"What, I never agreed," Li Lin immediately said, understanding in his heart that he had been sold out by Liu Yi Shou.
"You're trying to deceive me? Then why didn't you say so just now? Is it because you think the gold coins are too few? How about this, in addition to the 5,000 gold coins, after you help me capture the demon beast, I'll give you another 5,000 gold coins," said the stunningly beautiful and provocative Lv Xiaoling.
"5,000 gold coins, when did I take 5,000 gold coins from you?" Li Lin was startled, realizing that Lv Xiaoling too had been sold out by Liu Yi Shou. No wonder Liu Yi Shou had introduced him to the Lanling Mountains; it turned out he was trying to satisfy Lv Xiaoling.
"It's impossible, I clearly gave him 5,000 gold coins to find a martial soul warrior to accompany me to the Lanling Mountains to hunt demon beasts," said Lv Xiaoling loudly.
"You've been deceived," Li Lin said sympathetically, then added, "Miss, I'm getting off here, and I'm not a powerful martial soul."
"That damn Liu Yi Shou, when I find him, I'll make him pay," Lv Xiaoling immediately burst out in delicate fury, then fixed her gaze on Li Lin, saying, "I don't care, maybe you and Liu Yi Shou are in this together. Now, you must accompany me to the Lanling Mountains."
"Miss Lv, be reasonable, I'm also a victim," Li Lin retorted, glaring at her. This beautiful woman was either malicious or unreasonable.
"I don't believe you. Anyway, you have to accompany me to the Lanling Mountains. After we find the demon beast, I'll give you another 10,000 gold coins. If not, I'll kill you right now," Lv Xiaoling said sternly, her aura trembling, a white invisible halo enveloping the carriage.
"He's a Triple Spirit Master," Li Lin thought, surprised again by Lv Xiaoling's strength. She appeared to be only eighteen or nineteen years old but already a Triple Spirit Master, more talented and powerful than Qin Tianhao of Qingyun Town's Qin family. Her background was certainly extraordinary.
"Alright, I'll go. But first, I want to know, how much do you know about that demon beast?" Li Lin pondered for a moment, seeing that she was clearly a naïve young girl with little worldly experience, despite her considerable power.
"Actually, there are two creatures, a demon beast and a spirit beast. The demon beast is called the Sky-winged Snow Lion, and the spirit beast is the Silver Spirit Illusion Mouse, entrusted to me by my father. I was planning to control them both as my protective demon beasts, but they both escaped. If my father finds out, he'll be furious, and locking me up for two years would be getting off lightly, so I have to find them," she explained.
"What, the Sky-winged Snow Lion and Silver Spirit Illusion Mouse?" Li Lin was startled, his usually calm face changing dramatically. The Sky-winged Snow Lion was not an ordinary demon beast. If compared, the Nine-Headed Demon Jiao he encountered in the Misty Mountain Range, though of high bloodline, was far inferior to the Sky-winged Snow Lion. The latter was said to have reached a terrifying eighth level in the past.
Moreover, as a wind-element flying demon beast, the Sky-winged Snow Lion was renowned for its speed and powerful attacks. It was everyone's dream to have such a creature as a protective demon beast or mount.
And the Silver Spirit Illusion Mouse, with its strong and unpredictable power, was also of high bloodline among spirit beasts, not much inferior to the Sky-winged Snow Lion.
Li Lin looked at the girl in amazement. Who was she to possess such powerful creatures as the Sky-winged Snow Lion and Silver Spirit Illusion Mouse?
"You are a Spirit Master. Isn't it better to use a spirit beast as your protective creature, rather than a demon beast?" Li Lin gently asked.
"My father also said so, but I like the Sky-winged Snow Lion. It's cuter. I wanted to control them both, but they both ran away," Lv Xiaoling said.
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"What's their strength level?" Li Lin asked, which was his main concern. At the same time, a somewhat wicked thought emerged in his mind.
"The Sky-winged Snow Lion is at the late stage of the second order, and the Silver Spirit Illusion Mouse is at the mid-stage of the second order. They are very powerful, and I can't handle them alone, so I need to find a martial soul level warrior to help," she explained.
"But I'm only at the warrior level," Li Lin said, his mind already making some plans.
"We can only try our best. As long as you can stop the Sky-winged Snow Lion, I'll deal with the Silver Spirit Illusion Mouse first, and then the Sky-winged Snow Lion," said Lv Xiaoling softly.
"The Lanling Mountain Range is not small. Can you find them?" Li Lin asked.
"On the Silver Spirit Illusion Mouse, I have already placed my soul power, but it hasn't been successful. However, as long as we get close to it, I can find them," Lv Xiaoling replied.
"Oh," Li Lin responded lightly, his mind full of wicked thoughts, not about Lv Xiaoling, but about the Sky-winged Snow Lion. In his heart, the Sky-winged Snow Lion was much more important than Lv Xiaoling.
Li Lin was not indifferent to beauty, in fact, quite the opposite, being a normal man in the prime of his youth. But it was still better to stay away from this beautiful woman. He was not familiar with Lv Xiaoling, and her background was certainly not ordinary. He might be doomed if he got involved with her. So, the Sky-winged Snow Lion was much more important.
He was looking for a flying demon beast, and the wind-element Sky-winged Snow Lion was undoubtedly the best choice. Moreover, the Sky-winged Snow Lion was currently only at the late stage of the second order. Such a strong-blooded demon beast would become much harder to control once its strength increased, or it might be completely uncontrollable for a normal Spirit Master.
As dusk approached, the carriage was lit with several bright lamps at the front, sufficient to keep the horses moving. The interior of the carriage was very comfortable, with only a slight jostling sensation, but the space inside was somewhat limited, accommodating only a single row of seats.
Li Lin and Lv Xiaoling were sitting together, almost shoulder to shoulder. As the carriage jostled, they kept rubbing against each other. Li Lin had pure intentions, but being so close to Lv Xiaoling, he couldn't help but be affected by the faint youthful scent emanating from her, her fiery body curves, and the deep cleavage formed by her breasts. Sitting beside her, Li Lin found it increasingly difficult to control his desires.
"Why are you staring at me? I've heard that if a man stares at a woman, he's a pervert. Are you a pervert?" At this moment, Lv Xiaoling turned her gaze to Li Lin, her eyes slightly open, her long eyelashes trembling innocently, seemingly unaware of matters between men and women.
"Who told you that? A man looking at a woman is a pervert? There are only men and women in this world, so are men not supposed to look at women?" Li Lin murmured, wondering whether this woman was really so naive or just pretending. He cautioned himself not to fall into the trap of another woman.
"You're right. But the way you look at me is a bit strange," Lv Xiaoling said softly. Perhaps due to sitting for a while, she felt a bit sore and began to twist her body slightly, her leather armor seemingly tight on her upper body.
"Any man in your proximity, especially in the quiet of night, might feel a bit strange," Li Lin thought to himself, not daring to say it out loud.
The next scene nearly overwhelmed Li Lin. Lv Xiaoling, right in front of him, started bending down and then straightening up. This motion highlighted her shapely upper body. When she bent over, Li Lin only had to lower his gaze slightly to see her barely covered breasts, proudly standing out, swaying with each movement.
"Damn, this is really tempting," Li Lin almost had a nosebleed, quickly turning his gaze away, though he couldn't help stealing a few more glances.
"My legs are so sore," Lv Xiaoling said, apparently unaware of Li Lin's turmoil. She stretched her long, tightly clad legs inside the carriage. Her thighs were covered only with a layer of thin, skin-tight silk pants, reminiscent of the allure of stockings.
Her beautiful legs, right under Li Lin's eyes, kept crossing and stretching. Coupled with Lv Xiaoling's firm buttocks rubbing against Li Lin due to the carriage's jostling, he felt his head filling with blood, almost to the point of bleeding from his nostrils.
"Damn, this is too tempting," Li Lin cursed inwardly, forcibly closing his eyes to regain his composure.
Time passed slowly, and the carriage sped through the night. The sky, dark as ink, held a half-moon hanging askew, with stars twinkling. Occasionally, a meteor with a cool breeze would streak across the night sky, and the gentle night wind caressed the carriage, creating a faint sound.
The dim moonlight spilled onto the ground as the carriage flashed by on the road. Inside the carriage, Li Lin and Lv Xiaoling had remained silent. Lv Xiaoling kept curiously watching Li Lin, looking puzzled.
As dawn approached, Li Lin opened his eyes and looked at Lv Xiaoling, asking, "Why have you been staring at me all night?"
"I find you strange. Since I've been out, all men seem to like staring at me, but you don't. Is it because I'm not pretty enough?" Lv Xiaoling asked.
"Of course not. It's because you're too beautiful. I'm afraid if I look at you for too long, I won't be able to control myself," Li Lin said, glancing at Lv Xiaoling.