HomeSheng Shi Di FeiChapter 78: First Entry into the Southern Frontier

Chapter 78: First Entry into the Southern Frontier

When Ye Li finished packing and came downstairs, she saw Han Mingxi sitting in the most conspicuous spot in the hall, grinning at her with an insufferably smug expression. Her temples began to throb involuntarily. Han Mingxi, seemingly oblivious to the anger in Ye Li’s eyes, cheerfully waved to her, “Jun Wei, come have breakfast.”

Ye Li walked over and raised an eyebrow at the lavish spread on the table, saying with a smile, “Brother Han’s breakfast is exceptionally sumptuous.” Han Mingxi waved his hand, completely unconcerned that everyone in the hall was staring at him, and said, “Jun Wei should eat more. Once we enter the Southern Frontier, it won’t be so easy to find such a luxurious breakfast.”

Ye Li didn’t stand on ceremony and invited Dark Three, who had followed her downstairs, to join them.

Han Mingxi looked at the silent Dark Three and raised an eyebrow, asking, “I haven’t had the pleasure of learning this brother’s name yet. Jun Wei’s guard’s martial arts are quite exceptional.” Generally speaking, Han Mingxi was quite self-aware. As the younger brother of the Master of Tianyi Pavilion, his standards were naturally high. Though his lightness skill could be considered among the best, his martial arts were somewhat lacking. At least this new friend’s guard’s martial arts should be considerably better than his.

Ye Li glanced at Dark Three and said coolly, “Zhuo Jing.”

Dark Three looked up at Ye Li in surprise. Zhuo Jing was his real name, and after becoming the Princess Consort’s dark guard, he generally wouldn’t use this name anymore. He hadn’t expected the Princess Consort to know it.

Han Mingxi smiled, “So it’s Brother Zhuo. We’ll be troubling Brother Zhuo from now on.”

Dark Three replied coldly, “You’re too kind, Young Master Han.”

Just as the three finished eating and Dark Three went to settle the bill, the man who had approached them yesterday came over again, accompanied by the middle-aged man who looked like a steward. “Master Chu, are you also preparing to depart? Is this… gentleman your hired guide?” Ye Li gave a slight nod without speaking. Though neither showed any interest in the conversation, the man didn’t seem embarrassed at all and continued talking, “Since your party is complete, might you be setting out today? If so, why don’t we travel together?”

Han Mingxi lazily played with the remaining breakfast dishes and said, “Why should we travel together? Isn’t it better if we each go our own way?”

The man smiled, “We’re all heading to the Southern Frontier. Having companions for mutual support would be safer, wouldn’t it? From what I understand… once we pass the Broken Snow Pass, we’ll be in Luoyi Tribe’s territory. Yesterday, you two…”

Ye Li looked up, gazing at the man with confusion, “Since you know we’ve offended the Luoyi Tribe’s young master, why do you still insist on traveling with us?”

The man smirked, “What’s so special about the Luoyi Tribe? Though the Nanzhao people are skilled with poisons, we’re not necessarily afraid of them.”

Ye Li nodded inwardly – of course you wouldn’t fear Southern Frontier poisons when you have the Sick Scholar, famous for his poison expertise, by your side. After considering for a moment, she nodded and said, “If that’s the case, then we’ll trouble you. I haven’t asked your name yet.”

The man laughed heartily, “I am Zheng Kui, originally a caravan guard, now just working as a household guard to make a living. This is our steward, and over there is our master. And that one…” The man who called himself Zheng Kui glanced at the sickly scholar leaning against the wall with his eyes closed and said, “I heard the master paid a hefty sum to hire him as an expert. Though… heh, I haven’t seen what makes him so special, just that he’s very weak.”

Ye Li nodded, “I see. It’s a pleasure, Guard Zheng. Shall we depart now then?”

Seeing Ye Li agree, Zheng Kui was delighted and laughed boisterously, “I’ll just go inform my master.” Watching from the side as Zheng Kui and the steward went back to discuss with their wealthy merchant master, the merchant seemed somewhat dissatisfied but still agreed. Then all four of them went back to their rooms to pack. Watching their figures disappear upstairs, Ye Li gave Han Mingxi a cool glance. Han Mingxi lay on the table looking pitifully at Ye Li, “Jun Wei, what did I do wrong again?”

Ye Li gave a light snort and glanced at him sideways, “Young Master Han, could you possibly be any less low-key?”

“Low-key?” Han Mingxi asked in confusion, “Why should I be low-key when I’m not even famous?” Very few people knew he was the Moon Prince, otherwise, they would have long since been surrounded and cornered by self-proclaimed righteous warriors. Ye Li looked at him with a half-smile and said, “You may be low-key, but you have a very high-profile face. Want to guess if the Sick Scholar has seen the Moon Prince before? Want to guess if he knows the Moon Prince is the Master of Tianyi Pavilion?”

Han Mingxi blinked and looked at Ye Li apologetically, saying quietly, “Um… my elder brother and the Master of Yinwang Pavilion are friends. So… the Sick Scholar has probably seen me before. Looks like he knows we’ve recognized him.”

“Obviously,” Ye Li said expressionlessly.

“Why do they want to travel with us?” Han Mingxi asked in a low voice, “If it’s because of my identity, he should have greeted me directly. After all, my elder brother and the Master of Yinwang Pavilion have quite a good relationship.”

Ye Li shook her head, “Probably not. They invited me once before you arrived, but I refused.”

Han Mingxi stroked his chin, “The Sick Scholar coming to the Southern Frontier must have some significant purpose, but why would he travel with some merchant? An ordinary merchant couldn’t possibly hire him. As for the medicinal materials business… someone in that trade wouldn’t personally travel to the Southern Frontier in March or April, would they?” The most common trade between Great Chu and the Southern Frontier was in rare medicinal materials, but looking at Yonglin City’s current desolate state, it was not the season for the medicinal materials trade.

Ye Li held her head in her hand and said, “Do you think someone who dares to associate with someone as notorious as the Sick Scholar would be an ordinary merchant?”

Han Mingxi raised an eyebrow, “Is there something wrong?”

Ye Li remained silent for a moment, “Nothing obvious yet.” But since they were involved now, they had to figure out whether this was coincidence or deliberate.

The group quickly assembled at the inn’s entrance, then left the city on horseback heading toward Broken Snow Pass. What surprised Ye Li was that despite the merchant’s corpulent appearance, his horsemanship was quite good. Though one couldn’t help but worry about his horse beneath him. The Sick Scholar had been coughing since mounting his horse, looking as though he might cough up his heart and lungs at any moment. When passing through Broken Snow Pass, Ye Li looked back and happened to see a radiant Murong Ting enthusiastically telling something to a middle-aged man beside her on the city wall. Presumably, after leaving the constraints of the capital, Murong Ting was living quite happily. Ye Li was also happy for her friend, giving a faint smile before turning back to catch up with those ahead.

“Have some water.” After passing Broken Snow Pass they had ridden hard, only stopping when dusk approached. They had missed the usual stopping point for the day. Though the Southern Frontier wilderness was very dangerous, the homes of Southern Frontier residents or inns might not be any safer for people from the Central Plains.

Dark Three skillfully entered the forest and soon emerged with an armful of firewood and a mountain chicken, then began making a fire and preparing the game. Zheng Kui also caught several fish from the nearby river. Ye Li glanced at the Sick Scholar walking under the trees coughing his heart out, her fine brows slightly furrowed as she passed over some water. The Sick Scholar was startled for a moment before extending his right hand to take the water flask, nodding to Ye Li and saying softly, “Thank you.” Ye Li nodded and returned to her original spot. Though the Sick Scholar appeared so weak he barely had half a life left, Ye Li wouldn’t underestimate him in the slightest. It was best to keep as far away as possible from someone like him, especially given his grudge against Mo Xiuyao.

Han Mingxi leaned boredly against a tree watching Dark Three, who had already placed the prepared game over the fire to roast, and smiled at Ye Li, “Jun Wei, Brother Zhuo is something extraordinary. I’ve never seen anyone handle these tasks so efficiently. Even those jianghu people who often camp outdoors probably couldn’t compare.” Sitting by the fire, Dark Three raised an eyebrow without speaking. He certainly wouldn’t tell Han Mingxi about the training he and his three brothers had undergone for half a year at the foot of Black Cloud Peak last year. The brothers still couldn’t understand how their master had come up with so many unique ideas and training methods. Especially that wilderness survival training, where they were each thrown into that vast forest that seemed endless, living among poisonous insects and rodents for a whole month. Their only weapons were a dagger and a bow with just five arrows. At first, they couldn’t understand what use such training was for them, with their martial arts, lightness skills, and internal energy. But after a month, when Dark Two emerged from the forest in tattered clothes, he thoroughly defeated Dark One, Dark Four, and himself. Originally the four of them had been evenly matched – even when there was a winner, they would be completely exhausted. But that time Dark Two showed amazing prowess, defeating Dark One, then defeating himself, and finally ending in mutual defeat with Dark Four. Without learning any new martial arts, or even increasing his internal energy, Dark Two’s transformation left them shocked yet overjoyed.

It wasn’t until Dark Three went in himself that he understood what Dark Two had experienced. Poisonous snakes, insects, plants, swamps, wild beasts – at first he didn’t dare close his eyes even at night, because sometimes he would wake to find himself surrounded by wolves or venomous snakes flicking their tongues while eyeing him hungrily. Every day he had to find his food and gather items specified by the Princess Consort. The worst time was when he was stuck in a swamp for three hours and almost thought he would die. But by the last few days of that month, he found he had gradually adapted to such terrible conditions. Even without martial arts, he could survive freely in the forest. He wouldn’t even feel too uncomfortable going without food or sleep for a day and night – these were things martial arts alone couldn’t achieve. Only when he walked out of the forest alive did he learn that after they entered, the Princess Consort had been secretly following them. From that day on, Dark Three truly gave his complete loyalty to this young Princess Consort. They all knew in their hearts that their master was the most remarkable of all the National Consort Princesses. The only thing Dark Three regretted was that although the Princess Consort had planned to teach them much more, it was interrupted due to the Prince’s illness.

“Young Master Han speaks truly – Brother Zhuo’s skills are so practiced that even veteran caravan guards with decades of experience couldn’t compare.” Zheng Kui looked at his half-cooked fish, then at the aromatic wild game in Dark Three’s hands that could rival restaurant-roasted chicken, feeling incredibly jealous. He had only caught some fish from the river, while this stern-faced brother had already built a fire, caught a mountain chicken, prepared it, and started roasting it. He had even found time to gather some mushrooms from the forest to make soup. His master was staring at the fish in his hands with obvious dissatisfaction, his plump face full of disdain.

Ye Li smiled warmly at Han Mingxi, “All along this journey, Zhuo Jing has been taking care of me. He’s clever, so naturally he picked things up quickly.”

Han Mingxi looked completely unconvinced. He often camped outdoors too, but what he cooked still came out as an inedible black mass that he wouldn’t dare eat himself.

Dark Three calmly divided the game into three portions and handed them to Ye Li and Han Mingxi, as if he hadn’t heard his master’s praise. He would not tell this playboy prince that his master could do even better than him. Looking at the Moon Prince’s face full of bliss as he ate the wilderness-cooked meal, Dark Three suddenly felt an odd sense of superiority.

“Is Master Zhuo skilled in the art of poisons?” The Sick Scholar, who had taken a few sips of water and seemed to have suppressed his coughing, raised his head and asked Dark Three. Dark Three looked back at him and said plainly, “No.”

The Sick Scholar raised an eyebrow, with a disbelieving expression, “The Southern Frontier is full of poisonous creatures, and even most of the mushrooms in the forest are highly toxic. But I notice all the ones you gathered are non-poisonous.”

Dark Three’s mouth twitched slightly as he said coolly, “Even children know that the more colorful mushrooms in the forest tend to be poisonous.” The Sick Scholar smiled faintly, “Is that so? If that’s the case, Master Zhuo had better not randomly gather things to eat. Not all poisonous mushrooms in this world are brightly colored.”

“Thanks for the reminder.”

The wealthy merchant was unsatisfied with the fish his guard had roasted, throwing it down after just a few bites and pointing at Zheng Kui, “You! Go hunt some game!”

Zheng Kui looked at the darkening sky, hesitating. They had chosen to camp outside the forest precisely because the woods weren’t safe at night. The Sick Scholar sat up and looked coldly at the merchant, “If you want him to die, then send him in.” The merchant seemed quite afraid of the Sick Scholar, and seeing his response, could only sullenly close his mouth.

After dinner, Han Mingxi seemed to have lost his daytime energy, sitting in the spot closest to the fire and resting with his eyes closed while staring at a rock. Dark Three finished packing up their things, then leaped onto a large tree nearby, sitting in the fork of its branches and silently listening to the occasional conversation below. Ye Li, on the other hand, was somewhat bored, sitting by the fire chatting idly with Zheng Kui while occasionally throwing another piece of firewood into the flames. During their chat, Zheng Kui told Ye Li that the wealthy merchant was surnamed Liang, a major medicine merchant from Great Chu’s northwest with enormous wealth. He had come to the Southern Frontier because he’d heard about an extremely precious medicinal herb that had appeared and would be publicly auctioned in the Nanzhao capital in June. Of course, this included some of Merchant Liang’s own boasting about his importance. Ye Li told Zheng Kui that she was from a scholarly family in Yunzhou, specifically traveling with guards for experience. As for Han Mingxi, he was a friend met in Guangling who had enthusiastically decided to accompany her to the Southern Frontier for fun. Since the others already knew Han Mingxi’s identity, Ye Li naturally didn’t need to hide it, only saying they had met at the Clear Wind Bright Moon Tower in Guangling. Upon hearing the words “Clear Wind Bright Moon Tower,” Merchant Liang’s meat-laden face suddenly lit up, and he pulled Ye Li into a conversation about his experiences visiting the establishment.

“Master Chu is from Yunzhou?” The Sick Scholar suddenly spoke up, “Does Master Chu know of the Xu family of Yunzhou?”

Ye Li raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Is this gentleman joking? What person of Great Chu doesn’t know of the Xu family of Yunzhou? Although I didn’t have the fortune to study at Lishan Academy, I have long admired the Xu family’s scholars.”

“Is that so? *cough cough*… Speaking of which, since Master Chu admires the Xu family of Yunzhou, you must have heard of Young Master Qingchen?”

Ye Li turned to look at him, her tone filled with additional admiration, “Young Master Qingchen… Everyone knows of the eldest Young Master Xu’s fame from his youth. I’m ashamed that although I’m half a year older than Young Master Xu was then, I still haven’t accomplished anything.” The Sick Scholar looked up at her, his gaze carrying a hint of testing, and said with a faint smile, “Is that so? Perhaps Master Chu will get to meet him on this trip to the Southern Frontier.”

Ye Li’s heart jumped, but her face remained composed as she showed a trace of pleasant surprise, “Really? Young Master Qingchen is in the Southern Frontier right now?”

The Sick Scholar sat up and said, “Indeed, Young Master Qingchen is currently in the Southern Frontier.”

“That’s wonderful! I hope to meet Young Master Qingchen in the Nanzhao capital and seek his guidance,” Ye Li murmured thoughtfully, lowering her head. Ignoring the Sick Scholar’s examining gaze, Ye Li’s mind raced with calculations. Xu Qingchen had traveled the world since his youth and was known for his unpredictable movements. Ye Li didn’t believe he couldn’t hide his whereabouts well. But for the Sick Scholar to know his location in the Southern Frontier while being in Xiling… and seemingly knowing exactly where he was, this gave Ye Li some unsettling feelings. What was the Sick Scholar’s true purpose in traveling to the Southern Frontier, and could it be related to Xu Qingchen?

Deep in the night, the flames burning in the wilderness gradually died down. Under the night sky, the forest was completely still except for occasional insect and bird calls. Dark Three, sleeping in the tree fork, shifted slightly and gave a light cough. Ye Li, who had been sleeping by the fire with her eyes closed, slowly opened them, her gaze clear without a trace of sleepiness. She casually turned to look up at the tree, and Dark Three gave a slight nod. Ye Li closed her eyes again and fell back into deep sleep.

A faint fishy smell suddenly permeated the air, accompanied by an odd rustling sound and barely audible musical notes. It was as if something was crawling across the grass in groups. Dark Three frowned slightly, remembering something he particularly disliked, and sat up before floating down to the ground. As soon as Dark Three landed, the previously sleeping Sick Scholar immediately opened his eyes. Seeing Dark Three’s questioning frown, Dark Three ignored him and walked to Ye Li’s side, saying softly, “Young Master, there’s movement.”

As Ye Li opened her eyes, Han Mingxi and Zheng Kui also sat up simultaneously. Han Mingxi lazily yawned and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Dark Three said calmly, “Something’s coming.”

“Something? What kind of something?”

Dark Three said gravely, “I guess… snakes.”

“Snakes.”

“Snakes,” Ye Li and the Sick Scholar said in unison. The Sick Scholar glanced at Ye Li as she stood up and said, “I smell snake musk. Many snakes.”

Han Mingxi nodded in understanding, “I forgot that Jun Wei is skilled at blending fragrances and naturally more sensitive to smells.”

Zheng Kui anxiously asked, “Never mind all that now, what should we do?” Han Mingxi said carelessly, “What’s there to do? We leave.” The Moon Prince’s lightness skill was unmatched; he could escape from anywhere. Dark Three frowned and said, “We probably can’t leave. Listen… sounds are coming from all directions.” Everyone present except Merchant Liang and his steward possessed martial arts skills, so they could naturally tell whether Dark Three was telling the truth. Han Mingxi gave a light snort and quickly flew up into the branches, returning to the ground moments later, cursing under his breath, “This wretched Southern Frontier place – every time I come here I hate it more. Where did all these snakes come from?”

No one paid attention to his complaints. Dark Three had already quickly taken out various pre-prepared medicines against poisonous insects and snakes. The Sick Scholar shook his head and said, “There are too many, it probably won’t help.”

Those who hadn’t seen it could never imagine how terrifying such a sight could be. In the darkness, masses of black snake swarms surged forth from all directions. “What’s happening?!” Merchant Liang screamed shrilly, while his steward beside him had already turned pale with fright and collapsed to the ground.

“Shut up!” the Sick Scholar barked, frowning as he looked at Dark Three, “There are too many snakes. Using snake-repelling medicine will only make them more frenzied.”

Han Mingxi said with disgust, “Jun Wei, I should be able to break through with you, and Brother Zhuo can probably get out on his own, right?” Dark Three silently nodded, and the Sick Scholar said coolly, “In that case, Brother Han can take Master Chu and leave first.” Han Mingxi didn’t leave, because he heard the threat in the Sick Scholar’s words. If they left first, the Sick Scholar would shoot poison darts at their backs. Even with Han Mingxi’s supreme lightness skill, while carrying someone through the air, he might not be able to dodge the poison of Yinwang Pavilion’s third-ranked expert. As for the Sick Scholar’s group, it was even more hopeless – besides himself, none of the other three looked capable of getting out on their own.

As the snake swarms closed in around them, Ye Li frowned and said, “Is this the time to argue? Or do you plan to stay here and feed the snakes?”

After the snake swarms surrounded them, they didn’t immediately attack. Soon, everyone saw several black-clad men with short flutes approach from different directions, standing far behind the snake swarms. These snakes hadn’t gathered here by chance but were being controlled. Zheng Kui cursed under his breath, “These are the Southern Frontier’s snake charmers!”

Ye Li and Dark Three exchanged a glance. If the snake swarms attacked, they could probably escape immediately, but that impossibly fat merchant would likely be unable to run.

A group of snake charmers turned to clear a path, and then a somewhat familiar figure swaggered through, grinning maliciously at Ye Li and the others, “Hehe… This young master said you’d fall into my hands one day, and it’s only been one day. How does it feel?”

Han Mingxi raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Isn’t this the fool who calls himself the young chief of the Luoyi Tribe?”

The sleazy youth who had stormed away from the inn yesterday was now wearing elaborate clothes covered in silver ornaments that glinted in the moonlight. Seeing Han Mingxi’s flowing robes and captivating languid beauty in the moonlight, he stared for a moment before saying, “Beauty, come over here and this young master will spare you. No need to die with these ugly creatures.” Han Mingxi’s face froze, his eye twitching, “You dare call others ugly?” Indeed, everyone present, including the distant snake charmers, looked far better than that youth. Even the corpulent merchant at least didn’t look as sleazy.

Hearing this, the young man flew into a rage, his eyes filled with twisted murderous intent as he glared at Han Mingxi. Ye Li coughed lightly and smiled, “Brother Han, although the gentleman opposite is neither fragrant nor jade-like, you should still show some mercy with your words. How can you treat his admiration this way?” Han Mingxi sneered, “Is that admiration? It’s jealousy, isn’t it? He wants to slash this young master’s face. Hmph! How dare such a vulgar person covet my peerless beauty?” Did they think his experiences in romance were for nothing? How could he not tell the difference between admiration and jealous hatred?

“Correct,” the youth opposite sneered, “This young master will peel your face off alive when I catch you. Hehe… I want your face, so be good and come over here. Don’t let my precious ones damage your face.” Everyone fell silent. After a while, Han Mingxi touched his face lovingly and asked, “You’re not planning to paste my face onto yours, are you?”

The youth smiled proudly, “That’s right, this young master took a long time to think of this method. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a suitable face until now. That pretty boy looked good, but now this young master thinks your face is better.” Han Mingxi’s beautiful features suddenly became somewhat fierce in the moonlight. Coveting the face of the Moon Prince – unforgivable!

“Um… wouldn’t the sizes be mismatched?” Ye Li frowned, looking at the youth’s small, thin face, then at Han Mingxi’s perfect facial structure. Han Mingxi’s face was at least a third larger than the youth’s.

“Jun Wei!” Han Mingxi’s eyebrows twitched as he glared resentfully at Ye Li.

The youth was provoked by Ye Li’s words, roaring in fury, “None of your business! This young master will turn each of you into human skin masks. Capture them, all of them alive. No… the fat one can die for all I care!” The snake charmers’ faces showed difficulty – killing these people would be easy, just let the snakes bite them, and with hundreds or thousands of snakes, some would surely strike. But capturing them alive wouldn’t be so simple; these people weren’t helpless civilians. Though the snake charmers hesitated, they clearly couldn’t ignore their master’s orders. They had no choice but to blow their short flutes again to control the snake swarms.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several flames suddenly shot up, and in the urgent sound of short flutes, the snake swarms didn’t surge forward but stopped four or five zhang away, hesitating to advance. While Ye Li and Han Mingxi were talking with the Luoyi Tribe’s young master, Dark Three had secretly scattered all their snake-repelling medicine around them. Seeing the snake swarms not advancing, the snake charmers’ flute sounds became more urgent and shrill. The snake swarms became even more agitated. Ye Li raised an eyebrow and asked Han Mingxi, “Brother Han, can you play music?”

Han Mingxi smiled helplessly, “I can’t charm snakes.”

Ye Li continued, “No need for that, just being able to play music is enough. Better if you can use internal energy. Go play over there,” she pointed to the forest behind them, “Better if you can move around.”

Though he didn’t understand Ye Li’s meaning, Han Mingxi shrugged carelessly, “All right, I’ll listen to Jun Wei.” Taking out the vertical flute he always carried, Han Mingxi leaped onto a nearby treetop and began to play. The music infused with internal energy wasn’t very comfortable to hear, at least not for Ye Li with her modest internal energy. Han Mingxi stood on the treetop, playing while changing positions, moving as easily as if on flat ground. Seeing this, even Ye Li couldn’t help feeling envious.

Gradually, the snake charmers discovered in horror that the snake swarms seemed to stop following their commands. The front ranks of snakes in particular began crawling back. They hurriedly played their short flutes more urgently, but these snake charmers weren’t skilled in martial arts, and their internal energy was mediocre. In terms of sound, they couldn’t compare to Han Mingxi at all. Han Mingxi’s flute music gradually overpowered the sharp, urgent whistle sounds. The Sick Scholar seemed to understand something and also flew up to a branch, casually picking a leaf to blow between his fingers. The snake swarms finally seemed unable to bear it – those near Ye Li and the others began retreating, some dispersing, but none approached Ye Li’s group.

“What’s happening?!” the youth screamed. Several snake charmers’ faces began to pale as they retreated, though they didn’t dare stop playing their short flutes. But more and more snakes slowly dispersed in all directions. Ye Li stood by the fire, smiling coldly. It was natural for snakes to fear sulfur, snake-repelling medicine, irritating substances, and fire. As for snake charming, snakes had almost no hearing – they relied entirely on sensing vibrations in the air, and the so-called snake-charming flute music merely trained snakes to respond to particular vibrations. Once these vibrations were disrupted, the snake swarms were no longer controlled, and compared to the snake poison and firelight they hated, they preferred to crawl elsewhere.

“Ah… no!” Some snakes crawled back, quickly slithering to the youth’s feet. Though the youth had snake-repelling medicine on him and the snakes didn’t bite him, he was still terribly frightened. Dark Three asked in confusion, “Do people from the Southern Frontier fear snakes?” Ye Li shrugged and smiled, “There are always a few exceptions, aren’t there?”

Merchant Liang wiped the sweat from his face while smiling, “We’re truly fortunate for Master Chu’s idea, actually making these snake swarms retreat like this.”

Ye Li frowned slightly, still feeling anxious inside. Though the snakes running away solved their immediate crisis, if so many poisonous snakes truly escaped, it would be trouble for passing travelers. Looking at the panicked youth opposite, Ye Li’s clear eyes darkened as she said to Dark Three, “Kill him!”

Dark Three never questioned Ye Li’s truly serious orders. Before her words faded, Dark Three’s long sword flashed, and his entire person had already soared into the air like an arrow shooting toward the youth. The youth was already panic-stricken, and now seeing Dark Three’s sword coming straight for him, he froze like a wooden chicken, forgetting even to dodge, only able to stare blankly as the sword point approached him—

“Spare him!” A thunderous voice suddenly rang out urgently from the edge of the forest.

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