Chapter 141: Chapter 140: Having Some Fun

The Vile-Insect Woodland.

Its dense branches and lush foliage formed a canopy of green that stretched for seventy to eighty li.

The entire woodland appeared tranquil, but it was actually overrun with all sorts of venomous creatures.

A closer look would reveal birds, immobilized and cocooned in spider silk, trapped on a web.

A palm-sized spider dangled upside down from a single thread, its body hidden by leaves, its multiple compound eyes staring intently at every movement on the ground below.

Then there were the slender, emerald-green snakes, almost perfectly camouflaged among the blades of grass, ready to strike an unsuspecting passerby at a moment’s notice.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

As the muffled impacts rang out, the ground trembled slightly. Sensing danger, the small snake quickly coiled up, no longer daring to sway its head.

The spider in mid-air frantically reeled in its silk, rapidly pulling itself upward. It then snatched the white cocoon from its web and scurried along the strands into a nearby tree hollow.

Its huge body curled into a tight ball.

Following the sounds of impact, four dark-red figures that had been slammed against trees slowly slid to the ground.

"Don’t kill me! Please, don’t kill me!"

"I’ll give you everything! Just spare our lives!"

"We’re all from the same sect! We can talk this out!"

"..."

The moment these Blood Slaughter Sect disciples hit the ground, they ignored their injuries and scrambled to kneel, kowtowing and begging the young man and woman before them for mercy.

They quickly untied the cloth pouches from their waists and held them high above their heads, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

Four cultivators at the Mid Stage of the Meridian Passage Realm, each sent flying with a single kick. They were no match for their attackers, unable to last a single exchange.

How could they not be terrified?

"You’re far more useful to me alive than dead. Why would I kill you?"

Wu Chen said with a light chuckle, then looked at Xue Hongling. "Go collect the things in those pouches."

Xue Hongling looked at Wu Chen, her gaze filled with confusion.

’According to the rules, the spoils go to whoever does the work. I didn’t lift a finger, so how can I take advantage of this?’

She shook her head and said, "This is all yours. I can’t take it."

"Who said I was giving it to you?"

Wu Chen’s eyes widened, his voice rising slightly. "I’m just worried these pouches might be poisoned, or that these guys might have a trick up their sleeves. That’s why I’m having you go get them!"

Xue Hongling: "..."

The Blood Slaughter Sect disciples: "..."

Listening to the pair’s conversation, the four Blood Slaughter Sect disciples broke out in a cold sweat, their trembling worsening.

As elite inner sect disciples, they naturally recognized Xue Hongling.

Not only was she an Elder’s personal disciple, but her looks also ranked among the top ten of all female disciples.

For a figure like her, a single word would be enough to make countless disciples follow her and risk their lives for her protection.

’And yet, you’re using a girl like that to check for poison? To test for danger?’

’Are you even fucking human?!’

’Most importantly, if you treat a woman like this, you must be even more ruthless with men!’

They shivered, unable to comprehend what he planned to do with them if he wasn’t going to kill them.

But what astonished them even more was that Xue Hongling—who, by all accounts, was always cold and aloof—actually obeyed him without question. She walked forward and cautiously took the pouches from their hands to inspect them.

Each of the four pouches contained one medicinal herb, worth about twenty-some Contribution Points.

Not great, but not terrible either.

After putting everything into her storage pouch, Xue Hongling tossed the empty pouches back and said coldly to the men:

"Get lost!"

The group was dumbfounded. ’He’s really letting us go?!’

After all, as disciples of the Blood Slaughter Sect, they knew how their own people operated. Their begging just now had been a routine formality after defeat; they had held no real hope of survival.

As a result, they couldn’t process it, their minds and bodies momentarily disconnected.

"I told you to get lost. You’re not leaving? Does that mean you’re asking to die?"

While the men were still stunned, an indifferent voice drifted over.

Several zhang away, Wu Chen took a slow step forward. With a flick of his thumb against the hilt, he pushed the blade out of its scabbard by over two inches.

SHING!

Hearing the scraping sound of the blade against the scabbard, the Blood Slaughter Sect disciples jolted and were instantly snapped back to reality.

"Thank you both for sparing our lives!"

"We will never forget your great kindness!"

"..."

The four disciples quickly kowtowed again and spouted more pleasantries before grabbing their empty pouches and scrambling away into the depths of the forest.

Just escaping with their lives was the best possible outcome. As for losing their medicinal herbs, they could just go search for more.

In this treasure-filled land, as long as they looked, they could still find three to five decent-quality herbs. They wouldn’t have to leave empty-handed!

Watching the four flee, Xue Hongling tightened her grip on her scabbard.

"You’re just letting them go?"

These four were the first team of Blood Slaughter Sect disciples they had encountered since entering the Vile-Insect Woodland.

Xue Hongling didn’t understand why Wu Chen had only taken their herbs instead of killing them while he was at it.

She remembered that the last time she met Wu Chen, he hadn’t been this merciful.

"This woodland stretches for seventy to eighty li. If I don’t let them go, am I supposed to personally search every inch of this forest for medicinal herbs?"

Wu Chen shrugged and offered a simple explanation.

"Didn’t I tell you before? They gather the herbs, and I rob them! Isn’t it all perfectly logical?"

"By letting them go, I can prepare for the next harvest!"

"Forcing them to their deaths would actually be a loss for me."

"..."

Xue Hongling fell silent.

Whenever Wu Chen mentioned this, she couldn’t help but think of the seventy-odd Blood Evil Elders waiting outside the secret realm for everyone to return.

"No matter how much you rob, in the end, it’ll just benefit..."

She lowered her head and mumbled dejectedly, feeling that in this game of "the mantis stalks the cicada," the Elders were the oriole waiting at the end.

"..."

Wu Chen didn’t explain further. He just patted Xue Hongling’s somewhat slender shoulders, giving her a reassuring look.

’After all, no matter what, I can definitely manage to send Xue Hongling out through the secret realm’s entrance, where the four sects are, and get her away from the Blood Slaughter Sect for good.’

’After that, the plan is to first kill all the Blood Slaughter Sect disciples inside the secret realm, cutting off the sect’s next generation.’

’Then, I’ll rely on my own power, return to the Blood Slaughter Sect’s entrance to the secret realm, and slaughter those seventy-odd Elders.’

’Even if I can’t kill all seventy at once, I’m confident I can take down ten or so without much trouble.’

’When they finally react and attack together, I’ll just slip back into the secret realm.’

’Then, when they don’t dare to follow and let their guard down, I’ll suddenly jump out and give them a scare.’

’Wu Chen didn’t know if his enemies would enjoy all that coming and going, but just imagining the scene made him a little giddy with excitement.’

’And if they got pissed off by his in-and-out tactics and decided to charge into the secret realm...’

’...well, that would be more than he could hope for.’

’Wu Chen planned to show these people that there are vast differences even among those in the Jade Bone Realm.’

Of course, Wu Chen wouldn’t mention any of these arrangements to Xue Hongling. For one, it concerned his foundation.

He was referring to Deep Red.

For another, she was a girl. No matter how much he explained, she would inevitably worry about one thing or another.

Looking at the dense forest before them, Wu Chen took two medicine-soaked cloths from his storage pouch and handed one to Xue Hongling.

After covering their mouths and noses, the two of them headed deeper into the woodland, beginning their journey of plunder.

...

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

「In the heart of the Vile-Insect Woodland.」

A group of people was walking hurriedly through the area.

"Senior Brothers, we were truly at our wits’ end!"

More than twenty disciples crowded around the three men in the lead, complaining with long faces.

"If we weren’t forced into a corner, how would we dare bother you, Senior Brothers!"

"We know our place. We know you’re busy."

Another follower chimed in, also looking miserable.

"But those two thieves are just too strong! And too despicable!"

"They’re using their high cultivation realms to run amok in this forest instead of daring to fight for opportunities on the main path!"

"In just a few days, those two have plundered constantly! They’ve taken at least a thousand Contribution Points’ worth of herbs from us!"

"As long as you three Senior Brothers are willing to act, those thousand Contribution Points in herbs will naturally all be yours!"

"That’s right!"

The others all chimed in as well. "We have no objections!"

"Besides, one of the two is the famous Xue Hongling from our sect."

"If you make this trip, Senior Brothers, you won’t just pocket a thousand Contribution Points—you’ll get to take home a beauty, too!"

Upon hearing about the thousand Contribution Points, much of the displeasure on the faces of the three invited men vanished.

And when they heard that one of the two thieves was Xue Hongling, who ranked in the top ten on the sect’s beauty list...

...the displeasure in their eyes disappeared completely.

A hint of fiery lust emerged, and their mouths suddenly felt dry.

"Well now, this trip won’t have been a waste after all!"

The leader licked his lips, and the crowd around him started laughing and winking in agreement.

They knew that by inviting these three Senior Brothers, all at the Mid Stage of the Jade Bone Realm, they could at least drive off Xue Hongling and her companion, even if they couldn’t kill them.

Of course, the best-case scenario would be for both sides to suffer heavy losses. Then, people like them could reap the rewards as the opportunistic fisherman.

But they hadn’t been walking for long before the group stopped, their expressions turning wary as they looked ahead.

Because not far in front of them, two figures had also come to a slow stop.

Even though their faces were covered by cloths, revealing only a pair of cold eyes, the three Jade Bone Realm disciples at the front still recognized one of them.

Xue Hongling.

"I thought it would take a few days to find them. I didn’t expect it to be so effortless!"

The strongest of the trio, a cultivator at the Sixth Layer of the Jade Bone Realm, stepped forward and laughed. "Brothers, let’s attack together."

"Kill the man, but leave Xue Hongling for us brothers to... have some fun with!"

Hearing this, a look of disgust flashed in Xue Hongling’s eyes. She stepped forward and raised her blade to attack, but Wu Chen, beside her, placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks.

She thought Wu Chen was telling her to calm down so he could handle it, but instead she heard him shout in a displeased tone:

"Hey, hey, hey, hey! Listen to you guys! We’re all men here, so why the prejudice against men?"

"Can’t you just kill Xue Hongling and leave me behind to... have some fun with you brothers?"

Xue Hongling: "???"

All the disciples: "???"

At his words, everyone fell silent.

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