leaving them unable to move for an hour."

Xiao Fan carefully accepted the powder from Xiao Yi Xian. Seizing the right moment, he scattered it with all his strength, then circulated his Dou Qi and swept a fierce gust of wind into the darkness ahead.

"Ah! My eyes!"

"There's an ambush! They've spotted us!"

"It's poison! Be... careful..."

Cries of alarm rang out in the darkness. Xiao Fan's sudden attack caught the mercenaries lying in ambush completely off guard.

Some unlucky ones even got the powder Xiao Fan scattered in their eyes. He had no idea what that felt like, but judging by their agonized screams, it could hardly have been pleasant.

Using the darkness and the drugged powder as cover, Xiao Fan grabbed Xiao Yi Xian and raced toward the cave entrance amid the chaos.

But they had barely started running when someone on the other side shouted, "Everyone, stay where you are! Light the torches immediately! If anyone around you moves, attack at once. Don't let them get out!"

There was no denying that this man was clearly experienced. His first response was to steady his own men. As long as they stayed still, Xiao Fan and Xiao Yi Xian would have to charge outward to break through, exposing themselves the moment they moved.

Once the torches lit up the Mountain Cave, Xiao Fan and Xiao Yi Xian would have nowhere left to hide.

For two people to break through an encirclement of dozens in such cramped quarters was nothing but a fool's dream.

Xiao Fan also knew how badly this disadvantaged them. With the man's orders already given, their only choice was to force their way through in the dark. Otherwise, once the torches were lit, they would be turtles trapped in a jar, unable to escape even if they tried.

Xiao Fan narrowed his eyes slightly. The Thousand-Flame Spear appeared in his hand, and he hurtled toward the cave entrance.

"Here! They're over here!"

The moment the two moved, the surrounding mercenaries reacted, brandishing their weapons as they rushed in to kill Xiao Fan and the others.

Xiao Fan blocked several attacks with the Thousand-Flame Spear, then struck back and sent the attackers flying. He smashed them into the stone walls or hurled them toward the exit, trying to stir up chaos.

Just as Xiao Fan focused on breaking through, someone in the darkness suddenly swung a large saber at him.

The strike came from an exceptionally treacherous angle, timed precisely as Xiao Fan was blocking the others' attacks. The instant this man appeared, Xiao Fan felt as though a venomous snake had fixed its gaze on him.

A chill crept up his back. Without turning his head, he swung his spear beneath his ribs and thrust fiercely toward his side.

Clang!

A piercing sound rang out between them. Xiao Fan felt an immense force surge through his spear and was driven several steps backward. Only when the butt of the Thousand-Flame Spear braced against the wall did he stop.

A high-level Dou Zhe!

That brief exchange was enough for Xiao Fan to determine his opponent's strength.

He was a Six-Star Dou Zhe with a solid foundation. Even an ordinary Dou Zhe would not have put him at such a disadvantage. For a single brief exchange without even using a Dou Technique to leave him suffering a hidden setback, his opponent could only be a high-level Dou Zhe.

Xiao Fan frowned slightly, realizing how troublesome this was. While it was still dark, he could use the terrain to maneuver around them. If he stalled any longer and they lit their torches, the cramped Mountain Cave would instead put him at a disadvantage.

With that thought, Xiao Fan decided he could not drag this out any longer. The Thousand-Flame Spear could not show its worth in the narrow cave, and he had yet to learn a systematic set of spear techniques. He simply could not exploit the advantage of every extra inch of reach granting an extra inch of strength.

Putting away the Thousand-Flame Spear, Xiao Fan took Xiao Yi Xian's hand with his left while she was still scattering powder. A cold white flame slowly emerged in his right palm, and he swept it toward the mercenaries blocking the entrance.

The cold white flame abruptly lit up the dark Mountain Cave. Rather than dispelling the darkness and bringing warmth, it sent a chill rising through everyone's hearts.

The flames that had appeared out of nowhere were clearly beyond anything the mercenaries had expected.

As soon as they appeared, the flames carried a bone-piercing chill, surging like a fiery dragon toward the mercenaries near the entrance.

The unsuspecting mercenaries thought these were ordinary flames and raised their weapons to scatter them. Yet the moment the flames touched them, they began creeping along their arms toward their bodies.

"My hand... Ah... ah..."

Within moments, a living person turned into a pile of ashes before everyone's eyes. The other mercenaries stared in terror at the youth charging toward them.

With cold white flames wreathed around his right hand, the youth looked like a demon god descended upon the world. Whoever those flames of divine wrath touched was reduced to nothing but ashes.

Seeing that the mercenaries had lost their will to fight, Xiao Fan seized the chance and shouted, "Touch these flames and you die! If you want to live, get out of my way!"

As he spoke, he swept the Bone Spirit Cold Flame toward them again.

In the mercenaries' eyes, Xiao Fan was now a devil wreathed in flames. Seeing him charge, they hurriedly dodged to either side.

What they did not know was that the Bone Spirit Cold Flame depended on Xiao Fan's Dou Qi. As a mere Six-Star Dou Zhe, he could not sustain that consumption for long.

Had they paid closer attention, they would have noticed that the flames were already less terrifying than they had been at first.

That was precisely why Xiao Fan had shouted to frighten them into retreating.

Under the threat of the heavenly flames, Xiao Fan and Xiao Yi Xian finally broke through the mercenaries' encirclement. Seeing the cave entrance just ahead, Xiao Fan could not help letting out a light breath.

After all, this was his first real battle since setting out to gain experience. His usual training had been nothing more than sparring with Xiao Yan, nowhere near as thrilling as this struggle between life and death.

Behind Xiao Fan, Xiao Yi Xian watched him, a trace of gratitude and curiosity rising in her heart.

She was grateful because, without Xiao Fan, never mind whether she could have entered the cave-whether she could have survived at all was in doubt.

She was curious because Xiao Fan, young as he was, had managed to carve a path to survival through so many mercenaries while taking her along. The devastating power of the cold white flames he had used at the end had also stunned her.

He wore expensive robes made of mulberry silk, and despite his youth, he was already an esteemed Alchemist of the Dou Qi Continent, with the strength of a Dou Zhe.

Each of these things raised Xiao Yi Xian's opinion of Xiao Fan another notch.

Of course, the biggest reason might also have been that Xiao Fan looked very handsome when he smiled.

Whoosh!

Just as the two were about to rush out of the cave, an arrow suddenly shot toward them from the distant cliff edge.

Xiao Fan abruptly checked his forward rush. Tapping his toes against a rock ahead, he suddenly turned his advance into a retreat. This was the movement Dou Technique he had mastered: Dragon-Shocking Steps.

Xiao Fan raised his head and looked toward the cliff edge.

Had he not sensed something wrong at that critical moment, the arrow would have pierced his body. He still lacked experience; he had lowered his guard the instant he broke through the encirclement.

If his reaction had been even half a beat slower, he would likely have become a corpse on the ground.

A man of about twenty stood holding a Giant-Horn Bow, his shooting stance not yet lowered. Surprise flashed in his eyes, as though he had never expected Xiao Fan to dodge his arrow.

Xiao Yi Xian followed his gaze and exclaimed, "The Wolf Head Mercenary Group! Mu Li! So it was you!"

Hearing Xiao Yi Xian's cry, Mu Li turned his gaze toward her. He casually handed the bow to a subordinate beside him and said, "Xiao Yi Xian, our Wolf Head Mercenary Group discovered these ruins first. Hand over what you found, and I can let bygones be bygones."

"And with skills as fine as this young brother's, I can personally authorize your joining the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. Your standing would be no lower than mine. How does that sound?"

Xiao Yi Xian's face turned livid at Mu Li's words, and she shouted angrily, "I clearly discovered this place first! You're just trying to seize it by force. Who in Qingshan Town doesn't know how your Wolf Head Mercenary Group operates?"

Hearing Xiao Yi Xian's words, Mu Li narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing through them. Yet he turned to Xiao Fan with a smile and said, "Brother, with skills like yours, why not join my Wolf Head Mercenary Group? I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

Xiao Fan laughed loudly at Mu Li's offer. "I wouldn't dare share a room with jackals and wolves."

"You refuse the toast only to drink the punishment! Let's see how you escape."

Mu Li folded his arms at the cliff edge and stared coldly at the two.

Xiao Fan looked at the mercenaries gathered along the cliff edge and heard footsteps coming from the Mountain Cave behind him. Clearly, Mu Li was waiting for those inside to emerge so that the two sides could join forces, surround them, and kill them here.

Xiao Fan shook his head helplessly and looked at Xiao Yi Xian, feigning a bitter smile. "There's nothing we can do. Looks like we won't be escaping."

Xiao Yi Xian blinked at him and said, "Then why don't you capture me and hand me over to them? They'd surely give you an important position."

Hearing her words, Xiao Fan retorted, "A true man stands between heaven and earth. Since when does he need to sell out a woman to save himself? Anyone who does that doesn't deserve to be called a man."

Although he had said this to improve Xiao Yi Xian's impression of him, Xiao Fan had not lied. Nothing in the nine years of compulsory education from his previous life had taught men to bully women.

For some reason, Xiao Yi Xian smiled playfully at his words, then walked to the cliff edge and gave a soft whistle.

Screee!

Before long, a shrill cry rang out overhead, and an enormous dark shape swooped down from the sky.

The one diving from the sky was Xiao Yi Xian's companion, a first-rank Blue Eagle.

Xiao Yi Xian leaped onto Blue Eagle's back and smiled at Xiao Fan. "Come on! Now we can get out of here."

Seeing Xiao Yi Xian's sweet smile from atop the eagle, Xiao Fan grinned. With a slight push from his right foot, he jumped onto Blue Eagle's back.

At the cliff edge, Mu Li knew things had gone terribly wrong the moment he saw Blue Eagle swooping down. He hurriedly ordered his men to fire arrows at Xiao Fan and Xiao Yi Xian.

But before the rain of arrows could reach them, Blue Eagle gave a light sweep of the wings. The fierce gust it raised blew the arrows every which way, leaving them almost entirely harmless to Xiao Fan and Xiao Yi Xian.

With a beat of the wings, Blue Eagle carried Xiao Yi Xian and Xiao Fan straight over the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's blockade.