chsdbacks Page 109
Page 109
A long sigh escaped Mu Qinghan's throat, tinged with weariness.
He raised his hand and pressed his throbbing temples.
He couldn't remember the last time he felt so physically and mentally exhausted.
He even felt like swearing.
No, to be precise, it's "insulting the monkey".
But due to his limited vocabulary, he opened and closed his mouth for a long time, and in the end, he could only squeeze out the word "crazy".
He was truly exasperated. What on earth was he looking for?
Can you just say it directly?!
Just as he irritably kicked away a pebble at his feet, his brow twitched slightly.
Dozens of miles to the right front, a faint fluctuation of magical power quietly emanated.
Mu Qinghan's eyes darkened—although the place was close to the border of the Western Regions, it was still in the heart of the Western Regions, where demonic energy was rampant.
With such weak magical power, how dare he break in alone?
He focused intently and quickly detected several more auras.
Besides the human magic, there were three slightly stronger demonic energies, carrying a hint of ferocity, as if they were hunting.
Further away, there were four or five faint, almost dissipating auras, their hearts pounding with fear; they were ordinary humans with no cultivation.
He frowned slightly, then stopped hesitating. He gathered his magical power and his figure vanished like a snowflake, leaving only a lingering shadow of his clothes fluttering in the wind.
A thin layer of dew accumulated on the bare branches, and the cold wind howled past, carrying sand and gravel.
A boy dressed in a gray Taoist robe was half-squatting in the snow, with a black fox mask on his head covering most of his face, only revealing his delicate jawline.
If the members of the Masked Gang were here, they would definitely be shocked.
The style of this mask was remarkably similar to the one Mu Qinghan often wore.
The only difference is that the lines at the corners of her eyes are a bit rougher, and there are two extra silver lines on the tips of her ears.
But only the boy himself knew that the mask was made in imitation of Mu Qinghan's style.
Mu Qinghan may never remember a mountain village boy named "Adai," but Adai will never forget the fox mask from that night.
Several years ago, bandits ravaged his village, the firelight turning the night sky red, and cries echoing through the valley.
When the blood-stained broadsword whistled as it slashed down at him, Ah-Dai thought he was doomed, but in the instant he closed his eyes, he saw a white figure blocking his way.
The man wore a black fox mask, and the moonlight shone on him, making him appear as if he were gilded, even the falling snowflakes became a backdrop.
Without any unnecessary movements, with just a single sword strike, a flash of cold light, those vicious bandits turned into specks of light like shredded paper and vanished into the world.
At that moment, Ah-Dai lay on the snow, looking at that figure from behind, and felt that he was like a ray of light that cleaved through the darkness, and from then on, he took root in his heart.
From that night on, Ah-Dai vowed to become as strong as him.
Wearing the same masks, wielding the same swords, and walking the same path of eliminating evil and promoting good, we will save more people like ourselves back then.
Later, he eventually found the Dao Alliance. Fortunately, he was born with some talent and was noticed by a wandering old Daoist who took him as a disciple.
That's what gave me the confidence to venture into the Western Regions and try to rescue those few captured mortals.
A cold wind rose again, and the boy gripped the wooden sword in his hand tightly, his eyes shining brightly beneath the mask.
It looks just like... that figure under the moonlight back then.
He looked at the mine shaft in front of him, his gaze sharpened, and he lightly touched the ground with his toes and rushed in.
Chapter 131 The Real Fox!
"Cough cough... Don't, don't be afraid."
Ah-Dai's voice was hoarse, and every word he spoke seemed to aggravate the wound in his chest.
The sweet, metallic taste of blood surged to his throat, but he forced it back down.
He gripped the cracked wooden sword tightly with both hands, his knuckles white. The sword was stained with the monster's dark green blood and his own sweat, gleaming faintly in the dim mine tunnel.
A deep, guttural roar echoed from the depths of the mine, as gravel rained down.
The middle-aged men behind them instinctively shrank their shoulders. They had been enslaved by monsters for many years, and their arms were strong enough to carry a hundred pounds of ore. But now they huddled together like frightened lambs.
The boy in front of me was too thin. His faded clothes were full of holes, and his exposed arms were so thin that they looked like they would break if broken. There were also dark red bloodstains on his back. He swayed slightly even when he stood up straight.
"Young man, you..."
Just as a bearded man was about to speak, the boy suddenly turned to the side, his wooden sword deflecting a piece of rock that was falling from above with a clang.
As the pebbles bounced off, they grazed the boy's cheek, leaving a bloody mark. He didn't even blink; he simply pushed the wooden sword forward a little more, his thin back ramrod straight.
"I will protect you."
This time his voice was clearer.
The wind in the mine tunnel carried a musty smell, blowing the wisps of hair on the boy's forehead to reveal a pair of strikingly bright eyes.
There was no fear in there, only the light like burning charcoal, illuminating the several burly men behind him, and also the inconspicuous wooden sword in his hand.
He was clearly the one who should be protected the most, yet he was like a god shielding people from the storm.
With his scarred body and a fragile wooden sword, he erected a small but incredibly sturdy barrier for them in the dark mine tunnels.
"I am a member of the Masked Gang, and I will take you home."
The boy's voice was firm and resonant, dispelling some of the chill in the surroundings.
He raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his lips and then raised the wooden sword in his hand again.
The villagers behind him huddled behind the broken wall, watching the boy's straight back, and their trembling bodies inexplicably calmed down a bit.
In the darkness, heavy footsteps approached from afar, and several tall figures slowly emerged from the shadows.
The leading monster had bluish-gray skin, fangs protruding from the corners of its mouth, and a pair of large, copper-bell-shaped eyes staring intently at the boy, full of disdain.
"Hahaha... Third brother, you actually got hurt by this little piece of trash, what a disgrace."
On the left, a monster with wolf ears clapped its paws and laughed, its eyes practically overflowing with mockery.
The monster known as the third brother clutched a deep, bone-revealing wound on his arm, dark green blood dripping from between his fingers, his gaze towards the boy seeming to spit fire.
"Damn it, this little bastard ambushed me! Today I'm going to skin him alive, pull out his tendons, and kill him bit by bit!"
He roared viciously, his claws leaving deep marks on the ground, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze under his ferocity.
Another burly monster looked the boy up and down, then suddenly sneered.
"The Masked Gang? Isn't that that mysterious human organization? I heard they all have the cultivation of a Great Demon King, is that all?"
He pointed at Ah-Dai, his contempt undisguised, "So skinny as a stick, you probably can't even hold a sword properly, can you?"
"Sigh, humans just love to brag."
Another monster chimed in, its tail swishing impatiently behind it.
"I think it's just a bunch of useless people gathered together."
"And that so-called number one genius of the human race, half-step demon emperor? That's pure bullshit!"
No sooner had he said this than the demon beside him burst into wild laughter: "Hahaha—you know what, I heard recently that he has become the Demon Emperor."
"Demon Emperor? Hahahaha—"
All the monsters burst into laughter, their laughter filled with unbridled mockery.
"Humans are utterly foolish! With their frail bodies, do they even deserve to be called demon emperors?"
"If it weren't for our demon king being too lazy to go, the human race would have been wiped out by us long ago."
"If that day ever comes, I will definitely capture that so-called 'Demon Emperor' and make him our mount!"
The boy remained silent, only tightening his grip on the sword.
He looked at the group of laughing monsters in front of him, his eyes showing no fear, only unwavering determination.
"Hey, kid," the leader of the monsters said, a bone knife reeking of blood held between his fingers, with bits of flesh still clinging to the blade, his tone full of mockery.
"These are nothing but beastly mortals. You're lucky you're a cultivator; your life is far more precious than theirs."
His two blue-faced, fanged henchmen immediately echoed his sentiments.
"Yeah, yeah, what a waste to lose your life for a few good-for-nothings. Your own life is the most precious thing, isn't it?"
"Kill them now, then kowtow to us brothers a couple of times, and we'll let you go."
Before Ah Dai could speak, a villager wearing patched clothes suddenly squeezed out from the crowd.
He knelt down at his feet with a thud, his forehead hitting the muddy ground with a loud thud, tears mixed with blood streaming down his face.
"Young master, please, don't abandon us! Please, we...we..."
He choked up before he could finish speaking, "I...I have a wife and children waiting for me at home. If I die, how will they live..."
A furious shout suddenly rang out, and a bearded man rushed over, grabbed the kneeling villager, and slapped him across the face.
The slap was extremely powerful, knocking the person to the ground with blood seeping from the corner of their mouth.
The man didn't stop, roaring with red eyes.
"Isn't the young master's life a life too?! Why should he die in our place?"
"Because we are unarmed mortals, or because we only know how to kneel and beg others?"
After saying that, he picked up a broken hoe handle from the ground, the wooden handle still covered with dirt and grass clippings.
He gripped the handle tightly with both hands and walked step by step toward the monster, his back ramrod straight.
“Young master, we are complete strangers. You don’t need to risk your life for us, nor do you need to dirty your hands.”
"I'll fight these monsters to the death today—a few beasts, taking advantage of their cultivation to bully us mortals, do they really think we're easy to bully?"
"Even if I die, I'll bite off a piece of their flesh!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he rushed to the leader of the monsters, raised the hoe handle and smashed it down on the monster's head.
"Quickly open!"