Chapter 5: Horse Bandits Must Be Subdued at All Times_2

It was clear that the Tang Family girl also knew that Xu Sheng possessed such a technique, which was why she had prepared her concealed weaponry to strike him with an honorable hidden attack the moment his power broke.

As the essence blood laced with poisonous gas leaked out, Xu Sheng, who was full of fierce light, was ready to dispel his Spirit Qi and end the girl in front of him with a single slash. Suddenly, a swelling sensation surged from his lower abdomen and rear, assaulting every nerve in his body. In an instant, a multiple-choice question of deep malice from this world appeared before him.

"Do you believe, this is just a fart."

"Damn, two kinds of poison!"

At this moment, Xu Sheng's face had turned green; he could never have imagined that the Tang Sect girl was so treacherous. It was bad enough that a dose of Reverse Walking Powder had almost taken his life; she had also administered a poison that was obviously a laxative!

If the laxative poison had been discovered in time, it could have been forcefully blocked by leveraging Spirit Qi, sustaining for several exchanges was not an issue. However, this time, before the laxative found its way to strike with a vigorous impact, Xu Sheng had already flung the gates wide open himself.

In that instant, the iron-cast burly man's face tensed, and his right hand covered neither his chest nor his rear; he was caught in a dilemma, unable to decide his next move.

At this moment, Xu Sheng's tiger eyes showed nothing but endless rage and humiliation; he could already foresee that if he chose to attack with his blade, his reputation in the world of martial artists would be stained with an unclean title—names like "Dung-Flinging Saber" would certainly stick with him.

But if he did not attack, he would escape the humiliation only to have his cause of death embarrassingly marked on the wanted poster by the Government Office.

With these thoughts, Xu Sheng felt the world spin; as a man standing over eight feet tall, he feared neither the government nor the gods. The pride the martial world and Spirit Qi had given him allowed him to carry himself high and be a hero all his life. But this time, he realized that his days as a hero were coming to an end.

"Give me a... swift... end..."

His voice trembling, Xu Sheng breathlessly pleaded with the girl atop the cage, "In consideration of... my having harmed no one... kill me."

"Where exactly is the Pool of Rebirth?"

Looking down at Xu Sheng before her, the girl's icy voice echoed through the woods, "Tell me, where exactly has your Second Commander gone?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Sheng was stunned on the spot; after a moment, his tiger eyes fiercely widened, and he shakily gritted his teeth, "You're not a student of the Imperial Academy... I knew it... How could the Tang Sect from Southern Shichuan suddenly appear in the Northern Prefecture? You're after us... You..."

"If you don't speak up, I'll stab a needle into your acupoint and show you the aesthetics of filth."

Though the Tang Sect girl's conduct and appearance were very much like those of a young lady from a respectable family, what Zhou Li did not expect was her decisiveness and ruthless nature, her language laced with an intricate mix of crudeness and vulgarity.

When Xu Sheng heard the girl's threat, he, who was usually fearless, was taken aback; he opened his mouth, the demonic choice behind him looming ever closer. Just then, a voice rang out from behind him.

"No more delays."

Turning his head with difficulty, Xu Sheng saw a man dressed in the same outfit as one of his underlings, the Horse Bandits, suspended upside down from a tree, hands holding onto an intricate thread in a bizarre pose.

And below the upside-down man were the two bandits who had tried to flee into the woods to shoot cold arrows, now entangled in the tree's branches in a Tortoise Shell Binding, a grim sight to behold.

"Everyone is here, and there's one more up in the tree. Since he's a pervert who doesn't wear clothes and not quite presentable, I didn't bring him down."

After amiably greeting Xu Sheng, Zhou Li reset his posture and then stood on the ground, patting his hands free of nonexistent dust and waving his hand, saying,

"Don't look at me; you should consider whether or not you want to answer this extraordinary lady's question. First, I'm not a nice guy; giving you a swift end is far less interesting than watching free flight. Secondly, I'm rather curious too."

Gazing intently at Xu Sheng in front of him, Zhou Li's face revealed a look of curiosity, "That kid running like a Strange Breed behind me, is he from your outfit? Can a one-realm Spirit Qi Master also join your esteemed company?"

After Zhou Li pierced through Xu Sheng's thoughts, Xu Sheng's face immediately froze. At that moment, a fierce tiger's roar came from behind Zhou Li. In that instant, whether it was Zhou Li or Xu Sheng, or even the Tang Sect girl above the cage, or the Academy Students within, all eyes converged behind Zhou Li.

"ROAR!!!!!!"

"Release my master!"

Not far behind Zhou Li, stood a deep red tiger, its body blazing as if on fire, baring its sharp teeth and staring intently at Zhou Li. Beside it was a short man, trembling like a leaf, holding a red sphere in his hand.

The Ten Thousand Vermillion Spirit Ling Zhu Sphere?

Zhou Li spotted at once that the treasure in the man's hands was a kind of Ten Thousand Vermillion Spirit Ling Zhu Sphere, and although he did not know what the man's spirit beast was, Zhou Li was certain it was no Yellow-skinned Rat or Spotted Turtle. Since Zhou Li also possessed a Ten Thousand Vermillion Spirit Ling Zhu Sphere, he could tell that the tiger enveloped in flames was likely more suited for combat than the Bidiao.

"Li Ziqin, run!"

Xu Sheng gritted his teeth, squeezed his legs, and yelled, "Summon the Red-Tiger to fight, and you go find the Second Commander. Don't throw your life away!"

"Big Brother Xu, I must save you! With the Ten Thousand Vermillion Spirit Ling Zhu Sphere, I am also a Beast Tamer, I too can make a difference!"

At this moment, the man known as Li Ziqin, though his legs shook uncontrollably, still managed to shout out these words. However, the Tang Sect girl proved to be unconcerned with martial morality, as while Li Ziqin was calling out, three Silver Needles flew towards him, aiming for his body.

Yet, the moment the Silver Needles brushed past the Red-Tiger, the intense heat completely melted them away without leaving a trace.

Damn it.

The girl's brow furrowed, as a member of the Tang Sect, she was most skilled in poisoning and using hidden weapons. Since Li Ziqin hadn't had porridge earlier, and with the wind in the forest blowing in all directions making it easy for poison powder to cause accidental injury, her poison was hard to deploy. As for hidden weapons...

Glancing at the terrifying flames surrounding the Red-Tiger, the girl's heart sank. She did not know what beast-controlling magical treasure the man had, but she was certain that the grade of this spirit pet was no less than that of the Fourth Realm; ordinary weapons simply could not break through its flames. For a moment, the girl felt somewhat at a loss.

Clearly, Xu Sheng also noticed the girl's predicament. He turned to say something but heard Zhou Li suddenly shout out, "You're a Beast Tamer too?!"

Upon hearing Zhou Li's voice, the caged girl, who had been somewhat anxious, inexplicably displayed an expression of someone about to enjoy a spectacle. Xu Sheng was startled, just about to speak, when he heard Zhou Li shout again.

"If that is so, then behold what I hold in my hand!"

Li Ziqin, upon hearing Zhou Li's call, looked reflexively towards what Zhou Li was holding, and to his astonishment, he discovered that in Zhou Li's hand was a crimson object identical to the one he held—the Ten Thousand Vermillion Spirit Ling Zhu Sphere. The simple-minded lad, immediately alarmed, blurted out:

"You also have a Ten Thousand Vermillion Spirit Ling Zhu Sphere?!"

"Exactly, since both of us are chosen Beast Tamers by the Ten Thousand Vermillion Spirit Ling Zhu Sphere, I shall give you a chance," Zhou Li said as he weighed the Ten Thousand Vermillion Spirit Ling Zhu Sphere in his hand, then loudly declared, "Engage me in an open and honorable Beast Tamer's duel. If you win, I'll let both you and your General Xu Sheng go!"

"Agreed!"

The youth seemed riled up by Zhou Li, relying on his powerful spirit pet, and shouted through gritted teeth, "Then I shall have a fair and square Beast Tamer duel with you!"

Seeing this, Zhou Li smiled relievedly, took up the Ten Thousand Vermillion Spirit Ling Zhu Sphere, and, under the expectant gaze of the other, slowly raised his arm.

Upon seeing this, Li Ziqin watched Zhou Li with bated breath, waiting for him to release his spirit pet. Xu Sheng also let out a sigh of relief; as Li Ziqin's leader, he of course knew how powerful the timid youth's spirit pet was. As long as Li Ziqin committed himself, there was no reason for him to lose.

But what Xu Sheng didn't notice was the strange expression on the face of the Tang Sect girl who appeared tense a moment ago, especially after hearing Zhou Li's proclamation of an "open and honorable Beast Tamer showdown."

Whoosh~~~~

Zhou Li took a deep breath, closed his eyes, then his right arm swung in a full moon arc, accompanied by a piercing whoosh, the Ten Thousand Vermillion Spirit Ling Zhu Sphere transformed into a daytime shooting star, speeding past the Red-Tiger with lightning-fast velocity. In the split second, the poised Red-Tiger was stunned; Zhou Li's Ten Thousand Vermillion Spirit Ling Zhu Sphere slammed heavily into Li Ziqin's face.

Twisting, closing eyes, flying backward, spinning.

Watching Li Ziqin's flying figure and the airborne teeth, the Red-Tiger let out a tragic howl, then disappeared into thin air, recalled into the Ten Thousand Vermillion Spirit Ling Zhu Sphere.

Seeing this, Zhou Li waved his hand excitedly and shouted loudly, "Awesome, a home run!"

At this moment, Xu Sheng stood dazedly, completely motionless, unable to grasp what had just happened.

What happened to the Beast Tamer's duel? The battle between spirit pets?

Where's my teammate?