Wei Song's face turned pale with shock, just as he was about to leap up, he found that several vines had suddenly sprouted from the ground, entangling his feet. In an instant, vines from all around swiftly approached, and soon, he was wrapped within them like a cocoon.
Li Wushuang tapped her feet, her body leaping forward instantly. Just as the vines enveloped Wei Song, a palm strike carrying fierce qi crashed down.
"Bang…"
The entire vine ball instantly flew off the platform, eventually crashing hundreds of meters away from the platform. Then the vines burst apart, the qi dispersed, and cracks formed on the ground. Wei Song had already broken free from the vines, but his body had left the platform, signifying his defeat.
In terms of strength, if it were a matter of life and death, Li Wushuang would probably not be able to defeat Wei Song. However, Li Wushuang managed to win over Wei Song with the peculiarities of a wood-element martial artist. Falling off the platform meant loss, it could be considered somewhat lucky, but it was a genuine victory.
Wei Song's face was ashen, his eyes lifeless, never expecting to be defeated. Silence enveloped the surroundings; everyone was dizzy with disbelief. Li Wushuang had truly won.
"Li Wushuang has become a personal disciple of Yunyang Sect," announced an elder from Yunyang Sect, bringing many back to reality.
"Lin'er, if you were here, you would definitely have become a personal disciple too. Then, we could meet often. But now, whether you are dead or alive…" Becoming a personal disciple, Li Wushuang had little joy in her eyes, instead, there was a hint of sorrow.
In the vast forested mountain range, under the setting sun, pale yellow sunlight streamed through the trees, casting monstrous shadows on the forest floor. Evening winds roared through the depths of the forest, occasionally pierced by the cries of unknown beasts.
"It's getting dark, let's hurry. There's a small inn ahead; we won't have to spend the night in the forest," Lan Ling told Li Lin. Over the past few days, they had crossed many mountains and encountered numerous dangers, including several low-level beasts, but fortunately, they hadn't come across any third-level beasts.
During these days, Li Lin learned from Lan Ling that although the Fiery Hawk was a third-level beast, it had only recently broken through to the early stages of the third level. Controlling such a beast required a significant amount of vital blood, which Lan Ling, with her current strength, could hardly afford, as a single use was quite taxing.
Vital blood is more important than qi; whether for martial artists or spirit users, cultivating qi and spiritual power eventually transforms into vital blood within the body. The source of vital blood comes from the forging of qi or spiritual power, making it the foundation of a person.
"Are there really inns here? This is a dangerous place," Li Lin wondered curiously.
"Of course, there are quite a few inns ahead. In this Misty Mountain Range, deep mountains and forests are everywhere. Having a place to stay is what everyone hopes for. Thus, people in the Misty Mountain Range won't trouble such inns. Even notorious mercenary groups won't cause trouble here, as they too hope for a place to stay. Over time, several such places have emerged in the mountains, but the one ahead is the largest and gathers the most visitors," Lan Ling explained.
As they crossed two mountain ridges, the sky gradually darkened. Ahead, in a flat valley, the trees seemed to have been cleared, revealing many wooden buildings. Campfires dotted the ground, and the buildings were brightly lit, with people moving about and the sounds of drinking games, creating a lively atmosphere.
"There really is a village deep in the mountains," Li Lin observed, noting the densely packed twenty or so wooden buildings, each three to four stories high, making the valley spacious. "Let's go in. It's a mixed bag here, so be careful. While no one intentionally causes trouble, drunkenness can lead to issues. Watch out," Lan Ling advised. "You should be more careful about yourself. With your looks, beware of mercenaries taking advantage of you," Li Lin said lightly. Most of the lodgers were mercenaries, mostly men who had been in the mountains for months, and seeing Lan Ling, it would be surprising if they didn't nosebleed.
"Aren't you going to protect me? Don't all you men like playing the hero?" Lan Ling glared at Li Lin, her eyes gleaming with mischief.
"Where I come from, it's more common for the beauty to save the hero. Besides, you're stronger than me; it's hardly my place to save you," Li Lin replied before moving forward, thinking it best to keep a distance from trouble, lest this woman indeed bring about any.
"Beauty saves the hero? What kind of place is that?" Lan Ling was momentarily stunned.
Before the deep valley, a narrow path led them inside, with waves of mixed noises coming their way.
"Two little bees, flying into the flowers, fly, fly, you lose, drink up."
"Sir, looking for a place to stay? Our rates are cheap and clean."
"Just arrived, young lady, fresh off the boat, come try something new, not expensive, five gold coins."
In the midst of these mixed sounds, there were noises of drinking, calling out, and even soliciting, on the open ground in the valley. Many mercenary groups and small teams that had entered the mountains without much income could only buy a few bottles of wine and drink on the ground in the valley. Staying in a store for a night was not cheap; the prices were naturally much higher in the deep mountains compared to the outside world.
And just as the successive calling out had quieted down after the arrival of Li Lin and Lan Ling, everyone suddenly became silent and stared dumbfounded at the two. Of course, Li Lin naturally did not possess such charm.
In the valley, pairs of fervent eyes swept over Lan Ling's exposed belly and her perky and lifted buttocks. The arrival of such a tempting beauty in the deep mountains was practically an invitation to commit a crime for any normal person.
"Girl, come over, how about having a couple of drinks with me?"
"It's really nice, living ten years less for one time is worth it."
After the silence, the valley instantly became more lively again, filled with obscene and lascivious language, making Lan Ling's face darken somewhat.
And all of this, Li Lin, was not surprised at all. A woman dressed so provocatively coming to these deep mountains, which man could resist?
"Girl, have a drink with me, and I'll let you enjoy the finer things in life," a man in black, staggering to his feet, obviously drunk, with lustful eyes, blocked in front of Li Lin and Lan Ling.
If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
"Get lost," Lan Ling snapped disdainfully.
"This girl is really spicy, I like it," laughed the man in black, pushing his hand towards Li Lin, "Boy, you're blocking my way."
"It's you who are blocking my way," Li Lin glanced at the drunk, and with a move reminiscent of Tai Chi from his past life, he placed his foot tip in front of the drunk's, pulled with his hand, leveraging the force, causing the drunk to rapidly fall face down to the ground.
"Good lad, daring to mess with your grandpa," the drunk raised his head, hitting his nose on the ground, turning red with pain as the blood slowly flowed out, sobering up quite a bit, and quickly stood up.
"Black Panther, beat up that kid, we support you."
Seeing there was a spectacle, a large group of mercenaries immediately started to egg them on, as there's always no shortage of people who love to watch a commotion.
With the commotion, many people in the valley gathered around, but most of their gazes were unabashedly sweeping over Lan Ling's body.
"Kid, I'm going to teach you a lesson, so you know Black Panther is not to be trifled with," the man in black, seeing people cheering him on, did not want to lose face, and immediately threw a punch at Li Lin, carrying a whiff of alcohol.
"You dare to call yourself Black Panther, at best you're just a drunk cat," Li Lin lightly shouted, having already assessed the strength of the crowd, knowing that those who could only sit outside and drink couldn't be very strong. The strongest around the valley were at most fourth or fifth level warriors, with the majority being mere martial artists. Such strength, Li Lin naturally did not take seriously.
Li Lin didn't want to cause trouble, especially not for Lan Ling, but since the man had provoked him, dealing with these mercenaries, who were ruthless and fearless, living on the edge of the knife, the only way was to be more ruthless. If you are more ruthless than them, they will fear you. This also applies to slightly stronger opponents; seeing you being more ruthless, they would not dare to provoke you easily.
Evil fears the horizontal, the horizontal fears the ruthless, the ruthless fear those who are desperate. Li Lin knew this saying from his past life; the desperate ones are the most terrifying, and generally, no one dares to provoke them.
At this moment, as the man's punch came, Li Lin's expression darkened. This man, being a first-level warrior of the earth type, could easily be dealt with. Li Lin's palm suddenly thrust out, his true qi surged, and his blue robe's sleeves vibrated violently with the force of the qi, and in an instant, his palm struck out, the short distance amplifying the force carried by the palm, meeting the black-clothed man's fist.
Hearing the sharp sound of the wind breaking, the drunk's face turned pale, completely sobering up, initially thinking this young kid was easy to bully, only to realize now that the opponent was a strong fighter.
With a "bang!" the explosion echoed in the air, the force from the palm and fist collision scattered, sending the man stumbling backward, falling to the ground with blood spewing from his mouth, the released strong qi cracking the ground. The onlookers were shocked, not expecting such strength from a young man, as Black Panther was at least a first-level warrior.
"Kid, you've got some nerve," about ten similarly dressed men in black stood up, apparently all members of the same team.
"Get lost, or die," Lan Ling's expression darkened, her true qi shaking, a strong martial artist's aura spreading from her, enveloping the area. "This woman is actually a martial artist, untouchable."
Many of the men were immediately dumbfounded. This man and woman were indeed not easy to provoke, and there might be others with them. Subsequently, many retreated, but their gazes still lingered on Lan Ling's revealing attire, though the lustful light in their eyes was somewhat restrained.
The ten or so men in black attire took one look at Li Lin and Lan Ling, their faces showing surprise, and they dared not block the way anymore, quickly retreating.
At that moment, Li Lin's expression turned cold. After scanning the surroundings, he calmly walked over to the big man who had not yet gotten up and fiercely stomped on him with his foot charged with true qi, saying, "Dare to provoke me again, and I'll cripple you."
With those two stomps, the big man immediately spat out a mouthful of fresh blood again, his face showing panic as he nodded, not daring to say anything more.
The surrounding attackers were also startled. Everyone had thought he was just a green youth, but it turned out he was a little devil, not showing the slightest mercy. They secretly felt fortunate that they were not the ones who had provoked this devil just now.
"Do you have any rooms left?" After deterring these mercenaries, Li Lin walked to the nearest wooden building and asked a young man who looked like a waiter and had been drumming up business.
"Yes, yes, there's one last upper room left, only ten gold coins a night," the young man came back to his senses and said, having also been surprised by Li Lin.
"I'll take it. Also, bring some good food to my room, the rest is a tip for you." Li Lin took out twenty gold coins and handed them to the waiter, inwardly remarking on the expensive cost, noting that a servant in the Li family earns only half a gold coin a year, and here a night's stay costs ten gold coins.
"Yes, sir, please follow me." The waiter instantly smiled broadly. Eating here wouldn't cost ten gold coins, even the best meal would only cost six or seven gold coins, and he would get three or four gold coins in tips. Not many guests here are so generous.
"I'd like an upper room too, and send some food as well," said Lan Ling.
"Miss, there are no rooms left. Aren't you together with him?" the waiter asked in confusion, having just seen the two of them together.
"No rooms left, how can that be? Make room for one," Lan Ling was taken aback, then promptly took out twenty gold coins.
"Miss, we only have so many rooms here, and other places here have been fully booked for a while now, with more people coming to the mountains recently, I'm sorry," the waiter explained, as rooms had been fully booked with the influx of mercenaries and teams into the mountains.
"Forget it." Lan Ling glared at the waiter, then looked helplessly at Li Lin, resigning herself to sharing a room.
"Sir, please follow me." The waiter led Li Lin to a room on the third floor, with Lan Ling following behind Li Lin.
The mercenaries outside watched the man and woman enter the wooden building, envying the young man in the green robe, and the valley continued to be lively and noisy.
Li Lin followed the waiter into the room, a sturdy wooden structure with a few stone bricks, spacious and apparently divided by stone bricks.
"Sir, I'll bring you some food shortly, please wait a moment," the waiter excused himself.
"You were quite ruthless just now, weren't you against playing the hero for the beauty?" Lan Ling said with a slight smile.
"Do you think I intervened for you?" Li Lin looked at Lan Ling indifferently and said, "Give me two hundred gold coins."
"Why?" Lan Ling asked in confusion.
"This room is mine. You have three choices: first, stay in this room tonight; second, go outside and sleep with those mercenaries in the valley; third, you don't have to give me the gold coins, but as a man and a woman together, I can't guarantee I won't do something to you," Li Lin said bluntly.
"What, you only paid twenty gold coins, and you're asking me for two hundred?" Lan Ling exclaimed.
"You have two other choices," Li Lin said lightly, knowing the direct disciple of the Myriad Beasts Sect was definitely not poor and that he should take advantage of this opportunity while he could.
"You..." Lan Ling glared at Li Lin, obviously unwilling to choose the other options. She angrily took out two hundred gold coins from her spatial bag and said, "For a grown man, you sure have the nerve to take it."
"Weren't you the one who liked calling me 'little brother'? How come I'm now a 'grown man'? Besides, we're not close. I'm not embarrassed to ask for what I want from you," Li Lin unapologetically took the two hundred gold coins into his spatial bag.
"You..." Lan Ling was at a loss for words again. In her sect, all the male disciples revolved around her, treating her like a treasure. Whatever she asked for, she got. She had never encountered someone like Li Lin who was so impolite to her.
Lan Ling then composed herself, squeezing out a smile with a hint of charm in her eyes, saying, "I've changed my mind. Give me the gold coins back. How about I choose the third option from before, as long as you dare to do something?"
"Forget it, I'm not interested," Li Lin said indifferently, thinking to himself that being alone with a woman, it's natural to feel tempted, but this woman was like poison, better to keep his distance for his own safety.
"Really? You're not abnormal, are you? I've heard all men are lecherous," Lan Ling whispered into Li Lin's ear, her faint fragrance wafting to him. Li Lin felt Lan Ling pressing against him, a clear provocation, feeling an immediate reaction, internally cursing her as a seductress, with his youthful vigor, how could he withstand such temptation.
"Sir, your food is here," the waiter's voice came from outside, giving Li Lin an opportunity to open the door, revealing the waiter with a load of food, enough for two.