Although she didnât have a good impression of this elite playboy, Mu Hanyan wouldnât discriminate against him for being one of them. She certainly wouldnât deem him deserving of death simply because he was a bit disrespectful earlier. Besides, he was part of the Shangyue Royal Family and was sent by order to escort her. If he died inexplicably, it would be a blot on her reputation.
Seeing this fellow charge forward like a reckless fool, Mu Hanyan quickly flew into the air, thrusting out her sword.
The cold gleam flashed as Zhu Xiuqingâs carefree sword had already struck the head of the Fierce Stone Demon, emitting a muffled sound, seemingly as if it struck a hard rock.
The Fierce Stone Demon suddenly raised its head, with a blaze of fury in its eyes, but immediately its body trembled, collapsing and dying with a thud.
"Hahaha, you blind beast, dare to crash into my royal chariot. Arenât you courting death?" Zhu Xiuqing was momentarily dazed, but soon broke into loud laughter.
Upon seeing the Fierce Stone Demonâs fierce glare, he was startled. But having achieved victory in one stroke, he immediately perked up.
"Come over here, transport it back to the Capital to present to His Majesty as a celebration. Lest he always claims I am uneducated." Zhu Xiuqing beckoned to the team of soldiers.
Because the Longyan Mountain Range stretches across the Holy Court Continent, various countries are adjacent to it. Exotic Beasts living within the range sometimes have conflicts with small towns at the borders of different countries, so incidents of beasts attacking people occur often. Thus, border armies killing beasts does indeed count as military merit.
Zeng Wenxin and the soldiers all grimaced. This place is tens of thousands of miles away from Shangyue City, and the beast weighs at least four to five thousand pounds. Sending it back to the Capital is easier said than done. Moreover, they were here to escort the An Yun Envoy. Sending a beast back unexpectedly for celebration would be ridiculous.
Zeng Xinwen seemed to have envisioned His Majestyâs exasperated expression, secretly wiping his forehead.
"Why are you still standing there? Itâs my first time leading troops and Iâve slain such a big Exotic Beast. Naturally, I should report the success to His Majesty for celebration. Whatâs wrong with that?" Zhu Xiuqing might not be a complete wastrel; aware of his ridiculousness, yet unwilling to miss the chance to prove his strength, he spoke with a stern face.
"My lord..." One of the generals cautiously pointed at the Fierce Stone Demon.
Zhu Xiuqing looked in the direction he pointed, his face slightly darkening.
Right at the demonâs vital heart position, a blood spring gushed forth; clearly, this was the fatal wound.
"Was that you who struck?" Zhu Xiuqing glanced at Mu Hanyan not far behind, asking discontentedly.
Mu Hanyan gave him a cool look, sheathed her sword; wasnât that a redundant question? He even said the Fury Stone Demon was courting deathâhe was the one courting death. Had it not been for her timely strike, who knows if heâd still be alive.
"Hmph, is a bit of skill something to brag about? Just a Stone Plate Pig, need your help? I could poke it dead with one finger." Zhu Xiuqing, feeling slighted, grumbled angrily, embarrassed to claim he had slain it.
"What do you call this?" Mu Hanyanâs eye twitched, pointing at the Fierce Stone Demon, she asked.
"Stone Plate Pig, you canât even recognize this?" Zhu Xiuqing scornfully glanced at Mu Hanyan, muttering under his breath, "Is An Yun Country really this weak? Sending someone with zero Eye Power?"
Mu Hanyan was amused and distressed. No wonder this guy dared rush to his death. Turns out he didnât even recognize the Fierce Stone Demon, mistaking it for a Stone Plate Pig.
A Stone Plate Pig is indeed a type of Exotic Beast, with decent stone armor defense, but merely decent. An adult Stone Plate Pigâs attack power might not compare to a Mutant Wind Pig.
To be fair, the Stone Plate Pig does somewhat resemble the Fierce Stone Demon. Plus, the demon resides deep within the Longyan Mountains; ordinary folks indeed canât tell them apart.
Yet Zhu Xiuqing, a royal family descendant, future Prince, failed to have even this minimal Eye Power. No wonder even the Shangyue Royal Emperor criticized him as uneducated; he truly wasnât wrong.
"Although youâre an An Yun envoy, a guest invited by our Shangyue Country, guests ought to behave as guests. Have you seen guests fighting and killing in the hostâs house? Dare to act recklessly again, donât blame me for being rude." Slightly annoyed at Mu Hanyan for seizing his âvictory,â Zhu Xiuqing rebuked heavily before strutting back to his team.
Mu Hanyan rolled her eyes; scarce was her benevolent act to save someone, only to get berated. Had she known, sheâd let the Fierce Stone Demon bite him to death.
Mu Hanyan couldnât be bothered to argue with such a genuine elite playboy, lowering her head to examine the Fierce Stone Demon.
Wasnât it supposed to dwell deep within the Longyan Mountains? Why did it come here, and how did its defense end up this weak?
She had witnessed the demonâs prowess, and merely intended to save someone with that thrust, not aiming to inflict severe damage. Yet unexpectedly, one strike became fatal; its supposedly indestructible armor turned out to be as fragile as paper.
After scrutinizing for a while, Mu Hanyan discovered that the Fierce Stone Demon had long suffered severe internal injury; its organs were utterly broken.
Could it be that this creature, heavily wounded and fleeing desperately, stumbled here randomly?
But setting aside Innate Ability, the demonâs attack and defense wouldnât fare much worse than the Four Great Fierce Beasts. Who could have hurt it so badly?
"Dawdling over what? Just a Stone Plate Pig, never seen one before? Whatâs there to gaze at?" Zhu Xiuqing saw Mu Hanyan still examining his supposed âspoils of war,â impatiently remarked.
Mu Hanyan couldnât think of an answer, choosing not to strain her mind further, returning to her carriage. Meanwhile, an ominous feeling lingered in her heart.
"Whatâs there to show off for? Just slain a Stone Plate Pig, back in the Capital Iâve killed plenty of Exotic Beasts, far superior ones." As the group continued toward Shangyue City, Zhu Xiuqing, disgruntled from Mu Hanyan seizing his âvictory,â kept nagging endlessly.
"My lord, the beast earlier seemed slightly different from a Stone Plate Pig. Could it be a mistaken identity?" The young general beside Zhu Xiuqing frowned, suggesting carefully.
Named Li Dingfeng, although from a minor family, his Eye Power was rather keen, sensing something off about that âStone Plate Pig.â
"Are you doubting my Eye Power? Me, the dignified Heir of Prince Anxi, canât even recognize a Stone Plate Pig?" Zhu Xiuqing, with a stern face, expressed displeasure.
"I wouldnât dare." Li Dingfeng quickly bowed.
He also felt he had overstepped; Zhu Mingxiu, despite being incompetent, is nonetheless royalty. Surely, he wouldnât fail to recognize a Stone Plate Pig.
He clearly didnât know, this future Prince was more of a fool than he ever imagined.