AWB Chapter 55 Escorting the Spiritual Plants Down the Mountain 4
Chapter 55 Escorting the Spiritual Plants Down the Mountain 4
The group continued their journey toward Bright Moon City. The road beneath their feet became increasingly rugged, with wild grass growing on both sides and the wind howling, as if something lurked and peered into view.
Upon reaching a valley, the sky suddenly darkened, with rolling dark clouds pressing down overhead and lightning flashing through the clouds.
Xu Xiaoxiao hugged her arms tightly and shivered: "This darn weather, it changes so fast, I hope something unexpected doesn't happen again?"
Yuan Mengyao looked up at the clouds and said solemnly, "Everyone, be alert. This unusual situation may indicate something is wrong."
As soon as he finished speaking, a flock of black-feathered birds swooped down with screeching cries, their sharp claws gleaming coldly.
Yang Qingfeng quickly formed hand seals, and golden light around his body transformed into a shield. He shouted, "Use your spiritual power to protect yourself. Don't panic!"
Xu Xiaoxiao took off on her sword, her sword flashing as she parried the strange bird's attacks, but she was forced to retreat repeatedly by its onslaught. She said angrily, "These guys are really troublesome!"
Yuan Mengyao flicked her whip, ensnaring several strange birds, and used the momentum to fling them away: "Stop complaining, fight back with all your might!"
After a fierce battle, the group, their clothes tattered and their spiritual energy greatly depleted, finally managed to defeat the strange bird.
Just as they caught their breath, the ground collapsed with a "boom," revealing a deep tunnel.
Xu Xiaoxiao peeked inside and clicked her tongue, saying, "This place looks really creepy. Are we still going?"
Yang Qingfeng frowned and pondered: "I wonder how long it will take to take a detour. With the manual in hand, we shouldn't delay any longer. Go down and proceed with caution."
Entering the tunnel, the walls flickered with eerie green phosphorescence, and a chilling, sinister atmosphere permeated the bones.
As they groped around, several enormous rat demons darted out from the shadows, baring their teeth.
Yuan Mengyao exclaimed, "These rats have become spirits!"
Xu Xiaoxiao exclaimed, "Senior Sister Yuan, hurry up and do it!"
Having said that, he gathered spiritual power in his palm and unleashed several beams of light according to the techniques in the manual.
The group fought their way deeper into the tunnel, stumbling and struggling forward.
Yang Qingfeng suddenly spotted a faint light ahead and exclaimed excitedly, "That might be the exit! Keep pushing!"
As soon as we emerged from the tunnel, the sunlight was blinding, and the outline of the city was already in sight.
Xu Xiaoxiao jumped up excitedly: "Finally here! This whole journey has been so tiring, my bones are about to fall apart!"
Yuan Mengyao laughed and said, "We'll have a secret manual as compensation. Good days are ahead. Let's go into the city!"
The group exchanged smiles, clutching their secret manuals, and hurried toward the city ahead, anticipating peace and new opportunities within.
Carrying the secret manual, the group cautiously entered the city. This city was called Tomorrow City, so Bright Moon City should not be far away.
The city gate was bustling with people, noisy and bustling, with vendors hawking their wares incessantly.
Just as they were looking for a place to stay, a young man dressed in fine clothes and holding a folding fan blocked their way. His eyes swept over them, and he said with a forced smile, "You gentlemen have an air of otherworldly grace, so you must have come from an extraordinary background. I am a steward of the Treasure Pavilion of Tomorrow City. You all look so hurried, have you acquired some rare treasure? Our Treasure Pavilion will buy them at a high price, and I guarantee you won't lose out."
Xu Xiaoxiao glanced at her storage ring and said warily, "There are no treasures here, don't ask around!"
Yuan Mengyao stepped forward, blocking Xu Xiaoxiao's way: "We just want to find an inn to rest, please make way."
The young master, however, persisted, snapping his folding fan shut and pointing at the manual: "Miss, don't try to hide it from me. Your storage ring is clearly a high-grade item, overflowing with spiritual energy. It's definitely not an ordinary item. I'm doing this for everyone's sake. The martial world is dangerous, and carrying treasures can easily lead to trouble."
Yang Qingfeng frowned and said in a deep voice, "Please have some self-respect. We have our own plans and will not accompany you."
After saying that, Yang Qingfeng led his fellow disciples around.
But they hadn't gone far when several dark figures quietly followed them from the shadows.
As we walked into a quiet alley, dark figures suddenly darted out, each masked and wielding a sharp blade.
The leader said viciously, "Leave the treasure behind, and we'll spare your lives!"
Xu Xiaoxiao drew her sword and retorted angrily: "Dream on! If you've got the guts, come and steal it!"
Having said that, he launched the first attack, his sword flashing like a rainbow.
Yuan Mengyao brandished her whip, shouting as she struck, "You cowards dare to rob us? You're dreaming!"
In the fierce battle, Xu Xiaoxiao's side only had ten people, while the enemy had a large number of people and gradually gained the upper hand. Xu Xiaoxiao was almost cut by a sharp blade, and Yuan Mengyao hurriedly swung her spirit whip to protect her: "Xiaoxiao, come closer to me!"
Yang Qingfeng's body flashed with lightning again as he unleashed a series of powerful attacks, forcing the thugs back. He gasped, "This place is no place to stay any longer. Let's run towards where there are more people!"
The group fought their way out and made their way to the inn.
As soon as Yang Qingfeng entered the shop, the waiter greeted him warmly, but Yang Qingfeng keenly sensed something was amiss and leaned close to the waiter, whispering, "Why do you look so flustered? Tell me the truth!"
The waiter stammered, "Sir, you may not know this, but rumors have just spread throughout the city that a mysterious manual has appeared. All sorts of forces are secretly searching for you, and this inn might even have spies hiding there."
Xu Xiaoxiao's eyes widened, and she cried out in distress, "No matter how I try to shake her off, I can't get rid of her! What should I do?"
Yuan Mengyao gritted her teeth: "What are you afraid of? At worst, we can fight again. Senior Brother Qingfeng, we can't just sit here and wait to die!"
Yang Qingfeng's gaze was firm as he nodded and said, "Let's take a breather first. Tonight, we'll disguise ourselves and leave the city. The secret manual must not fall into the hands of villains. We can't stay in Bright Moon City any longer!"
Everyone clenched their fists, secretly gathering their spiritual power, preparing to face the thrilling twists and turns to come.
After hearing Xiao Er's warning, Xu Xiaoxiao and the others decided to follow the plan.
At night, with the moon hidden and the stars gone, Xu Xiaoxiao and the others disguised themselves as ordinary merchants, carefully wrapped the spiritual plants in bundles and carried them on their backs, blending into the crowd leaving the city.
The guards at the city gate were exceptionally strict, checking everyone one by one and even bringing in hounds to sniff out the suspects.
As they approached, Xu Xiaoxiao's palms sweated, and she muttered quietly, "This spirit dog has an overly sensitive nose; I hope it doesn't smell out the spirit plants."
Yuan Mengyao gently patted her to comfort her: "Don't panic, hold your breath and concentrate, use your spiritual power to suppress the aura of the spiritual plant."
Yang Qingfeng remained out of the way, secretly releasing his spiritual energy to interfere with the spirit dog's perception.
Just as they finally left the city and breathed a sigh of relief, a rustling sound came from the woods by the roadside, and a group of people who looked like mountain bandits darted out.
The leader, a burly man with a face full of scars, brandished a large knife and roared, "Leave the spiritual plant behind! We've been watching it for a long time!"
Xu Xiaoxiao stomped her foot angrily: "You haven't had a moment's peace the whole way, it's never going to end!"
After saying that, the flying sword shot out swiftly, instantly slicing off several leaves to intimidate the opponent.
Yuan Mengyao flicked her whip, aiming it at the bandit leader's broadsword, and sneered, "With your paltry skills, you dare to covet the sect's spiritual plants? Dream on!"
Just as everyone was locked in fierce combat, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly rang out from behind. It turned out that the steward of the Treasure Pavilion in the city had arrived with a group of guards. He shouted from afar, "Please hold your fire, everyone! Our Treasure Pavilion is willing to pay a high price to buy these spiritual plants. The reward is much more generous than what the sect offers. We can resell them and everyone will benefit!"
Yang Qingfeng glared angrily: "How can sect missions be treated like child's play? You're delusional to think you can bribe us!"
While speaking, he increased his spiritual power output to repel the approaching bandits.
However, the bandits and guards attacked from both sides, and the group gradually felt the strain. Xu Xiaoxiao was distracted for a moment, and the bandits' sharp blades slashed a corner of her bundle, causing the spiritual plants to gleam faintly.
"Oh no, the spiritual plant is going to be damaged!" she exclaimed.
Yuan Mengyao swiftly threw out the spiritual energy rope, rolled back the bundle, and shouted, "Protect the spiritual plants! Success or failure hinges on this!"
In this critical moment, Yang Qingfeng summoned the sect's token, which shone brightly and exuded an overwhelming aura. He declared loudly, "We are carrying out important sect duties. Anyone who obstructs us will be considered an enemy of the Returning Heaven Sect!"
At this, the bandits showed fear, and the guards hesitated to move forward.
Taking advantage of this brief respite, Xu Xiaoxiao and the others desperately broke through the encirclement, fleeing frantically towards the outskirts of the city.
After running for several miles, the group stopped to rest.
Xu Xiaoxiao collapsed onto the grass, panting heavily: "This escort mission was even more dangerous than encountering the puppet stone men!"
Yuan Mengyao was also exhausted and her hair was disheveled, but she still joked, "Fortunately, the spiritual plant wasn't lost. When we go back to the sect to receive our reward, we should ask for more treasures to reward us."
Yang Qingfeng carefully put away the token and said solemnly, "Don't be careless. Master asked us to escort the spiritual plant to Bright Moon City and wait for the handover person at Full Moon Inn. There might be other changes, so stay alert!"
After saying this, the group took a short break to catch their breath and set off again, keeping a close watch on their surroundings and not daring to relax for a moment.