Chapter 465: Fire Scorpion

Lu Sangjiu paused for a moment, then quickly composed herself and obediently hurried to catch up. "Alright."

’It seems this Lie Rufeng is keeping a pretty tight watch on me. I’d better forget about trying to approach anyone else.’

Tang Ming felt a little awkward seeing this. He worried his actions had displeased Lie Rufeng, so he deliberately fell back a few steps to put some distance between himself and the other two.

Duan Yiyi glanced at him and said sourly, "Senior Brother Tang, you should know better than to get close. Can’t you see she’s already latched onto Senior Brother Lie’s coattails?"

Tang Ming coughed lightly. "I didn’t mean anything by it. I just felt sorry for her, a young girl all alone, so I said a few things to help her relax."

Ruxin added indifferently from the side, "Relaxing in a place like this isn’t necessarily a good thing. Senior Brother Tang, you’d best not do anything unnecessary."

Tang Ming: "..."

’Looks like I’ve somehow managed to tick everyone off without realizing it. Forget it, I should just keep my mouth shut.’

Lu Sangjiu followed behind Lie Rufeng. To avoid exposing herself, she didn’t dare spread her Divine Sense to investigate their surroundings. She could only follow obediently, completely unaware of what lay ahead.

The only thing she could feel was the growing heat of her surroundings, which demanded more and more power to maintain her Protective Shield.

Lu Sangjiu’s situation was different from the others. Her meridians were wider, and the mixed energy in her body was far more efficient than ordinary Spiritual Energy or Demonic Qi.

As a result, even after walking for so long, she felt no strain at all. However, she noticed that Ruxin, who had the lowest cultivation, was already starting to struggle.

She didn’t dare waste too much Spiritual Power on her Protective Shield, so she was enduring more of the heat than anyone else. Her face was already covered in sweat.

With Ruxin as a reference, even though Lu Sangjiu felt fine, she knew she had to start acting like she was struggling too.

A few moments later, Lu Sangjiu also looked as if she’d been drenched, sweating profusely.

Lie Rufeng, walking up ahead, didn’t turn around, but he seemed to have sensed her state. Without looking back, he cast a cooling Spell on both her and Ruxin’s Protective Shields.

Lu Sangjiu’s flushed face immediately improved. She quickly spoke up, "Thank you so much, Immortal Master!"

Lie Rufeng still didn’t turn back. "Just call me Mr. Lie. I’m no Immortal Master."

"Oh, Mr. Lie."

After a pause, Lu Sangjiu added quietly, "You’re a really good person."

’That was a heartfelt sentiment. Lie Rufeng might be a man of few words, but he really was a good person.’

’If I’d known he was this reasonable, maybe I wouldn’t have had to act so weak from the beginning.’

’But it’s too late for that. If I told the truth now, they’d definitely suspect me of having ulterior motives.’

’I’m in too deep now; I have no choice but to see this through.’

With Lie Rufeng’s help, Lu Sangjiu no longer had to put so much effort into her act.

But after walking through the winding caves for a long time, they finally encountered their first real danger.

"Ah! What the hell is this thing!"

The group had been walking in silence when Duan Yiyi, who was at the rear, suddenly shrieked.

By the time everyone turned to look, she had already slashed out with her sword.

What Lie Rufeng and the others saw was a scorpion on the ground, sliced in two.

Duan Yiyi patted her chest, looking frightened. "That scared me to death!"

Lie Rufeng’s expression soured. "Who told you to attack?"

Duan Yiyi was stunned, clearly not expecting to be reprimanded. She replied, aggrieved, "It’s just one scorpion. I got scared and killed it, so what? Senior Brother Lie, what’s the meaning of this?"

This time, even the peacemaker Tang Ming frowned and didn’t side with Duan Yiyi. "That’s no ordinary scorpion—it’s a Fire Scorpion!"

Duan Yiyi had clearly not done her homework, as she foolishly retorted, "So what if it’s a Fire Scorpion?"

Ruxin, her expression equally grim, cut in coldly, "Fire Scorpions are pack Spirit Beasts. Finding one means we’ve found a whole nest."

"What’s more, they’re extremely vengeful. It’s fine if you leave them be, but the moment you harm one of them, you’re guaranteed to face their unending retaliation!"

After Ruxin spoke, Duan Yiyi finally, belatedly, realized she had caused big trouble.

She cowered slightly, guilt-ridden. "W-well... I didn’t know!"

"Besides, this little thing doesn’t look very tough. We don’t need to be scared, right?"

Lie Rufeng glared at her coldly. "One isn’t scary, but what about thousands of them? On top of that, we might face other enemies shortly. With these little things lying in wait, they could land a fatal blow at any moment."

"Duan Yiyi, I can tolerate your stupidity, but if you’re ever dumb enough to drag down the entire team like this again, you can get the hell out and go back by yourself!"

Lie Rufeng showed her no mercy whatsoever; his words were incredibly harsh.

Duan Yiyi had likely always been treated like a princess; when had she ever been spoken to this way? Her face instantly flushed crimson. "You... Lie Rufeng, don’t think you’re so great! If my master hadn’t ordered me to follow you, do you think I’d want to waste my time with you?!"

Seeing the conflict escalating, Tang Ming hurriedly tried to mediate. "Stop arguing, both of you! Even if you’re going to part ways, we have to work together to get through this crisis first!"

Just then, Lie Rufeng’s expression changed abruptly. "They’re here! Everyone, be careful!"

His voice had barely faded when, without anyone needing to ask, they all heard a rustling noise—SKITTER SKITTER SKITTER.

The group hurriedly reinforced their Protective Shields. Then they watched as a dense swarm of Fire Scorpions began to pour out from the dirt floor and even from the cracks in the stone walls.

The sight of the teeming Fire Scorpions made Lu Sangjiu’s skin crawl. ’Yep, I still hate these little things more than anything!’

’She remembered how a similar swarm of tiny creatures had forced her to retreat when she was exploring the Forbidden Land of the Western Demon Realm. She never thought she’d run into the same situation here.’

Her expression darkened, and she felt a sudden, powerful urge to annihilate every last one of these creatures on the spot.

But just then, Lie Rufeng suddenly said to her, "Stay behind me! I’ll get you all through this!"

That snapped Lu Sangjiu back to her senses. ’Oh, right. I’m supposed to be a delicate damsel in distress right now. Calm down!’

’Still, she could tell that dealing with these Fire Scorpions wouldn’t be easy for the group. She couldn’t just stand by and be protected with a clear conscience.’

So, after some thought, she spoke up. "Mr. Lie, I have an Ice Element Spirit Beast. Its cultivation is about the same as mine, but perhaps its Ice Attribute could be of some help. Should I let it out?"

She asked first because she was afraid that releasing a Spirit Beast without warning would cause unnecessary misunderstandings.

Duan Yiyi, however, snapped irritably, "What the hell are you asking for at a time like this? Any help is better than none!"

Lie Rufeng, at the very front, was cutting down the surrounding Fire Scorpions with his Spells. Ignoring Duan Yiyi, he took a brief moment to reply to Lu Sangjiu, "Do it!"

Only then did Lu Sangjiu immediately release Duoduo. "Quick, help them!"