Chapter 49 : Chapter 49

Chapter 49: One Tael of Silver for a Mouthful of Water? Are You Robbing Me?

Luo Li turned her head and saw that it was actually a rat spirit.

But the moment it caught sight of the Horse-Cleaving Saber planted in the cave entrance, it was so frightened that it turned tail and fled.

“Did we take over its home or something?”

Luo Li muttered to herself, then let out a breath of relief.

She looked at Xiao Cong and Xiao Lü. Their bark had regained a little moisture, so she finally took back the waterskin, which only had two mouthfuls left in it.

After that, she found a relatively clean and level spot inside the cave.

From her little bundle, she took out a soft blanket, spread it over the ground, and sat down cross-legged on it in comfort.

Until deep into the night, Chen Guan still had not returned.

Alone in the cave, Luo Li gradually began to feel uneasy.

T-this fellow... couldn’t have seen the situation going bad and just abandoned her, could he?

The thought made her pretty face go pale.

But then, on second thought, she rejected the idea in her heart.

She might not excel at much else, but when it came to judging people, she still had some confidence.

That man might be greedy for money, but he valued the word “rules” even more than his own life.

As an Escort Master, abandoning one’s employer midway and running off alone was a grave taboo upon the escort road.

If he had truly wanted to leave her behind, he could have run away with Luo Tong and the others long ago. Why would he have gone to such lengths to bring her here?

Only... things were different now.

Though she had kept herself from asking where Luo Tong and the others had gone, she had already realized that once they saw the deathsworn hunting her...

they had understood her identity was anything but ordinary, and had given up escorting her to Shangjing City.

She could understand their choice and did not blame them, which was why she had never asked.

At that thought, a depth utterly unsuited to her age appeared on Luo Li’s young face.

Roar—!

Just then, an earth-shaking bellow rang out from outside the cave, making the entire cavern hum and tremble.

Luo Li gathered her thoughts, sprang to her feet, drew the short sword at her waist, and at once assumed a guarded stance.

The two little tree spirits, who had already buried themselves in the soil and fallen asleep, were jolted awake by the roar. They hastily yanked their “feet” back out of the earth and hid behind Luo Li, trembling all over.

“It’s over, it’s over! It’s a Fire Fiend! The Fire Fiend Grandmother warned us about! The Fire Fiend is here! It’s going to chop us up for firewood!”

“Don’t be scared. I’m here!”

Luo Li shot the two little spirits a glance. Though her words were reassuring, her own heart was pounding as well.

Still, the moment her eyes swept over the Horse-Cleaving Saber standing quietly at the cave entrance, her heart strangely steadied.

She had seen with her own eyes how, in that man’s hands, this saber cut down fierce demons and fiends as easily as chopping melons and vegetables.

Since he had left this blade here, it could not have been for show.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

A series of heavy footsteps, like war drums, approached from afar.

Peering through the cave mouth, Luo Li saw a mountain-like figure slowly approaching their cave, one step at a time.

Each heavy footfall made the ground tremble faintly.

Fortunately, the huge figure stopped three zhang from the cave entrance.

Then a man leapt down from its back and, in a tone that admitted no refusal, said, “If you don’t want me to turn you into drinking snacks, then stay here and guard this place properly. If any of those little demons disturb my rest, I’ll skin you, pull out your tendons, and roast you whole!”

Huff!

At those words, the gigantic shadow obediently nodded its enormous head.

Hearing Chen Guan’s voice, Luo Li let out a breath of relief.

Then her eyes fell on the massive black shape again.

By the dim moonlight, she could finally make out its true appearance—that mountain-like shadow was actually a monster more than a zhang tall, with a body comparable to an enormous savage ox!

It had no horns, but its entire body was covered in scarlet scales that reflected the cold moonlight. Its four limbs were thick with sinewy muscle, stout as ancient tree stumps.

This was clearly a Scarlet Flame Scale Ox, an exceedingly rare fiendish demon!

Seeing Chen Guan walking toward them, Luo Li immediately ran over like a startled little rabbit and pointed at the Scarlet Flame Scale Ox as she asked in a small voice, “Brother Chen, what... what is that?”

“Oh, just a mount I subdued.”

Chen Guan replied casually. Then he walked to the cave entrance, seized the Horse-Cleaving Saber from the ground, and, without even looking, flung it backward with all his strength!

Bang!

The Horse-Cleaving Saber shot through the air with a sharp tearing sound and buried itself in the ground directly before the Scarlet Flame Scale Ox, the blade stopping precisely one inch from its nose.

The Scarlet Flame Scale Ox had originally been a little displeased at hearing Chen Guan call it a mount. It had even been on the verge of snorting out two streams of hot breath in protest.

However, the instant the killing intent lingering on that blade brushed past its nose,

its enormous body froze stiff.

Upon that saber, it smelled three familiar scents.

Three Demon Kings once equal to itself—Earthsplit Bear, Crimson-Scale Python, and Ironspine Wolf.

Three months earlier, the Crimson-Scale Python had still been fighting it for territory. Now the python’s blood aura clung to the saber’s blade, silently speaking of its final fate.

Slowly, the ox lowered its head.

It was not stupid.

When facing someone ruthless enough to kill three Demon Kings of the same rank, merely losing two horns was already a lenient outcome.

“A mount?!”

Luo Li stared at Chen Guan in shock.

Though her cultivation was not high, she came from a learned household and her eyesight was sharp.

At a glance, she could tell that this Scarlet Flame Scale Ox was absolutely a genuine fiendish demon, and very likely a Demon King.

The weakest Demon Kings were at the peak of the Tongxuan Realm, and it might even be a legendary Purple Palace great fiend.

Great fiends had their own dignity.

The phrase “Better shattered jade than intact tile” was most often used among the common folk for creatures like this.

They would rather die standing than live kneeling, and would never willingly serve as mounts to mere humans!

How in the world had this fellow managed it?

She looked at Chen Guan in utter bewilderment.

Yet Chen Guan clearly had no intention of explaining.

He casually returned into the cave, glanced at the two little spirits still trembling there, then took another waterskin from his robes and handed it over.

“With me here, you won’t be in any danger. Split this between the two of you and get a good night’s rest. We leave again at dawn.”

Though the words were light, to the two little spirits they were like a dose of reassurance. Their tense little hearts immediately relaxed.

“Thank you, Big Brother!”

Seeing this, Luo Li instantly ran over as well and held out her hand as a matter of course.

“Brother Chen, what about mine?”

“No.” Chen Guan refused outright.

At this point, he almost wished this troublemaker would simply die of thirst on the road.

According to escort-house rules, if the employer died from illness on the journey, that fell under the exemption clause. It had absolutely nothing to do with the Escort Master.

“You!”

Luo Li stamped her foot in fury. But seeing that impervious expression of his, she could only unwillingly dig two pieces of broken silver out of her little purse and hand them over.

“Here, then! Take it! Just let me drink two mouthfuls, all right?”

The corners of Chen Guan’s lips lifted. His face, dark all day long, finally showed a trace of pleasure.

“That can be arranged.”

As he spoke, he produced another full waterskin from behind his back and handed it over.

Luo Li shot him a fierce white-eyed glare, cursed this money-loving scoundrel thoroughly in her heart, then snatched the waterskin and raised it to her lips, gulping down a great mouthful without the slightest regard for dignity.

Just as she was about to drink a second mouthful, she suddenly felt her hand go empty. Chen Guan had snatched the waterskin back in one motion.

“Y-you... you... Didn’t you say one tael of silver for one mouthful? I’ve only had one mouthful!”