Chapter 139: Chapter 138: Why Do You Laugh?

"What were you fighting over? Hand it over!"

The deafening voice finally made Xue Hongling realize what Wu Chen meant by holding out his hand.

He didn’t want to hold her hand!

He thought she was fighting Blood Crow over some treasure from the mystic realm!

And now, Wu Chen was demanding that very treasure!

But what they were fighting over... how could she possibly say it out loud...

A bitter taste filled Xue Hongling’s mouth. Embarrassed by her misunderstanding, a blush crept all the way to her ears.

She could only lower her head and remain silent.

"Hey, what the hell are you blushing for?!"

Wu Chen grinned. "You talked a big game back then, saying ’just tell me what you want.’"

"Now that I’m actually asking for something, you’re not willing to give it to me."

"Shouldn’t you be ashamed of yourself?"

After saying his piece, he saw she was just standing there with her head down, silent. Wu Chen waved his hand dismissively.

"Forget it, forget it."

"Seeing how stingy you are, you’re obviously not willing to part with it."

Wu Chen figured that whatever a Mid Stage Meridian Passage Realm and a Mid Stage Jade Bone Realm cultivator were fighting over probably wasn’t worth him forcing the issue.

Besides, he had already promised to get the girl out of the Blood Slaughter Sect. She was practically a friend, so there was no need to ruin the harmony between them over something insignificant.

He pulled a brand-new set of clothes and boots, which he had prepared earlier, from his storage pouch and handed them to Xue Hongling.

"I came here this time to get you out of the Blood Slaughter Sect."

"But first, you need to change out of that Blood Slaughter Sect uniform to make things easier for us."

After all, if he ran into an acquaintance from Refining Valley, he could just laugh it off. But if Xue Hongling was still wearing her Blood Slaughter Sect clothes, it would inevitably cause a lot of trouble and conflict.

"Okay, thank you."

Hearing him say this, Xue Hongling’s heart warmed. She knew he really had come looking for her after all.

She could only whisper her thanks.

Besides that, she had nothing of value on her to repay him.

She took the clothes from Wu Chen. The fabric was soft and comfortable to the touch, and she knew at once they weren’t cheap.

Xue Hongling found a thicket of bushes to hide behind and changed her clothes.

"When I was watching you fight that guy just now, I saw that your Bone-Eroding Wind Blade has already reached the Perfection stage."

Wu Chen heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Xue Hongling, now changed. She seemed a little self-conscious as she walked over, perhaps because it was her first time wearing such expensive clothes.

He handed her a manual he had been holding for some time.

"This Body Technique is like that blade art from before. Learn it. Once you reach Perfection, you’ll be able to condense its Shi."

This Body Technique was, of course, ’Swift Swallow Plucks a Leaf Step · Shi.’ Her own Body Technique was already quite good, and her talent was exceptional.

And since this technique incorporated elements of the Body Technique she already knew, he figured it wouldn’t be a problem for her to grasp the basics in a short amount of time.

It would also make it easier for her to at least keep up with him later, and she might even become a great asset.

"Thank you,"

Xue Hongling whispered again, accepting the half-inch thick, heavy Martial Arts manual.

Feeling its weight, she felt she owed Wu Chen more and more.

Even if she was lucky enough to escape the Blood Slaughter Sect, she would never be able to repay this debt of gratitude.

But then, her gaze fell upon the Martial Arts manual in her hand.

The blade art she had received from Wu Chen last time had benefited her immensely, allowing her to open four meridians throughout her body.

Wu Chen had said this Body Technique was also top-tier. If she could master it to Perfection, that would be when she would advance to the Jade Bone Realm.

And with this Martial Arts manual in hand, even if she gained nothing else from this trip to the mystic realm, she would still consider her harvest bountiful.

But Xue Hongling knew that every second counted now and she couldn’t afford to be a burden to Wu Chen. She quickly put the Martial Arts manual into the patched, shabby-looking cloth pouch at her waist.

But Wu Chen stopped her. "Read through the Martial Arts manual first and try to comprehend it. We’re in no hurry to explore this mystic realm."

"We’re not in a hurry to explore the mystic realm?"

Xue Hongling was taken aback. "What if someone else takes all the heavenly materials and earthly treasures in the realm?"

"What if they take them?"

Wu Chen led the way to a nearby grassy hill, sat down on the spot, and said with righteous confidence:

"I’ll just take them back."

He said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world, as if that’s just how things should be.

Xue Hongling: "..."

Standing to one side, Xue Hongling fell silent.

She had previously thought Wu Chen was a disciple of a righteous and prestigious sect. But now, hearing him say something like that so matter-of-factly, he sounded more like someone from one of the other Demon Sects of the jianghu.

Looking at Wu Chen’s profile, for a moment she couldn’t tell if he was being serious or just joking.

After a moment’s hesitation, she said flatly:

"This time, between the Blood Slaughter Sect’s Direct Disciples and some Stewards who rushed back, there are nearly four hundred Jade Bone Realm cultivators, young and old, who have entered the mystic realm. It’s not going to be as easy to rob them as you think."

Xue Hongling wasn’t trying to discourage Wu Chen, but rather stating a fact:

"Not to mention the countless martial artists from the jianghu with their treacherous methods who have also snuck in, all hoping to get a piece of the pie from the mystic realm."

"But none of that is the most important part."

She let out a faint sigh. "The important thing is, in the mountain pass outside the mystic realm... you must have seen those Blood Slaughter Sect Elders when you came in, right?"

Wu Chen nodded. "Yup, saw ’em."

Hearing his nonchalant tone, her heart sank even further.

This subtly proved that Wu Chen was not a disciple of one of the four great righteous sects, nor was he even remotely related to them. Otherwise, why would he have bothered to travel thousands of miles to come here?

’I should have known this all along.’

Xue Hongling naturally knew more about this mystic realm. The Blood Slaughter Sect’s entrance was a great distance from those of the four major sects. It would take ten days of running day and night to travel between them.

The fact that she saw him today meant he must have entered the mystic realm through the Blood Slaughter Sect’s gate.

And since he wasn’t a disciple of the four sects, he naturally couldn’t leave the mystic realm through their exits.

But returning the way he came, through the Blood Slaughter Sect’s gate, meant he would have to face...

The light faded from Xue Hongling’s eyes.

"You’re such a fool. You didn’t have to go this far for me..."

A bitter expression appeared on her face.

"Those aren’t just any Blood Evil Elders. There are fifty-two red-robed Elders, sixteen gray-robed Elders, and two black-robed Elders."

"Setting aside the red and gray-robed Elders for a moment, just those two black-robed Elders alone have cultivation nearly at the Blood Coagulation Realm."

"With such Elders standing guard outside, how could anyone who snuck into the mystic realm possibly hope to leave safely?"

"Even if you manage to rob others, when the mystic realm closes in three months, everything will end up belonging to the Blood Slaughter Sect anyway."

"Forget about these worldly possessions."

"Even your life..."

As she spoke, despair completely overwhelmed her eyes.

Although Wu Chen had managed to use various tricks to force her master to retreat last time, he was only in the early Organ Refining Realm.

But this time, they had to face seventy Elders from the Blood Slaughter Sect!

In the three months they had in the mystic realm, she estimated she could, at best, barely reach the Jade Bone Realm.

Two Jade Bone Realm cultivators against seventy Organ Refining Realm cultivators... it was no longer a question of who had the advantage. There was simply no way out alive.

Even at the very end, when the martial artists from the jianghu all fled the mystic realm in every direction, she estimated that even if they tried to use the chaos to their advantage, it would be difficult to protect Wu Chen and get him out of the Blood Slaughter Sect’s territory.

"Pfft!"

However, just as Xue Hongling’s thoughts were in turmoil, she heard a snicker.

She looked at Wu Chen, not understanding why he was laughing, and so happily at that.

Then she heard him say:

"Those two old geezers really love to flatter themselves. Organ Refining Realm is Organ Refining Realm, Blood Coagulation Realm is Blood Coagulation Realm. What’s all this nonsense about being ’nearly at the Blood Coagulation Realm’?"

"You think any real Blood Coagulation Realm cultivator would give them the time of day?"

Xue Hongling looked at Wu Chen’s nonchalant expression and casual, teasing tone, and once again fell silent.

It was a fact that Wu Chen had intimidated her master into retreating. It was also a fact that he had just casually killed Blood Crow, a Mid Stage Jade Bone Realm cultivator, with a single strike.

But all this proved was that Wu Chen’s cultivation was a little higher than she had imagined.

’Late Stage Jade Bone Realm, perhaps?’

’With that alone, how could he dare to mock someone at the Perfection stage of the Organ Refining Realm?’

Just as her heart was pounding with uncertainty, wavering between belief and doubt, Wu Chen waved his hand at her.

"It’s useless for you to think about all that right now. You’d be better off reading that Martial Arts manual a few more times."

"Also, you need to be on guard. I’m going to take a nap. This whole journey has worn me out."

"This storage pouch has food and water. Don’t go hunting for a meal only to come back and find me gone."

Wu Chen tossed Xue Hongling a storage pouch, then took a blanket and a small quilt out of another one.

He spread them out, covered himself up, and tuned out the world.

Xue Hongling had thought Wu Chen was just going to take a short nap, but she didn’t expect him to ceremoniously pull out bedding and go to sleep right there on the ground.

Within just a few breaths, she heard the sound of faint snoring.

"I’m a demon of the Blood Slaughter Sect, too!"

Xue Hongling stared at his gentle-looking profile, gritted her teeth, and said, "Aren’t you even a little bit on guard against me?!"

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