Chapter 80: Still Owe Personal Debts

Hearing the crow's call, Gruk's smile immediately froze on his face, and he shouted hoarsely, "It's that bird! The Crow Lord's bird!"

Simon's heart also sank. Just moments ago, they had mocked Crow Lord for naively letting them go, but no sooner had the words left their mouths than the ferocious-looking large crow had caught up with them.

"What should we do?" Nos asked, his voice trembling from a swollen face.

"Don't worry, it's just a bird for now."

Simon tried to soothe his companions, "Our warhorses are specially trained; just a full-force sprint and no one can catch up with us. Once we enter the territory of Stonerock Kingdom, we will be absolutely safe."

"Lord Simon is right!"

Gruk calmed down, raised the whip in his hand, and lashed it hard on the warhorse, shouting, "Go!"

The warhorse, in pain, reared up on its forelegs and neighed loudly, sprinting forward.

Nos and Simon, not wanting to be left behind, also raised their whips and struck their warhorses hard.

"Wu ah!"

The crow kept close behind them, not eager to attack, just circling overhead.

After a short sprint, Simon heard panting behind him, couldn't help but look back, and was so startled he nearly fell from his horseback.

He saw the draught horse pulling the black iron cage, its eyes blood-red, nostrils spraying foam, running faster than the warhorses with no sign of stopping.

"Danger, move away!"

Simon shouted loudly, turned his horse's head, and dodged the draught horse's charge.

Nos also turned back and noticed the draught horse's abnormal state, quickly steering his horse to avoid it.

Gruk, intent only on running faster, reacted too late. The draught horse had already sped to his rear, raised its forelegs, and kicked him off his horse.

Gruk grunted, rolling several times on the hard dirt road, finally stopping against a large tree on the roadside.

The draught horse neighed, its forelegs resting on Gruk's warhorse's back, and vigorously thrusting into the warhorse's rear.

"Captain!"

Nos pulled up his warhorse, dismounted, and helped Gruk up, "Captain, are you alright?"

"I'm, I'm fine..."

Such minor injuries were nothing for a veteran fighter like him, but he was unprepared for an attack from a draught horse used for pulling carts.

Gruk blinked slightly, refocusing his eyes. "What just happened?"

Before Nos and Simon could speak, he saw the draught horse and his beloved warhorse engaged in unsightly acts; the draught horse was vigorously thrusting, even causing the heavy black iron cage to shake violently.

"Damn it!"

Gruk cried out in grief and anger, pushed Nos away, and ran madly to his warhorse, trying to separate them, but the two horses clung together, inseparable. Gruk's warhorse not only did not resist but also neighed pleasurably during the process.

Gruk, red with rage and humiliation, immediately drew his horse saber, poised to strike, but was swiftly stopped by the quick-reacting Simon.

"Gruk, have you lost your mind? If you kill your own warhorse, what will you ride?"

Simon frowned and scolded, "Is it such a big deal that your fine warhorse was mounted by a draught horse?"

"If it were just a mare, I would accept it, but it's clearly a male being mounted by another male, and even enjoying it, I can't let this go without killing it!"

Saying this, Gruk raised his sword again.

"Calm down!"

Simon grabbed his wrist, "This is very strange, how could a normally docile draught horse suddenly go mad like this? It must be those two Black-armored guards working for Crow Lord!"

"Sun Maggot Worm!"

Gruk took a deep breath, "Exactly, they did it, they put the Sun Maggot Worm in the draught horse's body to mount my fine warhorse, as if letting a pus-covered beggar have his way with a jewel-encrusted princess—no, a prince, letting a beggar mount a prince..."

As he spoke, Gruk actually began to weep bitterly.

The crow circling overhead cawed again, sounding like it was mocking them mercilessly.

"Damn it, even that bird is mocking me!"

Gruk, burning with rage, gathered his Sixth Tier Battle Qi, channeled it into his horse saber, and swung at the crow flying above.

The Sixth Tier Battle Qi was quite powerful, but once the force left the saber, it seemed to weaken, and the crow barely dodged, the force dissipating before it could touch it.

Gruk dropped his saber, covered his face with his hands, and cried bitterly, "Damn it, even birds bully me!"

Simon patted Gruk's shoulder sympathetically, "The mastermind behind this is definitely Crow Lord; our immediate task is to get to Stonerock Kingdom quickly. There will be plenty of time for revenge later."

Nos also came over, his face swollen, trying to comfort, "Captain, Lord Simon is right, we should leave this place first. You ride with me on one warhorse, and use Lord Simon's warhorse to pull the black iron cage. Though it's slower, at least we won't be stuck here."

"What about my warhorse?"

Gruk said mournfully, "We can't just let it be..."

"That's all we can do now."

Simon drew his sword, cut the draught horse's tether, and while tying the black iron cage to his own warhorse, he said to Gruk, "You know, if we kill the draught horse while they're mating, the Sun Maggot Worm might transfer to your warhorse, and then your warhorse would be doing to ours what's happening now. The safest way is to let them be until the draught horse collapses from exhaustion."

While they were talking, Simon's warhorse roared arrogantly, twisting its body, not wanting Simon to place the black iron cage on it.

Simon, frowning, shouted to Gruk and Nos, "What are you two dazed for, come and help!"

Gruk and Nos hurriedly came forward, clumsily helping Simon fit the harness over the warhorse.

Just as they had finished fitting it, without even checking the "goods" inside the black iron cage, they heard the crow joyously caw above, then fly towards a dark figure perched not far away on a shoulder.

"We meet again, gentlemen."

The figure emerged from the dense forest, issuing a cold and dull greeting, sounding as if it came from hell.

Simon shivered involuntarily; what he feared most had finally happened.

"Crow… Lord!"

Gruk and Nos instinctively shrank back, then clenched their fists.

Crow Lord was dressed in a black robe, his face covered with a mask, only revealing sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. His gaze was pure, utterly devoid of any impurities, nakedly murderous, and his slow pace was intensely aggressive, the giant sword on his back dreadfully imposing.

Simon, realizing Crow Lord was alone, steadied his mind, then threw a "watch and act accordingly" look to his companions.

"You've escorted us here, but this isn't your territory of Shadowcrest Ridge, is it?"

Crow Lord nodded slightly, his voice severe, "That's correct, this isn't Shadowcrest Ridge anymore. Just a few more miles ahead, and it's the genuine Stonerock Kingdom."

Simon's bearded lips curled into a cold smirk, "A lord away from his own lands can hardly be called a lord anymore, can he, Your Excellency?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Nos drew his horse saber, gathering his Sixth Tier Battle Qi, and Gruk also picked up the weapon he had just dropped, displaying a combative stance—only, the two horses behind him were madly in love, completely indifferent to his feelings.

"A lord away from his own lands, indeed, cannot be called a lord."

Crow Lord spoke calmly, "But there's a debt we haven't settled yet…"

"A debt?"

Nos couldn't help but shout, "You first disarmed us with two shameless Black-armored guards, then had a busty woman trick us into taking baths, humiliating us in front of all the townspeople of Shadowcrest Ridge, then had the Black-armored guard slap me! You know what it feels like to be slapped by two lowly Second Tier Battle Qi lackeys, as a proud Sixth Tier Fighter, unable to use Battle Qi to protect myself!"

Gruk also joined in the cursing, "Not only did you design to entrap us innocents, you also took the opportunity to extort us! Forced us to write an unfair note, and what's most hateful is you ordered your Black-armored guard to use the Sun Maggot Worm on a draught horse, making my beloved warhorse be, be violated…"

As he spoke, Gruk began to cry again.

Simon, while comforting Gruk's shoulder, righteously questioned Crow Lord, "Crow Lord, do you dare admit to these atrocities?"

"Hmm."

Crow Lord answered nonchalantly, "Basically, it was all my doing, and I'm not done yet."

"Robber!" "Despicable!" "Shameless!"

Such words coming from the mouths of slave mercenaries, they themselves didn't seem to feel embarrassed at all.

Simon continued to press, "We've never crossed paths, why must you persecute us so?"

"I've said it before, it's a debt." Crow Lord replied unflustered.

Simon clenched his teeth, "Isn't the fifty percent tax and ten thousand gold coins of debt enough? You really are insatiable!"

"You've paid off your debt to Shadowcrest Ridge, but you still owe me a personal debt." Crow Lord spoke lightly.

"A personal debt?"

Simon furrowed his brow, scrutinizing Crow Lord, feeling as if he had seen him somewhere before. "Who are you, really?"

"Wu ah!"

Crow Lord's crow slightly spread its wings, staring menacingly at Simon and the others.

"Since we're outside Shadowcrest Ridge, and it's a personal debt I'm collecting, indeed, I shouldn't be using the identity of Crow Lord anymore."

Crow Lord slowly untied his face mask, revealing his handsome yet austere face.

"Is it you!?"

Simon and the others screamed in unison, "How could you—"

Rayan, the assistant from Ravenstorm Inn, smiled coldly, reached behind his shoulder, and drew the Crow Sword.

"You three, shouldn't have cursed the wrong person."