Sang Qie’s confidence was inflated—he was the only one in the entire mercenary squad who had reached Tier Four.
But it wasn’t just courage that allowed him to face the Knight Order.
To ensure no witnesses were left alive, the Kingdom of Heriwei had forged Enchanted Marks onto their bodies.
The Blood Boil Mark was located on the back of the neck, strengthening their power and speed, even halving their perception of pain.
The Iron Skin Mark was on the chest, hardening their skin to ignore ordinary blade slashes and stabs.
There were also the Eagle Eye Mark, Resonance Mark, and Hunting Mark—but aside from him, the others only had two marks each.
Those Enchanted Marks alone were enough to buy their lives several times over, and once engraved, they were permanent.
In other words, completing this mission meant not only receiving a generous reward to live comfortably from then on, but also getting a free set of marks.
But such overpowered strength came at a cost. Overusing the marks would cause irreversible damage to the body.
Sang Qie looked at Audrey and spoke in a treacherous tone. “Captain Audrey, I advise you not to resist.”
“If you’re willing to submit to me, I might consider sparing your subordinates’ lives.”
“Are you asking to die?”
Hai Er bellowed, his long sword cutting through the air as he swung it straight at Sang Qie’s bald head.
Clang!
A burly man blocked the long sword with a splitting axe, the two weapons clashing with a crisp sound.
Hai Er laughed in anger. Did these people really think any random thug could trample all over their Knight Order?
A flicker of blood-red light flashed across Hai Er’s body. The boost from his Knight skill instantly surged his strength.
He slightly raised his sword, then slashed down immediately.
Two sword shadows overlapped, forcing the burly man backward.
With that single exchange, the tension between the two sides instantly ignited.
Sang Qie glanced disdainfully at Hai Er.
Even though the latter had gotten the upper hand just now, a Knight still needed to activate a skill to win—that already said everything.
“Well, Captain Audrey and that young lady, what have you decided?”
Sang Qie continued his shameless questioning.
Conquering a woman who held herself so high and mighty—that would be a unique thrill indeed.
Audrey did not respond.
Faced with his unrelenting provocation, she understood that killing him might be the only way to avoid further trouble.
Just then, Ailya glanced at the lake, her eyes lighting up, her mood much improved.
She turned to Sang Qie and said coldly, “Oh, do you know what price you’ll pay for touching us, old man?”
“Oh-ho-ho, of course I do, little miss. Why not come and try right now?”
Sang Qie sneered and reached out a hand—but at that moment, the mist within the forest churned, constantly absorbed and purified by the Spring of Life.
A terrifying suction covered the entire forest.
This was the reason the mist of the Misty Forest kept drifting inward.
The group, enveloped in the fog, all stared at the lake in astonishment.
Then a short sword shot out from the lake water, moving at lightning speed, its tip aimed directly at Sang Qie.
Splat.
Before Sang Qie could react to the sudden attack, the short sword pierced straight through his head, blood splattering everywhere.
As the mist vanished, a man with a Colorful Chicken perched on his head leaped from the Spring of Life onto the shore.
“Lu Xin!”
“Lu Xin!”
Audrey and Ailya both ran toward the man, both delighted by his sudden appearance.
Behind Lu Xin, Ruilin also jumped out of the lake, catching sight of this scene. She merely smiled.
Still, she hadn’t expected that the underground passage would lead straight to the central area of the Misty Forest.
Lucky that the Colorful Chicken had guided them.
Back in the cave, Lu Xin had already seen Audrey and this group, and had heard most of their conversation.
He had planned to talk after reaching the shore, but when that blind fool tried to touch Ailya, he threw his sword without a second thought.
“Lu Xin, I missed you so much.”
Ailya threw herself into Lu Xin’s arms, nuzzling against him, her nose lightly catching his scent. After a moment, she noticed two things.
“Lu Xin, when did you grow boobs?”
“Oh, this is the pet I brought for you.”
As he spoke, Lu Xin pulled Little Grey out from his chest and handed it to Ailya.
Ailya looked at the Fluffball Monster and casually squeezed it. The texture was quite nice.
As for the second question, Ailya didn’t ask. She just glanced at Ruilin and said nothing.
Lu Xin looked at Ailya, rubbed her red hair vigorously, and said with displeasure, “Why did you come into the forest? Weren’t you supposed to wait for me at home?”
“Mm~ I know I was wrong, but I really missed you.”
“Good thing nothing happened to you. But don’t let it happen again.”
On the other side, seeing Ailya throw herself directly into Lu Xin’s arms, Audrey didn’t approach him.
Instead, she talked with Ruilin about what had happened since they separated.
The mercenaries, seeing their leader’s head pierced by a short sword, hurriedly rushed forward to check.
Yet even so, Sang Qie was still alive.
In his palm, he clutched a bottle—another trump card given to them by the Kingdom of Heriwei.
A Beast Soul Jar, a crystal vial the size of a palm, sealed with a Soul Devour Beast’s essence, capable of saving him from one fatal attack.
Sang Qie reached up and pulled out the short sword. The wounded area began to heal rapidly.
The Beast Soul Jar could only be used three times. He had used it once earlier in the forest—this was the second.
He looked at Lu Xin, but his attention was drawn to the Colorful Chicken on top of his head. If he wasn’t mistaken, that was their target.
“Heh, how lucky. Even the treasure has helped us find it.”
Sang Qie said with a dark face, simultaneously opening the Soul Devour Bottle to use its final charge.
Thick black smoke billowed out. The mercenaries understood Sang Qie’s intention—absorbing this smoke would grant them even greater strength.
From a distance, Lu Xin saw this. He pulled a Throwing Knife from his chest and, without a second word, launched it at Sang Qie again.
To his surprise, Sang Qie, now enhanced, caught the knife barehanded and closed in on Lu Xin within moments.
“Kid, die!”
[Hardening (Basic)] Activate.
Lu Xin shielded Ailya behind him, pulled another Throwing Knife from his chest, and faced Sang Qie head-on.
The other mercenaries also moved first, attacking the Knight Order.
Hai Er found the burly man with the axe among the crowd and sent a Sword Energy straight at him.
As for this battle, all the monsters simply moved farther away to watch the show, while many kept their eyes fixed on the Colorful Chicken.
Lu Xin exchanged several blows with Sang Qie, though he wasn’t at an advantage. But in Lu Xin’s eyes, Sang Qie was already as good as dead.
Suddenly, an arrow shot toward Lu Xin. He pushed off the ground, leaping into the air to dodge the surprise attack.
Sang Qie grinned, seizing the opportunity to open a hole in Lu Xin’s head as well.
But just as he struck, a long sword instantly forced him back.
If not for his several enhancements, he would have been cut in half at that speed.
Before he could react, Audrey closed in and slashed upward with her sword.
Unable to dodge in time, Sang Qie ended up with a fine scratch across his entire face, from crown to chin.
Lu Xin steadied himself, glanced at Sang Qie, and inwardly wondered whether Audrey would kill him faster, or the Tree Crown Venom Lizard’s poison.
He withdrew his gaze and looked toward the direction the arrow had come from.