CHAPTER 56: CHAPTER 56: THE ENCHANTING WILD BOAR (PLEASE FOLLOW!)

The group consisted of ten people, rain dripping off their straw raincoats.

Though they wore raincoats and conical hats, they didn’t resemble the fishing elders in books; rather, nine out of ten were imposing figures with murderous intent.

The temple was already small, and the presence of ten people made it crowded, forcing their horses to stay outside.

The person at the front, with a broad knife on his waist, took two steps forward, crouched by the fire, first glanced at the buns roasting over the flame, then looked at Nezha on the ground, grinning, the scar running from his forehead across his nose to his mouth slightly twitching.

The man said, "Kid, who are you, and where are your guardians?"

Since they entered, Nezha had observed each of them, and if they weren’t hiding their cultivation, their spiritual presence was strong but limited compared to ordinary folk.

What slightly disgusted him was the strong scent of blood emanating from these people.

They were clearly not here in the mountains just to hunt wild boars.

So it was human blood scent.

He replied, "There’s no guardian; I’m the only one who came into the mountains."

The thinnest of the ten, at this moment, removed her raincoat, her black robe still mostly soaked by rain, clinging tightly to her curvaceous figure.

It turned out to be a woman, wearing a half-iron mask, and the small mouth and chin exposed were beautiful enough to fascinate anyone.

She looked around and said, "Scarface, this child isn’t lying. There’s no sign of anyone else having been in the temple."

Judging by her tone and the demeanor of those around, Nezha noticed that this group apparently followed this woman’s lead.

Hearing this, the man called Scarface immediately took off his raincoat, put the broad knife from his waist beside him, stopped paying attention to Nezha, reached for the perfectly roasted bun, and began eating.

Nezha noticed that beneath his raincoat was a set of exquisitely made light steel armor, with a clear tiger head emblem on the arm guard, although the thick shoulder armor had a very thin slit cut into it.

In these times, such complete armor wasn’t easy to come by, and as Mr. Fan had mentioned, the ability to engrave a family crest on one’s armor was a rare privilege even in Zhaoge.

The remaining few also shed their raincoats, starting to settle down. One burly man even approached to lead Nezha’s horse outside, but the horse resisted, shaking its head unwillingly.

The man glanced again at Nezha’s maroon horse and suddenly paused before turning to the woman, "Night Lord, look at this horse, it truly is an exceptional steed."

But before the woman could respond, Nezha burst into laughter, drawing ten pairs of eyes to him.

The woman asked, "Kid, what’s so funny?"

Nezha waved his hand, chuckling, "Nothing, just suddenly thought of something amusing."

He thought to himself, although she was a strikingly attractive woman, why would her subordinates refer to her as the ’Wild Boar?’

The woman cast him a disdainful glance, then, along with a few men, approached the maroon horse, running her hand over its sleek fur with delight, "Indeed, great fortune follows calamity. Despite the losses at Jue Long Ridge, who would’ve thought we’d find such a fine horse in an ancient temple. Presenting it to His Highness King Wu Chen will surely bring substantial rewards."

At this point, she seemed to recall something and turned to her companions, "When rewards are given, everyone will share. If we successfully return to Zhaoge and meet His Highness King Wu Cheng, I’ll make sure to commend each of you, ensuring everyone is recognized and rewarded continuously!"

On hearing this, the remaining nine exchanged glances, then saluted the woman in unison, "Thank you, Night Lord."

Off to the side, Nezha watched this scene with indifference, knowing full well that the ’everyone’ being rewarded didn’t include him.

Nezha pulled out two more buns from his bag to roast them over the fire. He didn’t mind offering the travelers some buns, but they could at least ask first before taking them, not to mention wanting to take his horse.

Indeed, people were the same everywhere. Knowing he was alone with no one to help, they all bared their wolf-like nature.

He said with a smile, "Sorry, Wild Boar, but I’m not planning to sell the horse."

Nezha thought to himself, of course, I know you don’t intend to buy it.

He merely felt bored as those ten icy cold eyes looked at him, wondering why these armored warriors, capable of confronting a stranger’s child, acted so arrogantly. How about when the Qiankun Ring is unleashed, would they dare maintain their arrogance?

At this moment, Scarface, dismissive of Nezha, saw him deftly produce two buns from nowhere again and reached out to grab one.

Nezha flicked his hand, leaving him empty-handed.

Scarface’s face showed a fierce intent and was about to explode in anger when the woman began to speak again, forcing him to suppress his fury.

She examined Nezha more closely this time, realizing this child, despite being dusty from the journey, was wearing clothes not typical of a farmer’s family. The hairpin on his head and the jade pendant at his waist were all extraordinary items.

Moreover, it was quite eerie for a lone child to appear in this ancient mountain forest in the dead of night.

She swayed her hips forward, her ten slender fingers painted black-brown, smiling, "This little doll is quite handsome. What’s your name, and which family are you from? Sis isn’t trying to steal your horse. It’s just that the temple is too small and your horse too big; keeping it inside is too cramped. Lead it outside to be with our horses and make some room for us to rest."

Nezha looked at that woman’s false smile on her half-exposed face, thinking it was foolish to think him gullible. His gaze swept over her snake-like waist and round bottom, then said, "My name is Li Zha, the son of a landlord from a nearby town. Even to avoid rain, there’s an order. My horse and I came first. I didn’t mind when you came in and cramped us. If you find it too crowded, you can go outside and get wet yourselves."

When she heard Nezha was the son of a wealthy local landlord, the woman’s expression instantly cooled. She waved her hand to her subordinates, not even bothering to speak to Nezha further.

As an old hand at acting, Nezha couldn’t help but lament the woman’s lack of commitment; if she intended to appear kind and approachable, she should do so consistently.

Although her patience was lacking, the woman did indeed have a keen eye. Nezha’s Seven-orifice Exquisite Hairpin and gentleman’s dustless pendant were treasures acquired from Ao Bing, which money couldn’t ordinarily buy.

The woman turned away, crossed her hands behind her back, and her starry eyes pierced through the rain curtain, staring into the endless night.

She sighed with emotion, reflecting on the journey through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, where even the cultivators in their team had perished, yet the ultimate victory wrapped in mystery now lay in their hands.

"The unpredictability of the world evokes profound thoughts," she mused.

While the woman was lost in thought, behind her, Scarface sneered, his hands, hardened by years of sword-wielding calluses, slowly reaching for the hilt of his broad knife.

The familiar feel of the straw wrapping made Scarface’s soul shudder. After days of killing, he had long shaken off the comfort of life in Zhaoge, becoming a beast filled with hunger for blood and life.

He glanced at Nezha, lightly licking his lips, mockingly saying, "Heh heh heh, kid, blame your unlucky fate."

Scarface lifted his blade.

But couldn’t lift it.

He suddenly felt as if his blade was as heavy as a thousand pounds, stuck in the ground.

Frowning, he looked down, only to find that the blade hadn’t gotten stuck.

Instead, there was a white, tender finger pressed against the broad surface of the blade.

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