Chapter 175: Chapter 115: Playing Along With You Is Truly Boring
"Captain, you’re finally here! Just now, ’Big Foot’ suddenly rushed out of the woods, grabbed an Iron-Horned Deer, and ran off! We tried to stop it, but we couldn’t!" a square-faced man said anxiously.
This man was Jin Hao.
"It grabbed an Iron-Horned Deer?!" Xiang Wei exclaimed in shock. "Where did it go? What does it look like? And what’s its approximate strength?"
"It was dark, covered in hair, like a wild man, and over ten feet tall! I think it’s at the Bone Forging Level. It seemed to head west, into the forest!" Jin Hao said.
"Bone Forging Level..." Xiang Wei’s eyes narrowed.
’If it’s at the Bone Forging Level, I might be able to beat it...’
Xiang Wei considered this and immediately decided to retrieve the lost Iron-Horned Deer.
"You two stay here and keep guard. I’m going to check it out!"
"Captain, be careful!" Jin Hao said.
After speaking, Xiang Wei gripped his saber and was about to leave.
But he hadn’t taken more than two steps before he abruptly stopped.
He practiced a Cultivation Technique that made his hearing exceptionally sharp.
Just then, he heard the sounds of fighting coming from near the Blood Amber Flower Field!
’Are raiders trying to steal the Blood Amber Flowers?!’ Xiang Wei was instantly alarmed.
The Iron-Horned Deer was valuable, but at worst, he would just have to pay some compensation.
But if these Blood Amber Flowers were destroyed, his life would be over!
Xiang Wei was about to rush back when he found his path blocked.
Blocking his way were the two patrol members who had been sprawled on the ground just moments before—Jin Hao and Shi Chen!
At some point, they had gotten to their feet and were now blocking his way back.
Judging by their appearance, they showed no signs of injury at all!
"Jin Hao, Shi Chen, what are you..."
Xiang Wei froze.
"Captain, why don’t you not go back just yet," Jin Hao said lightly.
"What do you mean by that?!"
Xiang Wei narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on the hilt of his saber.
He was beginning to realize something was very wrong.
"Captain, it would have been so much better if you’d just gone after ’Big Foot.’ Your wanting to go back now... it puts us in a tough spot," Shi Chen said.
Then, he saw them both draw their sabers, the auras around them intensifying.
"Bone Forging Level!" Xiang Wei exclaimed in astonishment.
The two of them had been hiding their true strength all this time!
"A ploy to lure the tiger from the mountain? Who are you people?!" Xiang Wei roared.
How could he not realize by now that he had fallen into a trap!
"As for who we are, Captain Xiang, you don’t need to know."
Sabers in hand, the two of them slowly closed in on Xiang Wei.
CLANG—
Xiang Wei slashed at Jin Hao while simultaneously spinning, trying to bypass them and get back to the Blood Amber Flower Field.
He didn’t want to get entangled with them; the priority was to get back and reinforce the field.
But Shi Chen’s figure flashed, blocking his path once more as he swung his saber.
Xiang Wei had no choice but to halt and parry the blow.
The three of them became locked in combat.
’This Saber Technique... it’s not from the Cangyun Sect! It looks like it has traces of the Demon Sect!’
The longer Xiang Wei fought, the more alarmed he became.
These two men had been with him for a year.
In that year, Xiang Wei thought he had them figured out completely.
He never imagined they were actually undercover spies from the Demon Sect!
He didn’t suspect they had been replaced by impostors.
Because even though their auras had changed, their every move, and even their subtle expressions, were unmistakably their own.
This meant they had been lying in wait here for a whole year!
’I’m afraid there are other spies within the Sect...’
The more Xiang Wei thought about it, the more he realized this matter might be far bigger than he had imagined!
’It might not even be just about the Blood Amber Flower Field... No, I have to notify the Sect at once!’
However, the two were pressing him hard, and Xiang Wei found it difficult to break away.
All three were in the Bone Forging Realm.
Xiang Wei was at the Mid-stage of Bone Forging, while the other two were only at the Early Stage of Bone Forging.
One-on-one, they were no match for Xiang Wei.
But the two had cultivated some unknown Saber Technique, and when they fought together, their combined power was significantly greater.
He even felt his vision start to blur, and his saber strikes grew sluggish.
’Damn it... I’m poisoned!’
Xiang Wei was nearly cut several times, but he managed to narrowly avoid the blows thanks to his extensive combat experience.
But he knew that if this continued, he would eventually be worn down and killed by them.
Just as he was at a loss, he suddenly heard a faint whistling sound in the distance.
It sounded like someone was humming a tune.
’It must be someone on patrol nearby!’
Xiang Wei’s heart leaped with joy, and he immediately shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Help! Someone, help! There are remnants of the Demon Sect here!"
The faces of Jin Hao and Shi Chen changed, and they decided to end the fight quickly.
The two of them bit the tips of their tongues and activated some strange Cultivation Technique. Their faces began to flush red, and the veins on their necks bulged.
Xiang Wei suddenly felt the pressure on him intensify. In a moment of carelessness, he was kicked in the chest and sent flying backward.
Just as Jin Hao and Shi Chen were about to finish Xiang Wei off, a figure arrived like a bolt of lightning.
The person wore a patrol uniform and had a fair, handsome face.
A blade of grass dangled from his mouth.
It was Jiang Che.
His patrol area wasn’t far from here, and he had come over after faintly hearing the shouts.
He hadn’t expected to run into a scene like this.
When Xiang Wei saw someone arrive, his heart had leaped with joy. But upon realizing it was Jiang Che, it immediately sank.
’It’s just this Noble Family brat who barely reached Force Integration...’
"Kid, you really want to stick your nose into this?" Jin Hao said coldly.
Normally, he would have killed him with a single slash.
But after fighting Xiang Wei for so long, his own Strength was nearly depleted. Especially after activating his Secret Technique, which, despite boosting his power for a short time, also consumed stamina at an incredibly fast rate.
And no matter how weak Jiang Che was, he was still a Force Integration Artist with plenty of stamina.
Plus, Xiang Wei still had some fight left in him.
If a real fight broke out, the outcome would be uncertain.
So he decided to focus on intimidation.
"Jiang Che, these two are Demon Sect spies! Hurry back to the Cangyun Sect and report this!"
Xiang Wei no longer expected Jiang Che to save him; his only hope now was for him to escape and deliver the message.
But Jiang Che didn’t flee. Instead, he asked:
"Hey, you guys got any money on you?"
All three of them were stunned.
"Money?"
Jin Hao laughed, pulling a money pouch from his robes. "I have lots of money. You help us kill him, and all of this is yours!"
"Jiang Che, don’t believe him! He’s lying to you!" Xiang Wei cried out desperately.
But Jiang Che seemed to believe it, his eyes lighting up as he said, "For real?"
"Why would I lie to you? Compared to the Blood Amber Flower Field, what’s a little money? After this is done, endless wealth and glory will be yours!" Jin Hao laughed.
"Alright, but you have to give me the money first." Jiang Che walked straight toward Jin Hao, as if to take the money pouch.
"Stop! Don’t come any closer! You kill him first, then I’ll give you the money," Jin Hao said with a frown.
"Then give me half first." Jiang Che continued to walk forward.
Seeing this, Xiang Wei’s heart filled with despair.
At first, he had only thought of Jiang Che as some scion of a Noble Family who had gotten his position through connections.
He never imagined the man was actually such a greedy and foolish scoundrel!
A surge of Qi and Blood rushed through him, his Qi Force running rampant within his body. He was on the verge of suffering a cultivation deviation and hurriedly circulated his energy to suppress it.
But when he looked again, he saw that Jiang Che had actually raised his saber and was slashing at Jin Hao!
"This..."
Xiang Wei, being a veteran of the Jianghu, instantly realized that Jiang Che was trying to save him!
He struggled to his feet, raising his saber to help Jiang Che.
But Jiang Che shouted, "Captain Xiang, I’ll hold them off here! You go reinforce the Blood Amber Flower Field!"
"How can you do that?! You’ll die..."
Xiang Wei stopped mid-sentence when he realized that Jiang Che was actually managing to hold his own against both Jin Hao and Shi Chen!
Although he wasn’t gaining the upper hand, he didn’t seem to be in any danger!
His eye for combat was sharp; he could tell Jin Hao and Shi Chen weren’t holding back. It was that Jiang Che’s true strength was immense, far surpassing that of a typical Force Integration Martial Artist!
Xiang Wei was utterly shocked.
Even though the two had expended a lot of stamina, they were, after all, genuine Bone Forging Realm experts!
How could this kid, who had supposedly just reached Force Integration, fight to such a degree?
’Looks like he didn’t get in through connections after all...’
"Captain Xiang, my Qinggong is excellent, so don’t worry! If I can’t beat them, I can still escape! Hurry back and help! It’ll be too late if you wait!" Jiang Che yelled.
Xiang Wei hesitated for a moment.
It was true. Even if he joined the fight now, it would be a while before a clear victor emerged.
And with this delay, the Blood Amber Flower Field would likely be completely lost.
"Alright, Junior Brother Jiang. Remember to run if you can’t win!" Xiang Wei said in a low, serious voice.
With that, he raised his saber and rushed toward the Blood Amber Flower Field.
Seeing this, Jin Hao and Shi Chen tried to intercept him but were tied down by Jiang Che, forced to watch helplessly as Xiang Wei escaped.
"You brat, how dare you ruin our plans!"
Jin Hao roared, biting the tip of his tongue once more.
Instantly, his entire body turned a shade redder.
While this Secret Technique could boost his explosive power for a short time, the price was a shortened lifespan.
Activating it repeatedly in such a short period caused immense damage to his body.
But seeing their plan on the verge of failure, he couldn’t be bothered with the consequences.
But then, Jiang Che remarked coolly:
"That guy is finally gone... You know, playing along with your little act was getting really boring."
"Playing an act?" The two of them froze.
’Wait, what does he mean by ’playing an act’?!’
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