Chief, don't hit me in the face

Chapter 34: Noon Has Arrived

“A member of the Cao clan?” Bang! Xia Ye landed and continued charging forward. He glanced around and saw a squad of eight outside the tower, led by Cao Ang, the one with the long face. “It’s you?” Cao Xiong raised a thick eyebrow and swung his battleaxe, ready to charge forward and cut him down. “Stop! Fall back!” Cao Ang ordered. The next second, Xia Qingyuan and the others tumbled out the window like dumplings in boiling water. Xia Qiufeng was the last to jump; the moment he hit the ground, the Ghost White Tiger leaped out, its sharp claws slashing at his back. Thud! Xia Qiufeng was sent tumbling away, his handsome face instantly contorted with pain. “Let’s go!” Xia Qingyuan grabbed Xia Qiufeng and dragged him out with all his might. Seeing that there were others present, the Ghost White Tiger ceased its pursuit. Instead, it let out a furious roar and took up a defensive position at the tower’s entrance; like the Undead Hero, it could not stray too far from the tower. Xia Xiong and Cao Xu were already holding their longbows, each aiming at the other’s captain. “This is the territory of the Cao Clan—you shameless invaders!” Cao Xiong roared. “Isn’t this the Fengjing Ruins? Since when did it become the Cao Clan Ruins?” Xia Qingyuan sneered. “Angge, tear this guy’s mouth off!” Cao Bing grinned savagely. Not only did they outnumber their opponents, but even if the numbers were equal, they weren’t afraid of these Xia Clan minions. Apart from Xia Qingyuan, the others looked mortified. This reaction only bolstered the Cao clan’s morale, making them appear even more arrogant. “Hmph, blind man, let’s see where you run this time!” Cao Bing glared at Xia Ye with a savage grin: “We told you Cao Mu was the son of our tribe’s Fifth Hero, yet you still killed him. Don’t you even know the meaning of the word ‘death’?” “What?” Xia Qingyuan and his group were stunned. Could this be a hoax? Was Xia Ye really that formidable? “You talk too much. Do you want me to smash your mouth with my eighteen-inch cock?” Xia Ye gripped his curved sword, quickly thinking of a countermeasure. “What? What the hell is an ‘eighteen-inch big bird’?” The Cao clan members were completely baffled. After a moment of stunned silence, they finally caught on—especially Cao Bing, whose face turned crimson with rage. That remark was utterly insulting! “Go to hell!” Cao Bing charged forward. “Attack!” Fearing a chaotic melee, Cao Ang quickly gave orders: “Take out that squad first!” “Retreat!” Xia Qingyuan’s command was decisive; Xia Xiong fired an arrow to hold off the enemy. Cao Ang moved with blinding speed. Fixing his gaze on the wounded Xia Qiufeng, he closed the thirty-plus-meter gap in a single sprint, then leaped forward and struck with a downward slash. Xia Qiufeng was instantly engulfed by a killing intent, as if he had fallen into an ice cave. Without a word, Cao Ang brought his sword down. Whoosh! Xia Qiufeng couldn’t dodge in time and could only block with all his might, but the blade, along with the man wielding it, sliced him clean in two, starting from the top of his head. Thud! The mangled corpse fell to the ground. “Brother Ang is mighty!” The Cao clan cheered. Xia Qingyuan’s expression changed as he looked at the bronze longsword in Cao Ang’s hand, which shimmered with a mysterious and magnificent dark golden glow in the midday sun. No need to ask—this was undoubtedly spoils of war found in the ruins of Fengjing. “What a fine sword!” Xia Ye licked his lips and didn’t follow, but at a time like this, no one was paying him any mind. “Cao Bing, if you’ve killed someone, hurry up and catch up!” Cao Xiong roared with laughter: “Or you’ll miss out on your share of the spoils!” The enemy’s flight greatly boosted the morale of the Cao clan’s men. “It takes no more than three breaths to slaughter these small fry!” Cao Bing sneered, his eyes fixed intently on Xia Ye. As he closed in, he swung his sword in a flurry of slashes. Whoosh! A gust of wind swept through the air. Seeing Xia Ye dodging repeatedly and refusing to engage head-on, the Cao Bing soldier felt even more elated: “Haha, still acting all cocky? I’m going to finish you off!” “Can Cao Bing handle this all by himself?” Cao Lan turned her head, feeling a bit worried. No matter what underhanded tactics that teenager had used, he had ultimately killed Cao Mu. But soon she heard Cao Bing’s mocking taunt. “Did you hear that? Stop worrying so much. Hurry up and finish off these Xia clan members, and reclaim our spoils!” Cao Xu moved with lightning speed. Everyone was experienced enough to know, just by looking at the Xia clan squad’s formation, that the half-blind man had been isolated—he was nothing more than cannon fodder. How could he possibly seize the spoils? So the good stuff must be hidden within the group. Xia Ye kept glancing at White Tiger out of the corner of his eye; in his view, that was the real danger. “Damn it, are you made of mudskippers or something?” Cao Bing was frustrated. He’d been slashing away for a minute, but hadn’t even managed to scratch the guy. “The footsteps stopped!” Xia Ye suddenly spoke up. “What?” Cao Bing was confused and growled, “You think you can get away with all this ghostly nonsense? Let me tell you, you’re as good as dead!” “How stupid!” Xia Ye shook his head. “I mean, your companion has walked far away!” “So what if they’ve gone far away?” Cao Bing sneered. “Of course…” Xia Ye, who had been retreating, suddenly stopped, then surged forward with all his might, his curved sword snapping upward before plunging down like a shooting star: “To kill you!” Clang! The stone blade parried the attack, sending a shower of stone dust flying. A tremendous force struck him, causing the Cao Bing soldier’s arm to tremble and feel slightly numb. “How is this possible? That level of strength is at least Fifth-Tier of the Body Tempering Realm!” Cao Bing was somewhat taken aback—his opponent’s cultivation level was no weaker than his own, so why had he been pretending to be weak? Wait a minute—he said his companions had gone far ahead. Could it be to ensure they wouldn’t have time to come back and save him? “Figured it out?” Xia Ye sneered, rushing forward with a flurry of strikes, each blow faster than the last. Clang! Cao Bing was forced into a disheveled retreat, his face a mix of stone powder and sweat—not a trace remained of his earlier confidence and composure. “You look just like a dog!” Xia Ye sneered. “You…” Cao Bing wanted to retort, but he didn’t dare open his mouth—he was afraid that the moment he spoke, his anger would dissipate. “Tsk, you can’t even beat a half-blind good-for-nothing—doesn’t that piss you off?” Xia Ye curled his lip. “Of course I’m furious!” “Ha!” Song Guo couldn’t help but chuckle—her big brother sure had a sharp tongue. “Cao Ang actually brought along a nobody like you? Did you have to become his ass-kisser just to scrape together a spot on the team?” Xia Ye blinked, his face full of curiosity. “You’re the one who’s a bootlicker—your whole family are bootlickers!” Cao Bing felt a ball of rage burning in his chest; he wanted nothing more than to tear this kid to pieces. Finally, he couldn’t hold back any longer and let loose with a torrent of abuse: “Tsk, shouting that loud will deprive your brain of oxygen!” Xia Ye warned. Cao Bing’s swordplay became erratic. The more he tried to cut Xia Ye down, the more he found he couldn’t kill him; instead, he was being pinned down like a dog. This left him frustrated and agitated, feeling the blood pulsing up to his head as if his veins were about to burst from rage. “He’s losing his cool!” Seeing his opponent in this state, a smile crept onto Xia Ye’s lips. He suddenly paused, then charged forward again! Beastly Ambush! “Huh?” The Cao Bing, still retreating to dodge, froze in surprise. What was his opponent up to? Was he about to unleash his ultimate? In the next instant, the half-blind figure in his field of vision suddenly accelerated and, with a whoosh, streaked past him. Ding! The severed half of the stone knife flew diagonally and lodged itself in a large tree. Out of the corner of his eye, Cao Bing saw crimson blood gushing from his neck like a fountain, splattering everywhere. Then, excruciating pain welled up from his neck and swept through his entire body. Thud! As the Cao Bing fell to the ground, dead, four words still echoed in his ears. It’s noon! Of course, he certainly didn’t understand Xia Ye’s joke. “Oye！” Song Guo cheered, running over on her little legs, leaping up, and holding out her right hand. Xia Ye caught on and raised his right hand. Smack! The two high-fived in celebration. “You’re totally taking the Ghost White Tiger for granted!” Xia Ye teased. “I want it!” Song Guo was brief and to the point: “Ride!” This Ghost White Tiger was truly stunning—its semi-translucent body accented with blue stripes, its limbs adorned with pale totem tattoos, and every detail exuding mystery and mystique. Even its tail, which swayed occasionally, was a thing of beauty. If they could capture it as a mount, it would be the supercar of the Tribal Era—absolutely eye-popping, guaranteed to turn every head. “Let’s give it a shot!” Having obtained the *Sutra of Ten Thousand Spirits of the Great Wasteland* and transformed his spirit servant, Xia Ye was now brimming with confidence. Just as he was about to try capturing this ghostly white tiger, it let out a roar and suddenly—with a *snap*—shattered into specks of light. “Aww!” Song Guo was deeply disappointed. “Watch out, someone’s coming!” Xia Ye immediately went on high alert, and the little girl raised her crossbow, ready to fire at any moment. Clatter! Behind the Tower of Glory, the sound of light footsteps could be heard. “Over there!” Xia Ye dashed over, but all he saw was the back of a young girl disappearing among the ruins. “So fast!” Song Guo took off in pursuit. “Grab the loot and let’s get out of here!” Xia Ye grabbed the little girl’s arm. At this distance, the girl could easily find a place to hide. By the time he caught up, it would take a lot of time to track her down. If they dragged this out until the Cao clan returned, they’d be in trouble. “Okay!” Song Guo rummaged through the corpse. The stone knife had been chopped in half, and there was also a stone dagger—but Xia Ye had no use for them. Although he could trade them for two knife coins back at the tribe, carrying them would slow him down too much. Besides, he wasn’t short on money. “Knife coins!” Song Guo found three knife coins in the Cao Bing’s pocket and flaunted them triumphantly, along with some herbs, animal hides, and other odds and ends. “Penny-pincher!” Xia Ye casually tossed aside the yellowed lump of salt and walked over to Xia Qiufeng’s body. The Cao clan had assumed Cao Bing would kill Xia Ye, and since they were in a hurry to catch up with Xia Qingyuan’s group, they hadn’t bothered to recover the body, expecting Cao Bing to clean up the battlefield. Little did they know he was dead. “Tsk, he really was poor.” Xia Ye felt no guilt whatsoever about looting his own clan member’s corpse. Aside from the two knife coins, Xia Qiufeng’s leather armor was worth a few coins as well, but Xia Ye left it for him. Before leaving, Xia Ye slashed at the Cao Bing soldiers’ corpses a few times to prevent them from figuring out his fighting style. The wind blew, carrying a whiff of blood. Outside the Tower of Glory, calm returned—until Cao Ang’s squad came back. “What were the Cao Bing soldiers doing?” Cao Xiong grumbled under his breath. Although they’d chased the Xia clan members like dogs, they hadn’t killed anyone. That Xia Qingyuan turned out to be a trapmaster—pretty impressive. “I wonder what kind of spoils he managed to get?” Cao Xu rubbed his bow arm with his thumb; according to the squad’s rules, he was entitled to a share. “Anyway, I want that bronze scimitar!” Cao Xiong spoke without a hint of hesitation, but he soon froze in shock. Cao Bing’s corpse lay on the muddy ground, surrounded by a dozen or so crows cawing noisily as they pecked at it. In an instant, the stench of death hit him. “How is that possible?” The group cried out in shock. How had Cao Bing died? Had he been ambushed? “Be on guard!” Cao Ang shouted and immediately charged forward. Splash! The crow screeched and flew up into the sky, but it circled overhead, refusing to leave.