"Uncle Luo, why are we leaving?" Di Yalan hacked furiously at a branch with her short sword as they moved, "That bastard dared to flirt with both Miss Mu and me; I wish I could run him through right now! It makes me so angry!"

"If you two hadn't shown up, there wouldn't have been any trouble at all. Now we've drawn unwanted attention," Luo Hao sighed, helplessly shaking his head. "Stop chattering and hurry up to get far away. Hopefully, we can evade them."

"Uncle Luo, haven't we left? What other trouble could there be?" Mu Yudie asked, surprised.

"It's not as simple as you think."

Luo Hao shook his head. "None of those mercenaries are good people. The way their leader looked at you, his gaze was utterly depraved; he clearly won't let this rest. When we were leaving just now, those four mercenaries who were attacking the Demon Python acted completely indifferent, yet they showed intense interest in you earlier. That's illogical. They must know the leader's temper, which is why they were so unconcerned."

Mu Yudie's delicate face shifted slightly. "Uncle Luo, you suspect they will come after us?"

"Not suspect. They absolutely will track us down!"

Luo Hao sighed internally. "They didn't attack immediately because they cared about the materials on the Demon Python. They were worried that while dealing with us, other mercenaries or martial artists might show up to steal their spoils. Once they secure the materials from the Python, they will certainly pursue us."

"The Fanged Mercenary Group has a terrible reputation. I heard they often engage in arson, murder, and robbery. Uncle Luo's judgment must be correct," Hu Long chimed in.

"Uncle Luo... I'm sorry. We were just worried about you," Mu Yudie murmured softly.

"I understand." Luo Hao cut in, his body rapidly gliding through the forest suddenly stopping. He slowly released his grip, letting Mu Yudie down.

Shi Yan also stopped at the same time, frowning. "What? Have they caught up?"

Casting an approving glance at Shi Yan, Luo Hao nodded, his expression grim. "They should be here."

"Uncle Luo, what do we do?" Hu Long snorted coldly and roared, "This is too much! We'll fight them!"

Luo Hao's thick brows were deeply furrowed. After a quick thought, he suddenly commanded, "Di Yalan, carry Little Die and go ahead. Leave our signals along the way. Young friend, you go with them, stay vigilant, and try to stick to areas rarely frequented by people. Be careful not to wander into the territory of high-level demon beasts."

"And what about you three?" Shi Yan asked calmly.

"The three of us will stay behind. Without Little Die here, we can split up and ambush them. As long as we can stall them for a while, we will catch up. Those fellows won't fight us to the death if they can't see the beauties; they should give up quickly," Luo Hao explained rapidly.

"Understood." Shi Yan nodded and smiled casually. "Uncle, don't worry. Wherever those two beauties go, I will be there."

"Go!" Luo Hao commanded softly.

Di Yalan wanted to stay and fight, but under Luo Hao's gaze, she reluctantly complied.

She stamped her foot in frustration, crouched down, forcefully hoisted Mu Yudie onto her back, and without another word, charged straight into the densest part of the jungle ahead.

Shi Yan hesitated for a moment, then pulled a small paper packet from his pack and forcefully thrust it into Luo Hao's hand. "This is a poison powder I obtained by chance, called 'Seven Serpent's Saliva,' refined from the venom of seven different poisonous snakes. It's simple to use: just smear the powder on your weapon. As long as you open a small wound on the opponent and draw just a single drop of blood, it’ll work..."

Without waiting for Luo Hao to speak, Shi Yan grinned slyly and chased after the direction Di Yalan had gone.

"Uncle Luo, isn't that approach a bit too vicious? Martial artists have their honor; using poison against people is so dishonorable," Zhao Xin frowned, looking at the poison powder in Luo Hao's hand with disgust, mumbling quietly. "That kid's origins are unknown, and he carries all sorts of insidious and cruel items. With him accompanying Miss Mu, one really can't feel at ease."

"Zhao Xin, there aren't so many absurd rules here. If it weren't for his Bone-Corroding Powder earlier, we'd already be skeletons, and you wouldn't have the chance to talk about honor here," Luo Hao snapped, frowning. He continued, "You two keep some of this powder, but don't use it yet, lest we further provoke those people. If the situation escalates beyond remedy, don't hesitate—immediately smear it on your weapons. Only by surviving can you continue to accuse that kid of despicable behavior in front of Little Die, do you understand?"

"Understood."

...

In the forest.

Barnard and the seven members of the Fanged Mercenary Group were moving swiftly, their expressions cold, with sinister smiles playing on their lips.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Arrows suddenly shot out from the trees, fast and vicious, forcing the members of the Fanged Mercenary Group to stop and deal with them.

Barnard stopped abruptly and chuckled. The right hand hidden in his sleeve finally emerged—it was a gleaming silver iron hand. As the iron hand appeared, a burst of silver light shot out, splitting in mid-air into seven crescent-shaped blade energies that flew fiercely towards Luo Hao’s hiding spot.

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

Where the blade energies passed, tree branches shattered and fell. The blade energies, undiminished in momentum and flashing with terrifying silver light, slammed directly into Luo Hao's position.

"Boom! Boom!"

An ancient tree was sliced in half and crashed down. Luo Hao’s figure flickered and vanished back into the woods.

"Tumu, you and Jinmo chase them that way. Leave this side to us," Barnard said with a gloomy smile, instructing them. "The tough fighters are all here. The ones who left first are just two women and one boy. Remember, I want the women alive! If you kill them, you won't see a single crystal coin from this haul!"

"Don't worry, Leader. I guarantee I'll thoroughly handle the little woman you want. Then, I'll wait for you to come over and serve her fiercely," Tumu roared with laughter. "Jinmo, let's go first! Hahahaha! That fiery wench, I get the first taste, and you'll be lucky enough to get a second helping this time."

"Heh heh, I can hardly wait," the other ugly mercenary, covered in pockmarks, also laughed heartily as he followed Tumu away.

"This is bad!" Luo Hao was startled and was about to send a signal to pursue.

He hadn't anticipated that Barnard would be so experienced in such matters. The leader had instantly seen through his plan and selectively dispatched men to chase Di Yalan.

"Stay here," Barnard sneered, already charging toward Luo Hao. "Friend, didn't you want to hold us up? Well, I'm not leaving now. And you shouldn't try to leave either. Let's trade a few blows and stretch our muscles."

As Barnard moved, the other mercenaries also spread out, beginning to search for traces of Hu Long and Zhao Xin.

...

Di Yalan carried Mu Yudie, weaving through the forest. With every landing, her shapely, beautiful legs powerfully pushed off the ground, and her toned, fiery physique suddenly shot forward several meters, resembling a female leopard stalking prey.

As she sped along, the short skirt beneath her armor at the waist and hips fluttered in the wind, the curves of her full, high hips mesmerizing, displaying astonishing elasticity.

Shi Yan followed behind, admiring her, secretly full of praise. He thought that Di Yalan's figure was indeed fiery; it was no wonder those mercenaries were so obsessed with her.

"Stinky boy, stop staring at my backside all the time! Pay more attention to the surroundings and look for any signs of demon beast activity," Di Yalan suddenly shouted while running wildly, as if she had eyes in the back of her head.

"It won't slow me down," Shi Yan grinned. "There are no signs of demon beasts nearby for now, but it sounds like someone is chasing us. I think I can already hear faint footsteps."

"Someone is pursuing us?" Di Yalan was shocked. "No way! Uncle Luo and the other two are behind us; they couldn't have failed to stop those wild dogs, could they?"

Shi Yan stopped abruptly, crouched down, and pressed his ear to the ground to listen. His face darkened. "Uncle Luo really didn't stop all the wild dogs. Two of them are almost upon us."

Di Yalan paused, stopping in front of him, her expression heavy. "Boy, you carry Miss Mu and keep going ahead. I'll stay here to deal with them."

"No, I’ll stay."

Shi Yan shook his head, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice, "I need to test the results of my training recently. You keep moving forward; I will catch up. Oh, and I'll leave a couple of markers just in case Uncle and the others break free and can't find us."

"You..." Mu Yudie turned her head from Di Yalan's back, staring at him blankly, the light in her eyes flickering, her beautiful face complex. "This matter originally had nothing to do with you."

"I know," Shi Yan smiled casually. "Because of you, it has everything to do with me. I still owe you a favor. When I feel I have repaid it, even if you want me to stay, I will resolutely leave." Waving his hand, Shi Yan urged Di Yalan, "Big sister, why are you still stunned?"

Di Yalan felt reluctant but forced herself to turn her head away, whispering, "Stinky boy, make sure you stay alive. If you really can catch up again, I... I might let you touch my... butt." With that, Di Yalan stamped her foot and fiercely charged ahead.

"Heh heh, then clean yourself up and wait for me," Shi Yan grinned, shouting loudly in her direction. "I'll be there soon."

Di Yalan's body trembled, and she almost stumbled. Her face flushed red as she bit her lip and cursed under her breath, "That damned little scoundrel!"

For more novels, visit storyread.net.