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Chapter 4: The Qi Xi’s Change
>>Part 2<<
When this was said, Chen Luonian couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed. Ye Weishan blushed as she called, annoyed, “Ma Lian!”
“How come you always find such useful people? It’s amazing,” Ma Lian said, looking at Ye Weishan.
Ye Weishan slightly knitted her brows and pouted without replying.
“Ma Lian jie always likes to joke.” Lai Yixin laughed then said as he walked over to retrieve the monster’s corpse, “Luonian, if you can still sense more monsters, then we’ll go kill some… wah, this is equivalent to three little monsters.”
“Alright.” Start from the closest? Chen Luonian waited until Lai Yixin finished collecting it before saying, “Follow me, the next one’s pretty far away.”
He led them and rushed towards the deep mountains.
This time, they ran all the way until the middle of the night and slaughtered about thirty fused monsters. Everyone was completely won over by Chen Luonian’s ability to sense monsters. Ma Lian frankly expressed her desire to snatch Chen Luonian away. Ye Weishan would have been at a loss as to how to reject Ma Lian if not for the fact that Chen Luonian wasn’t part of Bai Sect.
“This is close enough, right?” Chen Luonian said upon seeing that Ma Lian’s, Lai Yixin’s, and Huang Zongru’s backpacks were all stuffed full. “There’s no more near this this mountain.”
“Can you sense ones even further away?” Malian asked curiously.
Chen Luonian had no desire to hunt monsters until dawn so he shifted his gaze away and shook his head. “I can’t be certain of ones that are even further.”
“It’s already pretty good like this.” Lai Yixin smiled as he said, “Today’s harvest is way too abundant. Qiao Wen jie will be able to take in quite a few new members.”
“That’s right, I heard that the Li Sect sent people to nag the Sect Leader so you guys couldn’t take any more new members?” Ma Lian asked.
“That’s right.” Lai Yixin nodded with a smile.
“And you’re still smiling!?” Ma Lian placed her hands on her hips and said, “Why didn’t you tell the Li Sect to shut their traps?”
“We’re all on the same side. Harmony is to be prized, right?” Lai Yixin continued with a smile, “And the more members Qiao Wen jie has, the stronger the Bai Sect’s combat strength.”
“That’s true, but I hate other people pointing at me the most.” Ma Lian gave a humph, then said, “The Li Sect just has a lot of members and connections to the government, that’s all. What’s so amazing about them?”
“Let’s just stop here for today?” Ye Weishan interrupted. “Qi Ya, do you still need us to come tomorrow?”
“En, they have to be cleared out.” Qi Ya glanced at Chen Luonian, then said, “Just him is enough.”
It was true that they only needed Chen Luonian. Ye Weishan muttered to herself a while, then said, “But someone still needs to send Luonian over so Yixin and I will just come along as well.”
“Alright.” Qi Ya nodded. “Let’s head back.”
“Hm…” Chen Luonian looked to the distance and knitted his brows.
“What? What?” Ma Lian caught his look with her sharp eyes and drew closer to ask, “What’s over there?”
“Huh?” Chen Luonian was stunned for a moment and looked at Ma Lian, surprised. “I didn’t say anything…”
“Save it! I could tell with one look.” Ma Lian said as she laughed, “Qi Ya also knits her brows like this. You definitely found something.”
Chen Luonian said, a bit helplessly, “I just sensed that there seem to be two rather strong monster qis in the process of engulfing each other. It might be the fusion you guys were talking about. Let’s catch it tomorrow?”
“Eh?” Ma Lian and Ye Weishan were astonished. Qi Ya slightly knitted her brows to ask, “Engulf?”
“One monster is currently eating another one,” Chen Luonian said. “They fought until one was almost dead, then started eating.”
“Luonian, how do you know that one is swallowing another one?” Ye Weishan asked. “If it’s fusion, it’s just two portions of monster qi combining into one. It’s different from engulfing.”
“Then maybe I sensed wrong,” Chen Luonian said as he shrugged. “In any case, let’s talk about it tomorrow.”
“That works.” Ma Lian nodded and turned back to look at Qi Ya. However, Qi Ya slightly knitted her brows and said, “That’s not quite right.”
“What is it?” Ma Lian asked, puzzled.
Huang Zongru suddenly interrupted to say, “Could it be a monster above a spirit monster level has appeared?”
“What does that mean?” Chen Luonian didn’t get it.
“It’s said that spirit monsters may swallow low-level fused monsters or prototype monsters to supplement their monster qi,” Huang Zongru said, “but that doesn’t happen often.”
“Really?” Ma Lian asked in surprise. “Tch, how come a newcomer like you know things even I don’t know?”
“Ma Lian jie, I read it in the Sect’s ancient records,” Huang Zongru said, seeming a bit embarrassed.
“En, there seems to be this kind of written record,” Ye Weishan affirmed. “Strong monsters that unexpectedly appear in environments where there’s not enough dao xi would often have this kind of reaction. We still don’t know the reason for it though.”
Ma Lian never thought there would be this kind of record. She looked at Huang Zongru, astonished. “You like reading? Are your grades really good?”
“My grades… aren’t good…” Huang Zongru started stuttering again. “It’s just… interesting things… I like to find out… a little more about them.”
Ma Lian laughed. “It’s another weirdo.”
Swallowing monsters… Could it be that they’re using monster qi to substitute for the lack of Original Chaos Breath? Chen Luonian guessed in his heart.
“Let’s go take a look,” Qi Ya suddenly said.
“We’re really going?’ Chen Luonian was stunned. It was pretty far.
“En, I approve as well,” Ye Weishan said. “If there’s really a spirit monster, it’ll probably be very hard to deal with in the future if we keep allowing it to eat monster qi.”
If it’s really hard to deal with, then just don’t deal with it? However, Chen Luonian saw their eyes and knew that they were determined to go. Thus, he slightly knitted his brows and, without waiting for them to prompt him, started running towards the southwest mountain ridge.
This time, they ran almost three kilometers. Three kilometers wasn’t a very long distance, but three kilometers while weaving through the forest wasn’t very easy, especially for Chen Luonian who didn’t know how to use qi to aid his movements. If he wanted to jump far, he had to use a lot of force in stomping the ground. When he landed, it was also with a lot of force. Sometimes, the ground wasn’t solid enough and he would step into mud or a pile of leaves. It was a terribly sad sight. Thus, in this one night, Chen Luonian’s shoes and trousers had become completely covered with mud.
However, after running continuously for an entire night in the mountains, Chen Luonian finally got a more accurate grasp of his own strength and physical capabilities. He might not have to hesitate that much the next time someone tells him to jump down a dozen meters.
After running a while, Chen Luonian suddenly froze and stopped in a mountain valley area. Before the rest of them could even ask, Chen Luonian said, “We’re still a couple hundred meters away, but the monster has discovered us and is heading this way.”
Everyone froze for a moment, then their expressions turned grave. The fact that the monster discovered them from so far away meant that it was capable of sensing the qi xi that people emitted from far away. It was pretty much definite that this monster was above the spirit monster rank. They just didn’t know how strong it was.
“Into formation, diverge to the back.” Ma Lian’s eyes lit up and she stood at the very front holding her falchion. Lai Yixin and Huang Zongru also moved forward and shielded the other three.
Chen Luonian gazed in that direction. After a slight pause, he said, “That monster has released its monster qi. Its speed has increased.”
At this instant, not only did Qi Ya and Ye Weishan sense it, even Lai Yixin and the rest could feel it.
Ma Lian was the first to exclaim, “Fuck! Where did it come from?”
“Really strong.” Ye Weishan’s facial color changed.
Is this really strong? Chen Luonian was slightly shocked as he wasn’t very sure how much monster qi normal monsters should have.
“You, go hide. Further away,” Qi Ya suddenly said to Chen Luonian.
Chen Luonian slightly froze, not understanding what Qi Ya meant. Ye Weishan, however, realized it and hastily explained, “You didn’t practice how to manipulate qi so you won’t be discovered. It’ll be safer for you to hide.”
“It’s that dangerous?” Chen Luonian asked in surprise.
“It’s even stronger than that monster which injured you last time.” Ye Weishan gazed in that direction, then knitted her brows. “If you hide, we don’t need to protect you. Hurry!”
Chen Luonian started and hastily ran back. He hid about a dozen meters into the forest as he observed that monster’s strength.
Back when he got injured, Chen Luonian had kept his Original Chaos Breath concentrated in his throat. Hence, his body had not changed a lot and his sensing ability was extremely weak. That’s why he wasn’t sure how much monster qi the Chisel Tooth had. However, if this monster is really stronger than a Chisel Tooth, will these five be able to beat it?
The monster didn’t make them wait for long. Not even half a minute later, an ash gray beast figure had burst out of the mountain forest. It suddenly stopped about a dozen meters away from them and started sizing them up. When they saw the monster clearly, they were simultaneously shocked. Why does this monster look so much like the wolf in the He Sect’s video?
However, this wolf monster seemed only half as big as that one. It was only about three meters long. It also didn’t have a giant wolf head that was as big as half a person’s height. However, that head which was as big as a tire was still pretty intimidating.
Was it the same one? Or was it a different one? If it’s that one, they probably can’t beat it, right? In this instant, the same thoughts ran through everyone’s heads.
The two sides only stared at each other for a short while. The wolf monster only gazed at the five humans in front of it for a few seconds before it gave a strange roar and rushed towards Ma Lian who was in the very center.
The moment the monster moved, everyone else started moving as well. Ye Weishan and Qi Ya simultaneously manipulated outer qi to lift their bodies up into the air. Ma Lian jumped up before the wolf monster arrived to dodge it and at the same time, sent a hack down towards the wolf monster’s head. Lai Yixin twisted and pierced forward from the right, stabbing his spear straight towards the wolf monster’s skull. Huang Zongru actually held his sword in reverse and used his left shoulder to push his shield. He supported the shield with his right fist that was also holding the knife and rammed the shield towards the wolf monster’s head from the left.
However, at this moment, the wolf monster suddenly stomped on the ground and jumped up. Changing its direction, it instantly dodged Lai Yixin’s and Huang Zongru’s attacks. Opening its mouth wide, it met Ma Lian who was in the air.
Ma Lian drew back the corners of her mouth and exposed a grin. Adding violent force, her blade came down with a rapid increase in speed. At the same time, two portions of outer qi integrated and rushed over from both the left and the right. It was the attack that Ye Weishan and Qi Ya had simultaneously shot out.
Ma Lian’s thick falchion was on the verge of making contact when the wolf monster flung his head to the side. Its teeth clashed head on with the thick falchion. The two large forces collided and Ma Lian’s body immediately flew backward violently. At the same time, with the sound of two pops, two arrow-like outer qi struck the wolf monster on the back of its head. As its fur fluttered in the air, two streams of blood burst out.
When the wolf monster cried out, Lai Yixin’s spear pierced towards its right cheek. The wolf monster twisted his head away and tried to bite the spear. However, the spear instantly changed directions as if it was long prepared. It suddenly lifted upwards and stabbed towards the wolf monster’s eye.
The wolf monster hastily dodged but the spear still swiped by its ear and took off a chunk of flesh. As an area on the side of the wolf monster’s head became soaked with blood, Huang Zongru’s shield rammed it from the side. The contact caused the wolf monster’s body to tilt and lose balance.
Huang Zongru didn’t wait for the wolf monster to regain balance before concentrating all his strength on the shield and ramming the wolf monster again. This time, he knocked the wolf monster two meters away and it rolled on the ground.
However, the third time Huang Zongru tried to ram over, it wasn’t as easy. The wolf monster was now standing steadily and it watched as Huang Zongru charged over. Then, it got up and pounced over, attempting to make Huang Zongru fall.
At this time, Ma Lian’s blade and Lai Yixin’s spear pursued the wolf monster in coordination. Ye Weishan and Qi Ya’s attacks hadn’t stopped either. Yet, Huang Zongru’s body strangely twisted at this precise instant and the shield tilted at an angle. With this, when the wolf monster leaped forward, there was no outlet for its force and no place on the smooth shield to grab hold so it slid forward and fell over. Immediately afterwards, two lines of attack simultaneously smashed onto the wolf monster and opened quite a few more wounds.
Huang Zongru saw that the wolf monster had lost its balance again and without saying anything, hoisted up his shield again. The wolf monster had a bad feeling and it leaped back a couple steps, seeming a bit perplexed. This big old shield was always ramming over but when it decided to ram back, it ended up sliding off. It really didn’t know what to do.
However, the wolf monster only received a few skin-deep injuries. It was not easy to deal with like the usual small monsters as its entire body was filled with monster qi. With the monster qi’s protection, unless they had a way to get rid of the wolf monster’s qi, it’ll be very hard for them to harm it significantly.
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Credits: Translated by Chiyomira, Proofread by Yours Truly
[Chiyomira’s Corner]
T/N – I’ve been confused this entire time whether Malian and Qiya’s names were supposed to be together or split since one of them was addressed as Lady Malian or something… But it seems like Ma is the surname and Lian is the given name since no indications of a further surname appear in the narration. They’re probably just called by their full names due to the fact that it’s rude to call people by just one character of their name in China unless you’re super familiar with them (learned this recently from a textbook), I think… So, I’ll be splitting it for consistency since Qiao Wen’s name is split and so is Huai Zhen’s.
Ooooh! Their fighting skills! Haha, Huang Zongru’s huge shield is actually useful, wow! Not fun to translate but fun to read! XD
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