Chapter 14: Our Hero Chu Liang
Previously...
The Human-Faced Xiao escaped without any worries.
This was not what Chu Liang had envisioned happening.
Initially, they had lagged behind Fang Ting by a considerable distance.
Then Chu Liang saw Fang Ting being struck to the ground by the huge branch and heard Lin Bei cry out, "Ah! It seems like Senior Brother Fang can't catch up to that demonic entity! We are going to fail our mission."
Chu Liang sighed and, in a calm demeanor, stated, "Since Senior Brother Fang can't do it, I'll have to give it a try."
"Eh??"
Lin Bei, standing beside him, found Chu Liang's words somewhat unusual. Then, he saw Chu Liang take out a talisman.
Indeed, if Fang Ting could catch up to the Human-Faced Xiao, he wouldn't squander the only talisman bestowed by the White Pagoda.
Spirit Cat Leaping Talisman!
It was said to have the effect of significantly enhancing agility.
Chu Liang held the talisman with two fingers in his left hand and, with a wave, a burst of flames erupted, completely consuming the talisman with a resounding bang.
Pop!
With the talisman activated, Chu Liang immediately felt a feline spirit awakening within him. His body started moving in a straight line involuntarily.
With slight effort, he easily leaped several meters, landing gracefully.
The Spirit Cat Leaping Talisman was truly remarkable!
Its effect exceeded all expectations.
If the White Pagoda had a customer review system, he would unquestionably give this talisman a five-star rating.
It took him a couple of movements to adjust to this power. Then, he exerted all his energy, fully activating his movement technique as he pursued the Human-Faced Xiao. If observed from above, one would witness a black streak of afterimage and a white streak of afterimage racing at an astonishing speed. In fact, the gap between the two was closing rapidly.
Gradually, he caught up to the Human-Faced Xiao, and a sense of exhilaration overcame him. He felt the feline spirit within him growing excited from the thrill of the chase.
Fortunately, the effects of the talisman would only last for fifteen minutes. If it persisted any longer, he might experience some adverse consequences.
Nonetheless...
When the Human-Faced Xiao turned back and saw him, its large face displayed a shocked and terrified expression. In that instant... Chu Liang couldn't contain his excitement, and almost instinctively, he licked his palm.
Unbeknownst to him, that gentle lick inflicted significant damage on the young Human-Faced Xiao's psyche.
The Human-Faced Xiao had already noticed that there was something really weird about this person. It continued to focus ahead, desperately yearning for an additional pair of legs to make a swift escape.
But could it escape?
It would be very difficult~
Suppressing the urge to continue teasing it, Chu Liang rushed forward with his sword in hand. Then, he swung his sword, and a three-chi-long radiance emanated with the swing.
The Human-Faced Xiao seemed to have noticed. Its silhouette blurred and became transparent, dodging this close-range attack!
This creature was incredibly agile, but its combat strength was not formidable. Its only divine talent was the ability to phase through objects for a brief moment. That was how it had managed to crawl out of the cage Fang Ting had constructed with his sword aura.
Unfortunately, its phasing ability only lasted for a brief moment.
For an opponent who could match its speed, this ability held little significance.
As its form was restored once more, Chu Liang had already raised his left hand and a red beam of light flew out from his sleeves.
Demon-Binding Rope!
As he was so close to the Human-Faced Xiao, there was simply no way for the Human-Faced Xiao to dodge.
And as the Human-Faced Xiao happened to be in its human form, the binding was completed within that instant.
At that moment, it felt as though a thousand horses were galloping in its mind, and a voice was screaming...
F*ck!
I knew this dude was a pervert!
I knew it!
Countless demons and monsters inhabited the forest of this Southern Bastion Mountain and every demonic entity was mentally prepared for the possibility of death at any time.
Even though...the Human-Faced Xiao could accept death, it had a really difficult time accepting that it would die in such a humiliating manner.
But Life was just like that; many things that couldn't be accepted had to happen anyway. It was like the autumn wind that had caused a hundred flowers to wither, and the great river that had carried the departed souls to the east. In this vast and indifferent world, one could only sigh and accept what had come.
Before the darkness came, all that the Human Faced Xiao could see was the light of the sword.
The Human-Faced Xiao was restrained and killed right away.
Slice!
...
When the group saw Chu Liang coming back with the Human-Faced Jade Spirit Flower in hand, they couldn't believe their eyes.
It was truly unexpected. When they thought they would fail this mission, he had been the one who stepped up and saved the day!
Fang Ting furrowed his brows in a serious manner and asked, "Junior Brother Chu... how did you do it?"
Xu Ziqing was pleasantly surprised. She asked, "Senior Brother Chu, I didn't know you were this powerful. Why didn't you tell us?"
Lin Bei asked in admiration, "Brother Chu, how are you so skilled with your hands? Tsk... Can you teach me these techniques?"
"Hm?" Xu Ziqing, feeling puzzled, looked to Lin Bei and asked, "What techniques are you talking about?"
Obviously, the young girl couldn't recognize the peculiarity of this Demon-Binding Rope.
"Oh. I meant the movement technique! Body movements!" Lin Bei hastily rephrased.
"It's nothing..." Chu Liang said with a smile. "I just used a rather powerful talisman. Once I use it, it's gone, and I am sad about it."
"I see," everyone said in realization.
This was exactly what they had guessed. With Chu Liang, having achieved the beginning stage of the Spiritual Awareness Realm, it was simply impossible for him to display such physical techniques. If he had such divine techniques, he wouldn't have kept it a secret.
And so, they guessed that he must have used some pills or talisman that he had reserved for a crucial moment.
As for the origin of this talisman, no one asked a single question about it.
In the world of immortal cultivation, it was taboo to ask people about their enchanted tools, talismans, pills, and divine items...
The logic was quite simple: one's cultivation level was visible, and unless there was a significant gap, it was challenging to conceal this. On the other hand, these items could be hidden and, at crucial moments, could compensate for differences in cultivation levels.
Everyone had their little secrets, and some of these were utilized for self-preservation; naturally, they didn't want others to know. Sometimes, keeping a small piece of information hidden could be the key to saving one's life.
Regarding the origin of treasures, it was relatively less problematic for well-known and good sects like the Mount Shu Sect. Yet, many unaffiliated cultivators in the martial world had not obtained a single item through entirely legitimate means.
Regardless of where they were, asking about these matters directly was not very tactful.
Furthermore, as Chu Liang was the only disciple of Silver Sword Peak, and all the resources provided by the Peak Master of the Silver Sword Peak were for him, it wasn't at all surprising that his teacher had bestowed him some valuable items to keep himself safe.
At this moment, the cultivators were thinking about the value of that talisman. If this talisman had been capable of making Chu Liang, who was at the third realm of cultivation, quicker than Fang Ting, who was at the fourth realm of cultivation, it must have been very costly.
This might have been the life-saving item he had preserved.
And the sword coins earned from this mission definitely wouldn't be enough to buy such a talisman.
And for the sake of the team's success in this mission, he used this precious treasure with great pain, without hesitation!
Through this brief journey, those who initially harbored some hostility toward Chu Liang due to his Silver Sword Peak background had now drastically changed their views of him.
This was a testament to his personal charisma.
If the Mount Shu Sect were to select a model disciple now, they would undoubtedly cast their votes for Chu Liang without hesitation!
Xu Ziqing, being the considerate young lady, smiled and said, "Senior Brother Chu, since you've used such a precious talisman, you can have my share of the reward for this mission to compensate for your loss."
She truly didn't care about the reward as she had her Teacher and older brother looking out for her. Her primary purpose for undertaking missions was to gain experience.
Upon hearing this, Chu Liang smiled and said, "That doesn't seem appropriate..."
Fang Ting, upon hearing this, also chimed in, "Indeed. You have sacrificed so much for the success of this mission and the least we can do is to ensure that you don't bear too much of a loss. Take my share of the reward as well."
His main reason for coming on this mission was to accompany Xu Ziqing, and he didn't care much about the compensation. Moreover, when the Human-Faced Xiao had stolen the Human-Faced Jade Essence Flower earlier, he thought that he would be shamed. Chu Liang's heroic intervention had truly saved the day for his team, and his gratitude for Chu Liang at this moment was beyond words.
As Chu Liang was about to politely decline, Lin Bei interjected, "Brother Chu, you shouldn't refuse! We all can see the extent of your contributions! You're our hero. How can we allow you to leave feeling unappreciated? I will give you Lu Ren's share of the reward too! And if you don't accept, it's like treating us as outsiders!"
"Erm..." Chu Liang smiled again. In the end, he had no choice but to say, "I feel bad..."
Lu Ren opened his mouth. He wanted to say something, but as he opened his mouth, he thought something was a little strange... It was as though there was no longer any need for him to say anything.
"Eh?"
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