Tang Bai Li

Chapter 84 Friend, May I Borrow a Light

Xu Mu, with his scraggly beard, his hair growing so long it covered his eyes, matted with mud and dust, clung to his face. His clothes and pants were riddled with holes. He couldn't even bear to look at himself, so it was no wonder the people he encountered had taken him for a wild man.

"Where do you come from?"

Xu Mu's gaze sharpened. His right hand, without a trace, drew his hunting knife from its sheath, and he watched the group of people before him with extreme caution.

This was the core region of Xishan. Even that guy had been chased so hard he almost got lost. Where had these obviously young girls and boys come from?

The young man at the front, his tender face smudged with a great deal of dust.

He noticed Xu Mu drawing his knife, and his face paled even further.

"Senior, please wait. I... I am a disciple of the Changsun family from the North Ling Sea Domain. My name is Changsun Weiying!"

"These people behind me are my friends. We followed our elders here. We originally just wanted to seek some opportunities in the outer regions of Xishan, but we encountered a lord-level wolf pack chasing us. Several elders of our clan sacrificed themselves to hold them back, and in our panic, we ran in the wrong direction and ended up here..."

Xu Mu's confusion deepened after hearing this.

"Ran all the way here from the outer regions of Xishan?" He pointed his hunting knife at the group before him, ready to strike at any moment. "This is the core region. How could you possibly have gotten here!"

Xu Mu's expression was fierce, and the hunting knife in his hand gleamed with cold light.

There were five people in total, and judging by their appearances, they were all around his age. The strongest among them, the one speaking, was at most a Stage Two ability user.

To be Stage Two at this age was quite talented. It was likely that the Changsun family was a significant clan. But the problem was, this was the core region of Xishan, where terrifying great demons could be found everywhere, and even humanoid domain lords.

How could they, with their current strength, have reached here safely from the outer regions?

"Be careful!"

Seeing Xu Mu draw his knife, the four people behind Changsun Weiying tensed up, immediately drawing their weapons.

"We followed a raised ridge path all the way here. We did encounter many great demons along the way, but strangely, they didn't approach us."

"And when we reached the end of the ridge, it magically disappeared. After that, we passed through a patch of jungle and arrived here."

Changsun Weiying calmed himself, lowering his stance. The shadow of a tiger seemed to appear in his eyes.

It was clear he had activated his abilities.

"If senior doesn't believe us, there's nothing we can do. We're just very hungry. If you don't wish to believe us, then we'll leave. There's no need to fight."

"Still want to leave...?" Behind the young man, a girl with twin ponytails in a pink dress lowered her head, her expression a little wronged.

She was only a Stage One ability user and had been frail and sickly since childhood. She hadn't eaten for two days, and tens of hours of fleeing had pushed her body to its limit.

If she couldn't rest soon, she might faint before any ghoul even got to her!

Xu Mu's eyes were cold, staring at the tiger with killing intent.

Others might have been intimidated by the opponent's gaze, for the tiger was the king of beasts, and its eyes held the most primal and terrifying power.

But he was different. Since childhood, he had been able to capture fierce tigers with his bare hands.

As a hunter, Xu Mu's gaze would only instill fear in a tiger, from the inside out.

...

After an unknown amount of time, Changsun Weiying couldn't bear the oppressive feeling any longer. Veins bulged in his temples, sweat streamed down his body, and his pores felt as if they were being pricked by needles.

He tried to avert his gaze several times, but he gritted his teeth and kept his head fixed in place.

He knew that at times like these, showing any weakness was fatal.

If the enemy perceived them as weak, death would be their only fate.

"If it comes to a fight, Ying Wei and I will stay. You guys run!"

A young man in a light blue shirt stepped forward, his feet treading on wild flames. He was also a Stage Two ability user, his brows tinged with a hint of ferocity.

He was one of only two Stage Two ability users in their group.

The girl was his long-time crush, a classmate. In this time of crisis, he had to step forward!

Seeing this, Xu Mu grinned.

"I can share some food with you, but I have a condition."

"What?" Changsun Weiying's expression was grim. Based on his experience, the conditions offered at this point would usually be excessive.

Xu Mu raised his arm, pointing his index finger behind Changsun Weiying.

"I want him."

Changsun Weiying turned his head. He was stunned for a moment, then felt an overwhelming wave of humiliation and rage.

"Although we are in such dire straits, we will not betray our companions!"

The young man gritted his teeth, the phantom tiger in his eyes almost bursting from his body.

"If you want Sister Yu Yu, you'll have to get past me first!"

"And me!"

The young man engulfed in flames also shouted.

The two chubby brothers, similar in size and appearance, also spoke.

"Although we brothers are cowardly and fear death, we would never allow Sister Yu Yu to suffer such humiliation."

In their eyes, Xu Mu must have stayed in the mountains for too long, and thus his condition was about their Sister Yu Yu.

Changsun Yu Yu clutched the hem of her skirt, lowering her head, looking helpless.

Her tears were on the verge of falling. After a period of intense internal struggle, she suddenly said,

"If... if my sacrifice can be exchanged for some food..."

"I'm willing!"

"Absolutely not!" Changsun Weiying could no longer bear the humiliation. His body shot out like an arrow, lunging forward before anyone could react.

"Roar!"

With a tiger's roar, the fierce tiger in his eyes surged out, directly attacking Xu Mu's sea of consciousness.

"He's actually a soul cultivator."

Xu Mu raised an eyebrow, then, with a blank expression, unleashed a punch.

"Thump!"

With a single collision, Changsun Weiying was sent flying back without any suspense.

Simultaneously, the tiger attempting to enter Xu Mu's sea of consciousness was instantly devoured by a mass of shadow, leaving nothing behind.

"So strong!"

It wasn't until Changsun Weiying was sent flying back that the other four realized what had just happened.

The expression of the young man engulfed in flames turned even uglier.

He and Changsun Weiying were supposed to be evenly matched, but now, this person had so easily neutralized his attack and even negated his soul assault.

What was this person's strength? Stage Three, or even higher?

"Why bother." Xu Mu shook his numb right hand. The opponent's strength was indeed considerable, but still inferior to his.

"Listen carefully, you've misunderstood me."

"When I said 'him,' I meant the guy behind you, the one playing with fire."

"Huh?" The young man, having been repelled by a punch and his soul attack devoured, was about to attack again when he heard Xu Mu's words and was stunned.

A chill ran down everyone's spines. Now it was the two fat brothers' turn to despair.

Could it be... this wild elder had a penchant for men?

"No need to say anything, I can tell from your expressions that you've misunderstood again."

Xu Mu rubbed his temples.

"It's like this, yesterday at noon, I killed a Stage Two wild boar demon. It's the only food I could find in Xishan, but its meat is too tough and dense."

The young man helplessly pointed to the pot of meat broth behind him.

"I can't cook it thoroughly, so could I borrow your friend's fire?"