Chapter 50

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Chapter 50: All Alone

Wu Xiaohang and Xi Mo had mostly recovered from their injuries, and they were ready to head back to regroup with the others. Just then, a figure suddenly appeared in front of them, blocking their path. Mu Xiaofeng and the group hesitated, unsure whether to approach, as they couldn’t make out the figure clearly through the blizzard.

The figure then called out, “Hey, you all can leave, but hand over the kid with the heavy sword!”

The voice was familiar to Mu Xiaofeng—it was Lao Wu. It seemed Lao Wu had healed up and come back quicker than expected. However, Xue Ling Zifeng didn’t plan to comply. He shouted back at Lao Wu, “If you want Mu Xiaofeng, you’ll have to beat all of us first!” Xue Ling Zifeng wasn’t willing to hand over Mu Xiaofeng, as he was crucial to solving everything. If anything happened to him, Xue Ling Zifeng wouldn’t be able to bear the responsibility.

Lao Wu, however, just laughed and called out again, “I don’t think I need to defeat you all. The kid will come with me willingly. Otherwise, he’ll be preparing to bury his three friends!” Lao Wu’s words made Mu Xiaofeng’s heart sink. Had Zhang Wenyu and the others already been captured? It seemed possible since they hadn’t shown up in a while. With no other option, Mu Xiaofeng decided to go with Lao Wu. He hefted his heavy sword and slowly walked toward Lao Wu’s figure.

Xi Mo quickly called out to Mu Xiaofeng, warning him to be careful—it could be a trap. She worried Lao Wu was deceiving him, and Zhang Wenyu and the others might not be in his hands at all. Mu Xiaofeng hesitated briefly but then kept walking. Lao Wu reassured him, “Don’t worry. I swear on my dead brother’s name, I’m not lying.” With that, Mu Xiaofeng followed Lao Wu toward the bandits’ hideout.

After walking for a while, Lao Wu stopped. Mu Xiaofeng could see several figures in the distance. It seemed he had reached the bandits’ territory. They walked further until Mu Xiaofeng found himself inside a circular barrier where the weather was calm—no wind, no rain. Inside the barrier, Mu Xiaofeng saw five people standing, and in front of them sat Zhang Wenyu, Qiao Zi, and Qin Baoyi.

Seeing them, Mu Xiaofeng immediately called out, catching the trio’s attention. Qiao Zi, in particular, couldn’t hold back her tears as soon as she saw him. Mu Xiaofeng, feeling both pain and anger, yelled at the bandits, “Let them go, or you’ll pay for this!” His outburst only amused the bandit leader, who saw Mu Xiaofeng as nothing more than a child.

The bandit leader slowly approached Qiao Zi, lifting her chin with his staff, mocking, “Look, your friend came to rescue you. Shouldn’t you be happy? Why the tears?” Qiao Zi, terrified, cried even harder, and Mu Xiaofeng, watching from the side, felt both heartache and frustration.

Then, an idea hit Mu Xiaofeng. He proposed, “How about this? You’ve got five people, but the Scholar and the Sacrificer can’t fight me. Let the other three take me on, one by one. If I defeat one of them, you let one of my friends go. How’s that?”

The bandit leader thought for a moment, unsure why this kid had the nerve to challenge them, but he couldn’t find a reason to refuse and agreed to the proposal.

Lao Wu was ready to step forward, but Lao Si, the fourth bandit, stopped him. Wielding his axe and shield, Lao Si said, “Fifth brother, you and Third brother already had your fun. It’s my turn to stretch my legs! Let me take care of the kid while you two rest.” Reluctantly, Lao Wu stepped back, leaving Lao Si as Mu Xiaofeng’s first opponent.

Seeing Lao Si, who was clad entirely in green, Mu Xiaofeng couldn’t help but laugh, taunting, “What’s this? A giant turtle? Let’s see how I deal with you.” His words infuriated Lao Si, who hated being called a turtle, though his brothers often teased him about it.

Enraged, Lao Si charged at Mu Xiaofeng, swinging his axe. Mu Xiaofeng dodged easily, but the ground where the axe struck was left with a deep crack. Surprised by Lao Si’s immense strength, Mu Xiaofeng hadn’t expected him to be this powerful, almost as strong as Lao San. He quickly retaliated, slashing at Lao Si with his sword, but Lao Si blocked it with his shield effortlessly.

Then, Lao Si’s shield released a green mist. Mu Xiaofeng, inhaling a bit of it, quickly backed away, feeling his body weaken and his head grow dizzy. Lao Si laughed, “Kid, don’t be fooled by all this green gear of mine. It’s all infused with powerful poison. Inhale enough, and you won’t even be able to walk!”

Mu Xiaofeng indeed started feeling his body becoming sluggish and unresponsive. Lao Si slowly approached, and Mu Xiaofeng, unable to move his legs, felt stuck to the ground. Lao Si bashed him in the face with his shield, sending him sprawling to the ground. Watching from the side, Qiao Zi let out a scream and turned her head away, only for the bandit leader to force her to look, saying, “Don’t turn away. The show’s just getting good.”

Lying on the ground, Mu Xiaofeng looked over at Qiao Zi, seeing the pain in her expression. Fueled by anger, he struggled to stand and shouted at Lao Si, “Who said your poison would stop me? Watch this!” With that, he activated his right-hand Yuan Jie, a move that drained much of his Yuan energy but began rapidly healing his injuries and neutralizing the poison.

Mu Xiaofeng felt his energy depleting but noticed it regenerating faster than before. He raised his heavy sword and, though staggering at first, his steps soon steadied. Lao Si, shocked, couldn’t believe Mu Xiaofeng was shaking off the poison. He swung his axe again, but Mu Xiaofeng nimbly dodged and kept his distance. He knew he couldn’t let Lao Si get too close, as more poison could be released at any moment.

The two began a game of cat and mouse, with Mu Xiaofeng dodging Lao Si’s every attack. After a while, the bandit leader started to frown, sensing something was off. Mu Xiaofeng noticed this and realized that if he kept stalling, they would eventually figure out his plan.

Mu Xiaofeng had hidden a small robot on himself when he came with Lao Wu. The robot had already transmitted their location to Mu Huaichou and the others, who were now racing toward the bandits’ hideout. All Mu Xiaofeng had to do was buy time until they arrived.

But Mu Xiaofeng knew he couldn’t keep dodging forever. He needed to confront Lao Si head-on. So he taunted, “Hey, big guy! You’re using poison to fight a kid like me? Even if you win, I won’t accept it. Fight me fair and square if you’ve got the guts!” Lao Si, thinking it over, agreed. After all, Mu Xiaofeng was just a kid—surely he didn’t need poison to win.

With Lao Si agreeing to fight without poison, Mu Xiaofeng charged forward, slashing at his shield again. Lao Si remained unmoved and swung his axe, but Mu Xiaofeng ducked and avoided the strike. Their battle went on for several more exchanges, neither gaining the upper hand. But with Mu Xiaofeng’s Yuan Jie and Sacrifice techniques replenishing his energy, he was growing stronger, while Lao Si was starting to tire.

Realizing he might soon be at a disadvantage, Lao Si grinned at Mu Xiaofeng and said, “Kid, I underestimated you. But if I don’t use my Yuan Jie, I might actually lose.” With that, his chest began to glow yellow, signifying increased defense. Now, Mu Xiaofeng was about to face Lao Si with his Yuan Jie activated.