Fairy Linglong had long struck a deal with Wang She: if he killed Ling Xiao, everything on Ling Xiao’s body would be his, and she’d heal any injuries he sustained for free.
Plus, Wang She was somewhat intrigued by her beauty, so they reached an agreement.
“His name’s Ling Xiao, an outer disciple of the Moonlight Sect. Back in Green Valley, he was only at the peak of Second Stage Mortal Realm, yet with ruthless tactics, he killed two of my junior brothers and one junior sister, all late Third Stage martial artists.”
Wang She’s voice dripped with icy venom. He’d come to Shajiabao solely to hunt Ling Xiao.
Unlike Ying Wuya, he lacked patience. Besides, She Mei and She Jiao, the two girls, were disciples of the same master as him, far closer than with Ying Wuya.
One day, a mysterious informant tipped him off that Ling Xiao had left the Moonlight Sect for Shajiabao, heading into the depths of the Fulong Mountains.
He suspected the informant was from the Moonlight Sect but didn’t dig deeper. Whoever it was, his goal remained unchanged: kill Ling Xiao to avenge his dear junior sisters.
“Fairy Linglong hit the nail on the head earlier. This kid’s cunning and sly as a fox! Back in Green Valley, he somehow masked his cultivation at the Half-Step Master level, making my juniors underestimate him. That’s how he tricked and killed them.”
Wang She said coldly, “He’s terrifying. As an enemy, I genuinely admire him. But that’s exactly why he needs to die quickly. If he grows, he’ll be a nightmare.”
“Thank you for the warning, Brother Wang!”
Fairy Linglong gasped, chilled by Wang She’s high regard for Ling Xiao. Recalling the events in the ancient martial artist’s cave, she couldn’t agree more.
Her relentless bounty was all to kill Ling Xiao swiftly, to avoid endless trouble.
“Spread the word: the bounty’s increased tenfold! Whoever kills Ling Xiao gets ten rare treasures, a hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones, and a million low-grade spirit pills! I refuse to believe no brave soul will step up under such a reward!”
Fairy Linglong’s eyes gleamed with resolve and cold indifference.
Her plan wasn’t flawed.
The colossal reward sent Shajiabao into a frenzy.
Within a day or two, over a thousand Mortal Realm martial artists flocked from elsewhere.
Outsiders might’ve thought they were hunting some ferocious beast.
When they learned it was just an early Third Stage Mortal Realm martial artist, many called Fairy Linglong mad, throwing money at a trivial target.
…
Ling Xiao’s plan worked.
Droves of martial artists, lured by Fairy Linglong’s bounty, poured into the depths of the Fulong Mountains.
Meanwhile, he stayed in his cave, refining his pills, as if the outside chaos had nothing to do with him.
The Fulong Mountains were vast, but from Shajiabao, his cave was a chokepoint.
Plus, he’d deliberately let a martial artist go to spread the word, so they soon zeroed in on the cave’s vicinity.
But the mountains were perilous. Chasing the hefty bounty, these martial artists paid a steep price.
Before even finding Ling Xiao, they’d lost dozens.
Some fell to Ice Sparrows.
Others to Wind Tail Wolves.
A few unlucky ones ran into a wounded Lava Behemoth, becoming its healing fodder.
One day, Ling Xiao left the cave on purpose, sitting in plain sight, roasting meat.
What else could he do? These idiots had searched for two days and still hadn’t found him. He was getting bored.
Soon, two martial artists reached the cave’s vicinity.
Ling Xiao’s spot was so blatant they spotted him instantly.
“Ling Xiao!” one exclaimed, thrilled.
The other reached for a thunder signal flare to alert the others in the mountains, but his companion stopped him.
“Are you daft? We’re both peak Fifth Stage Mortal Realm martial artists. Need we call others for a kid? More people means less bounty for us!”
“Fair point!”
After a quick discussion, they decided to kill Ling Xiao themselves, claim the reward quietly, and avoid becoming targets.
Whoosh!
Before they could act, the boy roasting meat turned into a gust of wind, charging at them.
His speed stunned the two peak Fifth Stage martial artists.
The terrifying force made their hearts race, sapping their will to fight. They turned and fled.
Their reactions were swift, but not swift enough.
“Boom!”
“Crack!”
One martial artist took a solid punch from Ling Xiao, his body slamming into the rock, lifeless in an instant.
The other stared at Ling Xiao in horror.
This boy was too terrifying.
His speed and strength were extraordinary. No way was this Third Stage cultivation. It felt like a massive trap.
“Could Fairy Linglong be working with this kid, luring us martial artists to our deaths?”
The thought raced through his mind, but he didn’t slow his escape.
This boy, who’d killed his companion with one punch, was no weakling. Even a fool could see that, and he was no fool.
The boy stood there, smiling, with no apparent intent to chase.
But the martial artist didn’t dare relax.
Who knew what that kid was thinking?
Who knew what might happen next?
Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat. Instinct screamed danger was near.
At the last second, he leapt, gliding a short distance mid-air.
Just as he jumped, a brilliant air sword stabbed out from where he’d stood.
Close call!
Wiping cold sweat from his brow, the martial artist felt immense relief.
This opponent was trickier than expected, but no matter. Even if he couldn’t kill Ling Xiao, bringing back this intel would still earn some reward, just less than killing him.
Right! The thunder signal flare!
It hit him to signal the others. He’d escaped hundreds of metres, moving so fast the kid couldn’t possibly catch up. He relaxed slightly.
He pulled the thunder signal flare from his storage ring, ready to fire it.
