Chapter 447

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Chapter 447: The Exiled State (2)

Chaotic times are like boiling pots, with everyone in the world being cooked in the pot.

The snake girl, with her red scales, was exposed, and her first reaction was to flee. In truth, she was still quite young. Snakes grow quickly—by five or six years old, they resemble teenagers, and by twelve or thirteen, they look much like adults. But maturity in appearance doesn’t equate to maturity of the mind.

Few in the caravan had realized that a snake girl had slipped in. Some supernatural beings slapped their knees in regret, lamenting the missed opportunity. Had they noticed sooner, they could have reported her and received a decent reward.

The snake girls were becoming rarer, and it wasn’t something that just anyone could enjoy. They were either sold off or handed to influential local figures. The social structure of the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom was rotten to its core, even worse than the imperial era. At least in the empire, there was some semblance of stability, with rules that had to be publicly followed. Here, even that thin veneer had been torn away.

The snake girl bent down, attempting to flee, but an arrow grazed her shoulder. The sergeant became furious and slapped the archer, yelling that this was a valuable commodity. Wars between armies, conflicts between officials, and skirmishes between civilians—even in a feudal dynasty, there were basic rules that should be understood. If these rules weren’t followed, it revealed just how far the barbarism here had regressed.

Perhaps it was because this snake girl, appearing to be under fifteen, had a high price?

The soldiers no longer cared about the small amounts of money they could extort from the merchant group. They chased her relentlessly, riding their horses, throwing ropes, and doing everything they could not to lose the valuable prize that was nearly in their hands.

Their fervor reminded Chao Lu of the knights in episode 9 of the third season of “Love for Machines,” who were enchanted by the lake nymphs.

Chao Lu felt a pang of sadness, but she couldn’t bring herself to sympathize with the snake girl. From her own perspective, she had no right to feel pity for anyone.

She couldn’t help but think—if her identity were discovered, she wouldn’t have a good fate either. The only advantage she had was the ability to protect herself.

Bai Wei appeared indifferent but said to Chao Lu, “Go on, kill them all.”

“Me?” Chao Lu asked.

“Don’t tell me you’re scared. If you are, then practice more,” Bai Wei replied.

“No, it’s just… a bit unexpected.”

Chao Lu’s gaze lingered on Bai Wei’s bronze mask. She remembered the young man’s features—always calm and humble, with clear eyes. Like an ancient well in Yunmeng City, deep and impossible to see the bottom, yet always clean and clear. It never repulsed her, and she never wondered what might be hidden beneath it.

Now, she thought she glimpsed a bit of courage and cruelty emerging from that ancient well. It surprised her, but not in a fearful way.

She had once thought the gentle and noble Bai Wei was good, but now she thought this cold, cruel version of him was good too. Both were good.

Even the tone of command, urging her to kill, felt comforting. At least, for now, she didn’t need to overthink anything. She could focus on the task at hand, with someone by her side, guiding her.

The fallen princess was still some distance away.

Chao Lu kicked her horse’s belly and charged ahead.

She didn’t resist killing, whether people or monsters. She had prepared herself mentally from the beginning and had already experienced it a few times. She had witnessed the battlefield of Bai Ze Kingdom, where scorched earth tactics were used and traitors purged, turning the bloody process into a mass casualty event.

She had thought that one day she would wear armor on the battlefield, facing enemies head-on. She was ready, but she couldn’t shake the demeanor of a sheltered princess—clumsy and inexperienced in her movements.

The first soldier who came towards her was struck by her palm to the chest. No techniques were used; she simply channeled her magic into the strike.

His chest caved in immediately, like a sponge collapsing. Her palm even brushed against his internal organs, which felt strange to her.

The second soldier tried to charge, but a simple gesture from Chao Lu hit him on his back. He didn’t die, but fell off his horse, quickly scrambling to get back up. He drew his sword and angrily threatened her.

However, as he looked up and saw Chao Lu, he became mesmerized for a moment, and the sword accidentally drove into his own neck.

Chao Lu witnessed the scene of the sword cutting through his throat, blood spurting out. Her heart churned, and she wanted to look away but forced herself to keep her eyes on the scene. In the end, she half-closed her eyes, biting her lip to suppress her discomfort.

She still wasn’t used to it, so her focus wavered. Then, suddenly, she heard the sharp sound of wind—a warning laugh echoed in her mind—left side!

Her body felt as if it was being thrown back, narrowly avoiding the path of a horse-cutting sword.

It was the sergeant guarding the pass.

He clearly loved his horse more than he valued the lives of others. He intended to kill her to keep the horse, but didn’t expect Chao Lu to dodge the sword.

She herself was scared and let out a breath. Close combat was far different from what she had imagined.

She still couldn’t control her power well, and in terms of magical abilities and real skills, she was much stronger than these regular soldiers. This sergeant’s combat ability was far below the light cavalry she chased the previous night, and not as skilled as the elite black fox scouts.

Chao Lu felt embarrassed. She thought she was prepared, but made several mistakes, even letting the young man witness them. Shame flooded her heart, and she once again heard that mocking laughter.

The horse-cutting sword struck again.

She tapped her fingertips and easily caught the sword, slowly cracking it in her grip.

The sergeant’s eyes widened as he released the sword in desperation, but it was too late. Chao Lu threw the broken weapon and drove it into his back, killing him instantly.

Originally, there had been over ten guards, but with three dead, the others scattered like frightened birds and beasts, fleeing if they could.

The fighters lacked resolve. Of course, stationed in a place like this—dealing with merchants and refugees, and receiving no benefits—it was a thankless job. Only the inexperienced would be stationed here.

Bai Wei rode forward and glanced at Chao Lu, who was crouching down, searching the bodies. He asked curiously, “What are you looking for?”

“Searching for corpses,” Chao Lu replied nonchalantly. “Don’t we all need to scavenge a bit?”

Bai Wei, “…”

What could a group of low-level monsters possibly drop? A waste of time. Was she planning to fill her backpack with junk to sell later?

After carefully picking through the bodies, the only things she found were a few trinkets worth almost nothing.

Bai Wei told her to stop scavenging and wash her hands.

Chao Lu had a good foundation, but there were too many problems. This entire operation could only be described as a failure… It was painful to watch.

“Your first strike was too heavy, wasting energy. Your second strike was too light, unable to kill in one blow. After that, you squinted while killing. Were you trying to look or not? You almost got hit in the waist. And all of this, without any anesthesia—aren’t you afraid of the pain? The last move looked cool, but this job isn’t for you. If you’re not a master, don’t try to catch a flying sword. Do you think you’re me? My fingers have been trained for years—what about you? You haven’t even practiced the basics for a few years.”

Bai Wei spoke without anger, used to seeing beginners make these mistakes. When Liliana first learned how to kill, she’d complain about nightmares, begging him to tell her hell jokes every day.

Chao Lu couldn’t hold her head up after Bai Wei’s lesson, so she opened her little notebook to jot down notes.

Bai Wei asked, “Are you still holding a grudge?”

Chao Lu replied seriously, “Let me summarize the main points: practice more and aim for zero mistakes next time.”

“If you don’t aim for zero mistakes, you might end up practicing like Xiunian.”

The two of them rode toward the pass.

The caravan needed time to move the roadblock and open the gate, and the key to the gate was in Chao Lu’s hands.

When they arrived, only seven or eight of the original twenty-plus caravan members remained. Their lives depended on this moment, so they all kneeled down, begging for mercy.

The snake girl, her wound still bleeding, cried, her face covered in dirt and blood. Though beautiful, she looked exhausted. Her slim waist contrasted with her emaciated body, which couldn’t compare to the graceful figures of the Kamia tribe. Her curves were slightly better than her sister’s.

Bai Wei dropped the key and said to the kneeling merchants, too afraid to rise, “Open the gate, go wherever you want.”

They were monsters, but they didn’t eat people. In fact, monsters weren’t much different from humans—just a bit stronger, longer-lived, and somewhat uglier. Though… who decides what’s ugly in whose eyes?

It’s a reflection of Chinese cultural influence that even in the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom, the term “XX people” is used for monsters, and in many places, there’s no distinction in dialect between humans and monsters.

Who cares whether someone’s called an ‘adult’ or ‘kind person’? Like those lazy web novel writers who can’t be bothered to differentiate between ‘de’ and ‘di’ in their writing.

A group of magical creatures, the Great Wilderness Beast—a beast over five meters tall—was called ‘sir’. It seemed outrageous, considering even Dong Zhuo wouldn’t grow to that size.

Except for Bai Wei, no one would think that way. This was a place where humans and magical creatures had long been indistinguishable. The more human-like the monster, the stronger it was.

Bai Wei silently compared Chao Lu to the snake girl. Indeed, Bai Ze resembled humans more closely and was more fairy-like.

How is it that he increasingly feels like he doesn’t know any genuine humans among the girls he knows? Do humans even deserve to be completely defeated?

Bai Ze, sensing his thoughts, asked, “Why do you look at me like that?”

Bai Wei didn’t reveal his confusion. He waited for the gate to open, kicked his horse, and rode away, leaving the snake girl still kneeling, unable to rise.

“Please, kind person, save me!” she pressed her forehead against the ground, humbling herself in the dust.

Chao Lu glanced at Bai Wei, who silently bypassed her and rode away.

“Do you think I’m heartless?” he asked after leaving.

Chao Lu shook her head. “I envy your indifference.”