Chapter 58: Value of Life (1)
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"What the five of you have gone through is inherently different. Should we find more talented individuals for the team, I may never take them back to the Yang Mountain Range."
Everyone was resting once again. They have been traveling for hours and exhaustion slowly accumulated in tiny bits. Right now, Bibi Dong had another set of scrolls in her hands as she passed them to the five of them.
"Don't open them now. First, let's discuss our needs," Saying that, Bibi Dong looked at the group and sighed, "Ka-ul, Xie Xan, and Liu Erlong, the three of you are assault-type spirit masters and this is the direction you wish to develop, yes?" The trio nodded. Assault type itself had various subcategories. Liu Erlong was a pure power-type close combatant with potent burst attacks. Though Xie Xan himself wasn't an agility-type spirit master, the speed of his attacks was impeccable and by what Ja Sun had revealed, he was a balanced-type fighter.
In fact, these directions, more often than not, are developed by chance. There is no way of knowing what ability a person might get from his or her spirit ring.
Bibi Dong then looked at Ah Yin and Hu Lana, "And the two of you are control-type spirit masters. While Hu Lana has individual attacking capabilities, Ah Yin, you can turn your martial soul into an attack itself. Both paths are different within themselves, too.
Attackers have the responsibility to clear out enemies, and controllers have the responsibility to make the fights easier for the main attacker by developing personal tactics.
But, we have to consider the possibility of not finding anyone worthy enough to recruit. Even if we find a talent, it is a big if that they would want to join us. Presently, we lack a good supporter. That is this team's most pressing concern. After this, our priority should be given to a defense-type spirit master if we really need it. Given that we have three attackers, a defense-type spirit master can be excluded entirely.
Do you have any idea on how to change this situation?" Bibi Dong inquired calmly. Everyone gave it a thought while Ja Sun already had a sincere idea.
"Teacher, the best-supporting spirit masters of the continent are from Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. I gave it a thought before. We should kidnap one of the most talented youths of the clan and slowly make him our team member."
Everyone looked at Ja Sun weirdly.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm speaking my mind this time. If not the best, then we observe the clan. Every clan has internal friction. Sometimes, internal friction may discriminate against a talent from lower origins. There are many ways to pull such a person into the fold."
"Unfortunately, Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan favors talents of every origin," Bibi Dong shook her head. But it would be a lie if she wasn't impressed by this line of thinking.
"Read the contents of your scroll."
Reading through the scroll, everyone frowned momentarily. There wasn't any vocal response but Ja Sun sighed and pulled his mask out before wearing it.
"Will we find any talents within them?" Xie Xan inquired.
"I don't know. But this is the nearest known location of the group we are targeting. For fifteen days, all of you have been tracking poisonous spirit beasts. Now is the time to track beasts more poisonous than your previous targets. Though I am your teacher, my individual strength isn't above all of you combined so I will join in when necessary and leave the burdensome tasks to you."
Bibi Dong's words were clear and their objectives were set. Under his mask, Ja Sun had an excited grin.
After all, they were going to loot.
"Before we begin, let's discuss our abilities. I want to know the strongest of your abilities and the weakest."
"I have no weakness," Ja Sun stated without a hint of shame.
"Your spirit rank is 36, your entire existence is a form of weakness at this point," Bibi Dong countered.
"Wonderful," Hu Lana and Liu Erlong breathed a soft whisper at the same time.
Ja Sun glanced at Ah Yin's smirk and snorted.
"Liu Erlong, you go first."
Thinking for a moment, Liu Erlong frowned and inquired, "Do you want me to explain every single ability of mine?"
"In general, yes," Bibi Dong nodded.
The dark-haired dragon's brows twitched as she revealed a reluctant expression.
"I see. Then maybe tracking the opponents right away is better than wasting time and reluctantly trusting each other," Bibi Dong stood up. Others didn't mind Bibi Dong's reluctance since they themselves would be reluctant to trust others with their abilities.
Currently, the group was already in a wide plain. Aside from plentiful blue silver grass, there was a wide expanse of calf-lengthed wild grass slightly similar to ferns growing up.
The information inside the scroll was regarding a group of bandits called Lash Group. According to the bounty book in Bibi Dong's ownership, aside from robbing goods, the Lash Group also snatches the occasional young individuals in the carriages. Within Bibi Dong's group, everyone knew who these young individuals are taken for in reality. But they weren't doing it conduct justice. They were doing this for 2000 gold coins and three universal tokens of spirit hall protected forest entry.
According to the scroll given by Bibi Dong, the bounties were the same for an outsider and a member of the hall. However, aside from this, a member of the hall will get contribution points. This bounty rewarded 70 points of merit that will be later divided by the group.
According to the information of bounty, this group consists of a dozen spirit elders and a Spirit Ancestor leader. This is already a great force capable of threatening their small team of one Spirit Emperor, two Spirit Kings, two Spirit Ancestors, and a single Spirit Elder.
But their hideout is hidden and their path of retreat jumbled. Locally, this group has already become a menace and the more menacing someone can become, the more profitable his or her death will be.
"We need a bait," Ja Sun suddenly spoke up, "Someone who attracts the attention of any possible scout but isn't too weak or too strong. Just the right amount of strength will draw out enough of the men so that they can guarantee their victory. The quality of the bait needs to be enticing enough, too."
With that, he looked towards Erlong.
Many more gazes fell on her.
"Why can't you or Xie Xan be the bait?" She frowned.
"Because we aren't enticing enough." Ja Sun replied readily.
"We will give you 20 merit points and share the rest amongst us," Bibi Dong nodded and finally Liu Erlong gave a forceful nod. But the hint of fury in her eyes couldn't be hidden any longer.
She had borne too much. While she cannot vent on Ja Sun, she can certainly vent on fools that may target her while having one on their back as well.
---
Lash Group is divided into three parts. Scouts, Hunters, and Tamers.
In the small group, scouts numbered the greatest and their task is to find suitable targets before informing the entire gang and harassing the opponent until everyone arrives. Of course, the conditions for selecting a target are also very harsh. They wouldn't easily move against just anybody. There have been a few people who escaped their grasps, leading the group's name to appear in the bounty booklet of the Spirit Hall.
Crouched atop a branch, hidden by bushes, a bearded man with a hooded cloak suddenly felt alarmed and broke a finger-long blue stick the moment he saw a slightly wretched visage of a beautiful woman rushing through the grassland and into the forest. He was the best scout the group had because of his rather simple martial soul. Any and every spirit ring will only create different colored pairs of sticks once but can last an indefinite amount of time until one of them is broken.
Being a Spirit Elder, the man could create, green, yellow, and blue sticks. Depending on the sticks he broke, the group would send reinforcement to complete the robbery. The blue stick meant that the boss needed to join the act.
Not only was the dark and straight-haired woman beautiful and curvaceous, her clothes not hiding these facts, but she also had a dangerous aura and pressure around her as she ran towards the forest. Blood leaked from the corner of her lip. Dust and mud slightly shadowed her features but the man's gaze still lingered on the tears of the woman's clothes with debauchery filling his heart. Little kids they sell, they won't touch. After all, undamaged goods are the only ones valued. But her...
The man felt fire building in his heart.
The response was a quick one. While the woman dashed into the forest, many figures surrounded her from a distance and cautiously observed her. Next to the scout was a neat figure with a handsome face. Brown hair that loosely fell on his shoulders. He stared at the fleeing figure with narrowed eyes.
"It looks like she is alone. Capture her."
The man commanded calmly.
The fleeing figure was none other than Liu Erlong.
Her cold expression couldn't oppress the murderous aura around her anymore. Ka-ul, Hu Lana. She was intent on making the two of them suffer. She still recalled how Hu Lana thought it would be a good idea to create a disheveled appearance to attract the bandits while the tears in her clothes might be able to distract them. Yes, she, Liu Erlong, was not just a simple bait but a honey bait.
"Stop!"
A howl echoed and a furry figure jumped from one of the branches. Clenching her jaws, Liu Erlong deliberately sidestepped and rushed towards another hidden bandit she was able to discover.
"Hahaha! If you want to deliver yourself, little beauty, just say so," A bald man with spiked gauntlets in his hand and three rings: White, Yellow, Yellow— appeared from behind a tree. His sinister gaze landing on Liu Erlong and he didn't hide his intentions at all.
With a snort, Liu Erlong shot away once more. The bandits, although good at hiding, would also try to play their opponent's minds. Instead of simply attacking their opponents, they will try to break the will before the body. Much to their fortune, Liu Erlong would almost step towards one of their members' direction.
When there were six individuals on her trail, each with three spirit rings, others finally revealed themselves.
"Stop resisting," a cold voice blew from in front of Liu Erlong and her body hurriedly tilted sideways, jumping onto the trunk of a tree as her previous position was now struck with an arrow.
'10 seconds more... no, enough.'
Liu Erlong's gaze flashed. Without saying anything, she gave a chilling sneer. Her body flipped backward towards her opponent and midair, four spirit rings, extremely condensed and small flared out. Her body transformed instantly as thick red scales covered her arms, tearing the sleeves of her clothes while her palms turned into crimson draconic claws. Her third, purple spirit ring flared without any hesitation and a ball of fire congealed over her scaly palm.
"Stop!"
A hasty voice echoed when Liu Erlong sneered and shot down with her hand stretched out. The ball of fire still continued to gather over her stretched arm. With plentiful experience, the group of bandits instantly shivered the moment they saw the four rings. Although Liu Erlong hid it well, when attacking, they still stood out somewhat.
As they anxiously stopped and turned to change paths, Liu Erlong's claws smashed into the ground and a fiery explosion instantly erupted with a might that uprooted the trees by the shock of the force itself.
"Little beauty, why deliver yourself?" A cold breath echoed in the ears of the stunned bald man who struck the nearby tree. His skin burnt somewhat but the moment he looked at the source of the voice, a claw tore into his caved-in chest. Eyes widened and he gazed at the woman with reddened eyes brimming with bloodlust. It wasn't just bloodlust in Liu Erlong's eyes anymore. But a passion for slaughter.
Before the bald man could even say anything, Liu Erlong gave a low growl. Stabbing her other claw in the man's stomach, making him vomit blood and unable to speak, she pulled him up and blocked the three arrows flying in her direction.
*Khch*
*Khch*
*Khch*
The arrows skewered the bald man, his eyes lifeless now as Liu Erlong gave a low whistle with her hands spreading out.
*Cccchkkkk*
Guts spilled out as she tore the man's body in half. Much of blood already drenching Liu Erlong.
For a moment, her breath shuddered and her pupils dilated as if she had come known to the greatest form of pleasure.
Hurriedly looking back, she found that others were already dead from the explosion. Those who were only grievously injured by the surprise attack were keeping their eyes closed with despair in their hearts.
"I... haven't had enough," Liu Erlong took a deep breath. Her steps slow and calm. Her task was complete as indicated by the lack of further attacks from distant enemies.
With that, she grasped the head of another bandit.
*Chhhkk*
And crushed it.
---
"Choosing Liu Erlong was the right decision," Ja Sun gave a low chuckle. In fact, only he had the heart to chuckle. Once the remaining four individuals surrounded the Bandits, their major fighting force dealt by Liu Erlong, the bandit group became an easier target.
Right now, all of the students were sitting outside a wooden fortress deep within the forest.
Bibi Dong had gone inside the fortress to check the circumstances. If there were any slaves, she temporarily freed them and made them stay within the fortress itself.
On the other hand, outside, surrounding the campfire, Hu Lana and Xie Xan gazed at Liu Erlong cautiously. Now they understood why she could follow the path of bloody madness like Ja Sun. The sight of Liu Erlong tearing up the corpses was not an easy one to digest and even if she looked healthier after the bloodbath, cheerful maybe, Liu Erlong couldn't make the couple look at her without innate caution.
"Shut up," Liu Erlong growled at Ja Sun. Cruel intent flickering in her eyes as he smirked.
"Ooh, how scary. Want me to slap you unconscious? Or show you the real bloodbath?" He inquired with a snicker as Liu Erlong blinked momentarily. Compared to the caution revealed by Hu Lana and Xie Xan, Liu Erlong preferred Ah Yin's calm indifference and the provoking Ka-ul.
Her gaze flickered briefly. Finally, with a soft exhale, Liu Erlong gave a scoff, "The same thing will not scare me twice."
Everyone held their own ration and ate silently. The sound of Ah Yin eating her fruit was the loudest despite the small bites she took.
"But the idea of tearing Erlong's clothes was even better," Ja Sun waggled his brows at Hu Lana, "I didn't think of that. It was a nice touch."
Feeling Erlong's stare planting over herself, Hu Lana panicked inwardly but on the outside, she revealed a graceful appearance and nodded calmly, "It was better that way."
"Next time you can run naked to attract enemies," Liu Erlong stated sharply.
"Hey! Only I get to see her naked," Xie Xan countered with a cold expression.
"We heard," Ah Yin added with a calm expression.
For a moment, the group fell silent once again.
"Want to play a game?" Ja Sun suddenly questioned. Everyone's interested gaze fell on him. Seeing the silent agreement, Ja Sun explained in a low voice, "Someone else taught me this game. It is a way to cope up with all the murders one commits. The best way to play this game is with an even larger group but the five of us will suffice.
The rules are simple. You will recall the murder you still cannot deal with. It can be your first blood, or the latest. Then, instead of recalling the real circumstances, you add history to your target and recite the event in a story. For instance, you killed someone who was trying to steal food from you for his family. Now, if you feel bad or not is the main issue. If you do feel bad, change the story. Say, he was stealing food to feed a captured little girl and you killed it. If you want to go the other way, you can say that the man was trying to steal food for his bedridden family and feel even worse about it."
"So the choice is ours?" Ah Yin inquired and Ja Sun gave a nod.
"Since this is your idea, why don't you demonstrate it?" Hu Lana smiled.
"I will give it a go, sure. I was... six that year, a few months before my awakening. I was alone, and quite powerless. Stealing was my bread and butter. One day, I was caught. Pity is never to be expected and surely, I was beaten black and blue. But they left me with my life. Clinging on to it, I couldn't just steal easily again. My body would hurt every time I tried to move so I settled. Close to my hiding spot, a middle-aged family stayed and their son found me.
Secretly, he would come and give me food. The leftover of his family. Honestly, it was the most delicious thing I had tasted at the time. One day, when I had made a significant recovery, I silently snuck into the boy's home at night and plunged a sharp knife into his father's neck before running away. He was the one who had caught me stealing that day. While his son fed me, he was the reason why I was broken to such an extent."
Everyone fell silent.
"You... didn't make that man look bad at all," Erlong frowned as Ja Sun gave a chilling smile. He wasn't wearing his mask as the flickering campfire made his face look low and eerie.
"I know."
"This is a nice game," a calm voice interjected and Bibi Dong arrived. Sitting in a distance from everyone, Bibi Dong gazed at Ja Sun, "What is the name of this game?"
"A friend of mine named it: Value of Life."
"I see. Next, Ah Yin, you give it a go."
Bibi Dong didn't explain the situation within the fortress and urged Ah Yin to speak her mind.
While Ja Sun's part was much more realistic and heart-blocking, Ah Yin's was worse.
"I never felt bad or good in killing someone. Those I have killed, I know the reason why. Those I haven't, it is because I don't want to."
"What about the time when I was captured?" Ja Sun indicated towards the four spirit masters from the Strength, Speed, Defense, and Attack Clans. She sliced them up quite harshly, after all.
"You want to truly hear the reason why?" Ah Yin inquired while giving Ja Sun a sidelong glance.
Ja Sun nodded with an eager expression.
Exhaling softly, Ah Yin looked towards the flickering campfire and bit on her fruit. In between the crunches of the bite, Ah Yin stated softly, "They slapped you rather hard, that's why."
"Oh..." Ja Sun's expression froze momentarily. With ease, he pulled out his mask and wore it calmly while everyone looked towards him.
"What?" Ja Sun inquired calmly.
"Why did you wear a mask?" Bibi Dong inquired what was on everybody's mind.
"I like it when my face is hidden."
He spoke before turning silent completely.
"I see. Next, Xie Xan, you start," Bibi Dong stated.
Giving Ja Sun a sneer, Xie Xan took a deep breath and began.
"My most memorable victim was—"
"Let's do this together," Hu Lana gave a smile as she held Xie Xan's shuddering hand.
Giving a nod, Xie Xan began, "Hu Lana and I come from a distant village up north. A few dozen kilometers from the Icebound Forest. Arctic Martial Souls like Snow Foxes are found in that region easily and Hu Lana attained a variation of her mother's martial soul.
My father and Hu Lana's family knew each other well. I never got to know my mother and for some reason, my father would never tell me anything about her."
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