"You scoundrel! Give me back that sword technique manual!" The girl in black had a clear, crisp voice, and her gaze on Ling Xiao was complicated.
"What sword technique manual?" Ling Xiao looked at the girl in black with an innocent expression. "I saved your life, and because of you, I've gotten tangled up with a power I shouldn't have. I haven't even come looking for you, yet you're the one who's come to me?"
"It wasn't on purpose!" the girl in black said, though her tone was casual. "I nearly died for that sword technique manual. Just give it back to me, okay?"
Ling Xiao looked completely bewildered. "What sword technique manual...? What are you talking about? I don't understand. Did you give me a sword technique manual... or have we met before?"
"Please..." The girl suddenly looked as if she were about to burst into tears. "Give it back to me. If you return the manual, I'll... do... whatever you want." As she spoke the last words, she lowered her head, her voice growing faint, full of delicate shyness.
Ling Xiao laughed to himself. 'If she were truly shy, she wouldn't be saying such seductive things, would she?'
Seeing Ling Xiao's infuriatingly indifferent expression, the girl in black finally snapped. With a flick of her wrist, she drew a jet-black dagger from her robes, holding it in her uninjured left hand. She bared her teeth at Ling Xiao and snarled, "You brat who isn't even a Sword Master, if you don't give it back, I'll kill you! Don't think I won't do it. Let me tell you, this dagger has tasted plenty of blood!"
Ling Xiao finally couldn't help but laugh. This girl in black was probably at the level of a Second or Third Rank Sword Master, and from the nervous look in her eyes as she spoke, he knew she was lying.
"You... you're still laughing? I'm really going to get... Ngh!"
The girl lowered her gaze in horror, staring at the slender sword pressed against her throat. It was trembling slightly and didn't look very powerful. Even though she knew the tip was still some distance from her skin, she felt an itch in her throat and could even feel a faint chill emanating from the blade's point.
Besides, judging by his ghostly speed, she had no doubt that if she made the slightest move, the smiling youth's sword would pierce her fragile neck without hesitation.
"Waaah..." The girl yanked the hood from her head. A cascade of black hair floated in the air, revealing a face beautiful enough to topple nations. Her long, bewitching eyes, a mixture of indignation and anger, stared at Ling Xiao, brimming with tears. "You're a bully, you big jerk! After you already did... *that*... to me, you still won't give me back the manual! Waaah! You're a bad person!"
Large teardrops rolled down her fair cheeks. Her heartbroken expression was pitiful to behold. Ling Xiao held his hands out, at a loss. "I... how did I bully you?"
"You..." The girl was momentarily speechless. He had groped her in *that* embarrassing place twice—how could she possibly say it out loud? She could only glare at Ling Xiao, ashamed and indignant. After a long moment, she blurted out, "You have to take responsibility for me!" With that, she didn't dare look at him again, pulling the hood back over her head and dashing away.
"How bizarre," Ling Xiao shrugged, thinking to himself, 'Why does she want me to take responsibility? What did I even do?'
...
Later that night, with the hour late, Wang Chao led the group away from the inn. On the smooth bluestone road, the only sounds were the rumbling of carriage wheels and the clip-clop of hooves.
Wang Chao, Ling Xiao, and Anya rode in one carriage, while Gaia, Tang Ming, and Wu Liang were in the other. Because of its proximity to the Imperial Capital, there was no fear of invasion by other races, so Wutan Town's walls were not very high, and its gates were always open.
The two carriages drove out of Wutan Town and sped west along the main road.
Less than fifteen minutes after they left, another carriage followed closely behind, heading in the same direction.
After the carriages had traveled more than thirty li out of the town, Wang Chao finally let out a sigh of relief. "We should be fine now. The Madman Mercenary Corps shouldn't be able to catch up."
Anya blinked and asked, "Captain, are the people from the Mercenary Corps that unreasonable? This wasn't Tang Ming's or Ling Xiao's fault. On what grounds are they pursuing us so aggressively?"
Wang Chao looked at the sweet young girl, smiled, and sighed softly. "Anya, you're still young. Many things in this world can't be explained with reason."
Beside them, Ling Xiao said with a smile, "Might makes right."
Wang Chao glanced at Ling Xiao in surprise. He hadn't expected his young brother-in-arms, despite his youth, not only to possess miraculous, astonishing medical skills, but also to have such extraordinary insight. He was quite pleased that Ling Xiao could say such a thing.
Anya frowned, saying angrily, "Honestly, that's just too much. Ling Xiao, you have to get stronger quickly! Then we won't have to run and hide from them like this!"
Ling Xiao's mouth twitched, but he didn't respond to her.
Suddenly, Wang Chao furrowed his brow slightly. "I think someone's following us."
Ling Xiao thought of the little thief in black and felt a strange sense of unease. 'It couldn't be her, could it? Has she caught up?'
Anya's face was tinged with anger. "Is it the people from that Mercenary Corps?"
Wang Chao shook his head. "No, it's just one carriage. They're probably like us—ran into someone they couldn't afford to offend and chose to leave at this hour."
The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, they arrived at a small town with a sign that read "Qingshui Town." The drivers had been running these routes for years and skillfully found an inn with a restaurant. Since they had mostly slept on the road, everyone was in fairly good spirits.
The inn served breakfast outside, under a simple canopy set up with tables and benches. This way, passersby and local residents could also come to eat.
The six of them casually found two tables. The two drivers sat off to one side, ordered some breakfast, and began to eat.
Just then, a figure in a black cloak walked in from outside. The person had a petite build and wore a thin veil over their head; it was a young woman.
Tang Ming suddenly looked up, staring at the woman in black in surprise. He recognized her at a glance—wasn't this the same woman from Miss Huangpu's Adventurer's Bar yesterday? He glanced at Ling Xiao, who was sitting beside him with a similarly dazed expression, and nudged him gently with his elbow before asking in a low voice.
"Why did she follow us?"
"How should I know?" Ling Xiao replied, exasperated. It seemed Captain Wang Chao had been right last night; the person following them had indeed been her.
"She couldn't be here to get back..." Tang Ming asked Ling Xiao vaguely in a hushed tone.
Ling Xiao shook his head. "I don't know anything."
'What a true brother!' Tang Ming really wanted to give Ling Xiao a big hug. 'Now *that's* a real bro! He's got my back!'
The woman in black spotted Ling Xiao at once and gracefully walked over. She looked at him with great tenderness and said, "My husband..."
"PFFT!" Ling Xiao, who had just taken a sip of water, sprayed it all out. He stared, dumbfounded, at the girl in black.
Everyone else was stunned speechless. Anya had it the worst. She was in the middle of eating a steamed bun and, afraid of the embarrassment of spitting it out, forced herself to swallow. Her face turned bright red from the effort, and Tang Ming had to pat her on the back for a long time before she could catch her breath.
The only one who didn't react was Gaia, who was too focused on demolishing the steamed buns on his plate to hear what the girl in black had said.
"What... what did you call me?" Ling Xiao stared at the girl. Through her veil, he could see a hint of triumph in her partially hidden eyes. Ling Xiao gave a wry smile. 'If you knew my real identity, you'd probably be running for the hills. You'd never dare get this close.'
"My husband, of course!" The girl's voice was filled with a sense of grievance. "Wasn't it for my sake that you argued with those Mercenaries yesterday? I was so scared I froze, and then I couldn't find you afterward... Waaah, husband, please don't abandon me, okay?"
If he hadn't been with Ling Xiao yesterday, even Tang Ming might have believed the girl's story. Her aggrieved tone and pitiful appearance made one instinctively want to believe and protect her.
Just then, Wu Liang chimed in with a snide tone, "Hmph, the passions of youth! Already fighting over women at such a young age. It's a real eye-opener! No wonder nothing like this ever happened before. The moment you show up, there's trouble. You've done a fine job, haven't you, Ling Xiao!"
He then turned to Wang Chao with a solemn expression. "Captain, you've said it before: the most important thing for a team member is to learn to think of the group. If everyone is as good at stirring up trouble as he is, then what's the point of having a team? We might as well disband. It would save us from being surrounded by a horde of Mercenaries one day and losing our lives."
Tang Ming tried to argue, "Wu Liang, it's not what you think!"
"You shut up!" Wu Liang sneered menacingly. "Tang Ming, the captain was merciful and didn't hold you responsible, but do you really think you're blameless? It doesn't matter how it started; everyone can see the result now. This kid's romantic entanglements have caught up to him. Can the day the Mercenaries catch up be far behind?"
"I..." Tang Ming was furious. He was never good with words, and Wu Liang's glib, specious arguments left him speechless.
Wang Chao frowned, his expression troubled. Wu Liang's words were harsh, but he had to admit that if a team member constantly stirred up trouble, it could indeed bring disaster upon the entire group. The cause and process didn't really matter; what mattered was understanding the potential harm of the outcome.
However, asking him to abandon Ling Xiao was absolutely out of the question. Leaving aside the fact that Ling Xiao had healed his injuries, Wang Chao's nature was such that his word was his bond; he would never abandon a companion.
Ling Xiao, however, had calmed down. He knew Wu Liang disliked him, mainly because his strength was too low, though there seemed to be other reasons as well. Wu Liang was clearly using this incident as an excuse and wouldn't rest until he had driven Ling Xiao from the team.
Gaia, with his modest and simple-hearted nature, scratched his head, not knowing what to say. He quite liked the young Ling Xiao. In fact, given Gaia's simple nature, he tended to like anyone who wasn't overtly malicious.
Anya didn't want to abandon Ling Xiao either; she still hadn't learned his amazing and miraculous medical skills. Besides, she also felt the people from the Mercenary Corps were being too tyrannical. But after hearing Wu Liang's words, she had to admit he had a point. After more than a year as an Adventurer, Anya knew all too well the consequences of provoking those mercenary corps.
Ling Xiao took in everyone's expressions and sighed to himself. Then, with a calm face, he said to Wang Chao, "Captain, I'll withdraw from the team."