Chapter 140: Dance of the Silver Dragon

Wang Xiaoshuai’s mood at this moment could no longer be simply described as depressed.

Having finally seized the opportunity to escape from that ghostly place, he had mistakenly assumed that Xu Wen and his group were pursuers dispatched from "that place," tracking him all the way.

As a result... Wang Xiaoshuai revealed a bitter, miserable smile through his blood-stained face:

"Since I've fallen into your hands, do whatever you like with me—kill or torture me as you please."

"Hmph!"

Elder Xie’s gaze turned fierce, his arm applying strength as he lifted the half-dead Wang Xiaoshuai a bit higher. At a single word from Xu Wen, he would tear him to pieces without the slightest hesitation—this was the first time he had lost face so terribly in front of Xu Wen.

Xu Wen could naturally see the expression of Elder Xie, who was itching to kill the assailant to vent his anger. "I'll ask a few questions first. After that, you can deal with him however you want. Before then, don't let him die."

"Understood, Master!"

The reverence of a demonized eight-star powerhouse toward Xu Wen shocked and surprised Wang Xiaoshuai. Raising his eyes slightly to look at Xu Wen, he was clearly filled with astonishment and suspicion regarding Xu Wen's identity.

A five-star beast tamer actually capable of possessing an eight-star dark mage as a servant—even some high-ranking nobles within the Crimson Alliance would probably find this impossible to achieve.

Before he could recover from his initial shock, Xu Wen's first question made him stiffen once again.

"Are you from the Qingyun Empire?"

A look of sheer disbelief crossed Wang Xiaoshuai's face. He stared at Xu Wen, looking him up and down as if trying to see right through him:

"You—how do you know?"

Xu Wen smiled, his tone calm as he said:

"The defensive battle skill you used just now—I actually saw it once a few months ago within the territory of the Joseph family in the Qingyun Empire. Although you used a wooden spear while he used a silver long spear, your mastery is far deeper than his. If it weren't for the lack of a good weapon, Elder Xie would probably have found it difficult to deal with you in such a short time." Thanks to Xu Wen's photographic memory, after repeatedly reconstructing the events in his mind, he had finally managed to connect the demon swordsman who possessed the Crimson Lotus crystal with the person before him.

It was precisely because he guessed that this man might have a connection with the person who found Dean Harman that Xu Wen remained so calm toward someone who had nearly ambushed him.

"The Joseph family!"

Wang Xiaoshuai’s expression instantly turned agitated, and he repeatedly tried to break free from Elder Xie's giant hand:

"A few months ago? You're from the Qingyun Empire?"

"Where is he now? I beg you, tell me! Is he alright?!" The Flying Dragon Spear and the Silver Dragon's Dance that Xu Wen mentioned were family heirlooms of the Wang family. Combined with the fact that the incident took place in the Joseph territory, Wang Xiaoshuai immediately guessed that the person Xu Wen had encountered was his cousin—the cousin who had broken through the encirclement carrying an unknown treasure!

Wang Xiaoshuai's continuous struggling and emotional outbursts were fully taken in by Xu Wen. He could basically confirm that Wang Xiaoshuai indeed had ties to the person who acquired the Crimson Lotus crystal, and moreover... given such a violent reaction, the person hunted down in the forest was most likely this fellow.

"Your name."

"Wang Xiaoshuai, leader of the Vanguard Mercenary Corps!"

Wang Xiaoshuai eagerly blurted out his background, asking urgently, "I beg you! What happened to my cousin? How did you run into him? Tell me, please!"

"Were you dragged into the Crimson Alliance and turned into this state because of that affair with the Joseph family?"

Instead of answering, Xu Wen countered with a question.

Wang Xiaoshuai had no idea that the Crimson Lotus crystal had already fallen into the hands of the person before him, let alone imagining that Xu Wen could deduce his entire experience from just two simple sentences. For a moment, he was too astonished to speak, staring blankly for a long time before finally asking:

"You are..."

"Dean Harman’s disciple. I wonder if you’ve ever heard of me."

Xu Wen had no intention of continuing to conceal his identity. After stating his name, he flipped his hand, grabbed a silver long spear, and tossed it toward Wang Xiaoshuai before the latter could show another look of shock.

The silver Flying Dragon Spear plunged straight into the ground, instantly capturing the entirety of Wang Xiaoshuai's focus... Tears and bewilderment replaced his previous emotional expression!

"I know you. You're a student of Qingyun Academy, Dean Harman's student. Then my cousin, he..."

"The one you're referring to should be that five-star magic swordsman. He's dead, killed by a wind-attribute six-star swordsman. Your cousin seemed to call him the vice-commander." As Xu Wen uttered these words, he gave Elder Xie a look. The latter, still feeling quite displeased, flung open his hand and tossed Wang Xiaoshuai right in front of the silver long spear.

"Dead?"

Wang Xiaoshuai's eyes turned blood-red, his throat hoarse.

The moment his hand grasped the shaft of the Flying Dragon Spear, the figure of a certain person flashed rapidly through his mind. His decadent and lost aura suddenly turned sharp, becoming even more piercing than when he had ambushed Elder Xie!

Elder Xie shifted his body slightly, his eyes locked tightly onto Wang Xiaoshuai's every movement, not daring to let his guard down for even a second.

"You probably have no way to avenge your cousin's death, because the person who killed him happened to run into me and foolishly chose to attack me. I killed him."

Watching Wang Xiaoshuai's rapidly expanding aura, Xu Wen's expression remained completely unperturbed, as if he were speaking of a matter entirely unrelated to himself.

Wang Xiaoshuai's aura stagnated slightly, then quickly threw into chaos!

"He... died?"

"I'm returning this spear to you. I can pretend what just happened never occurred. You may leave."

Having said that, Xu Wen wasted no more words. Little Tiger flicked its tail, turned around, and walked ahead. Five disguised skeleton warriors silently followed behind. Only Elder Xie cast a deeply reluctant glare at the bewildered Wang Xiaoshuai standing in place, let out a heavy snort from his nose, and sped up to catch up with the team.

"Master, his cultivation is quite decent. Why not take him..."

"I am not like you."

"He is not like you either."

Two inexplicable sentences were calmly uttered by Xu Wen, cutting off Elder Xie's pending question and leaving him standing there in bewilderment, staring at Xu Wen's retreating back:

What on earth did those words mean?

Xu Wen and his group traveled peacefully through the forest for a dozen miles... Finally!

Xu Wen couldn't help but turn back, fixing his gaze on the figure silently trailing behind the group:

"How long are you planning to follow?"

Wang Xiaoshuai raised a slightly numb face:

"Seven-star dark magic swordsman, with the strength of a seven-star dark swordsman and a six-star dark mage. If I willingly become your servant, should that be qualification enough?"

"A servant?" Xu Wen frowned slightly and nodded. "Barely enough. But do you take me for a fool? Bringing you along will definitely bring me unnecessary trouble, and not small trouble at that. Am I right?"

"..."

Hearing this, Wang Xiaoshuai's heart immediately sank.

The reason he asked to become Xu Wen's servant was indeed driven by the idea of using Xu Wen's power to escape this crisis. He knew that with his current slave status, he would find it virtually impossible to move an inch within the Crimson Alliance, and whether he could leave the Magical Beast Forest alive was questionable. Furthermore, the brothers of the Vanguard Mercenary Corps who were willing to follow him had all been wiped out, including his cousin who broke through the encirclement. If he wanted revenge, he had to rely on greater power.

Xu Wen was his only option!

Although his exact strength was unfathomable, he carried the identity of Dean Harman's direct disciple, was accompanied by a demonized eight-star powerhouse, and had several strange guards with six-star strength—feats ordinary people could never accomplish.

What tempted him the most was that Xu Wen had personally admitted to killing the vice-commander to avenge his cousin... Whether judged by identity, strength, or character, this was a target entirely worth following!

Even if Xu Wen rejected him on the spot, Wang Xiaoshuai was unwilling to give up so easily. From the moment he learned of his cousin's death, he had completely abandoned the thought of pursuing treasures. Nothing else remained in his mind except revenge. As long as he could seize an opportunity for vengeance, he was willing to give up everything, including his future freedom.

"Give me a set of your guards' equipment; I should be able to blend in."

"Oh?"

Xu Wen looked back at his guards... and remained silent.

Elder Xie, however, wore a mocking expression: Once the guard's equipment came off, this brat would probably be frightened out of his wits immediately.

What did he think was hidden beneath that equipment?

"You should leave. My master won't agree to it."

"It's not entirely impossible, but to become my servant, you must pay an extraordinary price..." Xu Wen's sudden softening of stance surprised both Wang Xiaoshuai and Elder Xie.

"Any price at all!"

Wang Xiaoshuai replied hastily.

"Including offering your soul flame?"

Xu Wen smiled faintly, staring at Wang Xiaoshuai with a trace of mockery.

The latter's expression noticeably froze, as if he hadn't expected Xu Wen to make such a demand.

The soul flame!

Ever since he was dragged into "that place," this was the one thing he refused to offer even in death—it was precisely for this reason that he had escaped.

He never expected that Xu Wen—a person from the Qingyun Empire and a disciple of Harman—would actually ask him to offer his soul flame?

Seeing the bewilderment on Wang Xiaoshuai's face, Xu Wen turned and walked away.

As Elder Xie brushed past Wang Xiaoshuai, he let out a cold snort:

"You can't even do that much, yet you have the nerve to say you're willing to pay any price. Ridiculous..."

"Ridiculous?"

Wang Xiaoshuai's expression tightened as he glared fixedly at Elder Xie's back:

"Could you do it?"

"If he can help me get my revenge, what does offering the soul flame matter? I'm not afraid! What I fear is offering my soul flame, dying prematurely, and failing to personally kill those ungrateful beasts!"

Elder Xie sneered without answering, simply forcing out a faint black contract mark on his forehead!

Wang Xiaoshuai stared at the invisible black line connecting Elder Xie and Xu Wen, his mouth open for a long time, completely speechless... At that moment, a wide robe and a bottle of pills were tossed onto the ground by Xu Wen, his voice drifting from afar into Wang Xiaoshuai's ears:

"The treasure you found is in my hands now; it belongs to my teacher, Harman. In return for you bringing it to light, I'll gift you this bottle of pills. Remember, taking one pill can help you conceal three stars of your cultivation for three hours. Put on the clothes, and it should help you leave this place safely. This is my final repayment to you. What comes after... is entirely up to you."

Right at that moment, a sharp, piercing hawk shriek suddenly rang out through the air!