CHAPTER 20

Amo, the Guardian of Molun

LUO FAN

Border of Qushan

I massaged my numb fingers. The temperature was high, but my hands and feet felt cold.

Ruan Yanjun had just told me that we should make it to the town of Qushan before dark. We had been traveling for two months already, and I should be glad that we finally reached our destination, but I felt restless instead.

“Are you afraid?” Ruan Yanjun asked.

Even though I had not said anything, this man certainly knew what was bothering me.

Qushan was the last town in Wun Empire before crossing the border to Kan Empire. It was where travelers would stop by to buy necessary supplies for their journey.

Although we had not set foot in Kan Empire yet, it already made me feel anxious being just near the empire that wanted me dead.

“Don’t worry,” he said when I did not respond to his question. “You’re in good hands. As long as I’m with you, you’re completely safe.”

I believed him.

How could I not? The world’s best martial artist has vowed to protect me. Who would dare lay a hand on me?

However, that wasn’t the only thing that was making me restless.

Being near Kan Empire reminded me of the past that I wished to erase from my memory—the physical tortures that I had suffered for days, the harrowing pain that almost sent me to madness as they nullified my cultivation, and the nightmare of seeing my master drop dead right in front of me because I had unknowingly offered him a poisoned tea.

I closed my eyes and tried to get those things out of my head, but I could not, not while I was so near that empire. If possible, I wanted to return to Xianru right away. Being that far away, it was easier to not think about Kan Empire and Frost Mountain.

My fingers trembled on my lap and I quickly opened my eyes. I found myself breathing hard.

“A-Fan,” Ruan Yanjun said. “If you’re in need of comfort, I’d gladly offer you myself. Come closer.”

I quickly turned my head away from him.

Ever since we started traveling, he had never stopped teasing me so I had always made sure to keep a wide gap between us. Comfort was the last thing he was capable of providing me.

He laughed. “You are so amusing. With you as my companion, I can endure another two months of travel without being bored.”

Not for me. I’d be dead if we were to travel for another week longer.

The carriage stopped and Ruan Yanjun immediately jumped out. “Let’s go.”

I looked through the window.

All I saw were trees and the sound of chirping birds told me we were in an inhabited place.

Although I had never set foot in Qushan yet, I had heard that it was a lively and busy town with countless shopping stalls lined up at the side of every road.

This wilderness couldn’t even be considered a town.

Why did Ruan Yanjun stop here?

“Lord Ruan, what are we doing here?” I asked the moment I stepped out of the carriage.

“Didn’t you come along to search for that legendary Molun herb?” he returned.

My heart lurched in surprise. “Is this the place? I thought it’s located in southern Kan?”

“My research has pointed to two locations—here and somewhere along the south-eastern border of Kan Empire. Let’s try our luck here first.”

I took a deep breath as excitement hastened my heartbeat. If we found the plant, it would no longer be necessary for us to cross the border, and that would be good.

“Let’s go,” he said and started walking away.

I followed him through a narrow pathway in the middle of trees and bushes.

At first, the path was flat, with some slight slopes and turns, but the further we pushed, the steeper the slopes had become. Upward slopes took a lot of effort for me to climb, but I would still prefer it over a downward steep slope. With my poor vision, there was a big risk I’d lose my footing and fall.

“Do you want me to carry you?” Ruan Yanjun asked.

I quickly shook my head. “You may go ahead, my lord. I’ll catch up with you.”

“At your current speed, I don’t think you’ll be able to catch up with me.” He climbed up the steep ground and approached me. “We don’t have much time.”

Before I could understand what he had in mind, he wrapped an arm around my waist and made several leaps downward, using his internal energy to propel us. After less than a minute, we made it into a flat ground.

“Thank you, my lord,” I said the moment he released me.

“The plant should be around here,” he returned. “Stay close to me. I’ll let you know if I find something.”

Without any complaint, I followed him through a dense forest.

Suddenly, he stopped and pulled me behind him. “Don’t make a sound,” he whispered.

I stayed absolutely still. He must have sensed something that I could not.

Could it be the guardian of the Molun herb? The monster they called Amo?

A heavy stomp shook the ground underneath my feet. When I turned around to look, I found a seven-foot-tall figure about a hundred steps away. He had just leaped from behind the thicket of trees and was now looking at us menacingly.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

It had been two years since I fought this same forest guardian at the foot of Frost Mountain. Even though he looked nothing but a shadow in my vision, I still remembered what he looked like. He was described as half-man half-ape, but I saw him more like a giant man with most of his body covered with thick fur. He held no weapon, but he had ten sharp claws that would jut out of his knuckles at his beck.

But there was something strange about this guardian. His breathing was somewhat irregular as if he had been in some kind of trouble and had exhausted a significant portion of his energy.

Ruan Yanjun slowly stepped forward, keeping me protected behind his back. “What’s the matter?” he taunted the guardian. “I’m about to come into your turf and steal what you protect with your life. Are you not going to stop me?”

The guardian did not move, as if he was gauging his chances. He knew that he was up against a formidable foe that he might not be able to defeat.

Ruan Yanjun smirked. “If you’re too tired to fight, then step aside and just let me take what I want. No need for you to sacrifice your life.”

“Lord Ruan,” I said. “You can’t pluck the herb without killing him first. The essence of the herb is in him.”

“Oh.” Ruan Yanjun clucked his tongue. “I truly want to spare your life, but circumstances won’t let me. Let’s finish this then.”

Ruan Yanjun’s figure just disappeared out of my sight. The next time I saw him, he was already right in front of the guardian who had crossed his arms just in time to block the oncoming ball of dark energy that Ruan Yanjun had thrown at him.

Despite his solid defense, the guardian could not completely repel the devil’s immense power. The energy ball exploded upon contact and pushed the giant several feet backward.

The guardian ended up panting, his feet spread as he struggled to retain his balance. It seemed that just blocking the devil’s single attack had already depleted whatever strength was left in him.

I heard Ruan Yanjun’s smirk. He was simply standing there, his hair and sleeves flowing with the wind. He did not even exert much effort into that single attack, yet it was enough to push the level-seven guardian to his limit.

Just how strong exactly is a level nine?

I had no idea. I could not even begin to imagine the immense power that Ruan Yanjun possessed.

The guardian probably realized that it stood no chance against his opponent and turned away to leave, but Ruan Yanjun would not let that happen.

With a snap of his finger, Ruan Yanjun shot an arrow of energy into the back of the guardian’s leg. The beast fell to the ground, grunting in pain.

As Ruan Yanjun approached, the guardian had no choice but to fight back.

I took a few steps closer to have a better view. I could not see Ruan Yanjun, but I could hear a barrage of fists hitting the guardian from all directions. He was that fast he was almost invisible.

Disoriented, the guardian’s only option was to swipe his claws across the air in random directions and hope luck came his way, but such a thing was a futile attempt against an immortal cultivator.

I noticed that Ruan Yanjun was not using his internal energy with his strikes. I was puzzled. If he wanted to, he could easily finish off the guardian in one hit, but he seemed to be playing with the poor creature for his own amusement.

Suddenly, Ruan Yanjun stopped and the guardian immediately took a few steps backward, panting.

I was beginning to feel sorry for the guardian, even if I knew that when the Molun herb appeared again, this same creature would reincarnate to keep guarding the plant. If Ruan Yanjun had to kill him, he should at least do it quickly and spare him the torment.

“A-Fan,” Ruan Yanjun called.

I kept my eyes on him, wondering what he wanted from me.

“Come over here and finish the job,” he continued.

I froze, my jaw dropping.

So that was why he did not kill the guardian.

However, he should have known my body’s condition the most. Even if the guardian was exhausted, there was no chance I could defeat him.

When I remained still, he slowly turned his head to look at me. “Are you going to wait for him to recuperate before you finish him off?”

I shook my head. “Lord Ruan, I cannot—”

“I will not do everything for you,” he interrupted. “If you want the herb, you have to earn it.”

I swallowed hard before I dragged my feet forward. When I made it to his side, he stepped aside.

“I know you still have some traces of your martial arts left in you,” he said as he stood near a boulder with his hands joined behind his back, his stance like the overbearing devil he was. “Now’s your chance to start honing your talent once again.”

I tightened my trembling fingers around the stick.

This devil must be trying to amuse himself at my expense. He just wanted to see how pathetic I would handle a dying opponent so he could laugh at me.

Just twenty steps away from me, the guardian stood up straight. His breathing was not that labored anymore, which meant he had recovered some of his strength.

The more that I was doomed.

I took a long, deep breath to calm my nerves and to focus my mind on the upcoming battle. Almost at the same time, I and the guardian dashed forward.

He was probably four times my weight. Even if he just stood still, I’d still be thrown several feet away the moment I clashed against him. Just as he thrust his claws out, I glided sideway. I wasn’t as fast as Ruan Yanjun so he had easily followed my direction and surprised me with another swipe of his claws.

I ducked. The instant his arm went past my head, I countered with a thrust of my stick under his chin.

He grunted in pain and stepped back.

I thought I’d have at least a few seconds to rest, but he immediately charged at me in a swirling motion. He looked like a hurricane on the ground with claws about to shred me into chunks.

I leapt several times to escape his deadly claws but he kept coming at me. That brief moment he paused when a tree blocked his way, I flipped over to his back and lashed my stick at the back of his knees, hitting at one of his acupuncture points.

He fell to the ground, face up. I remembered this guardian’s weak point that I had discovered two years ago. Beneath the thick fur covering his belly was a soft spot where his spirit core nestled.

With him on the ground, his weak spot was exposed.

I was about to thrust the stick into his belly when his hand suddenly swatted it away and thrust his claws toward me instead. It happened so fast that I barely made a step back and lost my balance. Just as I fell to the ground, his claws followed me.

I stiffened. There was no escaping this. The moment I dropped to the ground, his claws would pierce through me.

It’s over.

Just as I began to accept my fate, a swirl of energy exploded right in front of my face. Blind as I was, the light still hurt my eyes and caused ringing in my ears. A heavy load then dropped on top of me, squeezing the breath out of me, but the claws that I had anticipated did not land.

I blinked several times.

What happened?

The heavy load was lifted off me and I pulled in a deep breath. A shadow went down on his haunches beside me, his head so close to mine that I could feel his breath over my face.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

Hearing Ruan Yanjun’s voice relieved me. I had been so disoriented for a moment that I did not even recognize this man’s form.

I tried to speak, but something clogged my throat. I coughed twice before my voice came out. “Is… he dead?”

“He is,” he replied. “His spirit is flowing back to the herb. He just showed us the direction.”

Although I could not see the flowing spirit, I had seen it before. The moment the guardian died, his essence would return to the herb and reveal the herb’s location.

“I tried,” I said in between tight breaths. “But he’s too strong I could not finish him.”

“Regardless, you did well,” he replied. “I’m impressed by what I’ve seen so far.”

I frowned. How could he be impressed by that? “If you did not save me, I would have been dead by now.”

He sighed and held my hand as he pulled me up to my feet. “If it weren’t for your poor choice of weapon, you could have finished him by yourself. Do you still insist on using that stick?”

Speaking of my stick, where is it?

I looked around. Knowing too well what I was looking for, he shoved the stick into my hand.

“Thank you,” I said.

He sighed and turned around. “Let’s go get that herb.”

I followed right behind him, but after just a few steps, he stopped.

“We have another visitor,” he said. “And it looks like he’s been here for a while, waiting for an opportunity to steal the herb.”

I was suddenly anxious. That plant was my only chance of survival. If someone else had found it before we did, I didn’t think I’d have long to live.

Even if my senses weren’t as profound as Ruan Yanjun’s, I managed to hear the rustling of leaves. As fast as the wind, a shadow flew right above our heads and immediately disappeared.

I panicked.

No matter how fast that shadow may be, no speed could possibly escape from an immortal’s senses, but for some reason, Ruan Yanjun did not stop the man. He just stood there.

“He’s taken it,” he said calmly, as if he was not at all bothered that someone had taken away the plant that we had come for.

“Lord Ruan, why did you not stop him?” I asked anxiously. If the herb did not mean much to Ruan Yanjun, it meant a lot to me.

He laughed. “Don’t worry. We will get it later.”

“Do you know the man?”

“Of course,” he replied. “And you know him too.”

I was dumbfounded. “Who is it?”

He laughed again. “You’ll find out later. Let’s go.”

I needed reassurance from him, but I held myself back from saying another word. I did not want to offend this immortal. I must trust that he knew what he was doing.

We made our way back to the carriage where the coachman had been waiting. As we headed for the center of Qushan, I was restless.

I really needed that herb. If I couldn’t get that, I’d rather start counting my remaining days.