Chapter 23: Chapter 23 Two-Star Task
As the first martial arts family in Moyun City, although the Xue family had enormous strength, their lineage was not flourishing.
Elder Xue had only two sons, the eldest died at the hands of an enemy when he was twenty, leaving only Xue Tianmu as the sole heir.
Thankfully, the second son, Xue Long, was astute and resolute, and over the years, he perfectly consolidated the Xue family’s position as the family’s spokesperson. Anyone with discerning eyes knew that Xue Long was undoubtedly the future family head of the Xue family.
However, this future head of the family was killed by a young boy right under their noses.
What’s more terrifying was that Xue Tianmu was also dead.
In other words, the Xue family, at this moment, has completely lost their heirs.
The high-level members of the Xue family felt their brains buzzing. They could hardly imagine how the Elder Xue, who usually managed their affairs from the seclusion of his courtyard, would react to this news.
Shi Xiaole was certainly going to die, but as followers of Xue Long, they were afraid that they too would end up being buried with him under Elder Xue’s wrath.
After killing Xue family’s nephew and uncle, Shi Xiaole opened a gap and directly broke through. The Xue family’s experts were awakened in astonishment, and they pursued him like madmen.
"This junior, he’s really decisive."
In the tavern, Uncle Fu murmured to himself.
"Hehe, I told you he’s an interesting person. Let’s follow him and watch. We still owe him."
The little girl commanded persistently with gleaming eyes, not wanting to miss any part of the exciting events.
Shi Xiaole hurried towards the city gate because he knew that once the Xue family responded, he would find it difficult to escape.
At this time, the disadvantage of his flying skill was manifested again.
His Floating Step was just a third-class lower ranked movement technique, even if Shi Xiaole had mastered it to the Transformation Phase, he still could not shake off the large number of Xue family experts chasing him.
What’s more, several Xue family experts who had reached the seventh level of Hidden Qi were almost catching up.
He suppressed his urge to stop and fight. He absolutely could not be surrounded at this time; otherwise, he would have only one way out - death.
As he turned a corner, a fragrant breeze drifted towards him, and a figure suddenly appeared and scattered some white powder. He heard screams erupting behind him.
"Follow me."
The woman said anxiously.
Shi Xiaole was startled, and after thinking about his dramatically increased strength, he followed her.
After many twists and turns, they approached the city gate through quiet alleys. Suddenly, the Charming Fox changed her expression, "This isn’t good. The Xue family has received the news and has blocked the city gate."
Elder Xue and the City Lord have always been close, so the City Lord certainly wouldn’t mind granting Elder Xue a favor.
"Miss, you should leave. I’m the one who killed the man."
Shi Xiaole was clear about his debt.
Back in the Third Eye Cave Residence, although Charming Fox didn’t have good intentions towards him, she eventually saved him, same as this time. He didn’t want to involve others in his troubles.
The Charming Fox said, "I can leave, but I want to have sex with you one more time."
Rows of sweat dripped from Shi Xiaole’s forehead. What a time she chose.
Charming Fox suddenly laughed coquettishly: "I was just teasing you... I have already made a move against the Xue family, so I can’t be out of the picture now."
Shi Xiaole sighed deeply.
Charming Fox looked at him and said curiously, "Little brother, I’m really surprised at the rapid improvement of your abilities. You must have gotten something good in the cave."
"I acquired a third-class top-grade martial arts manual. If we can escape this time, I can give it to you."
Shi Xiaole’s status as the Stone Touching Master was an absolute secret he would never reveal. In order to repay her kindness, giving her the manual seemed like a good choice.
As expected, Charming Fox’s eyes brightened upon hearing his words. For most martial artists, particularly rogue cultivators, a third-class top-grade martial arts manual was extremely profound.
In fact, even in the Huajian Sect, owning it would be considered having a top-class core skill. The Xuanhua Mind Method, which only the Sect Master of the Huajian Sect could practice, was an example of a third-class top-grade internal skill.
"Do you have a way to escape?"
Looking straight at Shi Xiaole, Charming Fox suddenly recalled the scene where he had led her out of the maze.
"I do."
Shi Xiaole’s answer filled Charming Fox with joy, and she quickly asked, "What is it?"
"Kill our way out before the reinforcements arrive!"
Charming Fox: "..."
"Who goes there, halt!"
The soldier guarding the city gate immediately shouted at the sight of two masked figures approaching.
Unexpectedly, one of them threw some kind of drug and all the surrounding soldiers were fainted. Then, to the astonishment of the staring locals and the angry Xue family masters rushing over, the gate was opened, and they left with a triumphant stride.
Soon, the news reached the City Lord Mansion.
"Damned, he dare to mess with the military and opened the city gate by himself. Issue the City Lord’s arrest warrant and track down..."
The City Lord of Moyun City was a man in his forties. Before he could finish his command, an old man and a younger man strolled into the hall, looking utterly unconcerned about him.
"Who are you, daring to barge into this official’s mansion?"
The Moyun City Lord stood up, releasing the imposing manner of the ninth stratum of Hidden Qi.
However, Uncle Fu was more terrifying than him. With just a swift move, he directly smacked him down to the ground, where he couldn’t even twitch.
As for the other high-ranking members of the City Lord’s Mansion present in the hall, they had long been secretly incapacitated by Uncle Fu and could only watch helplessly.
"I order you not to trouble those two people. You understand what I’m saying, right?"
The little girl hopped up to the Moyun City Lord and waved a token in front of his eyes.
After seeing the design on the token, the Moyun City Lord’s face drastically changed, his pupils almost shrinking to a dot.
...
Shi Xiaole and Charming Fox fled desperately, charging into the dense forest. After a day and night, they finally shook off the dogged pursuit of the Xue family experts.
"Phew, that was a close call."
Charming Fox sighed in relief. Until this point, she still had an unreal feeling.
This was not out of relief for having shaken off nearly a hundred experts from the Xue family, but when she saw the city gates close, her heart had sunken. She had thought they were doomed, but surprisingly escaping had been this simple.
Shi Xiaole’s plan seemed simple and crude, but Charming Fox had to admit, sometimes being simple and crude was the best way to solve problems.
Although doing so might land them in a lawsuit, it was still better than being caught by the Xue family and living a life worse than death.
A city was faintly in sight, and three characters written above its gate read Feiyan City.
As it turned out, in their urgency, the two of them had run all the way to Feiyan City, which was nearby Moyun City.
Shi Xiaole suddenly stopped in his tracks and said, "Miss, I will recite the mnemonic chant of Heaven and Earth Net Force for you." He had decided to fulfil his promise.
Charming Fox said, "Are you really willing to part with it?"
Seeing Shi Xiaole nod without hesitation, his eyes filled with sincerity, Charming Fox burst into laughter: "I suddenly don’t want it anymore."
This took Shi Xiaole by surprise.
"You wish to repay me so that we are even. I won’t make it easy for you. Remember me, little brother. If we meet again, I won’t let you go."
Charming Fox boldly threw him a flirtatious glance. With a peal of melodious laughter, she walked towards Feiyan City alone and soon blended into the crowd, disappearing from sight.
"This woman..."
Shi Xiaole couldn’t figure out Charming Fox. Was leaving a debt of gratitude more important than acquiring superior martial arts skills?
He couldn’t control others’ thoughts. Forget about whether they would meet again in the future, even if they did, he could just repay her his debt then.
Thinking this way, he felt a lot more relaxed and couldn’t help but also head towards Feiyan City.
If his memory served him right, his aunt resided in Feiyan City. This fortuitous trip allowed him to visit her.
In terms of prosperity, Feiyan City was even more bustling than Moyun City, not to mention Emerald Feather City. As Shi Xiaole walked along, he noticed many skilled martial artists on the street, all heading towards the same mansion.
It appeared something was happening there.
"How interesting, Mr. Zhang is hiring guards to escort his daughter to Thousand Poison Mountain."
"Thousand Poison Mountain is dangerous, but under heavy reward, there must be brave men. Didn’t you see it? Whichever guard gets selected will receive one hundred thousand taels of silver as compensation, regardless of success or failure, what a deal..."
Next to the gate of the Zhang residence, a group of martial artists congregated, looking at the notice on the wall and discussing amongst themselves.
Shi Xiaole had heard of Thousand Poison Mountain. It was said to be the domicile of Thousand Poison Elder, and within the mountain, all kinds of poisonous creatures, plants, and flowers were found, making it difficult for outsiders to enter.
Thousand Poison Elder, known for his ultimate medical and poison mastery, had a peculiar rule: if you wanted him to cure a disease, you must arrive at the top of Thousand Poison Mountain alive.
The issue was, those who had the capability to reach the mountain’s peak, why would they need his help?
And if someone needed his help, how many could reach the peak?
The notice implied that Miss Zhang had contracted an incurable disease, so out of desperation, they wanted to hire a few guards to escort her to the top of Thousand Poison Mountain.
Shi Xiaole shook his head. He didn’t want to get involved in this. However, just as he was about to step away, he heard the system’s voice in his head.
"Those who have the ability must bear more responsibilities; meddle in other’s business! Task Three: Help Miss Zhang reach the peak of Thousand Poison Mountain and receive treatment from Thousand Poison Elder."
"Task Difficulty: 2 Stars."
"Task Reward: Draw once from secondary martial arts; Gain five hundred reward points. Failure Penalty: Lose two realm stages; have a random mediocre third-grade martial art erased and be prohibited from practicing it lifetime."
Shi Xiaole came to a sudden stop.
The mission released this time was actually a two-star mission.
He could guess that escorting Miss Zhang might be harder than he thought. But the reward for the successful completion of the task was so tempting that Shi Xiaole could hardly resist.
Secondary martial arts!
The Huajian Sect, as one of the thirteen schools by the Lu River, was quite well-known in a few cities nearby. But its sect’s martial arts were just top third-grade.
If Shi Xiaole could obtain a secondary martial art, without a doubt, his strength would progress much faster. Then, what would he have to fear from the Grand Elder?
"Fortune favors the bold."
After pondering for a moment, Shi Xiaole decided to try his luck. He may not get another chance for a two-star task.
